Irrational Overreactions(?): The time has come for Iowa to give Kirk Ferentz an ultimatum
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

I also go on a potentially insane rant and then call myself out on it.

Ohio State fans live in the extremes, whether good or bad. As they say, we have no chill. So, I am going to give voice to those passionate opinions by running through my completely level-headed, not-at-all over-the-top, 100% unbiased takeaways from Saturday’s 54-10 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Iowa needs to give Kirk Ferentz an ultimatum to make offense changes or lose his job


Call me an old sap, but watching Saturday’s game made me feel a little sad for the Iowa defensive players. Despite giving up 47 points (the other seven were on a pick-six), that is a legitimately top-line defense and it was continually put in difficult positions by a defense that is horrifyingly inept. It really is unbelievable that after all of the decades that Kirk Ferentz has been at the helm in Iowa City that he has not been able to establish a tradition of, at least, offensive competence to complement his traditionally stingy defense.

Now, I know that much of the problem stems from Kirk elevating his own son from a very good offensive line coach to a middling offensive coordinator and running back/tight ends coach to a completely ineffectual OC and quarterbacks coach. Our Meredith Hein wrote a phenomenal article about the scourge of nepotism at Iowa last week, and it is clear that everybody in Hawkeye Nation understands the issue as well.

Of course, I understand how difficult the situation must be for Kirk; knowing that you have pissed away a potentially historic season because you have continued to pretend that your son is not completely out of his depth and getting worse by the minute has to be hard, both as a coach and as a father.

Athletic Director Gary Barta clearly doesn’t want to fire Kirk Ferentz, and Kirk Ferentz clearly doesn’t want to fire his son, but it is incumbent on Barta to force Kirk’s hand. The Iowa administration needs to tell Kirk that if he does not completely overhaul his offensive staff during the offseason (preferably sooner, but at this point, I can’t see Brian getting canned midseason), it will be the end of the head coach’s tenure in Iowa City.

I realize that it is tough to get exceptional offensive talent to play for the Hawkeyes, but they don’t need a juggernaut-level output to keep Iowa competitive; they just need competence, and if Kirk refuses to do what is so painfully obviously necessary, then Barta needs to find someone who will.

This game was the perfect example of why Ryan Day needs to let someone else to call offensive plays


I know y’all hate it when I bring this up, so I’m going to try to not belabor this point for too long, but Saturday was the perfect example of why Ryan Day the head coach should give Ryan Day the play caller’s responsibilities to someone else.

The second half showed how dominant the Ohio State offense can be against high-quality defenses with exceptional play designs that took advantage of weaknesses in the Hawkeye scheme and allowed C.J. Stroud and his wide receivers to embarrass one of the best defenses in the country.

But the first half also showed how Day can struggle to diverge from his predetermined game plan and how he is seemingly incapable of making adjustments mid-game. He can obviously make them at halftime, but in the course of actual game action, Day has not shown the ability (or perhaps willingness) to deviate from his plan, at least not in the first half.

Obviously, it didn’t ultimately matter on Saturday against Iowa, but in the College Football Playoff against Georgia or Alabama or Tennessee, it could matter; it could also matter significantly against TTUN in The Game. And that’s what this is all about, being the best team possible when the games matter the most.

Because of how much better the Buckeyes are than nearly every team that they play, they don’t actually have that many opportunities to face off against teams that can truly stifle their offense. So, we get lulled into a false sense of security as OSU routinely puts up 60 points against overmatched teams. That is obviously what they should do against also-ran defenses, but — in my admittedly unexpert opinion — Ryan Day more often than not struggles to get into a play-calling rhythm against top-level defenses. I know, I know, the 2021 Sugar Bowl against Clemson.

But, beyond that, there often is nearly no flow in his play calling against great defenses and it seems like he comes in with one game plan and refuses to make substantive changes when the defense does something that he wasn’t expecting; again, at least until halftime. Gus Johnson even mentioned during Saturday’s broadcast how much he appreciates Day’s adjustments... in the second half. Gus wasn’t trolling, but it perfectly illustrated my point. These changes need to be made in real-time, not halfway through the game.

Iowa brought far more pressure on Saturday than it had the rest of the season and threw out different coverage looks than what OSU was expecting, but instead of adjusting and getting the ball out more quickly or taking advantage of the defensive aggression with slants or mesh routes, Day stuck to his preconceived game plan in the first half and it led to the No. 1 offense in the country coming up with three field goals and one touchdown in the first half.

Again, I am going to say this because people make assumptions when I don’t (and often even when I do), but I believe that Ryan Day is an absolutely elite play-caller, and if that was his only responsibility, I don’t think that there would be anyone better in the country. However, that’s not his only responsibility, he is also the head coach of the team, he can’t possibly be as focused on calling plays, making adjustments, and putting his offense in the best possible position to score with everything else that he has to do in-game and during the week.

One of the few truly inspired decisions that Urban Meyer made late in his Ohio State tenure was to bring in Day and turn the offense over to him. That move paid immense dividends almost immediately because it gave someone the ability to focus solely on making the most out of the offense. Whether it is Kevin Wilson (is he really the reason that substantive adjustments are made at halftime rather than in-game?) or someone else, I truly think it’s time for Day to try it as well.

I also fundamentally believe that whoever calls plays on both offense and defense needs to be up in the press box in order to be able to have the best view of what the opposing units are running; there’s a reason that the All-22 film is what’s used to break down film, and the same principle applies in-game as well.

We, as fans, all suck


After writing my third “Ryan Day should give up play calling” article in the past 10 months, I am going to acknowledge that, as a whole (and often as individuals), we Ohio State fans are an absolutely miserable collection of human beings — especially on game days.

In terms of college football, we have it about as good as anyone not rooting for Alabama. Our team is tied (with the Tide) for the second most wins all-time, they are tied for the most Heisman Trophies in history, they bring in one of the best recruiting classes every cycle, and are in the mix for a CFP berth practically every year; whatever issues we have with the team and the program are truly the most first-world problems of college football.

Heaven forbid that I admit that a Dr. Pepper Fansville commercial gets it right, but the new one where the guy tries to convince his horrified friends that it’s ok to not be devastated by not making the College Football Playoff is actually a really good lesson for anyone who gets overly invest in the Buckeyes, college football, or really anything.

Twitter is always a cesspool no matter the day or self-selected social media silo that you find yourself in, but it gets really ugly and really nasty on Saturdays on #BuckeyeTwitter — the number of people I mute from the LGHL account every week is staggering. We watch college football to be entertained, to enjoy the competition, to forget about the drama and stress of the outside world, we shouldn’t let our favorite team not being absolutely perfect on every play get in the way of that.

In the words of the hero that we neither knew that we needed or truly deserve, “Guys, it’s just a game; a bunch of kids with a ball ... Maybe there’s more to life.”


I’m going to be writing about Dr. Pepper, proximity, and perspective a bit more later this week, so crack open a cold one and get ready for that.

Continue reading...

I-70 Football Podcast: A weekend full of surprising Big Ten blowouts
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The best game of the weekend shockingly included Northwestern as the other games ended in blowouts.

Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s I-70 podcast. On this show, we talk all things Big Ten football and basketball. After every week of action, we will get you caught up on all the conference’s games and look ahead at the matchups, storylines, and players that you should be paying attention to in the next week. My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host Dante Morgan.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:


Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio

A weekend full of potential turned into a snooze fest as multiple games became blowouts before the band could play. Under interim head coach Jim Leonhard, Wisconsin beat Purdue for the 16th straight time in a dominant showing. Wisconsin found their defense forcing future first-round pick, Aidan O’Connell into three interceptions.

Penn State bounced back after an embarrassing performance against Michigan and bullied the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Minnesota started the game with one hand behind its back as it was without starting quarterback Tanner Morgan. Losing Morgan is a huge issue, but he does not play defense as the Golden Gophers allowed Sean Clifford to throw for four touchdowns.

Ohio State covered a 29-point spread by demolishing Iowa 54-10. Iowa’s defense put up a great fight forcing Ohio State into four field goals after the buckeyes got the ball in Iowa territory four times and even scored a touchdown after sacking C.J. Stroud and forcing a fumble. Ohio State passed a tough test, offensively at least, and has another chance to prove itself with Penn State on the schedule in their next game.

Despite being 1-7 versus Ohio State, James Franklin has played the Buckeyes closer than any other team. Can the Nittany Lions finally win against the Buckeyes or will they suffer another defeat leading OSU on a crash course with Michigan?

After giving Mel Tucker a 10-year contract Michigan State has struggled mightily this season and is looking for a sign of hope. Despite their ups and downs, Tucker is 2-0 against his in-state rival and will head into Ann Arbor looking to leave 3-0 by upsetting the No. 4 team in the country.

Illinois is still not being respected and faces a unique challenge in the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Nebraska is not a good football team but they have been competent under interim head coach Mickey Joseph. Illinois brings their No. 1 defense against the Nebraska transfer trio of Casey Thompson, Anthony Grant, and Trey Palmer. Illinois has another chance to prove they are legit by beating Nebraska in a dominant fashion.

In their weekly pitstops, Jordan celebrates “Sugar” Sean O’Malley upsetting No. 1 contender Petr Yan in this weekend’s latest UFC PPV. Dante hates the inconsistency with how penalties are called under the guise of player safety. Offensive players should be called for targeting if the penalty is truly about protecting players instead it is only used to penalize defenses.


Connect with us on Twitter:
Jordan: @JordanW330
Dante: @DanteM10216

Continue reading...

Four-star athlete from Pennsylvania impressed as Buckeyes handle Iowa
Bret Favachio via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Quinton Martin | 247Sports

Ohio State made the most out of their opportunity to impress a top target from the state of Pennsylvania this weekend.

Ohio State took care of business yet again on Saturday when they took down Iowa, 54-10. The performance for the Buckeyes was one that came at a good time as a blue-chip prospect from Pennsylvania and more got a first-hand look at the contest. Plus, one of the two quarterbacks that have been offered in the 2025 recruiting class reveals that he will be in Columbus sooner rather than later.

Martin, others take in Buckeyes big win


Ohio State dialed up a well-timed blowout victory in conference play on Saturday and one of the biggest targets that got a first-hand look at the action was 2024 four-star athlete Quinton Martin of Belle Vernon (PA). Martin certainly didn’t hide his thoughts on the Buckeyes' visit and one thing is for certain, the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder enjoyed his stay in Columbus.


Martin, a Pennsylvania standout, has yet to give any leads about where his recruitment currently stands but he’s seen an impressive cast of programs that are hoping to reel in his services. Among the programs that are pursuing Martin include Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and more.

While the Buckeyes seemingly made the most of Martin’s trip to Columbus, there still is plenty of work to be done if they look to welcome him to the fold. Martin currently ranks as the No. 25 overall prospect in the class and is inside the top five prospects at both his position and in Pennsylvania where he ranks as the top player in the state.

Also inside of Ohio Stadium with Martin on Saturday include 2024 three-star tight end Ryner Swanson of Laguna Beach (CA) and 2024 four-star safety Vaboue Toure of Irvington (NJ).

Montgomery reveals Ohio State visit plans


While the Buckeyes already hold a pledge from his big brother in the 2023 class, Ohio State is hoping for more of the same in their efforts with 2025 quarterback Ryan Montgomery of Findlay (OH). Montgomery is one of two quarterbacks in the class that has picked up an early offer from the Buckeyes joining five-star quarterback Colin Hurley of Trinity Christian Academy (FL).

That goes to show you just how highly the Buckeyes think of Montgomery and the good news for Ohio State is that they will get yet another chance to leave an impression on the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder. According to Eleven Warriors, Montgomery will be in attendance on Nov. 26 when Michigan comes to town for the annual clash between the arch-rivals.

While the visit should come as no surprise with Montgomery being so close to the Ohio State campus and the big recruiting weekend that is expected, any time you can get a likely top quarterback target on campus is one you will gladly take. Montgomery is currently unanimously predicted to wind up with the Buckeyes when all is said and done as they are the prohibitive favorite on the 247Sports crystal ball.

Quick Hits

• Aside from the aforementioned Martin and Swanson, Ohio State also played host to a pair of 2023 pledges in four-star safety Cedrick Hawkins of Cocoa (FL) and four-star wide receiver Carnell Tate of IMG Academy (FL).
• Despite being committed to the Buckeyes since July, other programs have continued to eye 2023 four-star cornerback Jermaine Mathews of Winton Woods (OH). On Friday morning, Michigan became the latest program to join offer Mathews, the No. 10 overall in-state.
• Head coach Ryan Day made a visit to Buford (GA) last week to check in on 2024 four-star defensive end Eddrick Houston. On Friday evening, Eleven Warriors’ Garrick Hodge caught up with the blue-chip defensive lineman to discuss what the visit from Day meant to him.

“It means a lot to see how much coach Day cares about his recruits that he made the trip to come see us,” Houston told Eleven Warriors.

Continue reading...

Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: Iowa’s offense really was as bad as advertised
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Buckeyes blow out the Hawkeyes despite some first half struggles.

The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast ‘Hangout in the Holy Land’ is here! Join LGHL’s co-managing editor Gene Ross alongside his co-host Josh Dooley as they cover everything from football to basketball to recruiting and more!

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


On this week’s episode, Gene and Josh sort through the rubble of the latest Ohio State blowout win. The Buckeyes defeated Iowa 54-10, but it certainly didn’t look or feel like the typical large margin of victory for Ryan Day’s squad. The guys breakdown what exactly went wrong with the offense in the first half, and how much if anything they learned about Ohio State’s defense with how dreadful the Iowa offense is. OSU fans should feel good about a 44-point win against one of the nation’s premier defenses, but there are certainly things that need to be cleaned up moving forward.

“Hangout in the Holy Land” will be posting two episodes per week during the regular season, with an episode before and after each Ohio State game to give you all the preview and recap content you may need. Be sure to download and listen in wherever you get your podcasts, and leave us a review on Apple to let us know your thoughts and how we can make things even better!

You can also follow us on Twitter @HolyLandPod, where we will want to hear from you guys even more! If there’s anything you’d like us to talk about on the show, @ us and let us know!

As always, Go Bucks.


Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @HolyLandPod

Connect with Gene:
Twitter: @Gene_Ross23

Connect with Josh
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye

Continue reading...

Ohio State opens as 14.5-point favorites over Penn State
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images

The Buckeyes head to Happy Valley looking to remain unbeaten on the year.

DraftKings Sportsbook odds: Ohio State -14.5

After having last weekend off, we were treated to the full Ohio State football experience on Saturday afternoon in the Buckeyes’ 54-10 beatdown of Iowa. Ohio State scored more points in a game against the Hawkeyes than any team in the Kirk Ferentz era. If you just looked at the box score of this game, you would think C.J. Stroud and the Buckeyes cruised, and if you only looked at Twitter, you would probably think Ohio State lost this game by 30. Truthfully, it was somewhere in the middle.

Yes, Ohio State won by 44 points, but the offense was definitely not at its best in this one — especially in the first half. The Buckeyes failed to score a touchdown on seven of their first eight drives, with Stroud looking off and Ryan Day’s play-calling looking even worse. Things changed in a major way after halftime, however, as Stroud went on to finish with 286 yards passing to go along with four touchdown passes and one pick. Ohio State couldn't do much of anything on the ground, but it didn’t matter as Julian Fleming, Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. each recorded a TD through the air.

The defense was another story, although Iowa’s offense certainly played a hand in that. All-in-all, the Hawkeyes turned the ball over six times on three fumbles and three interceptions, giving Ohio State a number of short fields to work with on offense. Quarterback play for Iowa was especially abysmal, as Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla combined for just 81 passing yards on 11-of-24 passing with the three picks thrown. The rushing attack wasn’t much better, averaging 2.2 yards per carry, and if it were not for a defensive TD, the Hawkeyes would not have found the end zone. The stats for this Iowa offense coming into the day were bad, but watching it made it seem even worse.

Ohio State now turns its attention to a team that can actually score a few points on the offensive side, but the oddsmakers still believe that the Buckeyes will win by more than two touchdowns in a hostile environment against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Day and his squad will head to Happy Valley as 14.5-point favorites, despite each of the last six meetings between the two schools being decided by 13 points or less.

Now sitting at 6-1 on the year, Penn State bounced back in a big way from the blowout loss to Michigan with a 45-17 drubbing of Minnesota. The Gophers were without starting quarterback Tanner Morgan, but it likely wouldn't have mattered as the Nits torched P.J. Fleck’s defense. Sean Clifford was good, throwing for 295 yards with four TDs to one INT, but it was the ground game that really gave Minnesota fits. Penn State ran the ball 34 times for 175 yards and two scores, with both Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen recording over 75 yards rushing in the game. Four different players caught a TD pass for PSU, including star receiver Parker Washington, who finished with seven catches for 70 yards.

Defensively, the Nittany Lions did a good job of at least slowing down Mohamed Ibrahim, who still rushed for a little over 100 yards, but took 30 carries to do it. It was a far cry from the week prior, when Penn State allowed Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards to combine for 339 yards on the ground (7.7 yards per carry) and four scores in the loss to the Wolverines. Linebacker Curtis Jacobs had a big night against the Gophers with 14 total tackles, including two for loss, and the Nits’ secondary once again looked good with its premier duo of Ji’Ayir Brown and Joey Porter Jr. running the show in pass defense.

Penn State brings a balanced attack on offense, and its defense ranks in the upper half of the Big Ten even with a poor showing against Michigan. Ohio State has seemingly always had trouble against the Nittany Lions, and they will be hoping that their issues running the football against Iowa don’t carry over into this game. Brown and Porter Jr. are two of the best corners in the conference, and so the Buckeyes will likely need that ground attack to get going in order to open things up through the air. Jim Knowles will also be hoping that his cornerbacks are up to the task of guarding the aforementioned Washington as well as former 1,400-yard receiver at WKU, Mitchell Tinsley.

Vegas likes OSU to win comfortably in this one, but recent history has shown that this matchup doesn’t always go as people expect.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

Continue reading...

LGHL Uncut Podcast: Day, Stroud, Knowles break down Saturday’s Iowa victory
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State Athletics

Day discusses JSN’s health, Harrison’s big day, and more.

Throughout the year, Land-Grant Holy Land will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


On this episode of “Land-Grant Holy Land Uncut,” we have press conference audio from following Saturday’s 54-10 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes. Head coach Ryan Day, quarterback C.J. Stroud, and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles discuss the unusual game that ended up being a historic victory for the Buckeyes. Day reveals some details about the health of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the struggles in the red zone, and Zach Harrison’s career day.

Stroud explains what the Hawkeye defense did that was slightly different than what they had anticipated coming into the game and Knowles comments on playing more linebackers than normal and Tanner McAlister’s impact following his transfer from Oklahoma State.

You can watch the full press conference on the official Ohio State athletics website.


Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

Music by: www.bensound.com

Continue reading...

Buckeye Stock Market Report: Ohio State defense dominates as Buckeyes roll over Iowa, 54-10
David M Wheeler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images

Six takeaways, five sacks stymie weak Hawkeye offense

After each Ohio State game during the 2022 football season, LGHL will offer its market analysis of the Buckeyes’ performance. Using a standard bond rating system, we’ll evaluate the offense, the defense, and the special teams, according to this formula:

AA: Very Strong
A: Strong
BBB: Adequate
BB: Facing Major Uncertainty

Then, we’ll take a look at any individual players whose performance stood out (in one way or another!) and assign them a stock rating: Blue Chip, Solid Performance, Penny Stock (akin to a junk bond, dangerously high risk).

Quick Overview


Folks around the country will look at the 54-10 final score and go “ho-hum.” But this strange, strange game was anything but a yawner. First of all, the Iowa offense is really terrible. That’s really all that I can say about them. The Buckeye defense, even given the “quality” of the opponent, was magnificent.

I guess that I’ve probably seen a game where one team got six turnovers – but I can’t remember when. It got so that I expected an interception or a lost fumble on every Iowa snap. Repeatedly, the Buckeyes got the ball with a short field. And then usually failed to take full advantage of the break.

Just as it’s hard to determine how good the Ohio State defense is when the offense against them is almost nonexistent, it’s also difficult to tell whether the Iowa defense is really good (at least for about 60% of the game), or whether the OSU offense was just off.

We’ll discuss the offensive problems below. The bottom line, though, is that the Buckeyes won the game, covered the 30-point spread (which I thought was high) by 14, and stretched their record to 7-0. The determined march toward championships continues.

Offense

Overall rating: BBB Adequate (i.e., good enough to win)


You might be thinking, that’s a lot of points to put on the board in order to earn an “adequate.” But let’s consider. The Buckeye offense in the first half was awful. Safety Tanner McCalister collected his first interception of the day on Iowa’s first play. The Bucks’ first drive started at the Iowa 29. TreVeyon Henderson gained a rushing yard on first down. Facing good coverage, C.J. Stroud essentially threw the ball away on second down and made a bad pass on third down that should have been intercepted. After gaining only a yard, OSU settled for a 46-yard field goal. And that drive typified the half.

By halftime, the Buckeye offense totaled 133 yards, a figure that the Fox announcers claimed was the least productive half in coach Ryan Day’s tenure at Ohio State. They were two for eight in converting third downs and had only six first downs for the 30 minutes. Stroud was 10-for-17 but averaged only 6.2 yards per attempt and had thrown no touchdowns. A 26-yard pass to Julian Fleming was the only play of the half good for more than 20 yards.

The second half was much better, and people will call the game a “tale of two halves.” Although Stroud threw TD passes on each of his last four drives, over all the offense wasn’t all that good in the second half either. For the game, the Buckeyes finished with 15 first downs and 360 total yards. Both numbers are very low. But look at these: 3/13 in third down conversions, 66 total net rushing yards. I know that with the short fields, it’s tougher to accumulate yards and first downs. But still.

The problem for me is that Iowa demonstrated that the superb Ohio State offense can be stopped. That’s right – stopped. They did it systematically. First, they stuffed the run. Neither Henderson nor Miyan Williams could get anything. Even the end-arounds and a reverse didn’t work. Stroud’s sneak on third and one didn’t get the first down. The offensive line wasn’t moving anybody; unfortunately, it looked a lot like the running game last year.

Secondly, the Hawkeyes did a really good job in pass coverage. They were physical, knocking Buck receivers off their routes. When the refs didn’t call penalties, they got more physical. Finally, they were able to put a lot of pressure on Stroud. He sometimes kept the play alive only to make a bad decision or throw it away.

I could almost feel Stroud’s frustration. He lost his patience. He started forcing his passes. He didn’t have a great game. Maybe he was rusty after the bye, maybe he was troubled (as we all were) seeing Jaxon Smith-Njigba limp off the field at less than the halfway mark of the second quarter. Whatever the reason(s), Stroud didn’t have one of his best games. He got sacked and had the ball stripped and recovered for an Iowa TD on Ohio State’s second possession of the game. Although throwing an interception on the first play, he was better in the second half. OSU was more successful in protecting Stroud in the pocket, and the Iowa pass rush was less ferocious. Some adjustments had been made on the routes that enabled Buckeye receivers to get a little separation.

Day and the Buckeye staff gave up on the running game. I’m not sure that I blame them; it wasn’t going anywhere. But without it, the Buckeyes are much less on offense. And when there aren’t big plays, long gainers, you can feel a certain little panic – with the players, the play callers, the OSU fans. That’s a problem. More patience will be needed next week and in the future.

Defense

Overall rating: AA Very Strong


Since this game showed an Ohio State defense that was one of the best that I’ve seen in a long time, I’m going to assume (at least for this column) that the dominance was all attributable to Jim Knowles’ defense, and not the feeble Iowa offense. Iowa had 159 yards of total offense. They were 1/13 on third-down conversion attempts and 1/4 on fourth-down attempts. Aside from a couple of nice draw plays in the third quarter, Iowa did nothing. The Buckeye D was aggressive throughout the game and simply dominated.

Linebackers Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg made most of the tackles, but the line controlled the line of scrimmage and made life miserable for Hawkeye runners and passers. There was some pregame speculation that OSU defensive backs would have trouble covering Iowa’s good tight ends. Not really a problem at all. The safeties handled them, and pressure on Iowa QBs canceled the passing attack.

But it’s the turnovers that we’ll remember. For the game, Iowa had 15 offensive possessions. They lost three fumbles, threw three interceptions, failed on a fake punt, punted five times, and turned the ball over on downs twice on failed fourth-down attempts. Oh, and they had a 49-yard field goal early in the second quarter. That’s it – three points. (The touchdown was scored by the Iowa defense.)

I applaud the defense. They are so much better – in every way – than last year. Importantly, the OSU defense can carry the load when the offense struggles.

Special Teams

Overall rating: A Strong


No glaring blunders. No bonehead plays. Fair catches were called and made. Kickoff and kicking teams executed their plays cleanly. Freshman Caden Curry made a nice, open-field tackle to foil a foolish fake punt attempt. And Noah Ruggles (remember him?) made all four of his field goal attempts. No fireworks on special teams. Just solid play.

Individual Performances

Blue Chip


Zach Harrison. I’m not the only Ohio State fan waiting for Zach Harrison to live up to his potential. He’s getting there. Against the Hawkeyes, Harrison was all over the quarterbacks. He was too quick, too strong for the guys trying to block him, and it seemed as though he could do whatever he wanted. While he may not be credited with a dozen tackles, he was there – stopping the play.

Tanner McCallister. We all had high hopes for the Oklahoma State transfer, and he met them yesterday. Two interceptions! Yeah, I know that McCallister got flagged on an interference call, but he roamed that secondary like a predator.

Tommy Eichenberg. As I’ve said before, Eichenberg is a different player this year. He’s become one of those fierce, aggressive Buckeye linebackers that we’ve come to expect. Seven tackles and a pick-six interception – not a bad afternoon.

Lathan Ransom. The safeties played strong games for OSU, and Ransom stood out. He was frequently involved in stopping Iowa runs and finished with five tackles. He also had a fumble recovery, capping a very fine game.

Noah Ruggles. Last year, Ruggles was “Mr. Automatic.” This year, with Ohio State’s TD success in the red zone, we’ve hardly seen him. But he made all of his kicks yesterday. “So what?” you ask. “He’s supposed to make them.” Yes, but what if he had missed them? As the Buckeyes were thwarted time after time in the first half, momentum was at stake. Missed field goals would have kept the Hawks in the game. Ruggles didn’t miss.

Solid Performance


Marvin Harrison, Jr. Both Fleming (105) and Emeka Egbuka (80) had more receiving yards than Harrison. But Harrison made several spectacular catches when just such catches were needed. He’s a clutch performer. I thought about putting him above, as a “blue chipper,” but I really didn’t think that any offensive player deserved that status.

Steele Chambers. I love his name, which reminds me of the Pittsburgh “Steel Curtain” of the 1970s. Chambers, like Eichenberg, was all over the field against Iowa.

Jerron Cage. Interior defensive linemen often don’t get the credit that they deserve. Cage played a strong game, plugging up the middle when he was in there. The Iowa line couldn’t push him around at all.

Caden Curry. Curry played on special teams and came in late in the game at defensive end. On Iowa’s fake punt, I really thought that the kicker was going to get the first down. But Curry stuck him. A defensive lineman making an open-field tackle! He also recovered a fumble. I look forward to seeing much more of this guy.

Penny Stock


Dawand Jones. There are probably other offensive players that belong in this category, but the right side of the Buckeye offensive line was subpar on both running and passing plays throughout the game. D. Jones, in addition to missing blocks, was whistled for lining up in the backfield. The thoughtless play canceled a nice completion to Cade Stover, stalled another OSU drive, and forced yet another field goal instead of a touchdown. Sometimes, it’s the little things.


Yes, I’m greedy, but I found this 44-point drubbing of the Hawkeyes to be disappointing. I hadn’t thought that any team could simply shut down the Buckeye run game. Iowa did. I also worry about Stroud’s ability to maintain his cool when things aren’t going well. The Buckeye offensive line was beaten all through the first half of the game.

It was a big win. No doubt. But some improvements need to be made. Before next Saturday. While the Nittany Lions didn’t look very special against TTUN, they looked good yesterday against a pretty decent Minnesota team. The Buckeyes better be ready.

Continue reading...

Hmmm, that's just down the street from me. I'm going to have to check him out.

Jumping back to 1991 to recap Ohio State’s 54-10 victory over Iowa
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images

Today’s win over the Hawkeyes extended Ohio State’s home winning streak over Iowa to eight games.

As the Big Ten has expanded, the number of meetings between Iowa and Ohio State has dwindled over the years. Today’s game was the first game between the schools in Columbus since 2013. With today’s 54-10 win over the Hawkeyes, Ohio State extended their winning streak at Ohio Stadium over Iowa to eight games. To wrap up today’s blowout win, we’ll look back at some popular movies, tv shows, songs, and video games from 1991 and incorporate them into the recap.

“Enter Sandman”


1991 was when Metallica’s self-titled album was released, commonly referred to as “The Black Album”. The most famous track from the legendary album is Enter Sandman. In college football, Enter Sandman has been used for years by Virginia Tech to hype up their crowds before and during games. “Enter Sandman” is essentially Jump Around for Appalachia.

The sandman certainly came for Iowa today. Ohio State was the beasts under Iowa’s bed, in their closets, and in their heads. There is nothing about the Buckeye defense that anyone can complain about following today’s game. Tanner McCalister intercepted a Spencer Petras pass on the first play of the game, and added a second pick in the second half. Overall, the Buckeyes forced the Hawkeyes into six turnovers in the game.

Along with the turnovers, Ohio State was able to put a ton of pressure on Petras and Alex Padilla, recording five sacks in the game. Senior defensive end Zach Harrison was a force throughout the game, getting into the backfield early and often. Both Harrison and J.T. Tuimoloau were able to record their first sacks of the season in today’s blowout victory.

Coming into the game we knew that Iowa had the worst offense that Ohio State was going to face this season. It was still nice to see the Buckeyes play a complete game on defense, only giving up a field goal to the Iowa offense, as the only touchdown from the Hawkeyes came from their defense. Next week Ohio State won’t have it so easy when they have to travel to Penn State, but a performance like they had today could be just what the doctor ordered to build some confidence for the second half of the regular season.

“Motownphilly”


Ohio State has the best wide receiver in the country, it is just a different receiver than we were claiming heading into the season. Before the season kicked off, Jaxon Smith-Njigba was being looked at as a contender for the Biletnikoff Award. Unfortunately, Smith-Njigba suffered a hamstring injury early in the season opener against Notre Dame, which kept him on the sidelines for most of the first six games of the year. Smith-Njigba looked to have aggravated the injury in today’s game, which leaves his availability for the rest of the regular season up in the air.

Enter Marvin Harrison Jr., who created some noise heading into this season with a three-touchdown performance in the Rose Bowl. Harrison has found the end zone three times in two games this season, already setting a school record as the only Buckeye wide receiver to catch three touchdown passes in three separate games. Coming into today’s game, Harrison was leading the country with nine touchdown catches this year, and today he was able to haul in another score, with his touchdown in the third quarter giving Ohio State a 33-10 lead.

The son of the Pro Football Hall of Famer is so good that if you dropped him into the 2023 NFL Draft, he would undoubtedly be taken in the first round. Joel Klatt said a number of times on today’s broadcast that he thinks Harrison is going to be the best receiver in the NFL in 4-5 years, and honestly, it’s hard to argue against it. At 6-foot-4, Harrison can go up and get those high passes, he has the footwork to be able to make tough catches on the sideline and the back of the end zone, and he has the speed to create separation from defenders. All that to say, he is as smooth as Boyz II Men were in the 90s.

“Duke Nukem”


What can you say about C.J. Stroud that hasn’t already been said? Things were a little rough for the quarterback early on, as he fumbled the football early on after getting hit, leading to an Iowa touchdown that gave the Hawkeyes their only lead of the game. It wasn’t until the second half that Stroud really got going, finding Harrison for his first touchdown pass of the game, and following it up with three more touchdown tosses.

Stroud not only has 72 passing touchdowns, ranking second in school history, but the redshirt sophomore also moved into the top five on the school’s all-time passing yardage list. After some poorly placed throws in the first half, Stroud found his rhythm and made some throws that were NFL-caliber, where only his receivers were able to catch it.

Following a 2021 season that saw him turn into a Heisman Trophy finalist, Stroud is looking like a front-runner for the award with about a month and a half left in the season. While there are some fans clamoring for Stroud to run the football a little more when there is open field in front of him, the Buckeyes also can’t risk their quarterback taking a hit while running the football and getting hurt.

If you look at what Stroud has done in 19 starts as a Buckeye quarterback, he has put up video game numbers. Stroud is essentially “Duke Nukem” or “The Terminator”, whose second movie was released in 1991, just putting down the competition. Teams may be able to put some clamps on Stroud for a bit, but in the end he finds a way to earn the win.

“Dinosaurs”


“Dinosaurs” perfectly describes what Iowa is working with on its coaching staff. The only Iowa coach that is worth anything is Phil Parker, who deserves better. At this point, Kirk Ferentz and his son Brian are essentially stealing money from the university. It’s not like the Hawkeyes can get rid of the grifting father-son combo either since the elder Ferentz’s buyout is so high, and it’s not like Kirk is going to fire his son.

Just look at what has happened to quarterback Spencer Petras, who came to Iowa as one of the better prospects in the country. After five years at Iowa, Petras is worse now than when he arrived on campus. It just seems like Brian Ferentz is so stubborn that he refuses to acknowledge that he is trying to put a square peg in a round hole and figures if he just keeps smashing it, then eventually it will fit. That strategy might have worked 20 years ago, but it certainly doesn’t work today.

There is just no imagination from the Iowa offense. I almost feel bad for their fans because there are a lot of passionate Iowa supporters who shouldn’t be subjected to this type of inept coaching. The Big Ten is better when Iowa is challenging out west. I don’t blame them for wanting to hit both Kirk and Brian upside the head with frying pans, just like the adorable baby dinosaur did to his dad in the ABC show that debuted in 1991.

“Delirious”


For the most part, being active online as a Buckeye fan is pretty fun. One thing that irks me is just how quick people are to lose their minds about the simplest things. I swear today wasn’t my first day on Twitter. I know that Twitter exists for people to complain and throw out the wildest takes they can for attention. I have been guilty of it in the past, but over the years I like to think I’ve mellowed out a little as I have gotten older.

Some people were losing their minds today at the earliest sign of a little bit of adversity. The first half wasn’t all that pretty to watch if you were an Ohio State fan that loves offense. Even with C.J. Stroud not playing his best half of football, along with Ryan Day leaving a lot to be desired with his play-calling and game management, the Buckeyes were still up 26-10 at the half. In my eyes, that’s not too bad against one of the toughest defenses in the country.

I hate to break it to people, but things aren’t always going to go perfectly in a game. That’s why they play them instead of just super-simming an Ohio State victory. I saw some idiots thinking C.J. Stroud should have been benched for his play before he found his rhythm in the second half. I would say that’s one of the stupidest take you could have but it’s not like we didn’t hear cries from some last year that Stroud wasn’t the answer after he struggled a little in his first few starts.

There’s no problem being passionate about your team. It is great there are so many fans that love Ohio State and want them to be the best. Just don’t let the desire to see another national title come to Columbus rot your brain. Just because John Candy was able to control things by writing them in a movie, it doesn’t mean that Ryan Day is getting fired or C.J. Stroud is getting benched because of your angry tweets in a game Ohio State is winning. It’s ok to be angry or disappointed, just think before blowing your top sometimes.

Continue reading...

Instant Recap Podcast: Ohio State’s defense dominates, offense explodes in 54-10 win over Iowa
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images

The guys are back to recap how Ohio State was dominant in every facet in their resounding win over Iowa.

Ohio State hosted Iowa and beat them in a dominant manner 54-10. Jordan Williams is joined by Chris Renne to bring you the Land-Grant Holy Land “Instant Recap Podcast.”

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


To get the show started, the guys get into their initial takeaways from Iowa and how the slow start impacted their views of the game. Then they get into the dominant second-half performance from the Ohio State offense and defense.

After the initial discussion, the guys get into the issues on offense in the first half and how Ohio State found their way in an aggressive manner in half two. Then Chris and Jordan talk about the Buckeye defense; they realize the OSU D was playing Iowa’s offense, but there were still some important takeaways.

The defense showed up, bullied Iowa’s offense at the line of scrimmage, and forced the most turnovers they’ve had in a game in recent memory.

After that, Jordan and Chris discuss the Players of the Game as well as their favorite moments including Tanner McAlister’s interceptions. They also discuss how Tommy Eichenberg is still flying off the tracks, “Sack Harrison” makes an appearance, and the offense eventually figured it out.

To conclude, the show they give their final thoughts on the performance, discuss injuries, and what’s next for the Buckeyes.


Connect with Chris Renne:
Twitter: @ChrisRenneCFB

Connect with Jordan Williams
Twitter: @JordanW330

Continue reading...

Celebrate Ohio Stadium’s 100th Anniversary with limited edition Woody Hayes, Brutus bobbleheads
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



No better way to celebrate the cathedral of college football than with gold accented figurines, imo.

This year is a very special time to be a Buckeye. Not only is Ryan Day’s team trending toward a national championship, but quarterback C.J. Stroud is the clear-cut betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Obviously, both of those feats would be historic if they come to fruition, but just as important in 2022 is the 100th anniversary of the cathedral of college football known as Ohio Stadium.

Ohio State has been celebrating the stadium centennial all season, and as of today, our friends at FOCO — one of the most beloved creators of officially licensed merch in the world — are joining the party with not one, not two, not three, but four bobbleheads depicting the two biggest icons in Ohio State history, Wayne Woodrow Hayes and Brutus Bartholomew Buckeye (I made up the “Bartholomew” part).

This new 100th-anniversary collection features Brutus and legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes atop The Horseshoe (individuals and stadium are not built to scale). The 100-year logo is displayed on the back with the names of Brutus and Woody beneath it.

The standard limited-edition versions of the bobbleheads have gray backing, but the extra limited-edition variant versions come with gold accents across the bobblehead making them highly collectible. All of the figures stand eight inches tall.

Get your Brutus and/or Woody 100th Anniversary bobbleheads here!



There will only be 422 of the standard bobbleheads made and only 100 of the gold variant versions, so order yours now. The standard bobbleheads will sell for $75 and the fancy gold ones will run $100.

Most recently, OSU great Chris Olave got his own Gate Series bobblehead joining fellow former Buckeye greats Chase Young, Justin Fields, Cameron Heyward, Carlos Hyde, Joey Bosa, and Michael Thomas who had their boobleheads released in August.

But Brutus is no stranger to these incredible, limited edition releases either as over the summer, FOCO released very snazzy Brutus Buckeye Bighead and “Phantom of the Opera-themed bobbleheads as well.

As someone with a borderline unhealthy Ohio State bobblehead/collectible addiction, I can think of no better way to celebrate this historic season in the annals of Ohio State athletics and the venerated Horseshoe than with one (or all) of these magnificent merchandising masterpieces.

Continue reading...

Bold Predictions: Non-offensive scores and backup QBs
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images

Plus, one position group will cross the century mark. Another will not.

Before each Ohio State game this year, LGHL is going to bring you some “bold predictions”. This will include somewhere a few hot takes for the game, whether it be passing yards, points scored, sacks, or some other things that we could see happening during the game.

We’d love to hear your bold predictions. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your bold predictions in the comments.

Not one, not two, but THREE non-offensive scores


And no, we’re not counting field goals. This one isn’t totally rooted in fantasy: Iowa won its season opener on two safeties and a field goal against South Dakota State. The Hawkeyes have also had two defensive touchdowns and two blocked punts on the year. Ohio State, meanwhile, has had no defensive touchdowns and the secondary will be seeking its first pick-six against a vulnerable Iowa quarterback.

We’ll see Iowa’s backup quarterback


Speaking of which, for the first time this season, the world might just get to see what Alex Padilla can bring to the most anemic offense we’ve seen in years. Spencer Petras, the embattled starting quarterback for the Hawkeyes, is simply not working — though, arguably, the problem is really in the offensive schema drawn up by Brian Ferentz rather than any issues with the players on the field.

We saw Padilla for a little while in 2021. The junior quarterback completed 49% of his passes and had two touchdowns and two picks in eight games.

100-total receiving yards from tight ends


If there’s one thing that can consistently be said for Iowa’s offense, their tight ends are really good. Meanwhile, if one thing has changed for the Ohio State passing attack, it’s been incorporating the tight end position more. Perhaps today we’ll see Ohio State’s Cade Stover and Iowa’s Sam LaPorta and Luke Lachey collectively cross the century mark in receiving yards.

Less than 100 net rushing yards


The Hawkeyes are averaging just over 82 rushing yards per game. On the other side of the coin, Ohio State is putting up 228 yards per game on the ground. However, both Ohio State and Iowa have been stingy when it comes to allowing rushing yards so far this season, allowing 93 and 111 yards per game, respectively. While something will certainly give between Ohio State’s rushing offense and Iowa’s defense (probably in favor of the offense), Iowa might have next to no rushing yards — especially when accounting for sacks.

No touchbacks


In yet another direct faceoff of Big Ten punters from Australia, Ohio State’s Jesse Mirco and Iowa’s Tory Taylor go head-to-head for the ultimate battle of punting dominance. Mirco has just two touchbacks to Taylor’s six, but Taylor has downed 20 punts inside the 20 to Mirco’s 10.

Of course, Iowa does a heckuva lot more punting than Ohio State. And probably will again this afternoon.

One more Bama loss


Alabama might be licking its wounds from last week’s upset loss to Tennessee, but the Crimson Tide don’t have time to sulk as they must turn around and face No. 24 Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are coming off a loss themselves, having fallen to Kentucky last week.

It helps that Alabama is back in Tuscaloosa. Also, Bama’s favored by 21. I’ll harken back to that time I thought Nebraska might pull one out against Oklahoma. I was wrong then, and I could be just as wrong now. They’re called bold predictions for a reason.

Continue reading...

Behind Enemy Lines: Inside information on Iowa before today’s game
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images

Our friends from Black Heart Gold Pants pull the curtain back to give us the unbiased truth about the Hawkeyes.

In preparation for the No. 2 Ohio Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0) taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes (3-3, 1-2) in Ohio Stadium today, we chatted with Jonah Parker, the co-managing editor of Black Hearts Gold Pants, our SB Nation sibling site that covers Iowa athletics.

It has been a tale of two sides of the ball for Iowa this season. The Hawkeyes have been characteristically stout on defense — they currently rank third nationally in scoring defense and seventh in total defense — however, on offense, Iowa has been absolutely putrid. Coming into the game Brian Ferentz’s unit ranks dead last in total offense and 127th nationally in scoring defense.

If you want more of the Hawkeyes’ perspective on the game, make sure that you check out all of BHGP’s coverage on their website or on Twitter @BHGP.


LGHL: First things first, with so much national attention being paid to Brian Ferentz’s offense, what is the sentiment toward him from the Iowa fan base? Do they see the situation differently than fans and analysts on the outside? Has his performance soured Hawkeye fans on his dad at all?

BHGP: Sentiment towards Brian hasn’t been good really since the moment he was hired as offensive coordinator. He’s had solid to great game plans in one-off games basically once a year over the last five seasons, but by and large, the offense has been bad since the moment he stepped into the role, even by Iowa standards. Things have certainly come to a head this season and we’ve asked our community nearly every week for an updated count of who thinks Brian deserves to be fired. We’re well over half the fanbase that believes he should be gone now and I think that’s a pretty safe viewpoint given the offense is not just bad, but dead last nationally.

That has started to leak into people’s views on Kirk Ferentz and I would place myself in this camp. While fans have long been frustrated by the style of play offensively (Iowa has been in the top half nationally of total offense just once in the last decade), the track record of (relative) winning has helped mitigate the concerns. The slide in results this year has fans ready to tear things down because it’s becoming clear this is not complementary football as we’ve been sold, but simply a great defense and special teams being totally wasted by an incompetent offense that Kirk continues to defend for the sole reason his son is running it. Those results start to really shine a light on prior years and the fanbase is all too aware that the OC has not really mattered — the offense has always been a challenge under Kirk Ferentz.

LGHL: Ohio State has had one of the best offenses in the country through the first half of the season, and Iowa has had one of the best defenses through the first half of the season. With all of the different offensive weapons that the Buckeyes have, how do you think that Phil Parker will look to limit the OSU offense? Will he focus on either the passing or running game and try to make the Buckeyes one-dimensional, or will he give them opportunities underneath while looking to prevent big plays?

BHGP: The latter has been the bread and butter of Phil Parker and his predecessor Norm Parker (no relation) for two decades. The philosophy is predicated on the idea that college athletes very rarely can play mistake-free for 8-10 consecutive plays and thus marching the length of the field to score touchdowns is really difficult (which is infuriating for Hawkeye fans as the offense seems predicated on the idea they will do just that). I expect the Hawkeyes to play a base 4-2-5 (with that extra DB being more of a safety than a nickel corner – a position played by Amani Hooker the last time these two teams squared off) and try to keep everything in front of them.

The challenge this week that is really never there any other week for this group is Ohio State presents such a matchup problem on the outside that Phil can’t rely on his base defense to keep the Buckeyes out of the endzone consistently. OSU is going to take shots down the field and they’re going to connect on more than one. The key for Iowa historically has been in those situations to find a way to rally to the ball and be sure tacklers to big plays ultimately end with field goals in the red zone instead of touchdowns.

That was largely successful against Michigan, which opted to play Iowa’s game and dink and dunk their way down the field with great success and run Blake Corum into the ground. I suspect OSU will be less patient because they don’t need to be. Against most teams that lack of patience has resulted in turnovers for one of the best secondaries in the country at creating them (they finished 2021 tops nationally over a five-year span), but C.J. Stroud is not most QBs.

LGHL: The Buckeyes haven’t really played an elite (or even all that good) defense yet this season. What does the Hawkeye defense do so well that has allowed it to keep five of its six opponents to 10 points or less?

BHGP: As noted, Phil Parker employs a sort of boa constrictor approach to defense. Typically, Iowa will give up the underneath stuff and allow some modest gains on the ground at the expense of not letting anything get behind them. Again, the philosophy is that more often than not a college offense will stub their own toe at some point via a penalty, missed blocking assignment, missed throw, or whatever, and then they’re behind the chains and this defense can pounce.

The more the offense squirms and gets impatient attempting to march down the field, the more the defense constricts and ultimately creates turnovers. The Hawkeyes never have the best athletes on the field but they’re always disciplined and rarely out of position. The result has often been that opponents are able to move the ball but end up taking a shot on the fringe of the red zone or forcing a throw down inside the 10 and the defense capitalizes.

LGHL: Like OSU, Iowa is coming into this game following an off week. What have the coaches said about what they focused on during the bye and what are fans most hoping was accomplished over the past two weeks?

BHGP: Mostly, fans were hoping they would take the two weeks to fire Brian Ferentz and give an interim OC time to work with the team. That didn’t happen (and it’s not going to) and Spencer Petras is still the QB behind a really not-good offensive line. So the staff has indicated they took the first week to really get back to the basics and try to eliminate some of the mistakes that have plagued this team through six games. If the Hawkeyes were facing any team in the conference besides Ohio State, I would expect to see them come out and work to finally really establish the run to get this offensive line in a rhythm, then open up play action.

But at this point there really is very little they can work on to improve things this season. The offensive line is young and a year away from being serviceable. The wide receiver room is sparse after five of the top six returning scholarship players were injured in the weeks before the season started (add in that the presumed #3 target Charlie Jones departed after the portal closed following spring practice to go actually catch passes in what looks like an actual offense) and there are no signs we get top playmaker Keagan Johnson back this season (or ever?). And the scheme is what it is and what it is, is not effective.

LGHL: I’m sorry that I have to do this, but I’m going to ask a question about the offense. Spencer Petras has obviously not been great this year, but no other quarterback has even attempted a pass this year, including Alex Padilla who saw some action last year. Is this just a case that the coaching staff feels that they have no other better option, or is Petras’ experience just the best fit for an offense that has struggled this year?

BHGP: This was a source of a lot of consternation among fans both last year and early in this season. Spencer Petras is a prototypical Iowa QB in that he has a big arm, big body, is not mobile, but is very good at reading defenses pre-snap and getting Iowa into the plays most other teams would simply have their OC signal in pre-snap (this is the primary reason we continue to hear how “complicated” the Iowa offense is for young players despite it quite clearly being a basic scheme – players, and especially the quarterback, are asked to make pre-snap reads and adjustments at the line whereas most offenses will simply line up and either run the play called or get a decision from the sideline). We hear repeatedly that he is the better player in practice and the staff believes he gives them the best chance to win.

The frustration from fans comes from the divergence between his abilities and what this offense needs to have a pulse. By all accounts, Petras is head and shoulders above everyone else in the room in terms of making those reads, his arm strength, and ability to make on-schedule throws (which probably says more about the staff’s job on the recruiting trail than anything). But as noted, this offensive line is really struggling so those on-time, in-rhythm throws are few and far between. Alex Padilla was even worse statistically than Petras in his time on the field a season ago, but he is at least mobile enough to extend plays and make things happen off-script.

Despite what Padilla offers, Spencer Petras remains the only starter in the country to have played every single offensive snap for his team.

LGHL: If Saturday is a one-score game midway through the fourth quarter, what do you think will be the major storyline (or storylines) that has gotten the teams to that point?

BHGP: If this is a one-score game in the fourth quarter, there have likely been a slew of injuries or ejections on the OSU side. A more realistic scenario, which I still don’t think gets you there, is that CJ Stroud is looking ahead a week and just flat-out misses on several shots down the field. I expect Ryan Day to be looking for style points for the CFP and to be aggressive going downfield. If for some reason Stroud can’t find anyone and starts pressing, this is a defense capable of picking him off 3+ times and just as capable of returning each of those for a score without any help from the offense.

For Iowa to have any hopes of scoring points on the offensive side of the ball, we would need to see major improvements up front that allow them to FINALLY be able to run the ball and actually control time of possession. I don’t see that as a realistic outcome, but there is some very small world out there where the Buckeyes turn the ball over early and give Iowa a short field once or twice or even a pick-six, and then Iowa is able to turn this into more of a rock fight IF the offensive line has a light switch turned on.

LGHL: I won’t make you pick a score (although you are welcome to if you would like), but I do want to know how you think the game will play out.

BHGP: While I would love to predict the above scenario or get uber optimistic and call for something along the lines of the 2017 game (we get those once a generation so apologies if we watch that on Saturday instead of this blood bath), I really suspect this one is a blowout. If history is any indication, the Buckeyes are likely to come out and march down the field on their first possession to get out to an early 7-0 lead. The Iowa offense is unlikely to do anything other than occupy three downs between the defense and Tory Taylor booming a punt. I do think the defense will settle in a little bit in the first half and probably keep the Buckeyes in the 17-24 points area, but at some point, things will just break down with how long I expect them to be on the field.

I assume Iowa gets a field goal somewhere, probably courtesy of a short field, but I’m not expecting more than that. I think Day keeps starters in longer than he probably should for those style points and a 17-3 halftime lead turns into something like 56-3 in the end with the Buckeyes getting a pick-six or at minimum a turnover on the Iowa side of the field, as well as 2-3 home run balls from Stroud and a 40+ yard TD run from someone in the second half. The Iowa defense is good, but it’s not built to play 65% of the game. Doing so against an entire team of superior athletes is not going to end well.

Continue reading...

OHIO STATE GAMEDAY: It’s a bad day to be an Iowa Hawkeye
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Buckeyes return from their off week looking to pick things up where they left off.

Wake up, everyone. It’s Ohio State game day!

The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes return to action on Saturday to kick off the second half of their season against the Iowa Hawkeyes. These two teams have not met since that fateful day back in 2017, when Urban Meyer’s team was handed a massive L at Kinnick Stadium. Almost all of the players involved in that game are now gone, but Kirk Ferentz is still at the helm for Iowa, and Ryan Day was on staff at the time and surely remembers that day well. Ohio State will be looking for its revenge in Columbus five years later.

Over the past week, our talented group of writers and podcasters have put together preview pieces, analytical breakdowns, and everything in-between.

If you missed out on any of the coverage, we have you... well, covered. Below, each type of story is categorized. If you’re looking for podcasts and previews we’ve done, you can find them; if you’re looking for the betting lines and film studies, they are there, too.

Enjoy the day everyone. As always, Go Bucks!

Football Podcasts

• Buck Off: An angry discussion about Iowa’s offense
• Hangout in the Holy Land: Ohio State opens the second half against Iowa
• LGHL Uncut: Day, Knowles, Wilson preview Iowa
• Silver Bullets: B1G results, Iowa preview
• I-70 Football: We know who is good, we’ll know soon who is bad

Previews

• Ohio State vs. Iowa: Game Preview and Prediction
• Three Things to Watch from the Iowa Hawkeyes
• Iowa Offensive Player to Watch: Sam Laporta
• Iowa Defensive Player to Watch: Jack Campbell

Sports Betting

• Ohio State opens at -28.5 vs. Iowa
• Week 8 National Games
• Week 8 B1G Conference Games

Film Studies

• Jim Knowles’ defense Film Review
• Iowa Film Preview

Basketball

• Who will make the 2023 men’s basketball Final Four?
• Women’s Basketball Player Preview: Rebeka Mikulášiková
• Women’s Basketball Player Preview: Cotie McMahon
• Men’s Basketball Team Preview: Maryland
• Men’s Basketball Team Preview: Iowa
• Do preseason rankings indicate how many B1G teams make the NCAA Tournament?
• Ohio State women’s basketball ranked No. 14 in AP Preseason Poll

Recruiting

• 2024 four-star OL Ian Moore commits to Ohio State
• 2024 four-star point guard John Mobley Jr. commits to Ohio State
• Ohio State offers 2024 running back
• Carnell Tate and the continued pursuit by Tennessee
• OSU leaves positive impression on four-star Georgia DL
• 2023 DL target sets commitment date

Ask LGHL

• What did you learn from TTUN’s win over PSU?
• Should OSU fans be nervous about Hendon Hooker’s Heisman potential?
• Ohio State football fans predict score vs. Iowa

Other Podcasts

• Bucketheads: Adam Jardy joins to talk Big Ten men’s hoops
• Play Like a Girl: Frankenstein QBs, Team Dog vs. Team Cat

Other Columns

• B1G Thoughts: Ten years of regret?
• Iowa football is a cautionary tale of the dangers of nepotism, cronyism
• How is the Ohio State offense going to work when JSN returns?
• Has Ohio State wide receiver Julian Fleming finally arrived?
• Ryan day is getting the top 10 defense he ordered
• Big Ten stat leaders through Week 7

Continue reading...

Bestbuck36 said:

JFC my heart stopped. I thought the absolute worst had happened.

Glad I was wrong! Now my own heart might need a boost. Whoo

Click to expand...

No kidding! Seeing this thread pop up on a game day morning scared the hell out of me! At least I'm wide awake now!

Scarlet Out At The Shoe
Richard Tongohan via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

• 

After a much needed bye week, the Buckeyes will test their mettle against a stingy Hawkeyes defense at home. They passed their initial test against Notre Dame, they blew through Wisconsin and Michigan State, and they cruised by Rutgers, Arkansas State and Toledo.

The second half of the season has a ton of obstacles and it is important for the Buckeyes stay focused from here on out. Not only should they take this game seriously, the last time they faced the Hawkeyes, they were blown out at Kinnick Stadium.

Stiff Test Ahead

Ohio State has one of the best offenses in the nation, but the fact that they haven’t faced a competent defense outside of Notre Dame. This will be a “prove it” type game and I am looking forward to seeing what this team does and how they adapt. This offense hasn’t been challenged yet, and I feel like the team will set the tone for the second half of the season.

This is very much a memory that Coach Day has on his mind as he revealed the proverbial “scars” that have resurfaced as we approach game day. The offense will certainly have a tough time and a lot will be revealed when the clock hits zero. Not only does Iowa have a sturdy defense, they are also the #1 scoring defense in the nation.

I feel like the fact that everyone outside of Columbus is saying that CJ Stroud and company hasn’t “played anyone yet” and they have had a “cupcake” schedule up until this point will also play a factor in this game. The fact that everyone is discounting their achievements up to this point, it only adds to the intrigue and anticipation.

Feast or Famine

Outside of the Buckeye offense facing this stingy defense, how will this improved defense do against a bottom-tier offense? I could go on-and-on about the offense, but I am interested to see if this revamped defensive scheme can manage to shut out the Hawkeyes offense.

It is possible, but we’ve all seen this team have lapses from time to time and sometimes teams find a way to score. The challenge of earning a shutout is another layer of intrigue. It won’t be easy, but with a motivated team it might be possible.

The Buckeyes have been solid up to this point and dismantled most of their opponents, but this Iowa team might show some offensive fortitude in the form of splash plays. I think the Buckeyes limit those to three or less. The bye week helped a few players on both ends get healthy, and I cannot wait to witness everything.

Health Concerns

With the bye week, JSN, Chop and Hall all got an extra week to recuperate. The Buckeyes haven’t been at full strength since week 1 and it is a scary to think of the possibilities. MHJ, Fleming and Egbuka have been having great seasons so far, and if its either Henderson or Williams, they are still explosive.

Not to mention, if their second team receives reps, they can be just as lethal—especially if Coach Day gives McCord the green light to run the offense. That would be awesome and I’m sure everyone would want to see a preview of what next years offense would look like.

With all things considered, I think the Buckeyes will air on the side of caution and allow the starters to rest for a noon game at Happy Valley. If things get out of hand, look for those “health concerns” to win out. We don’t expect Coach Day to be reckless, but if the game is put away by the third quarter, we will get a little preview from McCord and Brown.

Predictions

The pre-game hype videos seem like subliminal messages to the public. The “Statement” sounds like we will be making one against one of the best defenses in the country. This will be a test, but I think they pass with flying colors.

Ohio State defeats Iowa 42-12.

• Stroud shreds this Iowa defense. I don’t think the splash plays will be plentiful but I’d say he has 3-4 and finishes with 275+ passing yards and 4 TD’s.
• Zone 6 and Stover continues offensive assault. MHJ, Fleming, Egbuka, Stover all score while JSN slowly gets back to form.
• Henderson and Williams have a day. 180+ rushing and 2 TD’s.
• Defense makes plays and a statement. 4 sacks, 1 INT and a forced fumble.

Continue reading...

LGHL Tailgate Podcast: Everything you need to know to watch today’s Ohio State vs. Iowa game
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Set Number: X163079 TK1

The only Ohio State game day podcast you need.

Before every Ohio State football game, Matt Tamanini will get you ready with all of the information that you need for that day’s game on the “LGHL Tailgate” podcast.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio

No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (-30) vs. Iowa | over/under 49.5


Game Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 22 at 12 noon ET
Location: Columbus, Ohio
TV: FOX
Online: Sling TV
Radio: 97.1 FM/1460 AM

Today’s matchup between the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0) and the Iowa Hawkeyes (3-3, 1-2) is the first since the Hawkeyes upset then-No. 6 OSU in 2017 55-24. Head coach Ryan Day has spoken openly this week about the scars that were left on him and the program for that game, and even though there won’t be a single player in action for either squad today that also played in that game, the Buckeyes are heading into this afternoon’s game looking for revenge.

The Buckeyes come in with arguably the best offense in the country, but they will be tested by arguably the best defense in the country as well. The same cannot be said in reverse as even though OSU has a top-5 to top-10 defense statistically, Iowa comes in with one of the worst (if not the actual worst) defense in all of FBS football.

Ohio State will look to keep their College Football Playoff hopes on track while the Hawkeyes will be trying to pull off an even more improbable upset than the one five years ago.

Matt’s Game Prediction: Ohio State 42-10


C.J. Stroud: 325+ passing yards, 4 TD
OSU running backs: 125+ yards
OSU Defense: Will hold Iowa to less than 200 total yards and will have 12+ TFLs and 5+ sacks


Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

Music by: epidemicsound.com

Continue reading...

Iowa vs. Ohio State: Game time, TV schedule, streaming, more
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images

It will be a battle between arguably the best offense in the country vs. arguably the best defense in the country (and one of the best defenses vs. the worst offense).

For the first time since 2017 (more on that in a minute), the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0) will take on the Iowa Hawkeyes (3-3, 1-2) at 12 noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 22. The game will be FOX’s Big Noon Saturday game of the week, and even though none of the players currently on the Ohio State roster were a part of the two teams’ last meeting, today’s game has taken on an added element of revenge following the 55-24 beat down that the Hawkeyes put on the then-No. 3 Buckeyes.


During the week, head coach Ryan Day — who was in his first season as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator that year — has talked about the scars that the upset has left on him and the program. The two teams were originally slated to meet again in 2020, but due to COVID, that game never happened.

Iowa and Ohio State come into today’s game in two very different places. The Buckeyes are undefeated and halfway to earning a College Football Playoff berth while Iowa has already suffered losses to Iowa State, Michigan, and Illinois. The Buckeyes enter the game with the No. 1 scoring offense and No. 2 scoring offense in all of college football while Iowa is the No. 127 (of 131) scoring offense and No. 131 (still out of 131) total offense.

Much of the conversation around the Hawkeye offense this season has been about offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz’s inability to generate even the slightest bit of offensive efficiency. The son of long-time head coach Kirk Ferentz, the offensive coordinator has come under fire not only for the poor play of his unit, but also for his unwillingness to make a change at quarterback. Veteran Spencer Petras has been lackluster under center this season coming in 13th in the Big Ten in passing yards per game, despite the fact that he has taken every single snap for the Hawkeyes.


The one saving grace for this Iowa team is that its defense has been characteristically impressive, coming into today’s game at The Shoe with the No. 7 overall defense in the country and No. 3 scoring defense. Outside of their 27-14 loss to TTUN, the Hawkeyes have not allowed their opponents to score more than 10 points this season.

The Iowa D is especially adept against the pass ranking third in the country in passing yards allowed per game at just 154. Obviously, this is likely to be the more competitive matchup in today’s game as Ohio State’s defense is as statistically good as Iowa’s offense is statistically bad.

The Buckeyes come out of their off week ranked fifth nationally in total defense and 10th in scoring defense. This should be an interesting experiment for Ohio State; if they can keep Iowa under its 14.7 points per game average, there would be added reason to think that the defense is as good as it has looked through the first half of the season. However, if the Buckeyes end up giving up an abnormal number of chunk plays and the Hawkeyes put up three to four touchdowns, that could be concerning moving forward.

When is the game and how can I watch?


Game Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 22 at 12 noon ET
Location: Columbus, Ohio
TV: FOX
Online: Sling TV
Radio: 97.1 FM | 1460 AM

DraftKings Sportsbook line: Ohio State -30 | o/u 49.5

Official LGHL Prediction: Ohio State 55, Iowa 14

Matt’s Prediction: Ohio State 42, Iowa 10

Join the conversation


Below is your Ohio State vs. Iowa GameThread. Be respectful, be kind and — as always — keep it classy, BuckeyeNation. If you like GIFs, lay ‘em on us. In all, be good fans, cheer for your teams, be cool to each other (even if somebody else isn’t) and everyone wins. Let’s finish the season strong!

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

Continue reading...

I worked at WBNS while in school, mostly gopher work backstage and floor directing for am shows. Jeff Odenwald was also an OSU student and floor director for Flippo.

I would occasionally come back to the station after school to pick up some extra hours and once a year to get the free food and booze at the Christmas party, and yes, the office party scene from Scrooged is pretty accurate.

One year, Flippo is doing his riffs in between sections of Miracle on 34th Street, and he dipped into the punch bowl a bit more than he should have. He started crying on camera and couldn't stop - holiday emotions and booze are a deadly combo. It was touch and go - live TV - the show needed to end and the credits were cued to roll. I saw Jeff take a step like he was going to step in front of the camera and end the show for Flippo, but Flippo pulled it together, his makeup running like Tammy Faye Baker's, and managed to close the show with words of appreciation for his crew and the audience along with a Christmas wish.

Many of the people in TV work are shallow and vain; always checking Broadcast Magazine for a better gig in a smaller market or an equal gig in a bigger market. Rootless. It was my impression that Flippo was content where he was and loved the work he was doing; a contrast to most of the "talent." Yeah, he was a bit drunk, but his tears seemed real to me, giving me a deeper sense of the purpose of the holiday.

The guy was also a hell of a jazz musician who managed to get gigs in a town that didn't do much to bring jazz to the forefront.

RIP Bob Marvin.

LGHL Asks: Ohio State fans predict Iowa score, share thoughts on TTUN vs. PSU
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images

You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.

Every day for the entirety of the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.

dasdasdasdas


sasdasdasd

Check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.

Question 1: What was your biggest takeaway from Saturday’s Michigan win over Penn State?



I think that this is the right answer for me as well. Over the past 20ish years, I’ve grown accustomed to hearing national pundits and overzealous Corn and Blue fans pump up TTUN and tell me how good they are, only to see them struggle or outright fold at the first sign of any competition. So, while I didn’t expect the Harboys to really mail it in against the Nits, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was a relatively close game between two moderately above-average teams.

However, it is clear that — despite the close first half — the Weasels are a far better team than James Franklin’s Lions. While I never think that it’s a smart idea to dismiss your rivals out of hand, I think last week’s win by TTUN should put into perspective just how stout a challenge they will be for the Buckeyes come the last Saturday in November.

Question 2: What did you do on Saturday during Ohio State’s off week?



As I said in the survey article, on Saturday, I drove from my home in suburban Orlando out to St. Petersburg, Fla. to watch the world premiere of a new play written by Ruper Holmes — the guy who sings “The Pina Colada Song” — and then went to the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa for the evening to play poker and watch all of the late afternoon and primetime college football action.

So, of the three options, I suppose I was in the majority watching football. While I had a great time (and won $250), I am a little annoyed that I missed some of the absolute insanity from last weekend’s chaotic college football weekend.

Question 3: How many points do you think Ohio State will give up to Iowa this weekend?



Coming into the game, Iowa is only putting up 14.7 points per game, which is the 127th-worst total out of the 131 FBS teams. Conversely, Ohio State is currently 10th nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 15.7 points per game.

In the survey, 91% of respondents believe that the Buckeyes will be able to keep the Hawkeyes under their season average. Let’s be honest, the Iowa offense is absolutely horrible, so it will be telling to see if Jim Knowles’ unit can keep them under two touchdowns.

While you never know what will happen if/when the first-team defense is removed from the game in garbage time, if OSU’s D can continue to keep the lid on the Hawkeye offense, that should at least show that the unit is potentially as good as its top-10 numbers suggest. However, if the Buckeyes allow the Hawkeyes to put up more than 17 or 21 points, that could be a sign that perhaps the Ohio State defense isn’t as good as we hoped it would be.

I will make my official prediction on the podcast tomorrow, but for now, I’m thinking Iowa will put up just under their season average, around 13 points.

Continue reading...

Login to view embedded media
Might not be totally accurate, The home run might have actually come in a later game (i.e. 42 left hand at bats later).

Switch-hitting Ozzie Smith hit the first left-handed home run...

Rick Hummel’s original article from October 15, 1985 is still available at the Post-Dispatch. The Hall of Fame writer called the moment a “3000-1 shot”. Smith, a switch-hitter, had 3009 career left-handed at-bats and had not yet hit a home run.

Login to view embedded media
Entire article: https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2020/4/2/21202737/statcasting-smiths-1985-nlcs-game5

Iowa Offensive Player to Watch: Tight end Sam LaPorta
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

LaPorta is carrying on a recent tradition of skilled Iowa tight ends, but he has very little help from the rest of his offense. Can this one-man band burn the Buckeyes on Saturday?

Ohio State welcomes Iowa into The Shoe this weekend, as the good guys look to build off momentum gained two weeks ago by a road victory (their first of the 2022 season) over Michigan State. The Buckeyes currently sit at 6-0, with another big matchup scheduled in Happy Valley next weekend. But first, they will need to get by the Hawkeyes.

The Ferentz-led Big Ten West opponents certainly pose an interesting and unique threat. Because on one hand, they have one of college football’s best defensive units. Led by Jack Campbell, Riley Moss, and others, their defense is allowing just 9.8 points per game — good for third in the country. On the other hand, established rules of football dictate that Iowa must also play offense. And let me tell you: that offense is... something.

Through six games, the Hawkeyes are scoring an average of 14.7 points per — which is actually an improvement over the first few weeks of the season. In the team’s opener, against an FCS opponent, they failed to score a single touchdown. In Week 2, they scored a TD less than three minutes into the game, but added absolutely nothing during the final 57. At home against Nevada was a bounce-back game in which they scored 27 points, but then Iowa reverted back to the same old sluggish offense once Big Ten play began. In three conference games, they are averaging 15.7 points per, and they really don’t have a strength or calling card to hang their hat(s) on.

Much of the blame for this offense’s poor performance is, and has been, attributed to offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. That’s not me guessing or taking a personal shot, it’s simply a matter of fact. Frustration and annoyance levels were so high, that a fan went as far as to trick former Hawkeye player Bob Stoops – and current Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffery – into recording sympathetic Cameo videos wishing “Brian” the best during his difficult time. It was a master class in trolling, and a bad beat for the younger Ferentz.


But what about Pops? Where is he in all this? Because as much as people want to point a finger at Brian Ferentz for his shortcomings as the OC, it was his dad who handed him the role. And it was his dad who kept Greg Davis around (as OC) from 2012-2016, despite never having a top-50 offense. Prior to that, he employed Ken O’Keefe for 12 years, and the offense wasn’t a whole hell of a lot better. So while Brian has not been great since taking over the role in 2017, I would argue that Kirk Ferentz has been even worse at adapting to change or moving his program forward. Sometimes middle management is the problem, but often times it is the CEO. Especially when the CEO seems to be risk averse and terrified of the unknown.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s preview some players, huh!? I would love to tell you that Iowa has one diamond in the rough — an Akrum Wadley or Tyler Goodson-type, capable of making big plays consistently. But the fact is, they don’t. At least not in this current offense. If the Hawkeyes are going to put up points on Saturday, those points will likely be the result of a long, sustained drive... or even a short field via turnover. That’s just what this team is set up to do.

The ground game has been subpar, and the passing attack is honestly gross. It is an attack on the viewers’ eyes. Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla have attempted to set the quarterback position back decades, and the lack of creative playcalling does them no favors. However, in typical Iowa fashion, the team does have a future NFL tight end. His name is Sam LaPorta, and he is this week’s Offensive Player to Watch.

Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The fourth-year TE deserves much, much better. Because much like George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson, and Noah Fant, LaPorta will be playing the position on Sundays sooner than later. But right now, he is stuck in the mud. Consistently targeted, the volume of his receptions is more impressive than the impact they have or the yardage they gain. And that is not an indictment on his ability. LaPorta is a big, athletic guy, capable of making big plays when given the opportunity. Unfortunately, most of his opportunities this year have been limited to checkdowns and/or dump-off passes. He is averaging 9.3 yards per catch, which is pretty abysmal number for a player of his talent. As part of a better unit, he has thrived in the past.

LaPorta played defensive back and wide receiver in high school, displaying serious athleticism. Not much has changed in that regard, he just happens to be 20 or 30 pounds heavier than in his HS days. The (now) 6-foot-4, 249 pounder contributed to Iowa’ offense immediately, reeling in 15 receptions as a true freshman in 2019. He then became the primary starter in 2020, leading the team in that category during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign... with 27. That’s right, 27 catches led the Hawkeyes in an eight-game season. LaPorta added his first collegiate TD, and averaged 10 yards per catch.

In 2021, the big pass catcher broke out in a similarly big way. He nearly doubled his own reception total to 53, producing 670 yards and scoring three TD. Due to his strong play, LaPorta received All-Big Ten recognition from a number of media outlets, and established himself as the next star in a long line of Hawkeye tight ends. His best game was a seven-catch, 122-yard performance in Iowa’s bowl game, during which he also added a TD. And not surprisingly, his 2021 totals once again led the team. In fact, he doubled the number of receptions hauled in by their top wide receiver (26), and nearly doubled the top WR’s yardage output (352), rendering LaPorta’s season all the more impressive... or each and every wideout’s season equally unimpressive.

Despite the Ferentz family’s refusal to field a competent, modern offense, LaPorta is still a force to be reckoned with. He is equally skilled as both a pass catcher and a blocker, and at the end of the day, the guy is just a gamer. If you’ve been forced to watch the Hawkeyes during his four-year run, you know that he is always looking to make a play or take on a block. For those reasons – and almost by default – LaPorta is a player to keep your eyes on Saturday.

Continue reading...

MC&J: Week 8’s Big Ten slate sees Ohio State as a 30-point favorite over Iowa
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Set Number: X164186 TK1

The Buckeyes will be looking for a big win over an Iowa team they haven’t faced since an ugly day in Iowa City in 2017.

Last week ATS: 6-6 (2-3 B1G, 4-3 National)

Season ATS: 52-60-3 (26-31-1 B1G, 26-28-2 National)

Supplement these Big Ten picks with yesterday’s National picks for Syracuse-Clemson and six other interesting games.

B1G games:


(All lines courtesy of Draftkings Sportsbook.)

Indiana v. Rutgers (-3) - 12:00 p.m. - Big Ten Network

Anyone watching this game is going to need to take a shower after this one. Rutgers can’t move the football and the Hoosiers have problem stopping opposing offenses. Something has gotta give!

The Scarlet Knights come into this game on a three-game losing streak, falling to Iowa, Ohio State, and Nebraska. In those games, Rutgers has scored a combined 33 points. It feels like Greg Schiano is almost trying to get too hipster for his own good with what his team is trying to do on offense, rotating quarterbacks almost every play, and sometimes even having the tight end that used to be a quarterback line up behind center.

Much like Rutgers, Indiana comes in riding a losing streak. The Hoosiers have lost four in a row, but at least they have been competitive, hanging with Michigan for a half, and last week at least making Maryland work. Even though Indiana is a mess on defense, I’m just not sure if Rutgers has the tools on offense to take advantage of it. I’ll take Indiana since Connor Bazelak has shown he is somewhat competent at times.

Indiana 24, Rutgers 20


Purdue v. Wisconsin (-2.5) - 3:30 p.m. - ESPN

Just when you think you have Wisconsin figured out, they do something stupid like lose to Michigan State in double overtime. A week after Graham Mertz threw for five touchdowns, the Badger quarterback turned back into a pumpkin last week, throwing for just 131 yards and a couple touchdowns against one of the worst passing defenses in the country.

Purdue hasn’t been winning pretty recently, but they are winning, and that’s all that matters. The Boilermakers held off Nebraska last week, beating the Cornhuskers 43-37 behind 391 yards and four touchdowns from Aidan O’Connell, as well as 178 yards and a score from running back Devin Mockobee. Purdue is now tied with Illinois for the lead in the Big Ten West, with the teams scheduled to meet next month in Champaign.

The Boilermakers haven’t beaten Wisconsin since 2003. If there was ever a year for Purdue to snap their 16-game losing streak to the Badgers, this feels like the year. Wisconsin feels a bit lost after the firing of Paul Chryst. Jim Leonhard had a nice first two games as interim head coach, but the shine wore off a bit last week with the loss to the Spartans. O’Connell, Mockobee, and Charlie Jones hand the Badgers their fifth loss of the year.

Purdue 34, Wisconsin 24


Northwestern v. Maryland (-14) - 3:30 p.m. - Big Ten Network

This game became a little tougher to pick now that Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa is a game-time decision after getting banged up last week against Indiana. Even if the Terrapins have to turn to Wake Forest transfer Billy Edwards Jr., I don’t think it will matter much since Northwestern is dreadful.

After beating Nebraska over in Ireland, Northwestern still hasn’t won a game on American soil this season. The Wildcats have dropped games to national powers Southern Illinois and Miami (OH) this year, which should tell you just how great of a job Pat Fitzgerald is doing in Evanston. Imagine where Northwestern would be without running back Evan Hull, who is leading the team in rushing and receiving.

I know it’s not the smartest strategy to lay two touchdowns with Maryland in any game since they are so unpredictable. This is one of those occasions where I feel a bit safer doing so since the Wildcats are so bad. Plus, there isn’t going to be the remnants of a hurricane swinging through College Park, which is pretty much the only reason Northwestern was able to stay within 10 of Penn State a few weeks ago in State College.

Maryland 38, Northwestern 21


Minnesota v. No. 16 Penn State (-4) - 7:30 p.m. - ABC

You just know Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts have to be licking their chops after seeing Michigan run all over Penn State last week. The Nittany Lions gave up over 400 yards on the ground the the Wolverines in the 41-17 loss in Ann Arbor. Unfortunately for Minnesota, they are not Michigan, so they won’t find running the football to be so easy on Saturday night. Ibrahim will put up some yards since he is one of the best running backs in the country, the problem is the Golden Gophers don’t have much else on offense they can lean on.

At least Sean Clifford knows how to bounce back from a loss, since he has had plenty of experience in this situation as he is in the middle of his 54th year as starting quarterback at Penn State. Clifford is a serviceable quarterback, but you just have to wonder when James Franklin might want to take a little longer look at Drew Allar since he is the future at quarterback for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State isn’t quite as good as some might have thought they were this year, and we saw that against Michigan. Minnesota certainly isn’t as good as they showed in their first four games of the year, as they were able to feast on some of the worst teams in the country before losing to Purdue and Illinois. It’s hard not to like the Nittany Lions in a bounce-back game on a night when they are doing their little “white out” thing.

Penn State 27, Minnesota 17


Iowa v. No. 2 Ohio State (-30) - 12:00 p.m. - FOX

Do we even have to play this game? Can’t Iowa just take their L and save themselves some embarrassment? The Hawkeyes have an offense that is one of the worst in the country. Iowa is averaging just 14.7 points per game and under 240 yards per contest on offense. The Buckeyes are capable of putting up those numbers in the first quarter. I almost feel bad for Iowa fans because they have to live with Brian Ferentz’s offense, since you know Kirk isn’t going to fire his son. Together those two are going to milk the Iowa football program for every last cent they can get.

The scariest thing about Ohio State is we haven’t even seen their full offense yet. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has barely been on the field after suffering an injury early against Notre Dame, and both Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson have been in and out of the lineup with injuries this season. Following his five rushing touchdown performance against Rutgers, Williams sat two weeks ago against Michigan State, allowing Henderson to notch his second 100-yard rushing game of the season.

Iowa does have a stout defense that has kept the Hawkeyes in games this year. The problem for the Hawkeyes is they haven’t faced anyone with anywhere near the offensive weapons that they’ll see from Ohio State. There is no way Spencer Petras is keeping pace with C.J. Stroud. The only chance Iowa has of staying anywhere close in this game is if the Hawkeye defense forces Stroud into some mistakes. It’s hard to see enough of those mistakes happening, especially since Stroud had some extra time to prepare for the Iowa defense.

The last time we saw these teams together on the football field, Iowa absolutely crushed Ohio State 55-24 in 2017. Even though pretty much everyone on the Buckeyes now wasn’t in Iowa City that day, Ryan Day was. After half a decade of enduring jokes about the Hawkeyes putting up 55 on the Buckeyes, Ohio State gets a little revenge.

Ohio State 55, Iowa 14

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

Continue reading...

You’re Nuts: Who will make the 2023 men’s basketball Final Four?
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

It’s October, so why not talk some March Madness?

We are officially only 17 days away from the Ohio State’s season opener against Robert Morris. Enough said. Time to lock in.

Last week, we debated how many Big Ten teams we think will go dancing in March. Connor said 10 and Justin said nine. The only difference was Connor had Wisconsin in, while Justin did not. A bold take on a team that’s only missed the NCAA Tournament once since 2000!


Splitting the votes were Justin with 15 and ‘fewer than nine’ with 15, so we officially have our fourth tie in 72 weeks, except this time one of our writers wasn’t even involved. Tough week for Connor once again.



With this tie between other and Justin, here are the updated standings through 72 weeks, or something like that. At some point, we’re going to lose count.

After 72 weeks:

Connor- 31
Justin- 29
Other- 8

(There have been four ties)


Without further ado, let’s jump into this week’s debate:

Today’s question: Who will make the 2023 men’s basketball Final Four?

Connor


If we’ve learned anything about the NCAA Tournament, it’s that:

A) The Final Four won’t go chalk. If you’re penciling in four teams that are starting the season in the top-10, go ahead and try again.

B) Old wins. Specifically, old guards win. Experience wins in the tournament, and elite backcourt play wins in the tournament.

Those two ideas helped me make up my mind. Keep an eye on these four teams this season, and don’t say I didn’t tell you so!

North Carolina


AP Rank: 1
KenPom Rank: 9

Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Yeah, this one isn’t too terribly hard. North Carolina wasn’t a great team during the regular season, but they got hot, hot, hot in the NCAA Tournament and made a run all the way to the national championship game. They’re the preseason No. 1 team, the favorites to win the ACC, and have the preseason ACC Player of the Year in Armando Bacot — all very strong arguments to pick them here.

They also return Caleb Love (seen above) who can be a bit of a gunslinger with his shot selection, but has established that he can drop 30 points on any given night. R.J. Davis — North Carolina’s junior point guard — is back as well. He dropped 30 points on Baylor in the second round of the tournament, but will probably be the Tar Heels’ fourth option on offense.

The reason Davis won’t be needed to score as much? Former Northwestern forward Pete Nance transferred to Carolina, too. The 6-foot-11, 230-pound Ohio-native shot 45% from three last season. He could be the piece that puts them over the top.

Houston


AP Rank: 3
KenPom Rank: 7

Photo by David Becker/Getty Images

The most impressive thing about Houston’s 32-6 record last season and run to the Elite Eight? They did it without their two best players — Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark. Both guards return this season, as well as Jamal Shead, who averaged double-digit scoring in their absence. The Coogs also bring in five-star/6-foot-8/235-pound freshman forward Jarace Walker, who will clog up the paint and open up space for Shead, Sasser, and Mark.

All of that offensive firepower is nice and alone could carry Houston to the Final Four, but we can’t forget that the Cougars have also been one of — if not the — best defensive team in the nation over the past five seasons. They’ve been in the top-20 in defensive efficiency each of the past five seasons, and top-10 each of the past two years. They suffocate you on defense and then make it rain offensively — the Coogs will be tough to beat.

TCU


AP Rank: 14
KenPom Rank: 16

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Jamie Dixon’s Horned Frogs were one questionable foul call away from beating top-seeded Arizona in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. They return last season’s go-to scorer, Mike Miles — who also became the first TCU player ever to be named Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year. He averaged 15.4 PPG last season, but will need to improve his three-point shooting a bit to become the all-around threat TCU needs him to be.

They also return double-double behemoth Eddie Lampkin, who scored 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in that 85-80, overtime loss to Arizona in the tournament. He was one of the best offensive rebounding big men in the nation last season, and he’ll present a terrible mismatch for most teams.

Miami


AP Rank: NR
KenPom Rank: 42

Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK

Miami is my wild card, and this could go horribly wrong. But I’m willing to put my name on it and say that I’m convinced the ‘Canes are going to make some serious noise in the ACC this year. Most publications are pegging them as a six or seven-seed in the NCAA Tournament. I think their ceiling is so much higher than that.

Isaiah Wong averaged 17 PPG as a sophomore, 15 PPG as a junior, and can really fill it up. He has the potential to be an All-American by year’s end. The Hurricanes also added Nijel Pack, a flamethrowing guard from Kansas State who was one of the best players in the Big 12 the last two seasons. On top of that, they also added Norchad Omier, a 6-foot-7, 230-pound double-double machine from Arkansas State.

Defense and rebounding are going to be a struggle for Miami. But they’ll be in the tournament. And when they get there, that combo of Wong and Pack is going to be a duo that absolutely nobody will want to face.

Justin


The four teams that I took are very likely not going to happen because three of them are top five teams in the country, and the tournament doesn’t normally work itself out like that. But, nevertheless, it is hard to predict which teams will overachieve so we will just go with the ones we know.

My context I will always give for a preseason prediction like this is that the NCAA Tournament is heavily predicated on matchups, which could make all of this null and void. But since we don’t have that info at our disposal obviously yet, we will make do.

North Carolina


AP Rank: 1
KenPom Rank: 9

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

There’s nothing wrong with some low hanging fruit. North Carolina is the No. 1 team in the country in the preseason AP poll — and for good reason. They went to the Final Four last season and return four of their five starters and a coach with another year of experience under his belt.

The Tar Heels are returning Armando Bacot, RJ Davis, Caleb Love and Leaky Black. They lost Brady Manek to eligibility, but they did not skip a beat as they added Pete Nance from Northwestern.

Even though they are the No. 1 team in the country, I think they will have some struggles in conference play. They aren’t incredibly deep, and guys like Davis and Love can be hot and cold. However, like last year, this is a team built for March. Experienced, great guard play and well coached. That’s the recipe.

Houston


AP Rank: 3
KenPom Rank: 7

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Houston is very weird. They are incredibly talented and also lost a ton of talent. They lost Josh Charlton, Kyler Edwards, Taze Moore and Fabian White but return Jamal Shead, Marcus Sasser, Tramon Mark and add one of the top recruits in the country Jarace Walker. Sasser is one of the top players in the country, the Cougars have depth, and you can never count out Kelvin Sampson.

Cougs to the Final Four.

Creighton


AP Rank: 9
KenPom Rank: 22

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Hand up. I absolutely love this Creighton team. They return Ryan Nembhard, Alex Kalkbrenner, Arthur Kaluma and Trey Alexander and bring in a top three transfer in the whole country, Baylor Scheierman. Scheierman is an elite level scorer whose game will transfer right into the Big 12 with no problem.

Losing Ryan Hawkins is tough with him averaging 13 points and seven rebounds per game last season. As long as their depth steps up and helps replace some of that production, this team is incredibly talented.

Virginia


AP Rank: 18
KenPom Rank: 5

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

This is my one shot in the dark. I really like this Cavalier team and their makeup. First of all, they pretty much lose no one. The only rotation player they are losing from last season is Kody Stattman, who averaged 3.3 points and 1.7 rebounds.

They return Kihei Clark, Jayden Gardner and Reece Beekman who are all possible first team all-conference selections and bring in one of the top transfers Ben Vander Plas, who averaged 15 points and 6.8 rebounds per game at Ohio University. They will need to improve their defense which normally isn’t an issue on the Tony Bennett coached team, but if they can do that then this team can make some noise in the ACC.

Continue reading...

Three Things To Watch from the Iowa Hawkeyes
CMinnich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



The Hawkeyes visit Ohio Stadium for the first time since 2013

Ohio State welcomes the Iowa Hawkeyes into Ohio Stadium for the first time since the 2013 season. Ohio State and Iowa were supposed to play in 2020, but the game was eliminated when The Big Ten went through its on/off/back on but with tweaks schedule. The last time the two teams met was in 2017, and we take you now to a visual reminder of how that went for the Buckeyes in Iowa City.

My podcast partner Michael Citro and I welcomed Adam Jacobi of GoIowaAwesome.com on our latest Silver Bullets Podcast to preview the upcoming match-up. While Ohio State is a prohibitive favorite (Ohio State -30), there are some specific players and schemes that I will be keeping an eye on as this game kicks off on FOX at 12pm EST.

Below are Three Things To Watch from the Iowa Hawkeyes...

1. Ohio State’s offensive line vs. Iowa’s defensive line

Ohio State fans have become accustomed to any/all of the 2022 wide receivers (Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming) having a good game against whichever team they are playing that particular week. Even Adam Jacobi acknowledged that Iowa, a team with a strong defense, has not yet played against a team that is as dynamic or explosive as Ohio State. Something that is key to the success of any good passing game is having a strong offensive line to protect the quarterback, and Ohio State’s offensive line has done a tremendous job so far this season in protecting C.J. Stroud.

A player Adam mentioned on our podcast has me intrigued — Iowa DL Lukas Van Ness. Nicknamed “The Van Ness Monster” (catchy, isn’t it?), Van Ness is listed at 6-foot-5, 269 pounds, and has three sacks, which leads the Hawkeyes in that specific defensive category. No matter where Van Ness lines up for the Hawkeyes, I will be watching to see how the Ohio State offensive line handles his pass rushing abilities.

2. Iowa’s tight ends vs. Ohio State’s secondary

In 2017, Iowa repeatedly and mercilessly attacked the Ohio State defense with their tight ends. Granted, Ohio State has a completely different defensive staff than in 2017, but Iowa is still a tight end-oriented offense, with Sam LaPorta (30 receptions for 279 yards) and Luke Lachey (9 receptions for 157 yards, 1 TD). Both could pose match-up problems for the Ohio State defense, and I am curious as to how Ronnie Hickman may be deployed to combat either/both of these tight ends that Iowa will certainly use in their offensive game plan.

I am especially intrigued by how Lachey will play against the Buckeyes, considering he grew up an Ohio State fan, but did not receive a coveted scholarship offer.

“The kids have been counting it down for two years.” ~ Ann Lachey, mother of Iowa TE Luke Lachey and wife of former Ohio State OL/current Ohio State broadcaster Jim Lachey

3. The role of special teams

It is no secret that Iowa has struggled offensively, ranking 131st out of 131 teams in total offense. One of the key elements in keeping the Hawkeyes competitive this season has been the play of their special teams units. With two blocked punts this season, look out against the Hawkeyes if Ohio State finds themselves in a punting situation. A blocked punt, or fumble recovery of a muffed punt, could provide the sudden change and boost of momentum that could keep Iowa in the game.


Ohio State is among the nation’s leaders in total offense, while Iowa is among the nation’s leaders in total defense. Something’s gotta give.

Ohio State will present more offensive challenges than Iowa’s defense will be able to handle. There may be some frustrating aspects to the game for Ohio State fans, as Iowa’s defensive coordinator Phil Parker is one of the best in the country, but look for the Buckeyes to pull away in the second half for a convincing victory. I have it Ohio State 35, Iowa 10.

Continue reading...