Urban Meyer is ready for a fight against ‘typical Wisconsin’
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 head coach knows the Buckeyes will face one of their toughest opponents of the season Saturday.

Urban Meyer took the podium Monday, just days after a 38-17 win over Indiana. The Hoosiers were a formidable opponent for this young Ohio State, and gave them plenty of issues on offense. Now, the Buckeyes are looking toward one of their most difficult tests this season, a night game against the Badgers in Wisconsin. ESPN announced that College Game Day will also make their way to Madison for the Big Ten showdown.

• Meyer came out early discussing the struggles in the throwing game on Saturday against Indiana. He noted, that the weather wasn’t bad enough to affect J.T. Barrett’s game, and that he doesn’t expect these issues to continue.
• The coach noted issues from misfired passes, dropped balls and bad route-running as contributing to the ineffective offense Saturday. Meyer did say that “urgency is always good,” and that it’s better to be proactive than reactive, and take on a slew of adjustments following a win rather than a loss.
• He expanded on his comments from the post-game Saturday that Barrett is a bit of a security blanket for the team. Meyer notes that they need to spread around the responsibility, and not solely rely on the quarterback.
• Meyer also spoke about how he heard comments that they didn’t hand the ball to Curtis Samuel enough against Indiana, and he agreed.
• On Nick Bosa’s big fourth down stop, Meyer said the entire defensive line is walking around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center like they are the kings of the hill. Following a big play like Bosa’s, Meyer said peers respect you, get rewarded and wait for the next mission.

“Typical Wisconsin”

• Meyer did not downplay the difficulty of this week’s matchup, noting they’re facing “typical Wisconsin”, going back to Coach Alvarez, and that the Badgers are “one of the best coached teams” in the country.
• Some of the things Wisconsin boasts is a specific niche, an average height of 6’6/6’8, have an excellent running back and efficient pass game. The Badgers also have maintained a very similar defense despite changing coordinators.
• Meyer concluded that “the leadership deserves a lot of credit” at Wisconsin. The players play hard and are very well-coached (especially on defense) and it’s been that way for a long while. “They should be” proud of the culture they’ve developed at Wisconsin.
• The head coach isn’t too concerned that Wisconsin had an extra week to prepare, coming off a bye, but does have some reservations about having two night games, on the road, in back-to-back weeks.

Players of the game


Offense

Jamarco Jones and Pat Elflein are the only offensive players who graded out as a champion in Week 5.

Defense

The defense “played outstanding”. Meyer named five defensive lineman and three corners as champions of the game. With the Defensive Player of the Game being Tyquan Lewis.

Special teams

Parris Campbell was being compared to Evan Spencer and the role he had at Ohio State. Campbell had a 92-yard kick-off return Saturday, and was “all over the place, in terms of things we ask him to do”.

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Buckeyes lead four Big Ten teams in AP top 10 - ESPN
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Buckeyes lead four Big Ten teams in AP top 10
ESPN
The Big Ten has four teams in the top 10 of The Associated Press college football poll during the regular season for the first time since 1960, and No. 24 Western Michigan is ranked for the first time in school history. Second-ranked Ohio State, led by ...
Ohio State and Michigan give Big Ten two of college football's top four teams: Doug Lesmerisescleveland.com
Charboneau's Big Ten rankingsThe Detroit News
Nathan Baird's Big Ten power rankingsJournal and Courier
Sporting Alert (blog)
all 63 news articles »

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PG Braxton Beverly commits to Ohio State
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 Buckeyes finally get another point guard.

After missing out on a few other targets, it looks like Ohio State has the point guard they’ve been looking for. According to multiple reports, 2017 PG Braxton Beverly has committed to Ohio State.


Beverly, a three-star prospect out of Hazard, KY, had offers from George Washington and Miami (OH) (where he had previously committed), but was attracting interest from programs like Alabama, Western Kentucky, Butler, and West Virginia.

Beverly was also a teammate of current Buckeye Derek Funderburk at Hargrave Military Academy.


At 5’11, 170 pounds, Beverly isn’t the bigger guard that Thad Matta has liked to recruit in recent years, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have skills. Here, he scored 70 points in a high school game, which is difficult to do, against any level of competition.


Beverly is Ohio State’s second commit for the class of 2017, joining four-star big man Kaleb Wesson. He should provide additional depth at point guard, especially if JaQuan Lyle decides to leave Ohio State early for a professional career.

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Report: Buckeyes land 2017 PG - BuckeyeGrove.com (subscription)
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Report: Buckeyes land 2017 PG
BuckeyeGrove.com (subscription)
The Buckeyes welcomed guard Braxton Beverly on campus over the weekend and there was a strong belief that if an offer came in for the 5-foot-10, 165-pounder than a commitment could quickly follow. According to reports, that all held true. The offer ...
Ohio State men's basketball | Guard Braxton Beverly commits to 2017 classColumbus Dispatch
Braxton Beverly, 3-star 2017 point guard, commits to Ohio State basketballcleveland.com
Braxton Beverly, Three-Star Point Guard from Hargrave Military Academy Commits to Ohio StateEleven Warriors

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Buy or Sell: The Big Ten could have two playoff teams?
Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer via Big Ten Network

Week 6 is in the books, meaning several Big Ten teams have reached the midpoint of their 2016 season. Here is what Tom Dienhart is buying and selling as we enter Week 7.

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Heard Around the ‘Shoe – 10/10/2016
Ben van Ooyen via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Welcome to your tri-weekly look at all things Ohio State recruiting. Let’s get started!

5-Star WR Has Great Visit:

The big visitor for the Indiana game was 5-star wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones out of Cass Tech in Michigan. The Buckeye offense sure didn’t do themselves any favors in showing off the passing game for a possible future target, only completing nine passes on the day. Peoples-Jones got the red carpet rolled out for him for his visit including talking to AD Gene Smith and President Drake among other people.

Although it is likely that Peoples-Jones ends up at Michigan when all is said and done, per Jeremy Birmingham at Landof10.com, he isn’t tipping his hand on where his recruitment stands. Birm spoke to a source within Ohio State who said it was hard to get a read on where things stand with him at this time, but a source close to Peoples-Jones said that the Buckeyes were at least in the Top 3 at one point in time.

The Buckeyes do have a small contingent of Cass Tech players on their roster including starting running back Mike Weber who spoke to Cleveland.com after the game about getting Donovan to come to Ohio State.


The Buckeyes did everything they could on Saturday to show what kind of program Ohio State is, and I am sure Urban Meyer and Zach Smith met with him to discuss how he could be a difference maker for this recruiting class along with Trevon Grimes and Tyjon Lindsey. Will it be enough to sway Peoples-Jones from the state up north? We can only wait and see what happens from here on out.



Cleveland Heights Duo Visit:

Tyreke Smith and Jaylen Harris were both on campus this weekend as well on unofficial visits to see the Buckeyes take on the Hoosiers. Smith, a 4-star defensive end, spoke to 11W about his visit.

“It was great,” Smith said. “I was very impressed with the defense.”

Smith currently holds 13 offers from the likes of Penn State, Michigan State and Maryland. He is looking to get back on campus sometime this fall and he said he will certainly be in attendance for the Michigan game if not before that.


Jaylen Harris is a 4-star wide receiver, who many have considered a Buckeye lean over the past few months. The main question that has come up is, is there enough room for Harris in this class? If you read last Friday’s HatS, then you know he spoke to Cleveland.com and said that they would find a way to get him in if indeed he wanted in. While I don’t think that Peoples-Jones ends up a Buckeye, I think if Jaylen Harris wants in that he would be a mighty fine addition for the 3rd wide receiver in the class of 2017.



The post Heard Around the ‘Shoe – 10/10/2016 appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Future Ohio State Buckeyes in action: Tate Martell, Josh Myers ... - 247Sports
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Future Ohio State Buckeyes in action: Tate Martell, Josh Myers ...
247Sports
Every Sunday during football season I wrap up the weekend that was in high school football in Ohio and elsewhere, focusing on those who will continue their ...

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BM5: OSU's passing offense is 'very troubling' - 247Sports
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BM5: OSU's passing offense is 'very troubling'
247Sports
Also covered on the show is a look ahead to what will be a top-10 showdown in Madison this Saturday night when the Buckeyes travel to Wisconsin. What's next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for our FREE ...

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Why all the angst?
Scott via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Someone needs to explain to me why I should be ticked off over a 21-point win over the new-and-improved Indiana Hoosiers.
Ohio State gave up nothing on the ground, and was only modestly challenged in the air. On offense the Buckeyes rushed for nearly 300 yards after abandoning the passing game due to an ineffective J.T. Barrett.
I hear criticism galore of the play calling and can’t figure out why. Barrett was 4 of 9 for 41 yards in the first half and only attempted 12 more in the second half.
He missed badly on a pair of wide-open receivers and it wasn’t long after that the coaches tied his arm behind his back and made him focus on the run.
Had the situation been the opposite, if they couldn’t run the ball, I guarantee co-offensive coordinators Tim Beck and Ed Warriner would have put the ball in the air more.
It’s strategy. It’s in-game adjusting. It happens in other sports.
In basketball if a zone defense is getting eaten alive, the coach goes man-to-man. And if a team is getting manhandled in the paint, the coach goes zone.
Play to the strength of the day.
Maybe Barrett shouldn’t have called his own number so much on the read option, and Coach Urban Meyer admitted Curtis Samuel needed more touches.
But I can’t fault them for keeping the ball on the ground as long as it was working, which it was. Indiana knew it was coming and still couldn’t stop it.
There was absolutely no reason to throw the ball more than they did. Too many bad things can happen on the field and between the ears when a passing game sours.
And being able to pound out nearly six yards per carry to me is a tell-tale sign that airing it out was not necessary.
Barrett completed just five passes in the decisive second half. He simply was off his game. It doesn’t happen a lot. But it did.
I credit Beck, Warriner and perhaps Meyer for recognizing it and not forcing the ball in air.
IU is a team the OSU backups could beat, so there was no reason to do anything more than necessary to win.

The post Why all the angst? appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Troy Daily News | Milton's Martin battles Buckeyes - Troy Daily News
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Troy Daily News | Milton's Martin battles Buckeyes
Troy Daily News
Anthony Weber | Troy Daily News Indiana left guard Wes Martin (center), a Milton-Union High School graduate, blocks Ohio State defensive end Jalyn Holmes ...

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Are You Not Entertained? Indiana
Scott via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


There has been mixed response regarding the outcome of the Ohio State-Indiana game Saturday.

Some didn’t like what they saw. Others were OK with it.

Regardless it was a win. But was it a win that included everything we all wanted to see?

Scott
A win: Obviously.
No false starts: Still looking.
No injuries: Haven’t heard anything.
Air Buckeyes: Grounded.

Ben
Play well: The run game and offensive line played great. JT Barrett wasn’t at his best throwing. The defense gave up some passing yards but that was mainly because IU couldn’t run the ball.
JT TD: Closing in on the record.

WVa
Don’t let history repeat itself: Not a total nail-biter but the Hoosiers continue to play OSU tough.
Slow start will be deadly: It wasn’t the start like they had at Oklahoma, but it wasn’t deadly for the Buckeyes either. Credit Indiana.
Keep the crowd in it: It was quiet at times but the crowd came alive at the right moments. Still saw some empty seats in the corners of C Deck where I sat as a student.

Brandon
A win: Yay.
No injuries: I think we all escaped
Domination: On the ground and defensively, yes. Air Barrett needs work.

Mike
A victory: Not sure IU put the fear of God into Buckeyes again but it wasn’t a total domination.
A clean game: Not quite. Close though.
100-yard receiver: Nope.

The post Are You Not Entertained? Indiana appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Ohio State plays host to big time recruits
Charles Doss via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes had a solid group of prospects on campus over the weekend.

Ohio State didn’t just beat Indiana on Saturday, they also played host to a very solid group of high school prospects.

Taking in the Buckeyes victory over a very feisty Hoosiers squad were numerous of Ohio State’s top upper and underclassmen targets.

While Urban Meyer and the Ohio State coaching didn’t walk away from the weekend with a verbal commitment from any of the recruits who made it to Columbus, they did seem to help themselves climb up the latter of some of their leader lists.

Want to know who the Buckeyes had on campus? Land-Grant Holy Land has your back. Below is a little rundown of just some the recruits who made it to Columbus over the weekend:

Donovan Peoples-Jones


Class: 2017

Town/School: Detroit,MI/Cass Tech

Position: Wide Receiver

Offers: Ohio State, Florida, Michigan, Michigan State, etc

Jaylen Harris


Class: 2017

Town/School: Cleveland/Cleveland Heights

Position: Wide Receiver

Offers: Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan State, Tennessee, etc

Tyreke Smith


Class: 2018

Town/School: Cleveland/Cleveland Heights

Position: Defensive End

Offers: Michigan State, Penn State, Maryland, Kentucky, etc

PJ Mustipher


Class: 2018

Town/School: Owings Mills,MD/McDonogh School

Position: Defensive Tackle

Offers: OSU, Notre Dame, Alabama, Tennessee, etc

Michael Thompson


Class: 2018

Town/School: St. Louis,MO/Parkway North

Position: Defensive Tackle

Offers: OSU, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, etc

Blaine Scott


Class: 2018

Town/School: Portsmouth/East

Position: Offensive Guard

Offers: Duke, Iowa State, Penn State, Kentucky, etc

Jacob Lacey


Class: 2019

Town/School: Bowling Green,KY/South Warren

Position: Defensive Tackle

Offers: Notre Dame, Louisville, Kentucky, Cincinnati, etc

Quick Hits

• Thad Matta’s basketball staff also had a solid recruiting weekend. Making the trek to Columbus from Virginia, three-star class of 2017 point guard Braxton Beverly was on campus for an official visit. Even though OSU is yet to offer Beverly, the former Miami (OH) verbal pledge holds offers from George Washington and others.
• Will Tate Martell walk away with another Player of the Week award or will another future Buckeye take it home this go around? The poll is now open. Let your voice be heard and vote for the Land-Grant Holy Land MVP.

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Top-ranked WR Peoples-Jones talks Ohio State official - 247Sports
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Top-ranked WR Peoples-Jones talks Ohio State official
247Sports
Hurricane Matthew altered the nation's No. 1 receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones's official visit plans this past weekend with the Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech. To continue reading, subscribe now for VIP Access. Are you a current VIP and getting this message?

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Michigan defends home court in win against Buckeyes - The Michigan Daily
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Michigan defends home court in win against Buckeyes
The Michigan Daily
During the Buckeye-dominated third set, Michigan sophomore libero Jenna Lerg ran from behind the back line and, with one arm outstretched, saved a ball with an incredible dive to set up a spike for her teammates. But Ohio State recovered, sending a ...
The Hurry Up: Ohio State Rolls Out Red Carpet for Top Receiver, Elite Defensive Linemen Consider Buckeyes Among ...Eleven Warriors
Ohio State and Michigan give Big Ten two of college football's top four teams: Doug Lesmerisescleveland.com
Charboneau's Big Ten rankingsThe Detroit News
ESPN (blog) -Sporting Alert (blog)
all 50 news articles »

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Ohio State football | Ground game keeps Buckeyes flying high - Columbus Dispatch
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Ohio State football | Ground game keeps Buckeyes flying high
Columbus Dispatch
The 290 yards rushing by the Buckeyes — which included a team-leading 137 on 26 carries by quarterback J.T. Barrett — was a laudable achievement against an Indiana defense that had given up only 175 the week before in an overtime win over Michigan ...
Is defense setting tone for Buckeyes?Bucyrus Telegraph Forum
Mike Weber helps No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes slide past Indiana HoosiersUPI.com
Ohio State Buckeyes experience adversity, still win bigDayton Daily News
247Sports -ESPN
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Buckeyes pull away from Hoosiers - 1070 The Fan - Indianapolis
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Buckeyes pull away from Hoosiers
1070 The Fan - Indianapolis
Ohio State's defense also forced Indiana (3-2, 2-1) to turn the ball over on downs on the Hoosiers' own 33 with 5:22 left and the Buckeyes leading 31-17. Five plays later, Barrett hit Dontre Wilson with a 37-yard touchdown pass to put the game out of ...


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First Look: Buckeyes face tough assignment at Wisconsin - 247Sports
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First Look: Buckeyes face tough assignment at Wisconsin
247Sports
Can the Buckeyes keep a handle on Indiana running back Devine Redding? – The rugged OSU defense continued to stone the run. Redding had 78 yards on 22 carries. Indiana netted just 99 yards rushing on 40 carries (2.5 average per attempt). * 8. Will this ...

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Where is ESPN's College GameDay going next Saturday? Ohio State at Wisconsin: Buckeye Breakfast - cleveland.com
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Where is ESPN's College GameDay going next Saturday? Ohio State at Wisconsin: Buckeye Breakfast
cleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State thought by this point in the season that it would have played in a game that was worthy of being the site of ESPN's "College GameDay." That game was supposed to be the Buckeyes game at Oklahoma, but the Sooners' loss to ...

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Milton's Martin battles Buckeyes - Troy Daily News
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Milton's Martin battles Buckeyes
Troy Daily News
It should come perhaps as only a mild surprise that Martin and the Hoosiers would want another crack or two at the Buckeyes — a team they haven't defeated since 1988 and have beaten just 12 times in 88 attempts — because since Ohio State coach Urban ...

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Joey Bosa gets a sack in debut, Ezekiel Elliott continues to assert himself as NFL's leading rusher
Alexis Chassen via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Several Buckeye rookies made noise in Week 5.

Five weeks into the 2016 NFL season and some former Ohio State Buckeyes are making their debut while others are reverting back to old positions. Zeke continues to lead the league in rushing yards — as was expected preseason -- and had another monster day Sunday against the Bengals.

Bosa’s debut


After a contract standoff that lasted months and an injury that kept him out the first few weeks of the season, Joey Bosa — the No. 3 overall draft pick -- finally suited up for the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. The rookie defensive end more than made up for his time lost and asserted himself as an NFL caliber player.

In the first half alone, Bosa had four tackles (3 solo), two tackles for loss and his first career sack — followed by his signature shrug. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


His reception in San Diego was lukewarm after contract negotiations with the Chargers went terribly wrong, but it wont take long for fans to come around and appreciate their first-round pick after his incredible debut.

Buckeye Nation


There were a few roster moves made this week that benefited two former Ohio State players and expanded the reach of Buckeyes in the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals added safety Christian Bryant to their practice squad, and the Atlanta Falcons signed veteran linebacker A.J. Hawk — who had so far spent the season on the broadcasting side of things. Despite signing with the team just days ago, Hawk was in Atlanta’s starting lineup Sunday against Denver.

With these two additions, Buckeyes now have representation on 25-of-32 NFL teams — it would have been 29 if it weren’t for a few preseason roster cuts.

Pryor back at QB


The Cleveland Browns hosted the Patriots in Week 5, and after seeing two of their starting quarterbacks already sidelined this season, the team’s No. 3 and 4 both were injured. The Browns have the ultimate back-up plan, and lineup wide receiver Terrelle Pryor under center. It’s obvious at this point the team won’t look at Pryor as the long-term solution at quarterback, but to have him able to step in every now and then has already proven useful.

Houston has a problem


Braxton Miller made his return from injury Sunday against the Vikings, but there was very little offense all day from the Texans, especially in the passing game, resulting in one reception for 12 yards on the day.

With J.J. Watt out for the remainder of the season, the Texans’ defense is looking at Buckeye John Simon to step up in a big way. He tried to do so Sunday, almost coming up with Sam Bradford’s first interception as a Viking. His wife probably isn’t going to let him forget he dropped an interception anytime soon.

Plays of the week


Ezekiel Elliott

The running back makes it look easy. He finished the day with 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns — his third week in a row with 100-plus rushing yards -- along with 37 receiving yards. It all started with the first score of the day for the Cowboys.


The Cowboys’ running back had a sensational 60-yard touchdown run to start the third quarter, adding to his already impressive rookie season.


Elliott really does do it all, coming up with a big recovery of an onside kick attempt by the Bengals with just over two minutes left in Sunday’s game.


Carlos Hyde

The NFL has proven that they intend on taking the new taunting penalty very seriously, which they did on ‘Thursday Night Football’. The former Ohio State running back did his signature flex move after picking up a first down which quickly drew a flag. Sure, he was in the face of opposing players, but still....


Other notes

• Eli Apple (Giants) is back after missing several games due to a hamstring injury, but was able to practice this week and is expected to play on ‘Sunday Night Football’.
• Buckeyes once again will be on full display during ‘Monday Night Football’ when the Carolina Panthers (Philly Brown, Kurt Coleman, Ted Ginn Jr., Andrew Norwell) take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• The New Orleans Saints (Vonn Bell, James Laurinaitis, Michael Thomas) and Seattle Seahawks (Tyvis Powell, Nick Vannett) are on Bye this week.
• Just weeks after his NFL debut, Jeff Heuerman gets the start for the Broncos at tight end.
• Inactive Buckeyes this week include Jalin Marshall (Jets) and Cardale Jones (Bills).
• Ryan Shazier (Steelers) missed another game due to injury, and teammate Cam Heyward suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter Sunday requiring a follow-up MRI.

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Peoples-Jones tweets Buckeyes did “all of the right things” - 247Sports
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Peoples-Jones tweets Buckeyes did “all of the right things”
247Sports
On Thursday wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones let everyone know via Twitter because of Hurricane Matthew he would not be making an official visit to Florida this weekend and instead would make one to Ohio State. Now that the official visit is over ...
Ohio State opens as 9-point favorites vs WisconsinLand-Grant Holy Land
Donovan Peoples-Jones got Ohio State's royal treatment during official visit: A peek insidecleveland.com
Ohio State Opens as 10.5-Point Favorite at WisconsinEleven Warriors

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Is defense setting tone for Buckeyes? - Bucyrus Telegraph Forum
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Is defense setting tone for Buckeyes?
Bucyrus Telegraph Forum
A ridiculous survey making the rounds this past week showed 62 percent of voters in Ohio think Urban Meyer's Ohio State Buckeyes would beat Hue Jackson's Cleveland Browns. Sixty-two percent. Which, incidentally, is much higher than OSU quarterback ...
Mike Weber helps No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes slide past Indiana HoosiersUPI.com
Ohio State Buckeyes experience adversity, still win bigDayton Daily News
Ohio State 38, Indiana 17 | Reality checkColumbus Dispatch
cleveland.com -Toledo Blade
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More Ohio State Buckeye recruits had an excellent weekend. Which one is your MVP?
Charles Doss via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Which OSU pledge will get your vote this week?

If there is one thing future Buckeye quarterback Tate Martell does, it’s win. More than used to bringing home awards on and off the field, the four-star rated signal caller once again locked up the Land-Grant Holy Land Player of the Week after securing 57% of your votes.

Leading Bishop Gorman (NV) past fellow Ohio State commit Trevon Grimes and St. Thomas Aquinas (FL), 25-24, Martell accounted for over 200 total yards of offense and three touchdowns in the three overtime thriller.

Tate Martell, and many of the other soon-to-be Buckeyes were back in action over the weekend. Which Ohio State pledge will grab your Player of the Week vote this go around?

The poll is now open. Here are your five MVP nominees:

Tate Martell


Leaving exactly where he left off last week, Martell was a key factor in Bishop Gorman’s easy 69-13 win over Spring Valley (NV) on Friday evening.

Only playing in the first half, the future Buckeye quarterback completed 9 of his 13 passing attempts for 178 yards and three touchdowns, while also carrying the ball six times for 72 yards and two more Bishop Gorman scores.

Antjuan Simmons


Taking on crosstown rival Skyline High, Simmons and his Ann Arbor Pioneer squad played a hard fought ball game, but ended up just short of walking away victorious, falling 21-20.

Seeing time on both sides of the ball for Pioneer, Simmons, who will play linebacker full-time once he arrives on the Ohio State campus, showed off his speed and athleticism on Friday. At linebacker, the four-star standout racked up four total tackles.

While his presence was felt on defense it was on offense where Simmons did most of his damage on the game. Scoring two touchdowns in the loss, his play of the night came on an 80 yard reception and score early in the fourth quarter.

Brendon White


Returning to the field after sitting out due to injury, White led Olentangy Liberty to a huge win over Westerville South on Friday.

Completing 11 of his 21 passing attempts, the four-star athlete accounted for 122 yards and a touchdown. One of the fastest kids on the field, he also toted the rock 15 times for another 65 yards to help the Patriots past the Wildcats.

Brian Snead


Snead has missed a little time this season, but is starting to get back to his old tricks. In Armwood’s (FL) 38-14 convincing win over Tampa Bay Tech, Snead was definitely one of the nights top play-makers.

Rushing for over 100 yards on the night, the class of 2018 running back scored a pair of touchdowns to get the Hawks one step closer to reaching the state playoffs.

Josh Myers


Losing in the final seconds to Springboro on Friday, Myers’ night didn’t end the way he wanted, but the five-star offensive tackle still had an excellent game paving the way for the Vikings offense.

Coming up just short of picking up their six win of the season, 39-38, Miamisburg’s rushing attack was more than stellar in the loss. Thanks to Myers, and the other hogs upfront, the Vikings ball carriers racked up 366 yards on the ground.

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Ohio State football: Are the Buckeyes a good passing team, and does that even matter? - cleveland.com
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Ohio State football: Are the Buckeyes a good passing team, and does that even matter?
cleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Curtis Samuel was wide open down the left sideline. J.T. Barrett missed him. It would have been a touchdown, and it didn't matter. The same thing happened with the deep ball Barrett missed to James Clark in the third quarter of Ohio ...


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Ohio State looked mortal vs Indiana and still won by 21 points
Chad Peltier via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The passing game hurt drive efficiency, but the

This weekend was the first time in the 2016 season where the Buckeyes looked mortal. During College GameDay on Saturday, ESPN put up a graphic with different stats about the Bucks, showing that Ohio State ranks first in the country in "game control." ESPN defines game control as the "chance that an average Top 25 team would control games from start to end the way this team did, given the schedule" and about the team's changing win likelihood throughout the game. Unlike the Oklahoma game, it wasn't clear whether Ohio State totally had complete game control against Indiana.

The Indiana game was also the first time this season that the Buckeyes haven't exceeded either the Vegas spread or S&P+ projections (all projections were around a 45-20 final score, so it was still close).

But this is what it's like to be an Ohio State fan where Urban Meyer is the head coach: a 3-touchdown win is disappointing. Not necessarily because the win wasn't entertaining, but because the team showed any weaknesses that a better team might exploit down the road.

As you'd guess, the complete lack of passing efficiency drove down the Buckeye offense's overall success:

OSU Indiana
Rushing success rate 57% 32%
Rushing explosive plays 7 (27%) 2 (5%)
Passing success rate 25% 33%
Passing explosive plays 2 (40%) 3 (10%)
Red zone TDs 83% 50%
Scoring ops efficiency 100% (6.33) 50% (2.83)
Drive efficiency 43% (4) 43% (5)
Points off turnovers 7 3


In the table above, scoring opportunity efficiency looks at the percentage of scoring opportunities (drives that cross the opponents' 40 yard line) that end in a score. The number in parentheses is the average points per scoring opportunity. Drive efficiency looks at the percentage of drives that were scoring opportunities. The number in parentheses is the number of three-and-outs the offense had.

In our advanced stats preview, we wrote that there were four keys to the game:

The deadly Buckeye ground game


Indiana's defense was projected to be relatively more successful against the run than the pass, but obviously those statistical tendencies changed for the Buckeyes.

Overall, the Buckeyes' 57% rushing efficiency was lower than usual. Against Rutgers and Oklahoma, the ground game had a 66% success rate. 9% lower isn't the end of the world, and was likely due in part to the relative lack of success for the Ohio State passing game. Without any threat of a passing attack, the numbers don't work out for the offense:


Barrett had just a 25% passing success rate against a defense that was 80th in passing S&P+ heading in to the game. Without balance, the run game will be slightly less effective. Curtis Samuel was clearly effective -- 9 carries for 82 yards, a 67% rushing success rate, and a 33% rushing explosiveness rate -- but the ground game overall had a disappointing showing.

It's worth emphasizing Curtis Samuel's importance to the offense. For every three carries he had against Indiana, he had a run over 12 yards, with two going for 22+. He's also likely the Buckeyes' best passing threat, even though he didn't have any receptions against the Hoosiers. Simply put, Samuel needs more touches per game. Through five games he averages just 14.6 touches on the ground and through the air.

Slow starts are now a trend


The Ohio State offense was tenth in offensive S&P+ heading in to the game, but ranked just 44th in first quarter offensive S&P+. Like we said in the preview, J.T. completes only 52.9% of his passes in the first quarter compared with 69.4%, 68.8%, and 65.2% in the rest of the game. And the Buckeyes have scored a total of 266 points so far this year -- since the Bowling Green game where they scored 21 out of the gate, the Buckeyes have a total of just 26 points through four other first quarters. The problem here is that if an opposing offense gets lucky and gets several quick scores to start a game, putting the Buckeyes in a hole, then we don't have much evidence for whether the Buckeye offense could get quick strikes to come back.

Drive efficiency and the passing game


The obvious question from this game is whether the Buckeyes can beat tougher opponents like Wisconsin next week, Nebraska, or Michigan without a passing attack. My guess is probably not -- a 25% passing success rate probably won't be enough to beat better defenses, especially ones that can keep the offense from scoring touchdowns on 83% of their red zone trips and averaging 6.33 points per scoring opportunity.

Against Indiana, the passing game primarily limited the Buckeyes' drive efficiency -- how successful they were at turning drives into scoring opportunities. Last week against Rutgers the Buckeyes' drive efficiency was 89% and it was even 60% against the Sooners, but it was just 43% this week.

But the offense was still incredibly effective when they actually did create scoring opportunities. I don't think they would be as successful with scoring opportunity efficiency against better defenses, particularly if they don't have the same luck for average starting field position. Three out of the Buckeyes' six scoring opportunities started inside the Indiana 40-yard line thanks to the defense or special teams.

About the defense


We'll end on a high note. The defense was incredible once again -- and particularly the run defense. They managed to hold the Hoosiers to no gain or a loss on 14 of 37 runs (38%). Along with their usual 68% run defense success rate, that's an incredible recipe for success. The defense did allow a long pass -- the 50-yarder to Nick Westbrook -- but overall they were incredible given the four 3-and-outs that the offense had and 14 total drives as well.

Finally, we noted that one of the most important stats to watch would be the Buckeyes' defensive efficiency when the Hoosiers get a scoring opportunity. They seemed to have an advantage in defensive points allowed per scoring opportunity and backed that up by allowing just 2.83 points per Indiana scoring opportunity. The importance of that kind of red zone efficiency can't be overstated.

This review might sound gloomy -- especially for a win -- but it shouldn't. The Buckeyes were still impressive, and it's often good to have early set backs so that things can be corrected moving forward. The real tell will be in how the players and coaches respond next week against Wisconsin and their own incredible defense.

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