Ohio State vs. Minnesota 2017 final score: OSU falls to Minnesota, 78-66
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 drop third straight game to open conference play.

Coming off consecutive, close losses to Illinois and Purdue, the Ohio State Buckeyes fell for the third time in a row, this time to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Sunday night, 78-66. The three consecutive losses are the most since the 2015 non-conference slate, when the Bucks dropped four to Texas-Arlington, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, and Virginia. The victory was only the second for Minnesota in the series’ last 12 contests.

OSU was almost immediately behind the eight-ball, shooting just 30.3% in the first half; coming into the game, they were shooting 47.8%, 45th best in the country. Despite their poor-shooting, Ohio State made an impressive comeback in the second half to make the game competitive after a demoralizing first 20 minutes.

The game opened in particularly sloppy fashion, at the under-16 timeout, the teams had combined to shoot 4-14, as the Gophers led just 6-3, and the Buckeyes had already turned it over five times.

However, as the first half progressed, the Gophers expanded their lead as OSU’s struggles intensified. At the 12:29 mark, Minnesota’s freshman forward Eric Curry was charged with a technical foul against Tate, and senior Marc Loving split the free-throws to get the Buckeyes’ first point in 4:19. Minnesota led 16-4.

Ohio State finally cracked double-digits at 8:34 left in the first half on a Trevor Thompson put-back that brought the score to 26-10. At that point, the Buckeyes were shooting 3-16 from the field, and were 0-4 from beyond the arc. However, Tate got buckets on the next two possessions, and Minnesota coach Richard Pitino was forced to call a timeout, leading 26-14.

Despite the mini-run, the Golden Gophers opened up a 17-point lead, but as the first half wound down, the Buckeyes went on a 13-2 run to momentarily close the gap to single digits. At the the break, Minnesota led 38-27. In the first 20 minutes, the Buckeyes shot just 30.3% (10-33) from the field, including 2-8 from three, while the Gophers hit 15 of their 33 attempts (45.5%). Another point of concern for OSU was the fact that they shot just 5-9 from the free-throw line in the first half.

With Keita Bates-Diop out, and Ohio State getting out-played throughout the first half, head coach Thad Matta’s rotation looked a little different than what fans had seen in recent contests. Guard C.J. Jackson and forward Andre Wesson both saw time, however, the Buckeyes’ only two first-half bench points came from freshman center Micah Potter. Tate was the best Buckeye in the first half, leading the team with 8 points on 4-7 shooting.

Despite their disappointing shooting, the Buckeyes were hanging around by getting the ball in the lane. While Minnesota recorded 7 first-half blocks, the Buckeyes managed to collect 16 of their 27 points in the paint, while leading the rebounding battle 22-21.

Following a dunk by JaQuan Lyle just over six minutes into the second half, got the Buckeyes within 5 points at 44-39. Thompson and Tate turned it on after intermission, as Thompson notched his fifth double-double of the year with 15 points and 14 boards; Tate finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds, after fouling out with 1:10 remaining.

Ohio State’s defensive was especially effective in shutting down Minnesota’s leading scorer, junior guard Nate Mason. Coming into the game, he was averaging 14.5 per game, but the Buckeyes held him to just 11 points on 2-12 shooting.

With five minutes left in regulation, the Buckeyes had kept the game close, trailing just 60-55. OSU continued to fight to remain in the games; after Loving split a pair of free-throws, Lyle stole an in-bounds pass and gave it up to Tate for a layup to bring the score to 69-63. However, the Buckeyes were never able to claim the lead.

Ohio State next plays on Thursday, January 12th in Madison, WI. The game will tip at 7:00 p.m. EST and will air on ESPN2.

Here’s what we learned:


1) Losing KBD is going to make it tough to win. In addition to suffering a heartbreaking 76-75 loss to Purdue on Thursday, after the game it was revealed that the Buckeyes had also lost junior forward Keita Bates-Diop for the season due to a stress fracture in his leg.

While he had been limited due to injuries throughout the season, the Buckeyes needed to find a way to replace his 9.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. As Matt Brown noted following the Purdue, Ohio State severely missed his “length, defense, and shooting ability.”

In their first game since KBD was officially ruled out for the season, we got a glimpse as to what the Buckeyes’ plan was moving forward; ride the starters are long and as hard as possible. The five starts (Tate, Loving, Lyle, Thompson, and Williams) accounted for all but 31 minutes and 5 points in the game. Matta often rides a short rotation in conference play, but this limited bench seems like it will be difficult to maintain as the Big Ten season wears on.

2) Jae’Sean Tate is Ohio State’s unquestioned leader. One of the knocks on this Buckeye team has been that there is no go-to player that they are able to count on when the going gets tough. However, on a night when the Buckeyes had their second worst shooting performance of the season, Tate was the most reliable scorer, passer, and defender.

Coming into the game, he led the team in scoring by almost 2.5 points per game (14.1), he was second in rebounding (6.5), and was second in shooting percentage (54.5%). With fellow front-count stalwart Bates-Diop officially out for the year, if the Buckeyes are going to make any noise in the Big Ten this season, it will likely be on the back of Jae’Sean Tate.

3) It’s officially time to readjust the season’s expectations. While the possibilities of an NCAA berth became even more remote following the season-ending injury to KBD, having dropped their first three Big Ten games, Ohio State is now looking at an NIT berth at best.

With losses to Illinois, Purdue, and Minnesota to open their conference slate, the Buckeyes have games against Wisconsin (13-3) and Michigan State (11-6) in the next week, which could drop them to 10-8 (0-5). While a second-round loss to Florida in the NIT last year was a disappointment to a program that had made the Big Dance for seven straight years (after winning the NIT in 2008), it might be time to consider ourselves lucky if OSU even makes the NIT this year.

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BUCKYLE said:

Hate it when the arena is too noisy! It's like hey I'm trying to watch a game over here do you mind sheesh

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So were you just getting home or getting up early?

4 former Ohio State stars survive Wild Card weekend
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 first round of the postseason is in the bag and several Buckeyes advance.

The NFL just wrapped up it’s Wild Card weekend, and there were plenty of Buckeyes trying to advance to the Divisional Playoffs.

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans

Texans win 27-14


After a career-best start to the season, Houston linebacker John Simon was sidelined the last time the Texans faced the Raiders -- Week 11’s edition of Monday Night Football from Mexico. Simon suffered a chest injury in the overtime loss, but was committed to making it back on the field before the end of the season with 12-hour daily workouts. Despite his return in Week 16, he sat out the final game of the regular season and was ruled out heading into the Wild Card matchup.

With the Texans’ defense missing star J.J. Watt, Simon did a fine job stepping into his role and excelling in 2016. In just 11 regular season games, Simon amassed 51 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble — plus, the Buckeye set single-game (2) and single-season (3) career highs in TFLs. With the Texans win, there’s still hope that the linebacker makes a return to the field for Divisional Playoff games.

Wide receiver Braxton Miller missed the last few weeks of the Texans’ season following a shoulder injury the coach deemed day-by-day, before ultimately placing the Buckeye rookie on IR for the rest of the year. But as Jeff Heuerman found out last year — you still get a Super Bowl ring, even if you’re sidelined.

Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks win 26-6


Despite a loss in the first postseason game of his NFL career, Lions left tackle Taylor Decker had a strong game to cap off a strong rookie season. Decker lined up against the likes of Michael Bennett and Frank Clark and was still able to hold them to four combined tackles. And while he did give up 0.5 sack toward the end of the game, most of quarterback Matthew Stafford rushes and sacks came off the right side.


He may not have gotten a lot of playing time his rookie season, but Seahawks’ tight end Nick Vannett has shown he’ll be an important contributor in years to come. He was inactive for the first postseason game of his young career, and is coming off a season that included 3 receptions for 32 yards, with a career-long 21-yard catch. Seattle will face the Atlanta Falcons next week.

Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers win 30-12


In his third season with the Steelers, former Ohio State stud Ryan Shazier continues to shine. He has grown to be a leader of the defense and a formidable opponent for even the league’s best passers. Shazier had six total tackles against the Dolphins and an interception that led to another score for Pittsburgh.


The linebacker finished his second regular season in a row with exactly 87 total tackles — 55 solo in both seasons — and 3.5 sacks. This isn’t Shazier’s first time in the playoffs, and just like the games leading up to the postseason, he showed that he’s in it to win it — even if it’s only 1 degree outside.


After injuries kept him on the sidelines on and off throughout the season, defensive end Cam Heyward was finally put on IR in mid-November while he recovered from surgery for his torn pec. Despite not being on the field, Heyward is committed to helping his teammates from the sideline and has continued to be one of the team’s leaders.

New York Giants at Green Bay Packers

Packers win 38-13


Rookie Eli Apple was in for a tough game against Green Bay and one of the league’s best passing offenses but had a solid day considering. Despite a strong first quarter, there were a few long passes that got past him, including two scores by Randall Cobb. Apple finished his inaugural regular season with 51 total tackles (41 solo), 7 passes defended, one forced fumble and an interception, and recorded an additional 4 tackles and defended one pass in his first NFL playoff appearance.

Giants defensive tackles Johnathan Hankins has been part of one of the best interior duos in the NFL. He was a big factor in keeping New York in the matchup, coming up big with 1.0 sack in addition to three total tackles. The fourth year player out of Ohio State bounced back big time this season after missing the second-half of 2015 due to a torn pec, finishing the regular season with 43 total tackles, 3.0 sacks, a career-high 7 stuffs and his first career blocked kick. He’s a free agent heading into the offseason and did enough to secure a pretty hefty deal in 2017.

Picked as one of the Packers captains for this matchup, center Corey Linsley had a great game protecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers. After a slow start, the Packers offense finally got on a roll, in large part to a few key blocks by Linsley to give Rodgers enough time for a deep pass. Green Bay lost several offensive weapons to injury during this Wild Card game and will need all the help from the oline as they can get; they face the Cowboys next weekend in the divisional round.

Other notes

• Plenty of other Buckeyes are still making a run in the postseason, but benefited from a bye week during the Wild Card weekend. Still to play, include Nate Ebner (Patriots) and Ezekiel Elliott, Rod Smith (Cowboys).
• Just a week before his first taste of the NFL Playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks waived Tvyis Powell. The team needed an extra roster spot to sign return specialist Devin Hester after their starter Tyler Lockett broke his leg.
• Some former Ohio State stars signed with new teams this week, including tackle Reid Fragel (Vikings), tight end Jake Stoneburner (Saints), and cornerback Doran Grant (Jaguars).
• Ohio State legend and NFL Veteran A.J. Hawk announced he will file retirement papers, ending his 11 year career. Hawk spent most of his career with the Packers before a short stint with both the Bengals and Falcons.

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Who are these guys? Meet the 9 Ohio State commitments who will enroll early with the Buckeyes - Landof10.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Who are these guys? Meet the 9 Ohio State commitments who will enroll early with the Buckeyes
Landof10.com
After a disappointing finish to what was an overall successful season, the last week has been a whirlwind of emotions for Buckeyes fans. Three separate defensive superstars – safety Malik Hooker, cornerback Gareon Conley and linebacker Raekwon ...
Five-star safety Jeffrey Okudah commits to Ohio StateESPN
Nation's No. 1 CB commits to Ohio State at Army Bowl247Sports
Future Buckeyes shine in Army All-American BowlNBC4i.com
Columbus Dispatch -SB Nation -BuckeyeGrove.com (subscription) -247Sports
all 39 news articles »

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White, Williamson start move-in day for Buckeyes' 2017 class - 247Sports
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White, Williamson start move-in day for Buckeyes' 2017 class
247Sports
White and Williamson are just the start for the part of the Buckeyes' 2017 class that has already graduated and starts class at Ohio State this week. That includes those playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Sunday such as Josh Myers who heads ...

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White, Williamson start move-in day for Buckeyes' 2017 class - CBS sports.com (blog)
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White, Williamson start move-in day for Buckeyes' 2017 class
CBS sports.com (blog)
Powell (Ohio) Olentangy Liberty athlete Brendon White has already practiced with the Buckeyes. Since he did not play in any of the post-season all-star games White practiced with the Buckeyes before the team left for the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. Today ...


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Ohio State football: Noah Brown leaving Buckeyes, will enter the NFL Draft - cleveland.com
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Ohio State football: Noah Brown leaving Buckeyes, will enter the NFL Draft
cleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State wide receiver Noah Brown announced his decision to leave the Buckeyes and enter the NFL Draft. Though it's not uncommon that Ohio State football players leave after one year as starting -- see safety Malik Hooker -- Brown's ...
Torrance Gibson hints at a return to the Buckeyes247Sports
Ohio State football | Noah Brown to leave early for NFL draftColumbus Dispatch
The Football Fever: Brown is fourth Buckeye to declare for NFL DraftABC6OnYourSide.com
Eleven Warriors -UPI.com -BuckeyeGrove.com (subscription)
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No. 11 Ohio State men’s hockey defeated by No. 2 Penn State, 4-2
Matt Torino via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes couldn’t complete the weekend sweep as Penn State rebounded for the victory.

Ohio State just couldn’t pull off a bigger upset than Noah Brown declaring for the draft by sweeping the No. 2 team in the country. Failing to follow up on the 3-0 shutout victory over No. 2 Penn State on Friday night, No. 11 Ohio State was doubled up despite a spirited comeback on Saturday night in Columbus.

The Nittany Lions didn’t dominate to the same degree as they did on Friday in terms of shots on goal, leading this one only 43-26, but they didn’t trail for a single second in this one and Ohio State didn’t get any opportunity to shrink into a defensive shell and allow more shots, but ones of lesser quality.

They outshot Ohio State 12-5 in the first period, but once again were shut out in that first period. But this time, Ohio State couldn’t steal a goal late in the period and take that momentum into the intermission.

But 4:16 into the second, Brandon Biro put Penn State on top and gave them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Shots were 20-13 in the second and you’d have to give it up for Christian Frey keeping Ohio State in the game at this point.

The Buckeyes are known for their offense and you’d think they could score at least one on their first 18 shots, but it wasn’t to be. And once again, they just couldn’t generate more shots on goal in the third, even with them behind this time.

Generally when your team is behind, the other team plays more conservatively, allowing your team to get more offensive pressure and more shots on goal. Ohio State couldn’t generate any more and actually only put up eight shots on goal in the third despite trailing for about 20:00 of it.

The third period did go pretty far off the rails, if we’re being fair, though. Penn State looked like they broke it open when Erik Autio scored unassisted after stealing the puck in the defensive zone and whipping it past Frey on a 2-on-1 the other way.

Things would only get worse for Ohio State as Ricky DeRosa then scored for Penn State unassisted at 7:57 of the third. That penalty wouldn’t end quietly, however. Nikita Pavlychev was then sent off for hooking at 8:43 and suddenly Ohio State had a two man advantage.

Nick Schilkey would make Penn State pay. He scored his first of the game at 9:42 to end Zach Saar’s penalty with just six seconds remaining and then scored again at 10:25 to end Pavlychev’s penalty early and make it 3-2 all of a sudden. Mason Jobst had the loan assist on Schilkey’s first goal and Jobst and Miguel Fidler had the helpers on the second.

That’d be as close as Ohio State would get, however. They’d only generate one shot in the last five minutes of regulation, somehow, and David Gust would strangle any chance the team had left after being sent off at 18:24 for interference.

Christian Frey would go off for the extra attacker, but with Gust in the box, all that did was make it even strength once again. OSU’s anemic offense couldn’t get it done and find a way to put one past PSU goalie Peyton Jones. Penn State would add an empty net goal from Chase Berger at 19:59 and that’d be that.

Except for Tommy Parran getting the rare penalty at 20:00 of the third. That’s fun I guess. But Penn State gets the victory and the split in the series with the 4-2 victory.

Ohio State was probably lucky to get the split based on not being able to do much even when down to Penn State, but Christian Frey stole Friday’s game and got the team a victory against the No. 2 team in the nation. That isn’t nothing.

The Buckeyes will be back in action on Friday the 13th when they face the spooky horror of a hockey team from Arizona State.

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Ex-Buckeye gets clean, now seeks college coach position - NBC4i.com
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Ex-Buckeye gets clean, now seeks college coach position
NBC4i.com
FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2007 file photo, San Diego Chargers' Philip Rivers, left, Shane Olivea (70) and Shawne Merriman, right, arrive for practice with teammates and coaches at the Arizona Cardinals training facility in Tempe, Ariz. Olivea, whose NFL ...

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How to watch Ohio State at Minnesota: Preview, game time, live streaming online
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes are still looking for their first conference win of the season against Minnesota.

The Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball team has had a tough run already in 2017. After a five-point loss to Illinois in Champaign on New Year’s Day, the Buckeyes came back home to face No. 20 Purdue in what turned out to be a heartbreaking, one-point defeat in the final seconds after a furious rally by the Buckeyes in the second half. To make matters worse, Thad Matta announced after the game that junior forward Keita Bates-Diop, who did not play against Purdue, was undergoing season-ending surgery on a stress fracture he has been struggling with since before the season.

Now, the Buckeyes goes on the road once again to face a far-better-than-expected Minnesota squad. The 14-2 Golden Gophers are currently sitting at 2-1 in conference play--a far better start than their 0-13 one last season. After losing their first Big Ten matchup to Michigan State, Minnesota rattled off road wins against then-No. 15 Purdue and Northwestern. With preseason predictions suggesting a 12th-place finish in the Big Ten, Ken Pomeroy projections now have the Gophers finishing third in the conference. The Buckeyes will face a tough matchup against Richard Pitino’s team, which has been resurgent on defense compared to last season and which shares the ball unselfishly on offense.

Ohio State is one of three winless teams in the Big Ten (Indiana and Rutgers are the others). This is the first time since the 2009-10 season that the Buckeyes have opened up conference play 0-2. Unfortunately for Ohio State, things do not get much easier from here. Three of Ohio State’s first four conference games are on the road this year. A win on the road against Minnesota would provide a lot of momentum as the Buckeyes prepare for yet another road test against 13th-ranked Wisconsin next week. The Badgers are currently sitting at 2-0 in conference play with road wins over Indiana and Purdue.

The loss of Bates-Diop looms incredibly large as Ohio State moves forward with a challenging conference schedule. Already two games in the hole, the Buckeyes will need to figure out how to operate without Bates-Diop on the court soon to have any hopes of making the NCAA Tournament.

Numbers to know

11


Under Thad Matta, Ohio State has reached at least 10 regular season wins in conference play for each of the last 11 years. That streak is the longest in program history, and currently leads the Big Ten. Matta himself is sitting tied with Wisconsin’s Bud Foster at the No. 13 spot in all-time regular season wins for the conference with 143 over his 12-year tenure as head coach. While Matta will likely break Foster’s mark for Big Ten wins at some point this season, the Buckeyes as a team have a long way to go to keep their conference win streak going through the remainder of this season.

38.6%


The Buckeyes are one of the best teams in the country in defending field goals, holding opponents to a collective 38.6 percent on the season, good for 21st in the NCAA. Against Purdue, however, the Buckeyes allowed the Boilermakers to shoot just under 43 percent from the field--a testament to the Ohio State defense without KBD on the court. Combined with Bates-Diop’s blocking (second on the team behind Trevor Thompson, 1.3 per game) and rebounding (third on the team, 5.2 per game), the Buckeyes will need to find a way to maintain strong defensive performance without their star on the court.

67.8%


Ohio State has been unable to overcome deficiencies from the free throw line throughout the season, and this year’s free throw shooting is even worse than last year’s already abysmal 68.4 percent average. They are hitting just over two-thirds of their attempts from the stripe, which places the Buckeyes at 225th nationally in the category. While the team cleaned things up against Purdue, hitting 17-of-20 attempts from the line, they missed when it counted down the stretch on a Trevor Thompson attempt that would have put the Buckeyes up one with 15 seconds left. This is an area that will need to continue to get better down the stretch as Ohio State faces more close games against conference opponents.

Cast of characters

Ohio State

Jae’Sean Tate


The junior forward once again led the Buckeyes in scoring against Purdue Thursday with 17 points on the night. Unfortunately, He got into foul trouble early against the Boilermakers, recording three personal fouls in the first half and thereby limiting his effectiveness on defense for the remainder of the game. In the last six games, Tate has fouled out once and had four personal fouls on four occasions. Tate leads Ohio State in scoring on the season with 14.1 points per game, and is one of five Buckeyes averaging double figures this season. Especially with KBD out, Tate will need to be an even more consistent shooter moving forward.

Kam Williams


The junior guard got his first starts of the season following Bates-Diop’s ankle injury against Providence, and he has provided a much-needed scoring outlet throughout the season, averaging 10.7 points per game and recording two, 10-point performances against Illinois and Purdue. He is also shooting 41 percent from behind the arc this season and has been the most consistent three-point shooter on the team. Still, he never provided the spark that Bates-Diop brought on the court in terms of his defense and his shooting ability. Now, with Bates-Diop out for the rest of the season, Williams, among others, will be expected to play an increased and more established role on the team.

Minnesota

Nate Mason


Shooting nearly 43 percent from the arc, Mason is the Gophers’ most reliable three-point shooter and has been hailed by his coach as one of the best guards in the conference. The 6-foot-2 guard leads the Gophers in scoring and assists with 14.5 points and 5.9 assists per game. He scored a career high 31 points in Minnesota’s overtime road win against Purdue last week to go along with 11 rebounds and six assists on his way to being named Big Ten co-player of the week last week. An extremely unselfish player, Mason has recorded 87 assists on the season and has been a catalyst in opening up the Gophers’ offense.

Reggie Lynch


The starting center is fourth in the country in blocks, averaging 3.4 per game, and has been credited with turning around a defense which was one of the worst teams nationally in points allowed per possession last season. The Illinois State transfer sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules and was suspended from the team in the spring, but was reinstated prior to the start of the season and has been a starter for most of the year. Trevor Thompson has a slight height advantage over the 6-foot-10 Lynch, but Lynch will likely challenge Thompson’s strong shooting.

How to watch


Game time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Radio: 97.1 WBNS-FM

TV: BTN

Streaming: BTN2Go

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Ohio State men's basketball | Buckeyes remain confident entering tough stretch - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State men's basketball | Buckeyes remain confident entering tough stretch
Columbus Dispatch
20 Purdue at Value City Arena and signaled, perhaps, that the basketball gods were shining some favor on the Buckeyes. It didn't last. The Boilermakers held on for a 76-75 win, and afterward coach Thad Matta revealed that junior forward Keita Bates ...
Buckeyes Lose to Purdue in Final Seconds, 76-75FOXSports.com
No. 20 Purdue Boilermakers edge Ohio State Buckeyes 76-75UPI.com
Boilers face Buckeyes for Big Ten road matchupwlfi.com
News-Herald.com -OSU - The Lantern -cleveland.com
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Ohio State football | Receivers looking to make impact next season - Columbus Dispatch
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Ohio State football | Receivers looking to make impact next season
Columbus Dispatch
His dig route over the middle netted a 21-yard completion, the longest pass play of the game for the Buckeyes. That he and fellow freshman Austin Mack couldn't crack the primary rotation of receivers was perplexing, but Victor's moments in the ...


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Ohio State football: Kyle Trout to transfer from Buckeyes - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State football: Kyle Trout to transfer from Buckeyes
cleveland.com
A source close to Ohio State's football program told cleveland.com that offensive lineman Kyle Trout is expected to transfer from the Buckeyes, possibly to Cincinnati or Ohio. A former four-star prospect of Lancaster, Ohio, who came to Ohio State as ...
Ohio State fourth-year junior to transfer247Sports
Ohio State Offensive Lineman Kyle Trout Will Transfer From Program, Per ReportEleven Warriors
Duke football picks up Buckeye grad transfer offensive linemanDurham Herald Sun
Land-Grant Holy Land -Scout
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Ohio State football: Noah Brown leaving Buckeyes, will enter the NFL Draft - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State football: Noah Brown leaving Buckeyes, will enter the NFL Draft
cleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State wide receiver Noah Brown announced his decision to leave the Buckeyes and enter the NFL Draft. Though it's not uncommon that Ohio State football players leave after one year as starting -- see safety Malik Hooker -- Brown's ...
Ohio State's 2016 draft class: "It's unbelievable"247Sports
Ohio State football | Noah Brown to leave early for NFL draftColumbus Dispatch
Brown pulls a stunner and opts for NFL optionsBuckeyeGrove.com (subscription)
Scout
all 20 news articles »

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Starting RG for JMU played basketball with my son growing up. Matt Frank. Great kid. Congrats Dukes!!

Noah Brown declares for the 2017 NFL Draft
Alexis Chassen via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


After a blazing start in 2016, the wideout is taking his talents pro.

Ohio State’s catch-of-the-year candidate Noah Brown has declared for the 2017 NFL Draft, and will begin preparing for his chance to compete in front of scouts at the combine and pro day workouts.

After a freshman season buried in the depth chart and another year he was forced to claim a medical redshirt, Buckeye wide receiver Noah Brown finally made a name for himself in 2016. He finished his first full season as the starter tied for most receiving touchdowns (7) with Curtis Samuel and recorded 32 receptions for 402 yards.

Brown’s claim to fame will be his performance in Week 4 against Oklahoma, earning him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. Not only did he snag four (!) touchdowns and a career-high 72 yards on the Sooners turf, but also made one of the best catches in the history of football. It has been made into a shirt and immortalized in the eyes of Buckeye Nation.


Brown peaked a year later than expected, following a broken leg that sidelined him just two weeks before the 2015 season opener. He was going to make an impact on the outside, while drawing coverage away from teammate Michael Thomas — but he never got his chance. Instead, he spent a year trying to rehab not one, but two surgeries to repair his broken leg.

He was expected to start in 2015 after dropping 23 pounds and working hard at being a good perimeter blocker. The wideout only had one reception for nine yards his first season with the Buckeyes, but he was buried deep in the depth chart behind Devin Smith, Evan Spencer and Thomas.

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Five-star safety Jeffrey Okudah commits to Ohio State - ESPN
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Five-star safety Jeffrey Okudah commits to Ohio State
ESPN
Okudah, the nation's No. 1 safety prospect out of Grand Prairie, Texas, was one of seven recruits who announced commitments during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio. He became the highest-rated member of the Buckeyes' ...
Nation's No. 1 CB commits to Ohio State at Army Bowl247Sports
Future Buckeyes shine in Army All-American BowlNBC4i.com
Ohio State football | Five-star safety picks BuckeyesColumbus Dispatch
BuckeyeGrove.com (subscription) -Landof10.com -Bleacher Report -247Sports
all 115 news articles »

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Ohio State football: Kyle Trout to transfer from Buckeyes - cleveland.com
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Ohio State football: Kyle Trout to transfer from Buckeyes
cleveland.com
A source close to Ohio State's football program told cleveland.com that offensive lineman Kyle Trout is expected to transfer from the Buckeyes, possibly to Cincinnati or Ohio. A former four-star prospect of Lancaster, Ohio, who came to Ohio State as ...
Ohio State fourth-year junior to transfer247Sports
Report: Ohio State OL Kyle Trout to transferLandof10.com
Ohio State Offensive Lineman Kyle Trout Will Transfer From Program, Per ReportEleven Warriors
Durham Herald Sun -Land-Grant Holy Land -Duke Chronicle
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Ohio State offensive lineman Kyle Trout to reportedly transfer
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 finish his career somewhere else.

Earlier today, it was reported that Evan Lisle would be graduate transferring from Ohio State, and would complete his college football career at Duke. Now, there’s a report that another offensive lineman will be headed elsewhere.

Per Ari Wasserman at Cleveland.com, Ohio State offensive lineman Kyle Trout will also transfer.

The two possible landing spots for Trout mentioned in the report were Cincinnati and Ohio.

Trout was a four-star recruit in the 2014 class, and had offers from programs like Pitt, Michigan State, Purdue, and West Virginia. He was a top 300 recruit nationally, and the 19th rated offensive tackle in the country.

Trout didn’t see a lot of time at Ohio State, and as the Buckeyes continue to stock up on offensive line recruits, including two five-stars in the 2017 class, making strides in the depth chart would be difficult.

The Buckeyes are likely to see additional roster attrition as well, to make room for other 2017 recruits.

We wish Trout the very best moving forward.

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Dorion Speaks: World Juniors, Lazar Development, MacArthur’s Health
T6S via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



A few days late on this, but Senators general manager Pierre Dorion appeared on TSN 1200’s ‘In the Box’ before Wednesday’s World Junior semi-final games that showcased four of Ottawa’s best prospects on the national stage.

For fans who love to indulge in prospect porn, this time of year is like Christmas.

To listen to the full interview, you can scroll to the bottom of the post where you will find an embedded audio player. A transcription of Dorion’s comments can be read below.

As always, my thoughts are in bold.

On how he must have received compliments from his GM counterparts on the performance of Thomas Chabot…

“I got quite a few compliments from my colleagues that are in attendance, former co-workers (and) scouts. A lot of people were (praising Chabot’s performance) yesterday when we were at the Finland/Latvia game, so hopefully he can continue on the path that he’s on right now and hopefully bring Canada to a gold medal.”

Every fan base tends to overrate or overestimate the performance and projectability of their team’s best prospects and as ill-advised as it is to romanticize or put a ton of stock into a player’s performance when it’s such a small sample of games, it’s impossible to not to get excited about Thomas Chabot’s performance.

Unlike any Senators prospect who has participated in recent memory, Chabot was head and shoulders above the competition. The blend of skill and poise was so transparent, that it’s difficult to accept the notion that he was not ready to contribute to the Senators’ this season.

Obviously ownership’s playoff mandate and the annual renewal of faith in a shittacular bottom four worked against Chabot earlier in the season, but by returning him to Saint John without affording him a larger sample size to prove his worth, the Senators essentially relegated themselves to the possibility that their best internal solution to their blue line ineffectiveness or injury could no longer be recalled.

Considering the organization’s playoff aspirations or the fact that it lives on the margins, the Senators need upgrades or improvement wherever it can get them. Like Ryan Dzingel reaping the benefits of the ice time created by Clarke MacArthur’s concussion, it’s hard not to reason that with time, Chabot could be a better player at some point during the season than what Ottawa’s getting from its bottom-four now.

Fortunately, it’s not often that a prospect’s development can be hampered from spending more time in the junior ranks and thanks to his Chabot’s MVP performance, he gives even the most cynical of fans a modicum of hope.

On whether this is the organization’s best group of young prospects right now even though Binghamton is struggling…

“Hey, (Binghamton’s) won two in a row. We’re on the right path, trust me. I think the guys down there are doing a great job. They’ve been a bit challenged. A few of our key players haven’t been up to par, but I was there against Syracuse the other day and we played well. So… no, I still have a lot of faith in a lot of players down there.”

Dorion got defensive about the farm system and cut the question short. The Binghamton Senators are playing better of late. They have won three in a row and are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, but it’s not like this string of success overshadows the fact that only four teams in the AHL have a worse record than Binghamton’s 13-17-2-1 (.439).

Conversely, it’s not like Ottawa’s best prospects on the farm are lighting it up either. Through the first 30 games, the play has largely been carried by older players who shouldn’t be counted upon to spend significant time as regulars with the Ottawa Senators. I mean, there’s a reason why fans are really invested in the performance of blue chip prospects like Colin White and Thomas Chabot, the farm isn’t exactly brimming with NHL-ready players who can be expected to perform at a high level any time soon.

On who’s playing well down in Binghamton…

“I was down there for Syracuse, I’ve got to say (Chris) Driedger is finally back on track. He was inconsistent through the year. I would have to tell you that a guy like Phil Varone has played great of late. We called up Casey Bailey, who was playing well. A guy like Max McCormick was producing and playing hard. Buddy Robinson is playing hard, so I think sometimes when those guys get a game and then they get sent down, there’s a natural letdown. But, I have to give a lot of credit to Kurt Kleinendorst and Steve (Stirling) and also Randy (Lee) who’s down there quite a bit to keep the spirits up of those guys because they get a bit of a taste of the NHL and sometimes they perform well or don’t perform well. Sometimes it’s just natural habit that they fall into a bit of a funk, but any team, you need good goaltending. At times this year it’s been good and at times, it’s been bad. I think that’s where my major area of concern was. When both of our goalies at a certain point in time were under a .900 save percentage, it’s tough to win games – whatever level you’re at.”

Goaltending has been a problem for Binghamton, but it’s not like the team is filling the net either. Only four teams have scored fewer than Binghamton’s 79 goals.

On whether this is the best group of young prospects that the organization has had at the World Junior Championships…

“Oh, without a doubt. Since I’ve been with the organization, this is the best group of prospects that we’ve had at a World Junior (Championship), especially when you look at the blue chip prospects, they’re guys that are leading their teams. They’re arguably their team’s best players, so obviously in (Thomas) Chabot and (Colin) White, I’ve said from the start that we’ve got two blue chip prospects that hopefully will be able to contribute at some point in time in the near future for our team. But, these guys are pretty special players.”

Dorion’s always been a hype-man, but you can’t disagree with the fact that Ottawa’s showing was pretty impressive. There have been other years where Ottawa had blue-chip prospects playing in the tournament but, this year had a nice blend of talent and performance.

Thomas Chabot wound up being named the tournament’s ‘most valuable player’. He and Colin White both finished in the top-10 in tournament scoring and with Jonathan Dahlen, all three players finished in the top-10 in goals.

Mix in some decent performances from the Filips – Ahl and Chlapik – and these junior age prospects help fans overlook the underwhelming performance of those prospects who are a little closer to the show. Granted, even for the blue-chip prospects, nothing’s guaranteed. You just have to look back at the Senators’ vaunted 2011 draft class to realize that, but at the very least, the Senators can sell hope with this group and when you’re not winning enough consistently, at least these players give fans something to keep their eye on and look forward to.

On draft eligible players at this tournament…

“So far it’s been pretty good. I’ve only been here for a few days, but (I’ve had) a chance to see Finland which have quite a few first rounders, obviously the Czechs have a first rounder, Slovakia has a pretty good player on their team, Sweden has a few guys that I think will be pretty good players down the road. Watching those guys on top of watching our prospects and other teams’ prospects, it’s been a really good tournament.”

The 2017 NHL Draft not only lacks the star power of previous years, but also carries the reputation for being one of the weakest in recent memory too. Without much separation between the top prospects at the top of the class and the middle, hopefully this fluidity can help the Senators net a good prospect who can help them in the middle of the first round.

On where the Senators stand philosophically on drafting Russian players…

“We’ve looked at it. We haven’t done that, I think, since my first year as chief scout and moving to director of player personnel and assistant GM where I ran the drafts. We’ve looked at it. Last year we looked at the guy that went before our pick. At times, it’s easier with Russians in North America because you know more about them than the Russians who play in Russia, but we would never not take a Russian just because he’s Russian. We always look at (the player) case-by-case. I think with Russians, it’s best to look at every player individually and then you have a better idea on if you want to take him or not.”

The Senators haven’t drafted a Russian since they selected Ruslan Bashkirov with the 60th overall pick in the second round of the 2007 NHL Draft. Who knows whether or how much Eugene Melnyk’s Ukrainian heritage and his outspokenness against the Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea has played into the politics of Ottawa’s draft selections, but the current iteration of the Senators roster has a distinctly North American flavour. Obviously this sort of thing can be cyclical in nature, but the Senators really only have one regular – Erik Karlsson – who is of European descent.

The Senators have not been shy about picking players out of Sweden, but it’s hard to ignore how few players they’ve taken from Europe. Dorion mentions how the organization feels more comfortable taking Russians who play in North America because it’s easier to have more opportunities viewings, but given recent history, the same philosophy is being applied to other European nations. Players like Filip Chlapik and Jakub Culek, for example, are being drafted out of North American clubs.

Maybe the Senators’ amateur scouting staff isn’t as robust as that of their peers, but in a perfect world, you’d like to think the Senators would be willing to look everywhere for hidden gems instead of having players fall through the cracks because of where they play.

On whether the World Junior tournament has provided opportunities for him to have face-to-face trade negotiations with his colleagues…

“Oh yeah, there’s many guys here. I know I was here on the 20th. I came and saw Switzerland against Sweden. I had a chance to talk to, I think, six or seven GMs that day. I’ve been on the phone all day pretty much with my counterparts and as quiet as it was before Christmas, I think talks are heating up. But, it’s very difficult to make trades. Sometimes budgets come into (it) for other teams, sometimes it’s the number of contracts – two for one – so (I’m) working hard at it and we’re always looking to improve the team, but (there’s) nothing imminent or on the forefront right now.”

It’s funny when Dorion says that budgets come into it for others because for the past few seasons, it’s certainly felt like the Senators have operated on a money-in/money-out basis. The acquisition of Mike Condon felt like a rare example where the Senators took on extra money to make their team better – even if it was a relatively inexpensive salary that it absorbed – but, as Elliotte Friedman recently noted, the budget prevented the Senators from upgrading their bottom-six and putting in a claim on Teddy Purcell.

On what he’d like to add…

“Two points against Washington on Saturday.”

On what he’d like to add to the roster…

“No, I’ve said when we came into camp, I was a bit worried about our defence and that’s part of our game that I think under Guy (Boucher)’s structure has really improved. Up front, I always feel that you need more depth up front. I know a lot of teams feel that you need nine or 10 defencemen. For me, the way that our guys have fallen, we’ve had more injuries up front. If you could add a forward, it’s something that I would definitely look at and it doesn’t specifically have to be a frontline guy. It might be a fourth line guy, but adding a forward is probably something that we’re more looking at than a defenceman right now.”

Guy Boucher’s gets a lot of credit for what his structure has brought to the table, but the underlying numbers portray a situation wherein the team isn’t leaps and bounds different from previous years.

As I noted earlier in the season, the Senators were getting by thanks to their luck capitalizing on their scoring chances.

Through the first few months, the Senators were a bit of a statistical outlier: they were on the wrong side of the various puck possession metrics while they generated a greater percentage of the scoring chance opportunities.

It’s rare to sustain that over the course of a full season and as the Senators’ scoring chance generation has regressed to be more commensurate to their shot volume output. Although they currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Division, the tightly-packed nature of the standings could have the Senators looking in from the outside in quick order.

On whether the waiver wire could be a solution for solving the forward depth issue…

“Every day when the waiver wire comes through, I talk or email with all of our pro scouts and then follow up with a call if there’s something imminent. We talk (about) every player that’s gone through waivers and sometimes when guys are on waivers, they’ve got certain flaws. Other times, teams have a lot of depth. It’s something we look at every day, but nothing concrete right now.”

The player in particular who was waived on the date of the interview was San Jose’s Matt Nieto and although he represented an upgrade that Ottawa could have used, because of Ottawa’s position in the standings and their accompanying waiver priority, the likelihood of him falling to the Senators was low. Maybe a trade could have been facilitated, but with the organization apparently kicking tires on adding a depth forward, maybe they have someone better in mind.

On what he’s seen out of Curtis Lazar this year…

“I’ve seen a lot of good things. I know sometimes we emphasize the bad things, but I’ve seen a lot of good things as far as speed, work ethic, being in the right spot and giving us energy. Ideally, we probably could have left Curtis (for) a few more weeks in the minors, but we were getting injuries and we just felt it was time to call him up. But as far as, when he’s been on that fourth line with (Chris) Kelly and (Chris) Neil, I think they’ve been a pretty productive line. They’ve done what they’re asked to do. I think Curtis is finding his way on the (penalty kill). I know he made a mistake there that one game against the (New York) Rangers, I think it was. But, I think we see someone that is hopefully going to be a good player for us. I think it’s a lot of confidence with him as far as being able to produce. I think when you produce all your life and you get to a point where you’ve played 15 games and you don’t have a point, you start second-guessing yourself and that’s why we’re there for him. Hopefully we can help him get back on track as far as producing (points), but away from the puck, he’s been tremendous. At times when you prevent the opposition from scoring, it’s always a good thing.”

Thanks to sites like Puckalytics.com, it’s easy to figure out what a Kelly-Lazar-Neil line has done this season. In 39:26 of five-on-five ice time, the trio have: 1) been on the ice for zero goals; 2) generated 36.2-percent of the shots; and 3) been the opposite of productive.

I get not wanting to sandbag a first round pick publicly and ruin whatever’s left of Lazar’s confidence, but he’s been terribly unproductive and performed at a sub-replacement level.

For a team that has been handed a playoff mandate by its owner and is having its depth exposed, the shortcomings of this team’s third and fourth lines (in addition to the performance of the second and third defensive pairings) have helped submarine this team’s chances.

There’s something to be said about the organization’s loyalty to veterans like Neil or Kelly and hell, even the pedigree of a prospect like Lazar who they assuredly want to give as many chances to as possible, but it’s this repeated willingness to roster these unproductive players that works against this team’s playoff aspirations. Better alternatives were available throughout the course of the summer and even during this season, but the organization hasn’t brought them into the fold. Maybe the internal budget plays a huge role in that, but I’d like to think this organization is capable of being creative enough to find ways to make even the most modest of improvements.



On Nick Paul not having an opportunity to play at the NHL level this season and how has his season gone…

“Lack of consistency. He’s good one game and not good one game. For someone who had a chance to see what the NHL was about for the last 20 or so games last year, if I’m not mistaken, he’s got to be better. I think it would send the wrong message if we called up Nick Paul and don’t call up Phil Varone when Phil Varone is a dominant player down there. So I think players have to own up for themselves. We still think Nick Paul is going to be a very good NHLer one day, but he’s got to be more consistent and he’s got to battle through adversity, use his size and body to be more effective and once he starts doing that on a more consistent basis, he’ll be back with us.”

Nick Paul wasn’t really that impressive in the 24-games that he played last season and from all accounts, his numbers and performance in Binghamton don’t warrant much attention this season. He doesn’t deserve a promotion based solely on the fact that he represented Canada once at the World Junior Championships or that he’s the one piece that remains from the Jason Spezza trade. He has to earn a promotion.

On how surprising the inconsistency has been since his glowing offseason…

“I think they’re kids. They all have to grow and mature. It’s not like we want to trade him tomorrow. We’re not trading Nick Paul. He’s going to be a part of our future down the road, but it’s a process. Through that process, some of our prospects are going to face highs. Like a Thomas Chabot who’s facing a high point right now where he’s a dominant player at probably one of the most exciting tournaments in the world. But, there were times this year when Thomas played because one game with us, he wasn’t very good. So you’ve got to learn how to balance that and that’s why our development people like Randy (Lee) and Shean Donovan are so good. They communicate with these guys and they explain it to them. And Kurt (Kleinendorst) is really working with Nick Paul. We put him at the wing to start off, then we felt that he wasn’t moving his feet enough, so now we put him back at centre so he’s moving his feet more. We’re trying to do whatever we can to help our prospects be as good as they can be, but they’re not always going to be perfect right away. If so, we’d have a league of 20, 21 or 22-year olds. It’s a process. You’ve got to grow with him and you’ve got to mature with him. With Nick, we still have a lot of faith in him, it’s just he’s got to play with more determination.”

Seven minutes and nine seconds of ice time wasn’t really a big sample size to evaluate Chabot properly. I wish they gave him more time.

On Francis Perron’s first season as a professional and how his development is going…

“We see good things from Francis Perron. He’s someone… his skill level is one of our top two or three players down there without a doubt. But again, it’s about getting stronger and learning to play against men every night. He’s someone when you come off a season where you’re the MVP of a major junior league, things aren’t always easy for you, but they come naturally for you. Learning to adapt when you go into the corner and you’re going into the corner with someone who’s 220 lbs. as compared to someone who’s 170 lbs., it’s a bit different. It’s an adjustment and there are growing pains, as there are with Nick Paul, but you learn to live with them and hopefully if they have the character that you think they have, they battle through it and one day… I don’t think Francis will play for us right away, but within the realm of the next few years, I think he’ll be able to play with us.”

Mike Hoffman’s development path is probably similar to the one that they have in mind for Perron. They want him to be committed to self-improvement away from the puck and learning or adjusting how to play professionally. It may take some time, but the hope is that it pays off and someday we’ll have a chance to see Perron’s offensive skills be put on display in the future.

On Clarke MacArthur’s timetable for a return…

“I don’t want to put a date on it. You know what, the best scenario would be, I just show up to the rink, he does the morning skate and then he plays that night. I think with Clarke, it’s a situation where we know he’s on vacation with Dion (Phaneuf) and Erik (Karlsson) and they’re taking good care of him. Once he comes back, we’re going to keep going through what he’s going through right now and as I’ve said all along, he’s going to play for us this year. There’s no doubt about that. I knew that a week or two after the injury and once he plays for us, I think he’ll be alright. It’s just the doctors have to give him clearance and we’re going to wait for them to make sure that everything is 100-percent. I’ve said it all along and we’ve seen it this year: life is more important than hockey. As much as I want the two points against Washington, I think Clarke MacArthur’s life is more important and that’s what we have to (emphasize). We can’t derive from that and we’ve got to make sure that everything’s okay before he steps on the ice again for a game.”

It’s been the same message since last season and after MacArthur failed to disclose his symptoms last year, you know the organization won’t let MacArthur rush back. He’ll only get in once the doctors give him a clean bill of health, but as the months on the calendar keep flipping, you wonder if the optimism regarding the prospect of MacArthur playing this season will be realized.

On MacArthur’s availability and its impact the flexibility for what he can do to the roster…

“Well, when you can always improve your roster, you’re always going to look to improve your roster. To me, once Clarke is here, it’s a bonus for us. It’s an asset that we can hope that he can play not just one, but 30 games to the end of the year or to whenever he’s in the lineup. To me, it’s a bonus. A bonus player that has NHL experience that even if you watch him in practice, he’s flying out there and he’s scoring. It would be a great boost to our lineup, but we’re going to wait and see what happens. If he can’t play or if something happens in the meantime, we’ll look at a replacement for him or look to improve our forward position.”

If Clarke does play, it’s going to be hard to watch and not have this nagging feeling that he could be one hit away from having his career and long-term health be adversely affected.

On watching the team’s prospects play in the World Junior semi-finals…

“Four out of five guys and I’ve got to say, (Shean Donovan) will be down here and Randy (Lee) has been talking to them before the tournament and those guys don’t get a lot of credit. A guy also like Paul Boutilier who has worked with Thomas Chabot in Saint John on his shot, those three guys should (get a lot of credit). As scouts sometimes, we draft these guys, but to make them rise to the (top), those three guys should get a lot of credit too.”

They don’t get a lot of credit? Dorion credits the same guys in every interview!

On whether the front office knew from the outset that Chabot could skate and move the puck as well as he has shown…

“Yes, we always knew he could skate. Would I tell you that he’s been as dominant as we expected? No, but he’s teased us on occasion. He’s teased us and that’s why he made our team to start off the year. He was teasing us as to what he could do. I give a lot of credit to Randy (Lee) here because Randy gave him the gears after development camp because we all knew he could be better than what he (showed). And I think us keeping him to be around guys like Dion (Phaneuf), Erik (Karlsson), Marc (Methot), Cody (Ceci) and (Mark Borowiecki), I think was maybe the most beneficial thing we did – just to see both on the Western road trip to see how guys do it and how they are pros and when they play how they prepare. I think it opened up his eyes. When you develop someone as well as we’re doing it and he’s got all of the tools, well it just makes us look really good as an organization.”

Player development always looks good when cherry picked prospects pan.

http://proxy.autopod.ca/download/podcasts/chum/179/49377/pierre dorion.mp3



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Ohio State Football: More Awards and Future Buckeyes in U.S. Army Bowl - Scarlet and Game
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State Football: More Awards and Future Buckeyes in U.S. Army Bowl
Scarlet and Game
Ohio State recruits continue to rack up the awards following their sensational senior seasons. Shaun Wade and Wyatt Davis were honored in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Awards ceremony and Tate Martell won National Player of the Year honors by yet ...
U.S. Army All-American Bowl 2017: Time, TV channel, preview, and moreLand-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State QB commit Tate Martell dashes for TD in Army Bowl247Sports

all 10 news articles »

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Ohio State football: Buckeyes offensive lineman Evan Lisle to transfer to Duke - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State football: Buckeyes offensive lineman Evan Lisle to transfer to Duke
cleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State offensive Evan Lisle is transferring to Duke, a source close to the program told cleveland.com on Saturday afternoon. A former four-star prospect who signed with the Buckeyes as part of their 2013 recruiting class, Lisle ...
Ohio State fourth-year junior to transfer247Sports
Ohio State OL Evan Lisle reportedly transferringLand-Grant Holy Land
Report: Ohio State offensive lineman to transfer to Duke footballDuke Chronicle

all 9 news articles »

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After defeating USC yesterday 3-0, the men take the first game against UCLA 25-22. (BTN)

A recruit’s nephew threw a tantrum when he chose UCLA over Ohio State at the Army All-American game
Luke Zimmermann via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


We’re right there with you, little man.

Let’s start off on the right foot: if you’re not a college football recruiting hardcore, high school all-star games can be a bit of a drab affair.

Let’s try and get through the CliffNotes quickly, shall we?

“Did the four-star pick Ohio State?” Nope.

“What about the five-star corner?” Not him either.

“Well what about the *other* five-star corner?” Good news! He totally did.

An Ohio State quarterback commit also made one dandy of a play.

But perhaps the best part of the 2017 U.S. Army All-American Bowl came during one of those recruiting misses.

Following an extremely dramatic recruitment, four-star corner Darnay Holmes chose UCLA in a bit of a surprise over USC and Ohio State. Evidently his too-cute-for-words nephew felt strongly otherwise:


Ohio State punter Drue Chrisman knows the score:


While Holmes will have to hone his craft on the west coast, maybe this story can have a happy ending when his nephew grabs a scarlet and grab cap more than a decade from now at a future Army All-American game.

If nothing else, he’ll now be forever immortalized in internet lore.

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UCLA Men's Volleyball: The Bruins and the Buckeyes Battle for National Supremacy - Bruins Nation
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


UCLA Men's Volleyball: The Bruins and the Buckeyes Battle for National Supremacy
Bruins Nation
In the final game of the AVCA Showcase Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge, the second-ranked Bruins face the top-ranked Buckeyes in a rematch of last season's NCAA tournament semifinal. by Bruinette88 Jan 7, 2017, 2:15pm PST. tweet · share · pin · Rec ...


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