Ohio State’s history with Oklahoma is awesome
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Earle Bruce beat Barry Switzer in the sea of crimson and cream. Meyer looks to do the same to Stoops.


With the Ohio State-Oklahoma looming, the college football world is about to embark on the third edition of the Buckeye-Sooner showdown. Already, we’ve seen a backup quarterback trying to trash talk, and the ensuing repercussions of said trash talk.

Let’s look back at the other matchups these two programs shared, and how this game on Saturday will be another clipping for the college football history book.

The Sooner Schooner’s great escape out of Columbus


1977. That’s the first time Ohio State had ever played Oklahoma – and the Buckeyes had the luxury of playing at home. Woody Hayes brought in a squad that was off to a fast 2-0 start after beating Miami (FL) and Minnesota; Barry Switzer came into Columbus, Ohio with a Sooner squad that was also 2-0, but escaped out of Week 1 with a two-point victory over Vanderbilt.

Oklahoma, who was ranked No. 3 at the time, was as advertised. Billy Sims rushed the Sooners to an early lead, which came out to 17-0 after the first quarter. After Uwe von Schamann netted a field goal, the visiting squad had pulled away to what seemed like an insurmountable 20-0 lead.

However, the Buckeyes had the patented Hayes rushing attack – three yards and a cloud of dust – and were out to fight the Sooners until the clock hit all zeros. Ohio State rattled off three straight rushing touchdowns, and found themselves leading the game midway through the third quarter. But the Buckeyes weren’t done; Greg Castignola passed for his first touchdown of the game and put the Scarlet and Gray up 28-20. Castignola only passed the ball twice against Oklahoma, but this completion put momentum squarely into the Ohio State corner.

Here is where things got interesting. With under 90 seconds left in regulation, the Sooners fought back and scored a touchdown – but the conversion failed. Down 28-26, the Sooners had no option but to attempt a squib kick on the ensuing kickoff. Because of a deflection off a Buckeye, the Sooner snatched the ball, and started their final drive from midfield.

Oklahoma took four plays to put themselves into field goal range for von Schamann. With three seconds left, von Schamann connected with a 41-yard field goal and lifted the Sooners to a nail-biting victory in Columbus, 29-28.


The Oklahoma loss was the only regular season ‘L’ for the Buckeyes in 1977. Ohio State ended up in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama – where they would collect their second loss as the Crimson Tide blew out Hayes’ squad, 35-6.

On the other side, Switzer lead the Sooners to a 4-0 start before losing to Texas. Like the Buckeyes, the Sooners only suffered one setback in the regular season, but equaled that tally in the postseason with a blowout bowl game loss.

My name is Earle


Redemption is a marvelous entity. After being the man in charge for four seasons, Earle Bruce had a chance to do what Woody could not: beat Oklahoma. Going into the 1983 season, the Buckeyes were fresh off a 9-3 campaign that ended with a win in the Holiday Bowl against Brigham Young. Similarly, the Sooners ended 1982 with an 8-4 record, but managed to lose in the Fiesta Bowl to Arizona State, even though running back Marcus Dupree had a record night for Oklahoma.

The second meeting between Ohio State and Oklahoma happened on Sept. 17, 1983. Both sides faced one other opponent, and both entered the contest in Norman, Okla. at 1-0. Like the meeting this Saturday, both teams were highly ranked. The Buckeyes entered ranked No. 6, while the home team Sooners came in as the No. 2 team in the country.

Unlike the first time, Ohio State opened up with the lead. Quarterback Mike Tomczak launched the first score to John Frank in the waxing minutes of the first quarter. After leading 7-0 to end the first, Tomczak went back to Frank again for another touchdown in the beginning of the second frame.

Spencer Tillman brought the Sooners back with a 37-yard touchdown run, which ended up being the longest scoring play of the game. The one-score lead wouldn’t last for the long, though. Coming back off halftime, the Buckeyes went back to their scoring ways. Roman Bates punched the ball in from two yards out around the midway point in the third quarter. Ohio State went up 21-7, and were in control of the contest.

From there, the Sooners really didn’t have an answer to Bruce’s Buckeyes. Dupree hobbled to only 30 yards rushing on the ground, but the team collectively came close to the Buckeyes on the ground, 191-189. A stat where the Sooners came nowhere close to the Buckeyes: third down conversions. Switzer’s play calling on the penultimate down was abysmal (3-for-13) while Bruce’s went a modest 10-for-17.

Ohio State’s 24-14 victory in Norman paved the way for a Fiesta Bowl trip. On the flip side, Oklahoma’s season included a few more losses, and a postseason at home.

Meyer-Stoops: Round 2


The will be the first time Meyer faces Bob Stoops since the 2009 National Championship game – a game that Meyer won, 24-14.

Stoops and his Sooners found their way into the BCS National Championship Game, hosted by the Orange Bowl, by way of surviving a turbulent season in the Big XII conference – where Texas beat Oklahoma, then Texas Tech beat Texas on a last second Michael Crabtree (remember him?) touchdown, followed by Oklahoma plastering Texas Tech. Oklahoma walked away as the higher rated of the teams, thus gaining a spot in the conference championship game.

On the other side, Meyer’s Florida Gators squad overcame an early season loss to Ole Miss before running the table. In the SEC Championship Game, Nick Saban and his No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide fell to the No.2 ranked Gators. Fun fact: this was the first time that a conference championship featured the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the AP Poll.

The 2009 national championship featured a pretty even first half. Meyer’s defense contained Stoops’ offense, which featured Heisman quarterback Sam Bradford. However, the Gators’ offense turned on the points in the second half, and closed the game on a 10-0 scoring run.

Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images
The last meeting: Stoops and Meyer after the 2009 National Championship Game

Saturday’s meeting mirrors that of the last one. Oklahoma has a pretty decent quarterback in Baker Mayfield, while the Buckeyes bring J.T. Barrett, a rushing and passing threat, and Curtis Samuel – a clone of Percy Harvin from Meyer’s Gator years.

Ohio State’s last outings in Big XII country


The Buckeyes last three meetings with a Big XII institution have all been against Texas. Which means the last time the Scarlet and Gray played in a true Big XII stadium was back in 2006 when Jim Tressel had a No. 1 ranked squad. In that game, Troy Smith and the Buckeyes rodeoed the No. 2 ranked Longhorns, 24-7, in Austin, Texas.

Ohio State hasn’t made a slew of trips into Big XII territory throughout the program’s history. Before the 2007 meeting in Austin, the Buckeyes last trip to a current member of the Big XII came against West Virginia in the first week of 1998. If you don’t count the current conference alignment, the Missouri Tigers hosted the Buckeyes in 1996.

In total, Ohio State has played a current member of the Big XII conference 24 times. Of those 24 contests, the Buckeyes have won a staggering 18 of them. Kansas and Iowa State haven’t had the chance to play against the reigning Fiesta Bowl champions, but one would have to figure that with the way Meyer has guided the Buckeye program, it would be a tall order for either the Jayhawks or Cyclones to secure a win.

One thing has been common when either Bruce, Cooper or Tressel were in charge of the program: they won in true road games against the Big XII. Urban Meyer looks to add to that list on Saturday.

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Ohio State-Oklahoma, Florida State-Louisville highlight CFB Week 3 - Dayton Daily News
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State-Oklahoma, Florida State-Louisville highlight CFB Week 3
Dayton Daily News
LOUISVILLE, KY - SEPTEMBER 01: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Louisville Cardinals scrambles out of the pocket during the game against the Charlotte 49ers at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on September 1, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville defeated ...

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Gameday+ | Big Ten spotlight game: Michigan State at Notre Dame - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Gameday+ | Big Ten spotlight game: Michigan State at Notre Dame
Columbus Dispatch
Neither team looks back fondly on its opener, but Michigan State at least has the benefit of a win and the opportunity to spend an open week learning from a humdrum performance against Furman. But Notre Dame is still looking for answers that an easy ...

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What the Ohio State offense can learn from the Houston-Oklahoma game
Christopher Jason via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson can exploit Oklahoma’s secondary.

As we know by now, Urban Meyer’s spread offense is dictated by a power running attack. Whether it was with Tim Tebow’s QB power runs, Carlos Hyde and Ezekiel Elliott destroying the A-gap, and now Mike Weber; Meyer wants to set the tone by running the ball before mixing in finesse play calls.

After the well-known 2014 debacle against Virginia Tech — where Virginia Tech DC Bud Foster deployed the Bear front to clog up the A-gap — Ohio State began to attack the perimeter in the run game, and that was the key to the 2014 and 2015 offenses. Remember the 85-yard Sugar Bowl-sealing run? Of course you do. After Alabama’s big and talented defensive line began to shutdown the inside zone (A-gap), former offensive coordinator Tom Herman dialed up the sweep to end the Crimson Tide’s season.


When looking at Oklahoma, they have a gigantic defensive line and two legit inside linebackers who are going to cause problems for Ohio State’s inside zone. Defensive end (No. 97) Charles Walker is listed at 6’2”, 304 lbs, defensive tackle (No. 93) Jordan Wade is listed at 6’3”, 305 lbs and defensive end Matt Dimon (No. 94) is listed at 6’2”, 285 lbs. The Sooners run a base 3-4 defense, but against spread offenses, they’ll play a lot of 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 (below) with nickel personnel. We’ll dive into more of this later.



When looking at Oklahoma’s schedule prior to this season, most saw the Houston match-up and just chalked it up to a good game being played on Week 1. Buckeye fans soon realized that Oklahoma and Bob Stoops will have excellent preparation for their Week 3 clash with the Buckeyes, because they have already played a version of Ohio State’s offense, against Tom Herman’s Houston Cougars. Oklahoma’s defense let up 321 yards through the air to Herman’s offense, en-route to a 33-23 loss.

If you don’t think Urban Meyer and J.T. Barrett have been in contact with Herman to find tendencies and talk about Sooner personnel, you’re nuts.

"We did talk to Tom. We got their thoughts on personnel. Because you see what you see on videotape," Meyer said on Monday. "It was more about personnel because they have a couple of new players in the back end of their defense. Schematically, not as much because we get the same videotape that they have. It was more about personnel."

When watching the Sooner defense against the Houston offense, here are a few things the Buckeyes should be able to exploit and avoid, in order to be as successful as Houston:

The Oklahoma secondary had difficulty covering Houston’s big wide-outs:

Houston boasts two of the bigger receivers that Oklahoma will face this season — both standing at 6’3”, 210-plus lbs. The Sooner corners ran into massive trouble defending these two receivers, and were beat a few times on back-shoulder throws and vertical routes.

Below, this is about as easy of a back shoulder throw as a quarterback can complete and this is only one of many examples:


From an Ohio State standpoint, it looks like Barrett should target Noah Brown and Marcus Baugh vertically. Both are big, athletic targets who can go up and make plays. Oklahoma’s secondary really lacks a true ball-hawk, as they only defended one of Greg Ward Jr.’s 40 pass attempts.

The Oklahoma secondary misses a ton of tackles:

Not only can the Sooner secondary not cover, but they really can’t tackle or get off blocks. Houston’s receivers and their backs constantly broke tackles on the perimeter, which led to a ton of yards after contact.

When looking at Oklahoma’s secondary, their two starting corners (No. 7 Jordan Thomas and No. 27 Dakota Washington), and their starting strong safety (No. 10 Steven Parker), combined to miss 9 tackles. Not good.


They also had an extremely tough time getting off stalk blocks — something that Tom Herman and Ohio State WR coach Zack Smith stress:


This is where Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson (if healthy) will do damage. As mentioned above, when Ohio State has trouble gaining yardage with their inside zone and controlling the A-gap, they’ll run sweep, jet-sweep and speed option to get outside, and then counter trey once the Sooner defense starts to flow with jet motion.


In the passing game, Barrett uses Samuel and Wilson as check-downs on the perimeter and they’ll get chunk yardage that way.


If the Oklahoma secondary can’t tackle or get off blocks, Samuel might be a Heisman candidate — or at least a household name — after the game.

See how Houston gets to the edge with ease, when running the speed option. Imagine Samuel or Wilson taking this pitch:


The Sooners possess a strong front-seven:

When charting the Houston-Oklahoma game, Oklahoma’s mammoth defensive line and linebackers held Houston in check in the A and B gaps. I recorded 14 Houston rushing attempts that were stopped at or before the line of scrimmage. The defensive line does a great job of clogging up the A and B gaps, which result in many run stuffs and unblocked linebackers to make plays.

CFB Film Room credited ILB (No. 26) Jordan Evans with zero misses tackles on 10 attempts, OLB (No. 12) Will Johnson with three run stuffs and OLB (No. 31) Ogbonnia Okoronkwo with two QB hits, two QB hurries, one sack and one missed tackle on eight attempts.

***

Since Ohio State is still going to have to run inside zone to open up play-action and the perimeter run game, Mike Weber is going to have to earn every yard that he gains on Saturday. After the inside zone was completely nullified in the first half by Tulsa’s front-seven, one should expect a big bounce-back from the offensive line and Weber.

Overall, for Ohio State to win this game, they’ll need to take advantage of their superior athletes and players that they have on the perimeter. If Ed Warinner and Tim Beck decide to use their 2015 Michigan State game plan, the Buckeyes have no chance. If they ride Samuel, Wilson and Zone 6, they should walk out of Norman, victorious.

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Making The List: George Chaump
jcollingsworth via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Football is still here, thank God! So as we progress into the season it only appears appropriate to me that in are undertaking for Making the List we remain within the great names from the Scarlet and Gray’s gridiron.

This week, with Oklahoma being our big focus, I wanted to pull into attention someone that is deserving of notice that just does not seem like someone on any of our top three prospects for inclusion. In those words, I am merely suggesting that there are so many roses in the garden to pick, why is it that we reach for the ones in the front – well, that’s because they are more in our pivotal sphere. So allow us to pick one from the back, one just as beautiful in the lore of our wondrous school – The Ohio State University.

George Chaump was born April 28, 1936. He would play football for Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. His coaching career began in the ranks of High School in 1961 – Shamokin High School in Pennsylvania – which was followed for six seasons at John Harris High School. It was at the latter that brought positive attention – going 58-4 in those six seasons.

George was brought onto the staff of the great Woody Hayes and the Ohio State University in 1968. What a great time to join a team. The Buckeyes went 10-0 (7-0 in the Big 10) and would end the season with a victory over the USC Trojans and Heisman winner OJ 27-16 in Pasadena on New Year’s Day in front of 102, 068 people.

That team would be loaded with what would be termed as the Super Sophomore Class: Rex Kern, Jack Tatum, Jim Stillwagon, John Brockington, Mike Sensibaugh, Leo Hayden, Bruce Jankowski, and Jan White. It, of course, was the play calling of George Chaump that accelerated the talents of those “Super Sophomores.”



Woody’s Offense Coordinator would remain with him and the Buckeyes until the day following that dreadful Gator Bowl against Clemson on December 29, 1978.

From there Coach Chaump would venture into the NFL where he served as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the helm of Coach John McKay from 1979-1981. Coach Chaump left the NFL and went back to his home state of Pennsylvania where he’d head up the Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 1982-1985. He’d end there with a 24-16-1 record.

Thereafter, 1986 to 1989, Chaump coached Marshall, concluding with a 33–16–1 record. In the seasons of 1987 and 1988 Marshall, under Coach Chaump, had 10-win seasons. And from 1990 to 1994 he headed to Annapolis where he’d serve as Head Coach of the United States Naval Academy. Those years weren’t so grand – 14–41 record.

Chaump would eventually head back to where he started – High School Football – in Harrisburg, PA at Central Dauphin in 1997 where he’d generate a 57-14 record through 2002. In 2003, he would take over as Head Coach at Harrisburg High School – eventually ending his time there in 2010. He hung up his coaching cleats in 2012 at 76 years old.
His overall Head Coaching record would be 190-66.

During his tenure with the Buckeyes as the Offensive Coordinator, the Buckeyes would win the National Title once and have 98 wins versus 20 losses and 3 ties – with no losing season. Offensively the Buckeyes under Chaump would score 3,721 points and produce two Heisman trophies – both for Archie Griffin.

George Chaump is absolutely deserving of notice and inclusion of our Making the List. He is a guy that flies under the radar of notables, but arguably was a major force in some of the greatest times of Buckeyes Football history. I could add that our current Offense Coordinators in Columbus could learn tremendously by dabbling into the history for which they hail within the same walls of – and their predecessor(s) – but I won’t offer such personal observation. This is not the purpose of our Making the List. The purpose is to acknowledge the greats of past Buckeye sports…and George Chaump is indeed one.

The post Making The List: George Chaump appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Ohio State-Oklahoma and Michigan State-Notre Dame are the best of the Big Ten’s Week 3 college football bets, odds
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


After some slim pickings last week, there are some great games out there on Saturday involving Big Ten teams.

If you missed this week’s national game picks, you can find them here.

Last week ATS: 6-9 (1-4 National, 5-5 B1G)

Season ATS: 15-18 (7-6 National, 8-12 B1G)

B1G Games:


Temple v. Penn State (-9) - 12:00 PM EST - Big Ten Network

Who can forget last year’s game between these two teams? I certainly can’t. Temple sacked Christian Hackenberg 10 times and ended a 31-game losing streak against the Nittany Lions. Sadly, I’m not expecting history to repeat itself this year. Temple lost their season opener to Army before shutting out Stony Brook 31-0 last week.

Even though Penn State wasn’t able to take down vaunted rival Pitt last week, it looks like they found themselves a quarterback. Trace McSorley passed for 332 yards and almost engineered a game-winning comeback. Saquon Barkley was also impressive, scoring five touchdowns in the game.

The Nittany Lions seem to be taking to their up-tempo offense so far this year, it’s just their defense they need to get in order. They could catch a break this weekend as Temple running back Jahad Thomas could miss his third straight game. Hard to see Temple keeping it within double-digits, especially with Penn State having revenge on their mind.

Penn State 27, Temple 14

Georgia State v. No. 9 Wisconsin (-35.5) - 12:00 PM EST - Big Ten Network

Last week Georgia State gave up about a billion yards to Air Force and the Falcons had the football for 45:14. Wisconsin is leading the country in time of possession, averaging 38:54 per game where they have the football. Corey Clement is questionable for the game (pretty much the story of the last couple years for him) but it’s not like Wisconsin will need him to play here. The Badgers should win this one big.

Wisconsin 56, Georgia State 14

New Mexico v. Rutgers (-5.5) - 12:00 PM EST - ESPNews

This is the game you shouldn’t be watching this weekend, even if you are a degenerate like me. Nothing good can come from it. Just go against the team from out west that has to play at noon. Add in New Mexico’s top running back and linebacker are out since they are in concussion protocol. It won’t be pretty, but Rutgers wins by at least a touchdown.

Rutgers 38, New Mexico 28

Colorado v. No. 4 Michigan (-20.5) - 3:30 PM EST - Big Ten Network

What a trip down memory lane this game will be. The hail mary in 1994 by Colorado is still one of the best finishes in college football, and even more memorable since it happened to Michigan. This week won’t feature anything that suspenseful, but at least Colorado should give the Wolverines more of a challenge than Hawaii and UCF have been able to so far this year.

At least it should be a fun quarterback matchup between Colorado’s Sefo Liufau and Michigan’s Wilton Speight. Liufau has Colorado on the road back to respectability and the Buffaloes could be contenders to make a bowl game this year. Last week Speight was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after passing for 312 yards and four touchdowns.

The Wolverines will likely win this one, but at least Colorado should keep it within the number. Michigan isn’t fully healthy yet either, so I’m not expecting a blowout like their first two games.

Michigan 37, Colorado 21

No. 22 Oregon v. Nebraska (-3) - 3:30 PM EST - ABC

Mike Riley will see a familiar foe on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln. The Nebraska head coach used to be a part of the “Civil War” when he was at Oregon State, and he didn’t find too much success against the Ducks. Before leaving for Nebraska, Riley had lost his last seven games against Oregon.

Riley will have a better shot at a win on Saturday, since he does have Tommy Armstrong Jr. as his quarterback. The senior threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns last week, setting the school record with 57 career touchdown passes. Credit Nebraska’s defense too with some strong play, as they are +7 in turnover margin.

Imagine what Oregon could be if their defense didn’t resemble a dumpster fire. Sure Oregon is winning, but they are 82nd in total defense. Against a team like Nebraska that isn’t gonna fly. Soon enough the efforts Royce Freeman and Dakota Prukop are giving them on offense isn’t gonna be enough, and I feel like this is that game.

Nebraska 44, Oregon 37

Western Michigan (-3.5) v. Illinois - 4:00 PM EST - ESPNews

Western Michigan will be looking to clinch their B1G West crown with a win over Illinois on Saturday in Champaign. The Broncos already took down Northwestern in the opening weekend of the season, and a win over the Fighting Illini would give them two wins over Big Ten teams in a season for the first time in school history.

Illinois looked bad on Saturday against North Carolina. Really bad. Sure, North Carolina is a good team, but Lovie Smith has some work to do. I don’t think a week is quite enough to fix all those problems. P.J. Fleck’s team is one of the better Group of Five teams, and wide receiver Corey Davis seems to always put up huge numbers. The Broncos win this by a touchdown.

Western Michigan 31, Illinois 24

Maryland (-9.5) v. Central Florida - 7:00 PM EST - CBS Sports Network

This whole D.J. Durkin thing is working out pretty well so far for the Terrapins. Now Durkin can try and see if he can get some insider tips from Jim Harbaugh after the Wolverines played Central Florida last week, but who knows how Harbaugh would respond to that.

Somehow Central Florida gained 275 yards on the ground against Michigan. If Maryland gives that much up it’ll be a lot closer than I think it will be. Maryland hasn’t turned the ball over so far this year, and that’s pretty huge after how bad they were with turnovers last year. I like what Maryland is doing so far under Durkin and I think they continue their hot start. On the other hand, Scott Frost has a lot of work to do in Orlando.

Maryland 34, Central Florida 21

No. 12 Michigan State v. No. 18 Notre Dame (-7.5) - 7:30 PM EST - NBC

Michigan State didn’t look all that impressive against Furman in their season opener but the Spartans had a bye week to try and fix some issues. It isn’t like Michigan State quarterback Tyler O’Connor doesn’t have experience hitting the road to take down a ranked team. Sorry for the sad trip down memory lane Buckeye fans.

At least Notre Dame has settled on DeShone Kizer as their quarterback. Nothing against Malik Zaire, but the Fighting Irish just look a lot better with Kizer at the helm. I don’t really think it would matter who Notre Dame has going tomorrow night though since they’ll have issues against the Michigan State defense. I think Notre Dame wins this one, but the Spartan defense keeps things tight.

Notre Dame 24, Michigan State 21

Duke v. Northwestern (-4) - 8:00 PM EST - Big Ten Network

Duke just lost to Wake Forest while Northwestern lost to Illinois State last week. Why on earth would you be watching this game when there are so many other good games going on at this time? I think Northwestern could end up fixing their issues sooner than Duke can. Take the Wildcats at home.

Northwestern 27, Duke 21

No. 3 Ohio State (-2) v. No. 14 Oklahoma - 7:30 PM EST - Fox

Through the rain drops last week, Ohio State didn’t show all that much against Tulsa and still wound up with a 48-3 victory. You can’t blame Urban Meyer for keeping the gameplan pretty vanilla with a trip to Norman on deck. The Buckeye defense has been outstanding so far this year, not allowing Bowling Green and Tulsa to score an offensive touchdown.

After a loss to Houston to start the season, Oklahoma had a little cupcake feast last week to restore some of their confidence. Oklahoma’s offense will be the most dynamic the young Ohio State defense has faced so far this year, with Baker Mayfield capable of breaking the game opening through the air, while Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon can do the same on the ground.

If Ohio State is going to win this game their are going to need the offense to be balanced. J.T. Barrett needs to be able to keep the Oklahoma defense on their toes with his unpredictability of whether he is going to pass or keep it on the ground. Some big runs from Mike Weber in his first true road game wouldn’t hurt either.

For me this game comes down to coaching. Urban Meyer hasn’t lost a true road game at Ohio State, while Bob Stoops’ Sooners have lost six games at home since 2011. Meyer gets a little extra help because of his friendship with his former offensive coordinator Tom Herman, who took down Oklahoma to start the year. This game will be back-and-forth, everything we expected it to be, but somehow the Buckeyes end up pulling out the victory late.

Ohio State 35, Oklahoma 31

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One big collection of Week 3 stats from the @BTNStatsGuys
BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network

In my weekly research of Big Ten football, I come across plenty of information. Here's my look at few gems ahead of Saturday's actiopn, which includes four games on BTN/BTN2Go. They are Colorado at Michigan, Duke at Northwestern, Georgia State at Wisconsin, and Temple at Penn State.

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The Buckeyes vs. Sooners Quiz
jcollingsworth via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Ohio State University and the Oklahoma Sooners are two storied programs. They have only met twice prior to this coming Saturday in their playing history. Between these two dominant programs they have won 15 National Titles and presented to the world of sports 12 Heisman Trophy Winners. This weekend is a big deal in College sports. Bragging rights among powerhouses carry their weight in gold.

So I have decided to challenge all of you to see just how much you know of the history between these two schools and their football meetings. Do your best to not peek at the bottom for the answers. Do not Google or Bing, whatever your search engine may be, and then take a crack.

At the end we will figure out your score. We all know 100% is genius material. 90% is pretty damn good. 70% is just passing – but nothing to brag about. And below 70% – don’t tell anyone – keep it to yourself.

Ready?

1). What was the first year that the Buckeyes and Sooners met up?
Where was it?
a) 1972 in Columbus.
b) 1977 in Norman
c) 1977 in Columbus
d) 1972 in Norman

2). What was the final score of the first game? Who was the winner?
a) 32-30 Oklahoma
b) 32-30 OSU
c) 29-28 OSU
d) 29-28 Oklahoma

3). Who was the star of that game?
a) Pete Johnson – OSU – FB – 2 TD’s with 49 yards.
b) Uwe von Schamann – OK – K – 41 yard FG in final seconds.
c) Greg Pruitt – OK – RB – 2 TD’s with 118 yards.
d) Neal Colzie – OSU – CB – 2 INT’s with 1 TD – 28 yards.

4). When was the next time they played? Where was it?
a) 1983 – Norman
b) 1983 – Columbus
c) 1976 – Norman
d) 1976 – Columbus

5). What was that score and who was the winner?
a) 21-17 – Oklahoma
b) 21-17 – OSU
c) 24-14 – OSU
d) 24-14 – Oklahoma

6). In this 2nd meeting who was the Ohio State QB?
a) Pandel Savic
b) Mike Tomczak
c) Greg Castignola
d) Rod Gerald

7). Between the two schools who had the last Heisman Trophy
winner?
a) The Ohio State University
b) Oklahoma

8). Who was that player?
a) Troy Smith
b) Sam Bradford

9). Which Coach had the pleasure of coaching in both games?
a) Woody Hayes
b) Bud Wilkinson
c) Barry Switzer
d) Earle Bruce

10. Arguably who was the biggest “Ohio” star born in Oklahoma?
a) Ulysses S. Grant, President
b) Eddie Rickenbacker, WWI fighter pilot
c) Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds
d) Archie Griffin, The Ohio State University

ANSWERS:
1. (2 answers here) C
2. (2 answers here) D
3. B
4. (2 answers here) A
5. (2 answers here) C
6. B
7. B
8. B
9. C
10. C (allow me to explain further: A – Ulysses S. Grant, president was born in 1822 in Point Pleasant, Ohio. Oklahoma never became a state until 1907. So put 2+2 together there! B – Eddie Rickenbacker – WWI fighter ace was born in 1890 in Columbus, thus the honorary naming of the Air Force Base down in Lockbourne, Ohio (just south of Scioto Downs Race Track & Columbus) called Rickenbacker AFB. Again, Oklahoma wasn’t even entered into the Union until 1907. D – Archie Griffin – we know he went to Eastmoor High School in Columbus, but what does that mean? Where was he born? If I had you thinking Oklahoma for a moment you should step back a few feet and run your head into the wall. Archie is through and through a Buckeye – born and raised in Columbus. And, yes, finally the correct answer – C – Johnny Bench – who is thought of as nothing other than a Cincinnati Red. Period. He was born in Oklahoma City.

So what was your score? The correct number of answers (14 possible) can be divided by 14 (the actual number of answers) or, better yet – just go by the chart below:

14/14 = 100%
13/14 = 92.9%
12/14 = 85.7%
11/14 = 78.6%
10/14 = 71.4%
9/14 = 64.3%
8/14 = 57.1%
7/14 = 50%
6/14 = 42.9%
5/14 = 35.7%
4/14 = 28.6%
3/14 = 21.4%
2/14 = 14.3%
1/14 = 7.1%

Share with us your score – either in the comments. Our Facebook or Twitter page will love to know as well.

Go Buckeyes!

The post The Buckeyes vs. Sooners Quiz appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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What are the recruits saying about Ohio State vs Oklahoma?
Charles Doss via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


You’re not the only excited for Saturday. So are the recruits.

Ever since Ohio State and Oklahoma scheduled their match-up, college football fans have had this date circled. The long wait is finally over.

Fan bases aren’t the only ones sitting on the edge of their seat, so are many of the recruits on Ohio State and Oklahoma’s big board.

With all the trash talk and media hype surrounded around the Buckeyes and the Sooners, you know many of the top prospects in the country will have their eyes glued to their television sets. Land-Grant Holy Land caught up with the following recruits and grabbed their thoughts on what their excited to see on Saturday evening.

2017 Ohio State commit Antjuan Simmons


Thoughts: “The OSU defense is going to be lights out, and I see Mike Weber having a huge break out game.”

Prediction: Ohio State wins by 17

2017 Oklahoma commit Marquis Hayes


Thoughts: “I want to see Oklahoma beat Ohio State so they can get back on their way to the top and get that chance to win the National Championship like they need to be, and just execute like they always do.”

Prediction: Oklahoma, 48-45

2018 LB Christopher Oats


Thoughts: “I look forward to watching two great programs play and to see which defense is going to dominate. I look forward to see who is going to win.”

Prediction: No prediction

2018 DT Aeneas Hawkins


Thoughts: “I'm excited to watch the Buckeye defense go to work. I think they could be one of the best in college football. Their secondary obviously is doing a great job, but I'll be watching how their defensive line plays.”

Prediction: Ohio State, 31-14

2018 OL Colten Blanton


Thoughts: “I really want to see how Oklahoma has adjusted since the though loss to U of H and how Ohio State comes out and plays against a big opponent.”

Prediction: Ohio State wins by 3

2018 WR Joshua Moore


Thoughts: “I'm very excited for the game. It's going to be a great atmosphere and the fans will be crazy. It'll be great.”

Prediction: “I don't have a prediction right now. I'm just anxious to see how it turns out.”

2019 ATH Jaylin Simpson


Thoughts: “I’m excited to see OSU in a challenging game.”

Prediction: Ohio State, 24-10

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Ohio State heads to Oklahoma with a pocket full of house money
Colton Denning via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes don’t have much to lose tomorrow, but can gain a ton with a win.

Now that the appetizers have been consumed, it’s time for the main course on Ohio State’s non-conference menu we’ve all been waiting for: Oklahoma.

Despite the Sooners’ week one loss to Houston, Saturday’s game still has the feel of a prizefight, and will have the atmosphere to match. In terms of Ohio State regular season non-conference games, it certainly feels like the biggest one since USC came to Columbus in 2009.

With each program’s blueblood status, this is a matchup on the level of Notre Dame - Michigan, except between two teams that have actually won meaningful games the last decade. Add in the possible playoff implications, and it should be one hell of a time.

Interestingly enough, the Buckeyes are also a rare road favorite in Norman:


Lose 16 starters from last season’s team, stroll into Oklahoma as the first road favorite in 16 years. I think Urban Meyer might be good at this college football stuff, guys.

With all that in mind, here are five things to watch in the Buckeyes’ titanic showdown against Oklahoma:

Quick start


One of the more frustrating features of last season’s offense was its slow starts. Ohio State had a tough time finding an early groove, which was most evident during their opening drives. The Buckeyes scored a touchdown in only three of 13 opportunities, including none in conference play. It was a poor trend that unfortunately has continued in 2016.

Thanks to Bowling Green’s pick six to open the season, defenses have scored more points on Ohio State opening drives than their own offense has (7-3). Needless to say, that’s not going to cut it against a team the quality of Oklahoma.

An opening drive touchdown won’t necessarily make or break the game, but at the very least could quell what’s sure to be an electric Memorial Stadium crowd. Whether that means a little less read option into a stacked box, or more Curtis Samuel touches to open the game, a quick start from the offense would be a nice change.


“Coach, get Curtis Samuel the ball on the opening drive!”-Percy Harvin (probably)
Dropping dimes


Sticking with the offense, how far are Ohio State’s coordinators willing to get out of their comfort zone to test the OU defense, especially early on? Despite Tulsa consistently loading the box, Ohio State was content to run the ball up the middle, with little-to-no success. The run game eventually got going — thanks to some help from Samuel — but running in the first half was quite the struggle. You can bet Oklahoma will mimic Tulsa’s tactics — as Meyer aptly noted earlier this week — so moving the ball may hinge on the offense’s ability to produce explosive passing plays against a vulnerable secondary.

Through two games, Oklahoma’s defense has been quite generous, giving up seven passing plays over 20 yards, and four over 30. Against Houston, defensive coordinator Mike Stoops chose to sell out against the run with good results, but paid for it on the back end. The Cougars averaged nearly 14 yards per completion, and did major damage on roll-outs, deep strikes and back shoulder fades.

In the likely event that Stoops focuses on the Ohio State running game, JT Barrett and his cast of receivers must make their secondary pay. If they’re able to make good on these opportunities and force the defense to respect the whole field, it should leave things open for the ground game to thrive. If not, the Ohio State offense could look a lot like what we saw in 2015.

Rotation


Of the 52 tackles for loss by the defensive line last season, 50 came from Joey Bosa, Tyquan Lewis, Adolphus Washington, and Tommy Schutt. Injury luck was also kind, and allowed them the luxury of using an extremely small rotation for nearly the whole season. With the departures of Bosa, Washington, and Schutt, as well as Tracy Sprnkle’s season ending injury, much has changed, and the defense has opted for more of a committee approach.

Against Tulsa, 10 defensive linemen saw the field in the first half, and six of them already have at least one tackle for loss this season. They’ve been efficient against the run thus far, and have only given up four runs of 10-plus yards. The rotation has not only showcased how young the group is — seven of the 10 have freshman eligibility — but also their sky-high potential. That potential will be put to the test by Oklahoma’s offense.

Not only is this by far the best offensive line they’ve faced this season, but they’re also tasked with defending arguably the best running back duo in the country in Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon. And while both we’re only given a combined 12 carries versus Houston, you can bet their workload will be much heavier against the mostly unproven Ohio State defensive line.

Given the proficiency of the opponent, it will be interesting to see whether Ohio State’s preference for a larger rotation continues, or if the coaches put the clamps on throwing too many freshmen into the fire. Regardless of the strategy they choose, the line holds the key to slowing down the Sooners. If they play well enough on standard downs to keep Oklahoma’s talented backs in check, the secondary might feast on 2nd and 3rd downs.

Money downs


You don’t need me to explain how important it is for an offense to avoid too many passing downs. The more third-and-longs an offense finds itself in, the lower the odds are of them being successful. This is particularly true for the Oklahoma offense:

Last season, per S&P+, Oklahoma had the seventh best offense in the entire country. Their rushing and passing offense were in the top 20. But when you isolated their performance to passing downs (second/third-and-long), they fall to 61st, decidedly average.
This year, while again, using a limited sample size, the differences are even more stark.The Sooners are fifth in standard downs offense, and 27th in explosiveness from standard downs. But in passing down situations, Oklahoma ranks 83rd, and has one of the worst explosiveness rankings (118th).

If Ohio State can replicate the success Houston and other defenses have had putting Mayfield into those situations, the pass rush and secondary should thrive.

Despite not getting to quarterbacks as much as we thought they would before the season, the Buckeyes are still above average in passing downs sack rate, and it’s possible that co-defensive coordinators Greg Schiano and Luke Fickell have been playing coy the first two weeks with their minimal blitzing. At any rate, the more passing situations Ohio State forces, the more likely that things like this happen.

The moment


It feels like it’s been a while since Ohio State’s played a non-conference game like this, doesn’t it? Given the history of both programs, it’s a great matchup under any circumstance, but the current stakes take it to another level. Non-conference games don’t get much bigger than this.

After losing to Houston to open the season, Oklahoma has no margin for error. Not only would a loss probably mean curtains for their playoff hopes, but history isn’t on their side even with a win. Since the Big 12 adopted a round-robin format in 2011, no team has gone undefeated in conference play, and the Sooners’ still have the rest of their conference slate left. For a team that came into the season with such high hopes, that’s a precarious spot to be in before September is over. While not as drastic, there’s a lot at stake for Ohio State, as well.

With so much of last season’s team gone, Saturday marks the first big time game for a ton of important contributors. It’s not crazy to wonder whether the moment will be too big for such an inexperienced team, at least this early in the season. It’s a lot to ask of any team to go into Norman and win, but doing it at night, and with a group this young? Ohio State still hasn’t lost a road game in Meyer’s four seasons, and keeping the streak alive after Saturday would be quite the accomplishment given the circumstances.

Ohio State is essentially playing with house money on Saturday. There’s no shame in losing to Oklahoma in Norman, and ultimately, we’ve seen them rally from a early season loss and make the playoff before, so it’s not like that would be out of the question, anyway. This game also doesn’t have any effect on their Big Ten goals, either, so that’s still intact no matter what.

If they do manage to win, anything and everything is on the table. Regardless, we don’t get the privilege of watching too many games like this, so take time and enjoy the spectacle.

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5 Ohio State Buckeyes who could become breakout stars vs. Oklahoma - FOXSports.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


5 Ohio State Buckeyes who could become breakout stars vs. Oklahoma
FOXSports.com
So to help you prep for Saturday night's showdown, here's a rundown of five less-familiar (so far) Buckeyes who could turn themselves into nationally recognized names with a big performance against Oklahoma -- complete with jersey numbers to help you ...
Sooners backup QB Austin Kendall: Ohio State's defense 'very basic'ESPN
Ohio State notebook | Buckeyes won't make early visit to Sooners' stadiumColumbus Dispatch
Ohio State, Oklahoma playing a College Football Playoff elimination game: Buckeye Breakfastcleveland.com
Chicago Sun-Times -Sporting News
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Have fun in Oklahoma boys.

Heard Around the ‘Shoe – 9/16/2016
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!

Buckeye Target Set to Return to Action:


If you haven’t been following what has been going on in Las Vegas with Bishop Gorman, then you are missing out on quite a bit of Buckeye news as they have three current kids committed to the class of 2017. Tate Martell is set to get his favorite target back this weekend in Tyjon Lindsey. Lindsey had been out with an injury as well as dealing with some eligibility issues after transferring back from Centennial this summer.





Gorman faces off against Kahuku, Hawaii this weekend before matching up against another future Buckeye in Trevon Grimes and St. Thomas Aquinas next weekend.

Buckeye Twins?


The Buckeyes reached into Texas yesterday and offered twins Jordan Moore and Joshua Moore out of Yoakum, Texas. Jordan is an athlete and a 4-star recruit, while his brother Joshua is a wide receiver and is also a 4-star recruit.





Both Moore brothers have 20+ offers, and right now most crystal ball projections have them staying at home and attending Texas. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see them attend the same college, but then again they might want to forge their own paths and attend different schools. They both might be in attendance this weekend when the Buckeyes invade Norman.





Buckeye Target sets visit schedule:


The Buckeyes right now have four defensive backs/safeties committed for the class of 2017, but they continue to pursue more. There is of course Jeffrey Okudah out of Texas, Lamont Wade out of Pennsylvania and Darnay Holmes out of California. With the recruitment of Shaun Wade always fluctuating, there is good reason to think that the Buckeye coaches know that he could end up elsewhere and aren’t putting all their eggs in his basket. While Okudah has had Ohio State on top for quite a while, Lamont Wade seems to be trending toward Pitt or Penn State. That leaves Darnay Holmes as the one to watch closely.

His father recently spoke with Brandon Huffman of Scout.com and informed them of his visit plans for the end of the season.

“Darnay is not taking any officials until November,” said his father, Darick. “We want him to take them when a lot of those games count more.”

He will be in attendance at the Buckeyes November 5th night game against Nebraska in what should be a big recruiting weekend for Ohio State.

“He’s going to visit Arizona for the Washington game for sure,” said Darick Holmes. “He will take about five unofficial visits to schools before he takes his official visits.”

It sounds like the schools that are still in it are USC, UCLA, Michigan, Nebraska, Arizona and Ohio State. He will announce his decision at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.


Under the Radar recruit ruled ineligible:


Thayer Munford, a 3-star offensive tackle out of Massillon, Ohio was ruled ineligible to compete this season after his transfer from Cincinnati La Salle. His head coach at La Salle Nate Moore took over as the head coach of Massillon in January, and Munford moved in with him, thus breaking the OSHAA bylaws causing the suspension.




What does this have to do with Ohio State you might ask? The Buckeyes currently have three committed offensive lineman, but you can never have to many quality players on the line due to injury, and roster attrition. Munford is one to watch for a Buckeye offer as their pursuit of Trey Smith doesn’t look like it will pan out. If the Buckeyes can somehow find a way to make room in the class, Munford would be a nice fit according to one of my sources. If not, 90% of the crystal balls have him headed to Pittsburgh.


The post Heard Around the ‘Shoe – 9/16/2016 appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Ohio State, Oklahoma playing a College Football Playoff elimination game: Buckeye Breakfast - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State, Oklahoma playing a College Football Playoff elimination game: Buckeye Breakfast
cleveland.com
The Buckeyes and Sooners are playing a one-sided playoff elimination game on Saturday night. Ohio State has already shown it's possible to lose an early nonconference game and rally to get a playoff spot. That doesn't mean the Buckeyes are coming in ...
Ohio State notebook | Buckeyes won't make early visit to Sooners' stadiumColumbus Dispatch
Sooners backup QB Austin Kendall: Ohio State's defense 'very basic'ESPN
5 Ohio State Buckeyes who could become breakout stars vs. OklahomaFOXSports.com
Chicago Sun-Times -SB Nation
all 866 news articles »

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College football Week 3 storylines: Buckeyes, Sooners put seasons on the line - CBS sports.com (blog)
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


College football Week 3 storylines: Buckeyes, Sooners put seasons on the line
CBS sports.com (blog)
3 Buckeyes, there will be some finality to it. The Big 12/Oklahoma can't afford another loss. That would be two in the first three games for a projected College Football Playoff team. Unless you believe West Virginia Mountaineers , Texas or Baylor ...


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Ohio State vs. Oklahoma 2016: Game preview, prediction, and 6 things to know
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State hits the road for the first time this season as they take on Oklahoma in one of college football’s marquee games of the early season

After having their way with Bowling Green and Tulsa inside Ohio Stadium to start the season, Urban Meyer’s young Ohio State team will get their first true test of the season when they travel to Norman to take on Oklahoma tomorrow night. The Buckeyes got more of a challenge from the weather on Saturday than they did from their opponent, as they took down Tulsa 48-3. The Buckeyes used two interception returns for a touchdowns in the final 3:02 of the first half to build a 20-3 halftime lead. Ohio State would continue to add to the lead in the second half, and made it two straight games in which the defense didn’t allow a touchdown.

Ohio State will be looking to extend their school record 18-game winning streak in true road games, which is also the longest active streak among FBS schools. If they have designs on adding to the streak, the Buckeyes will have their work cut out for them against a Oklahoma team that rarely loses at home. Under Bob Stoops, Oklahoma is 41-2 at home against non-conference opponents, and 97-8 overall at home. The average score in the 105 games under Bob Stoops is 42-16 in favor of the Sooners.

Saturday’s meeting will be just the third all-time between two of the most prestigious schools in college football history. All three meetings between the schools have seen both teams ranked inside the top-15 of the AP Poll, and this is the first time both haven’t been ranked inside the top-10. In 1977 in Columbus, the Sooners upended the Buckeyes 29-28, while Ohio State returned the favor 24-14 in Norman six years later. The two schools have also spent the most time as the AP’s top ranked team, with Ohio State sitting atop the rankings for 105 weeks and Oklahoma being ranked number one for 101 weeks.

After starting off the season with a 33-23 loss to Houston, Oklahoma was able to rebuild a little of their confidence with a 59-17 win over Louisiana-Monroe last week. By halftime the Sooners were already up 42-0, which meant they didn’t need quarterback Baker Mayfield to play in the second half. The redshirt junior threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns in the first half of the blowout. The Sooners were able to combine Mayfield’s performance with some strong work on the ground. Joe Mixon rushed for 117 yards, marking his third career 100-yard game, and Samaje Perine rushed for two touchdowns.


Ohio State advantages


Joe. Touchdowns. Barrett. Oklahoma didn’t much success earlier this year when they tried to stop Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. While Ward Jr. has the ability to beat teams with his legs, he did most of the damage to the Oklahoma defense through the air, throwing for 321 yards and two touchdowns. Now Oklahoma has the task of trying to stop J.T. Barrett, who like Ward can beat teams in a number of ways. Not only has Barrett passed for six touchdowns this year, with all of those coming in the season opening win over Bowling Green, but he has also rushed for three touchdowns.

Barrett is going to keep Oklahoma’s defense guessing since if they key on him to run, he has the ability to find receivers like Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson. But if Oklahoma sits back and tries to take away the pass, not only does Ohio State have Barrett in the running game, but they also have Mike Weber, who is averaging 114 yards per game on the ground in his first two college games.

Look for Meyer and Barrett to try and replicate what Houston head coach Tom Herman and Ward Jr. were able to do in Houston’s upset of Oklahoma a couple weeks ago. The scary thing is Ohio State has more weapons on offense than Houston does, so if Bob Stoops and his coaching staff aren’t able to fix what went wrong against the Cougars on defense, it could wind up being a long night for the Sooners.

Opportunity knocks. When Eli Apple, Vonn Bell, and Tyvis Powell all declared for the NFL Draft following last season there was a thought the Ohio State secondary would face some growing pains this season. So far those fears haven’t come to fruition. For the first time in school history, the Buckeyes have intercepted seven passes in their first two games, with three of those interceptions being returned for touchdowns. The secondary is a major reason why Ohio State’s defense has yet to give up an offensive touchdown this year.

There’s no doubt Ohio State will face a tougher test through the air against Baker Mayfield and the Sooners than what Bowling Green and Tulsa threw at them, but at least the young Buckeye secondary was able to get their feet wet against a couple teams who are able to spin it through the air. It would be a lot different if Ohio State had to try to stop Mayfield if it was the opening game of the season. At least with two games under their belt, Ohio State’s defensive backfield has gotten a chance to get comfortable with their assignments, as well as playing together.

What will be the deciding factor is how the Ohio State secondary responds when heading into a hostile environment. This will be the first road test for most of the Ohio State defensive backs not named Gareon Conley. Malik Hooker is tied for the national lead with three interceptions this year, while Marshon Lattimore was just named Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week for his two interceptions against Bowling Green. Even though they have a tough task ahead of them, the Buckeye defensive backs are well-coached by Kerry Coombs and should be ready to challenge Baker Mayfield and the Sooners.

Urban sprawl. It’s a shame that there hasn’t been more matchups between Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops over the years. The only previous matchup between the two coaches came in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game where Meyer’s Florida Gators took down Stoops’ Sooners 24-14. Both coaches have registered over 150 wins in their head coaching career, and a combined seven appearances in national title games.

Not like Meyer needed any extra help, but his former offensive coordinator just took down Oklahoma a few weeks ago. Tom Herman led Houston to a 33-23 win over the Sooners, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Meyer was calling in a few favors and picking Herman’s brain a little more than normal about what might work against the Sooners. Add the talent the Buckeyes will field, along with a strong collection of assistant coaches, and Ohio State has the perfect recipe to leave Norman with a victory.

Not like Oklahoma’s home field advantage has been quite as vaunted as in years past. While Stoops has amassed an impressive home record, there have been some slip-ups in recent years. Six of Oklahoma’s eight home losses under Stoops have come since 2011, and in 2014 the Sooners lost three games at home. On the other hand, Ohio State hasn’t lost a true road game since Meyer took over as head coach. Something will have to give on Saturday night.

Oklahoma’s biggest advantages


The Sooner schooner. Ohio State will face a bit of a different challenge on Saturday night when they have to try and corral the Oklahoma rushing attack. With all that Baker Mayfield has done the last year and change for the Sooners it is easy to forget Oklahoma has Samaje Perine to lean on in the backfield if the passing game isn’t working. With how effective Mayfield has been for Oklahoma it seems like ages ago that Perine ran for a NCAA record 427 yards against Kansas in 2014. The now-junior ran for 1,713 and 21 yards in 2014 and followed that up with 1,349 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2015.

2016 hasn’t quite been the same story so far for Perine, as he was limited to just 31 yards on six carries in the loss to Houston. Perine was banged up against the Cougars, and when he did return to the game the Sooners were forced to try and do most of their work through the air because of the deficit they faced. Last week Perine rushed for just 58 yards against Louisiana-Monroe, but Oklahoma didn’t need as much from him since they jumped out to such a huge lead.

Another reason the Sooners didn’t need Perine as much against Louisiana-Monroe was because of the performance of Mixon. Last year Mixon complimented Perine with 753 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, and last week the sophomore rushed for 117 yards on 14 carries. The ability of Oklahoma to rush the football means the Buckeyes can’t sell out to try and stop Baker Mayfield. Ohio State will need their young front-seven to be more alert against the run this week than they were against Bowling Green and Tulsa, two teams who like to do most of their work through the air.

The master Baker. Much like how the Buckeyes go as J.T. Barrett goes, the Sooners are the same way with Baker Mayfield. After transferring from Texas Tech, Mayfield had a season to remember as he led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff. Mayfield’s 3,700 yards passing and 44 total touchdowns earned him a trip to New York where he finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Even though Mayfield lost last year’s favorite target Sterling Shepard to the NFL, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have dangerous receivers to throw to. Last year Dede Westbrook provided a fine compliment to Shepard, hauling in 46 catches for 743 yards and four touchdowns. So far this year Westbrook has 12 catches for just over 100 yards.

Also, tight end Mark Andrews is somebody the Buckeyes will have to keep a close eye on, especially inside the red zone. As a redshirt freshman, Andrews caught 19 passes with seven of them going for touchdowns. This year Andrews is bettering that pace, with three of his five receptions making it to the end zone. For such a big target, Andrews can get down the field, as evidenced by his 64-yard touchdown against Houston earlier this year.

If the Buckeyes don’t get pressure in Mayfield’s face early and often they could be in trouble since it’s so hard to get Mayfield to make mistake. The junior hasn’t thrown an interception this season, and only had seven all of last year. With his ability to extend plays with his legs, Ohio State can’t afford to take a play off.

Do or die. In the first two years of the College Football Playoff both of these schools have been able to survive an early season loss to make it to the playoff. Last year the Sooners fell to Texas in the Red River Rivalry, the Sooners scored at least 30 points in each of their final seven regular season games. The only one of those games that was decided by less than double-digits was the 30-29 win over TCU in late November.

This year Oklahoma has even less room for error after losing to Houston in College Football’s opening weekend. Now any loss the rest of the year will likely eliminate the Sooners from playoff contention. Because of the threat of this, we could see Oklahoma play one of two ways. Either they come out tight, knowing that even the smallest mistake could end their season. Or they could play loose, know they have survived an early loss before to make the playoff before, so why can’t they do it again?

Since the Sooners have been in this position before and have a lot of the same talent from last year returning, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them replicate what they did last year. Then again, their remaining schedule this year is a lot more difficult than what they had in front of them last season. With the home field and the veteran leadership they have at quarterback, Ohio State will certainly get Oklahoma’s best shot on Saturday night.

Summary


F/+ Projection: Oklahoma 38, Ohio State 33

Win Probability: Oklahoma 61%

If the numbers are any indicator, anybody tuning in on Saturday night should see a tremendous football game. The quarterback battle between J.T. Barrett and Baker Mayfield is going to be fun to watch, and the smallest mistake by either team will likely be the deciding factor in the game.

Even though Urban Meyer’s Ohio State teams have been outstanding on the road, the numbers have Oklahoma adding to their dominant home record under Bob Stoops. The biggest difference between the two teams will likely be in the youth Ohio State has. With this being the first true road game for a lot of the starters, Oklahoma seems a little more likely to come out on top.

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OSU Non-Rev: An Up and Down Weekend
Charles via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The 19th ranked Ohio State women’s soccer team has gotten off to their best start in years, taking a 5-1 record into their last non-conference weekend of the season. On Friday the Buckeyes hosted Texas and the Longhorns were not very polite guests, scoring four minutes into the game to go up 1-0. After nearly tying the game midway through the first half, OSU finally knotted things up with a goal in the 59th minute. Both teams had scoring opportunities in the final minutes of regulation but neither could convert. Overtime went well for the Buckeyes though as Nichelle Prince scored her second goal of the game to give OSU the 2-1 win; Ohio State is now 2-0 in overtime games this season.

The Buckeyes wrapped up the non-conference portion of their schedule Monday night when they hosted 7th ranked BYU. It looked like Ohio State would get off to a fast start, almost scoring in the opening minute but the Cougars goaltender made a nice save. BYU got on the board with a goal in the eighth minute and never looked back on their way to a 3-0 victory. The Buckeyes had several chances but great goaltending and defensive play by BYU thwarted all of those. This was the first time that the Buckeyes were held scoreless all season. While the loss was disappointing, the Buckeye offense showed positives signs this weekend, generating more shots and shots on goal than they have in recent games.

Ohio State opens Big Ten play this week with a trip to Wisconsin on Friday and then a rod match against 10th ranked Minnesota on Sunday; both games can be seen on BTN+.

Women’s Volleyball

The 12th ranked Ohio State women’s volleyball headed to Missouri over the weekend for the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational. The Buckeyes got the invitational off to a great start with a dominating straight set win over IUPUI (25-9, 25-13, 25-12). The Buckeyes never trailed by more than a point in the match and never later than when they were down 3-2 in the second set.

In their second match on Friday Ohio State took on host Missouri State. The Buckeyes jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead in the opening set before the Bears rallied to tighten things up. OSU led by one late in the set but scored the final three points to take the set 25-21. The next two sets were also tight affairs but this time Missouri State was the team to get the late spurts as they took sets two and three to take a lead in the match. The Buckeyes retook the momentum in a tight fourth set, earning a 25-22 win to force a deciding fifth set. The Bears jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead in the final set and would hang onto that on the way to a 15-12 win that gave them a 3-2 match upset over the Buckeyes. This was Missouri State’s second upset against a ranked Big Ten team this season as they had already upset 14th ranked Illinois; this takes a bit of the sting out of the loss but it was still a disappointing match.

Ohio State finished the Invitational with a match against Green Bay on Saturday. Things got off to a bad start for the Buckeyes as after taking an early 8-7 lead, they went cold, giving up a 7-1 run that Green Bay used to get a 25-21 first set win. The second set was a tight affair that was tied at 24 before OSU scored the two straight points to take the set and tie the match up. The Buckeyes seemed to have things in control as they dominated the third set, earning a 25-15 win over the Phoenix. The momentum didn’t last though and Green Bay flipped the tables almost exactly, taking the fourth set 25-14 to force a fifth set. The final set was a thrilled with five ties and two lead changes but OSU came out on top, 15-11 to take the set and the match, 3-2. This match was closer than it should be and coupled with the loss to Missouri State shows that the Buckeyes have some work to do in order to live up to their ranking. The way the Buckeyes bounced back from their disastrous fourth set is a positive sign and shows this team does have some fight.

Seniors Valeria Leon and Taylor Sandbothe both earned spots on the all-tournament team, this was the 10th all-tournament team Sandbothe has been named to in her last 11 non-conference tournaments. Their 2-1 performance on the weekend dropped Ohio State to 19th in the polls with a 7-2 record. The Buckeyes will play their final non-conference games this weekend as they travel to Muncie, Indiana for the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge where they will take on Valparaiso, UNC Greensboro, and Ball State. OSU will be big favorites in all three matches but will have to have better focus and effort than they showed against Missouri State and Green Bay.

Other Sports

The men’s soccer team earned their first win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Norther western on Friday night. The Buckeyes couldn’t sustain the momentum though as they dropped a 4-2 match to Penn State on Tuesday. OSU is now 1-5 on the season but has shown signs of getting their offense going finally, scoring 4 goals in the last games after being held scoreless in their first three.

The women’s field hockey team improved to 3-3 on the season with a 2-1 overtime victory over Miami (OH). The Buckeyes are now on a three game winning streak that has shown marked improvement in their defense; OSU gave up 15 goals in their first three games but only two in their most recent three.

The post OSU Non-Rev: An Up and Down Weekend appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Buckeyes Get Major Test ‘Sooner’ In Week 3 Of 2016 Season
Chip Minnich via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Embed from Getty Images​

Ohio State travels to Norman, Oklahoma, in a game widely anticipated throughout college football. The contract for this series was signed back in January 2008, when the majority of these players were still in grade school, and Jim Tressel was patrolling the sidelines for Ohio State. Oklahoma has been fortunate to have the same head coach in 2008 still on the sidelines in Bob Stoops. Stoops has been Oklahoma’s head coach since 1999 – for those of us able to remember, and I count myself in this category, Stoops quickly resurrected an Oklahoma program that had become utterly despondent under predecessors Gary Gibbs, Howard Schnellenberger, and John Blake. Oklahoma won the BCS Championship in 2000, and has played for the national championship in 2003, 2005, and 2008. In 2015, Oklahoma qualified as a College Football Playoff team, playing Clemson in a first-round Orange Bowl game.

You may recall that I had ranked this game at Oklahoma as the toughest game on Ohio State’s 2016 schedule. In case you have forgotten, here were the words I used to explain my ranking ~ “One of the best advantages Ohio State has going into this game is the fact that Houston, led by former Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman, is facing Oklahoma two weeks prior to this game. Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer will be able to watch intently as to what worked, and did not work, against the Sooners. Consequently, Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops is also going to be able to take advantage of this with his squad, being able to prepare the Sooners for whatever offensive wrinkles Ohio State tries to throw at them.”.

Taking away anything that Tom Herman may have shared with Urban Meyer, below are three distinct areas I will be paying close attention to as this one gets underway at 7:30pm EST on Fox…

1. Oklahoma’s running game against Ohio State’s rush defense: Yes, yes, I know all about Baker Mayfield. I am not taking anything away from the Sooner daredevil quarterback. I am most concerned about Oklahoma’s formidable trio of Samaje Perine, Joe Mixon, and Abdul Adams being able to pound the ball against Ohio State’s inexperienced interior defensive line. I will become more than concerned if Oklahoma is able to consistently run the ball on first down, and wind up facing 2nd and 4 or 2nd and 3. Ohio State needs to shut down the Oklahoma running attack, or at least keep the Sooners in obvious passing situations.
2. Curtis Samuel is the key to Ohio State’s offense against Oklahoma: Ohio State will not have the luxury of waiting until the second half to discover that Curtis Samuel has only touched the ball one time in the first half, as the Buckeyes did in their victory over Tulsa in week two. Regardless of whether Samuel is involved as a checkdown option for J.T. Barrett on passing downs, or used to spell Mike Weber as a running threat, Ohio State must involve Samuel early and often against Oklahoma in order for the Buckeyes to be successful.
3. Beware The Wounded Animal: Oklahoma lost its first game of the season to Houston, and knows that with another loss, any possibility of a repeat trip to The College Football Playoff will be lost. Ohio State needs to be prepared to take Oklahoma’s best shot, as well as prepare for the unexpected on both sides of the ball in this game.

Ohio State won easily in its season opener against Bowling Green, and was able to move past a sluggish first half to defeat Tulsa convincingly in week two. While Tulsa never truly put a scare into the Buckeyes, the fact that Ohio State had to adjust and overcome some adversity against an opponent is a building block for such a young and inexperienced team. I think this one will come down to the wire, but I am thinking the hero of this one is going to be Ohio State PK Tyler Durbin, the walk-on of whom Coach Meyer has jokingly suggested that Meyer does not even know his name. It could be up to Durbin to win it for the Buckeyes, which makes me think Coach Meyer would certainly know him from that point on. I have it Ohio State 27, Oklahoma 24.



The post Buckeyes Get Major Test ‘Sooner’ In Week 3 Of 2016 Season appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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What Do You Want To See? Oklahoma
Scott via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

It’s the game we have been waiting for since OSU’s schedule came out. Ohio State at Oklahoma.
Should be a fun one.
Early on, “experts” were predicting a Sooner romp. Not so sure now.
I want to see a good effort by OSU, win or lose.
But what else do I and the rest of the staff want to see?
Read on …..

Scott

A win: This is it for the week as far as game flow. I don’t care how. Just win.

Health: No major injuries.

Chip

Good start: The offense cannot be sluggish at the onset against Oklahoma as it was against Tulsa or Ohio State will lose.

Stop the run: Ohio State’s run defense is going to be tested, especially the interior. Need to avoid being in second or third and short yardage.

Let J.T. Rest: Avoiding running J.T. Barrett too much against Oklahoma. I’m fearful of an injury that could derail Ohio State’s season.

Use Curtis right: Figuring out what matchup will be best for Curtis Samuel. It took until the second half against Tulsa.

WVa

Defense, defense, defense: Keep laying the wood and smack them in the mouth early. Big 12 offenses don’t typically do well against faster teams and the Buckeyes have the best speed in the secondary they’ll see.

Mix it up: Take risks on offense but mix it up. Oklahoma already knows who, Buckeyes just need to get it to the others. Multiple touches for five different players besides J.T. and Samuel should do the trick.

Don’t get cocky: We are starting to see some swagger out of the defense unlike we have ever seen. Keeping that from going super cocky where mistakes begin to happen is crucial

Mike Meals

Pressure Baker Mayfield: Coming into this season, everyone wanted to talk about how great of a QB he is (he’s good, don’t get me wrong), but when he is rattled, he’s not nearly as good.

Stop the OU rushing attack: Both of OU’s top RBs are good. We need to show the world that the Silver Bullets can take not just one player out of the game, but they shut down an entire explosive offense.

Have fun: Last season, the Buckeyes tried to be all business during games, and I am all for that, but have fun. Show some swagger. Show some emotion. This is a young team, and they need to have fun. That’s what will carry them to a W this week, being “in” the game, and letting it all hang out.

JC

Good job Mr. Meals: Mike is on target … rattle Mayfield and focus on the running attack. This weekend the “D” must step up. The Buckeyes have a “real” game this week … undoubtedly Urban and crew will step up and assure this young team is ready.

Shine on J.T.: On offense JT needs to be on spot. Mike Weber, too, needs to show his salt. Samuel, I am confident will shine.

A win: I feel the Buckeyes will show step up to the challenge. I look forward to Saturday.

Ben

Shut down D: I want to see the defense continue to shut down opposing offenses. The fact that we shut down Bowling Green and Tulsa, who are notoriously high profile offenses, to only field goals speaks volumes about where this defense is. We need to pressure Baker Mayfield and make sure he stays in the pocket, as when he gets outside of it he is a dangerous playmaker. Bottle up the running back duo of Mixon and Perine and limit their big plays.

Better start: On offense we need to see a more fluid game plan than what we saw last week. The first half was hard to watch offensively and a start like that against Oklahoma could spell trouble from the outset. Barrett needs to get going early and find some throws down field to open up the run game for Weber and Samuel. A solid day on offense should be enough to walk out of Norman with a win.

Brandon

WR who?: I want to see a wide receiver step up and have a major impact in the game. Up until this week, the Buckeyes have done a good job of rotating players in at the WR position. This week, I want to see them settle on Noah Brown and Parris Campbell as their every down wide receiver … for the most part. Give Brown and Campbell a chance to take some pressure off of Samuel and Dontre Wilson in the receiving game.

Go deep J.T.: Barrett needs to throw the ball down field early and often. Oklahoma (and every B12 team) has major problems stopping the pass. The sooners have been killed time and time again with the throws downfield. Houston threw for 321 yards. ULM threw for 272 yards. I want Barrett throwing for 400+.

Dominant D: Don’t just stop the run, I want them in Baker Mayfield’s face every single time he drops back. Hit him in the mouth and make him feel very uncomfortable. If you rattle Mayfield, he will make mistakes.

The post What Do You Want To See? Oklahoma appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Ohio State offers another top ATH
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes may have their biggest game of the season this weekend, but recruiting efforts never give way.

Tomorrow's game is easily one of the most anticipated games of the entire Ohio State season. With two high profile teams going head to head this early in the season, the recruits on hand and the trash talk that was said yesterday by an Oklahoma backup quarterback, this match up feels like a playoff atmosphere – with playoff implications. The Buckeyes will not only look to impress their fans, but the eyes of several recruits in attendance for this contest.

Bucks offer 4-star ATH


When it comes to recruiting the "athlete" position, Ohio State has struck gold more times than not. Yesterday, Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes reached out to a 2018 four-star athlete from the Lone Star State to dish out their latest scholarship offer.

Joshua Moore (Yoakum, TX / Yoakum) announced publicly via his Twitter account that THE Ohio State was the latest to throw their hat into the ring of scholarship offers.


Racking up his tally of offers to 30, Moore ranked out as the 13th best receiver in the 2018 class and the ninth best prospect at any position in Texas for 2018. Standing at 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, Moore has the frame for an outside receiver but will look to get his weight up to be a true deep threat with the physicality to take on any defensive back.

As of right now, Texas leads the way followed by Oklahoma for the 247sports crystal ball predictions, but with Ohio State now in the running, anything is possible. Look for Urban Meyer and staff to get Moore on campus in the future for a visit before the recruitment really takes off.

Lindsey - Martell dup back in action


The nation's top ranked high school program has been connected to Ohio State for the better part of a year. Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, Nev. plays host to several top recruits in the country. The Buckeyes proudly boast three of those prized recruit commitments in Tyjon Lindsey, Tate Martell and Haskell Garrett.

Offensively, Tyjon and Tate make a dynamic duo that connects for incredible numbers. At the start of the 2016 season, it was believed that Tyjon was going to be heading back to his home state of California and returning to his hometown prep school. However, with some mishaps in transfer rules, etc. Tyjon was left to head back to Bishop Gorman and his top ranked team to finish his prep career before heading to Columbus.

On Wednesday, teammate Tate made it known that while Tyjon had not yet been allowed to compete for Gorman, everything was cleared to go and Lindsey would be set and ready to get back onto the field for his national top ranked team.


This couldn't come at a better time for Bishop Gorman as they are soon set to face Florida power St. Thomas Aquinas – and of course yet another five-star Buckeye commit, Trevon Grimes.

Woodbey still high on OSU


It's been covered time and time again: Ohio State's graphic design team for the football department is easily one of the best in the country. Their weekly graphics and videos leave recruits and fans speechless on their abilities. Once again, a top ranked recruit the Buckeyes are going hard after expressed his pleasure with the graphic design team by displaying some of the social media "love" he was given.


Jaiden Woodbey (Upland, CA /St. John Bosco) is not a new name to Ohio State recruiting fans, as he has tried to plan several visits to Columbus to see what the Buckeyes have to offer. Unfortunately for both sides, the trips have fallen through each time. The nation's third best safety overall and third best prospect from California in 2018 is a target Ohio State has made clear they are recruiting very heavily. Both sides will eventually meet up in the future as a trip to Ohio State seems inevitable for Woodbey.

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Bulldogs push past Buckeyes - Athens Messenger (registration)
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Bulldogs push past Buckeyes
Athens Messenger (registration)
The Buckeyes (5-6, 4-2 Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division) were trying to spring and upset, and tie Athens (8-2, 5-0 TVC) in the league standings. N-Y came out and led 13-8 in the first set, as well as 21-18 in the second set. The Bucks played well ...


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How the Sooners and Buckeyes become preeminent recruiters - Tulsa World
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


How the Sooners and Buckeyes become preeminent recruiters
Tulsa World
14 Oklahoma this weekend, the Buckeyes won't be the only visitors from out of town making the trip to Norman. The Sooners plan to turn Saturday's game into one of their biggest recruiting weekends in years with prospects from seven different states ...
Hating on bulletin board material and flat-brimmed hats: Ohio State football radio show wrapupcleveland.com
Urban Meyer found his next great playmaker Curtis SamuelSporting News
BH: Deep thoughts | Road worriers?247Sports
Las Vegas Review-Journal (blog) -Toledo Blade -Land-Grant Holy Land
all 12 news articles »

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River Valley welcomes Buckeyes - Daily Sentinel
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


River Valley welcomes Buckeyes
Daily Sentinel
The Buckeyes' schedule has been anything but easy so far, as the Orange and Brown defeated three-time reigning TVC Hocking champion Trimble, and then lost to Newark Catholic and Liberty Center, who are ranked sixth and second in the AP Division VI ...

and more »

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Buckeyes Looking To Add More "Juice" - Scout
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes Looking To Add More "Juice"
Scout
Following an impressive summer camp appearance at Ohio State, junior lineman Fredrick Scruggs has been on the radar of the Buckeye coaching staff. Earlier this week Ohio State issued an offer to Scruggs, affectionately known as "Juice" to his friends ...

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Steven M. Sipple: Everyone's chasing Buckeyes. How far behind are Huskers? - Lincoln Journal Star
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Steven M. Sipple: Everyone's chasing Buckeyes. How far behind are Huskers?
Lincoln Journal Star
Steven, a lifelong Nebraskan, newspaper enthusiast and UNL grad, joined the Journal Star in 1990 and has covered NU football since 1995. Follow Steven M. Sipple | Lincoln Journal Star. Close ...


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