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Audio: Listen to your Big Ten coach’s Week 5 teleconference
BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network

Each Tuesday morning during the Big Ten football season, the 14 Big Ten football coaches hold a Big Ten teleconference with reporters from around the country. We post the audio for each segment of the call here.

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Seven standouts earn Week 4 Big Ten football honors
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network

Following Big Ten football games on Sept. 21-22, the Co-Offensive, Defensive and Co-Special Teams Players of the Week and Co-Freshmen of the Week in the Big Ten were announced Monday morning. See all of the winners inside.

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Big Ten Power Rankings: Wisconsin reenters top 5 in post-Week 4 list
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network

Every Big Ten team has played a conference game now, so it's starting to get a little easier to asses the teams. The first week of (almost) all-out Big Ten play saw Wisconsin card a big win at Iowa and Penn State use a prolific fourth quarter to squash Illinois' upset bid. Here's my latest Big Ten Power Rankings, presented by ArcelorMittal.

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Ohio State remains No. 4, continues to pace five Big Ten teams in AP poll
BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network

It will be No. 9 Penn State hosting No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium. The latest AP poll was released Sunday afternoon, and the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions continue to pace five ranked Big Ten teams.

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OSU_Buckguy said:

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Kyle, 6-foot-3, 190-pound point guard from Norcross (Ga.) committed to USC on Thursday.

Louisville verbal

@BTNStatsGuys: Here are the best Week 4 Big Ten football stats
BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network

There were plenty of good performances and games in Week 4 of Big Ten action. There were also some very good stats. Here are some of the best of the best, listed in alphabetical order, courtesy of @BTNStatsGuys. Week 4 Stats That Will Open Eyes

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TBDBITL alum Anthony Violi, 100, dots ‘i’ in Script Ohio
BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network

Anthony Violi, 100, dotted the "i" in Script Ohio on Saturday afternoon at Ohio Stadium, providing one of the top, if not the top, moments of Week 4. The performance was a special one for all involved, as it marked the alumni band's 50th reunion.

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According to Hotels.com this place has a room available for 5 & 6 Oct for $117 per night, it is fairly close to the Staybridge Suites:

Motel 6 Columbus OSU
3246 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, OH, 43202, United States
866-538-0251

University District

• 4.0 miles to Greater Columbus Convention Center
• 4.8 miles to City center

We have 1 left at
$117
nightly price per room

• free cancellation
• pay now or at hotel

https://www.hotels.com/ho194255/?q-...=3&q-room-0-adults=2&YGF=14&MGT=2&ZSX=0&SYE=3

Also: You could look for hotels along (or close to) High Street between downtown and Worthington. The public bus (COTA) continually runs all up and down High Street. I'm not sure what the fare is; however, it can't be that much. You could easily ride the bus from anywhere on High Street between Worthington and downtown to Ohio State.

I don't see Payne leaving the South and we are one of many for Nnaji, a many that happens to also included KU and UK.

I think it is basically EJ or bust at this point, as far as a third commitment for the early signing period goes.

LitlBuck said:

Committed to Tennessee. Clemson is beside themselves

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Five-star guard Josiah James surprisingly picks Tennessee giving Rick Barnes his biggest recruiting win

James is the highest-rated prospect to commit to the Vols since Rick Barnes was hired in March 2015

Josiah James, a five-star combo guard from Charleston, South Carolina, verbally committed to Tennessee on Wednesday. The development came as a surprise to recruiting analysts, almost all of whom were projecting James to remain in-state and eventually sign a National Letter of Intent with Clemson.

In other words, it's heartbreak again for Clemson.

Last year, surprisingly, Brad Brownell's Tigers lost in-state star Zion Williamson to Duke. Now they've lost another in-state star, once again surprisingly, this time to the Vols.

Entire article: https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...iving-rick-barnes-his-biggest-recruiting-win/

Zachery Harris (and the rest of the Tulane linebackers) will be responsible for stopping Dobbins, Weber
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Urban Meyer said the Buckeye run game can improve. Expect the Tulane defense to be tested on the ground this weekend.

Over the first three games of the season, the Ohio State Buckeyes have showcased their ability to be a passing tour de force. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins has balled out, including a 344-yard breakthrough against the Bucks’ toughest opponent this year, TCU. But, with Urban Meyer back on the sidelines, we could see a change in the way OSU’s offense operates this weekend.

Meyer has already reiterated during this week’s coach’s press conference that he wants to see the running game improve. While production from J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber hasn’t been Heisman caliber, they do pack a punch against opposing defenses. Meyer wants to see that improve, and what better way to see improvement than to test it out in real, meaningful snaps.

Whether it be more run-pass option plays centered around Haskins and Dobbins/Weber, or straight up the middle rushing, the focus for the Tulane Green Wave will be to stop the Buckeyes’ running game. With Dobbins and Weber having the speed and power to break through the line of scrimmage, everything hinges on the linebacking play of Zachery Harris and Lawrence Graham.


A great outing from them could keep Tulane in the game; allow the running game to blossom, and the Green Wave defense will be chasing down a rusher into the end zone.

Stacking the cards this weekend, Tulane will have to use this game as a rebound. In their last game (UAB), the Green Wave defense gave up 269 yards on the ground in a losing effort. Granted, UAB had 59 attempts on the ground, but if you do the math, the yards per carry average was 4.8. That’s not really good. What’s also not really good—at least from Tulane’s perspective—is that UAB isn’t in the same category as Ohio State. Ohio State has a much, much more effective ground game. If Dobbins gets a full head of steam on Saturday, he may have 269 yards on the ground all by himself.

On the depth chart, Zachery Harris and Marvin Moody are the ones listed as starters at LB. However, looking at the last two games worth of stats, it’s been Harris and Graham leading the way with tackles. Last weekend, Harris and Graham both walked away with nine tackles apiece—with Graham leading the way in solo tackles at seven. Regardless of who is playing behind the line, they’ll need to be fresh; tired tacklers leads to broken tackles, and both Dobbins and Weber have the ability to not only speed past you, but can run through you in the process.

Here’s an example of what happens when the linebackers can’t get to Weber.


Those kinds of runs will give Meyer what he’s looking for: improvement on the ground. Downfield blocking by the OSU offense will compound the problems of Tulane’s LBs. Not only do they have to track down whomever has the ball, but because of the weight and height differential at the offensive line, whomever has the ball will, more than likely, have a path to run through.

While rushing hasn’t seen huge numbers, it’s worth mentioning that Ohio State’s first three opponents were Power 5 programs. Rutgers might be the closest team to Tulane that OSU has faced. In that game, the Buckeyes had 242 total rush yards off 40 rushes. Giving up 5.6 yards per pop is a good way for the Green Wave to be warming up the buses at halftime. Stop the run, and they might have a chance at making this game interesting—especially if Meyer is dead set on emphasizing the run in his first game back as head coach.

Playing against Ohio State is a more physical version of chess. Stop the run game and Ohio State will try and beat you in the air. Haskins has an arm, and will still continue to make throws this week. How many he’ll get is anybody’s guess, but if the Buckeye run game goes cold, Haskins will start airing it out.

For Tulane, stopping the run is only half the equation—but it’s an important one. If they fail to stop the run, then Dobbins and Weber (and maybe even Brian Snead or Master Teague) will get in on the action. Urban Meyer is hungry to get back onto the field to coach, and will want to hit the ground running against Tulane before he coaches in one of the biggest games of the season against Penn State.

Tulane is up against a Goliath this week, but they can make things interesting by holding the OSU rushers in check.

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Ohio State basketball prepares for big end to 2019 class
Patrick Mayhorn via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Can Chris Holtmann close out one of the best classes in school history?

The start of the Chris Holtmann era has had quite a few highs, and very few lows. Despite a disappointing loss to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA tournament last year, and three losses to one team in a single season (Penn State), news around Ohio State’s basketball program has been overwhelmingly positive since Holtmann was hired last June.

While Holtmann wasn’t heralded as a big recruiter, a lot of the positivity around the program has come from his recruiting, and after a solid 2018 class, Holtmann seems to have really found a groove in Columbus in the 2019 class. With the early signing period coming up in just under two months, Ohio State holds two commitments in that 2019 class from five star guard DJ Carton and four star wing Alonzo Gaffney.

While those two alone would make for an awesome class (and have the Buckeyes sitting at 10th nationally), Ohio State is looking for one or two more prospects to add to the group. Whoever the Buckeyes add will likely be a big man to go with the smaller counterparts (though calling Gaffney or Carton small would just be wrong).

With that in mind, Ohio State is really starting to key in on adding a third member before the signing period begins. We talked yesterday about Minnesota power forward Zeke Nnaji and his upcoming in-home visit with the Buckeyes, but today we have yet another big man to talk about. This time, it’s Montverde (FL) center Omar Payne.


Payne was expected for a visit this coming weekend originally, but as indicated in the tweet, that visit was moved further back as a result of a scheduling conflict. Chris Holtmann visited Payne just days ago, according to Rivals, and seems to be fighting hard to land the four-star big man.

While Nnaji and Payne are certainly options, I still think the favorite to take that third spot is power forward EJ Liddell. Liddell included Ohio State in his top three a week ago, along with Illinois and his home state team, Missouri. Liddell is expected to announce his commitment soon, and at this point, my prediction is that he picks the Buckeyes.

Back to Garfield Heights


While the Buckeyes look to finish of their 2019 class with a big man, they’re also looking ahead to the future, and specifically the 2021 class. After having success recruiting Garfield Heights (near Cleveland) when they went in and landed Alonzo Gaffney earlier this year, Ohio State wants to make further in-roads.

While Gaffney has since moved onto Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, Ohio State still has a good relationship with quite a few of the players at Garfield Heights, and perhaps most importantly, the coach of the program, Sonny Johnson. Johnson, a former Mr. Ohio winner and Ohio Bobcat has developed quite the program at Garfield Heights.

Part of that program, and seemingly the future of the program, is Johnson’s nephew Meechie Johnson, and his son, freshman Sonny Johnson Jr. Ohio State has offered the former, and will likely be offering the latter as he gets older. On Monday, Ohio State assistant Ryan Pedon checked in on the young duo.


I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Ohio State was to land both Meechie and Sonny Jr, and they may look at 2020 forward Brent Darby Jr, the son of the late Brent Darby, a former Buckeye guard under Jim O’Brien.

Quick hits

• Ohio State extended an offer to 2020 three-star tackle Zak Zinter. I expect he’ll visit Columbus at some point this season, but he seems like a long shot at this point.

• Five-star safety Daxton Hill committed to Michigan. He listed Ohio State in his top six, but was never seriously considering Ohio State.

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First 6 BTN Tailgate Sites Announced
BTN Communications via Big Ten Network

As football season kicks into high gear, the first six sites for BTN Tailgate, the network’s travelling Saturday studio show, have now been confirmed. BTN Tailgate originates from a different Big Ten campus each week during conference play, and begins at 10 a.m. ET leading into the first games of the day at noon ET. Saturday’s BTN Tailgate heads to Iowa City as the Hawkeyes look to take an early lead in the Big Ten West. Iowa will face the No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers and an offense featuring sophomore running back Johnathan Taylor, who ranks second nationally in rushing at

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pulled the trigger and verbally committed to Penn

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Ohio State trusted in Austin Mack, and it will continue to pay off
Ian Cuevas via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes continued targeting Mack against TCU, and the trust shown should help down the line.

“We are really close. So I was just saying, ‘Look, play. If you mess up, I’m going to keep coming to you, throwing you the ball.’ It was hard for him having those drops like that in key moments in the game, but he kept pushing. And I relied on him again in the big moments, and he came through for me.”


- Dwayne Haskins on Austin Mack via Austin Ward, Lettermen Row

Ohio State and Dwayne Haskins had a tough decision to make in the midst of a dogfight with TCU last Saturday. Wide receiver Austin Mack started the game off brilliantly, providing the first highlight of the night on a beautiful catch that set the Buckeyes up near the goal line. It would result in a field goal for Ohio State, but partly because of what happened next from Mack. A dropped pass in the endzone would further stall the drive.

That was followed by several other drops that Mack usually is pretty reliable for. And it was clear at a certain point that he was getting in his own head. But instead of the coaching staff benching him in favor of another receiver, they kept him in the game and Haskins made a point to keep throwing his direction.

A show of veteran leadership from Haskins may pay off down the line as Mack seemed to gain his confidence back after making a couple of nice grabs later on in the game.

“[Best wins of the nonconference season] 3. Ohio State 40, TCU 28”

- Heather Dinich, ESPN


Heather Dinich of ESPN has covered the road to the College Football Playoff for several seasons now and generally has a good sense of what the committee looks at in terms of who gets in to the playoff and who does not. So the latest breakdown of which teams made the most noise during the nonconference schedule can help determine a lot about a team early on in the season. And it looks like that’s good news for the Buckeyes as they try to get back to the semifinals.

Ohio State put aside TCU, 40-28, in what was virtually a home game for the Horned Frogs, and did so with the help of some explosive play from Haskins and the Buckeye defense. Dre’Mont Jones’ pick six and Nick Bosa’s forced fumble in the endzone that resulted in a touchdown were big reasons why the Buckeyes left Texas sitting at 3-0. The win landed third on the most impressive wins during the nonconference slate, behind Clemson’s win over Texas A&M and Auburn’s win over Washington.

STICK TO SPORTS

• Absolutely here for a Wheel of Fortune-type of game from HQ Trivia.
• Moondust could be used to help build a lunar base.
• Here’s the review for Apple’s iPhone XS and XS Max.

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Audio: Listen to your Big Ten coach’s Week 4 teleconference
BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network

Each Tuesday morning during the Big Ten football season, the 14 Big Ten football coaches hold a Big Ten teleconference with reporters from around the country. We post the audio for each segment of the call here.

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Tulane’s offensive line will need to protect QB Jonathan Banks against Ohio State
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Keeping Banks upright needs to be the main priority if the Green Wave wants to upset the Buckeyes.

The Tulane Green Wave are coming off of a loss to UAB in which their starting quarterback Jonathan Banks was sacked six times.

If they stand to have a chance against the Ohio State Buckeyes, keeping Banks upright has to be mission critical. If they don’t protect their QB, then expect a long afternoon for the Green Wave in Columbus. The OSU defensive line has been, arguably, the strongest unit this season for the Bucks. Between Nick Bosa, Dre’Mont Jones and Chase Young, the line has dominated the Oregon State Beavers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights and (contained) the TCU Horned Frogs.

Bosa forced fumbles against Oregon State and TCU, while Jones and Young have found ways to either sack the opposing QB or force turnovers of their own. Last week, Jones made a highlight worthy snatch, and ran it back for a game-changing TD.


What Tulane has going for them is that Bosa will be inactive on Saturday, as he heals from an injured leg/groin sustained against the Horned Frogs. So, instead of blocking against three of the best D-lineman in the Big Ten, the Green Wave will only have to block two. (Which is just slightly better).

While the Green Wave offense won’t have to navigate around Bosa, there still lingers the big question of how to protect Banks—especially on drives that have scoring opportunities. In the second quarter against UAB, Tulane was driving down the field to equalize the game at 14-14. However, on a fourth-and-9 from the UAB 39, Banks was sacked for a 9-yard loss on the play—and fumbled the football. That fumble was scooped up and ran back for a touchdown, pushing their deficit to 21-7.

When the clock hit all zeros, Tulane’s comeback fell short, and they took the road loss in Birmingham, 31-24. If Banks and the Green Wave offense get anywhere near scoring territory, they have to capitalize on it. Ohio State is a completely different animal than UAB. There’s a good chance that the Buckeyes will hang 31 points on visitors before halftime, compared to UAB’s 31 points for an entire game.

Keeping the signal-caller upright is only half of the equation; the Green Wave also needs to create time for Banks to make his throws. Passing was not a strong suit last week, as Banks went 7-of-24 for 180 yards. If he’s taking pressure in the pocket and forcing throws, now there is real potential for another problem to show up: interceptions.

Banks only lobbed one pick in his last game, but it nearly put the game out of reach at halftime. On the following drive after the fumble and score, Banks threw his lone pick versus UAB at his own 38. Now, the Tulane defense forced an interception on the following drive and stopped any points from materializing, but that turnover could’ve put the Green Wave in a 28-7 deficit before the break. A couple passes right into the hands of Buckeye defenders will make life extremely difficult for Tulane—and if they happen early in the game, will leave them drifting off into blowout territory before halftime.

More of Week 1 Tulane needs to make an appearance on Saturday, rather that Week 3 Tulane. In the season opener, the Green Wave went the distance with Wake Forest, and forced an overtime period. Even though they lost, there was some promise on the offensive side; Banks threw for 281 yards and two scores on 18-of-37 passing. And, he didn’t throw an interception. Again, Wake Forest isn’t even in the same tier as Ohio State when it comes to on-field production, but it shows that good offensive play will keep you afloat. A 281-yard afternoon for Banks may need to be dialed up for a competitive game on Saturday.

Ohio State has given up a scary amount of big plays this season. Against the Beavers, a combination of big runs and passes enabled a surprising 31 points to be put on the scoreboard. TCU only scored 28 last week, but a 93-yard TD run extended the Horned Frogs lead at the time.

Tulane will probably take a couple of chunk plays for scores against OSU. But, they’ll need to constantly stay on the attack without turnovers in order to have even the faintest of chances— unfortunately for them, no team this season has been able to do that for four quarters against Ohio State.

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Want to feel old? Klu has been dead for 30 years.

3 things learned from Urban Meyer’s press conference heading into Tulane matchup
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


For the first time since the Cotton Bowl, Meyer will be back on the sidelines of a game this weekend.

On Monday, Urban Meyer made his first address of the season during media availability. With the Monday pressers normally including the head coach speaking at length, Ryan Day had filled in for Meyer as he served his suspension.

Now that the suspension is lifted, Meyer spoke for nearly an hour about being suspended—and what led to it. There wasn’t any groundbreaking information that came out of Monday’s briefing from the Meyer camp, as his answers were mostly what he has said publicly and in statements over the last month as the investigative report was wrapped up.

But, there were a few on-the-field related tidbits worth mentioning. Here were the three that stood out the most.

1. “Yes, he’s getting further tests this week. He will not play this week. Further tests on an abdominal and groin issue.”


During the TCU contest on Saturday, defensive lineman Nick Bosa went down on the field, and appeared to suffer an injury to his leg/groin/abdomen area. After being helped off the field, Bosa would not return to the game. While we don’t know the severity of the injury, we do know that Bosa will be sidelined for this weekend’s clash with Tulane.

There probably won’t be any noticeable differences with Bosa being out—Ohio State should still win big without him. But the loss of one of the best lineman in the country will be noticeable if he’s out against Penn State. Last Saturday, TCU showed a little bit of life after Bosa went out of the game. The offense still continued to move, but with one of the Bucks’ biggest weapons inactive, things moved a little bit smoother for Gary Patterson’s team. However, Dre’Mont Jones and the rest of the defense eventually picked up the slack for the win.

Bosa has been a quarterback’s worst nightmare this season. Already, he’s forced three fumbles and helped pave the way for a couple of defensive touchdowns because of those takeaways. Lucky for tulane QB Jonathan Banks, he won’t have to worry about Bosa sacking him this weekend. However, he will have to worry about Dre’Mont Jones and Chase Young finding ways to get around the Green Wave offensive line.

2. “I was back two weeks ago, and I even asked today how do I assist? I’m a fundamental person, a ball security guy. I watch things very closely. I’m very involved in the kicking game. I have not been that involved in the offense. I give my ideas.”


Ohio State’s passing attack this season feels like one of the most successful in school history. Dwayne Haskins is connecting with everyone—and is reaping the rewards in the passing yards column. Last week, he pulled in 344 yards against TCU, making it one of the most effective single days in the air for a Buckeye QB.

But, could that be changing now that Meyer is back on the sideline?

As Meyer mentioned, ball security is a big deal to him. Limiting mistakes is a good way to win games, and raising the percentages for your team to keep the ball also increases your chances of winning the game. If that’s a true philosophy for Meyer, this pass-heavy of an offense may be a little too risky for Meyer.

The hallmark of the Meyer offense at Ohio State has been the read-option. In the Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett eras, both QBs were a threat to either keep the ball or hand it over to a powerful running back at the last possible moment. With Miller, he and Carlos Hyde both had 1,000-yard seasons in 2013. With Barrett, Ezekiel Elliott was the guy in the backfield for two seasons.

With Haskins showing his ability to throw, Meyer may want to see how he works in more run-pass option scenarios. Now, I wouldn’t expect to see Meyer trying to turn Haskins into a 20-carry a game QB, but if he wanted to see how his new starter would react to running a bit more, Tulane wouldn’t be a bad team to try against.

It’ll be low risk, and the added benefit is giving next week’s opponent, Penn State, more plays to be worried about. Haskins has shined in the air this season with Day as HC; now with Meyer back, we’ll have to wait and see if Meyer gives him more opportunities to show what he can do with his legs.

3. “Two very good running backs. We can get a lot better.”


From a running game perspective, things have been good this season for Ohio State. Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins have packed a punch against opposing defenses. Against Oregon State, Webber put on a clinic—rushing for a career-high 186 yards and three touchdowns. Dobbins’ best game of this young season came against TCU, where he ended with 121 yards on the ground.

If getting better at the running game is a mission for Meyer, does that mean that with him at the helm, OSU’s QBs will be throwing the ball less than they have through three games? So far, while Haskins has been in, he has thrown more than other Meyer-coached quarterbacks. The question is whether the throws will decrease to keep the ball on the ground more.

As with anything, more reps generally makes you better at whatever you’re doing. Getting more carries from Dobbins and Webber will logically make them better, however, if it’s at the expensive of the (already effective) pass game, is it worth it?

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