Florida State and Alabama top College Football’s Week 1 betting lines
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Now that the Buckeyes have covered their spread, lets look at the national picture.

Last year ATS: 103-107-6 (52-54-2 National, 51-53-4 B1G)

In case you missed yesterday’s Big Ten picks for the weekend, you can find them here.

National games (All games Saturday unless otherwise noted):


No. 3 Florida State v. No. 1 Alabama (-7.5) - 8:00 p.m. EST - ABC

As a college football fans we should be lucky to have gotten a matchup like this on opening week. Of course now that I say that, watch this game turn into a dud. Alabama has a habit of turning their high-profile openers into snoozers with the way they suck the life out of their opponents.

The best matchup of the night will see talented Florida State safety Derwin James and the rest of the Seminole secondary trying to slow down quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Seminoles might not want to key in too much on shutting down the passing game though, since we have seen what running back Bo Scarbrough can do when he gets the football.

The biggest goal of the Florida State offense on Saturday night is to not let quarterback Deondre Francois get killed by the Alabama defense. It seemed like about twice a quarter last year Francois was getting absolutely obliterated. If the Seminoles let that trend continue this year, Francois isn’t going to last the year. But if the offensive line can keep Francois clean, the sky is the limit for Florida State.

I really want to pick Alabama to run away with this game, but for some reason I do see the Seminoles giving the Crimson Tide their toughest test in a season opener in quite some time. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see these two teams meet up in the College Football Playoff, so hopefully we get a classic to truly ring in college football 2017.

Alabama 28, Florida State 24

BYU v. No. 13 LSU (-14.5) - 9:30 p.m. EST - ESPN

After originally scheduled to be played in Houston, earlier this week the game was moved to New Orleans because of the devastating flooding in Houston caused by Hurricane Harvey. While LSU might get a small advantage with the game being played in Louisiana, I can’t see this having much of an effect on the game.

BYU knew they were going to have to travel somewhere where it would be a largely pro-LSU crowd. At least the Cougars have an advantage of already having played this year. Last weekend BYU didn’t look all that impressive in a 20-6 win over Portland State. Even though they didn’t look great, the Cougars were able to knock some rust off at least before facing the Tigers.

After rushing for 1,387 yards last year, Derrius Guice returns for LSU, and this time he won’t have to share carries with Leonard Fournette. It’ll be interesting to see if the BYU defense can slow down Guice at all, because if they can they could have a shot at the upset since LSU doesn’t exactly inspire a ton of confidence with their passing game. I can definitely see this game staying within two touchdowns.

LSU 27, BYU 17

No. 22 West Virginia v. No. 21 Virginia Tech (-4) - Sunday 9/3 7:30 p.m. EST - ABC

THE BATTLE FOR ALL OF THE VIRGINIAS WILL TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY NIGHT....in Maryland. After formerly being Big East foes, this marks the first time since 2005 that the Mountaineers and Hokies have squared off. Both teams will be breaking in new quarterbacks, except West Virginia might have an edge because they have a quarterback with previous college football experience.

Will Grier transferred from Florida to West Virginia after being suspended for PEDs. On the other side, redshirt freshman Josh Jackson will make his first start as Justin Fuente hopes Jackson has what it takes to replace Jerod Evans at quarterback.

This should be a fun back-and-forth affair, with both quarterbacks making big plays throughout the night. Even though the Mountaineers do have a little more experience with their quarterback, I think late in the game Bud Foster’s defense will make a play or two which will end up sealing a tight game for the Hokies.

Virginia Tech 38, West Virginia 31

Texas A&M v. UCLA (-4.5) - Sunday 9/3 7:30 p.m. EST - FOX

Could this be the year that Texas A&M doesn’t go 6-0 to start the season and then completely fall apart sometime in October? Seems to be the formula Kevin Sumlin likes to work with, and it’s a reason why he is on the coaching hot seat. Even worse for Sumlin is he won’t have the luxury of Myles Garrett lining up at defensive end, which would definitely help against UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen.

Much like Sumlin, Jim Mora isn’t exactly on good standing in Los Angeles right now, and another subpar season could see him get shown the door. Good thing Mora has Rosen to save his bacon. Without Rosen, there’d be no question Texas A&M wins this game, but with Rosen everything changes. This game comes down to the wire like last year’s in College Station did, but this time UCLA gets the victory.

UCLA 33, Texas A&M 30

No. 25 Tennessee (-3) v. Georgia Tech - Monday 9/4 8:00 p.m. EST - ESPN

This game has just as many questions as you’d expect there to be heading into it. Lets face it, both Tennessee and Georgia Tech are sorta weird teams. The Volunteers have Butch Jones at head coach, who obviously isn’t normal. On the other side, Georgia Tech runs the triple-option. Now factor in both teams are trying to replace their quarterback and running backs from last year, which makes this game even harder to get a read on.

One reason I’m leaning towards Tennessee in this matchup is they do have a lot of experience returning on defense, which could help them in trying to shut down the Yellow Jackets’ rushing attack. Other than that, I have no idea on what to expect with this game.

Tennessee 31, Georgia Tech 24

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What should you take away from Ohio State’s win over Indiana? Whatever you want, I guess
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


A very Indiana football sort of game creates a Rorschach test for fans.

Trying to draw conclusions from the first game of the college football season is tricky under normal circumstances. Players are rusty and bundles of nerves. Full playbooks aren’t always deployed. And hey, the first game is often a glorified scrimmage against Eastern State Tech, of Paycheck Game, Minnesota.

But Ohio State played a real team last night, a conference team, on the road. And I think you could justify just about any big takeaway you wanted from it.

At the end of the day, the scoreboard doesn’t lie. Ohio State beat the Hoosiers 49-21, covering the spread against Indiana for the first time in seven games, and torching what projected to be an above-average defense for nearly 600 total yards. Beating a likely bowl team, on the road, by 28 points, is pretty good, no matter the circumstances, or the names on the front of the jerseys.

But perhaps that scoreboard doesn’t really tell the full story. After all, this was an Indiana football game. The Hoosiers led at halftime, and if we’re being honest here, they controlled the game in most facets. Indiana was even leading with about five minutes to go in the third quarter.

But, as my colleague Jason Kirk wrote this morning, “things like size, speed, raw talent, the weight of all human history, and Calvinist predestination kicked in.” We’ve seen this movie from Indiana a few times before, after all. Parris Campbell housed a 74-yard catch less than 30 seconds later, Johnnie Dixon won a 59 yard touchdown track meet a few minutes later, and the overwhelming advantage of Ohio State’s defensive line choked away any remaining upset hopes. At the end of the day, the Buckeyes left town with a conference win, and a slew of impressive looking box score numbers.

So, I guess the question is, are you an optimist, or a pessimist?

If you’re an optimist, there’s plenty to like here. True freshman J.K. Dobbins absolutely exploded onto the scene, jump-cutting his way to 181 yards, an Ohio State record for a freshman debut, a performance that could launch a full-blown RB controversy should Mike Weber return to health quickly. Ohio State’s maligned passing game from last season accounted for 304 yards and three touchdowns, and six different Buckeyes all caught at least two passes.

And Ohio State’s defensive line, billed as perhaps the most talented in the country, did not disappoint, forcing a game-clinching fumble, obliterating Indiana’s running game (before garbage time, the Hoosiers rushed for -2 yards, which, in my professional opinion, is bad), and making a living getting in Hoosier QB’s Richard Lagow’s face. You could also argue, perhaps convincingly, that some of Indiana’s offensive success, especially in the first half, was just a result of their talented WRs playing a little out of their minds, a level of success that wasn’t sustainable and didn’t reflect poorly on Ohio State.

If that’s what you want to take away from last night, I won’t argue with you. All of those things are true!

But there’s also a pessimistic case here too. Ohio State’s offense lagged last season because of offensive line inconsistency, WRs failing to achieve separation, and inopportune drops, and lo and behold, all of those things still bothered Ohio State, especially in their languid first half. Despite an impressive final box score, J.T. Barrett also missed just enough throws to fail to silence the haters on Twitter dot com. And Ohio State’s secondary got dunked on repeatedly by Indiana’s passing game, one that dropped 420 yards on a unit full of elite recruits and potential NFL talent.

Now, that number is going to be inflated, since Indiana couldn’t run the dang ball at all and also ran a gazillion plays, but it’s safe to say that secondary performance doesn’t hold up to the standard set over the last two seasons. And, let’s not forget, Oklahoma has pretty good QB and a few wideouts of their own.

Personally, I think many of the flaws presented here are probably fixable for Ohio State, given the youth still at wideout, defensive back, and heck, even part of the offensive line, and outside of Oklahoma, there may not be too many teams on this schedule built to attack the Buckeyes just like the Hoosiers did last night. But hey, that Oklahoma game is next on the schedule.

You want to see positives? Negatives? Just some confusing ink blot? Go right ahead. It’s all there, in the film and in the numbers, if you want it.

The only indisputable takeaway, in my humble opinion? Big Bob Landers got robbed.


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BUCK3YE5 said:

He also hurdled a guy somehow

Click to expand...

Given his athleticism



I am not surprised.

Again, you put a 5star man against a bunch of bad FCS kids and he's going to dominate. I'm just glad none of the FCS kids got hurt.

What's that, their rushing yards?

Thousands watch Buckeyes from home at South Oval watch party - 10TV
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Thousands watch Buckeyes from home at South Oval watch party
10TV
Thousands of football fans descended on the South Oval at The Ohio State University campus to watch the Buckeyes take on the Hoosiers. Some students said it felt like an eternity for football season to arrive, but Thursday night, The Ohio State ...


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Dobbins leads Ohio State past Indiana in debut with Buckeyes - Ashland Times Gazette (subscription)
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Dobbins leads Ohio State past Indiana in debut with Buckeyes
Ashland Times Gazette (subscription)
His Ohio State teammates and Buckeyes fans jumped right on board. The freshman broke a 15-year-old school record by rushing for 181 yards in his college debut, J.T. Barrett threw three touchdown passes and No. 2 Ohio State managed to pull away in the ...
Indiana falters in second half as Buckeyes win 49-21FOXSports.com

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Full-throttle rushing attack, dominant front 7 powered Ohio State past Indiana
Chuck McKeever via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


It took some time, but the Buckeyes put together a dominant performance against the Hoosiers.

College football is officially back, and with it this author's annual realization that football games take an excruciatingly long time to reach a conclusion. No other mainstream American sport can lay claim to this level of time-suck: basketball games mostly finish in a tidy two hours, ditto for the three Premier League games I manage to watch each summer before college football season starts. (Saying "THIS is the year I get into the Premier League in earnest" is another annual tradition.)

Even baseball, which can (despite and occasionally thanks to the rage of umpire Joe West) stretch into a 4-hour contest, is really a sort of passive experience. Baseball is best enjoyed on the radio while doing something else, even if that something else is lounging in a recliner dozing off and trying to make the feeling of summer last just a little bit longer.

But football, particularly college football, is a more demanding and immersive experience, a battle of wills that leaves one exhausted and half-drunk and wrung-out. It's the opportunity cost of getting involved in a sport that's so necessarily batshit crazy. But it's also a blessing: regardless of how lousy one's team appears in the first half, there still appears to be roughly eight years of game clock left in which to turn things around.

Such was the case for Ohio State on Thursday night. Let's take a look at how they turned things around in the last 30 minutes and steamrolled Indiana by the final whistle.

Blue chip stocks


J.K. Dobbins, RB: This is an easy call. Dobbins, the true freshman running back, was Ohio State's best player on either side of the ball on Thursday night. Called into a starting role thanks to Mike Weber's tweaked hamstring, Dobbins showed off speed, vision, and power in his college debut. It was a breathtaking performance—181 yards, breaking Maurice Clarett's single-game freshman rushing record, plus 24 more through the air—and heralds great things for the Buckeye ground game of the future.

Seriously, if Ohio State's backup is this good (and backup he'll likely remain, unless Weber's nagging injury persists or he comes out of the gate flat for a few straight games), the rest of the Big Ten is in trouble. The Buckeyes have been better on the ground than through the air for J.T. Barrett's entire tenure under center, and they should lean into it now that they have two of the conference's most explosive backs on the same roster.

Parris Campbell, H-back: After 30 minutes of game play, the notion that we'd be singing Campbell's praises would've sounded patently ridiculous. He dropped J.T. Barrett's best pass of the night while streaking into the end zone, as well as another gimme in position for a big gain.

But Campbell rewarded the coaches' choice to keep targeting him in a huge way in the second half, taking a short throw over the middle a full 74 yards to the house and showcasing a breakaway speed that Indiana just couldn't match. He finished the night with six catches for 136 yards; imagine what kind of numbers he might put up with a serviceable first half. Campbell could very well be one of the most exciting pieces on this Ohio State offense in 2017.

Tyquan Lewis, DE: Lewis hasn't historically gotten the shine that his compatriots on Ohio State's defense have, but that's going to change in a big way this season. The versatile defensive end moved into Ohio State's top 10 sack ranking by adding two more to his career total against Indiana, giving him 18.5 all time. Richard Lagow and his receivers looked damn near perfect for most of the first half, hitting back shoulder throws in traffic and making the Buckeye secondary look as young as it is, but even a talented QB can only brook so many shots to the chest before making a mistake.

Such is the beauty of Ohio State's d-line, whose unquestioned pace-setter is Lewis. They harassed Lagow all night and stifled every attempt at adding a running dimension to the Hoosier offense, loss sorely felt by Indiana once they got down in the second half. (Late in the game, the Hoosiers had accrued two total rushing yards. Two.)

Solid investments


Sam Hubbard, DE: Hubbard matched Lewis with three total tackles, including a sack of his own. He's as solid a contributor off the edge as the Buckeyes could hope to have, though honestly, it's hard to even name a standout performance on a defense that saw seven players combine for five sacks and nine tackles for loss. Safe to say the bruising brand of football the Buckeyes have built in the front seven will make the difference in a few games this year.

Kendall Sheffield, CB: The former 5-star recruit and member of the Alabama Crimson Tide showed up in a big way in his Buckeye debut. In an otherwise-shaky performance by the Ohio State secondary, Sheffield recorded seven total tackles and two pass breakups. One of those tipped the ball into the hands of Jordan Fuller for an interception during what looked like a surefire Hoosier scoring drive, the first real sign of life for the Buckeyes during a languid first half.

Antonio Williams, RB: Williams, who looked like he might get buried on the depth chart for the foreseeable future, instead made the most of his opportunity to shine on Thursday. He found the end zone twice for Ohio State on the ground, showcasing the balance of speed and power that made him such a prized recruit coming out of high school. Williams still might not get too many more chances to score this season, but the depth he provides at running back is a boon to the Buckeyes.

Junk bonds


The Buckeye secondary: It's almost as though replacing an NFL-caliber secondary in back-to-back years can lead to some growing pains for the guys who replace them. The odds caught up with Richard Lagow and the Hoosiers eventually, but not before they lit up the Ohio State pass defense for 410 yards and three TDs. The Buckeye DBs had little answer for Simmie Cobbs Jr., easily one of the top wideouts in the conference, who racked up 149 yards on 11 catches and scored a touchdown by bullying Denzel Ward on a 50-50 ball in the end zone. This unit will get better, and fast, under the tutelage of Greg Schiano, but boy, it's hard not to think about what Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield might do through the air next weekend.

Buy/Sell


Sell: J.T. Barrett beyond 15 yards. It's J.T. Barrett's fifth year in Columbus, and at this point, we probably know who he is and isn't as a passer. He isn't the guy to eat up yards through the air by making crisp passes downfield, and that's probably okay, as long as the coaching staff doesn't try to force him into that box. (Even when he does hit the occasional beauty downfield, there's no guarantee it'll be caught, like the bread basket strike he landed on Parris Campbell for an incompletion in the 2nd quarter.

Buy: J.T. Barrett inside 15 yards. The great news is that there is a kind of passing that Barrett is plenty good at; namely, the kind that doesn't ask him to force throws downfield against talented secondaries. Urban Meyer's aggressive recruiting of skill players who can catch and run makes this offense a deadly one in space, and those plays paid dividends against Indiana. Barrett's 304 passing yards were massively inflated by the YAC of Johnnie Dixon and Parris Campbell on their respective touchdown catches, but who cares? It's what works, and it's a far better strategy for this personnel set than trying to hit guys in the hands in tight coverage 30 yards downfield.

Buy: Piesman Trophy-worthy plays. Free Robert Landers! Free Robert Landers! Free Robert Landers!


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Dobbins leads Ohio State past Indiana in debut with Buckeyes - The-review
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Dobbins leads Ohio State past Indiana in debut with Buckeyes
The-review
Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Denzel Ward (12) celebrates after an making an interception during Thursday's NCAA Division I football game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind., on August 31, 2017. Barbara J. Perenic ...
Indiana falters in second half as Buckeyes win 49-21FOXSports.com

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3 things learned from Ohio State’s win at Indiana
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


We learned that J.K. Dobbins is no joke. And, there is work to be done on both sides of the ball.

With the first game of the season now in the rear view mirror, the Ohio State Buckeyes are gearing up for their showdown next Saturday against the Oklahoma Sooners. But, before we get to the biggest non-conference game—and arguably the biggest game for the Buckeyes—this season, we must look back at what happened in the Indiana Hoosiers contest.

In fact, there were three big things that can be taken away from OSU’s 49-21 win in Bloomington, Ind.

1) J.K. Dobbins is real, like, real real


Throughout the summer, J.K. Dobbins received a lot of hype. When he got the nod to be the starting running back in his first game ever as a Buckeye, the expectations were high. Especially considering Mike Weber is still recovering from a hamstring injury, having Dobbins start at RB in a primetime season-opener on the road was huge.

On this huge stage, Dobbins did not disappoint. In fact, he showed flashes that he can be one of the greatest running backs Ohio State has ever had. The La Grange, Texas, native went off for 181 yards on the ground. That total was enough to pass Maurice Clarett’s 175 yards output against Texas Tech in 2002 for the most yards ever by a freshman in his debut.

Dobbins had two big rushes (one for 27 yards, another for 35 yards) that helped OSU put points on the board. His 27-yard rush put the Buckeyes deep into the redzone, which led to the Antonio Williams 1-yard rush up the middle for six; the 35-yard sprint helped put the Scarlet and Gray in chip-shot field goal range.


Moving forward, Dobbins has to be the guy Urban Meyer goes with as RB #1. The way Dobbins can spin/cut around defenders, and bust into open space is almost poetic. On average, the freshman was picking up 6.2 yards per carry against the Hoosier defense.

Weber will need to get healthy in a hurry if he wants to get his No. 1 spot back on the running back depth chart. But, if he doesn’t, then the combination of Dobbins and Weber may be the duo of the year in college football. Weber can run through defenders; Dobbins can run right past them.

Back to the main point: Dobbins’ arrival on the college football stage. If he keeps having these types of performances, especially against Oklahoma, then it shouldn’t be too far fetched to see his name as an early season Heisman contender. Given some time (i.e. a season) Dobbins may be the Ohio State version of Barry Sanders. It may seem wild to see that typed out, but for a freshman to do what he did in his first collegiate game, the sky’s the limit for Dobbins.

2) Height: the crux of the OSU secondary


For the first half, the Buckeye secondary was exposed. In fact, the exposing continued for a little while in the third quarter. This isn’t something Buckeye nation has grown accustomed to.

Why did the OSU secondary struggle against the Hoosiers? Well, size is a reason. The ace up IU’s sleeve was the fact they had wide receivers who had a height advantage on the Bucks secondary. Simmie Cobbs was the ringleader of the height brigade. Cobbs is 6-foot-4 (!) and was causing all sorts of problems to cornerback Denzel Ward, who’s 5-foot-11.

Cobbs was targeted by quarterback Richard Lagow (who happens to be a tree at 6-foot-6) 17 times on Thursday night. Eleven of those were catches, which Cobbs tallied for 149 yards and one touchdown. His touchdown grab was insane, as Ward was, literally, hanging all over him.


Lagow ended the game with an unconscionable 410 yards passing and three touchdowns. While other receivers helped get Lagow to the 400+ passing plateau, Cobbs was the biggest helper.

Cobbs is one, if not the best, receiver in the Big Ten. You know who another top Big Ten receiver is? Juwan Johnson of Penn State. Johnson, like Cobbs, comes in at 6-foot-4. Even before PSU comes to Columbus, the Buckeyes have to stop quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Sooners have graduate WR Jeff Badet, who led Kentucky in receiving yards last season before transferring to OU. Additionally, the Lincoln Riley coached squad has a 6-foot-5 receiver in Jeffery Mead and a 6-foot-5 tight end in Mark Andrews, who’s the leading returner in receiving yards.

Somehow this Buckeye secondary will need to find a way to counter the height conundrum. The best way to do this is to force bad throws and get interceptions—something the Buckeyes did well against IU, forcing Lagow to throw two picks.

Ohio State’s secondary cannot afford to start off flat against an OU squad that’s out for revenge.

3) Running through (Zone) 6 with the woes


Throughout the night, the passing game was erratic. While Barrett did sail some passes, his rotational set of receivers were having some bad drops. The most notable of the I-can’t-believe-he-dropped-that passes was in third quarter. Barrett threw a wonderful pass in the air—maybe his best pass of the night—to a wide open Parris Campbell. Campbell had a solid two step lead on his defender...and he managed to drop the ball.


Campbell was targeted nine times on the night, and caught the ball six times for 136 yards and a sweet 74-yard touchdown. Though Campbell turned it on late in the game, the drops are still a problem. And it’s not just Campbell’s problem.

Johnnie Dixon dropped one pass in the first quarter, but made it up by hauling in a 59-yard touchdown strike from Barrett in the third frame.

The passing game was completely different in the second half. However, one has to wonder how much that had to do with Indiana’s defense being tired after chasing Dobbins around for 30 minutes. As the stats went final, Barrett threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns, and Campbell’s haul lead all receivers.

Playing devil’s advocate: If the Buckeye rushing game was shut down, could the passing game be established to help put the run game back in business? I would wager that it wouldn’t—which is a colossal problem to have when you’re facing some of the best teams in college football.

Next week will be another litmus test to see who will rise up from the revolving door to be WR #1 at Ohio State. But, to rise up, dropped passes can’t happen, and passes have to be catchable (and not broken up before the WR gets a chance) for Zone 6 to be a tour de force again in college football.

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Buckeyes defeat Indiana in season opener, 49-21 - NBC4i.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes defeat Indiana in season opener, 49-21
NBC4i.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — J.K. Dobbins broke Ohio State's freshman record by rushing for 181 yards in his college debut, J.T. Barrett threw three touchdown passes and the second-ranked Buckeyes pulled away to beat Indiana 49-21 on Thursday night.
Big Ten preseason power rankings: Buckeyes lead the way againESPN (blog)
Ohio State football: Buckeyes hope offensive changes can fuel a championship runNCAA.com
College Football Preview: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Indiana HoosiersDayton Daily News
Washington Post -SB Nation -FOXSports.com
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5-star CB Anthony Cook hints at Ohio State preference in training session
Bret Favachio via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The elite defensive prospect sure looks like a Buckeye lean.

The college football season is officially underway for Ohio State, and the Buckeyes rolled to a 49-21 win over Indiana on Thursday night. It was a perfect showcase for the depth of Ohio State's recruiting over the last few years, and the Buckeyes are hoping to keep that momentum going into 2018 and beyond.

Cook spotted in Buckeye gear


Ohio State has far and away the top recruiting class in the country this year. A big reason for that is the group of five-star prospects that have already joined the fold, including defensive end Brenton Cox of Stockbridge (GA), athlete Jaelen Gill of Westerville South (OH), tight end Jeremy Ruckert of Lindenhurst (NY), and defensive tackle Taron Vincent of IMG Academy (FL).

However, the Buckeyes may be adding another to that group sooner rather than later. While Ohio State has commitments already from Sevyn Banks, Marcus Hooker, Josh Proctor, and Jaiden Woodbey in the secondary, there is no doubt that one of the biggest remaining targets for the Scarlet and Gray come in the form of ‘18 CB Anthony Cook from Lamar High School in Houston, Texas.

Cook is a 6'0, 168-pounder that has nearly 40 offers at this time in his recruitment. Programs like Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, USC, and many more have offered the Lone Star State standout. With that being said, it sure seems like three specific schools have placed themselves in prime position for the elite talent, and they would be LSU, Ohio State, and Texas -- the local team.

Interestingly enough, if you take a look at the 247Sports Crystal Ball for Cook, you will notice that the Buckeyes are actually the team that is currently favored to land the five-star defensive back. That’s good news in its own right, but what Cook was spotted wearing on Thursday couldn’t hurt.

In a video recorded by EJ Holland of 247Sports.com, you can see Cook during a training session rocking a Scarlet shirt with the Buckeyes logo imprinted on the front.


Furthermore, the tweet which shows the shirt choice for Cook compares him to an interesting name — cornerback Jeffrey Okudah, the five-star Ohio State signee in the 2017 recruiting cycle. Okudah, much like Cook, was a standout prospect from the state of Texas as well. So, it will be interesting to see if the Buckeyes can reel in yet another elite talent from Longhorn territory for the second consecutive class in a row.

If they were to ultimately bring Cook up to Columbus for his collegiate football career, an impressive get it would be. The H-Town native is currently graded as the 14th best player in the entire class. Cook also finds himself penciled in as the second best cornerback overall and the highest graded player from the state of Texas.

While there's still plenty of time for Cook to make his college decision, the Buckeyes have to like where they stand with the elite CB given that information. Stay tuned to Land-Grant Holy Land in the coming months as we track Cook's journey toward college.

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Ohio State's new offense is just getting started - ESPN
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State's new offense is just getting started
ESPN
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Headed into the 2017 college football season, the Ohio State Buckeyes promised us that they were going to expand their offensive menu. For the first few hours of the new season, they gave us the familiar taste of melba toast. Then ...
College football roundup: Buckeyes roll in the second halfLos Angeles Times
JT Barrett, Buckeyes finally flash big-play power in second-half comeback at IndianaSporting News
Dobbins leads Ohio State past Indiana in debut with BuckeyesThe-review
The Columbus Dispatch -USA TODAY
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Buckeyes bury Hoosiers in 2nd half, 49-21 - Montrose Daily Press
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes bury Hoosiers in 2nd half, 49-21
Montrose Daily Press
After Indiana (0-1, 0-1) held the Ohio State offense in check for more than a half, the Buckeyes popped during the final 30 minutes. In the second half, Ohio State posted three passing plays of 15-plus yards, including scores of 74 and 59 yards, and ...

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College football roundup: Buckeyes roll in the second half - Los Angeles Times
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College football roundup: Buckeyes roll in the second half
Los Angeles Times
J.K. Dobbins broke Ohio State's freshman record by rushing for 181 yards in his college debut, J.T. Barrett threw three touchdown passes and the second-ranked Buckeyes pulled away to beat Indiana 49-21 on Thursday night at Bloomington, Ind.
How the Buckeyes' offense plans to get its groove backESPN
Buckeyes bury Hoosiers in 2nd half, 49-21Montrose Daily Press
Dobbins leads Ohio State past Indiana in debut with BuckeyesThe-review
The Columbus Dispatch -USA TODAY
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Ohio State-Indiana recap: Score, stats, analysis for Week 1 game (08/31/2017) - Landof10.com
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Ohio State-Indiana recap: Score, stats, analysis for Week 1 game (08/31/2017)
Landof10.com
The Buckeyes will have a chance to pour it on here. Ohio State 42, Indiana 21 (Q4, 12:08): The rout is on. Jashon Cornell turns over Indiana with a strip sack and J.T. Barrett finds Binjimen Victor in the end zone to make it a three-score game. Ohio ...
Hoosiers announce a sellout at Memorial Stadium247Sports
ESPN's 'College GameDay' host Lee Corso picks Ohio State over IndianaLand-Grant Holy Land

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Dienhart: Buckeyes’ opening salvo impressive in 49-21 win at Indiana
Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer via Big Ten Network

It wasn't always pretty, but when No. 2 Ohio State opened the floodgates in a 49-21 opening night win over Indiana, their performance was impressive.

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Recap: #2 Ohio State VS Indiana
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



And just like that, the offseason is officially over. The 2017 CFB season has begun and Ohio State opens up against an Indiana Hoosiers team that is looking for an upset win at home. Mike Weber did not make the start because he is banged up, but his replacement, J.K. Dobbins will become the second true freshman to start for the Buckeyes.

First Half

With the game underway, the Buckeyes started off hot, but the offense is still a work in progress. J.T. Barrett, on his first drive, took the ball 66 yards and the drive ended with a 27-yard FG to put the Buckeyes up 3-0.

Richard Lagow wasted no time to respond as they took the ball 87-yards for a TD by Ian Thomas. The highlight of the drive was a one-handed toss to Simmie Cobbs.

The Buckeye offense struggled mightily, with a lack of separation by the WR’s from the Hoosier DB’s. O-Line play was decent during the first half, but there is some room for improvement in that department and there is a lot more to be desired.

Simmie Cobbs continued to light up the next generation of Buckeye Defensive Backs as he snagged another one-handed TD pass against Denzel Ward. The Buckeyes should have been down 21-3, but because of a tipped pass by Kendall Sheffield, it resulted in an interception by Jordan Fuller.

The Buckeyes should have been down 21-3, but because of a tipped pass by Kendall Sheffield, it resulted in an interception by Jordan Fuller.

J.K. Dobbins was the star in the making for the Buckeyes in the first half registering 15 carries for 107 yards. Dobbins shows the burst and the promise to become the next feature back at Ohio State.

The Rushmen are also doing their job as well as they have registered 3 sacks in the first half, keeping the Hoosier offense at bay. Tyquan Lewis, Nick Bosa and Sam Hubbard have one a piece, but let us see if they can keep the pressure on in the second half.

Second Half

In 2016-esque fashion, the Silver Bullet placed the clamps on the Hoosier offense and Barrett turns on the offensive lightbulb as their talent and big-play abilities began to show.

Indiana started the second half only to be shut down in back-to-back drives. Barrett’s stalled in a single drive and turned the ball over on downs before scampering into the end zone for their first lead of the game.

Lagow answered with another touchdown to his TE, but Barrett outdid Lagow with 2 touchdowns for 74-yard and 59-yard by Parris Campbell and Johnnie Dixon. Both passes were short, but with the excellent downfield blocking and RAC ability, they both took it to the house.

With their third stringers on the Defensive Line spelling their starters, Jashon Cornell got Lagow for a strip sack and it was recovered by Jonathan Cooper. The second turnover was important because Barrett found Binjimen Victor for an 11-yard score.

On the next offensive drive, Lagow made quite the drive, but he was then picked off by Denzel Ward for his second pick of the game, third overall.

Barrett and Ohio State piece together another scoring drive while grinding away at the clock. Antonio Williams rushes for his second score of the game to put the Buckeyes up 49-21. Prior to the Williams touchdown, a hilarious moment was captured on National Television, as J.K. Dobbins was seen begging for that elusive TD only to get shut down by Coach Alford.

This was a measuring stick to see how far the team has come after the way things ended last season. The offense and defense will continue to work out the kinks in the mean time. Ohio State will prepare for another potent offense in Oklahoma.










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Ohio State beats Indiana, 49-21, behind monster night from J.K. Dobbins
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Dobbins rushed for 181 yards—passing Maurice Clarett’s freshman debut record.

If you judged games off just one half, then you would’ve thought the sky was falling after Ohio State trailed Indiana, 14-13, at halftime of the season opener. However, games aren’t judged by one half. The Buckeye offense turned it on after halftime, mostly behind a monster performance on the ground by freshman J.K. Dobbins, who was in his first game ever for the Scarlet and Gray. Dobbins picked up 181 yards on the ground, passing Maurice Clarett’s freshman debut record of 175 yards, in the Buckeyes, 49-21, win versus Indiana.

Quarterback J.T. Barrett and the receiving corps struggled to move the ball in the first half. However, the rushing attack from Dobbins helped wear down the Hoosier defense, leading to Barrett making big pass plays in the third and fourth quarters. Barrett eclipsed the 300-yard mark in the air and scored four total TDs (three in the air, one on the ground).

Over 590 yards of offense from the Buckeyes were put on display in Bloomington, Ind. The Hoosiers put together over 415 yards of offense, however, having less than 20 yards rushing was a big reason why the offense went stagnant in the second half.

If you liked nail-biting halves of football, then you were in for a treat.

The Buckeyes moved down the field on their opening drive, utilizing the arm of Barrett. Freshman running back J.K. Dobbins made his Buckeye debut on the same opening drive, getting four rushes and one pass reception. However, the Buckeyes offense stalled deep in the Hoosier redzone, and settled for a 27-yard field goal by Sean Nuernberger. While the Buckeyes didn’t get the touchdown, Barrett etched his name atop another OSU record: leader for total offensive yards (8,905).

Right after the Buckeye field goal, the Hoosiers came out ready to play on their opening drive. Just like OSU, IU conducted an 11-play drive, but the difference was that Hoosiers quarterback Richard Lagow connected with wide receiver Ian Thomas, who was just able to drag his left foot on the turf, for an 18-yard touchdown—the play was originally called an incompletion, before being overturned on a review.

After the opening drives, both defenses showed up to the stage. IU contained Dobbins and Barrett; the Buckeyes defense clamped down on Lagow making plays, and completely shutdown the running attack.

In the second quarter, Indiana came out swinging once again. It was more of the up-tempo style of attack the Hoosiers utilized in the first quarter. Lagow went back to the passing game, and like in the first, it was a success. The Hoosiers first true drive of the quarter saw them march down deep into OSU territory. Lagow was a big reason for this.

However, with the Hoosiers standing at the OSU 14, Lagow made his first big mistake on the evening: an interception. For Buckeye fans, it really wasn’t considered a mistake. Safety Jordan Fuller brought the pick out of the endzone for 40 yards. Unlike the first quarter, the Kevin Wilson offense picked up momentum. Dobbins had his longest rush of his Buckeye career: a 35-yard sprint. But, once again, the OSU drove deep into IU territory to only stall again. Nuernberger was called upon again, and converted from 19 yards out.

With the score 7-6 in favor of the home team, Mike DeBord’s passing attack again picked apart the Buckeye secondary. Lagow continued to find receivers Thomas and Simmie Cobb, and that would eventually lead to Cobb picking up an eight-yard touchdown reception with Buckeye cornerback Denzel Ward hanging all over him.

Something Urban Meyer and the Bucks did well in the first half was answering back after a Hoosier score. Getting the ball back at the 8:12 mark of the second quarter (following the touchdown that put IU up 14-6), Barrett sorta found a passing rhythm, and Dobbins proved why he was deserving of the preseason hype. The running back from La Grange, Texas had four carries on the Buckeyes’ rebuttal drive—including a 27-yard dash. All this led to OSU making another deep drive into the redzone. Their prior drive reached the two before a field goal; this drive reached the one. Good news, though: Sophomore running back Antonio Williams punched the ball in from 1-yard out.

Dobbins picked up 43 yards on the drive, and crossed the 100-yard plateau in his first game as a Buckeye starter. That’s all the scoring in the first half. Stat-wise, there were some oddities. The Hoosiers had 284 yards of passing against a vaunted Buckeye defense, but only 2 yards of rushing.

The third quarter is where things jumped off the rails real fast. Parris Campbell dropped two wide-open passes from Barrett—one of which was a touchdown catch. On the same drive, OSU faced a 4th-and-2 on the IU 41, and was stopped. After the Hoosiers couldn’t do much (and converted a 3-and-out), the Buckeyes got the ball back and made the most of it. A 13-play drive that started on their own 15 included a lot of Barrett and Dobbins, and was just what the scoring doctor ordered. Barrett rushed the ball past the left guard and tackle, and got his first rushing TD of the season—pushing the Buckeyes to a 20-14 lead.

Just like Ohio State, the home team pulled together a drive as a rebuttal to OSU’s score. And it was a doozy of scoring drive. Lagow “fumbled” the football, and OSU defenseman Robert Landers returned it for a touchdown worthy of consideration for the Piesman Award, however, the play was reviewed, and Indiana got the ball back. The review proved to be costly to OSU, as Lagow went back to Cobb on a couple big plays, leading to another passing touchdown.

Indiana held a 21-20 lead, but things would about to go OSU’s way in a hurry. Campbell redeemed himself with a 74-yard touchdown reception. Another IU three-and-out gave the Scarlet and Gray the ball on their own 25. The 75-yard march to the endzone was completed in just five plays, culminating on a 59-yard TD reception for Johnnie Dixon. For Dixon, a junior, it was his first receiving TD of his Buckeye career. Through three quarters it was Ohio State leading Indiana, 35-21.

The Buckeyes overwhelmed the Hoosiers even more in the fourth quarter. Lagow was sacked and fumbled the ball on his own 11-yard, which led to a quick touchdown strike from Barrett to Binjimen Victor.

After that touchdown at the 12:08 mark, OSU would put the finishing touches on their “comeback” win at Indiana with another rushing TD from Williams.

And just like that, the Buckeyes picked up the 49-21 win on the road. Ohio State plays Oklahoma next Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

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Johnnie Dixon goes 59 yards for first Ohio State receiving touchdown
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


After battling injuries, the Buckeye’s perseverance finally paid off.

While the first half of No. 2 Ohio State’s season-opener against Indiana wasn’t exactly what fans were hoping for from the team’s offense, the third quarter was much more in line with what many had hoped to see from the new Kevin Wilson coordinated unit.

After H-back Parris Campbell took a crossing route 74 yards to put the Buckeyes up 27-21, junior wide-receiver Johnnie Dixon came back for a pass from quarterback J.T. Barrett and turned it up field for a 59-yard touchdown. Following a two-point conversion, the Buckeyes led 35-21.


A highly sought after recruit from Florida, Dixon hasn’t seen much playing time in Columbus, Ohio having dealt with persistent knee injuries. However, now healthy as a junior, Dixon earned his first career and with 1:47 left in the third quarter, scored his first receiving touchdown. He previously had a rushing TD in last year’s game against Rutgers.

Congratulations, Johnnie!

The No. 2 Buckeyes are currently squaring off against the Indiana Hoosiers on nearly all of the ESPN’s family of network thanks to the network’s Megacast coverage.

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Jaxbuck said:

The Duchess is for sale (tassels are not included apparently)

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No thanks, it has a seat.

Ohio State parents meet for prayer before game - Dayton Daily News
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State parents meet for prayer before game
Dayton Daily News
A number of parents of Ohio State Buckeyes gathered at West Gate 5 outside Memorial Stadium on Thursday about three hours before the season opener against Indiana. They formed a circle, linked hands and bowed their heads as Shelly Woodruff, mother ...

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Buckeyes give Kevin Wilson a happy homecoming in Big Ten Week 1 picks - ESPN (blog)
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes give Kevin Wilson a happy homecoming in Big Ten Week 1 picks
ESPN (blog)
VanHaaren: Kevin Wilson calling plays against his old team probably means he's going to let the offense loose on the Hoosiers. The Buckeyes have something to prove this season, not just against Indiana, so Ohio State likely wins big. Buckeyes win 42-7.

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True freshman J.K. Dobbins to start at running back for Ohio State
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Dobbins becomes the first freshman to start since Maurice Clarett.

Despite Ohio State returning last season’s leading rusher in red-shirt sophomore Mike Weber, true-freshman J.K. Dobbins will reportedly get the start at running back due to Weber’s lingering hamstring injury.

By making the start, Dobbins will join Maurice Clarett as the only true freshman to start at running back in Ohio State football history.

Dobbins missed his senior season season at La Grange High School in Texas due to an injury of his own, so this will be his first game action since 2015.


Weber went for 1,096 yards as a freshman in 2016, and the intention is for him to get even more carries this season, but with the No. 7 Oklahoma Sooner waiting for the Buckeyes in Week Two, it might be prudent for the OSU coaching staff to preserve their No. 1 back as much as possible for next week’s battle of highly-ranked teams.

The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes will take on the Hoosiers on the ESPN family of networks with their Megacast treatment.

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JK Dobbins on 247Sports' preseason freshmen All-American team - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


JK Dobbins on 247Sports' preseason freshmen All-American team
247Sports
2 all-purpose running back in the 2017 class and enrolled early with the Buckeyes. From the start, he was the talk of the incoming players, quickly moving up the depth chart to the No. 2 tailback. While Dobbins is behind redshirt sophomore Mike Weber ...

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ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ host Lee Corso picks Ohio State over Indiana
Alexis Chassen via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The former IU head coach has a better track record when he dons the Brutus head on game days.

[IF OHIO STATE]

It was a tough decision for former Indiana head coach Lee Corso, but at the end of ESPN’s Thursday edition of “College GameDay” the Hoosier put on the Brutus head for his weekly pick. This snub gets even deeper given Corso will be honored during the first half of the 2017 season-opener.


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Before tonight’s pick, Corso has made 29 headgear picks since 1992 that include Ohio State as one of the optional winners. He’s donned the Brutus head 19 of those 29 times, and was right on 13 of those picks. The ESPN analyst has a much better track record when betting on the Buckeyes, having been wrong 6 out of 10 times he chose Ohio State’s opponent to come away with the win.

Likewise, even on picks that don’t include the fancy headgear, Corso has a better record when he chooses an Ohio State victory. Since 1992, he’s made 45 non-headgear picks that include the Buckeyes, and he chose them to win 34 times. Of those, the Buckeyes proved him right in 26 outings. Corso picked Ohio State opponents to win 11 times over the past 25 years, and was wrong for all by three.

With all the big games for the Buckeyes this season, this isn’t going to be the last time we wait idly by waiting for Corso’s choice of headgear.

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