Badgers looking to shut down Lindsay Agnew, Buckeyes - The Daily Cardinal
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Badgers looking to shut down Lindsay Agnew, Buckeyes
The Daily Cardinal
The Buckeyes had many chances to score and even outshot the Cougars, but BYU goaltender Hannah Clark proved too much to handle. The Badgers had a similar loss to No.1 Stanford earlier in the season, so it will be interesting to see how these two teams ...


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Big plays and red zone success will determine Ohio State vs. Oklahoma
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 Buckeyes will need big passes and a stout red zone defense to beat the Sooners.

This is the big one we've been waiting for. The Buckeyes have looked incredible through two games, beating Oklahoma warm-ups Bowling Green and Tulsa by a combined 125-13 margin. But Oklahoma has far more talent on both sides of the ball than either team and will be Ohio State's biggest test until Michigan State this season. The Sooners may have lost to Houston in week one, but that did nothing to diminish their chances against the Buckeyes this week.

Avg Team Talent Turnover Margin Net Explosiveness (10+) Net Explosiveness (20+) Off IsoPPP
Ohio State 91.42 (2) +7 23 11 1.2 (84)
Oklahoma 87.73 (18) -1 -1 4 1.3 (53)

Starting this week, and assuming it's actually useful, I thought I'd start noting three basic statistics: team talent, turnover margin, and net explosiveness.

Average team talent is from the 247 Composite average team talent rating and is esentially how talented the average player is on each team. So this season, the average player on Ohio State's roster has a 91.42 247 Composite rating. I ran a regression between 2015 average team talent and F/+, and average team talent explained roughly 41% of the variance in final F/+ rankings.

The other metrics -- turnover margin and explosiveness -- come from one of Tom Herman's analyses of his teams' victories (going back to his OSU days too): If a team wins the turnover battle and has more explosive plays than the other team then they win 98% of the time. So I just use basic, non-opponent adjusted data here to roughly capture those ideas.

I added the 10+ and 20+ net explosiveness metrics because IsoPPP measures how explosive successful plays are, meaning that a team (like Ohio State so far this season) can have a ton of small explosive plays (between 10-19 yards) but they don't have very many big explosive plays (20+ yard breakaway runs or long bombs). The numbers in parentheses are the rankings.

So what can we get out of this brief, top-level comparison?

• Both Ohio State and Oklahoma are among the top 20 most talented teams in the country. But there's a definite difference here. The average Ohio State player is rated nearly four points higher than the average Oklahoma player. This is actually a fairly large difference according to the normalized talent data -- Ohio State's average talent is an entire standard deviation above Oklahoma's (2.07 to 1.08).
• Oklahoma is -1 in turnover margin this year, largely due to not recording an interception yet (or throwing any, for that matter).
• Looking at explosiveness, Oklahoma has given up the 94th-most 10+ yard plays through two games, which is why their net explosiveness is -1 in that category too. Ohio State's offense doesn't look very explosive looking at 20+ yard plays (on the ground, especially), but they've been very explosive in the 10-19 yard range. If these trends continue then Ohio State should be well positioned to move the ball in 10+ yard chunks. The lack of 20+ yard plays accounts for Ohio State's poor IsoPPP ranking.
• Overall, the picture here is that Ohio State is more talented by a fairly wide margin, has been far more productive generating defensive turnovers than Oklahoma, and has a significant advantage in the short-explosive play range.

When Ohio State has the ball

S&P+ Rush success rate Rush IsoPPP Pass success rate Pass IsoPPP Avg FP Finishing Drives
Ohio State 14 3 97 59 23 40 2
Oklahoma 61 3 120 99 71 67 76

• Oklahoma's key is simple: shut down the Ohio State run game and force J.T. to be efficient passing. Oklahoma held their first two opponents -- Houston and UL-Monroe -- to an average of 2.42 rushing yards per play. That's... not great, especially when Houston's run game is extremely similar to Ohio State's (though it's worth noting that Houston is 120th in rushing success rate even after playing Lamar last week). So maybe the most critical thing to watch early in the game is how efficient Mike Weber, J.T., and Curtis Samuel are running the ball. In tight games the Ohio State offensive staff has a tendency to get clamp down on play diversity, often reverting to heavy quarterback running. If Weber is inefficient and passing downs are increasingly in the 3-and-7+ range, then that's a definite problem for Ohio State. The key metrics here are: Weber/Samuel's rushing success rate, the team's overall rushing opportunity rate (% 5+ yard rushes), and the average distance on third downs.
• The most optimistic metrics for the Buckeyes' run game are opportunity rate, power success rate, and stuff rate, where the Buckeyes are ranked third, first, and first. Oklahoma's defense is 6th, 48th, and 12th. This means that the OSU offensive line consistently gets a great push, hardly ever allows negative plays, and wins third-and-short consistently (they haven't lost a third-and-short run yet this season). That OU's defense is ranked markedly lower on power success rate suggests that the Buckeye offensive line might eventually get a solid push against the Sooners front. If that happens, then it might not be until later in the game.
• Another interesting thing to follow will be the number of explosive runs the offense can generate. As we've said before, the Buckeyes excel in short explosive plays but hasn't hit many big runs yet. OU may be rated 120th in rushing IsoPPP, but they've still allowed just a total of 167 rushing yards this season, so even the few big runs they've allowed weren't that big. There's not too much data to suggest this is the game where the Ohio State run game will finally break the long touchdown run.
• Worse case scenario -- the Ohio State rushing success rate falls under 40% and the offense faces repeated third-and-longs -- the Buckeyes still might find some success. The Sooners have allowed a 45% passing success rate, which is just 99th in the country so far. Houston's Greg Ward Jr. and Lamar's quarterback were able to average 7.7 yards per attempt.
• Oklahoma doesn't generate a ton of pressure, ranked 61st in havoc rate and not recording a sack yet on standard downs. If the line has time, then it's fair to think there should be opportunities for big plays. Oklahoma has allowed 18 passes of 15+ yards so far and rank 99th in passing downs IsoPPP. This is surprising, because it means that Oklahoma allows big plays on passing downs even though they shut down the run and are extremely efficient on standard downs (11th!). Even in the worst case scenario above, then you could see big plays on passing downs despite fairly low efficiency on the ground and on standard downs. This isn't the way Ohio State wants to play though.
• Finally, one of the largest margins for Ohio State in the advanced stats is in finishing drives. The Buckeyes are second in finising drives (the bigger concern may really be avoiding three-and-outs) and Oklahoma is 76th, allowing an average of five points per opponent trip inside the 40.

Overall, the Buckeyes should find some success with big passing plays, might struggle to run the ball on standard downs, and should turn most scoring opportunities into touchdowns. If those advantages don't happen or the offense turns the ball over, then all bets are off.


When Oklahoma has the ball

S&P+ Rush success rate RushIsoPPP Pass success rate Pass IsoPPP Avg FP Finishing Drives
Ohio State 19 30 29 28 15 17 4
Oklahoma 1 17 40 13 80 76 39

• Something very strange happened in the Sooners' loss to Houston -- Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon, two of the best running backs in the country, had a combined 12 carries. That's astounding. It wasn't because they were ineffective, either -- they just didn't get the ball, similar to early last season. Expect that to change against Ohio State, as the Sooners are the 17th-most efficient running team in the country. The offensive line does a great job, producing five-yard runs on 46% of rushing attempts. They don't win every battle in short yardage situations, going 67% in third or fourth down and two yards or less, but in general they help lead an extremely efficient offense.
• That efficiency extends to the passing game as well, ranking 13th in success rate but just 80th in IsoPPP. Oklahoma's wide receivers fill two distinct roles. Dede Westbrook is the go-to option, easily leading the team in target percentage (25%) but with a relatively low average yards per catch (8.6). Sophomore Mark Andrews is the big-play option, averaging an insane 30.8 yards per catch, but getting just 8.8% of targets.
• The issue for Ohio State will be in containing all of Oklahoma's options, because any part of their offense has high efficiency potential. The Sooners can turn from Perine to Mixon to Westbrook and get a high degree of reliability. Throw in a target to Mark Andrews for the occasional explosive pass and the unknown factor of Baker Mayfield running the ball and it's clear why the Sooners are the top S&P+ offense in the country right now. That means that Ohio State's defense can't afford to let the run game get going. If the Sooners' rushing success rate gets above 45% then that's a big problem. Mayfield has only run 9 times for 17 yards so far this season, but he has immense scrambling ability even if he's been contained so far. Ohio State's defense, as good as its been this season, hasn't had to also deal with the threat of a mobile quarterback yet.
• So far those numbers are fairly challenging for the Buckeye defense, but there are some good signs. First, the defense should at least make the Sooners drive the length of the field due to poor average starting field position for the Sooners offense. Second, if they do drive the length of the field, they haven't been the best in the red zone, ranking just 39th. A few scoring opportunities that end in field goals instead of touchdowns could be the difference in the game. Finally, the offensive line allows a high percentage of negative plays -- nearly 19% of rushes are stuffed (68th) and they are 105th and 119th in standard and passing downs sack rates. The Buckeyes defense has generated pressure, but didn't have too much success actually getting to the quarterback so far against Tulsa and Bowling Green.

If Oklahoma maintains a high level of offensive efficiency and Ohio State's defense isn't able to create negative plays or turnovers, then this could easily turn in to a shootout. The best chance Oklahoma has to win is by shutting down the run game, for J.T. Barrett to turn in an off day and throw a few interceptions, and for the defense to both not get pressure or force turnovers.

Also, as you'll see below, the metrics really don't like Ohio State in this game, with S&P+ giving Oklahoma a 61% win expectancy. Its important to note that the metrics are still (very) largely dependent on preseason projections -- and Ohio State has beaten the projections in both games this season. That same caveat applies to all of the metrics above, too -- there's just not a ton of data yet.

The 4 most important stats

• Finishing drives -- on both offense and defense
• Offensive rushing success rate
• Generating explosive passing plays
• The defense must generate either sacks or turnovers -- but at least one

Picks


F/+: Oklahoma by 7.6
S&P+: Oklahoma 38, Ohio State 33 (61% probability)
My Pick: Ohio State 41, Oklahoma 31

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Buckeyes' QB recalls classic 1977 Oklahoma clash - Richland Source
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes' QB recalls classic 1977 Oklahoma clash
Richland Source
On Saturday night the third-ranked Buckeyes travel to No. 14 Oklahoma. Rod Gerald, Ohio State's starting quarterback in 1976 and 1977, knows that passion well. He was the starter on Sept. 24, 1977, when Ohio State lost a 29-28 decision to the Sooners ...

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Beyond Buckeye Lines: Midnight Yelling with The 12th Man
Mike Meals via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


We have a very special guest with us this week, as we go Behind Buckeye Lines. This week, my guest is former Texas A&M All American Defensive Back and #1 pick Sammy Davis. Sammy was the #1 ranked defensive back in the state of Texas going into his senior year (1998) at Humble (TX) High School, where he was also teammates with Ohio State legend David Boston.

Embed from Getty Images​

The Life of a Big Time College Recruit

Sammy and I had a good chat reminiscing about his college recruitment and playing days. Sammy stepped on campus in College Station the fall after the John Cooper-led Buckeyes took down A&M in the Sugar Bowl, 24-14. When asked about that game, Sammy told me he actually watched it while taking his recruiting visit to Michigan. I can only imagine how that night would play out in Ann Arbor, because I am sure the locals just loved it.

I had to ask if that was the game that really opened his eyes to Ohio State. While it did, what really made him like and respect the Buckeye program was actually his former teammate David Boston catching the game winning touchdown pass in the 1997 Rose Bowl. Having that connection to the team helped bring the Buckeyes on his radar. When asked for his opinion of the Buckeyes, Davis mentioned that he and a lot of A&M fans have a lot of respect for Ohio State based on the understanding of the traditions and history of both programs.

Texas A&M Today

Looking at the current standing of Texas A&M football, we discussed both the Prairie View and UCLA games. Davis knew the UCLA game would be tougher, especially with UCLA’s quarterback being an experienced and improved player. Sammy said he fully expected the Aggies to win, but he, as a former player, understood the comment about the noise. He says it makes sense, “…after so much, so many people, loud noise is loud noise. But as Aggie fans, of course we are going to take that as a sign of disrespect”. And the 12th Man did, making sure Josh Rosen (UCLA QB) heard from them. It really did remind me of the way the Block O student section in Ohio Stadium would react if they were slighted.

Davis did point something out to me that I had never really thought about, regarding the scheduling of the “cupcakes” that so many teams do. At a big program like OSU, A&M, etc., these games serve as a way to not only get an easy win, but also as a glorified scrimmage. It allows teams to work on things from the first big game and all of fall practice that they would not be able to do otherwise.

As far as storylines at A&M the Aggie faithful are watching this year goes, Davis’ main concern was the continued improvement of starting quarterback (and Oklahoma transfer) Trevor Knight. Knight is one of the few quarterbacks in college football who has actually beat Alabama. The Aggies are really counting on him to lead the team, and not just have beaten Alabama in the past, but to do it again this year. The other big story line is how the Aggie defense continues to grow and get better under 2nd year Defensive Coordinator John Chavis. Davis thinks the defensive will continue to grow this year, be stronger against the SEC opposition week in and week out, and really help develop star defensive end Myles Garrett.

The Aggies travel to Auburn this week, in a tough SEC opener in a hostile environment. The Tigers nearly upset #2 Clemson the first week of the season, and A&M knows they will be tough. When asked for a prediction, Sammy tells me that he “will always pick A&M, no matter who we play. It could be Ohio State, and I am picking A&M”. But he also thinks the Aggies will click on both sides of the ball, against what feels like a slightly lesser opponent, and A&M wins 35-17.

The Big 12

I did ask a couple questions about the Big 12 also, seeing as how Davis is an alumnus from a Big 12 school. Davis mentioned that the Big 12 has struggled a lot the last few years, as everyone else knows. But I was surprised to learn about the amount of respect Davis has for Texas and Coach Strong. He loves what he is seeing Strong do in Austin, and thinks they have made the turn. In fact, he says that if UT doesn’t win the Big 12 this year, it will next year. Davis also tells me, as a warning to Buckeye fans, that Norman is no joke of a location to go play. Even with Stoops having the Big Game reputation he has now, the Sooners will be ready to play and it will be a tough place to go into.

As many of you know, I am a big supporter of the University of Houston joining the Big 12. I asked Davis about that and what his thoughts were. He, like myself, is a big supporter of it also. He knows that UH getting in will help keep the Houston talent home, and actually make the Coogs tougher, since kids won’t have to leave home to play big time college football. Davis even mentioned to me that had UH been in a Power 5 when he was in high school, he would have looked at them harder than he did, since he wanted to stay close to home and enable his family to be a part of his student-athlete career.

Perceptions of Ohio State and the B1G

I like to get an outsider’s view on Ohio State and the B1G. I want to show our fans what others think not just of the Buckeyes, but also the Big Ten. As mentioned above, Davis thinks A&M fans have a lot of respect for the Buckeye program, at least a lot more than the rest of the SEC. A&M prides itself on the traditions of the program, from midnight yell to who can say “whoop” on campus. As a program steep in tradition, they understand and respect the traditions of the Buckeyes, they just may not be fans of the program. Personally, this writer loves that, as a big time fan of college football history. That is what makes this sport special and great.

For the B1G, most of the people Davis knows views it like a lot of us do too. There are 2 programs, OSU/UM, that run the conference, and a couple who are the next step down. Although Davis was quick to point out that MSU has made a lot of noise, and people are taking notice of that. And, he has bought into the thought that the SEC is the number one conference in the country. I had to interject that, as we all know, after Alabama, they are no better off than the B1G is.

When pressed for a B1G champ this year, Davis said he thought UM would win if The Game was played in Ann Arbor, but since it is in Columbus, he thinks it’s really a toss-up (even though later he hinted that OSU would win, I’ll get to that.)

Davis is a big fan of J.T. Barrett, he really likes the way our Wichita Falls Texas product plays ball. Like many of us, he is glad that Urban is playing just with one QB this year. Davis was also very high on Urban Meyer. He says “Any coach who can win multiple national championships and beat Alabama along the way? Clearly he’s a good coach and deserves the awards and recognition. And any coach who can get Tim Tebow drafted? Clearly he is a miracle worker.”

Would You Rather:

Would you rather face OSU or UM this year in the playoff? “Michigan” – I think this means he knows A&M could beat UM easier than OSU

Would you rather face Ohio State or UM in the regular season? “OSU”

Predictions

What should Buckeye fans expect out of A&M? “The defense continues to improve. Expect big things from Myles Garrett, and watch out for the development of Knight with his wideouts”

What should Buckeye fans expect from OU? “It’s going to be a good game. OSU isn’t going to be able to go into Norman and walk over OU. This is a big task for both teams, and OU knows they need to win if they want to get back into the playoff talk, this is their make-or-break game. But OSU will win the game.”

Who wins the B1G this year? OSU

Who wins the SEC? “Alabama is the team to beat, they are always out in front of the SEC. It’s going to come down to 2 or 3 teams, being able to beat Alabama, making the right plays. It won’t be LSU, I know that though.”

Who are the playoff teams this year? A&M (total homer pick), Alabama, Ohio State, and Clemson. He doesn’t think FSU is ready, especially with their QB play so far this season.

Who wins the Heisman? “Myles Garrett, first defensive player since Woodson” This was said with a laugh, but also some seriousness in his voice.

Wrap Up

First, I have to thank Sammy Davis again for chatting with us here at The Buckeye Battle Cry. Full disclosure, Sammy is a good friend of mine, and is the humblest and most kind person I know. I can tell you from firsthand knowledge, he doesn’t walk around like a former first round NFL pick. Besides being a father, businessman, husband, and good guy, Sammy also gives a lot back to his community. He runs an organization called Leafs of Love, a non-profit that donates turkey dinners to members of the Houston community at Thanksgiving. He has done this for the last 5 years in the Humble area. His group also does skills camps for the youth in inner cities to help develop skills in football, which could allow them to go to college and better themselves. Here is a great little piece from ABC 13, Houston, on Sammy’s program last year in Humble.

If you are interested in helping out Sammy’s programs, or want more information, contact me on twitter or here through the website, and I can help get you in touch with him.



The post Beyond Buckeye Lines: Midnight Yelling with The 12th Man appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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If Aaron Craft returns to the NBA’s D-League, it’ll be for the Jazz’s team
Luke Zimmermann via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Forza, Aaron!

We know Aaron Craft will be playing his professional basketball in Italy next season.

But should Craft have some of the same real life complexities that plagued him when he last was playing basketball abroad, he’ll have a new team to come back to should he decide to give it a go in the NBA’s Developmental League again.

On Thursday, the Salt Lake City Stars, the D-League affiliate of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, announced they’d acquired Craft’s “Returning Player Rights” in exchange for the rights to former Boston Celtics guard Phil Pressey.

The former D-League Defensive Player of the Year, Craft represented the Jazz at two of this summer’s NBA Summer Leagues.

He averaged 13.5 points per game to go along with 7.3 assists in an abbreviated season with the Santa Cruz Warriors after returning to the states last season.

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Showdowns between Florida State-Louisville and Alabama-Ole Miss top Week 3’s 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


Six juicy matchups are on tap for this weekend’s national slate, with some teams stepping into conference play for the first time.

Last week’s results for MC&J matched what the schedule looked like heading into the week. Bad. Hopefully this week with the intrigue in the matchups picking up, the early season record can at least climb back to .500.

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

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

National games (all games Saturday unless otherwise noted):


No. 6 Houston (-8.5) v. Cincinnati - Thursday 7:30 PM EST - ESPN

After taking down Oklahoma to open up the season, Houston got a breather last week when they hosted Lamar. The step down in class allowed the Cougars to give quarterback Greg Ward Jr. and running back Duke Catalon some extra time to rest injuries they suffered against the Sooners before Houston opens up conference play.

After a less than impressive start to the season, Cincinnati earned their first road win against a Big Ten team in 59 years as they took down Purdue in West Lafayette. Quarterback Hayden Moore showed why Tommy Tuberville went with the sophomore over Gunner Kiel, with Moore registering five touchdowns in the win.

So far this year Cincinnati has been doing a lot of what made Houston so successful last year, and that is forcing turnovers. Against Purdue, the Bearcats forced five turnovers, and they’ll be looking for more as they try to pull the upset over the Cougars. The last three meetings between the schools have been decided by a combined 17 points and I think this game will be no different.

Houston 35, Cincinnati 31

No. 2 Florida State (-2.5) v. No. 10 Louisville - 12:00 PM EST - ABC

Florida State was dealt a huge blow earlier this week when it was announced that All-American defensive back Derwin James would be lost for an extended period of time due to a knee injury. This comes at the worst possible time for the Seminoles as this week they are tasked with trying to slow down Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is coming off a performance against Syracuse in which he accounted for 610 total yards.

That’s not to say the Seminoles don’t have the talent to replace James, since Florida State is flush with talent. It’s easy to get lost in some of the incredible numbers Jackson is putting up so far this year, but don’t forget they have come against Charlotte and Syracuse. Not exactly the same as trying to do it against the Seminoles.

I think Louisville will come out hot, but unlike when they played Ole Miss a few weeks ago, Florida State won’t dig themselves such a big hole. In the end, Florida State will find a way to at least slow down Jackson, and the combination of Deondre Francois and Dalvin Cook will be too much for the Cardinals to keep up with.

Florida State 41, Louisville 31

No. 25 Miami (FL) (-4) v. Appalachian State - 12:00 PM EST - ESPN

Everything points to Appalachian State pulling the upset here. The Mountaineers will be playing their biggest home game in school history, and they have already taken Tennessee to the limit this year. Well, this one seems a little bit too easy.

Miami has gotten their feet under them in Mark Richt’s first two games by way of a couple of cupcakes. The 108 points the Hurricanes have scored so far this year are a school record for the first two games of the season. Things won’t be so easy on Saturday afternoon, but I still expect Brad Kaaya and company to be able to put points on the scoreboard.

The biggest reason I’m on Miami’s side this week is because of how much bigger their offensive line is compared to Appalachian State’s front seven. Over the course of the game the Hurricanes should be able to wear down the Mountaineers and allow for Mark Walton and Joseph Yearby to find some holes for big gains. Appalachian State puts forth a game effort, but it isn’t quite enough.

Miami (FL) 34, Appalachian State 27

No. 1 Alabama (-10) v. No. 19 Ole Miss - 3:30 PM EST - CBS

In true death robot head coach fashion, Nick Saban wasn’t pleased at all with Alabama’s 38-10 win over Western Kentucky on Saturday. Saban is probably just adding some fuel to his team’s fire so he doesn’t fall to Ole Miss for a third straight season. I’m pretty sure the world would cease to exist if a coach was able to beat Saban three years in a row.

Ole Miss still does have the home field advantage in this game, as well as Chad Kelly behind center, but I just don’t think it will be enough. It feels like this Alabama team is an even better team than last year’s, especially on the defensive side of the football. Jalen Hurts is still a freshman, but he has been awfully impressive so far, and should keep Ole Miss on their toes with his dual-threat ability.

If Ole Miss can play like they did in the first half against Florida State than they certainly have a shot to make it three straight over Alabama. I just don’t see that happening though. The Crimson Tide defense forces Kelly into some bad mistakes and Alabama jumps out to a lead that Ole Miss just can’t recover from.

Alabama 33 Ole Miss 21

USC v. No. 7 Stanford (-9) - 8:00 PM EST - ABC

Who really knows what USC team we’ll get in this contest. Will it be the one that got destroyed by Alabama in the opening weekend or the one that rebounded to crush Utah State? Not like the Trojans have had much success against the Cardinal lately, losing six of the last eight.

After taking down Kansas State in the season opener, Stanford got an early bye last week. Even though the Cardinal wasn’t terribly impressive against the Wildcats, Christian McCaffery still accounted for over 200 yards in the win. Last year in the Pac-12 Championship Game against the Trojans, McCaffery had 461 all-purpose yards.

Even though seven of the last ten meetings have been decided by eight points or less, I still like the Cardinal to win by double-digits here. Stanford has a tough two games after this, with UCLA and Washington on deck, so they’ll want to get this stretch started strong.

Stanford 38, USC 24

No. 11 Texas (-8) v. California - 10:30 PM EST - ESPN

With the late start time, and how these two teams can put up points, this game might not end until Monday. After taking down Notre Dame 50-47, Texas found things a little easier against UTEP, winning 41-7. Shane Buechele continued to impress, throwing for four touchdowns in the rout.

After taking down Hawaii in Australia, Cal didn’t have much fun in their return to the mainland, falling to San Diego State 45-40. The Golden Bears may have Davis Webb, who has been great in replacing Jared Goff, but the California defense leaves a lot to be desired.

Texas will be looking for a little revenge after last year Cal won 45-44 in Austin. While the Golden Bears have the offense to keep pace with the newly dangerous Texas attack, the Golden Bears are so bad on defense that I can’t side with them here.

Texas 49, California 35

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An Ohio State football player is making history by going for his PhD

Jarrod Barnes is a rarity to the Buckeyes' football program.



Jarrod Barnes is one of a kind.

The 22-year-old student athlete is the first-ever Ohio State football player who is also a PhD candidate, according to school records.

Barnes has quite an impressive story both on and off the field. Before coming to Ohio State, he earned a bachelor's degree from Louisville in just three yearswhile he was a member of the Cardinals' football team.

After graduating from Louisville in June 2015, he enrolled in the Masters of Science in Sport Management program at Ohio State. Since Barnes had red-shirted his freshman year, he still had two years of football eligibility left, so he tried out for the football team -- and made it as a walk-on.



Despite juggling football and a full slate of heavy-hitting classes, Barnes graduated in one year with a 3.67 GPA and was accepted into the PhD program.

Entire article: http://www.foxsports.com/college-fo...is-making-history-by-going-for-his-phd-091416

Oklahoma backup QB says Sooners will ‘light up’ Ohio State’s defense, which seems like a bad idea
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Somebody is probably not going to be talking to the media again for a while.

Ohio State probably didn’t need any additional motivation leading into their massive showdown with Oklahoma this weekend. They’re hitting the road against one of the most storied and historic programs in college football history. A victory would put them in the driver’s seat for a potential playoff bid. It’s the biggest non-conference game for the Buckeyes in years.

But Oklahoma may have provided some additional fuel anyway.

Yesterday, backup Oklahoma quarterback Austin Kendall went on TV, and said that Ohio State’s defense was “basic”, and that Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield would “light them up.” Bold words to say about a defense that has yet to give up an offensive touchdown this season.


As you’d probably expect, Ohio State players didn’t take that trash talk sitting down, and the responses have already started to trickle in.


What makes this a particularly interesting situation is that this isn’t just a run of the mill, college athlete trash-talk story. Austin Kendall may be from North Carolina, but his dad is from Ohio, and was an Ohio State fan. And, if Kendall’s old tweets are any indication, he was an Ohio State fan too. For example:


Kendall picked up a lot of offers from major programs, but not from Ohio State.

We’ll see if Kendall changes his tune after the game. In what looks to be a highly contested matchup, maybe deliberately poking the bear was not the move Oklahoma’s coaching staff was looking for.

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Officially Speaking: Untimed Downs
Charles via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


This past weekend’s Central Michigan at Oklahoma State game produced the most exciting and controversial ending of a game yet this season; okay, I know the season is only two weeks old but still, the point stands. In a season that has already seen the Big XII lose a lot of conference prestige thanks to Oklahoma losing to Houston and TCU losing to Arkansas, Oklahoma State added to the conference’s woes as they allowed CMU to score the game winning touchdown on a hail mary play on an untimed down. But should that down have even occurred?

With four seconds left in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma State led 27-24 and hand the ball fourth and 13 on the Central Michigan 41 yard line. The Oklahoma State quarterback dropped back and lobbed a deep ball out-of-bounds to run out the clock. The officials threw a flag for intentional grounding and after CMU accepted the penalty, the Chippewas were given an untimed down on which the miraculous hail mary play occurred for the winning touchdown. The intentional grounding play and the following play by CMU can be seen below.


Let’s break down what happened on the fourth down play by Oklahoma State and see if the officials got this one right. First lets look at the rule on intentional grounding


From watching the video it is clear that the Oklahoma State quarterback threw the ball forward into an area without an eligible receiver, in fact no OSU receiver had even gone downfield. Central Michigan had a good pass rush on and the quarterback was under pressure and facing a sack that would have actually probably left 1 second on the clock so he was clearly trying to conserve time/yardage when he threw the ball. Since the quarterback had never left the tackle box, the exception doesn’t apply and this is intentional grounding.

So the officials got the call of intentional grounding correct so the next question is did they handle the enforcement correctly when they gave Central Michigan one untimed down?


Many people incorrectly assume that a game can only be extended due to a penalty by the defense but this isn’t true, a foul by the offense can also extend the game. Now it is rare that a penalty by the offense on the last play of the game would be accepted but imagine a situation where the offense is down by 4 and runs for a touchdown on the last play of the game but a flag is thrown for holding. If the defense declines the penalty, the touchdown would stand and the offense would win, thus the defense would accept the penalty, the yardage would be marked off, and the down would be replayed as an untimed down.

In the Oklahoma State – Central Michigan situation, Oklahoma State committed a foul on a down in which time expired and Central Michigan accepted the penalty. However, as stated in the above rule, there is no untimed down if the team in possession commits a foul that includes a loss of down as part of the penalty. Since the penalty for intentional grounding includes a loss of down, the fourth quarter should not have been extended, there should have been no untimed down, and Oklahoma State would have won the game. The officials got this one wrong and horribly so. To make matters worse, not only did all of the officials on the field get this wrong, the replay officials also got this one wrong.


An untimed down is a situation that involves the game clock and this was clearly an egregious error, thus the replay officials could have buzzed down to the field and corrected the mistake. Instead, they chose not to do so, letting the mistake stand. For non-conference games, the standard is that the on-field officials are from the conference of the visiting team and the replay officials are from the conference of the home team. That was the case in this game and thus officials from both the MAC and the Big XII messed up here and are to blame.

One of the overarching philosophies that underlies the rules of football is that a team should not gain an advantage by committing a foul. In this case, if Oklahoma State had taken the sack instead of throwing the ball away, there would likely have been one second on the clock and Central Michigan would have had the ball near midfield with one play to go. By throwing the ball away and committing a penalty, OSU allowed the clock to run out and if the penalty had been administered correctly by rule, the game would have been over, the Cowboys would have won and done so by gaining an advantage by committing a foul. So while the officials enforced this penalty incorrectly and against the rules of the game, they actually were in keeping with the overall philosophy that governs the rules.

The “loss of down” exception in the rules concerning extending a period with an untimed down was written to address a situation where the offense is losing and does something like crossing the line of scrimmage and throwing a forward pass that goes for a touchdown. Without the exception, the defense would have a choice of declining the penalty and allowing the score to stand or accepting the penalty and giving the offense another try, both of which give an advantage to the offense. The exception makes sense in that context but unfortunately when they wrote this rule, they didn’t think about the possibility that the offense would be ahead and would commit a penalty in order to run out the clock.

Even though a mistake by the officials at the end of the game altered the outcome of the game, NCAA rules do not allow for the result of the game to be changed. Some people, mostly Oklahoma State fans, have called on CMU to forfeit the win due to the mistake, these voices include the staff of the Oklahoma State student newspaper for who put together this ridiculously self-righteous editorial. CMU should definitely not forfeit the game and the NCAA should not change their rules/policy to allow for the result of a game to be changed due to an officiating error on the last play of the game. Fans have a bad habit of drastically increasing the importance of a call by officials late in the game while underplaying the importance of calls made earlier in the game. No one play or call decides the outcome of a game. If things had played out differently earlier or been called differently earlier, OSU may have been up by multiple scores late in the game or been losing on their final drive. There is no way to go back and correct incorrect calls earlier in the game and thus a mistake on the final play should be treated the same.

When officials make mistakes fans tend to complain that there is no repercussions for those mistakes, primarily because they do not see the officials publically punished. Even though there is rarely public punishment of officials, there are consequences for mistakes and bad calls. Every official is evaluated on every game and incorrect calls and even poor mechanics lower the grade of the official which impacts whether or not they get a post-season assignment or are even hired back next year. This time both the Big XII and MAC conferences made their punishment of the officials public, announcing that both the on-field and replay officials would be suspended for two weeks. This is a major punishment as officials only get paid when they work a game so this will cost the officials a significant amount of money. The punishment also virtually guarantees that not only will none of these officials work a bowl game this season, they are also unlikely to get rehired next year.

The post Officially Speaking: Untimed Downs appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Tom Dienhart’s 10 Things to ponder ahead of Week 3
Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer via Big Ten Network

So far no Big Ten quarterback has played better than Michigan’s Wilton Speight. No way Penn State loses at home this week. Wisconsin needs another blowout. These are three of the things BTN.com's Tom Dienhart thinks he knows heading into Saturday.

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Ohio State’s key to beating Oklahoma? Put Baker Mayfield in passing downs
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Oklahoma has an excellent QB, but he’s not unbeatable. And Ohio State may have the personnel to make him sweat.

Ohio State has passed it’s first two defensive tests of the season with flying colors. Against Bowling Green and Tulsa, two high-flying, fast-paced, multi-faceted offenses that ranked near the best in the country when it came to advanced stats, the Buckeyes gave up a whopping zero touchdowns.

Even if Tulsa and Bowling Green dramatically regress on offense this season, that’s still an impressive accomplishment. If absolutely clobbering cupcakes was easy, everybody would do it. As any Ohio State fan who remembers the Jim Tressel era knows, it doesn’t always work that way.

But the cupcake portion of the schedule is over, at least for now. The Buckeyes face a much stiffer challenge with Oklahoma, paced by their electric quarterback, Baker Mayfield.

A bit of the shine may have been lost on this game, thanks to Oklahoma’s early loss at Houston. But that loss doesn’t make Mayfield less of a dynamic player. Small sample size, sure, but Mayfield is still completing 71.7% of his passes this season, good for five touchdowns, and no picks. He completed 68.1% of his passes last season, throwing up a ridiculous 36/7 TD to INT ratio, en route to Oklahoma’s somewhat surprising Big 12 title and run to the College Football Playoff.

Mayfield has mobility, arm strength, and the ability to make good, efficient decisions with the football. He’s not a huge dude, but he’s certainly capable of stretching Ohio State’s defense in a way that Bowling Green and Tulsa are not. Plus, it’s not like he’s on an island, since he has two of the better running backs in college football, Samaje Perine, and Joe Mixon, behind him.

You don’t need to be a rocket science to look at the stats and realize that Oklahoma’s offense is potentially very dangerous. But those same stats also show a potential weakness, and one that the Buckeyes may be the particular personnel to exploit.

Ohio State needs to find ways to put Baker Mayfield in passing downs.

Sure, that’s the key for nearly every defense, but the data is particularly striking when it comes to Oklahoma. 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).

This makes some sense. Oklahoma’s wideouts are a little more inexperienced this season, and they’ve lost mega-wideout Sterling Shepard. These situations also help take Mixon and Perine out of the play, putting even more of the load on Mayfield.

We’ve written earlier that the key to winning this matchup rests with Ohio State’s inexperienced defensive line. It might be the position group that has the weakest depth, as far as recruiting rankings are concerned, and their performance will go a long way towards insuring Ohio State isn’t giving up six yards a carry, and that their tackles eat enough blocks to let their defensive ends cause some havoc in the backfield.

Sacks may go a long way towards helping keep Oklahoma in those situations. More mobile QBs tend to have higher sack rates, and Oklahoma has been no exception, especially in passing situations. Mayfield was sacked 14 times on first down last season, and has already been sacked five times this season (Barrett has been sacked once so far).

The Buckeyes have not produced a pass rush even close to what was demonstrated last year, but it’s possible Ohio State was scheming conservatively over the last two weeks. Perhaps the Buckeyes get a little more aggressive, showcasing the speed of their defensive backfield with some corner or safety blitz packages, or Ohio State’s young talent pushes through to produce a little more havoc.

The Buckeyes will probably be able to score some points against Oklahoma, but the Sooners have myriad ways they can attack Ohio State’s defense. The Buckeyes have been excellent on that side of the ball so far. If they can force Mayfield to beat them in passing situations over the course of the game, they have an excellent chance of grabbing a huge win before Big Ten play.

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Gameday+ | Rearview mirror: Pittsburgh 42, Ohio State 10 - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Gameday+ | Rearview mirror: Pittsburgh 42, Ohio State 10
Columbus Dispatch
Impact: The 42 points were the most scored in a win over the Buckeyes since the 1973 Rose Bowl, and the roller-coaster ride was just starting for the '88 team. Ohio State beat No. 7 LSU the next week in Columbus, then was outscored the next three weeks ...

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Sooners desperately need to beat Buckeyes - The Newark Advocate
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Sooners desperately need to beat Buckeyes
The Newark Advocate
Thanks a lot, Tom Herman. By toppling Oklahoma from its No. 3 perch in the polls, Herman's upstart Houston Cougars most likely assured that instead of fat and full of themselves, the Sooners awaiting the Buckeyes on Saturday will be big and ornery. Big ...
Crazy ESPN Ohio State Prediction: Oklahoma Will Beat The BuckeyesFactory Of Sadness
Buckeyes set for 'big-boy' gameNorwalk Reflector
Who does Ohio State see as it prepares for Baker Mayfield? Brett FavreESPN (blog)
The Oklahoma Daily -Land-Grant Holy Land
all 14 news articles »

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Breaking down Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield versus Houston
Christopher Jason via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


See how the talented signal caller fared against Tom Herman’s defense.

When Lincoln Riley accepted the offensive coordinator position at Oklahoma, Sooner fans worried that he would turn Oklahoma into a soft Air Raid team, and get away from their physical Big 12 running game that fans were used to.

What most people didn’t know about Riley — a disciple of Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense — is that he actually passes to set up the run, and his offenses have always ran with great success. Basically, Riley wants to spread the defense out to get defenders out of the box, hit you with screens and quick passes, then take intermediate to deep shots. Once the defense is focused on the pass and the offense has numbers in the box, they’ll slash you on the ground with Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon — two of the most talented running backs in the nation. Last season, Oklahoma ran the ball on 57-percent of their 1,013 plays and so far through two games, they’ve had a nice 51:49, run:pass balance.

Yes, their running game is great and both backs have the ability to move the chains or take one to the house almost at will, but the offense runs through their signal caller, Baker Mayfield.

Mayfield stands at 6’1", 212 lbs and actually plays much bigger whether he is in-or-out of the pocket. He started his career with Texas Tech in 2013 — starting as a walk-on true freshman — under Kliff Kingsbury, running the Air Raid. After being named the Big 12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year, he decided to leave Texas Tech and transfer to Oklahoma. After Mayfield sat out in 2014, Lincoln Riley arrived at Oklahoma in 2015, and it was a match made in Air Raid heaven.

Mayfield put up crazy numbers in his first season in Norman, throwing for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns, to only 7 interceptions. He also added 405 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground, en-route to being named the Sporting News Player of the Year and AP Second Team All-American.

Through the first two games, Mayfield has been even better than he was in 2015. He’s completed 71.7-percent of his passes, compared to 68.1-percent of his passes the year prior. He’s also yet to throw an interception through his first 53 pass attempts.

Unfortunately for Mayfield and the Sooners, they got knocked in off Week 1 against Tom Herman’s Houston Cougars. However, the quarterback played exceptionally and he displayed his accuracy, toughness and unwillingness to quit amidst adversity.

Here’s how Mayfield’s day looked against Houston:

• Compared to J.T. Barrett’s weekly charts, this one looks much different. Mayfield dropped back 40 times; which resulted in 24 completions, seven incompletions, seven scrambles, and two sacks.
• His offensive line protected him well, allowing the majority of the five pressures late in the game, when the defense had a full pass rush on, due to the Sooners being down.
• What stands out with Mayfield is his accuracy at all passing levels. He began the game 11-for-11 passing and he made some tough throws.
• Other than his accuracy, the most impressive thing about Mayfield is his pocket awareness and his movement in the pocket. He almost looks Johnny Manziel-esque in the pocket at times, and uses his athleticism to get out of trouble — while keeping his eyes downfield. He’s deceptively shifty and can make defenders miss behind the line of scrimmage or when he tucks and scrambles.
• He’s athletic, the team has two stud running backs and he makes good decisions, but they do not run as much read option as one would expect. When they do run the read option or option, the quarterback tends to predetermine his read and does not look to pitch on the option.
• When looking at his weapons, three players stuck out against Houston: WR No. 11 Dede Westbrook and the two running backs, Mixon and Perine. Westbrook is a quick slot receiver who is the Air Raid prototype. He’ll line-up in the slot and work the field horizontally in the screen game and makes plays in space. Against Houston, Westbrook was the only receiver targeted in the screen game -- Mixon caught one screen lined up out wide. Both Perine and Mixon have reliable hands and will catch a bunch of swing passes and be used as check-downs out of the backfield. No. 81 Mark Andrews showed off his wheels on a deep crossing pattern that went for a touchdown, but he was not targeted again. In fact, the 6’5", 250 lb receiver has 10 career touchdown receptions on only 23 career receptions.

Above, Mayfield hits his receiver on a 8-yard out to move the chains on 2nd-&-6. This throw shows off his arm strength, as he threw the ball from 14-yards from the opposite hash and on a line. Not many college quarterbacks have the arm strength to make that throw.


This sequence shows his ability to avoid the rush, keep the play alive and have the poise keep his eyes downfield. This is a terrific play by Mayfield to extend the play and make the throw behind the sticks.


Here, Mayfield quickly recognizes the mismatch in his favor — a linebacker covering Joe Mixon in man coverage out of the backfield. Mixon runs a go-route and Mayfield floats the ball over the running back’s shoulder, in-stride for a big gain.


This play shows Mayfield’s athleticism and mobility. After a high snap, the quarterback makes multiple defenders miss and turns what could have been a horrible play, into a positive. He doesn’t possess blazing speed or quickness, but he’s similar athletically to Barrett and finds a way to get it done with his legs.

***

For the Ohio State defense to be successful on Saturday, it will take a complete team effort.

As seen above, Mayfield has the ability to extend plays and make defenders miss in the backfield. It will be key for the defensive line to not let up when they get the chance to make a play on the quarterback, but also remember to keep contain. He’s the type of player who excels in chaos and looks to make plays as he’s running around.

The linebackers have their hands full with Perine and Mixon. Not only do they run the ball effectively, but they are both targeted often in the passing game. Chris Worley will certainly be tested with Westbrook, who makes a ton of plays from the slot and in the screen game. I expect Greg Schiano/ Luke Fickell to dial up press coverage in the slot, to throw off Mayfield and Westbrook’s timing.

If the defensive line can get a good pass rush and the linebackers limit Perine and Mixon, the defensive backfield should perform well. Outside of Westbrook, there isn’t a second target on the perimeter who is a true playmaker or who possesses the ability to take over the game. With Malik Hooker patrolling from his free safety position, they shouldn’t get beat deep by any of those receivers.

The Buckeye defense has a clear advantage on the perimeter, but this will be the biggest test of the entire season for the front-seven.

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TBBC Fans Interact: Tulsa Golden Hurricane; Mi Familia; Wife, Son, Daughter, Brother
WVaBuckeye via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


I really enjoy doing these weekly articles and it’s a pleasure to introduce you to my family and their opinions of last weeks game! My beautiful wife Jackie @jlhBUCKS of 26 years, our youngest child and son @Phil__413, our middle child @kristianahunt and my brother Casey Google Plus. Our oldest child is a WVU graduate and fan so I didn’t ask of her opinion! Give them a follow on the twitter thing and please congratulate them on awesome answers.


(L-R) Kristiana, Philip, Jackie and Myself at Cherry Grove, North Myrtle this past summer. We have some pretty good O-H-I-O’s over the years.

What is it about this defense that makes them appear better than last years?


Jackie- Its was only the second game of the season so it’s too early to tell. Turnovers have been amazing though. Hooker stands out right now as a big threat to opposing offenses. Defense came alive in the second quarter and just played phenomenal. Other defensive players making key plays so I am excited to see what they do against tougher opponents.



Philip- Turnovers. I don’t think the defense is better yet, but they’ve had so many turnover in just two games that they appear to be more dynamic.

Kristiana- It is a little early to say they are better, but a noticeable difference in the last two games has been turnovers. We also haven’t let any offense score a touchdown yet. Stopping Tulsa on 4th down at the 1-yard line was impressive.

Casey- it’s too early for me to tell but I think with their defensive coordinator anything is possible and Nick Bosa is really gonna be a valuable asset.

Why do you think the offense took so long to get rolling and what was the difference when they did?


Jackie- I’m not sure if they came out and expected to breeze through like last week and weren’t prepared for what Tulsa brought. Teams always give Ohio State their best game and who can blame them. Could be looking ahead to next week but you have to take care of this week before you worry about next week. Need to start each game strong like they started playing close to end of second quarter and the second half. Couple of times, JT seemed unsure on throwing. When he’s in that situation he needs to run it.

Philip- Usually when I criticize the offense it’s because they don’t run the ball and it is no different now. Keep pounding the defense with Weber and Samuel, draw the defense in and then throw it over the top. I think the difference is that after two pick sixes and a long halftime, Tulsa was done.



Kristiana- I don’t think JT was making smart reads. He forced a lot of passes. I also think Tulsa was ready for our run game and it took us awhile to find the open pockets. We lacked enthusiasm but Hookers pick-6 and the storm kind of woke us up.

Casey- I think JT is nervous about getting hurt or saving himself for tougher teams. He stepped it up more after the half but I believe it will get better as he has time with his new offense.

Even though they’re only played two games, the defense has only given up two field goals, what’s your favorite unit of the defense and why?


Jackie- Defense seems to have a fire about them. In the beginning of the game, Evans completed too many passes and at one point their offense was on the field more than us and they had more first downs. Towards the end of the second quarter when defense came alive they weren’t letting anything get past them. If they play like that all the time every minute of every game they are going to be a nightmare for opponents.

Philip- Defensive backs. They’re young and ruthless.

Kristiana- Defensive backs for sure. They make things happen. They have bailed us out when we couldn’t stop the run game on multiple drives. They are smart and they act on their instincts quickly.



Casey- Hooker and Lattimore are highly underused on the offense side of the field and I believe they are versatile and capable of running some offense in this system! They are very talented.

Bonus-What do the Buckeyes have to do to win in Norman this week and what is your prediction?


Jackie- Smart play calling, no penalties, JT needs to be confident and sure every time, use Weber and Samuel, deliver some amazing passes, JT needs to run when needed, defense play strong hard and fast. I’d also like to see some sacks

Philip- Our defensive line has to get to the quarterback, Barrett has to be precise and decisive, and the play calling has to be smart. I don’t like predicting games so I’m not going to make a prediction. I think it’ll be a good game.

Kristiana- I really think it’s going to come down to play calling. When we throw, Barrett has to be able to read the field like he did against Bowling Green. Our defense also needs to stop the run game. I’ll predict 31-21, Buckeyes win.

Casey- 56 to 10 Buckeyes win !!! Keep feeding the ball to Weber jr. And more runs into the endzone by jt. Barret and run Hooker on the offense for a game. More run plays not up the middle split the defense kick it out more often an also see what brewer has to offer when you need a tempo change

The post TBBC Fans Interact: Tulsa Golden Hurricane; Mi Familia; Wife, Son, Daughter, Brother appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Big plays will decide Ohio State’s matchup versus Oklahoma
Colton Denning via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Our latest podcast explains what Ohio State needs to do to beat the Sooners.

With Bowling Green and Tulsa out of the way, Ohio State’s primetime showdown with the Oklahoma Sooners is (almost) finally here. On the newest edition of Hangout in the Holy land, Matt Brown and I discuss everything Buckeyes - Sooners, including:

• Our biggest concerns about defending OU’s dynamic duo at running back
• The defensive line needing a big game
• What previous opponents have done to limit the Sooners’ offense
• How Ohio State can attack OU with explosive plays
• Our predictions for the game

We also took time to laugh at Colorado’s hilarious trolling of Michigan, and took a look at this weekend’s loaded slate of games.

You can find the podcast on our new iTunes page, and we strongly encourage reviews, comments, criticisms, etc. to help us deliver the best possible audio product. The more we hear from you, the better we can make it. We’re also on Soundcloud, the SB Nation podcast page, and you can subscribe via RSS on your Android and Windows Phone devices here.

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Gameday+ | Recruiting: Competitive fire burns hot in defensive end prospect - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Gameday+ | Recruiting: Competitive fire burns hot in defensive end prospect
Columbus Dispatch
One major reason was his relationship with Buckeyes defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who has long-standing ties to the Washington area from his 18 years at Penn State. “Coach Johnson is the best defensive line coach in the nation,” Young said.

and more »

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Buckeyes “Prepared” for trip to Norman - NBC4i.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes “Prepared” for trip to Norman
NBC4i.com
The Buckeyes will leave Friday to fly to Oklahoma City. The game Saturday night will likely be the biggest crowd to watch a sporting event in Oklahoma state history. Here's Urban Meyer, Curtis Samuel and safety Malik Hooker talking Wednesday night ...
'I'm Not the Lone Wolf'Bleacher Report

all 30 news articles »

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Ohio State at Oklahoma: College football game preview - UPI.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State at Oklahoma: College football game preview
UPI.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State football burst out of the gate this season at a pace that defies its youth. With only six returning starters from last season, the Buckeyes have shown no signs of a drop-off from coach Urban Meyer's previous teams with a 2 ...


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Ohio State vs. Oklahoma 2016 odds: Buckeyes betting favorite, even on the road - SB Nation
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State vs. Oklahoma 2016 odds: Buckeyes betting favorite, even on the road
SB Nation
Despite starting off their national title defense last year with a 10-0 SU record, the Buckeyes were just 4-6 ATS and never looked as sharp as they did in 2014. A 17-14 loss at home to the Michigan State Spartans ended the Buckeyes' 23-game winning ...
How the Ohio State offense got its mojo backESPN
Big Ten preview: Ohio State BuckeyesOSU - The Lantern
Is the Buckeyes defense vulnerable against the Sooners? Outrageous predictions for Ohio State vs. Oklahomacleveland.com
MyDaytonDailyNews -Highlands Today
all 604 news articles »

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Game Preview: Ohio State at Oklahoma
Shannon Sommers via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State Buckeyes @ Oklahoma Sooners – Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium 7:30 PM EST



When Ohio State methodically destroyed Bowling Green they looked like an offensive juggernaut. Last week when they faced off against Tulsa during the first half the Buckeyes looked stagnant with some confusion. The young offensive team was making some mistakes with blocking assignments, read option reads, along with a fumble that almost resulted in a touchdown. The defense stepped up huge in the first half keeping the Golden Hurricane offense from scoring on the one-yard-line plus they had two key interceptions resulting in pick six. The Buckeye went into the locker room up 20-3. After the weather delay which allowed the teams to stay in the locker rooms longer than usual the Buckeyes came out in the second half and executed the way they will need to against Oklahoma this Saturday.

Oklahoma having lost their first week against the Tom Herman lead Houston Cougars, came back to Norman with a victory against the mighty Lousiana-Monroe Warhawks. Their Week 1 loss showed that their secondary – the strength of the team – can make mistakes by giving up a couple key plays. Some mistakes were still made in the Warhawk matchup which leads Oklahoma in a slight state of concern with that unit this weekend.

Ohio State goes into Norman as the higher seed for this matchup which normally can build up pressure for a young team. Oklahoma is actually the team with all of the pressure on them right now. The Sooners find themselves in a must-win situation if they want to make a return trip to the playoffs. Before the season arrived many felt this game would be a loss for a young inexperienced Ohio State team. Never did anyone really think the Sooners post-season possibilities would be hanging in the balance this early.

The Intangibles

TV: Fox (Gus Johnson, Joel Katt, Shannon Spoake)

Radio: Ohio State IMG Radio Network/97.1 WBNS (Paul Keels/Jim Lachey/Matt Andrews)

Online: Fox Sports Go App I Fox Sports Listen I NEW Fox Sports VR I 97.1 WBNS (Audio)

Social Media: @OhioStAthletics I @OU_Athletics

Series Record: 1-1

Previewing the Oklahoma Sooner

Oklahoma is led by the head coach who has been in charge of the football team since 1999. Bob Stoops has won a National Championship along with being the only coach to win the quartet of the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta and Orange Bowls. Last season Stoops team went 11-2, making the playoffs for the first time losing to Clemson.


(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)


The quarterback, Baker Mayfield, is a Brett Farve type of gunslinger. Mayfield just missed out on a trip to New York City last season like J.T. Barrett did in 2014. Last season Mayfield had a passing completion rate of 68.1 percent. He threw for 36 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. Currently, for this season he is tossing the pigskin at 71.7 percent with five touchdowns and zero interception.

One of Baker Mayfield’s best targets is redshirt sophomore TE Mark Andrews (6-5, 244) this season. Andrews is averaging 30 yards per reception so far this early season. Being a very good deep threat for the Sooners he has touchdowns of 25, 39 and 64 yards. Another receiver to really watch is Dede Westbrook, currently he is averaging six receptions with 8.6 yards per reception. Westbrook production is currently down from the 16.2 yards per catch from last season, he hasn’t been able to grab a pass in the end-zone yet in his career.

In the backfield for the Sooners, Samje Perine made himself a household name by breaking the FBS rushing record with 427 yards and five touchdowns against Kansas last year. Perine is a prototypical battering ram type of back, wears down the defensive front as the game wears on. Samje isn’t leading the Sooners in rushing though this season, that distinction goes to Joe Mixon. Mixon currently is averaging 8.3 yards a carry on 19 attempts for 168 yards (Perine has 16 carries for 93 yards).

Oklahoma’s offensive line is anchored by Orlando Brown who has started all 13 games in 2015 along with the first two this year. Being the right tackle protecting Baker Mayfield’s blind side is something Brown has really excelled at. Last season he earned second-team All- Big 12 honors plus being a freshman All-American. Brown is an elite NFL tackle prospect standing at 6-8 and weighing 337-pounds. At the right tackle spot is Dru Samia who is listed as 8-4, 299-lbs, he played 12 games (9 starts) last season as a true freshman.

Junior Johnathan Alverez is the center, having started 10 games last season (nine at left guard, one at center). On each side of Alverez is a pair of four-star recruits. Cody Ford is a redshirt freshman listed at 6-3 and 317-pounds. Ford is the left guard, redshirt sophomore Alex Dalton is the right guard. Dalton played in seven games before being sidelined by a knee injury.

The Sooners run a 3-4 defensive scheme but honestly it is more of a 4-2-5. Along with the three-man defensive line they like to line up a linebacker at the line along with having a nickle package in place.

Their defensive line has a strong rotation with eight guys playing either defensive end or defensive tackle. Senior Matt Dimon started all 13 games last year playing the left defensive end position. The 6-7, 275-pound end had seven tackles for a loss along with 2.5 sacks last year. In the middle starting at the defensive tackle spot is redshirt senior Jordan Wade. Redshirt junior Charles Walker had ten tackles for loss last season and six sacks in a backup role behind current Dallas Cowboy Charles Tapper. The Sooners defensive line helped the defense give up just 161 yards rushing last season which was second in the conference.


(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)


The linebackers for Oklahoma are more of a question this season than last year. Having lost three linebackers to the NFL they have senior Jordan Evans who is the lone starter from a year ago. Evans earned All-Big 12 Second Team Honors last year. He has the size and speed to more than likely lead the team in tackles this season. Redshirt junior Ogbonnia (the g is silent) Okoronkwo is an outside linebacker that possesses the rare gift of strength and speed that makes him an outstanding outside pass rusher. Redshirt sophomore Tay Evans is the inside linebacker starter this season. He has seen action in ten games last year.

The secondary was to be the strength of this defense in 2016. Having given up some key plays in the first two games means there is still work to be done. They lost some key players in their defensive backfield from the 2015 season but they felt confident the talent they have will become the strength they envision. Cornerback Jordan Thomas along with safety Steven Parker were second-team All-Big 12 last season. Safety Ahmad Thomas and corner Dakota Austin are the other two starters lack a lot of experience. True freshman Parrish Cobb has made his presence felt earning playing time but has made true freshman mistakes which have allowed big plays to happen.

Previewing the Buckeyes

Buckeyes are led by head coach Urban Meyer who has won three national championships (one with the Buckeyes in 2014) along with countless bowl games throughout his career. Urban is currently 52-4 during his tenure leading the scarlet and gray.

J.T. Barrett is the starter at quarterback this season, no more controversy for the Buckeyes like the 2015 campaign. Barrett who looked like a possible Heisman candidate that many are predicting in the game against Bowling Green. Barrett seemed to take a step back in the matchup against Tulsa this past weekend. J.T. looked like he was struggling with the read-option at times along with making some poor throws. He and Mike Weber messed up an exchange of the ball causing a turnover. Barrett did look a lot better in the second half making better decisions along with his execution.


(Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)


Mike Weber the starter at running back. Weber has been close to getting his 100-yard game under his belt against Tulsa, he did get into the end-zone for his first NCAA career touchdown. Curtis Samuel really plays more of the hybrid back since he is such a dynamic weapon. The Buckeyes use him as the running back at times which he shows bursts of speed and can gain some serious yardage along with putting him in the slot where he makes great catches. When Samuel catches the ball usually he is adding a bunch of yards after the catch.

The wide receiver group for the Buckeyes looked good in the Bowling Green game. Separating themselves from the defenders, making some good blocks at key times. Urban Meyer however, didn’t feel they did enough, he even called out Corey Smith for his play stating it was subpar. The Tulsa game the wideouts known at Zone 6 couldn’t get any separation from the Tulsa defenders which caused problems for Barrett plus they were missing key blocks which just basically stalled the offense in the first half. When they came out in the second half they seemed to play better. Noah Brown, Parris Cambell, KJ Hill along with Dontre Wilson are just some of the names that really need to step up their game more in order to take this team to the elite level.

The offensive line which only has Pat Elfien along with Billy Price as the only returning starters from last season, is seeing some growing pains as expected. Jamraco Jones has been solid so far at left tackle along with Michael Jordan the true freshman starting at left guard. Isaiah Prince starting at the right guard spot. The Tulsa game in the first half they seemed stagnant at times with failing to open many holes for the running game. Again in the second half they were asserting their dominance as they did in the Bowling Green game.

Buckeyes defensive line lost a lot of talent last season but, they do have plenty still on the team. Sam Hubbard was really starting to show how he can take over games with his speed against Tulsa. Losing Tracy Sprinkle a defensive tackle for the year during the Bowling Green game was a big hit but his leadership is still there since he is in the meeting room with the defensive line helping them get better. True freshman Nick Bosa is already showing glimpses of how great he can become. Defensive end Tyquan Lewis and defensive tackle Michael Hill have both been making great plays. This defensive front has helped the Ohio State defense only allow 68 yards a game rushing against them this season.

Ohio State linebacker group has an NFL talent in Raekwon McMillan as the inside linebacker that is proving that opposing team have their hands full trying to account for him. He has the exact traits and talent to play in the NFL now which isn’t surprising when he came to Columbus the buzz that surrounded him. Dante Booker missed last week and is listed as doubtful for this week with a mild MCL strain. That puts Joe Berger who came up big for the Buckeyes Saturday with a goal-line stop, helping the Buckeyes defense preserve not having surrendered a touchdown through eight quarters. Jerome Baker will start in place of Booker along with Chris Worley on the other side.

The Buckeye front seven look like a force so far through two games.


(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)


Buckeyes secondary had to rebuild after losing three of its members to the NFL. Malik Hooker who has flourished so far this season has three interceptions with two being pick sixes. Marshon Lattimore has two inceptions one being a pick six. Gareon Conley the leader and lone starter from last season is becoming a lock down corner. What has been thought to be a weakness going into the 2016 campaign currently is a strength. Having seven interceptions already in two games is really amazing in this young season.

The major negative currently for the young Bucks is that they are averaging 9 penalties a game.

Three Key Matchups

1. Perine/Mixon vs. Buckeyes Front Seven: Ohio State travels to Norman sporting a rushing defense that has only given up an average of 68 yards a game to go with zero touchdowns. The Sooners are currently averaging 179 yards a game. They are carrying the rock for an average of 5 yards a carry. Ohio State hasn’t faced a rushing attack like this yet this season. Can the Buckeye defensive line create holes for the linebackers to slip through and prevent the Sooner rushing attack from becoming a problem. Having Raekwon McMillan is a great advantage for Ohio State in this battle, will he lead the young Bucks up from to Silver Bullet status.
2. Baker Mayfield vs. Ohio State Secondary: Mayfield has an outstanding tall target in Mark Andrews. Can the Buckeyes secondary continue their dominance they have displayed by not allowing the big plays to happen. Malik Hooker has shown he isn’t afraid to hit anyone especially pancaking a huge offensive lineman. Lattimore and Conley are responsible for their island coverage of their targets, they play the receiver and the ball very well causing some great breakups. Mayfield is the gunslinger type that can really put the ball on target. Does his accuracy of 71.7 percent win out over this young secondary.
3. Curtis Samuel vs Sooner defense: Samuel is the most dynamic player on the field, he can change the momentum of games. How do the Sooners account for Samuel when he is out there? Any time Samuel touches the ball a big play can happen which tells you he will have at least 20 or more touches Saturday. His speed and field awareness is second to none.

The post Game Preview: Ohio State at Oklahoma appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Ohio State notebook | At long last, Parris Campbell makes first catch - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State notebook | At long last, Parris Campbell makes first catch
Columbus Dispatch
As receiver Parris Campbell prepares with Ohio State for a game Saturday at Oklahoma, he does so with the relief of knowing he finally has a catch next to his name on the stat sheet. “It was a great feeling; it has been a long time coming,” he said of ...
Ohio State Buckeyes podcast - Ohio State Football - 247Sports247Sports

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Buckeyes look to get back on track against Raiders - Athens Messenger (registration)
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes look to get back on track against Raiders
Athens Messenger (registration)
The Buckeyes have more league titles — 20 — than any other TVC school, but the current six-year drought is the program's longest since the 1980s. Nelsonville-York (1-2) has a chance to take a step in the right direction Friday against the Raiders (3-0).

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Ohio State offers 5-star PG
Bret Favachio via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Thad Matta is making more moves for his 2018 class.

Garland grabs Buckeye offer


On Wednesday, it was Head Coach Thad Matta and the basketball Buckeyes who stole recruiting headlines. 2018 point guard Darius Garland, a top 15 player in his class, was the recipient of a Scarlet and Gray offer.


The Brentwood Academy (TN) baller, to no one's surprise, is currently being courted by many respectable hoop programs around the country. Arizona State, Baylor, Indiana, Louisville, Memphis, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia, have already offered the 5-foot-11, 145-pounder. With that being said, Garland blowing up is certainly something that could happen; Garland also has Duke, UCLA and others keeping tabs on him.

Garland is the 13th overall player in next year's class. He also stands as the second best point guard in the class and the best player from Tennessee. This will be a battle between many top universities, however, if the Buckeyes could somehow prevail when all is said and done, perhaps their spot inside the top five in recruiting rankings can be secure.

Committed to visit


There is also news on another Ohio State point guard target in next year’s class. According to Adam Zagoria, ‘18 PG Jahvon Quinerly of Hudson Catholic (NJ) told Zagoria that he will visit the Buckeyes’ campus in November.

Quinerly is a four-star prospect who holds offers from Cincinnati, Connecticut, Kansas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Villanova, Virginia and more. The Garden State standout is ranked as the No.30 player in the class, the eighth best PG, and the third highest graded player in the state. This will be a big opportunity for the Buckeyes to make a move in the recruitment of the 6-foot, 170-pound prospect if they have any hope in pairing him with ‘18 small forwards Justin Ahrens and Darius Bazley, as well as ‘18 SG Dane Goodwin.

Martell, Bucks eye Bolden


Switching gears to the gridiron, ‘17 quarterback commit Tate Martell of Bishop Gorman (NV) released some insight in his weekly journal on LandOf10.com as to whom he hopes joins him in this years Buckeye recruiting class.

Martell wrote that ‘17 defensive back Bubba Bolden, his Gaels teammate, is one that he and Ohio State are “pushing for”. The 5-foot-10, 203-pounder continued by saying he thinks they are in good position for the four-star safety and that he feels like the Buckeyes will find a spot in Bolden’s top three. As usual, a visit is the next thing that Ohio State will want to take place – and Martell expressed that in the journal entry.

Bolden is a 6-foot-3, 190 pounds and currently sits as one of the top safeties in the 2017 class. The Bishop Gorman defensive back is ranked No.11 at his position and No.4 in the state of Nevada behind ‘17 wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey, Martell, and ‘17 defensive tackle Haskell Garrett.

Lindsey and Garrett, like Martell, are already committed to the Buckeyes.

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Big Ten preview: Ohio State Buckeyes - OSU - The Lantern
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Big Ten preview: Ohio State Buckeyes
OSU - The Lantern
Showing off the skills of their young defensive players, the Buckeyes have dominated their first two opponents. After a 77-10 drubbing of Bowling Green in Week 1, Ohio State struggled in the first half against Tulsa but ultimately pulled away 48-3 ...
How the Ohio State offense got its mojo backESPN
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Ohio State Buckeyes turn to an old friend for help vs. SoonersMyDaytonDailyNews
Highlands Today -UPI.com
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