Denzel Ward has all the tools to be Ohio State’s next No. 1 corner.
Ian Hartitz via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Bye bye Gareon Conley and Marshon Lattimore. Hello Denzel Ward.

Ohio State has churned out four first-round cornerbacks since Urban Meyer’s arrival in 2012. Bradley Roby, Eli Apple, Marshon Lattimore, and Gareon Conley all arrived on campus with a considerable amount of hype and eventually emerged as elite corners for great Buckeye teams.

Next up: junior Denzel Ward. All we really knew about Ward going into last season was his status as the Buckeyes’ fastest player. Now? He’s fresh off of a season where he performed well as the No. 3 corner in the nation’s most-talented secondary. Way-too-early 2018 mock drafts have Ward coming off the board in the late-first round. Ohio State’s coaching staff certainly doesn’t appear to be worried about their new No. 1 cornerback.

“[Ward is] as good as the other two. I played three guys of equally talented ability ... I don’t run out a guy who is not as good as the other guys. Who would do that? Have you met my boss?”

— Ohio State Cornerbacks Coach Kerry Coombs


Coombs isn’t kidding. Ward rotated snaps with Conley and Lattimore all season, and held up just fine in coverage despite lacking the same length and experience as his teammates. Per CFB Film Room, Ward didn’t contest passes at the same rate as Conley or Lattimore, but he also wasn’t called for a single pass interference penalty and didn’t allow a touchdown:



While Conley and Lattimore are long, elite athletes in every way imaginable, Ward is a bit smaller at 5’11” 180 pounds. These days, cornerbacks under six-feet tall are considered short.

The good news is that Ward might be the fastest player on a team full of freak-athletes, and he plays bigger than his size suggests. Just ask Oklahoma’s 6'5" 250 pound TE/WR Mark Andrews:


Ward has long been willing to lay down some big hits — he made good use of his time as the first man down the field on the Buckeyes’ kickoff unit as a freshman — but he’s about to be Ohio State’s No. 1 cornerback because of his sticky coverage ability and ball skills.

“I just gotta go out and play like I’m the starting corner ... the No. 1 corner here.”

— Denzel Ward


Ohio State primarily plays cover-four or man-to-man coverage. Both of those coverages have the same No. 1 rule for the defense’s outside cornerbacks: don’t get beat deep. Believe it or not, tracking Big-Ten wide receivers 40-plus yards on an island down the sideline is easier said than done, but it’s something Ward has shown the ability to do.

Despite having zero interceptions last season, Ward is unique in his ability to not only track receivers deep, but to get in a position to make a play on the ball. He tied Marshon Lattimore for the team lead with nine pass deflections, in part thanks to his freakish leaping ability:


Ward’s mindset with the ball in the air is simple: mine. Cornerbacks don’t have the same freedom in Ohio State’s defense as we’ve from safeties like Malik Hooker and Vonn Bell, but this hasn’t stopped the cornerbacks from making risky breaks on the ball in order to create turnovers. Ward’s twitchy ability to start-and-stop helps him track receivers across the field and beat them to the ball point:


Ward wasn’t consistently in a position to get two hands on the ball last season, but it’d be shocking to see him not record at least an interception or two this time around.

“It’s just exciting ... I’m ready to take that leadership role in the cornerback room and help lead the team.”

— Denzel Ward


Ohio State’s top cornerbacks have continuously made leaps in their ability from season-to-season. It wasn’t that long ago that Connor Cook was picking on Gareon Conley to the point that an injured Eli Apple had to come in and play. Ward’s first season as a significant contributor didn’t result in as many flash plays as his first-round counterparts, but that’s perfectly fine. An extra off-season with some of the best secondary coaches in the country should help Ward join his past teammates by hearing his name called sometime on Thursday in April 2018.

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Country's No. 2 dual-threat QB, Ohio State have mutual interest - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Country's No. 2 dual-threat QB, Ohio State have mutual interest
247Sports
Nix' father Patrick has taken the head coaching job at Pinson Valley and the Buckeyes stopped to watch Bo during a spring practice earlier this week. “Coach (Ryan) Day was through here,” Patrick said. “He got here around lunch and stayed all day. I ...


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Minnesota Softball: Gophers win Big Ten Tournament over Ohio State Buckeyes - The Daily Gopher
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Minnesota Softball: Gophers win Big Ten Tournament over Ohio State Buckeyes
The Daily Gopher
It took some dramatics in the semifinals against the Illinois Fighting Illini, and some history in the making in the final against the Ohio State Buckeyes, but the Gophers added another piece of hardware to an already historic season. Minnesota will ...

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Unforced errors mar Ohio State’s chance at a Big Ten title
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Buckeyes gave up 12 walks to top-seeded Minnesota

In their second game of the day, the fourth-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes fell to the top-seeded and No. 2 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers in the championship game of the Big Ten softball tournament, 6-0. The victory marked the Gophers’ second straight tournament title, and will all but ensure that they host an NCAA regional this coming week. Ohio State will have to wait to learn their fate tomorrow night.

The NCAA Division I Softball Selection Show will air on Sunday, May 14th, at 10:00pm ET on ESPN2.

The story of the game was the abnormally high number of free passes issued by the Buckeye pitching staff. Ohio State pitchers allowed 15 walks, two hit batsmen, and six hits in the championship game defeat.

After earning the save in the semifinals, junior Shelby McCombs got the ball 30 minutes later as she started the championship game in the circle for the Buckeyes.

The two B1G finalists didn’t meet in the regular season, so the pitchers had the early advantage. McCombs surrendered a walk in each of the first three innings, along with one hit, but the Gophers couldn’t capitalize.

For Minnesota, it was 12 up-12 down for starter Sara Groenewegan, however, despite her spotless first four frames, a number of Buckeyes drove the ball into the outfield. Gopher leftfielder Sam Macken was forced to make two tricky plays to prevent big, early hits from OSU’s Alex Bayne and Emily Clark.


Groenewegan proved why she was the best pitcher in the Big Ten this season, throwing a complete game and giving up only two hits. With 12 Ks in the game, the Gopher pitcher became the program’s all-time strikeout leader with 1,188, passing Sara Moulton.

In the top of the third, after McCombs’ third walk of the game, she struck out Danielle Parlich and OSU catcher Becca Gavin threw out Macken for the double-play. The wheels came off a bit from there for McCombs as she gave up her fourth walk, an “unintentional-intentional” one to the Big Ten’s top hitter, Kendyl Lindaman. McCombs then hit Maddie Houlihan and walked MaKenna Partain.

However, with the bases loaded, Minnesota’s semifinal hero, Sydney Dwyer, lined a ball to OSU first baseman Ashley Goodwin who gloved it to end the inning.


With one out in the top of the fourth, Minnesota’s Dani Wagner drove a ball to dead centerfield and barely beat the throw to second from OSU’s Taylor White. McCombs walked the next batter to turn the Gopher lineup over, putting two on for leadoff batter Macken. The leftfielder popped up to short center, before McComb got Parlich to groundout to end the inning.

McCombs led off the fifth inning with her third walk of Lindaman of the game. While it is always difficult to ask a defense to overcome so many runners on base, in the case of the Big Ten’s leader in batting average, RBI, and home runs, OSU coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly clearly made the decision not to let Lindaman beat the Buckeyes. The Minnesota catcher finished the day 1-1 with four walks and single.

After back-to-back fielder’s choices, Dwyer launched a ball over the leftfield fence to record her third home run of the day, putting the Gophers up 2-0. McCombs walked the next batter, Groenewegen, before being pulled in favor of the semifinal starter Shelby Hursh.

Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, Hursh picked up where McCombs left off, hitting Wagner and walking Allie Arneson to load the bases. Then, with Macken at the plate, Hursh threw the Buckeyes’ 10th walk of the game, to force in a run, giving the Gophers a 3-0 lead.

The Buckeyes responded by recording their first baserunner of game as Emily Clark drove a ball to centerfield to lead off the bottom of the fifth. After the next three batters, she was stranded there to end the fifth. Clark’s hit was the first that Groenewegan surrendered in the B1G tournament.

In the sixth, Hursh walked Lindaman to leadoff the inning, and in the seventh, she walked Wagner. Buckeye pitchers lead off four innings with free passes (the 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th). Hursh also walked Dwyer in the sixth and Ameson in the seventh, before Kovach Schoenly made the change to bring in her third pitcher of the game, Morgan Ray who got the W in the semifinal win over Michigan State.

Ray gave up a double to the first batter she faced, as Macken drove down the leftfield line, plating two. Minnesota took a 5-0 lead with no outs in the seventh. By the time the Buckeyes came to bat for the final time, the score was 6-0.

Earlier in the day, Minnesota came back and defeated the No. 4 Illinois on a Dwyer walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh, and after taking a 4-0 lead in their semifinal game against the No. 7 Michigan State Spartans, the Buckeyes avoided the upset, holding on to win 4-3.

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Buckeyes defeat Iowa

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/051317aaa.html

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Ohio State baseball team bounced back with a 12-7 win at Iowa on a sun-splashed Saturday afternoon at Duane Banks Field. With the win, the Buckeyes improve to 20-31 overall and 7-13 in Big Ten play, while the Hawkeyes drop to 30-18 overall and 12-8 in conference action.

CC STRONG ON THE MOUND
Left-handed pitcher Connor Curlis had a rock-solid start on the bump. He worked six innings and scattered four runs, one earned, on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks to improve to 4-3 in 2017.

continued...

Spartans' rally magic stalls in semis loss to Buckeyes - The Detroit News
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Spartans' rally magic stalls in semis loss to Buckeyes
The Detroit News
3 seed Buckeyes will face top-seed Minnesota in the championship tonight, and the winner earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan will find out its NCAA Tournament destination during Sunday night's selection show. Michigan State's run ...
Michigan State softball falls to Ohio State in Big Ten semifinalsDetroit Free Press

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Ohio State Softball defeats Michigan State in Big Ten Semifinals
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Buckeyes will face top-seeded Minnesota in tonight’s championship game.

On Saturday afternoon, the No. 4 Ohio State softball team continued adding accomplishments to the program’s best season in recent memory, as they knocked off the No. 7 Michigan State Spartans 4-3 in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Having comeback victories against Indiana and Michigan already in the tournament, Michigan State made things exciting down the stretch, despite the Buckeyes opening an early lead and extending late in the game.

The Buckeyes, who eliminated No. 6 Wisconsin on Friday, are currently receiving votes in the national poll, and, having earned a spot in the tournament finale tonight against No. 1 Minnesota, have upped their standing for tomorrow’s Selection Sunday. The championship game will begin at approximately 7:10 tonight on the Big Ten Network.

Ohio State got the scoring started in the top of the first, as shortstop Lilli Piper hit a two-run home run to left-centerfield, plating lead-off batter Anna Kirk, who had been hit by a pitch. Piper ranked third in the conference in home runs during the regular season with 16. Piper ended the game going 3-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.


After Michigan State upset the tournament host, No. 2 Michigan, yesterday, the Spartans made things difficult on the Buckeyes early. While MSU didn’t get on the board in the first, a 14-pitch at-bat for lead-off batter Lea Foerster forced Buckeye pitcher Shelby Hursh to throw 31 pitches in the frame.

This would be a reoccurring theme throughout the game, as the Spartans had numerous chances to score, but the OSU pitching and defense always seemed to step up when it was most needed. In the game, MSU stranded 14 batters to Ohio State’s five.

In the bottom of the second, Big Ten all-defensive team third baseman Kirk snagged a a hot shot from MSU’s Lexi White. Even though the Spartans got two more baserunners in the inning, the Buckeyes held onto their 2-0 lead through two.


In the top of the third, Ohio State right fielder Alex Bayne hit a high fly to right. MSU’s White lost the ball in the sun, and it fell in for a hit. As the ball rolled into the right field corner, Bayne circled the bases, running through a stop sign from head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly at third.

The relay came in and Michigan State’s catcher Lindsey Besson got the tag down before Bayne reached the back corner of the plate to keep the score at 2-0. Piper drove a base hit into right-center in the next at-bat, but was stranded to end the threat.


The bottom of the third saw MSU’s first two batters reach base (McKenzie Long walked, Kaitlyn Eveland singled on a bloop down the left field line), which prompted Kovach Schoenly to make a change in the circle, bringing in Morgan Ray.

While the traditional softball philosophy has been to ride the arm of one dominant pitcher as long as possible, the Buckeyes have used their entire stable of hurlers all season, so the early change was very much in keeping with the team’s philosophy.

After three infield ground balls, including two great plays by second baseman Emily Clark, Ray ended the threat.


Ray struck out Ebonee Echols to open the home half of the fourth, but on a Baltimore chop from Besson, the throw from the OSU pitcher went wide, deflecting off Goodwin’s glove and careening into the dugout. With a pinch-runner now on second, Clark stops a groundball up the middle before planting and throwing to first to record the second out of the inning. After Foerster was hit by a pitch, Clark fielded a Long chopper to end the inning.

After a 1-2-3 top half of the fifth for the Buckeyes, Eveland was walked to reach base for the third time in the game, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. The next batter, first baseman Sarah Gutknecht singled to left field to put runners on the corners for the Spartans. Gutknecht advanced on a passed ball, before a walk to White loaded the bases with one out. However, two ground balls later, Ohio State had ended the inning.

In the top of the sixth, Piper lined a rope to center field to record her third hit of the game, and on a 3-1 pitch to the next batter, Clark, who was the defensive star of the game, smashed a two-run home run to left field to increase the Buckeye lead to 4-0.


MSU’s lead-off batter in the bottom of the sixth, second baseman Melanie Baccay, reached on an error by Piper, and advanced to second as the ball ricocheted off the SS’s leg. Up next, Foerster drove a ball deep into left for a double, plating Baccay.

After Long earned a walk, Kovach Schoenly again went to her bullpen, this time calling upon Shelby McCombs. The first batter she faced, Eveland, drove a ball up the middle that scored Foerster; moving the score to 4-2 in favor of the Buckeyes with runners on first and second with no outs.

After Ohio State generated a flyout and groundout, Echols earned her first hit of the tournament to score Long and move the score to 4-3, where it would stay heading into the seventh.

The Buckeyes failed to score in the final inning, and McCombs shut down the Spartans in order to earn the save. Ray was credited with the win, her sixth of the year.

In this evening’s championship game, Ohio State will face the tournament’s top seed, as the Minnesota Golden Gophers overcame an early 2-0 deficit to defeat No. 4 Illinois, 6-5 in the day’s first semifinal.

Minnesota’s Sydney Dwyer led off the bottom of the seventh inning with her second solo home run of the game to cap the comeback. The final game of the tournament will take place thirty minutes after the conclusion of the OSU-MSU semifinal, and will air on the Big Ten Network.

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Ohio State-Iowa 2017 final score: Baseball Bucks win wild one over Hawkeyes, 12-7
Ben Martens via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes made things difficult on themselves, but hung tough for the victory.

After Friday night’s series-opening loss to Iowa, Ohio State head coach Greg Beals lamented a host of wounds the team inflicted upon itself. “You would think we would be beyond this at this point in the season, and we should be,” Beals told Press Pros Magazine. “But I think what’s happening with our ballclub is that (the mistakes and failures) are building instead of getting better. It’s compounding. We’re playing with the fear of failure instead of just trying to win, putting ourselves in a position to win.”

On a sun-drenched Saturday at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City, the Buckeyes put that fear of failure squarely out of mind for five and a half innings before the old familiar issues crept back up.

With a commanding 8-1 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, two crucial Brady Cherry errors leading to five unearned runs, six runs total, let Iowa back into the game. It was more of the same for an Ohio State team that has too often this season beat themselves.

The club hung tough, though, and a Shea Murray solo home run, Tre’ Gantt RBI double, and Connor Pohl two-run homer sparked a four-run ninth inning to help deliver a 12-7 victory over the hosting Hawkeyes.

Ohio State improved to 7-13 in Big Ten play, and now has an opportunity on Sunday to win its second conference series of the season and first since early April.

Murray was 3-for-4 on the day, driving in two and scoring two, and the homer was perhaps his biggest hit of the whole season. Gantt went 4-for-5, reaching base safely five times, scoring twice and driving in two as well.

Beals handed the ball to sophomore Connor Curlis, perhaps the team’s most vital arm this season alongside Seth Kinker because of his versatility. In his seventh start and 19th appearance, the southpaw gave his team what was needed, yielding four runs, just one earned, on six hits in six innings of work, striking out four while walking just two. Curlis earned his team-high fourth win of the year.

Kinker tossed the final 2.1 innings to earn his sixth save of the season.

Sophomore second baseman Noah West drove in three runs and Cherry, Zach Ratcliff, and Jacob Barnwell also added RBIs, as the scarlet and gray racked up 19 hits and went 6-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

The degree of difficulty in getting the W was well beyond where it should have been, but a win is a win, and showed perseverance the team has largely lacked in 2017.

As was the case in Friday night’s lidlifter, Ohio State put a run on the board first in this one. Gantt worked a one-out walk against Iowa starter Ryan Erickson, then came all the way around to score when Cherry doubled down the right field line.

Unlike game one, though, the Buckeyes expanded on their lead. After Curlis completed his third shutout inning to begin the ballgame, a Ratcliff single, Barnwell hit by pitch, and Bo Coolen walk loaded the bases with one out. Murray delivered a run-scoring single to right and West sent a shot off the right-center wall to plate two more, giving Ohio State a 4-0 advantage.

The squad wasn’t done, either. After Jalen Washington struck out, Gantt delivered his second hit of the ballgame, bringing Murray plateward and pushing the lead out to five. Erickson’s day was done after that inning, comprising five runs on seven hits in four innings of work in the losing effort.

The momentum was clearly in the Buckeyes’ favor, but in the bottom half of the inning, Adams stole some of it back, crushing a 2-0 fastball for a deep leadoff homer to left.

Ohio State got that run back in the top of the fifth, with the bottom of the order once again coming through. Ratcliff and Coolen each singled and Barnwell walked, loading the bases with two outs against Hawkeye reliever Drake Robison. West then put together a quality at-bat that concluded with another free pass, forcing Ratcliff home to make it 6-1.

Another two runs came home in the sixth, the third straight scoring inning for the Buckeyes. Gantt’s third hit of the day led things off and was followed by a single from Dominic Canzone, and Cherry bunted the pair into scoring position. An infield single by Ratcliff and a double off the bat of Barnwell that short-hopped the wall in right-center got them home extending the lead to seven.

Curlis kept churning through the Iowa lineup until the bottom of the sixth, when things started to unravel. A throwing error by Cherry at third on a play that should have ended the inning led to the Hawkeyes getting back in the game. A three-run homer by Matt Hoeg cut the lead to 8-4.

The Ohio State bullpen was charged with preserving the lead over the past three innings, but it wasn’t easy. Another Cherry throwing error led to a pair of runs off Kyle Michalik in the seventh, trimming the Buckeye advantage to just two.

It got worse, as Adam Niemeyer and Kinker both had to be brought of the bullpen before the frame was over. An RBI double by Grant Judkins made it an 8-7 game before Kinker got an inning-ending groundout.

Murray’s solo home run leading off the ninth gave Ohio State a two-run pad, and the Gantt RBI double and Pohl two-run dinger proved more than enough insurance for Kinker, who set down the heart of the Iowa order in the ninth to close things out.

The rubber match of the series is scheduled to get underway at 2:05 p.m. ET on Sunday.

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Buckeyes could be in good shape to land two stud tight ends - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes could be in good shape to land two stud tight ends
247Sports
When asked if the Buckeyes are one of the schools that stands out Goede didn't hesitate. “Yes sir,” he said. “But I'm just keeping my options open right now.” Goede said Ohio State is one of the schools recruiting him the hardest. “Ohio State for sure ...


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Ex-Ohio State guard JaQuan Lyle arrested, released on bond - ESPN
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ex-Ohio State guard JaQuan Lyle arrested, released on bond
ESPN
Lyle, a guard who averaged 11.4 points and 4.6 assists per game for the Buckeyes last season, left the team on April 11, a school spokesman told ESPN's Jeff Goodman on Saturday. The disclosure of Lyle's departure comes after he was arrested in ...
Breaking: Lyle taken into custody on Saturday morning247Sports
Ohio State confirms JaQuan Lyle no longer with the teamLand-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State guard JaQuan Lyle reportedly quit team in April, arrested SaturdaySporting News
Eleven Warriors -OSU - The Lantern -Landof10.com
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Ohio State confirms JaQuan Lyle no longer with the team
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 hits just keep on coming.

The hits just keep coming for Ohio State basketball.

Earlier today, news that Jaquan Lyle was placed into custody for multiple offenses last night in Indiana came to light. According to The Lantern, Lyle, among other things, allegedly punched a police car. What Lyle’s departure means for the future of Ohio State basketball is now clear.

Tim Shoemaker of Eleven Warriors reports that an Ohio State spokesman confirmed that Lyle is no longer a member of the Ohio State basketball team.


On the court, this is a significant loss for Ohio State. Lyle averaged 11.4 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game last season for the Buckeyes. One of the highest-ranked recruits on the roster, the Buckeyes would have counted on Lyle to have a major impact on the team in 2017-2018 if they were to get back to the postseason.

With Lyle’s departure, every single member of Ohio State’s highly touted 2015 recruiting class, one that ranked fifth in the country, is now off the roster.

The Buckeyes are scrambling to fill increasing roster spots on the 2017 team with late-deciding freshmen, graduate transfers, and perhaps JUCO players. Without Lyle, the Buckeyes now have a huge hole at point guard, and depth all over the roster is fraught.

If the Buckeyes are going to turn this ship around, get back to the NCAAs, and perhaps salvage Thad Matta’s job, well, things just got a whole lot harder.

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Big Ten softball tournament: Semifinals and finals roundups
BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network

The 2017 Big Ten softball tournament semifinals are underway in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Big Ten champion Minnesota survived in the first semi, while Michigan State and Ohio State are battling on BTN/BTN2Go.

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Ohio State point guard JaQuan Lyle taken into custody, cited for three charges
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 rough offseason for Ohio State basketball looks rougher.

A rough offseason for Ohio State basketball took another ugly turn, as Ohio State point guard JaQuan Lyle was cited for multiple offenses in his hometown of Evansville, Indiana early Saturday morning.

Per Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office records, Lyle was taken into custody at 2:09 AM, and charged with public intoxication, criminal mischief to a vehicle, and disorderly conduct. He was released on a $150 bond.

247 Sports was first to the news.

Lyle, who will be a junior next season, averaged 11.4 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game last season for the Buckeyes, manning the starting point guard spot for most of the season.

We’ll have more as this story develops.

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2017 Ohio State Buckeyes football schedule: Games and dates - Gridiron Now
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


2017 Ohio State Buckeyes football schedule: Games and dates
Gridiron Now
The Buckeyes will open the season Sept. 2 against Indiana at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. After a marquee non-conference matchup against Oklahoma on Sept. 9, Ohio State will play at Rutgers in its Big Ten opener on Sept. 30. The Buckeyes ...

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By the way, Mike Hart is a whiner. Certainly not very Tressel like.

Counting down Top 15 Ohio State 2019 targets and predictions - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Counting down Top 15 Ohio State 2019 targets and predictions
247Sports
I have only included prospects the Buckeyes appear to have a legitimate shot at landing at this early point, and have also included the current Crystal Ball prediction as well as my own personal prediction. So, let's get started with my Top 15 Ohio ...


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ScriptOhio said:

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany set to cash in with over $20 million in bonuses

It’s good to be a college commissioner nowadays but it seems it’s an even better time to be the one leading the Big Ten.

USA Today reports that Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany is set to cash in big time with some $20 million in future bonus payments on the books from the conference. The league’s most recent tax returns shed light on the paychecks, which will come in addition to the over $2 million he already receives each year.

Entire article: http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsport...t-to-cash-in-with-over-20-million-in-bonuses/

Click to expand...

Wow. Of course paying "scholar athletes' some kind of stipend is just unmanageable. Well, that and it would taint the purity of college athletics.

Ohio State-Iowa 2017 final score: Buckeyes lose series opener to Hawkeyes, 9-5
Ben Martens via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


It was more of the same for the baseball Bucks in Iowa City.

The record won’t stop skipping and the games just won’t stop slipping for Ohio State baseball. Low quality at-bats, baserunning mistakes, and a lack of execution in the field and on the mound spelled defeat for the Buckeyes once again, this time by a 9-5 score to Iowa.

Despite notching 12 hits and a three-run comeback attempt in the ninth, Ohio State struck out 11 times, went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position, left nine runners on base, had a runner picked off, uncorked two wild pitches, balked once, and committed three errors en route to falling to 6-13 in Big Ten play.

What head coach Greg Beals has called “more of the same” has all but sunk any chance the Buckeyes may have had of defending their conference tournament championship. Two games back with six to play entering Friday, the scarlet and gray essentially needed to win out to have even a glimmer of hope.

Redshirt senior Jake Post was once again a hard luck loser, going four innings and allowing five runs on six hits.

Jacob Barnwell had a nice night, driving in a pair of runs while going 2-for-3 at the plate and hitting his second home run of the season. Jalen Washington added a three-run homer of his own, his sixth on the year.


The Hawkeyes’ Jake Adams, who entered the weekend leading the Big Ten in home runs and tied for the lead in runs batted in, gave the Buckeyes a taste of what the rest of the conference has experienced, going 3-for-4 with a homer, an RBI, and three runs scored.

With nothing to lose, Ohio State went the bold route in scoring first in this one. After a Brady Cherry walk, Bo Coolen smacked a hit-and-run single to put runners on the corners with nobody out in the second inning. Barnwell then pushed a squeeze bunt to the first base side of the pitcher’s mound, allowing Cherry to score. But that was where the boldness ended.

No one-run lead is safe against any lineup with Adams in it, and in the bottom of the third, he took Post deep off the batter’s eye in center field to tie things up.

Iowa would take the lead in the fourth as the mound execution and defensive issues that have plagued the Buckeyes all season reared their ugly heads. After getting two quick outs, Post yielded a single to Ben Norman. He would then advance to second on a wild pitch, Post’s second of the game, and come around to score when Washington let a ground ball roll right under his glove ranging just to his left up the middle.

The lead was extended to 5-1 in the fifth by the Hawkeyes thanks to a Robert Neustrom RBI single that scored Mason McCoy and, after Thomas Waning relieved Post, a balk that allowed Adams to trot home and a fielder’s choice off the bat of Matt Hoeg that brought Neustrom plateward.

In the sixth, Barnwell’s solo home run down the line in right field pulled Ohio State back to within three at 5-2, though the deficit felt larger.


Iowa got that run back in the bottom half of the frame, loading the bases with nobody out against Waning. The redshirt sophomore rolled a double play off the bat of Adams, which scored Mitchell Boe, and got Neustrom to fly out, limiting the damage.

A seventh run for the black and gold came home against Waning when a Hoeg double brought Tyler Cropley around to push the advantage to five. That brought redshirt junior Austin Woodby out of the bullpen, and he got a popup and strikeout to end the inning.

More poor execution allowed Iowa to score in a sixth consecutive inning in the eighth, as an error on Tre’ Gantt put runners on the corners with one out. A Neustrom groundout scored a run, and a Cropley single scored another, making it 9-2 headed to the ninth.

As has often been the case for the Buckeyes late in games, the sense of urgency needed from first pitch finally showed up. The team put two runners on before Washington lifted a homer over the left field wall, but it was too little, too late.

Game two of the three-game set is scheduled to get underway in Iowa City at 3:05 p.m. ET on Saturday. Ohio State will send sophomore Connor Curlis to the mound against Iowa’s Ryan Erickson, with the game being available for live streaming on BTN Plus.

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Ohio State-Iowa 2017 final score: Buckeyes lose series opener to Hawkeyes, 9-5 - Land-Grant Holy Land
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State-Iowa 2017 final score: Buckeyes lose series opener to Hawkeyes, 9-5
Land-Grant Holy Land
The record won't stop skipping and the games just won't stop slipping for Ohio State baseball. Low quality at-bats, baserunning mistakes, and a lack of execution in the field and on the mound spelled defeat for the Buckeyes once again, this time by a 9 ...
Top O-Tackle on Buckeyes: 'They really know how to recruit'247Sports
2019 OL Nolan Rumler talks Ohio State offer, a look at a 2019 DE offered by Buckeyes and new DL name to watchLandof10.com
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The Columbus Dispatch -Eleven Warriors -Go Iowa Awesome
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Senators vs Penguins: Eastern Conference Preview
T6S via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


OTTAWA, ON – APRIL 5: Erik Karlsson #65 of the Ottawa Senators carries the puck out of his end while being chased by Patric Hornqvist #72 of the Pittsburgh Penguins at Canadian Tire Centre on April 5, 2016 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

The Eastern Conference Final.

Before this season, the Senators have only been there twice in their franchise history and it was never supposed to happen this year. Not to this team.

Much can and will be made of the circumstances under which the 2016-17 Ottawa Senators reached the postseason. The NHL’s playoff format punished better Metropolitan Clubs and gave the Senators an easier path. The Boston were decimated by injuries to key positions and were undone by the absence of their second line centre and three of their defencemen. The New York Rangers’ Hall of Fame goaltender Henrik Lundqvist faltered during the series with Senators stopping only 90.5-percent of the shots on goal.

Unquestionably, the Senators’ road to get to this point was relatively easy.

Maybe they could have met a tougher seed like a Pittsburgh or Washington earlier on and suffered the consequences. Or had Erik Karlsson not been able to get that pass through to Derick Brassard in the third period of game two of the Senators’ series versus the Bruins, maybe the Senators lose that game and fail to overcome a 2-0 series deficit.

The Senators have been fortuitous, but when the NHL playoffs represent an exercise in good fortune and very good teams are undone by bad luck each and every year, there’s not a chance in hell that the team, its players or its fans should be feel that this run should be lessened simply because the team continues to take advantage of its situation by winning games. I mean, the same number of people weren’t out there bemoaning the fact that the Edmonton Oilers were one win away from the Western Conference Final because their 11.5-percent chance of winning the draft lottery in 2015 was fulfilled.

Sure, in the larger picture, there’s definitely going to come to a point when management will have to take a critical eye to this club, try not to romanticize the results while also recognizing the limitations of this group in an effort to give this franchise the best opportunity to win again down the road, but that time can wait for the offseason.

Right now, the next test is the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The defending Stanley Cup champions are a handful.

They are fast. They are skilled and they still have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin centering their top two lines.

The good news for Ottawa is that maybe for the first time since the 2006-07 season, the Penguins are vulnerable or at the very least, the task of beating the Penguins doesn’t seem as daunting as it once did.

Sure, this could be false confidence talking here, but…

Yeah, it may sound crazy to believe the Senators can win, especially since this undermanned Penguins team just proved itself capable of disposing of the Presidents’ Trophy winning Washington Capitals, but maybe there is just a chance that the Senators can get by the Penguins.

To borrow the words from Eugene Melnyk, once you get in, anything can happen. Or at the very least, the Penguins probably represent an easier path to the Stanley Cup Final than the Capitals did, so that’s got to count for something! (And of course, I’m totally ignoring the fact that in each of the Penguins’ past two Stanley Cup championship runs, they beat the Capitals in the second round each time.)

Here’s how the two teams match up at five-on-five based on their underlying numbers this season via Corsica.Hockey:

5v5 Senators (Rk) Penguins (Rk)
CF% 48.55 (22nd) 51.39 (6th)
FF% 48.80 (22nd) 51.24 (7th)
SF% 50.10 (17th) 51.39 (6th)
Sh% 7.01 (21st) 8.60 (5th)
Sv% 92.64 (10th) 92.67 (T-7th)
xGF% 49.13 (20th) 52.32 (6th)
SCF% 49.70 (19th) 52.81 (5th)



Give the Penguins get the slight edge there…

Like the Capitals, the Senators haven’t had their share of postseason success over the Penguins in recent years either, but just in case you came here looking for some validation that the Senators can beat the Penguins, here’s a video showing what happened the last time these two teams played with the Senators’ season on the line:


Feeling better?

Good.

I hate taking joy in the fact that people are hurt, but if there’s a sliver of a chance against the Penguins, it’s created by the mounting injuries — particularly to the blue line — that could play into the Senators’ hands.

Kris Letang, who’s unquestionably their best defenceman, had neck surgery and is expected to be out for the next four to six months. Trevor Daley missed Penguins practice again this morning and he has not skated since leaving game five of the series against the Capitals with a lower body injury. There’s no word on when he is expected to return.

If the Senators can put pressure on these defenders, create turnovers and get their cycle game going, it could open up the middle of the ice like it did for the Capitals.

https://twitter.com/IneffectiveMath/status/862511227813212160

Continuing with the injury theme, a lower-body injury has kept the Penguins’ best goaltender out of the net for the past 11 games and Marc-Andre Fleury has had to fill the void. Thanks to the prolonged absence, Murray hasn’t had a chance to reclaim his post and because of Fleury’s performance – in which his postseason numbers are markedly better than his regular season numbers – Mike Sullivan has continued to run Fleury out there on a game-in/game-out basis.

If the Senators can win a game or two early on and put some pressure on the prohibitive favorites, it could be an instance where Sullivan turns to Murray to change the momentum – in which case, you have to wonder how long or whether Murray will have enough time to round into form.

Of course, if Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby continue their dominance over Ottawa, none of this really matters.

In 20 games, the two players have combined for 22 goals (Crosby 14, Malkin 8) and 57 (Crosby 33, Malkin 24) points. One of these centres is going to draw regular matchups and log significant minutes playing against Cody Ceci and Dion Phaneuf.

In the 132:58 of five-on-five ice time through the playoffs, whenever the Phaneuf-Ceci has been on the ice, the opposition has scored 70.0-percent of the goals and taken 56.3-percent of the shots.

The speed, skill and tenacity of Pittburgh’s forwards is going to put a ton of pressure on the Senators’ defencemen to move the puck and make good decisions quickly. I’m not worried about Erik Karlsson here, but I can’t say the same for the rest of this group.

By now, everyone’s grown accustomed to seeing the Senators’ second pairing be caved in from a puck possession standpoint, but if Phaneuf and Ceci can bend without breaking, it gives the Senators a chance.

Of course this speaks to the necessity for Craig Anderson to be on point, but if the Senators have an edge in this series, it probably comes in goal. They need him to excel and become a prominent and decisive factor – through the team’s first two series, he hasn’t been at his best.

Through 12 games, Anderson’s sporting 2.49 goals against average, with one shutout and a pedestrian .914 save percentage. At five-on-five, he has the fourth lowest save percentage (.914) amongst goalies who have appeared in the postseason and if he can’t play at a higher level, the Senators will be done.

He has to step up. There’s simply no other alternative if the Senators are going to advance.

Prediction: It’s been a hell of a storybook run, but the Senators are going to have to play at a higher level than what they have exhibited so far in the postseason. I think this will be a much closer series than many are giving it credit for, but it’s difficult not to pick the Penguins in six games.



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Ezekiel Elliott is gonna be an even bigger problem for NFL defenses next season
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Feed Zeke more touches and receiving yards, and the former Buckeye is gonna soar to new heights in the NFL.

“The Cowboys were mindful of the work they gave Elliott. They did not want to tax him in his first year. He was too important as a runner,”

— Todd Archer on how Ezekiel Elliott will have an even bigger role with the Dallas Cowboys in his sophomore season in the NFL, ESPN.com


The rookie campaign for Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was spectacular. Look for his second year in the league to be even more spectacular as Zeke may have an increased role on offense.

In an article for ESPN.com, Todd Archer broke down how the Cowboys could utilize the former Buckeye hero in a half shirt. In 2016, Elliott rushed for 1,631 yards on 322 carries and scored on 15 of those touches. However, Zeke only caught the ball 32 times for 363 yards and scored only once.

While the Cowboys didn’t need Elliott to be the go-to guy on every play, that will change heading into this season, as America’s Team lost third-down rusher Lance Dunbar to the Los Angeles Rams.

Without a solid replacement to fill Dunbar’s absence, Elliott looks to be the guy to handle the workload. But, third-down rushing may only be part of the equation for Zeke heading into his sophomore campaign in the pros. Receiving yards will also be something the Cowboy staff will look to give their franchise sensation.

Zeke wasn’t utilized that much on the receiving end, and he still finished as one of the top running back in the ESPN fantasy football rankings. Other notable RBs that finished above Elliott were David Johnson (Arizona Cardinals) and Le’Veon Bell (Pittsburgh Steelers), who both had significant roles in the passing games of their respective offenses.

Now with his feet already wet in the NFL, Elliott knows his way around defenses. It’s the perfect time for the Cowboys to feed Zeke, and let him become one of the biggest all-around offensive weapons in the league.

“The equipment they use is getting better, but they don’t yet have the endless resources the football program seems to have. Last year the coaching staff wanted to make a video highlighting a new Nike LeBron shoe, but couldn’t because the social media staff’s only camera was broken.”

— Bill Landis on the ever changing social media landscape, and how OSU basketball is changing the way they present graphics and videos, cleveland.com


Social media is one of the biggest tools any college athletic department can utilize. From gameday graphics to videos, the creative minds put together an online image for the fans and recruits.

Ohio State basketball is getting with the social media program, thanks to Kyle Davis and David Aaron. While they are the creative minds behind the OSU basketball program, they have other roles, too. Juggling hats as video coordinator and students, the road to creating content for the masses is just one of the responsibilities the duo has. But when the content is good, it takes off—like when they put Thad Matta into one of the new uniforms.


There have been some hiccups on the way to making the freshest content possible. For instance, the duo wanted a behind-the-scenes look at the program last season, but because the Buckeyes were constantly on the losing side of battles, the idea didn’t really take off. Combine that with the occasional equipment failure, and the problems get compounded.

On the bright side, the OSU athletic department has embraced the expansion into the social media world, and are playing a role in making the Buckeye brand strong online.

Bill Landis’ story is definitely worth the read if you want to take a look at how the Buckeye basketball game has picked up online.

Ohio State men’s lacrosse begins their quest to get the university another natty


After the men’s volleyball squad pulled off the win last week for a national title, the men’s lacrosse squad begins their journey to do the same. The Buckeyes start their journey for an NCAA Championship as the No. 3 team in the land, and play host to No. 13 Loyola at 5 p.m. on Sunday for a first-round battle.

With the game taking place at Ohio Stadium, the Scarlet and Gray have the home-field advantage. This makes advancing to the quarterfinals a tad easier, but in 2015, the Bucks went on the road to beat Duke in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament, but fell to Denver in the quarterfinals.

Claiming an at-large bid, the Buckeyes have defeated the likes of John Hopkins, Denver and Maryland over the course of the season. If the Buckeyes can get the win on Sunday, they would have to play the winner of John Hopkins-Duke in the quarterfinals on May 20.

If the Buckeyes get past the quarterfinals, then they have the chance to win the title at a place known for winning: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The New England Patriots’ home stadium is the site for this year’s semifinals and championship game for men’s lacrosse.

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Top O-Tackle on Buckeyes: 'They really know how to recruit' - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Top O-Tackle on Buckeyes: 'They really know how to recruit'
247Sports
Edina 2019 offensive tackle Quinn Carroll attended the Buckeyes junior day on Jan. 28. Afterwards Carrroll told Bucknuts he was very impressed and was definitely interested in Ohio State. Three plus months later Carroll's interest in the Buckeyes ...
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Ohio State CB Rodjay Burns transferring to Louisville
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Another Buckeye will continue his college career elsewhere.

We knew roster attrition was coming this season for Ohio State. Now, it looks like another Buckeye will be continuing his college career elsewhere.

Defensive back Rodjay Burns will be transferring to hometown Louisville:


Burns, a sophomore, played in six games last season, and recorded a pick-six in the opening game of the season against Bowling Green. A former three-star prospect, he originally committed to Louisville, before flipping to the Buckeyes.

The fact that Burns played as a true freshman, even sparingly, was a sign that he should have been able to compete for other playing time in the future. But given the fact that he’s a Louisville product, and that the Buckeyes just signed a truly elite recruiting class at his position, a look elsewhere may have made sense as well. Plus, per his Instagram, the health of his father was a factor in his decision.

Burns is the second three-star defensive back to announce his departure this week, as Joshua Norwood will also transfer, reportedly to Georgia Southern.

Best wishes to Burns as he continues his college career, and to his family.

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Where Ohio State should put Demario McCall, a former Buckeyes player lands in hot water and more - Landof10.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Where Ohio State should put Demario McCall, a former Buckeyes player lands in hot water and more
Landof10.com
We hope you'll start your day with us here at Landof10.com as we work to prepare you for everything that you need to know — Monday through Friday — around the world of Ohio State sports. Whether it's football, basketball, wrestling, hockey, baseball ...


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Three Buckeyes That Could Benefit From Proposed Redshirt Rule - Scout
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Three Buckeyes That Could Benefit From Proposed Redshirt Rule
Scout
While nothing has been decided, a new NCAA rule that could allow redshirts to play in bowl games could benefit certain Buckeyes. News broke May 8 that the American Football Coaches Association is set to propose a rule to the NCAA that would allow ...


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