Oklahoma tight end Mark Andrews presents matchup issues for the Ohio State defense
Christopher Jason via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


After struggling against Indiana, Oklahoma will be another test for the Buckeye secondary.

Oklahoma tight end Mark Andrews is one of the scarier matchups in college football and will produce a bevy of problems for an inexperienced Ohio State secondary, which allowed 420 yards on 42 completions against Richard Lagow and the Indiana Hoosiers.

In 27 career games, the 6’5, 254 lb seam-stretcher has reached the end zone a whopping 15 times and has averaged 16.5 yards per reception. After being sixth on the team in targets (28) in 2015, Andrews had the second most targets (49) last season — only trailing Biletnikoff Award winner Dede Westbrook (105). But with the departure of Westbrook, Joe Mixon and No. 2 wide receiver Geno Lewis (43 targets), the passing game will go through the tight end, and it looks like he’s more than ready for the heavy workload.

In Oklahoma’s first game of the season against UTEP, Andrews put up a career-high of 134 yards on a career-high seven receptions. He dominated the seams of the UTEP defense and put on a clinic after the catch. He is an excellent route runner and has the awareness to find the holes in the opposing defense.

His natural route running and football IQ was on display in last year’s matchup against the Buckeyes. Ohio State played man-coverage on the goal line with Damon Webb on Andrews. Webb expected a rub route, but Andrews’ precise route running completely lost Webb in the trash, resulting in an easy score.


Here’s Andrews out of the slot running a post pattern. He finds the soft spot in Ohio State’s middle zone coverage and sits between four defenders. He has a real knack for finding the soft spots in the defense.



"We just need to keep getting him the ball," Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield said. "He's going to make competitive plays, and obviously you want the football in his hands after the catch."

After the catch is where Andrews is most dangerous. His route running is what gives him separation against defenders, but what he does after the catch is extremely impressive for a guy of his stature.

Once again, Andrews lines up in the slot and completely fools the defense with his route running. He crosses the linebacker’s face, who then thinks Andrews is running a crossing pattern. The tight end then finds the hole in the middle of the field and the empty spot in the Miners’ zone. Mayfield hits him for an easy completion before Andrews makes multiple defenders miss en route to a big gain. Andrews is built like a tight end, but runs like a receiver — in the mold of New York Giants rookie Evan Engram.


It’s no secret that Andrews runs just about every single route out of the slot or on the line of scrimmage, but they use him extremely well in play action. Below, Andrews was lined up on the line of scrimmage. He engages with the end to sell the run, disengages and then sneaks behind the linebacker for the easy score. Everything Andrews does is with precision and he always does an excellent job at selling play action and/or his route to get open.




Overall, Mark Andrews is going to create serious matchup issues for Greg Schiano’s defense — especially if they don’t clean up their coverage issues in the middle of the field. There were at least two occasions against Indiana where the defense blew a coverage in the middle of the field, leaving a Hoosier receiver wide open. Andrews needs to be keyed on at all times and cannot be overlooked even for a minute. As shown above, he does a tremendous job of selling play action and takes advantage of overaggressive linebackers who aren’t sound in coverage. This will be a huge test for Chris Worley, the rest of the linebacking corp and Damon Webb at strong safety. It’ll be interesting to see if they’ll utilize bracket coverage on Andrews to limit his success in the seams.

Indiana provided an excellent test for the Ohio State defense and the 420 passing yards they allowed could be a blessing in disguise.

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How Good Would the Cleveland Browns Be if They Actually Drafted Ohio State Buckeyes? - Eleven Warriors
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


How Good Would the Cleveland Browns Be if They Actually Drafted Ohio State Buckeyes?
Eleven Warriors
It made some Browns fans unhappy to watch as three former Buckeyes (Hooker and cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley) went ahead of the seemingly positionless Wolverine, but there's also a long history of such moves taking place.

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Can Ohio State keep up with Oklahoma in a potential shoot out?
Chad Peltier via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Baker Mayfield and his deep receiving corps are deadly. Can Ohio State’s secondary bounce back from a rocky start against Indiana?

Ohio State and Oklahoma is probably one of the best matchups we’re likely to see this year -- between any teams. While this turned in to a blowout last season, and Oklahoma lost a lot of offensive production, the Buckeye secondary is much greener, the offensive line still has questions, and Baker Mayfield can pass the Sooners back in to any game.

When Ohio State has the ball

• On the face, Oklahoma’s defense should be a fairly significant step down from Indiana’s. Oklahoma’s defense: 48th in overall S&P+, 50th in rushing S&P+, and 39th in passing S&P+. Indiana’s defense: 32nd in overall S&P+, 22nd in rushing S&P+, 57th in passing S&P+. We’re still working with mostly last year’s advanced stats, but the Buckeye offense should have an advantage in every major statistic except for passing S&P+.
• Based on the numbers alone, you’d expect at least some success from J.K. Dobbins, Mike Weber, and J.T. Barrett on the ground. At 3rd in rushing S&P+ last season to Oklahoma’s 50th, you would expect to see Kevin Wilson use Dobbins and Weber to control the clock through efficient runs. Oklahoma’s run defense was interesting last season: 50th overall, 69th in success rate, 64th in IsoPPP, 70th in opportunity rate, 25th in adjusted line yards, but 70th in stuff rate. What that means is that the Sooners were average at best in all run defense areas — except in adjusted line yards, where they managed a top-25 finish. This suggests that they managed a decent number of run-stops in the 1-4 yard range, rarely had tackles for loss, and occasionally allowed big runs. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Neville Gallimore are the big names to know on the defensive line. Gallimore was a very big-time recruit, while Okoronkwo is the only returning lineman with more than 4 tackles for loss or 2.5 sacks (he had 12 and 9). In terms of returning havoc, Okoronkwo is the guy, but Gallimore, and linebackers Caleb Kelly and Ricky DeBerry all were highly-touted recruits. Oklahoma only had 1 sack and 4 tackles for loss last week against UTEP.
• While Ohio State’s offense was elite last season, efficient runs were just about all you could expect from the OSU ground game — the Buckeyes had 30 runs of 20+ yards (22nd), which is good, but ranked 84th in rushing IsoPPP, which measures how explosive successful runs are. This is one case where a new player — J.K. Dobbins — really could buck that trend. The Buckeyes had five explosive runs against Indiana, which should have a much stouter run defense than Oklahoma. Curtis Samuel had a 8.2% 20+ yard run rate while Mike Weber had a 6% 20+ yard run rate. Against Indiana (and yes, very small sample size), Dobbins had a 10.3% 20+ yard run rate. Simply put: Dobbins has the potential to bring a whole new perspective to the offense through explosive runs.
• The passing game is a little different. While the last 1.5 quarters of the Indiana game were promising for J.T. Barrett, Parris Campbell, and Johnnie Dixon, there are still a lot of unproven receivers and limited efficiency. Ohio State could’ve been worse than the 41% passing success rate they had against Indiana — but not too much worse. Their three explosive passes were a good sign, especially since they showed a yards-after-catch ability that we previously hadn’t seen. But there are still questions, and I don’t know how many answers we’ll get against Oklahoma.
• Indiana was 57th in passing S&P+, 17th in passing success rate, and 92nd in passing IsoPPP, indicating that they tended to limit opposing quarterbacks’ efficiency but occasionally break down and allow big plays in 2016. That’s exactly what we saw last week. Oklahoma, on the other hand, is 39th overall, 43rd in passing success rate, and 57th in passing IsoPPP. This suggests that we might see a little better efficiency, but maybe fewer explosive passing plays. And since Ohio State was highly effective last week with the short crossing routes for big yards-after-catch, you have to know that Oklahoma will be looking to defend against those this week. Players like Austin Mack and Bin Victor will have to step up. Oklahoma did lose cornerback Jordan Thomas to a season-ending injury, which will likely force freshman into playing significant time this week.
• From a drive efficiency perspective, Oklahoma was not great last season. Ranking 81st, they allowed an average of 4.64 points per drive.
• One stat to watch is the adjusted line yards battle: Ohio State 1st, Oklahoma 25th. That was easily Oklahoma’s best area for run defense (though they did lose linebacker Jordan Evans, who was a major part of that run defense) and Ohio State’s offensive line didn’t show the ability to get a big push on the Indiana defensive front until late in the game last week. Tom Allen gave the formula for defending against Ohio State in his post-game conference:

• If Oklahoma uses the same gameplan, then you could expect them to ensure they have athletic defensive backs covering guys on the underneath crossing routes to prevent those “caught underneath and outran” plays.
• Overall, you could probably expect a balanced gameplan with Kevin Wilson testing Oklahoma’s inexperienced corners, but the Dobbins/Weber combo proving to be effective, especially in the second half. The major concern here is if Ohio State’s offensive line can’t get a push on the Oklahoma defensive front (and it might be a little inconsistent, especially in the first half), and then they also are less effective with the underneath crossing routes. Then I don’t see how Ohio State could keep up in a potential shootout.

When Oklahoma has the ball

• I’m not sure how much new information we can get off of Oklahoma’s offense from their 56-7 win over UTEP. Baker Mayfield only played the first half, but also only had one incomplete pass (and 329 passing yards) in that span. His backup, Texas A&M transfer Kyler Murray, also only had one incomplete pass as both quarterbacks averaged over 13 yards per pass. The Sooners had a 71% offensive success rate against UTEP and had 10 total scoring trips on 11 drives. The only thing you can gather from those numbers is that Oklahoma’s offense should be just as good as they were last season — and they were the best in the country a year ago. (Some solace: UTEP literally has the third-worst defensive S&P+ ranking in the country).
• There are some differences from last season’s top S&P+ offense, though. First, Oklahoma’s returning offensive production in illustrative at 77th. Yes, Baker Mayfield returns, but almost every major weapon around him is gone, including Samaje Perine, Joe Mixon, and Dede Westbrook. To start with the passing game, Westbrook’s loss was huge. He received twice as many targets as the next-most targeted receiver and had 1,524 yards to tight end Mark Andrews’ 489. And he wasn’t the only loss. Three of his top four targets are gone (Joe Mixon and Geno Lewis were the other two). At least in the first game, their production was replaced by Mark Andrews (7 catches, 134 yards) and Kentucky transfer Jeff Badet (4 catches, 91 yards). Diminutive JUCO transfer and slot receiver Marquie Brown chipped in with 3 catches for 32 yards. For the most part Baker Mayfield spread the ball around pretty evenly outside of Mark Andrews. I don’t think any single receiver matches Dede Westbrook, but Badet and Andrews may be enough threats on their own.
• One of the issues last week was the Buckeyes playing almost exclusively cover-1 man early, as Ross Fulton identified. As Ross says in that piece, “Indiana designed a game plan around pass plays that attack man corner coverage, and Ohio State almost exclusively used that scheme. Without having to worry about reading coverage, Lagow could confidently throw his first read at the bottom of his drop, allowing his wide receivers to plant and come back to the football even against tight corner coverage.” Mixing coverages later in the game was much more effective, and the 6’4 Simmie Cobbs Jr. couldn’t just make one-handed catches over the relatively inexperienced Ohio State secondary. This is where Mark Andrews has the potential to be deadly against Ohio State. He’s a matchup nightmare regardless of who defends him, but at 6’4 he could be just as effective as Cobbs against the Ohio State secondary. I’d imagine that even though Ohio State might want to just play in man coverage all night, they might have to vary and disguise zone coverages in order to prevent Oklahoma’s perimeter passing attack.
• I expect Baker Mayfield and the passing game to be effective against Ohio State’s secondary, but the numbers are much more optimistic for defending the Sooners’ run game. While last year’s numbers are excellent — 14th in overall rushing S&P+, 12th in success rate, and 12th in adjusted line yards — very little of that production returns following Perine and Mixon heading to the NFL. The pair combined for 2,300 yards and had nearly 400 carries last season. At least last week (which was admittedly a blowout), they went with a committee approach, giving Abdul Adams, Marcelias Sutton, and Trey Sermon nearly equal carries. They were all effective, too, averaging 5.8 to 7.6 yards per carry. But none of those backs match what Mixon and Perine brought to the offense. The Oklahoma offensive line vs. Ohio State’s deep defensive line should be a heck of a battle, though. Their 12th ranking in adjusted line yards is telling.
• But the Oklahoma offensive line’s opportunity rate ranking (47th) and stuff rate ranking (55th, at 18.1%) are also telling. Essentially, the Sooners had a very strong run game overall, with talented backs who could often gain 5-10 yards a carry, but the offensive line was also prone to getting stuffed, with nearly 1/5 of Sooners carries getting stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage. Ohio State ranked first in the country last year in stuff rate and had a 14.7% havoc rate against Indiana last week.
• The Sooners were pretty good, but not great, in pass blocking last year, ranking 29th. Ohio State’s depth at defensive line and inexperience in the secondary might mean we see the Buckeyes try and bring Mayfield down rather than crowd passing lanes and try for interceptions (not those strategies are completely exclusive). Constant pressure — with containment — will be critical to disrupting the elite Oklahoma passing game.
• Overall we should expect Ohio State to first take away the Oklahoma run game, while pressuring Mayfield. Mayfield can scramble, so containment will be important, but the defensive line’s ability to get in the backfield against both the run and the pass will be crucial for upsetting Oklahoma’s overall offensive gameplan.

Key stats

1. Defensive stuff rate. Can Ohio State’s defensive line make the Sooners one-dimensional? We know that Baker Mayfield and the passing game are Oklahoma’s best asset, so the Buckeye defense can’t allow the run game to also be a problem.
2. Defensive passing success rate. The Sooners’ best chance against Ohio State is to break the secondary through efficient passing to Mark Andrews followed by explosive plays to receivers like Jeff Badet and Marquise Brown.
3. Offensive rushing opportunity rate. Ohio State’s rushing IsoPPP and success rate were excellent last week against Indiana, but their opportunity rate (the percentage of runs that gained at least five yards) was a low 38%. If Ohio State can run effectively against Oklahoma then it’s unlikely they will be able to win the game through the air.
4. The score after the first half. If Oklahoma can jump out to an early lead against Ohio State, I’m not sure the Buckeyes have shown the ability to explosively pass their way back in to a game. An early deficit would be very difficult to overcome.

Picks

• The Power Rank: Ohio State by 4.1. Ohio State winning percentage: 62%
• S&P+: Ohio State by 5.9 (35-30 rounded). Ohio State winning percentage: 63.3%
• Adj. S&P+: Ohio State by 6. Ohio State winning percentage: 63.6%
• F/+: Ohio State by 3.4. Ohio State winning percentage: 57.8%
• My pick: Ohio State 35, Oklahoma 31

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Tate Martell's Baker Mayfield simulation, Ohio State releases hype videos, advanced stats love Buckeyes - Landof10.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Tate Martell's Baker Mayfield simulation, Ohio State releases hype videos, advanced stats love Buckeyes
Landof10.com
Ohio State football is the No. 1 topic in Wake Up Sloopy every day — but we cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Ohio State football, recruiting, ...
Nick Bosa on OU's Mayfield: 'He's like Tate Martell on steroids'247Sports

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First-year fun: A look at first-year B1G coaches since 1990
Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer via Big Ten Network

How have first-year B1G coaches fared in the last three decades? Tom Dienhart takes a dive into the archives to see

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Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins named starting running back going into showdown with Oklahoma
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


After a 181-yard performance against Indiana, Dobbins is named starter for the second straight week.

During his radio call-in show on Thursday, Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer said that freshman running back J.K. Dobbins will get the nod as starting running back against the Oklahoma Sooners.

For Dobbins, this becomes his second straight week in the starting role at RB; last week against Indiana, Dobbins took over as RB #1 after Mike Weber was out with a hamstring injury.

However, Weber will get some carries against the Sooners. While Meyer said on the call-in show that he didn’t know how many carries Weber would get, he added that Weber was “good to go”.

No. 2 Ohio State faces No. 5 Oklahoma at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night. The game will be broadcasted on ABC.

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Top recruits predict Oklahoma vs. Ohio State
Charles Doss via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Buckeyes or Sooners? Hear from some of the best on the high school level.

With Ohio State taking on the Sooners of Oklahoma on Saturday night under the lights of Ohio Stadium, college football fans will be flocking to the closest television set in sight to take in the matchup between a pair of national championship contenders.

Fans aren’t the only ones excited to watch the Buckeyes mix it up with the Sooners, so are many of the top prospects in the country.

Want to know what some of the most sought after recruits on the trail are saying about the Ohio State and Oklahoma game? Land-Grant Holy Land caught up with the following players and grabbed their thoughts on the showdown of top five programs.

4-star 2018 Ohio State commit Max Wray


Thoughts: “I'm excited to see my first game in the ‘shoe. I'm also excited about seeing my boys go out there and dominate.”

Prediction: 42-35, Ohio State

3-star 2018 Ohio State commit Master Teague


Thoughts: “I'm excited to experience the atmosphere of it all, and a hard battled game.”

Prediction: “No predictions, but of course OSU with the win.”

4-star 2018 Oklahoma commit Jaquayln Crawford


Thoughts: “I'm excited to see both teams compete and and play hard. I'm ready to see what OU's plan is to stop my man J.K. Dobbins. I also want see how Baker Mayfield and the receivers do against a secondary who didn't look all that great last week. Especially considering how good the (OU) offense did last week. Ultimately I’m excited to see good football.”

Prediction: 42-31, Oklahoma

4-star 2019 Oklahoma commit Austin Stogner


Thoughts: “I'm looking forward to watching OU compete. Also how the offense will look against a different opponent.”

Prediction: “100-0, Oklahoma, but for real I’m thinking 45-36, OU.”

4-star 2018 OLB Christopher Oats


Thoughts: “I’m looking forward to see how well both the Ohio State and Oklahoma linebackers play.”

Prediction: “I don't have a final score yet.”

3-star 2018 OLB Brian Asamoah


Thoughts: “I'm looking forward to seeing a great game. It'll be a good one to watch in person. Also seeing how OSU's defense can stop OU's passing offense.”

Prediction: “I don't have a prediction.”

5-star 2019 RB Noah Cain


Thoughts: “I can't wait to watch my boy J.K. Dobbins go off again.”

Prediction: “ I can't make a prediction because the game is going to be good.”

4-star 2019 OG Zeke Correll


Thoughts: “I want to see how OSU competes with a great team and what the atmosphere is like at one of their games.”

Prediction: 28-24, Ohio State

4-star 2019 WR Trey Knox


Thoughts: “I'm just really excited to see the atmosphere on a night game.”

Prediction: “I think Ohio state is going to pull this out and win by at least 14.”

4-star 2019 TE Ryland Goede


Thoughts: “I'm really looking forward to just seeing a great ball game and watching Ohio state's offense.”

Prediction: 45-31, Ohio State

4-star 2019 OT Darnell Wright


Thoughts: “I’m looking forward to seeing the game day atmosphere and the coaches again.”

Prediction: No prediction

4-star 2019 QB Dwan Mathis


Thoughts: “I just want to see the quarterback play and how I will fit in their (Ohio State) offense.”

Prediction: 50-42, Ohio State

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Week 2’s national College Football betting lines are headlined by the Auburn-Clemson tilt
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The battle of the Tigers in Death Valley should turn into another thrilling contest.

Season ATS: 9-9 (2-3 National, 7-6 B1G)

Last week’s start to the season could have been better, but it also could have been a lot worse. Maybe I should just avoid trying to pick games involving SEC teams, since I lost on three of the four games I picked involving the SEC. Apparently I didn’t learn my lesson though, as I have three more games this week involving SEC squads.

National games:


No. 23 TCU (-3) v. Arkansas - 3:30 p.m. EST - CBS

After Arkansas won a thrilling double-overtime game in Fort Worth last year, the Horned Frogs and Razorbacks will square off in the return affair in Fayetteville on Saturday afternoon. Arkansas jumped out to a 13-0 lead last year, but needed a late Austin Allen touchdown and two-point conversion to force overtime, where Arkansas was eventually able to put the game away.

Both squads had little trouble knocking some of the rust off in their season openers, beating Jackson State and Florida A&M by a combined score of 112-7. TCU running back Kyle Hicks, who rushed for over 1,000 yards last year, missed the season opener, but is expected to play on Saturday against the Razorbacks.

Kenny Hill and Allen squaring off at quarterback should make this a fun contest. It’s tempting to take the unranked home underdog against a ranked opponent, but I think TCU is just a little bit better than Arkansas right now and the Horned Frogs gain a bit of revenge for last year’s loss.

TCU 38, Arkansas 31

No. 13 Auburn v. No. 3 Clemson (-6) - 7:00 p.m. EST - ESPN

Clemson started off life after Deshaun Watson with an easy 56-3 win over Kent State last weekend, but the difficulty level is about to get turned up for quarterback Kelly Bryant. After accounting for 313 total yards and three touchdowns in his first start for the Tigers, the junior quarterback will have his hands full trying to solve an Auburn defense that held Georgia Southern to just 78 total yards in a 41-7 season opening win.

It’s not hard to figure out what Auburn will try to do on Saturday night. Run the football. Whether they’ll have any success doing so against the Clemson defensive line is another story. At least Auburn will get Kamryn Pettway, who led the SEC last year with 122.4 rushing yards per game, back from suspension for the trip to Death Valley.

This will be the sixth meeting in 10 years between the schools, and for the most part they’ve played each other very close, with four of the five previous meetings being decided by a touchdown or less. I can’t say I’m thrilled about laying nearly a touchdown with a quarterback making just his second start against a defense like Auburn’s, but I feel like in the end defense and Death Valley will be what powers Clemson to a 10-point win.

Clemson 27, Auburn 17

No. 15 Georgia v. No. 24 Notre Dame (-4) - 7:30 p.m. EST - NBC

This marks just the second time in history these two programs have met, with Georgia’s 17-10 win in the 1981 Sugar Bowl clinching a national title for the Bulldogs. Now both teams are trying to fight their way back into national prominence. Kirby Smart is looking to build on an 8-5 first season in Athens, while Notre Dame is trying to recover from a 2016 season that saw the Fighting Irish go 4-8. Yes, you read that right, Notre Dame went 4-8 in 2016.

Georgia was able to do something Michigan wasn’t able to do 10 years prior. Beat a visiting Appalachian State team in the home opener. It wasn’t all roses between the hedges though, as quarterback Jacob Eason was injured early on in the 31-10 victory. At least the Bulldogs didn’t need true freshman Jake Fromm too much, as he had running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to rely on.

I still don’t know exactly what to think about Notre Dame this year. The Fighting Irish looked good in their 49-16 win over Temple last week, but I’m not sure that means much against the rebuilding Owls. One thing I do know, is the Fighting Irish aren’t going to rush for 422 yards against Georgia, like they did against Temple.

Honestly I’m only picking Georgia here because I’m hoping a close loss will turn Brian Kelly’s face into a new shade of purple.

Georgia 24, Notre Dame 21

No. 14 Stanford v. No. 6 USC (-6) - 8:30 p.m. EST - FOX

College football is pretty unpredictable, over the past five years one thing we see more often than not is Stanford dealing USC an early season blow. While it hasn’t happened in every one of those years, the Cardinals have taken down the Trojans in three of the four meetings between the schools in September.

Stanford had a different start to the season, opening the season two weeks ago over in Australia. Traveling to Sydney and back might have been tougher than the actual game for the Cardinal, as they had an easy time cooking Rice. Stanford racked up over 650 yards in the 62-7 blowout, with 180 yards coming from Bryce Love on the ground.

USC got more of a test from Western Michigan than they probably expected, but the Trojans scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Broncos. Sam Darnold put together a largely forgettable effort, throwing two interceptions and no touchdowns.

USC very well could show why many think the Trojans will play in the College Football Playoff, but David Shaw has USC’s number, with the Cardinals winning five of the seven matchups against the Trojans under Shaw. As if getting points wasn’t tasty enough in this one, Stanford had a little extra time to prepare for USC after having last weekend off following their season opening trip to Australia.

Stanford 28, USC 24

Boise State v. No. 20 Washington State (-10.5) - 10:30 p.m. EST - ESPN

Washington State has to be ecstatic that they didn’t lose to an FCS team to start the season for a third straight year. Luke Falk was perfect in the first half last week in a 31-0 win over Montana State, and now is just over 100 yards away from breaking Connor Halliday’s school record for most passing yards.

This year’s Boise State team isn’t quite the same Broncos team we have become accustomed to over the year. While Brett Rypien returns at quarterback for Boise State, there are still a lot of questions surrounding much of the of the offense for the Broncos. Last week Boise State didn’t impress all that much in a 24-13 win over Troy, and the Broncos will need a lot better performance if they want to leave Pullman with a victory.

Luckily for Boise State, they still have a strong defense, which they’ll definitely need if they want to hang with the Cougars. Picking Washington State here seems a little too easy. Even though Boise State didn’t look very good against Troy, somehow they’ll find a way to stay in this game until the end.

Washington State 31, Boise State 24

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Ohio State shows receiver depth in opener - MyDaytonDailyNews
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State shows receiver depth in opener
MyDaytonDailyNews
2 Buckeyes turn their attention to No. 5 Oklahoma, which visits Ohio Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Noah Brown caught four touchdown passes against the Sooners last season in a 45-24 victory. Only two receivers who caught passes in that game remain on ...

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Oklahoma vs. Ohio State: Will Buckeyes Shake Off Sluggish Opener? - Monday Morning Quarterback
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Oklahoma vs. Ohio State: Will Buckeyes Shake Off Sluggish Opener?
Monday Morning Quarterback
SI's Pete Mundo liked the adjustments Ohio State made against Indiana in their season opener and believes they'll fare well against Oklahoma. Tags. fullscreen · ncaa · cfb · football · college football · si now · ohio state buckeyes · oklahoma sooners ...


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TV schedule released for Ohio State men’s basketball
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes will have four games on BTN Plus, and 12 games on BTN, in addition to sporadic appearances on ESPN and CBS.

The Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball schedule was released a few weeks ago. Now, the television stations and times have been released. Chris Holtmann’s squad will play 16 games on the Big Ten Network family of stations, with 4 games being on BTN Plus in the early part of the season.

Some notable contests the Buckeyes will be in this season include the CBS Sports Classic match with North Carolina. That game airs on CBS Sports on Dec. 23 at 1:30 p.m.; the game will take place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. OSU also will play in Madison Square Garden on Jan. 20 at noon against Minnesota as part of the Super Saturday College Hoops & Hockey for BTN.

Below is the full schedule of Ohio State basketball TV times:

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Highlights from Urban Meyer's coaches show - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Highlights from Urban Meyer's coaches show
247Sports
Sooners didn't show much in the opening win over UTEP while the Buckeyes didn't hold much back in a Big Ten game against Indiana. J.K. Dobbins will start against OU Meyer confirmed. There will be no snap count for fellow running back Mike Weber in his ...
Urban Meyer just dunked on Tom Herman, and also shared an important leadership lessonLand-Grant Holy Land
Urban Meyer calls out Tom HermanFanRag Sports (blog)

all 34 news articles »

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BTN announces 2017-18 men’s Big Ten Conference basketball television schedule
BTN Communications via Big Ten Network

Coming off a season in which three Big Ten teams reached the Sweet 16 , BTN’s 2017-18 men’s basketball schedule will feature more than 75 conference matchups in addition to at least 49 non-conference battles. For the first time in history, BTN will be the exclusive cable home for the men’s Big Ten Tournament, featuring 10 tournament games from Madison Square Garden in New York City. All games can be streamed via the web, smartphones, tablets and connected devices on BTN2Go and Fox Sports Go. Conference play on begins on Friday, Dec. 1 with an opening night doubleheader, as Purdue

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How confident are you that Ohio State will beat Oklahoma?
Colton Denning via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The LGHL podcast gives their thoughts on Saturday’s game.

We’re only two weeks into the 2017 season, but Ohio State is already facing their second big-time test. After starting the season in conference play on the road and beating Indiana —in what was probably IU’s biggest regular season game of the last decade— the Buckeyes welcome fifth-ranked Oklahoma to Columbus, in a rematch of last year’s game in Norman.

You can bet the Sooners haven’t forgotten about their 21-point loss at home, and despite losing a ton of talent in the NFL Draft, OU is still the favorite to win the Big 12, and make a run at the College Football Playoff. They looked the part in Week 1, blasting UTEP 56-7 in new head coach Lincoln Riley’s first game, but how will they fare in a trip to Ohio Stadium?

On this episode of The Hangout in the Holy Land, Colton Denning and Matt Brown break down how confident they are in Ohio State’s chances on Saturday night, and everything they’re watching for, including:

• Whether the offensive line can get a better push than they did against Indiana.
• Why Ohio State’s linebackers and safeties figure to be more involved this week due to OU’s style of play.
• How much the defensive line can pressure OU quarterback Baker Mayfield, and cause the same mistakes we saw in last year’s game.
• How Kevin Wilson utilizes the running game with Mike Weber fully healthy and J.K. Dobbins‘ emergence.

The guys also look around the country at a loaded slate of games, and talk about why they think Auburn can beat Clemson, whether Stanford will knock off USC again, and of course, EL ASSICO.

You can find the podcast on our iTunes page, and we encourage reviews, comments, criticisms, etc. to help us deliver the best possible audio product. The more we hear from you, the better we can make it. We’re also on Soundcloud, and you can subscribe via RSS on your Android and Windows Phone devices here.

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Thump said:

I swear it seemed as if the Alabama game was being played in bright sunshine instead of at night, indoors.

Not sure what kind of lights they were using but WOW!

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The stadium was built to maximize what natural light there is. If the field seems a little brighter than normal, it's likely because of the light off of the 360 degrees scoreboard.

The image below does an "ok" job as showing some of the glow compared to the darkness (relative) of the stands.

Urban Meyer just dunked on Tom Herman, and also shared an important leadership lesson
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The rest of his remarks were even more illuminating.

By now, you’ve probably already seen the Urban Meyer quotes flying through Twitter and Facebook. Seeing Meyer unexpectedly dunk on a former assistant coach was not the way I was expecting to start my morning, personally, but here we are.

In case you missed what all the hubbub is about, Meyer spoke with Dennis Dodd at CBS about excuses some coaches make about the state of their roster when they take a new job, especially highlighting Tom Herman at Texas and Will Muschamp at Florida. Here’s the money quote:


If we look at this alone, it’s a valid, and kind of funny quote. After another breathless offseason of TEXAS IS BACK, the Longhorns did, in fact, give up 51 dang points, at HOME, to Maryland, and managed to lose even after Maryland’s starting QB left the game due to injury. According to the 247 Talent Composite Rankings, Texas has the 13th most talented roster in the country, with 36 blue-chip players. Maryland is 28th, with just 18.

That’s the fun quote, that makes the great social graphic, and that’ll be what probably drives the conversation over the next day or so. But personally, I think the most illuminating quotes from Urban Meyer come later in this interview.

Per Dodd, Meyer followed that burn with this important reminder.

"Players read that.”

Meyer is right. Players listen to these press conferences. They read the tweets. They know what’s being said about them, from their coaches, from major analysts, and even bloggers. Trust me. I have the DM receipts.

Certainly, not having “your players” is not an uncommon excuse for newer coaches, even if the sentiment is expressed slightly differently in public. But as Meyer points out in perhaps his most illuminating quote, that’s not a fair thing to say.


When a coach takes a job, they aren’t just choosing a new, fatter paycheck, the school’s logo, donor base and geography. They’re also signing up to coach the current roster. The players did not sign up for that, and that distinction is critical.

I think if Meyer had wanted to complain about the roster he inherited when he took over Ohio State, in private anyway, that could have been justified. He had to play a fullback at linebacker because depth at that position was obliterated. Playmakers at wideout, or even the offense generally outside of Braxton Miller, were limited. The defensive line was not of the quality that Buckeye fans now take for granted. It certainly wasn’t a bad team, but there were significant holes, and it wasn’t championship quality.

That Buckeye team, of course, went 12-0. I know some fans think they were cheated out of a national title by Gene Smith, but I think if you take a serious, long look at that roster, and their game by game performances, you’d probably agree that was much closer to a 9-3 squad than a true national title contender. They finished 16th in S&P+ for a reason.

If Meyer put that team’s roster balance on blast, I missed it. Meyer instead said things like “The quote I'd like out there is I think this team could play and compete with any team in the United States of America as of now”, or imploring people to write a book about Zach Boren. His tendency to brag about players as the “best X I’ve been around” is almost a meme among those who write about Ohio State football.

That doesn’t mean that Meyer is soft on his players, or unafraid to critique them, or push them hard. It’s about knowing when, and where, to communicate.

There are plenty of college football coaches who are quick to offer excuses, even after starting with some sort of “I take responsibility” line in public. Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly gets constantly roasted by the internet for this, for example, but there are plenty of others. So and So failed to execute, or had a bad attitude. Or the weather, or the Body Clocks, or the “Fat Little Girlfriends”, or a litany of other factors.

One of the hardest things about building a successful college football program isn’t just the talent acquisition, or the talent development, or the behind the scenes administrative mechanizations. It’s about building culture. It’s culture that coaxes consistency out of notoriously inconsistent 20 year old boys. It’s culture that pushes people to take those extra reps at the squat rack when their legs are on fire. It’s culture that encourages everybody to think outside of themselves. It’s why Meyer spends time, money and energy on culture and leadership training, and harps constantly on the power of the unit.

And that’s not just true of college football players. That’s true of successful companies and all organizations as well. You remember the boss who threw you under the bus in public to save himself. You didn’t give 100% for that boss.

I think Tom Herman understands this, and a charitable reading of his quote may indicate that’s what he actually meant to be talking about. And I think Meyer understands it even better now, seeing as his track record over the course of his entire career is certainly not spotless (see, Florida era).

Building that culture, I think, requires the total trust and buy-in of players. It requires players to believe that coaches value them holistically, a value that may be rare in a world where coaches can change jobs and abandon rosters at will, and are sorely tempted to pull redshirts or perform other actions with their, and not the player’s, best interest at heart.

All of this is not easy to do. Not for a football team. Not for a media company. Not for a sales team. Not for a church. Not for almost any organization.

The dunking on Texas is funny, because a team with the budget that’s larger than the GDP of small countries losing to Maryland is funny.

But it’s worth digging into the whole interview here. Meyer, in my opinion, has a point.

When you lose a game you should win, blame yourself. Eat crappy pizza in a lonely stadium concourse. Get memed by a marching band. That’s the gig.

But don’t blame the kids. At least, not from the podium. Because it ain’t just bloggers that are watching. The players are too. And they’ll remember.

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Everything you need to know about Oklahoma-Ohio State - ESPN
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Everything you need to know about Oklahoma-Ohio State
ESPN
The grizzled Buckeyes veteran started his season with 365 total yards against Indiana. He could have had more if not for a couple of big drops before Ohio State's revamped offense hit its stride. Barrett has been challenged this season to throw a ...
Barrett, Buckeyes out to build resume against Sooners againNews & Observer
Buckeyes, Sooners prepare for early showdownQuad City Times
Ringgold: Finally, OU gets the rematch, and chance at revenge, against BuckeyesTimes Record
kfor.com -Landof10.com
all 227 news articles »

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Notre Dame Travels to Buckeye State - Notre Dame Official Athletic Site
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Notre Dame Travels to Buckeye State
Notre Dame Official Athletic Site
NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- The University of Notre Dame women's soccer team travels to Columbus, Ohio, for a rare road matchup with the Buckeyes (4-0-1) at 7 p.m. ET on Friday at Jesse Owens Stadium. The Irish (3-1-2) are scheduled to close out the ...

and more »

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ScriptOhio said:

Found this photo....

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I'm going to be "that guy" and note that's actually him playing for the University of Bridgeport Purple Knights versus the Bryant University Bulldogs. What I didn't know was that Bol originally committed to Cleveland State, but transferred after CSU was found to have provided him with improper benefits.

Ohio State’s offense will look to establish the deep ball against Oklahoma
Kyle Sumner McKinnon via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes passing game needs some work.

You know that thing you do when you throw the ball really far and someone else catches it?

Yeah, Ohio State needs to work on that.

In all seriousness, the talk of the offseason in Columbus centered around how much better the Buckeyes would be in 2017 through the air. Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day fixed J.T. Barrett, the receivers were ready, and the putrid offensive line from a year ago was no more.

And then last Thursday night happened.

Barrett threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns, leading OSU to a 49-21 win over Indiana. Those numbers look great on paper, but don’t reflect how the Buckeyes fared passing the ball.


No. 16 didn’t complete a pass that traveled more than 15 yards past the line of scrimmage. And not one of Barrett’s deep strikes resulted in a big reception.

Although the offense was locked in for the second half and put up 36 points, they just weren’t able to establish a downfield presence, which clearly frustrated Urban Meyer.


Barrett and Co. did have a few chances to connect on the long ball. A pass sailed on Barrett in the third quarter when he had Marcus Baugh open in the end zone. And Parris Campbell – who made up for it later – dropped what would’ve been a 41-yard touchdown catch.


Meyer has reason to be excited because there were way more positives to point to about their passing attack than negatives.

Barrett was aggressive, confident in the pocket, and continued to try and push the ball down the field. OSU’s receiving corps actually played like a cohesive unit and gave fans more to look forward to this season. The intermediate throws were definitely there and saw Campbell race past Indiana defenders for a 74-yard touchdown and Johnnie Dixon turn in a 59-yard touchdown.

And anytime your offense racks up 596 yards and outscores the opponent by four touchdowns, something had to have went right.


Going forward, the Buckeyes obviously need to improve their deep ball if they expect to beat the Penn States and Michigans of the world. No one wants to see that improvement more than Meyer, a good sign for OSU.

Oklahoma will be another legit test for Barrett and Zone Six. The Sooners have a solid secondary that returns shutdown cornerback Jordan Thomas and safety Steven Parker. There should be quite a few opportunities for the Buckeyes to shoot their shot considering Oklahoma finished 111th in the nation in pass defense last season.

The Scarlet and Gray are built to win a championship, but they can’t do it without opening up their passing game first.

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Barrett, Buckeyes out to build resume against Sooners again - News & Observer
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Barrett, Buckeyes out to build resume against Sooners again
News & Observer
Oklahoma at Ohio State. The second-ranked Buckeyes host No. 5 Oklahoma for the first time in 40 years in a matchup of two of the all-time winningest programs and 2017 College Football Playoff hopefuls. J.T. Barrett threw four touchdowns in a 45-24 win ...
Buckeyes, Sooners prepare for early showdownQuad City Times
Ringgold: Finally, OU gets the rematch, and chance at revenge, against BuckeyesTimes Record
Emotions Intense as Sooners Focus on Buckeyeskfor.com
Landof10.com -The Columbus Dispatch
all 218 news articles »

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GameDay Kickoff: Nonconference rematches filled with playoff potential - ESPN
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


GameDay Kickoff: Nonconference rematches filled with playoff potential
ESPN
In a weekend highlighted by several nonconference rematches with playoff implications, Oklahoma arguably has the most to gain. The Sooners haven't lost since last year's meeting with the Buckeyes, and this should be their toughest opponent all season.


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Kevin Wilson talks progress of Buckeyes' offense, more - Bucknuts - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Kevin Wilson talks progress of Buckeyes' offense, more - Bucknuts
247Sports
Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson knows his group can play better, but has a quiet confidence about him heading into Saturday's showdown against ...

and more »

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Ohio State Buckeyes 2017: Tackle Robert Landers and the touchdown that wasn't -- Bill Livingston - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State Buckeyes 2017: Tackle Robert Landers and the touchdown that wasn't -- Bill Livingston
cleveland.com
Landers is part of a deep rotation of defensive linemen that could make up the best overall front the Buckeyes have ever had. Wholesale substitutions were necessary against Indiana in the opener and will also be required Saturday night against Baker ...


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BayBuck said:

Ohio Stadium Virtual Venue:

http://ohiostatefb.io-media.com/web/index.html#

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Yeah I saw this already and my concern is that pole. One side puts me in danger of the pole obstructing north end zone - that was my concern :(