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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Tulsa's take on the Baylor offense will test Ohio State
Christopher Jason via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Philip Montgomery’s Tulsa Golden Hurricane will look to score and score some more on Saturday.

Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery was Art Briles’ main man at Baylor, calling the shots as the offensive coordinator from 2012-2014, after serving time as the co-offensive coordinator for the prior six seasons. As one would assume, the Tulsa offense has Baylor written all over them.

Like the Bears, Montgomery wants to play a chess-match with the defensive coordinator at a blazing tempo. Tulsa is going to run the ball when the defense gives them the look they want, or check to a quick pass — typically a screen — if they have numbers. They’re going to want to put pressure on the defense in a couple of different ways, whether it be by going horizontally or vertically, both in the running and the passing game. If the defense is not properly set after a big play, they’ll catch you napping and strike it deep.

Here’s Philip Montgomery running the Baylor offense vs TCU. The TCU defensive backs are not quite lined up on this play, which then plays right into what Baylor wants: playing with tempo and getting to the line of scrimmage. Baylor is going to run a 4-Vertical Concept out of an empty set, with a shallow crosser.



On the Trips side of the formation, Baylor wants the inside slot receiver to catch the attention of the safety, which will allow the outside slot receiver to run free down the field. Still on the Trips side, they also want the outside receiver to break off his vertical route, taking the outside corner with him. With the safety keeping his attention on the inside slot receiver and the outside cornerback getting fooled by the outside receiver, the outside slot receiver is left uncovered.

As you can see below, it works to perfection:


Flipping to a play from Tulsa’s season opener, here’s an example of running back D’Angelo Brewer breaking a long run, then the offense immediately getting to the line of scrimmage to run their next play.

This shows the tempo that Tulsa wants to play with:


The problem with Tulsa running this scheme is that they do not have the talent — except for WR Keyarris Garrett last season — that Montgomery had in Waco. Montgomery always had the talent on the perimeter at Baylor, he also had backs that fit the scheme, but most importantly, he had excellent quarterbacks.

Luckily this season, Tulsa returns veteran Dane Evans at quarterback, who completed 63-percent of his passes and threw 25 touchdowns to only 8 interceptions. They lost Garrett at receiver, but they return Joshua Atkinson, who caught 76 balls last season and was who Meyer was talking about when he said they have “two NFL prospects at wide receiver.”

One guy who looks to be taking a major, and important step for this offense, is running back D’Angelo Brewer. Brewer finished last season with 60 more yards on 39 less carries than the departed Zack Langer and racked up 164 yards and three touchdowns in their season opener versus San Jose State. As we mentioned, Montgomery’s offense needs a run/pass balance, and it looks like he has it this year.


Luckily for the Buckeyes, they have a surplus of elite athletes on defense and the proper conditioning by the best strength coach in the country, Mickey Marotti, which will counter the tempo of Montgomery’s offense. Although this scheme works in the Big 12 for a team like Baylor, Montgomery — in his second year — has yet to fill his cupboard at Tulsa with “his players” to run this scheme at a level like Baylor. With Ohio State scheduling Bowling Green and then Tulsa, it looks like they wanted to get their conditioning in early in the season, to prepare them for Oklahoma and future high tempo offenses that they’ll play.

Defensively, this game will come down to the secondary and linebackers to stick to their keys and do their job based on their game plan — while not allowing Montgomery to win the chess match.

The Buckeye offense will score at will on Tulsa’s defense, but Tulsa’s offense should give Ohio State a pretty good test — from a conditioning and mental standpoint — on defense.

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What Would Woody Watch: Week 2
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Holy crap! Week one of the college football season was absolutely amazing. From watching our Buckeyes dominate Bowling Green to Texas beating Notre Dame and all the SEC losses in-between, the “greatest opening weekend” definitely lived up to its billing! Unfortunately for us, as great as the first week was…the second week is that bad. It’s really a toss-up what is the most important game this weekend? Let’s take a look:

(13) Louisville at Syracuse, Friday, 6 pm

I’m going to give you a second to let that settle, I am leading things off with two teams who would be a great March match-up. Really, this is only for two reasons. First, it’s a Friday night game and there is nothing else you should be doing than watching college football. Second, take some time and enjoy watching Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson. After struggling at times as a freshman in 2015, Jackson looked the part of elite athlete on Thursday as he combined for 405 yar


LOUISVILLE, KY – SEPTEMBER 01: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Louisville Cardinals signals a first down during the game against the Charlotte 49ers at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on September 1, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)


ds (286 passing/119 rushing) and eight touchdowns (6 passing/2 rushing). Then again that was against Charlotte. Will he be able to do that against the vaunted 2-3 zone Syracuse runs?

The Orangemen, coached by former Bowling Green coach Dino Babers, comes into this contest after defeating Colgate 33-7 on Friday. Led by their own sophomore quarterback Eric Dungey, who had a surprise guest before his first game, the Syracuse offense looks to be enjoying the new offense brought in by Babers. In his first game at the helm of this offense, Dungey threw for 355 yards and two touchdowns.

I think this game has the possibility of being a shoot-out as both offenses are capable of scoring some points. I think there is just too much unknown with the new Syracuse offense to think an upset is realistic.

Prediction: 38-24, Louisville

Arkansas at (15) Texas Christian, Saturday, 7 pm

Arkansas comes in riding high off of their hard fought 21-20 victory over high school powerhouse Louisiana Tech. It was just another game which shows how far ahead of the rest of college football the SEC is over everyone else. I mean, I laughed when people seriously said the SEC would get two teams in the playoffs this year…without a doubt it will be four! Whooo-Damn-Pig-Sooey! Sophomore running back Rawleigh Williams III, grinded out 96 whole yards on 24 carries against the vaunted front seven of the Bulldogs. Four yards (per carry) and a cloud of dust my friends, I’ll see you in New York Rawleigh!

I was so high on TCU coming into this season because I thought they would have the only real defense in the Big 12. They rewarded me by giving up 41 points to the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State. I’m hoping it was a one-time thing because I want to see Brett Bilema go down in flames at Arkansas. For those that haven’t noticed, TCU is quarterbacked by former Texas A&M star (for like three games) Kenny Hill. At one point in his career, Hill actually had to address the media to let them know which nickname HE preferred. He chose Kenny Trill but shortly after became Kenny Benched. In his first game at the helm for TCU, Hill threw for 439 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Prediction: 43-21, TCU

Iowa State at (16) Iowa, Saturday, 7:30 pm

Now look at what you’ve done week 2, you have forced me to write about Iowa! The Hawkeyes come into this rivalry game with a win under their belts against Miami of Ohio (the good Miami). There is no surprise when Iowa comes into any game on offense, they will hand the ball off to workhorses Akrum Wadley and LeShun Daniels Jr. to wear down the defenses. Then when teams move up into the box, C.J. Beathard will try to hurt them through the air. They worked this to perfection in week one as the Hawkeyes scored 45 points which is more than enough for their defense.


PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Quarterback C.J. Beathard #16 of the Iowa Hawkeyes looks to pass over Kevin Palma #44 of the Stanford Cardinal in the 102nd Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 2016 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)


Iowa State comes into this match-up after losing their first game of the season to Northern Iowa of the FCS variety. On the bright side, the Cyclones only gave up 367 yards of total offense to this FCS team which is pretty spectacular by Big 12 standards.

This is setting up to be a pretty lopsided win despite the rivalry game. ISU struggled to run the ball versus NIU (25 carries for 50 yards) and was forced to throw the ball. Unfortunately for Iowa State, the Hawkeyes have one of the best secondaries around.

Prediction: 63-7, Iowa



Virginia Tech vs. (17) Tennessee, Saturday, 8 pm (Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN)

In another feat of amazing powers, fueled purely on SEC speed (the cocaine of football), the Tennessee Volunteers were able to hold off the Appalachian State Somethings preventing them from becoming the next Michigan. Let’s take a second and remind everyone how great that moment was:


Tennessee really struggled to get the ground game going despite have Jalen Hurd back there. With quarterback Josh Dobbs really struggling, it allowed the Mountaineers to really focus on stopping the run game. Hurd was only able to manage 110 yards on 28 carries.

Virginia Tech comes into his game after winning the first game of the Justin Fuente era 36-13 against Liberty. Sophomore quarterback Jerod Evans received his first start and threw for 221 yards and four touchdowns.

I’m really not convinced this will be a very good game. I do think the Volunteers are a good team and what SEC team is not going to play their best on a race track? Seriously, watch this game to see how this looks playing at Bristol Motor Speedway because it is only going to happen once. I just don’t see them doing it after this year when 150K+ all realize there are no good seats to see a football game at the race track.

Prediction: 42-20, Tennessee

The post What Would Woody Watch: Week 2 appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Buckeyes prepare for long road trip - Athens Messenger (registration)
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Buckeyes prepare for long road trip
Athens Messenger (registration)
NELSONVILLE — The Nelsonville-York Buckeyes will play their first road game of the 2016 season on Friday. The Buckeyes won't be going on any ordinary road trip, however. They'll climb onto a bus and travel more than three hours northwest to take on ...

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


The Buckeyes are trying to flip a Penn State commit.

Bucks after Penn State commit


Outside of sending defensive line coach Larry Johnson to his school back in May, it’s safe to say the Buckeyes pursuit of 2018 defensive end Micah Parsons, who is currently committed to James Franklin and the Nittany Lions, is on. On Wednesday, Ohio State dropped an offer to the five-star prospect in hopes of bringing him to Columbus.

Parsons is a 6-foot-3, 325-pounder from Central Dauphin (PA) who originally chose Penn State over offers from NC State, Rutgers and West Virginia. Since his commitment, the Harrisburg native has picked up offers from the likes of Alabama, Florida State, Nebraska, Tennessee and USC.

Like stated above, Parsons has been on the radar for Ohio State before yesterday, Now, they will have to do some convincing in order to get a visit out of one of the nation’s top prospects in 2018, if they want to have any shot to pull him away from the in-state Nittany Lions.

Parsons is currently graded as the No. 5 overall player for next year’s class. At the strong-side defensive end spot, he stands as the No.1 player in the state of Pennsylvania.

Not to be forgotten, Ohio State also dropped an offer to another Pennsylvanian prospect on Wednesday. A safety out of the 2018 class, Isheem Young from Imhotep Institute (PA) was the other recipient of a Buckeye offer. Young is a four-star prospect who has been feeling the love from Florida State and Penn State. We’ll see if the Buckeyes can make a move in this race.

Brown talks OSU visit


This past weekend, when Ohio State demolished Bowling Green in The ‘Shoe, ‘17 small forward Troy Brown was in attendance and seemed to be very impressed with the visit. In an interview with Cleveland.com’s Bill Landis, the five-star standout from Centennial (NV) described the trip to Columbus as a “great experience.” He also stated that “Ohio State has always been a school that (Brown) has thought highly of.”

Brown raved about basketball Head Coach Thad Matta. The 6-foot-7, 210-pounder told Landis that Matta does a “great job with tall guards” and that seems to perfectly fit the billing of Brown, despite being listed on 247Sports as a Small Forward.

The Las Vegas prospect now has four official visits left with Alabama, Georgetown, Kansas and Oregon; a decision will likely come very soon on where Brown will end up playing college basketball.

“I kinda want to hurry up and get the process over with so I can focus on being the best basketball player I can be at the next level,” Brown told Cleveland.com.

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Buckeyes beat Tornadoes, 3-1 - Athens Messenger (registration)
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Buckeyes beat Tornadoes, 3-1
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NELSONVILLE — The Nelsonville-York Buckeyes won their second match in as many nights, beating Southern 3-1. The Buckeyes topped the Tornadoes 25-18, 19-25, 25-19, 25-17 to improve to 3-5 on the season. N-Y had contributions across the court.


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Buckeyes, Wolverines send dominating messages - Quad City Times
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Buckeyes, Wolverines send dominating messages
Quad City Times
Breaking in eight new starters on each side of the ball, the Buckeyes used J.T. Barrett's seven touchdown passes and piled up 776 yards, the third-biggest game ever for a Big Ten team, to roll Bowling Green 77-10. The Wolverines countered with defense ...
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Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Odds, Football PickBleacher Report
STAT WATCH: Buckeyes' 77 Vs BG Their Most Points Since 1950ABC News
cleveland.com -NBC4i.com
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Ohio State in the NFL: Could you field a decent pro team of only Buckeyes? - cleveland.com
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Ohio State in the NFL: Could you field a decent pro team of only Buckeyes?
cleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Cameron Johnston, you're on alert. This Ohio State NFL team needs a punter. So the current senior punter for the Buckeyes needs to find his way into the league next season to complete this professional version of Ohio State football.

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Buckeyes offer elite safety - 247Sports
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Buckeyes offer elite safety
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! The 5-foot-11 and 195-pound Young has a list of offers that in addition to Ohio State includes Florida State, Penn State, ...
Penn State target Isheem Young of Imhotep Charter picks up Buckeyes offerPennLive.com

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Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Odds, Football Pick - Bleacher Report
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Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Odds, Football Pick
Bleacher Report
Including an easy season-opening win over Bowling Green, the Ohio State Buckeyes are now 26-1 straight up over their last 27 games. But even with the cover, OSU is only 2-8 against the spread in its last 10 home games, thanks in part to inflated spreads.
Ohio State football | Jack Looks Back: Before becoming a Buckeye, coach John Cooper was a Golden HurricaneColumbus Dispatch
Buckeyes, Wolverines send dominating messagesQuad City Times
STAT WATCH: Buckeyes' 77 Vs BG Their Most Points Since 1950ABC News
cleveland.com -ESPN
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Ohio State offers '17 S Bubba Bolden of Bishop Gorman: What does that mean for Jeffrey Okudah, Shaun Wade? - cleveland.com
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Ohio State offers '17 S Bubba Bolden of Bishop Gorman: What does that mean for Jeffrey Okudah, Shaun Wade?
cleveland.com
Would the Buckeyes accept a verbal commitment from McKinney or Bolden at this point? That remains unclear, but this is for sure: If Ohio State accepts a commitment at this point, it means Meyer and his staff are really, really, really high on the prospect.
Ohio State offers 4-star from recruiting powerhouseLand-Grant Holy Land

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Urban Meyer softens stance on Corey Smith’s Week 1 performance
Alexis Chassen via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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The wide receiver was dealing with a hamstring issue during Ohio State’s season opener.

Urban Meyer spoke to the media following Wednesday’s practice, and just a few days before the team faces Tulsa at home. The head coach and players have noted throughout the week that this Week 2 matchup will be a tougher test than Bowling Green.

Never one to be happy with good enough, Meyer is expecting more from his young group of receivers and is looking for someone to step up and into Tracy Sprinkle’s spot following his season-ending injury.

• When asked if it was weird that the offense had so many passing yards, yet none of the receivers were graded a winner, Meyer noted it’s a big deal to be graded a winner and its rare for a player in that position to earn it early in the season.
• Corey Smith wasn’t 100% healthy during Week 1 with a hamstring issue, which Meyer learned of later, which softened his stance on his performance against Bowling Green.
• When asked about the development of true freshman quarterback Dwayne Haskins, Meyer noted that “he’s so talented” and would like for him to compete for the backup role. He admitted the competition was a little overwhelming early on, but the coaching staff sees a great future for the young quarterback.
• While Joe Burrow is still the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart, Meyer admitted he showed that he was tough in his first collegiate game, but wouldn’t go so far as to say he would be comfortable with him as the starter.
• Dante Booker remains questionable for Saturday, with Joe Burger expected to step up and contribute more as needed.

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Video: Ohio State Training Camp Highlight (Pre-Bowling Green)
Joe Dexter via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Ohio State athletics gives us an inside look at training camp before Ohio State’s opening week matchup with Bowling Green and some of the training camp highlightsof the moments that got the Buckeyes prepared to start the season.

The post Video: Ohio State Training Camp Highlight (Pre-Bowling Green) appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Preview: Ohio State vs. Tulsa
Richard Tongohan via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
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PREVIEW: TULSA vs. OHIO STATE:​

With week 1 in the books for Ohio State, we can only look ahead to our next opponent. Yes, technically the week isn’t over yet, but it is for Ohio State. So like farmer Fran said, “You live to fight another day.” The Buckeyes not only lived to fight another day, they were afforded and had earned some well deserved experience that will hopefully stick with them throughout the season. Bowling Green was Coach Meyer’s first coaching stop and he surely has not forgotten where it all began. The Buckeyes featured a bunch of young, unproven talent and for what its worth, they look pretty good. Youth in spread throughout the roster on both sides of the ball and during the game they showed their worth to the nation and to the coaches. Understandably, it was against Bowling Green but a win is a win and at least it is a Division 1 team and not a Division 2 team.

The Falcons featured a high-powered offense, slightly similar to what Meyer had built during his time there and with a young defense at hand, Urban and company let the young wolves loose to see what they are capable of. The young Buckeyes defense were up to the task as they annihilated the 4th best team in total offense and 6th best in scoring offense. Tusla will provide another high-powered offense that finished 13th in total offense and 21st in scoring offense in 2015. The Buckeyes and the Golden Hurricanes have never met on the gridiron and this will be another test for the young defense. The Tusla Head Coach, Phillip Montgomery was present as an Offensive Coordinator for Baylor and Houston so I think that it is safe to say that they should expect a lot of hurry-up offense and no-huddle sets.



Senior Quarterback Dane Evans returned for one more year and he looks to cut down on mistakes this season. Evans has the ability and the experience to successfully run the offense this season. He understands the playbook and has been around the system long enough to operate in it. The Golden Hurricanes return a trio of experienced Wide Receiver in Keevan Lucas, Josh Atkinson and Justin Hobbs. Lucas returns from a knee injury that had sidelined him last season, but he looks to have a huge year a year removed from injury.



The biggest elephant in the room is can the new-look Offensive Line gel quickly enough after losing two key players after the 2015 season. They are breaking in a new batch of linemen and we will just have to see if they can survive the season with little to no experience and against the talented Buckeyes, this will be their stiffest test early-on in the season. It will give the Tulsa coaches the opportunity to measure and gage their talent and to see the capabilities of their kids. The front seven will constantly pressure all five members to see if they make any mistakes and I wouldn’t put it past Coach Schiano to send one of his many Defensive Backs on a blitz to also test their mettle and capabilities.

D’Angelo Brewer is a shifty runner who can break it for huge yardage at any given moment during games. He is deceptively fast and is capable of catching passes out of the backfield. He will be going up against a young defensive line that is in sore need of a replacement at DT as Tracy Sprinkle suffered a season ending leg injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the season. Ohio State has the talent waiting in the wings and as long as they buy in to what Coach Fickell and Coach Johnson are preaching, I see them playing lights out for each other and for the aforementioned Sprinkle. We will see if he is up to the task and if he can break past the vaunted Ohio State defense.





The Golden Hurricane defense is another story. They are lacking proven playmakers, but they have a lot of boom-or-bust players that take high risk, high reward literally. We will see how the pieces fall next weekend but here is some food for thought. The Tulsa offense has the tools to put up points and put them up quickly, but the defense is their Achilles heel. If the Buckeyes shut down their offense like the Bowling Green game, the sleeping giant will wake once again and crush the team that woke it up. Tusla’s defense is lacking in playmakers and we will have to wait and see if the Buckeyes can put them in horrible situations to exploit the inexperience.

Prediction:

With all things considered and the lack of defense on the other side, I expect J.T. Barrett to move the ball at a frightening pace. J.T. will finish the game with 260+ yards through the air with nearly 100 yards on the ground with 3 passing touchdowns and two rushing. Mike Weber will drive the ball down their defenses throat for a cool 120 yards with a touchdown. The defense will sack Evans at least 5 times with at least one more defensive touchdown and Evans will throw a pick to Hooker. Hooker is special and he looks to become a key cog in the secondary. The Buckeyes will steam roll Tulsa in style and continue their offensive onslaught in preparation for the Oklahoma game:

Buckeyes 56 – 20 Tulsa




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Scarlet and Gray Drive Time Re-Wind: Beyond the Shoe, Around the B1G, Awards, Depth Chart for Tulsa
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!




Brandon Zimmerman takes us to task with the work that is this week in the B1G



Mike Meals gets the laughs going with his latest



@WVa rounds up the gang for the Bowling Green position awards



Brandon hits the a lot less OR two deep this week





The post Scarlet and Gray Drive Time Re-Wind: Beyond the Shoe, Around the B1G, Awards, Depth Chart for Tulsa appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Officially Speaking: Targeting in Week 1
Charles via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Targeting fouls inevitably are some of the most controversial calls made or not made each college football season. The fact that they are one of the few fouls that can lead to a player being ejected makes the stakes very high on them which tends to create very partisan feelings about them depending if your team was the victim or the perpetrator. The season is only a week old and we have already seen controversial targeting calls/non-calls in the Iowa vs Miami (OH), Tennessee vs Appalachian State, and Notre Dame vs Texas games.

Before we take a look at those plays, let’s see what the rules actually say regarding targeting. There are two rules that cover targeting.


Both of these rules at least one indicator of targeting which are defined as:


Many people think that launching is a requirement for targeting to be called but as can be clearly seen, you can still be called for targeting even if both feet are on the ground. While contact with the crown of the helmet can be targeting in all cases, you can also have targeting when the contact is by the shoulder, arm, or hand if it is to the head or neck of a defenseless opponent. By rule, a defenseless player is


Now that we have gone over the rules related to targeting, lets take a look at the plays in question. We’ll start with the Iowa vs Miami (OH) game.


We see Iowa player #43 come in and make contact to the helmet of Miami #22; since the Iowa player made the contact with the top of his helmet, we have a situation where rule 9-1-3 may apply. Now we need to see one of the indicators of targeting is present. While the Iowa player did not launch or thrust upward from a crouch, he does lead with his helmet and makes forcible contact with the head of the opponent. Thus, we have an indicator of targeting and contact made with the crown of the helmet, equaling a targeting foul. The officials got this one right by calling targeting and ejecting the Iowa player.

Up next we go to the Tennessee vs Appalachian State game and a possible targeting on a punt return.


We see Tennessee #21 come in and hit Appalachian State player #16 just as the Appalachian State player had caught the punt. The contact is made by the crown of the Tennessee player’s helmet to the head of the Appalachian State player. Since the Appalachian State player had just completed a catch but had not had time to protect himself or become a runner, note how the receiver hadn’t yet raised his head to look up after the catch, he is considered and defenseless player and rules 9-1-3 and 9-1-4 may possibly apply. We now need an indicator of targeting and that is easy to find as the Tennessee player is clearly leading with his head and shoulders and makes contact to the helmet, he also lowers his head just before attacking. Thus, by both rule 9-1-3 and rule 9-1-4 we have targeting. Once again the officials got this one correct.

Our final play came from the thrilling Texas vs Notre Dame game and has generated lots of talk and controversy.



Notre Dame #16 has just caught the ball and has just returned to the ground but has not had time to protect himself or become a ball carrier, thus he is a defenseless player. Texas #4 comes in and makes contact with the Notre Dame player’s head and neck. Thus, we have a situation where rule 9-1-4 may apply. The Texas player clearly leads with his helmet and shoulders and makes contact to the head and neck area, giving a clear indicator of targeting. In the video it is not clear if the Texas player makes contact with his helmet or shoulder, it seems like it was his shoulder, but since the Notre Dame receiver is classified as a defenseless player, rule 9-1-4 classifies contact to his head and neck area by an opposing player’s helmet, shoulder, or arm as targeting. Thus, this is targeting. As most of you know, the officials on the field did not throw a flag on this play which is understandable due to the quick nature of the play and the possibility that they did not get a good look at it. However, a rules change this year allows the replay official to create a target penalty on egregious plays where the foul was not called on the field. As shown in the above video, there were replay angles that gave a clear look at the play and which clearly showed that it was targeting. Considering the fact that the game was paused for a long time due to an injury to the receiver, the replay official had plenty of time to look at this play and should have ruled it targeting. The officials definitely got this one wrong.

The final thing to note when trying to determine whether a play should be called targeting is the last line in both of the applicable rules “when in question, it is a foul.” This pretty much means that if reasonable, knowledgeable, unbiased people can get into a reasonable discussion/debate about the play, it probably should be ruled as targeting.

As the comments sections on the above videos show, you will never get everyone to agree that a targeting call was correct or not. Part of it of course is due to fans of one team or the other but part of it is also due to many people longing for the days before the rule when violent hits were celebrated. Now that we know about the dangers of concussions and blows to the head, those days are gone and the NCAA is doing what it can to make the game safer for not only the health of the current players but the future of the sport itself.

The post Officially Speaking: Targeting in Week 1 appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Urban Meyer finally learned Tyler Durbin’s name after a unique road to Ohio State
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


And his name is not “kicker.”

“The former soccer player arrived on campus the day his team won the national championship and Urban Meyer didn’t really have much reason to bother learning his name for more than a year after that.”

- Austin Ward, ESPN


Ohio State’s newest kicker, Tyler Durbin, has had a very different road to his current position with the Buckeyes. Durbin spent most of his life playing soccer, never football. He had considered trying to be a kicker in high school, but that never came to fruition because his schedule wouldn’t allow it. He spent a pair of years at James Madison, and decided to give football a shot after needing to transfer to a university with a civil engineering program. This was also around the time the Buckeyes were making their College Football Playoff push in 2015.

So Durbin got a tape together, and sent it out to four schools, with Ohio State being one of them. Ohio State liked what they had seen out of Durbin, and took him on as a walk-on. It took Urban Meyer a little while to learn his name, but he certainly knows it now, especially after the kicker made all 11 of his extra points this past Saturday. “Kicker: I think you spell that kicker, K-I-C-K-E-R,” Meyer joked with Ward. “I love this guy, but I’m still giving him a hard time. His last name is Durbin.” Durbin is definitely making the most of his opportunity with Sean Nuernberger out to start the year. Hopefully for everybody involved, he’s able to keep it up.

“Ezekiel Elliott carried the ball only seven times in the preseason, but oh what a seven carries they were.”

- Todd Archer, ESPN


Ezekiel Elliott has some of the most unfair expectations set upon him that we’ve seen in a while when it comes to NFL rookies. Archer points out that many people have anointed him as the next Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith. He’s expected to carry a big load for one of the NFL’s most storied franchises, and the most valuable sports team in North America. So far, he’s been living up to the hype. Archer describes the excitement that Elliott brought out of Dez Bryant, who was watching the Cowboys’ game against the Seahawks from home, “crazy on fire.”

Elliott’s impact won’t just be on the offensive end, although that’s where he plans on setting the attitude and tempo. And when it comes to big name opposing defenders, he says he doesn’t worry about the names. “I look at them as numbers,” he told Archer. “Honestly, the type of runner I am, I’m a physical guy and I try to set the tone early in the game, so you’re going to see it a lot in the first and second quarter. I’m going to finish my runs hard and I’m going to try to set the tone.” With this, Elliott will help the morale of an offensive line that has been one of the best in the league, but suffered after a 4-12 season. Keeping the defense off the field will also undoubtedly help the Cowboys. So it’s not just the offensive end of the field that Elliott will impact. It’s far reaching, and a lot of expectations to put on a rookie, but if there’s a guy who can handle them, it’s Elliott.

“So the longer it's on, the more stressful it becomes. Everyone in practice sees it and the player can't help but ask himself what [Jamarco] Jones was living with every day until it came off.”

- Ari Wasserman, Northeast Ohio Media Group


The black stripe removal is one of the few highlights of the offseason. It’s a moment where the young Buckeyes officially become a part of the team, and it’s a way for many diehard fans to somewhat measure where those guys are at as far as performance goes. Wasserman talks about the stresses it caused Jamarco Jones, who was set on having his removed. "I asked (the coaches) all the time (why it was still on) just to try and get a feel for what I had to improve on," Jones told Wasserman.

Despite it being a stressful thing for the players who have it on for what feels like an extended period, it has definitely appeared to also be a very joyful event for some. All cases are different for the various players that come through the program, though. As Wasserman points out, there were three players who lost their black stripe before Ezekiel Elliott, and he turned out to be pretty dang good. So it’s not necessarily a measure of your skill, it’s more so about what is expected of the player from the coaching staff, and they might not be seeing that just quite yet.

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Men of the Scarlet and Gray Podcast: Possible Level 2 Hurricane Hitting Columbus Saturday
Shannon Sommers via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Shannon Sommers and Chip Minnich are back to recap the Ohio State win over Bowling Green last Saturday. The discussion of the highly prolific offense, players missing assignments along with some concerns like defensive line pressure. Sadly they had to discuss the injury to Tracy Sprinkle too.

Kell Hines from Tulsa World joined to discuss the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. She was able to fill everyone in on possible offense Buckeye fans will see on Saturday, some concerns she had from the Tulsa defense. There was some talking about if Tulsa was looking to try to join the Big 12 like over half of the American Conference, Tom Herman, along with the first visit to the Shoe.

The guys answer some #AskMotSaG questions again this week then go into their predictions on Saturday games.



http://traffic.libsyn.com/menofthescarletandgray/Tulsa_Week.output.mp3

The post Men of the Scarlet and Gray Podcast: Possible Level 2 Hurricane Hitting Columbus Saturday appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Iowa gives Ohio State another reason to be thankful for Gene Smith
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


He gets teased by some fans, but at least one other school in conference shows it could always be worse.

Ideally, fans shouldn’t think too much about what their athletic director is doing.

Athletic directors do a ton of behind the scenes work, from fundraising to making internal hires to glad-handing alumni to business development. But as long as they aren’t building an absolutely toxic culture, like Dave Brandon or Steve Patterson, most fans won’t hear anything about them.

As long as the athletic program has the resources to be competitive with its peers, the biggest thing fans see are coaching hires. And if you’re really doing things well, you don’t need to make a whole lot of those.

Many Ohio State fans dislike Gene Smith, especially for his clumsy handling of the end of the Jim Tressel saga and response to Tatgate. But compared to his AD peers, there’s not that much to complain about. Ohio State’s facilities are all shiny and new. You don’t hear complaints about a dysfunctional department, and most hires, from wrestling to lacrosse to women’s basketball, have worked out very well — to say nothing of the guy coaching the football team. When it comes to the big things, Ohio State’s administration has set high expectations, and has put the department in a position to succeed at those.

Not every Big Ten program can say that.

Last year, we saw institutional problems hold Minnesota, Illinois, and most famously Rutgers back. We may already see problems at Penn State, where a clumsy Joe Paterno tribute promotion gave their internal cultural clash another national platform.

But this biggest example of a Big Ten administration restricting athletic success? That award goes to Iowa.

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz’s massive contract had already become a running Internet gag in college football circles. His $4 million a year salary was large, but given the massive jump in coaching salaries across the landscape, it was perhaps defensible. But Ferentz also got a massive buyout, making him essentially impossible to move on from. After the Hawkeyes struggled to a 4-8 record in 2012, for example, Iowa would have needed to pay $16 million to terminate him. Unsurprisingly they didn’t.

But the Hawkeyes have rebounded. They made the Rose Bowl last season, and have one of the better recruiting classes in recent memory for 2017, one that should finish in the top half of the Big Ten. Ferentz is popular again.

So, even though that current contract still ran through 2020, Iowa decided to give him a raise and another contract extension. And then, for reasons that aren’t clear, they gave him an even more enormous buyout:


So we could be looking at a $20+ million buyout for a coach that may perennially go 7-5.

Iowa’s had a nice run recently, but let’s not pretend that they’ve been world beaters. Since 2011, the Hawkeyes have beaten seven teams that won at least eight games, with three of them happening last year (Pitt, Wisconsin and Northwestern). Last season was the first time they finished in the AP Poll since 2009. They haven’t won a bowl game since 2010.

Kirk Ferentz is a good football coach. He’s led Iowa to five Top 10 AP Poll finishes, a Rose Bowl berth, multiple Orange Bowls, and the program’s best three-year run since the 1980s. He’s brought stability to a program in a world where most non-elite programs are rife with instability.

It’s fine, and completely understandable, that Iowa wanted to give another extension, especially to reassure potential recruits that Ferentz planned on sticking around. But Ferentz is also an older coach, one that doesn’t run a flashy, enticing offense, and one that doesn’t recruit many blue-chip athletes. The risk of him leaving for another college job, and probably even an NFL job, is nearly zero.

Why handcuff yourselves to him for another decade when you don’t have to, especially since 7-5, not 10-2, is closer to your average expected annual return?

It’s safe and reliable. And that seems like a very Big Ten thing to do. But it isn’t the right one.

A lot can happen when you need to hire a football coach. Sometimes you swing and miss and your program is embarrassed. Sometimes you create divisions and hurt feelings with your boosters and fans. Sometimes you hire a bad football coach, and then you need to go through the entire process again in three or four years.

Iowa has, by and large, avoided that process. If Ferentz works through his entire contract — which will put him into his 70s) — he’ll be one of the longest tenured coaches in history. Iowa hasn’t had a coach not named Ferentz or Hayden Fry since 1978. Some of that has been great for Iowa. Some of that has been a result of them simply punting on making a decision, which is also pretty Iowa.

This contract shows that Iowa is satisfied not having to worry about making an uncomfortable choice with a program staple, even if returns falter. It shows Iowa is fine scheduling terrible out-of-conference opponents, hoping the Big Ten divisional games break their way, beating a mediocre Northwestern or Minnesota, and going 9-3. It shows they don’t even want to try to be better than they already are.

That’s a shame. Iowa may not have an advantageous geographic location, but they have a ton of other pluses. They’re a great school with a large, passionate fanbase. Their program makes a ton of money, and the new Big Ten TV deal will make sure they’ll have plenty more. They have very good facilities, and a proud history. With a great coach, they could easily be as successful over the course of a decade as a Wisconsin, if not more.

But that decision has already been made for them. They’re not alone in that overly cautious decision-making. But that lack of ambition and imagination will hamstring their athletic department.

Ohio State has many faults, but few administrative decisions, either with contracts, hires, or with the fans, have added an artificial celling to their success.

For that, fans should be grateful. That’s not a birthright. With a few of the wrong hires, it can happen anywhere, including at blue blood programs.

Ohio State fans haven’t had to worry about what their AD is doing in recent years. That’s a good thing. Much of the rest of this conference unfortunately can’t say the same.

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Buckeyes make move on Penn State commit - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes make move on Penn State commit
247Sports
Ohio State has gone into Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to land a star recruit once before in Noah Spence, and it looks like the Buckeyes are going to do it again. Led by the efforts of Larry Johnson, who is well respected in the area, the Buckeyes extended ...

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Buckeyes' Meyer still not satisfied - Toledo Blade
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes' Meyer still not satisfied
Toledo Blade
COLUMBUS — One would assume finishing a field goal away from 80 points in the first game leaves little room for improvement. In Ohio State's case — at least according to their telling — that assumption would be wrong. Ohio State set a school record ...


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Ohio State offers scholarship to Cleveland Browns WR Andrew ... - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State offers scholarship to Cleveland Browns WR Andrew ...
cleveland.com
The 6-foot-3, 260-pound Hawkins has 14 scholarships and he's most closely considering Ohio State, Notre Dame and Florida State, the first school to offer him a ...
Buckeyes offer Moeller D-tackle Aeneas Hawkins247Sports
The Hurry Up: Ohio State Offers Pair of Elite Defenders, Five-Star Linebacker Dispels Rumors and Former Signee ...Eleven Warriors

all 9 news articles »

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Best of Week Two: Penn State-Pittsburgh will be fun
Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer via Big Ten Network

Thirteen schools are in action. And there are some top matches on deck in the second week of play. The battle for the Cy-Hawk trophy between Iowa and Iowa State always is a humdinger. This year, the Cyclones, led by new coach Matt Campbell, come to Iowa City. Know this: Iowa boss Kirk Ferentz is just 8-9 vs. Iowa State. And Iowa State has won the last two times it visited Kinnick Stadium. Finally! Penn State and Pitt are playing! Penn State leads the all-time series, 50-42-4. Pitt won the last meeting, taking a 12-0 decision in the Steel City

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Freshmen Dre’Mont Jones, Davon Hamilton must fill hole left on Ohio State’s D-Line
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


What must Ohio State’s new DT starters have to do to be ready for Oklahoma?

Let’s be frank, outside of a “greedy” pass that led to a pick-six for Bowling Green, very little went truly wrong for Ohio State in its opening 77-10 victory over the Falcons on Saturday. The lone exception might be the devastating injury to starting defensive tackle Tracy Sprinkle.

The junior lineman had worked his way from Urban Meyer’s doghouse to a starting position, having proven himself after immaturity plagued his early days in Columbus. A vital cog in the 2015 defense, Sprinkle looked to be one of the few experienced veterans on that side of the ball for the 2016 Buckeyes, and was poised to have a breakout season.

However, less than a quarter into his first career start, Sprinkle tore his right patellar tendon after landing awkwardly from being pushed by a BG lineman. Now, the Ohio State coaching staff must find a way to fill the sudden gap the 6’3”, 293 pounder has left in the middle of the Buckeye front.

Defensive Line Coach Larry Johnson has already been beating the now-familiar “Next Man Up” drum, and on Tuesday, red shirt freshmen Dre’Mont Jones and Davon Hamilton were listed as co-starters in place of Sprinkle; and for that reason, they are the defensive players to watch this week against Tulsa.

The stats


Name: Dre’Mont Jones
Number: 86
Year: RS Freshman
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 280 lbs.

Name: Davon Hamilton
Number: 53
Year: RS Freshman
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 297 lbs.

Opposition research

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden Hurricane offense comes directly from the Art Briles system, with all of the requisite bells and whistles that that entails. Head coach Philip Montgomery was Baylor’s Offensive Coordinator as recently as 2014, and brought to Tulsa the same gun slinging, high-paced attack we’ve gotten used to seeing in Waco.

In 2015, Montgomery’s offense threw for 4,332 yards, while rushing for 2,264. However, in their season opening 45-10 victory over San Jose State, Tulsa ran 83 plays, accounting for 512 total yards, but the breakdown was a little different than one would expect; 305 rushing yards versus 207 passing.

While no one would expect the numbers put up against the Spartans to be predictive of what the Golden Hurricanes will do against the Buckeyes, they do suggest that Montgomery’s offense might not be as reliant on the pass as it was a year ago. And, with four of five offensive line starters returning from last year’s team, whomever ends up replacing Sprinkle will go up against a seasoned group that hung 38 and 24 on Oklahoma and Houston respectively in losses last year.

While it was a different style of up-tempo offense than they will see this week, the Ohio State D did hold Bowling Green to just 244 yards on an otherwise impressive 72 plays. If they are going to be able to repeat anything approaching that level of performance in Week Two, the defensive line will have to be able to hold their own against the run, and to apply pressure on passing downs, as Tulsa will look to spread the field and get the ball into space as quickly, and as often, as possible.

What to watch for


Both Jones and Hamilton saw the field on Saturday in Sprinkle’s stead; Hamilton registering the pair’s only tackle, assisting on a sack. However, Jones was the first man up when Sprinkle went down, so the assumption is that unless Hamilton has an overwhelmingly strong week of practice, Jones will get the start, with Hamilton rotating in regularly.

Jones was more highly rated coming out of Cleveland St. Ignatius than Hamilton was from Pickerington Central, but he was primarily a pass-rushing end in high school, before moving inside at Ohio State. Now that it looks like Jones will be one of the Buckeyes’ primary linemen, keep an eye out for his ability to get pressure on the quarterback; a skill which made him a four-star recruit just a few years ago.

While he doesn’t have the imposing size of the other starting DT Michael Hill (6’3”, 305 lbs.), Jones does still possess the quickness that made him a highly sought after pass-rusher. In years past, the Ohio State defensive coaching staff could count on Joey Bosa pulling a double (or triple) team, freeing up other linemen to shed their blockers and get into the backfield.

Without a dominant force establishing itself on the line yet, the Buckeyes will rely on their depth and athleticism to compensate. If Jones can use his speed to put pressure on senior quarterback Dale Evans, it could go a long way to disrupting the Tulsa attack.

Dre’Mont Jones recruiting highlights



Unlike Jones, Hamilton was recruited as a tackle, and has a little more of the typical DT body that Ohio State has become accustomed to in recent years with the likes of Hill, Adolphus Washington, Tommy Shutt, Michael Bennett, et al.

That said, Head Coach Urban Meyer did make note of Hamilton’s athleticism in Monday’s press conference, so his role on the line will likely not be vastly different than that of Jones.

Davon Hamilton recruiting highlights



With a full, yet young, complement of defensive linemen finally at his disposal, Johnson is expected to liberally rotate against Tulsa, and ideally throughout the season. Other players that the coaching staff has mentioned being in the mix include freshmen Josh Alabi, Malik Barrow, and Robert Landers.

Whichever young linemen get time against Tulsa, they will need to make the most of their learning opportunity as the following week’s trip to Norman, Oklahoma will mark a dramatic rise in the level of competition, especially after the Sooners fight to regain ground in the playoff race, following an opening week loss to Houston.

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Flashback: Huge 1996 season began as Buckeyes fried Rice 70-7 - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Flashback: Huge 1996 season began as Buckeyes fried Rice 70-7
247Sports
EDITOR'S NOTE – This season, we will commemorate the 20th anniversary of Ohio State's 1996 Rose Bowl championship season. That was a landmark year for the Buckeyes with their first Rose Bowl win and highest AP poll finish (No. 2) in 23 seasons.


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