Tulsa Hoping To Rock OSU Like A (Golden) Hurricane
Chip Minnich via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Before discussing the upcoming Tulsa/Ohio State game, let me just have a quick moment to elaborate on this week’s post title. Growing up in the 1980s…let me tell you kids. There is a reason why people think of MTV nostalgically, and a band like The Scorpions was only a small sliver of what was available on MTV back then. Enjoy.

My man Shannon Sommers and I discussed Tulsa in greater detail on our latest Men of the Scarlet and Gray Podcast, with our guest Kelly Hines. If you haven’t listened to the podcast yet, you are missing out, as Kelly provided tremendous insight into Tulsa for this week’s game.


NORMAN, OK – SEPTEMBER 19: Quarterback Dane Evans #9 of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane looks to throw against the Oklahoma Sooners September 19, 2015 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Tulsa 52-38.(Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)


It is difficult to find anything concerning about Ohio State football, especially after a dominant 77-10 victory over Bowling Green. Below are three areas I will be keeping an eye on, as toe meets leather at 3:30pm EST on ABC.

1. Ohio State’s interior defensive line vs the Tulsa running game ~ Sincere condolences go out to Tracy Sprinkle, and best wishes for a speedy recovery. Ohio State’s interior defensive line depth was already questionable before the season, and now has been even more depleted with the loss of Sprinkle. Dre’Mont Jones, Robert Landers, DaVon Hamilton, Malik Barrow, Josh Alabi, and Jashon Cornell will all be needed to take over the loss of Sprinkle.
2. Ohio State’s secondary vs Tulsa’s passing game ~ Malik Hooker continued his knack for big plays that he began in the 2016 Ohio State Spring Game. Ohio State’s inexperienced secondary played tremendously well against Bowling Green, but were aided with many drops by Falcon receivers. Both starting Tulsa wide receivers (Keevan Lucas, Josh Atkinson) have big play ability (both averaged over 18 yards a reception against San Jose State), and both are considered legitimate NFL prospects. The secondary needs to come up big here again.
3. Curtis Samuel vs Tulsa’s defense ~ Samuel demonstrated why Coach Meyer called him the Ohio State offense’s most explosive player with three touchdowns scored and a terrific game running and receiving. Is Tulsa going to bring in a nickel defensive back to cover Samuel? Samuel is such a match-up problem for any opposing defense; I merely want to see what Tulsa defensive coordinator/former Ohio State defensive coordinator Bill Young is going to do.

I agree with Gareon Conley, who stated “We’re not going to talk down on our opponents, but next week I feel like we’re going to get more experienced people because I know a lot of guys left from Bowling Green…Watching some of the film from Tulsa, I know they have an experienced quarterback so we’ve got to get ready for that. It’s also a faster tempo than Bowling Green.”. Ohio State will get a better game from Tulsa than they did from Bowling Green, but Ohio State’s depth and speed will be too much for Tulsa in the second half. I have it Ohio State 56, Tulsa 17.

The post Tulsa Hoping To Rock OSU Like A (Golden) Hurricane appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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


The Bucks seek a 2-0 start when they welcome the Golden Hurricane to Columbus.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are coming off of a promising start to the 2016 season. The Buckeyes welcomed the Bowling Green Falcons to Columbus this past Saturday, and come out with quite the victory at 77-10. It was the most prolific game of offense in the storied history of Ohio State football, breaking the school record for total yards in a game at 776. J.T. Barrett had six passing touchdowns, in what was an extremely successful day through the air for the men in scarlet and gray.

While it was a good start for the young team, it’s still quite early in the season, and it’s a very long and excruciating one (in case last year wasn’t a great indication of that). The Buckeyes come into this game ranked No. 4 in both the AP and Coaches Poll, but as the past two seasons have shown (and every other one, really), that doesn’t count for anything. The first real test of the season will come September 17 when the Buckeyes travel to Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners, but they’ve got the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to get past first.

This will be the first meeting between the schools. And although Ohio State is expected to cruise here, it’s not expected to be nearly as easy as the Bowling Green game was. The Golden Hurricane is led by Philip Montgomery, former offensive coordinator at Baylor. His team had quite an explosive offense last year, helping the team improve from a dreadful 2-10 record to 6-7, taking the Golden Hurricane to the Independence Bowl and giving Virginia Tech a hell of a game in Frank Beamer’s last on the gridiron. They even gave Oklahoma a scare last season, before ultimately losing 52-38.

Tulsa has been a good program over the past 5 years, so Montgomery has been quite a bright spot early in his tenure after the hole the program had fallen into. He was able to boost the team’s offense in just a single season immensely, and without recruits. Last season, the defense was really their largest issue, but they were young, and with another year under their belt, the Golden Hurricane hope that it won’t be nearly as bad. A little defense would have gone a long way during last season.

Last season, Tulsa’s yards per game was 13th in the nation. That’s very good! They’re returning last year’s starting quarterback Dane Evans, who threw for over 4,300 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just eight picks. That’s always a good starting point for smaller programs. They’ve lost RB Zack Langer, who led the team in carries and touchdowns, as well as Ramadi Warren, who rushed for nearly 500 yards and six touchdowns. But, they are returning D’Angelo Brewer, who produced over 800 yards and six touchdowns on the ground last season. Despite losing two of their top three wideouts, one to graduation and one to injury, the Golden Hurricane spread the ball out a bunch last season, so there’s experience all around the receivers we will see Saturday afternoon.

But when the Golden Hurricane was playing teams of higher caliber, it was all for none, because the defense just wasn’t there. Ranked 126 in defensive yards given up per game, every game was a shootout. They’ve lost their leading tackler in safety Michael Mudoh, who had 13 percent of the team’s tackles, but they’ve also returned a good amount of talent in the defensive backfield. If there’s going to be any strength in the defense, it’s there.

Ohio State’s biggest advantages


Offense. The Buckeyes had no problem moving the pigskin last week, and as aforementioned, Tulsa doesn’t exactly boast a great defense. We know what we’re getting out of J.T. Barrett. He finished 5th in the Heisman Trophy voting his freshman season, and finished the 2015 campaign strong when he got the bulk of the snaps. Billy Price and Pat Elflein on the offensive line, along with new starter (yet upperclassman) Jamarco Jones serve as a good anchor to let Barrett do what he does, like throwing for 349 yards and six touchdowns against the Bowling Green Falcons.

Along with these guys, come a breadth of new weapons for the Buckeye offense. Nine different Buckeyes caught passes this past Saturday, five of them catching 3 or more passes. New starting running back Mike Weber also showed great promise on the ground, with 19 carries for 136 yards. Curtis Samuel, who might be the most versatile player on the squad, had 177 yards receiving, and was second on the team in rushing with 84 yards. If the Golden Hurricane has to keep their eyes peeled for at least one guy on the offense that isn’t Barrett, it has to be Samuel.

Pure talent. If for whatever reason this game begins to get tough, and Tulsa puts together a complete game, Ohio State’s talent alone should be enough to carry them over the top. Surely if you follow Land-Grant Holy Land closely and our State Secrets, you’ll know that Ohio State recruiting has been going bonkers since the arrival of Urban Meyer. So despite the big turnover on the roster, the talent is undoubtedly there. The aforementioned Mike Weber, who had a stellar debut with the Bucks was a four-star recruit, along with first-year starting offensive linemen in freshman Michael Jordan, and sophomore Isaiah Prince. First-year starting wideouts, and a pair of sophomores Noah Brown and Parris Campbell were also four-star recruits.

It’s the same story on the defensive side of the ball for Ohio State. Sophomore Sam Hubbard wasn’t the highest touted recruit by any means, but he was a monster in his roles last season, and should really shake things up on the defensive line this season. Expectations have also risen for sophomore Malik Hooker, who had a pair of picks for Ohio State last week. Montgomery hasn’t been able to get but one recruiting class in with the Golden Hurricane. So he’s still playing with some from a crop that went 2-10 prior to his first season at the helm. He did a great job last season of coaching up what he had, but with the wide range of talent that the Buckeyes boast, that could be all the Buckeyes need to win, even if Tulsa is somehow able to keep this one close. It helped Ohio State overcome Northern Illinois last season.

Coaching. Urban Meyer is undoubtedly one of the best in the business. Ohio State was already a great program before he took over in 2012, and he’s taken it to new heights, and setting the Buckeyes up for what could be a dynasty-like run if the recruiting classes keep coming and pan out. He’s lost just four games as the head coach of the Buckeyes, and is 13-0 against non-power five schools. Barring the greatest game in Tulsa’s history, that should become 14-0 for Meyer.

Philip Montgomery is a fine young coach. This is his first head coaching gig, but he’s gotten off to a great start. Unfortunately for him and his team, they’re running into one of the most unstoppable forces in college football right now. It’s not a game they expect to win, but it doesn’t hurt to see how one of the best programs in college football does things on a Saturday. Meyer, along with his assistants make up quite the staff. A few of the more notable names include Greg Schiano, Kerry Coombs, and Zach Smith. And despite the heat that Ed Warinner and Tim Beck have taken the past handful of months, they had a hand in the best offensive day in Ohio State’s history. If the game is close and it comes down to coaching, the Buckeyes chances are pretty dang good.

Bowling Green’s biggest advantages


Offensive weaponry. This is likely the greatest advantage that the Golden Hurricane possesses. While the secondary and their ability to stop the run were strengths for them last season, the combined product on the defensive side of the ball, was a huge weakness. With that said, Tulsa boasts plenty of weapons on the offensive end, and they’re able to put it together, and do it against anybody. Last season, putting up points was the farthest thing from being an issue with this team. Their lowest scoring game of last season was in a 30-17 loss against ECU. In seven games last season, they scored at least 40 points or more, with one coming against Virginia Tech.

How were they able to do this? Of course it all starts at the quarterback position with Dane Evans. The senior threw for 4,332 yards last year with 25 touchdowns and just eight picks, and completed 63 percent of his passes. This is good, because last season was his first in Montgomery’s system, so you’d have to imagine with a year under his belt, there’s room for improvement there. The Golden Hurricane is losing starting running back Zack Langer, as well as two of their top three receivers in Keyarris Garrett and Conner Floyd, but there’s still tons of production coming back for them.

D’Angelo Brewer, while not the starter, produced nearly as much as Langer did. The touchdowns weren’t as close, but in rushing yards, Brewer had the advantage. Brewer will be the centerpiece in the backfield, and will likely be coupled with James Flanders, who took Ramadi Warren’s carries. Don’t be surprised to see Raymond Taylor as well, who had 12 carries for 50 yards in their season opener. At receiver, Joshua Atkinson, Justin Hobbs, and Keevan Lucas combined for over 42 percent of the targets last season, and carried the load in their first game of this season against San Jose State. The drop off at receiver should be zero, but if anything, very minimal.

Stopping the run. There were not many bright spots for the Golden Hurricane defense last season. By now, in reading this preview, you’re well aware that this team is, simply put, bad on defense. But you can always find a positive in any situation, and the ability of their defense to stop the run was one of those bright spots. Their linebacking trio of Matt Linscott, Trent Martin, and Craig Suits were the catalyst for this strength in the Golden Hurricane defense. The trio combined for 35.5 tackles for loss. While you might think a good chunk of those were sacks, it was just seven of them.

So if this was the case, how could they have been so bad? Well, everything was getting past them. The big plays hurt, and if safety Michael Mudoh’s percentage of the team’s tackles (13!) is any indication, it happened far too often. It’s nice to drop those linebackers back and keep everything in front of you, but that just wasn’t a reality for them last season, and it resulted in a pretty bad defense. They gave up just 10 points in this season’s opener to San Jose State, but, they’re San Jose State.

Secondary. Another defensive strength? Yes, hear me out. They didn’t get a whole lot of help last season, and despite losing its leading tackler, there’s some experience and some talent there. They return senior Jeremy Brady, corner Kerwin Thomas, and safety Jordan Mitchell, who combined for 17 percent of the teams tackles. Brady and Thomas led the team in picks with two apiece. Thomas also led the team in passes broken up with 12, and is definitely a highlight when it comes to returning players on defense.

The Golden Hurricane also added experience with Keanu Hill, a JUCO transfer, as well as redshirt freshman Reginald Robinson II. The front seven really showed promise in the first game, giving up just 53 rushing yards on 32 attempts. This should help the secondary be better, because of the ground they had to make up for them last season. The hope here is that another year helps them make a greater leap on defense, and that showed in the first game. Ohio State’s offense will certainly be a different test, but the inexperience at wide receiver just might help Tulsa enough to be somewhat effective. Although that wouldn’t be an entirely safe bet.

Summary


F/+ Projection: Ohio State 46, Tulsa 21

Win Probability: Ohio State 93%

It’s a pretty safe bet for Ohio State to get away with this one comfortably. Tulsa is strong offensively, but if their defensive history is any indication, Ohio State could have another very fun afternoon on offense. Ohio State’s talent should be all the Bucks need Saturday to come away with this one.

After a smoking hot start last week, look for J.T. Barrett to keep making a statement, as it seems he has been slept on when it comes to early-season Heisman favorites. He got his campaign started in 2014 this same way, eating up on the lesser competition. Defensively, it’s always a safe bet to keep an eye on Raekwon McMillan, but also keep eyes on Malik Hooker, and Gareon Conley in the secondary. Expect the Buckeyes to come away with the W in the first meeting between these two squads.

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Ohio State Buckeyes Key Offseason Losses - BT Powerhouse (blog)
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State Buckeyes Key Offseason Losses
BT Powerhouse (blog)
The Ohio State Buckeyes endured a season of turmoil last year as they missed the NCAA Tournament and lost in the second round of the NIT Tournament, but heading into this 2016 season it's clear that this year's team will be noticeably different ...


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Ohio State offers 4-star receiver from Tulsa
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 enter Sooner territory for a top 20 receiver

We're only a day away from game two of the 2016 Ohio State football season. With the Buckeyes fast start last week versus Bowling Green, Urban Meyer and the rest of the squad look to keep the momentum going in the right direction when Tulsa comes to town. As all eyes in Columbus, Ohio are focused on the Golden Hurricanes, there is still recruiting being done day in and day out for Ohio State. It's been said countless times, but the Buckeyes continue to prove that recruiting is a business that truly never ends.

Ohio State offers Tulsa receiver


The Buckeyes may play Tulsa this weekend at home, but yesterday, Ohio State made their presence known in Tulsa, Okla. as they offered an incredibly talented local receiver. Making it known via his Twitter account, CJ Moore (Tulsa, OK / Union) announced that his latest offer came from The Ohio State University.


At 6-foot-5, 175 pounds, Moore possesses the height advantage every receivers coach desires. A tall and lengthy receiver with speed, Moore is currently the No.17 receiver in the country and the third best prospect from the Sooner State for the 2018 class. The composite 4-star holds nine offers, and the home state Oklahoma Sooners are pegged as the favorites to land his services.

However, Oklahoma has yet to offer Moore. With Ohio State now entering this recruitment, anything is possible. Look for Urban Meyer and staff to do what they can to get Moore on campus in the future. If a visit does in fact occur, the Buckeyes can certainly be considered a major threat to anyone recruiting the star receiver.

Dobbins season over so soon?


There really isn't one name that jumps out on Ohio State's 2017 recruiting class due to all of them being elite players, but all-purpose running back, J.K. Dobbins (La Grange, TX / La Grange) is ranked as the top prospect at his position not only in Texas, but the entire country for the 2017 class. An incredibly gifted athlete, Dobbins had some bad news recently as his season may come to an early end.

If the injury is season ending indeed, Dobbins will have to rehab the ankle and be back in his usual shape before heading north to Columbus. Nothing is confirmed as of yet, so hopefully Dobbins will be able to continue to play and help lead his team the rest of this season.

Gill's surgery was successful


Arguably a "must-get" recruit for Ohio State in 2018's recruiting class, Westerville South's Jaelen Gill had an unfortunate season ending injury early in this 2016 season. Set for surgery yesterday, Gill took to Twitter to let everyone know that his surgery was successful.


Obviously, it’s crushing that such an elite talent and great personality kid had his year end so soon, but fortunately a successful surgery will help him get back to being himself.

Currently rated as Ohio's No.2 prospect and the nation's No.2 all-purpose running back, Gill is every bit of his 5-star ranking. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound stud is right out of Ohio State's backyard – so look for the Buckeyes to continue to put the full-court press on Gill. Currently, 100 percent of the 247sports crystal ball picks are in favor of the Buckeyes. There's a long ways to go in this recruitment, but Ohio State certainly is near if not at the top of the list.

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Lewis has become key defender for Buckeyes - Toledo Blade
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Lewis has become key defender for Buckeyes
Toledo Blade
During an Ohio State recruiting camp, former defensive line coach Mike Vrabel, himself a former Buckeyes defensive end, couldn't take his eyes off a tall, skinny high schooler from a little town in eastern North Carolina. Tyquan Lewis won Vrabel's ...


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Buckeyes go to the the West Coast, offer elite LB - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes go to the the West Coast, offer elite LB
247Sports
The Buckeye recruiting machine remains in high gear all over the country. They have gone to the West Coast to offer a scholarship to Claremont (Calif.) High 2018 linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu.

and more »

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Buckeyes tackle mental health stigma during National Suicide Prevention Week - OSU - The Lantern
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes tackle mental health stigma during National Suicide Prevention Week
OSU - The Lantern
The Buckeye Campaign Against Suicide handed out free temporary tattoos on The Oval on Thursday in an effort to reduce the stigma of mental illness on campus in light of National Suicide Prevention Week. The semicolon tattoos promote the message of The ...


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Houston and Cincinnati are missing. Well, Houston is missing. Cincinnati? Meh.

Buckeyes featured on PFF week one national and conference teams - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes featured on PFF week one national and conference teams
247Sports
The Buckeyes are looking to do the same thing in week two against Tulsa but the players may need a little extra motivation. What's next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now!


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Ohio State football: Watch the Buckeyes pregame trailer for Saturday's game vs. Tulsa - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State football: Watch the Buckeyes pregame trailer for Saturday's game vs. Tulsa
cleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Before Ohio State's season opener vs. Bowling Green, the Buckeyes released a pregame trailer meant to hype up fans. The problem was that trailer was filled with players who aren't on the team anymore. Not this time. Ohio State ...
Tulsa vs. Ohio State 2016 odds: Buckeyes get home tune-up as big favoriteSB Nation
Buckeyes, Wolverines send dominating messagesQuad City Times
Ohio State athletics | Ask the Experts: 77 points? Wipe that smile ...Columbus Dispatch
Bleacher Report -247Sports
all 295 news articles »

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Buckeyes work Oklahoma, make play for 247Sports top 100 prospect - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes work Oklahoma, make play for 247Sports top 100 prospect
247Sports
What's next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now! In addition to Ohio State the 6-foot-5 and 175-pound Moore has a list of offers that includes Texas A&M, Oklahoma State ...

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Ohio State wide receiver K.J. Hill hoping to continue to rise up the depth chart
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 mistakenly being left off of last week’s two-deep depth chart, K.J. Hill made himself known with Ohio State’s first touchdown of the season.

“I made that call because I know how special it is at Ohio State. I know Coach Meyer is a receiver freak, and I know I want to be the best receiver in the country and I knew he could get me there. ... He coaches receivers and loves receivers who make plays.”

Ohio State wide receiver K.J. Hill via Ari Wasserman, cleveland.com


After hearing last week that he had been left off of Ohio State two-deep depth chart when pretty much every other wide receiver was listed on it, K.J. Hill had to be wondering if he made the right decision to flip from Arkansas to Ohio State a couple years ago. Hill found out that being left off the depth chart was just a mistake, and the omission became even more memorable when Hill scored Ohio State’s first touchdown of the 2016 season on a 47-yard pass from quarterback J.T. Barrett

Hill’s touchdown catch on Saturday certainly impressed Urban Meyer, since the coach knows that a deep ball like that for a receiver’s first catch could have been the perfect recipe for a drop. Luckily for Hill he pulled it in, because had he not it might have been a while before he got another opportunity to showcase his skills with the wide receiver depth chart as crowded as it is. This week Hill sits fifth on Ohio State’s depth chart among wide receivers, and he’ll be looking to make even more plays this week to establish his spot in the rotation with a trip to Oklahoma looming next week.

“I don’t know where the hell he came from. He is really good.”

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer on kicker Tyler Durbin via Nicholas Piotrowicz, The Toledo Blade


A few weeks ago all Ohio State fans knew about Tyler Durbin was his named sounded like the name of the guy from Fight Club. On Saturday, Durbin played in his first ever football game, and the redshirt senior walk-on kicker drilled all 11 extra points he attempted in Ohio State’s 77-10 win over Bowling Green. Durbin started off as a soccer player in high school in Virginia, and while he flirted with the idea of doing the kicking for his high school football team, his soccer schedule wouldn’t allow it.

It’s hard to blame Durbin for making his first choice soccer in high school, especially since it took him to college at James Madison. Durbin played for two years but decided to transfer, sending tape to Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and Ohio State in hopes of grabbing the attention of their football programs. Ohio State was Durbin’s first choice and in 2014 just after Christmas, he got a call from an Ohio State assistant. Durbin impressed during a tryout with the Buckeyes last season and walked on to the football team. Now Durbin is Ohio State’s No. 1 kicker, even when Sean Nuernburger returns from injury. Not bad at all for a guy who just recently played in his first football game ever.

“Our expectations don’t change. We expect to be the best. We have to get people ready. It falls on the leaders of the team to do that.”

Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley via Jim Naveau, The Lima News


If Ohio State’s secondary plays the rest of the season like they did in the season opener against Bowling Green, they’ll definitely be thought of as one of the best secondaries in the country. With Eli Apple, Vonn Bell, and Tyvis Powell all heading to the NFL after last season, there was plenty of questions surrounding Ohio State’s secondary heading into this season. The only returning starter from last year in the secondary is junior Gareon Conley, and because of that he has had to take more of a leadership role this season.

With Ohio State’s long line of cornerbacks taking in the first round of the NFL Draft, expectations for Conley were high when he arrived in Columbus. So far he has been able to meet those expectations, and there are plenty of people out there who believe Conley has the tools to be the next Ohio State cornerback to make his way to the NFL. While Conley knows there is room for improvement in his game, he was generally happy with not only his performance but the performance of the secondary as a whole. As the season goes on, Buckeyes fans should expect plenty of more big plays from not only Conley, but the rest of his teammates in the defensive backfield.

“I’m happy to be back in Columbus and I’m excited about starting a business and being part of the community.”

Former Ohio State cornerback Chimdi Chekwa via Regina Squeri, The Lantern


A new Ohio State football season has also brought a new restaurant in the Columbus area to get your gameday food. As the Buckeye took on Bowling Green on Saturday, two former Ohio State players opened up a new restaurant in the Linden area. Chimdi Chekwa and Bryant Browning, along with friends D’Andre Martin and Mike Johnson, opened up The Pit BBQ Grille in the Northern Lights plaza.

The Pit will feature your standard home-style barbecue fare, and sales on the opening day of the restaurant were brisk, as there were some items that were gone in just a few hours. With Chekwa and Browning being new business owners, there is some trial and error when it comes to ordering, as well as having to balance their day jobs. Browning currently works for Nationwide, while Chekwa plays for the Miami Dolphins. With the positive response to the opening, the two former Buckeyes are excited about being new business owners, and are hoping to bring the community together with some great food.

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Scarlet and Gray Drive Time Re-Wind: Super Wednesday for BBC; Script-Ohio, MOTSAG Podcast, RSB
WVaBuckeye via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Welcome to the daily rewind of the previous days or weekends articles here on the Buckeye Battle Cry with some commentary and links to the author’s twitter account!






Scott Halasz checks in with this great read!



Mike Meals sits down and does some shots with @Zooomingevy #BeyondBuckeyeLines



Broseph and Clair talk the Golden Hurricane and what to do this week



I have a knack for this round-table thing only this is no normal round-table. Check out the good, the bad and the ugly



Ben van Ooyen’s latest #HeardAroundTheSHOE



Brandon covers this week preview that looks good on paper for the Buckeyes



Chip and Shannon of @MOTSAGPodcast fame check in with a guest from Tulsa



Broseph Dexter got the scoop with this awesome video



The post Scarlet and Gray Drive Time Re-Wind: Super Wednesday for BBC; Script-Ohio, MOTSAG Podcast, RSB appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Let’s Get Hype! OSU Releases Tulsa Trailer
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


It’s that time to get pumped up!


The post Let’s Get Hype! OSU Releases Tulsa Trailer appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Get ready for Ohio State to take on Tulsa with this hype video
Harry Lyles Jr. via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Week 2, let’s get it.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are coming off of a great 77-10 win over Bowling Green this past Saturday, warming up the men in scarlet and gray for what should be a fun 2016 season.

The Bucks will have another warm up game before facing the Oklahoma Sooners on September 17, when they take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane this Saturday in Ohio Stadium. The Ohio State video team has you prepared with this awesome hype video.

J.T. Barrett and the gang surely will take this week seriously just as they did last week. Barrett had six passing touchdowns, and the Buckeyes looked pretty dang good for their first showing of the season, even when you consider the opponent.

I mean, they did set a school record for total yards in a game. And even plays that didn’t count were still so deliciously awesome.

Hopefully we see the same when Tulsa comes to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes.

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Can Ohio State contain Tulsa's explosive plays?
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 early advanced stats see Tulsa being able to run on the OSU defense. Will the teams just trade big plays all afternoon?

Ohio State's second warm up opponent for Oklahoma runs an offense in the same ballpark as Baylor, Bowling Green, and Oklahoma, and might be a little better at preparing the Buckeye defense for Oklahoma's strong running game. Tulsa won last week 45-10 over San Jose State.

The advanced stats are still a little funny, both from limited 2016 data, no opponent adjustments factored in yet, and a significant impact from preseason projections (which are based on 2015 data).

When Ohio State has the ball

OSU Tulsa
Overall S&P+ 7 98
Rushing success rate 2 7
Rushing IsoPPP 116 122
Passing success rate 43 30
Passing IsoPPP 13 116
Avg. field position 63 62
Finishing drives 6 19

• Note: The finishing drives row is the average points scored per trip inside the 40.
• IsoPPP measures how explosive successful plays are -- not how many total explosive plays a team generates. So, because Ohio State's run game last week was successful on 84% of its running plays (second-best in the country), only a relatively small percentage of those plays were explosive -- which is one reason why the Buckeyes are ranked just 116th in rushing IsoPPP.
• Second, an offense could be structed where "their big plays were uncommon and very big." Ohio State was the opposite -- big rushing plays were common but very small. The Ohio State offense is tied for fifth in the country of 10+ yard runs, but didn't have a single run over 20 yards. Right now that's mostly because of an unbelievable number of Mike Weber shoestring tackles. Looking at the three running backs' explosiveness numbers, this is even more apparent: Weber had a 52.6% opportunity rate, but just 3.9 highlight yards per opportunity. Samuel had an astounding 76.9% opportunity rate, but 1.8 highlight yards per carry. Opportunity rate is the percentage of carries that total at least five yards -- a prime measure of efficiency (both for the running back and offensive line). Highlight yards per opportunity measures the average additional yards after the first five on only efficient runs. For comparison, Zeke had a 45% opportunity rate and averaged 6 highlight yards per opportunity last season.
• Against Tulsa, even though the rushing numbers look fairly even, it's fair to expect a relatively high rushing success rate and a much higher percentage of truly explosive runs (of the 20+ yard variety). Tulsa was 120th in rushing S&P+ last season, which is likely closer to reality.
• Tulsa rarely made tackles for loss (86th in stuff rate). The Buckeyes have a good chance to continue their streak of not allowing negative rushing plays (the Buckeyes are first in both stuff rate and power success rate right now).
• If you want a total mismatch, look at the comparison between Ohio State's explosive passing offense (13th in IsoPPP) and Tulsa's explosive pass defense (116th). This is another game where Ohio State's receivers should be able to run behind the secondary for long bombs.
• However, their front seven was very effective against SJSU at creating havoc, ranking eighth in overall havoc. This could be more indicative of SJSU's offensive line than anything though, as Tulsa was 115th in adjusted sack rate last season. Ohio State's offensive line didn't allow a sack last week, so watch that matchup.

Overall, the early indications for the numbers are that Ohio State should be able to run and pass efficiently, but its big plays should be very big this time around, especially on the ground compared to last week. Overall, watch for: 1. Whether Ohio State can increase its explosive running plays while maintaining its efficiency from last week. 2. If the passing offensive can generate as many explosive plays as the numbers suggest. 3. If the offensive line can give J.T. all day to throw or if Tulsa's early season havoc rating is accurate.

When Tulsa has the ball

OSU Tulsa
Overall S&P+ 61 55
Rushing success rate 60 17
Rushing IsoPPP 86 25
Passing success rate 38 58
Passing IsoPPP 52 45
Avg. field position 15 123
Finishing drives 36 3

• Going by the overall S&P+ score, you would expect a fairly even matchup between the Ohio State defense (61st) and the Tulsa offense (55th). Tulsa would have the advantage in rushing efficiency and explosiveness and in finishing drives.
• The biggest concern in this game, and potentially all season, will be in defending the run. While I mentioned in the offense section above that it's likely these rankings will change significantly after opponent adjustments are included and preseason projections are phased out, it's fair to be at least a little concerned about the run defense. The second string defensive line, particularly at tackle with Tracy Sprinkle's injury, doesn't have the blue chip depth that literally every other position does. And though the Bowling Green offense managed just 3 points of their own and two runs over ten yards last week, Tulsa's run game looks to be better than Bowling Green's.
• To further that point, Tulsa running back D'Angelo Brewer had 164 rushing yards last week, with a 40.9% opportunity rate and 8.3 highlight yards per carry. That meant a lot of big runs -- eight over ten yards and two over 30 yards. His backup, James Flanders, averaged 5.9 yards per carry (but wasn't nearly as efficient or explosive). Stopping Brewer's explosive runs will be a tall task and maybe the most important potential takeaway from Saturday's game.
• Tulsa was far more effective on the ground than through the air. Senior quarterback Dane Evans completed just 52% of his attempts for 198 yards. His go-to target was Keevan Lucas, who caught nearly 87% of his targets for 112 yards.
• The Ohio State defensive line only had two sacks last week, putting their havoc rate at a disappointing 74th. That could very well change this week, as Tulsa's offensive line allowed four sacks -- which was 60% of passing downs attempts (126th)! You definitely should see more pressure from the defensive line this week.
• Going by the last two stats in the table -- average field position and finishing drives -- you's expect Tulsa to get their yards, but for the defense to potentially play fairly effective bend-don't-break. That's because the defense will likely force Tulsa's offense to drive a long field, and despite Tulsa's effectiveness in scoring opportunities last week, to make touchdowns difficult in the red zone.

Surprisingly with Tulsa's Air Raid offense, the ground game should be much more of a concern this week. I'll be watching for: 1. The defensive line's ability to create havoc. 2. Containing D'Angelo Brewer's explosive runs. 3. Limiting points from Tulsa's scoring opportunities.

The 3 most critical stats

1. Limiting Brewer's explosive plays (and general efficiency, too).
2. Whether the defensive line can generate sacks, particularly on passing downs, and generally play the game in the Tulsa backfield.
3. Whether Weber, Samuel, and McCall will create more explosive runs this week -- of the 20+ yard variety, rather than just 10+ small-explosive carries.

Picks


S&P+ Pick: 46-21, with a 92.5% win probability

F/+ Pick: OSU by 20

My pick: 59-21

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Print your own 2016 Ohio State football graphical schedule
Luke Zimmermann via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Better late than never! Get your own downloadable/printable 2016 Ohio State football schedule to make your Michigan fan coworkers despise you even more.

Hey so, football is back. Kind of snuck up on us, huh?

Ohio State hung almost a hundred on Bowling Green. Life’s good.

For the fourth straight year, by vocal demand in our inboxes and DMs alike, we're bringing you a fun, sweet printable Ohio State football schedule. Like two years ago, you won't have to wait two weeks to get a color version; it's available here now.

While you've probably been conned into a fall wedding or three, that doesn’t mean you can’t get ahead of the rest of the calendar and plan some fun weekends around the biggest and best Ohio State games of the fall.

Let's be real: if you aren't printing off a couple dozen of these bad boys and taping them around a Michigan alum/fan coworker's desk, you're not really living, are you?

Click on the names above the color or black and white versions below and then simply hit File->Print to win forever (or, alternatively, File->Save to your desktop and print from the PDF reader of your choosing).

Go Bucks -- Thanks for your continued patronage of Land-Grant Holy Land.

Color


Black and white



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Ohio State football | Q&A with former Buckeye Jim Lachey - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State football | Q&A with former Buckeye Jim Lachey
Columbus Dispatch
Younger fans mostly know Jim Lachey as color analyst on the Ohio State radio network -- he is working his 20th season in the booth; play-by-play voice Paul Keels has been doing it for 19 years -- but the former Buckeyes guard was protecting ...

and more »

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2016 Ohio State Scholarship Grid
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


Scholarship Breakdown

23 True Freshman

20 Redshirt Freshman

17 Sophomores

19 Juniors

6 Seniors

85 Total Scholarships

* = Player has used Redshirt

The post 2016 Ohio State Scholarship Grid appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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OSU Non-Rev: Battles of Ranked Teams
Charles via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


While the Ohio State football team’s first game of the season may have gotten the most attention, the biggest Buckeye games of the weekend belonged to the OSU women’s soccer and volleyball teams.

After opening the season with four straight wins, the Ohio State women’s soccer team faced their toughest test yet of the season on Thursday when they traveled to Blacksburg to take on 16th ranked Virginia Tech. The Buckeyes had scored first in their first four games of the season and the streak continued in this one with a goal by Lindsay Agnew in the 33rd minute. After VT nearly tied the game early in the second half, OSU went up 2-0 on a goal by Morgan Wolcott in the 58th minute. A few minutes later the Hokies scored to cut the Buckeye lead in half but neither team would score again as Ohio State held on for the 2-1 upset.

Things got tougher for the team on Sunday as they traveled to Morgantown to take on 4th ranked West Virginia. OSU had been known for getting off to fast starts this season but failed to do so in this game. Instead, the Mountaineers drew first blood, going up 1-0 in the 20th minute, marking the first time OSU has trailed this season. The Buckeyes would finally get on the board when Lindsay Agnew scored in the 70th minute to tie the game; this was Agnew’s fourth goal of the season which currently leads the team and is second in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes couldn’t keep up the momentum though as WVU scored a few minutes later and then would hang on for the 2-1 win, giving OSU their first loss of the season.

This was a very tough weekend for the Buckeyes as they faced two ranked teams on the road and the fact that the team came away with the split is impressive and shows that the Buckeyes are well positioned to make noise in the Big Ten race and then the NCAA tournament. Ohio State was outshot in both games this weekend though in general the Buckeyes tend to be more selective in their shots than a lot of their opponents, tending to put a great percentage of their shots actually on goal. While goalkeeper Jillian McVicker has been excellent in goal this season, it would be nice if the Buckeye defense could ease her workload a bit. Ohio State is now 5-1-0 and off to their best start since 2007. The pollsters rewarded the Buckeyes for the upset of Virginia Tech and their tenacious performance against WVU by moving OSU to 19th in the latest poll. Ohio State will return home this weekend, hosting Texas on Friday night and 7th ranked BYU on Monday.

Women’s Volleyball


Ohio State swept LIU Brooklyn on Friday. (Photo courtesy of OSU Athletics.)


This past weekend the Ohio State women’s volleyball team hosted the 12th Annual Sports Imports D.C. Koehl Classic. While the Buckeyes were the hosts, they were playing in an unusual venue as they traveled down High Street to play in Nationwide Arena. This was the first time volleyball was played at Nationwide and was done as preparation for the arena hosting the NCAA Championships this December.

Ohio State got the tournament off to a strong start on Friday as they swept LIU Brooklyn (25-11, 25-17, 25-19) and Wyoming (25-22, 25-17, 25-16) in straight sets. Despite a couple slow starts against Wyoming, trailing 6-0 in the first set and 4-0 in the second set, the Buckeyes were never seriously threatened all day.

On Saturday the tournament came to an exciting ending in a thrilling match between 11th ranked Ohio State and 10th ranked BYU. Ohio State got off to a strong start, scoring the first three points of the night and never trailing on the way to a 25-19 win in the opening set. After giving up the first point of set two, the Buckeyes scored the next two to take the lead and would never trail again in the set. The Cougars would put together a late run to tie things at 24 but the Buckeyes scored the next point to go up two sets to none.

BYU came out of the gates red hot in set 3, jumping out to a quick 9-0 lead. Even after OSU got on the board, the Cougars didn’t slow down as they extended their lead to 21-2. The Buckeyes would put together a 12 to 3 run to close the set with some dignity but it was too little, too late as the Cougars came away with a 25-14 win. BYU got off to another fast start in the next set, going up 6-1 early. OSU would pull within three, 16-13, midway through the set but they couldn’t keep up the run and BYU won the set 25-20 to force a deciding fifth set. The fifth set was all BYU as they pulled off a 15-9 win to win the match and thus the tournament 3 sets to 2.

The loss was disappointing, mostly due to Ohio State being unable to kill BYU’s momentum once the Cougars got rolling. The Buckeye attack fell apart in the final three sets as they never attacked at better than 0.079 in any of those sets. The match showed that OSU has the potential to beat top ranked opponents but still has some work to do. There was some good news on Saturday for the Buckeyes as sophomore Taylor Hughes and junior Luisa Schirmer were named to the All-Tournament Team. The Buckeyes return to action this weekend with a trip to Missouri were they will take on IUPUI, Missouri State, and Green Bay in the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational.

The post OSU Non-Rev: Battles of Ranked Teams appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Week 2’s college football bets, odds offers up Virginia Tech-Tennessee and Arkansas-TCU
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Even though this week’s schedule leaves a lot to be desired, there are still some strong picks out there.

The first week of the season is always the toughest to pick, so a .500 overall record isn’t all that bad. The Big Ten picks were especially bad last week, as I whiffed completely on the Ohio State, Michigan, and Wisconsin games. At least a strong group of picks in the national games helped to boost the week’s record. Now, we have a weak slate of games that doesn’t offer a whole lot in terms of intrigue.

Last week ATS: 9-9 (6-2 National, 3-7 B1G)

National games (All games Saturday unless otherwise noted):


No. 13 Louisville (-14.5) v. Syracuse - Friday 8:00 PM EST - ESPN2

Louisville and Syracuse both got off to strong starts to the season by feasting on FCS foes last week. The Cardinals had little problem dispatching Charlotte last Thursday behind eight first half touchdowns from quarterback Lamar Jackson, with six of those coming through the air. The blowout allowed Bobby Petrino to empty out his bench, as 16 Louisville players caught a pass during the game.

Dino Babers started off his Syracuse head coaching career with a 33-7 win over Colgate. The Orange were able to get their passing game going behind 355 yards and two touchdowns from Eric Dungey. The main recipient of those passes was Maryland graduate transfer Amba Etta-Tawo, who caught 12 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. Etta-Tawo is already close to topping his yardage total from last year, when he accumulated 216 yards on 20 catches for the Terrapins.

The Orange still have a long way to go to become a threat in the ACC, but Babers already has them played better football than in recent years. The Cardinals could also be looking ahead to next week’s showdown with Florida State. Louisville will win but Syracuse will at least keep it within two touchdowns at home.

Louisville 38, Syracuse 27

Arkansas v. No. 15 TCU (-7.5) - 7:00 PM EST - ESPN

It wasn’t quite the start of the season TCU was expecting, but a win is a win. The Horned Frogs defense showed some holes as they allowed 461 yards to South Dakota State, but still came away with a 59-41 win on Saturday night. Kenny Hill impressed in his first start for TCU after transferring from Texas A&M, throwing for 439 yards and accounting for five total touchdowns. Head coach Gary Patterson will be looking to best Bret Bielema again after Patterson took home the first meeting between the two in the 2011 Rose Bowl.

Arkansas squeaked by Louisiana Tech to start off the year, using a 77-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to secure a 21-20 win. It wasn’t quite the Razorbacks that we have come to expect over the past few seasons, with Arkansas rushing for just 106 yards in the game.

Years ago these two schools used to be in the Southwest Conference together, but this will mark their first meeting since 1991, which was the final year Arkansas was part of the SWC. Both teams didn’t live up to expectations in their season openers, but I trust TCU to turn things around sooner. I’ll lay the points with the more experienced home team.

TCU 31, Arkansas 20

BYU v. Utah (-3.5) - 7:30 PM EST - Fox

Two editions of the Holy War inside of a year? How did we get so lucky? After having not played each other since 2013, BYU and Utah were paired together in the Las Vegas Bowl in December. The Utes jumped out to a 35-0 before a BYU comeback fell just short. Now the scene shifts to Salt Lake City, but there are plenty of differences between December’s matchup and what lies ahead on Saturday.

Bronco Mendenhall coached his final game for BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl before heading off to Virginia. New BYU head coach Kelani Sitake served as an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for Utah under Kyle Whittingham from 2012-14 before making the move to Provo. Sitake saw some excitement in his first game for BYU, as a game-winning field goal by a true freshman kicker gave the Cougars an 18-16 win over Arizona. Running back Jamaal Williams ran for 162 yards against Arizona, and figures to shoulder a heavy workload against the Utes on Saturday night.

Not only does Utah not have quarterback Travis Wilson from last year’s team, but they are also without running back Devontae Booker. The Utes got their first shutout since 2012 last week when they took down Southern Utah 24-0. It’s likely to be another entertaining contest between the rivals, but I’ll take the points with BYU in what usually is a close affair.

BYU 24, Utah 17

Virginia Tech v. No. 17 Tennessee (-12) - 8:00 PM EST - ABC

The Skoal Bowl takes place at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night, and it is estimated that 150,000 will be in attendance at the short track. Tennessee will be looking for a little cleaner start this week after they fell behind Appalachian State 13-3 before rallying to force overtime. The Volunteers were able to avoid the upset as Josh Dobbs fumbled the ball into the end zone, but running back Jalen Hurd was able to find himself in the right place at the right time to give Tennessee a lead they wouldn’t give up.

Virginia Tech didn’t have the greatest start in head coach Justin Fuente’s debut with the school, but the Hokies eventually pulled away to a 36-13 win over Liberty. Virginia Tech will need to do a better job taking care of the football after losing four fumbles to the Flames. The Hokies defense was able to create some turnovers of their own, intercepting three passes and recovering a fumble.

Maybe Tennessee lives up to their preseason top-10 ranking, but I’m not counting on it, especially when they have to try and crack a Bud Foster defense. With the different venue both teams will be ready to go and I could see this game being close until the end.

Tennessee 28, Virginia Tech 24

Virginia v. No. 24 Oregon (-24.5) - 10:30 PM EST - ESPN

Virginia could be in for a world of hurt when they take on Oregon at Autzen Stadium on Saturday evening. The Cavaliers just lost to Richmond 37-20 at home in Bronco Mendenhall’s first game at the school as head coaching. What led to Virginia’s downfall against the FCS team were the four turnovers they committed in the game.

On the other hand, Oregon had little trouble dealing with UC Davis in their season opener, winning 53-28. Brady Hoke’s Oregon defense is still a work in progress, but they shouldn’t have too much trouble dealing with a Virginia offensive attack that leaves a lot to be desired.

Royce Freeman should be able to fill up the stat sheet against a Virginia rushing defense that just gave up 187 yards on the ground to Richmond. Freeman wasn’t needed too much in the season opener, carrying the football 11 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns. The Ducks score early and often, handing Mendenhall his second loss in as many games with the Cavaliers.

Oregon 55, Virginia 23

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Big Ten Mailbag: A look at this week’s best questions
Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer via Big Ten Network

It's time to sift through Tom Dienhart's mailbag as we head toward Week Two.

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Tulsa vs. Ohio State 2016 odds: Buckeyes get home tune-up as big favorite - SB Nation
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Tulsa vs. Ohio State 2016 odds: Buckeyes get home tune-up as big favorite
SB Nation
The Buckeyes didn't have any trouble at all covering the spread as a 27.5-point favorite last Saturday, demolishing the Bowling Green Falcons 77-10 at home. Criticized for calling the game too conservatively on offense in last season's shocking 17-14 ...
Buckeyes, Wolverines send dominating messagesQuad City Times
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Odds, Football PickBleacher Report
Ohio State football | Jack Looks Back: Before becoming a Buckeye, coach John Cooper was a Golden HurricaneColumbus Dispatch
Today's U (blog) -ABC News
all 265 news articles »

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Tate Martell sets Ohio State official visit for Buckeyes game vs. Nebraska on Nov. 5 - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Tate Martell sets Ohio State official visit for Buckeyes game vs. Nebraska on Nov. 5
cleveland.com
The four-star quarterback and Ohio State commit of Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman posted on his Twitter account that he wants to officially visit the Buckeyes for the Michigan game but can't because it coincides with the state semifinals. So Martell ...


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TBBC Fans Interact: Bowling Green; Lindsay, Jane, Diana and Melissa
WVaBuckeye via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


We love some round-tables in these parts and our fans interact is one of the most fun things I have participated in! A big thank you to the four ladies that make-up the all-female Buckeye fearsome foursome! Melissa’s tweet below depicts the four perfectly! Please follow them and congratulate them on an awesome article.


Lindsay, Diana, Jane and Melissa(clockwise beginning in upper left) #BSU
















What are your first impressions of this team, the first thing that comes to mind after what they displayed today.


Lindsay – Youth on FIRE!!!!! This team displayed such explosiveness and enthusiasm, and as a fan it was exciting to watch!!! It was also great seeing the teamwork and togetherness, this is going to be a special season.

Jane – First I have to mention the picture perfect day for the Buckeye season opener. Our God has to love Ohio State football! Blue skies, white puffy clouds, cool breezes and over 100,000 of your best friends dressed in Scarlet and Gray, a gift indeed. This team is young and brimming with undeniable talent in all directions. Five touchdowns in the first half by five different names? Come on now, how can this be? One thing I know for sure, I have a plethora of new names and numbers to learn! This team is not going to be a one hit wonder, the hits are going to keep on coming and could prove to be quite the conundrum for our upcoming opponents.

Diana – They are ready and they are hungry! #HowSheGoneEat

Melissa – They’re special, so much talent and yet so young…I have a feeling just after seeing one game this is going to be my favorite team. The whole they don’t rebuild ,they reload is so true.

Which player impressed you the most in their debut? (One of the 30 that played their first college game)


Lindsay – I am going with two players who impressed me, and for different reasons. Michael Jordan starting on the offensive line had a solid game, there were a few miscues but those can be fixed and he had some big shoes to fill on that OL. Mike Weber Jr. played incredibly well and was running over defenders with the ball and blocking when he didn’t have the ball…both very important aspects to the run game. He is so close to hitting that second level and I would be willing to bet he will break a 30-50 yarder in the next few games!!

Jane – There are a multitude of players that were worthy of lasting impressions and it is difficult to name just one. So, I will have to name all 30. Just kidding. I have to mention two; Mike Weber and Malik Hooker. Weber with over 100 yards rushing, he was able to reach the second level on most carries. If it weren’t for a few desperate around the ankle snags, he would have taken it to the house. He threw a few nice lead blocks and I suspect that there are only more good things to come as the weeks pass by. Hooker is the Reel em’ in Deal! He was like watching a member of the “Flying Wallenda’s” swooping in from across mid-field to where the football was being thrown. Multiple aerial displays of athleticism, that few naturally have, were witnessed by those 100,000 fans as he plucked the football out of the air, not once but twice. I have a feeling with this kid that the best is yet to come! And, for her persistence, THANK YOU Mrs. Hooker!!!

Diana – Mike Weber. I know it was just the first game but this kid plays with a lot of heart. He reminds me so much of Zeke. I love how he ran over the BG defender in the 1st quarter.

Melissa – Mike Weber hands down…he’s a mix of Zeke and Carlos Hyde cannot wait to see him grow this season and the next few years!

Is JT Barrett everything you thought he would be and where can he go after today’s record performance?


Lindsay – Absolutely!!! JT Barrett is a leader and a smooth general behind center. He had a few misreads, but he is human and thank goodness, so he has something to improve on!! He will be breaking records all season and with those offensive weapons, watch out—The Buckeyes are coming for you!!!

Jane – There are only good thoughts when anticipating Barrett at the helm of the Buckeyes. His leadership and calm demeanor are evident to all. After the beginning of last season, with the quarterback controversy, this is JT’s’ time to shine. It is his for the taking. As the season progresses and the opponent strength increases, JT will have to find it in him to have consistent stellar performances comparable to today. Whether it be nailing a long pass over the outside shoulder of a receiver or a waltz into the end zone, Barrett has the talent and flair on the gridiron to get the job done. For this season, the possibilities are endless, the sky’s the limit; he can have it all! JT, JT, JT; you did not disappoint!

Diana – YES. JT had a few mistakes on the first drive but corrected the issue quickly. He tied his own record for touchdowns in one game and he IS going to break it again. If he keeps playing like he did Saturday we will see him in New York on stage winning the Heisman in December 2016.

Melissa – Everything and then some!.. He had an oops at the start of the game but he calmed down and did his thing…I definitely see him being a 2016 Heisman finalist and winner!

Bonus – What was your prediction for this team before today? Combined with what happened to Oklahoma at the hands of the Cougars, what is your prediction now?


Lindsay – I knew the crazy offensive weapons we had so I predicted 45-17 before the game. BGSU has a fast paced, hurry up offense, and with our young defense, I knew it might take a few quarters to gel. Apparently our offense and defense decided differently!!! I feel like this team’s ceiling is very high and as long as they keep building on today’s efforts they can definitely make it to playoffs. Oklahoma was slightly exposed against UH, who has great players, but I feel OSU has more playmakers at more positions. I always believe in my team and I had hopes of the playoffs even before the 77-10 dismantling that occurred on Saturday in The Shoe!!

Jane – I was anticipating a win against BGSU, however not the point spread that occurred. That being said, with a ship full of newbies for the Buckeyes, you never know what you are going to get. I did think, however, with BGSU taking the MAC last season, there would be somewhat of a battle. The Coogs win over Oklahoma was huge. We saw a “mini Urban” in Tom Herman on the sideline, though Tom does bring his own football genius to his players and the game. During the Sooner vs Coogs game, weaknesses with Mayfield were brought to light. With Urban at the helm, all the new talent and JT steering the ship, I feel are chances to take Stoops and his Sooners are mighty strong.

Diana – I predicted the score to be 28-10 Bucks. I was a little nervous with the loss of so many starters. Now I am convinced we can go undefeated. Oklahoma did not know what to expect with Houston and could not handle the fast offense Tom Herman runs. Playing OU in Norman will be a tough road game but I predict the Buckeyes will come out on top 34-28.

Melissa – Well I know we were gonna win but it was gonna be close 28-21…now it’s gonna be tough since it’s a night game on the road. But I see the Buckeyes winning 31-17. And might I add a TTUN fan I talked to also said he sees the Buckeyes winning in Norman

The post TBBC Fans Interact: Bowling Green; Lindsay, Jane, Diana and Melissa appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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