Basketball Buckeyes host virtual visit with 2022 PG
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Four-star PG Avery Brown | via Twitter @_averybrown3
Chris Holtmann and the Ohio State basketball program met with one of the top guard prospects in the 2022 recruiting class.

Following Ohio State’s first win of the 2020 football season, understandably all focus is centered around the football program — especially considering the season is one that not too long ago seemed unlikely to even take place.

However, Chris Holtmann and the basketball Buckeyes are determined to continue making progress with every new campaign. The first step in building on the recent success is recruiting. Holtmann has proven in his time at Ohio State that he is one of the nation’s top recruiters, and this pedigree has grown even more since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The work continued Monday when Holtmann and his staff visited with 2022 point guard target Avery Brown (Beacon Falls, CT/Northfield Mount Herman) as was first reported by Jake Weingarten of stockrisers.com.


Ohio State has yet to offer Brown, but one could be on the way following the virtual visit. If Holtmann and his staff do decide to offer, the Buckeyes will be throwing their name in an already crowded hat that only looks to get more crowded.

Brown has already received offers from the likes of Indiana, Nebraska, Penn State, Missouri, Kansas State, Virginia Tech and is receiving interest from Connecticut, Providence and now Ohio State.

While Brown has yet to name a leader, Big Ten foe Nebraska completed a virtual visit with Brown as well Monday, and after recently offering him, he appears to be a priority for them. Additionally, they would look to be the current leader in his recruitment.

Weingarten spoke with Brown about his recruiting interests and had the following to say about Ohio State.


The Buckeyes have been one of the hottest teams on the recruiting front in 2020. This offseason, Holtmann and Ohio State earned some of the top transfers eligible to play in the upcoming season, and the team currently holds claim to the No. 10 class in the nation for 2021 in the 247Sports Class Rankings.

Brown would be a big addition to Ohio State’s class, as he is current listed as the No. 18 point guard in the 2022 class and the No. 103 player in the nation overall in 247Sports’ rankings.

Quick Hits:

• A future Buckeye and one of the team’s top remaining prospects in this year’s class will receive their All-American Jerseys virtually this week in four-star RB commit Evan Pryor and five-star OT prospect Tristan Leigh.

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#MOTSAGRising Depth Chart Preview: Secondary
Chris via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

As deep and good as the front seven are the secondary may just be the best the Buckeyes have seen in recent years. The speed and talent covering opposing teams WR’s can be potent and led by one of the top prospects for next years NFL draft in Shaun Wade.

The starting line-up will more than likely not get a lot of breathers but they probably don’t need all that much with how quick the front seven will get after the opposing QB and give them time to help shutdown the run.

Wade is helped at CB on the other side by one of the coolest names in college football in Sevyn Banks. the safeties will probably be Junior Josh Proctor and Senior Marcus Williamson.

Red-shirt Sophomore Marcus Hooker is the one youngster everyone is hoping to see a lot of and most thing he has a lot of the same talent his older brother and former Buckeye Malik Hooker had when in the Scarlet and Grey.

Also look for Cameron Brown and true frosh Legond Cavazos to contribute when there’s opportunities.




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#MOTSAGRising Depth Chart Preview: Linebackers
Richard Tongohan via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Today friends we will be talking Linebackers and boy oh boy–they are deep at experienced at these positions! The Buckeyes have Captain Tuf Borland, Pete Werner, and Baron Browning taking up starting roles at the Linebacker. I am positive that Borland will take the lead at the Mike and both Werner and Browning would each be on the outside.

Behind them will be another talented group of back-ups in Dallas Gant, Teradja Mitchell, and Justin Hilliard. Behind them talent is still there and Tommy Eichenberg, Melton Mitchell, K’Vaughan Pope, Cody Simon, Craig Young, Trayvon Wilburn, and Cade Kacherski will be there to learn their own respective positions.

As starters, the collection of Borland, Browning, and Werner are one of the most experienced groups in the nation when considering both, the total downs being played and the impact plays they have made. Borland taking up middle will place a capable player to lead and call the audibles and the plays. Coming off a severe injury, he did well, but as a healthy body–I think he will do better this season.

Browning was playing at the Mike, but he will find himself on the outside and I think he will wreak havoc. Think how amazing it was to have Darron Lee–and I think it’ll be a similar fit scheme-wise and he will impact games for the Buckeyes. Browning was one of those players that has been buried by ballers ahead of him and this year will potentially be his last year with the program. He pondered leaving after last season, but like all others–he has returned for one last run.

Lastly, Pete Werner is like a missile that can cover and rush the passer. A Swiss Army Knife, Werner will also be used to disarm potent offenses that they will face this season within the conference. I think he will blitz more often than normal and he will do well against slot receivers, tight ends, and even backs out of the backfield. He may do it all this season in what also should be his last year with the program.

The Buckeyes second team are all great talents too! Hilliard has been through a lot, with injuries taking him out repeatedly but last year he was healthy and he balled out! This is his last season and he will make an impact with whatever role he is assigned. Dallas Gant is another star that was buried by the depth and talent ahead of him, but this is his season to shine to gain some consideration for next season. A speedy, coverage guy who is willing to get his nose dirty–he will be vying for time in the middle. Finally, for the second outside spot, I think talented thumper Teradja Mitchell is a shoo-in for that one.

Think about who could surprise us all too. I would think Pope will be that guy to make huge splash plays when asked to. Eichenberg and Young will also be leaned on once the starters are spelled when games get out of hand. Talented freshmen Mitchell and Simon could also be used on special teams to get a handle while the upperclassmen work. As I stated before I began, the talent is immense and they have a lot of it.

On the recruiting trail, ILB Reid Carrico will join the team in the summer. In the summer of 2022, a trio of talented player Dasan McCullough, C.J. Hicks, and Gabe Powers are all committed to uphold the tradition of being stellar players at their respective positions. This should excite us all and I cannot wait to see who the 2021 and 2022 classes finish off with. For now lets enjoy the season.

#GoBucks




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#MOTSAGRising Depth Chart Preview: Anti-Slobs(Rushmen)
Chris via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Today we roll with the glue that has held the defense together for quite sometime thanks to Larry Johnson and his ever improving Rushmen packages. Anyone that has played for him the past several years stands a good chance of becoming a pro.

Lets start at the ends where the rotation should be all but set for this season.

DE – Jonathon Cooper backed up by Tyler Friday, then Tyreke Smith backed up by Zach Harrison and there should be plenty of plays for all four which will make things difficult on opposing QB’s.

DT – Is a different story altogether but we should see Tommy Togiai and Taron Vincent emerge as starts in this years defense which will see more of Togiai lined up over the C. He has proven to be a problem already and will shine as this years starter.

The rest of the group can produce but may not see as much time as the others. Haskell Garrett is a proven leader and will be a force after returning from an off-season shooting that left him needing to work his way back. As of late he is practicing and doing well. Antwuan Jackson is a graduate transfer that will see some time and opportunities to prove himself behind Togiai.

DE 18 Cooper, Jonathon RS SR 54 Friday, Tyler JR
NT 72 Togiai, Tommy JR 52 Jackson, Antwuan RS SR/TR
DT 92 Garrett, Haskell SR 6 Vincent, Taron RS SO




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#MOTSAGRising Depth Chart Preview: The Slobs
Richard Tongohan via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

In today’s installment its all about the Slobs. This years offensive attack will be co-dependent on the ability of the entire offensive line to win their match-ups in the trenches. This group one of the most talented in the nation and Justin Fields will be hoping to rev things up when the season is officially underway. 10 more days left until Nebraska at home. This unit has definitely will have a championship-caliber team that can control games entirely, but again–we shall see.

The offensive line will return Wyatt Davis, who opted out due to the uncertainty of the 2020 season even happening. As the lone Captain on the offensive line at Right Guard, he will lead by example with Center Josh Myers and Left Tackle Thayer Munford also returning for what many consider “their last ride” in the scarlet and gray.

Although the trio of Davis, Myers, and Munford is wonderful, they have two available spots up for grabs at the Left Guard and Right Tackle spots, but they do not have a shortage in talent to fill them. At Guard, the Buckeyes have Harry Miller, Enokk Vimahi, Gavin Cupp, and Ryan Jacoby. The first three are in a competition for the two deep, while the latter falls behind. Davis in the depth chart.

If I were a betting man, I’d give it to Miller by virtue of setting up Vimahi as the back-up. Not a slight, but I can see Myers doing his thing and then leaving for the draft, and Miller either slides in at Center or he dukes it out with Matthew Jones. Vimahi would then slide into the starting spot or battle it out with Cupp next season. Either way, the talent for this spot is there for the Buckeyes.

At Right Tackle, Nicholas Petit-Frere gets the nod with Big Thanos Dawand Jones right behind him. Big Thanos had flashes at Left Tackle, but with his athleticism and agility he’d fit on either side, but for the future Right Tackle is his spot for now. Jones would have the nod over Max Wray, who would fall behind him for third on the depth chart.

If you are keeping score the first team would look like this, from the left side of the line to the right: Munford, Miller, Myers, Davis, and then Petit-Frere. The second team in the same order would be: Johnson, Vimahi, M. Jones, Cupp, and then D. Jones. So basically two versions of the Monstars that will basically maul people, but I will try not to get too ahead of myself.

With the Buckeyes in general, attrition would be a factor in this position as we’ve seen it over the past few years. Yes, the Buckeyes are loaded, but sometimes players look elsewhere for consistent playing time. They are developed and ready to go, but they haven’t received their shot yet. Hopefully that is not the case, but we won’t know.

Ahead of the 2020 COVID season, the Buckeyes have started much later than anticipated or expected, but we all know they are ready to go. We have all seen the videos and it hasn’t changed my mind about what I personally think the season would look like, but again–I am containing myself and reserving judgement until 10 days from now.

There are also a few studs in the 2020 class still in the fold too. The trio of Donovan Jackson, Ben Christman, and Zen Michalski currently committed, more talent is on its way. They may close out with the trio, but big names are still out there despite being close to being out of the running. Until it becomes official you just never know in recruiting. Stay tuned until either National Signing Days and just enjoy it.

#GoBucks




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#MOTSAGRising Depth Chart Preview; Tight Ends
Chris via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

I am honestly surprised that Richard didn’t steal the TE’s for his Zone 6 preview in yesterday’s article. I would imagine they spend a lot more time with Zone 6(Brian Hartline) than with the slobs(Greg Studrawa) or their position coach Kevin Wilson.

The nice thing about this group is there are many interchangeable parts and sometimes we might see three TE sets and still be just as dangerous up the middle of the field with returning lettermen Farrell, Hausmann and Ruckert. All three are very capable blockers and pass-catchers.

Look for it to be much of the same as it was all last season.

TE – 89 Luke Farrell or 88 Jeremy Ruckert or 81 Jake Hausmann

This writer believes that Jeremy Ruckert will blow up this season and provide a consistent hot route and that will equate into a lot of yards, maybe the most by a TE in a while for Ohio State. Seems we will all get our wishes this season as it’s the most experience they have enjoyed at TE.

Luke Farrell is no slouch when it comes to catching the football but his road grading mentality will help as much as needed on the edge this season. Look for him and Ruckert to be two of the leaders in the locker-room as well.

Look for true frosh Joe Royer out of Cincinnati Elder and Cade Stover who moved over from the defense to see some time on the field replacing the spot Rashod Berry help last season. The Buckeyes have tried to keep four in the rotation of late because of the physicality of the position!





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Podcast: What Week 1 analytics say about Ohio State-Penn State from College Football Nerds
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
We also discuss the mythical ‘bag of wins.’

On Land-Grant Holy Land In Conversation, we talk to people in and around Ohio State athletics, and the sporting world at large, to bring you a different insight and perspective to the teams, athletes, and university that you love.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:


In today’s episode I talk to Josh from College Football Nerds about what can be learned from a statistical standpoint from both Ohio State and Penn State’s very different season-opening games; how the weird, pandemic-altered schedules are impacting advanced analytics; and what Josh thinks will happen in Saturday’s primetime matchup between the Buckeyes and the Nits.

If you are unfamiliar with College Football Nerds, we have been including their computer model predictions in our game day “Tailgate” episodes since last season, and they put together great videos breaking down the biggest matchups every week from a statistical and analytical perspective.

Contact College Football Nerds

Twitter: @CFBNerds

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/CollegeFootballNerds

Contact Matt Tamanini

Twitter: @BWWMatt

Theme music provided by www.bensound.com

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Column: Looking back at five key factors in Oho State’s win over Nebraska
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
I told you the five things that I was going to watch, and here’s what I saw.

Every game day this season, I will be picking out five things to watch in that specific contest, and they will be the focus of that day’s column. Then, on Monday, I will go back and see what I learned (if anything) from keying in on those five points.


On Saturday, the now-No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes finally opened their 2020 college football season against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a 52-17 beating that provided our first look at this year’s OSU team. With the hindsight of about 48 hours, I’m looking back at the five areas of the contest that I wanted to focus on in Saturday’s game.

1) Trey Sermon


The former Oklahoma Sooner’s first day as an Ohio State Buckeye was... fine. It wasn’t anything special, but it also wasn’t as horrendous as some of the Chicken Littles amongst us might want to lead you to believe. On the day, Trey Sermon ran for 55 yards on 11 carries, and as you math whizzes know, that’s five yards per carry. For some context, in 2018, J.K. Dobbins averaged 4.6 yards per attempt while Mike Weber was at 5.5. However, I don’t think either would claim that was their best season running the ball as a Buckeye.

What I did see from Sermon confirmed what his film showed and what you would expect from a back who has played his entire career to this point in the Big 12; he is not going to be a traditional Big Ten, between-the-tackles power back. And yet, the way that Ryan Day and the offensive coaching staff decided to deploy their backs put him in the situation where that’s exactly who he was asked to be.

Throughout the game, Sermon and Master Teague alternated series. This is very similar to the philosophy that Day employed as co-offensive coordinator in 2018 with Dobbins and Weber, and — as evidenced by there middling per carry averages — it didn’t work out so great.


However, when Sermon was allowed to run outside the tackles, he displayed a burst and vision that demonstrated why he can be dangerous in space. For me, that’s how he should be used 3⁄4 of the time. Obviously you don’t want to telegraph that Sermon is going to always run outside and Teague is always going to run inside, but there is a reason that the NFL employs “third-down backs,” because they are built to pick up short yardage even (and especially) when the defense knows exactly what they are going to do.

We know that Teague can be that type of back, but I don’t think that Sermon can. So Day shouldn’t try and force him the OU transfer to morph into a B1G back. If you’re going to use both backs fairly equally, abandon the alternating series philosophy, and put both RBs in positions to succeed.

2) Defensive rotation


Of the five things that I watched on Saturday, this is the one that I learned the most from... or perhaps more accurately, the area in which my assumptions were most wrong. So, I’m going to run through just some of those areas.

1) Tuf Borland played the vast majority of snaps at middle linebacker. I thought that we would see a rotation similar to 2019 in which Borland would start, but would essentially split snaps with a backup. Last year it was Baron Browning (who is now starting at the Sam linebacker position), and this year I thought it would be Teradja Mitchell or Dallas Gant. We saw a little from each, but not nearly as much as I would have thought. But, I’ve got more thoughts on Borland in a bit.

2) Despite Haskell Garrett not appearing on Friday’s availability report, I did not expect to see him start, nor did I expect to see him be an immediate difference-maker in the middle of the OSU defensive line. His return to the lineup — especially if he continues to play like he did on Saturday — is a huge addition to the defense. Now I am left to wonder if this very vague tweet might mean that Taron Vincent is next.


3) Leading up to the season opener, we got the feeling that Marcus Hooker would be OSU’s single starting safety, and he was, but I didn’t have a good feel for what I thought Josh Proctor’s role would be in the defense. Sure, he would be the second-string safety, but would the Buckeyes play with two safeties at all? Would Proctor get any run as the “bullet”? Would Proctor and Hooker rotate in the back of the defense?

Without looking at the snap counts, I think that Hooker played the most snaps in the single-high position, but Proctor sure got a lot of PT in the other situations. There was more than a handful of times were you would see the junior DB flying around the line of scrimmage making a play on a ball carrier.

Hooker finished the day with four tackles, while Proctor had three, including one for loss. When I rewatch the game tomorrow, I am going to try and pay closer attention to how these two rotate, but on initial viewing, I felt that both played well enough that it might be time for Ohio State to move to a different defensive look, especially when playing against quarterbacks who provide a running threat.

Now, I have never claimed to be an Xs and Os expert, and obviously the OSU coaching staff doesn’t need to take advice from a blogger who also compares players to characters from “Hamilton” and the MCU, but if Ryan Day asked, I’d recommend mixing in some version of their “bullet”/nickel package as their base.


Play the the four lineman, Pete Werner and Baron Browning at linebacker, then Shaun Wade and Sevyn Banks as the outside corners with Marcus Williamson covering the slot. Let Hooker play the free safety position, since the coaches have told us that that position fits his skill set best, and then let Proctor roam a little bit.

I think this gives the defense a better chance at accounting for running quarterbacks, while also having a player whose athleticism can help eliminate chunk plays. Now, I know that the chances of three-year captain Borland basically being benched are pretty slim, but I think a move to get more athletic in his place is long overdue, whether that’s by going to the nickel, or finally letting someone else have a shot in the middle.

3) Wan’dale Robinson


As I mentioned in my Saturday story, Wan’dale Robinson came into the game on Saturday listed as questionable. He did end up playing, but his impact on the game was minimal. He was the Huskers’ leading receiver with six receptions for 49 yards, but 21 of those came on one catch.

The bulk of Nebraska’s offense came from their running quarterbacks, whether they were lined up at QB or not. The combo of Adrian Martinez and Luke McCaffrey combined for 164 yards on 21 carries, and they both ripped off a few sizable chunk plays (McCaffrey’s long was for 47, while Martinez’s was for 39).

Stopping running quarterbacks is difficult for everyone in college football, that’s why someone like Justin Fields is so valuable, but as I mentioned above, it is especially difficult when you don’t have athletic linebackers able to make one-on-one plays with the QB. Call me either optimistic or cynical — depending on how you want to view it — but I do think that OSU has players dynamic enough to make those plays, I’m just not sure if they are going to end up getting enough time to prove it.

4) When starters come out


When you look at the final score, Ohio State won this game handily. They covered, they hit the over (barely), if you didn’t watch the game, you’d think that Justin Fields and other first-teamers could have come out mid-third quarter, but they didn’t.


There was only one offensive drive that Fields didn’t lead. That honor went to true-freshman quarterback Jack Miller III who scored that final touchdown that either thrilled or depressed many “interested” viewers. But, despite the Buckeye defense holding Nebraska to just a field goal in the second half, the game never completely felt out of hand. Sure, it felt in control pretty early in the third quarter, but the margin was never enough for Day to feel comfortable calling off the dogs.

And despite Day apologizing to Nebraska head coach Scott Frost for scoring that final touchdown, I think that Day’s threshold of when he considers a game to no longer require the starters will be raised this year. One, with the weirdness of 2020, it is difficult to imagine that any lead is truly safe. And two, he’s going to want to impress the playoff committee, just in case they have any apprehension about putting a team in the final four who only played nine games.

Either way, I would love to see the starters play until the mid-fourth quarter more often than the mid-third this season... that is until one of them gets hurt.

5) How many targets tight ends get


For years, we have been hearing that this is the year that Ohio State’s tight ends would become a bigger part of the team’s offense. Well, if we are judging by the incredibly small sample size of just Saturday’s season-opener, then this year will be yet another in which that doesn’t happen.

On Saturday, TEs Jeremy Ruckert and Luke Farrell each caught a single pass and the two combined for an underwhelming 11 total yards. Fields did target Ruckert on one other pass; he threw a fastball well ahead of his intended target, but was bailed out by a suspect pass interference call against Nebraska’s Cam Taylor-Britt.

I would like to think that Day and company could get two talented athletes like Ruckert and Farrell into the offensive mix somehow, but, to be honest, I just don’t think that it’s a priority for them.

When Fields is so in sync with receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, and a defense doesn’t seem to have any ability or desire to stop those two playmakers, why go anywhere else? I do think that against a better defense like Penn State (an overtime loss to Indiana notwithstanding), Fields might rely a bit more heavily on his tight ends, but I certainly wouldn’t put money on it.


After some unexpected start and stops, I am back to posting a column every single day from preseason camp until whenever Ohio State’s football season ends. Some days they will be longer and in depth, some days they will be short and sweet. Let me know what you think of this one, and what you’d like to see me discuss in the comments or on Twitter. Go Bucks!

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Buckeye Bits: Frost has no issue with Miller’s late touchdown, primetime with the undefeated Rutgers(!), more
Tia Johnston via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
All of the latest Ohio State news from around the beat and beyond.

The best thing about being 1-0? Not having a worse record than Rutgers!

What a wild college football Saturday, eh?! We have a lot to cover from over the weekend, so let’s get into it!

From around Land-Grant Holy Land...


Woody, Zeke, Brutus, Can’t Guard Mike, the Bosas spell O-H-I-O in new bobblehead series

Matt Tamanini, LGHL

For the first time ever, you can now display up to six of your favorite Ohio State icons to spell out “O-H-I-O.” All six of the bobbleheads are available for order now and you can purchase them for $35 a piece. Plus, Matt included a fun fact about the O-H-I-O chant!

Column: Why officiating is like the weather

Meredith Hein, LGHL

And why officiating can’t be like the weather when it comes to targeting calls — either get on the same page, or change the penalty.

Ohio State’s 2022 commits tease potential addition to the class

Gene Ross, LGHL

Something “huge” and “really big” is coming to the class of 2022, and Gene has a pretty good idea of who it’s going to be.

Column: Haskell Garrett’s performance against Nebraska is the feel good story we needed

Matt Tamanini, LGHL

If you read nothing else today, read this. It’s the perfect reminder that whatever you’re complaining about on this fine Monday, is probably not all that bad.

Podcast: ‘Hangout in the Holy Land’ recaps the Nebraska game

Gene Ross and George Eisner, LGHL

Podcast: Fields, Day, Koombs, Davis react to Nebraska victory

Matt Tamanini, LGHL

I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of all the analyses, columns, recaps and coverage of Saturday’s game. We’ve waited months and months for this season to arrive, and I’m soaking in every bit of it while it’s here. That being said, we’ve published two new podcasts recapping Ohio State’s win over Nebraska— one from two of our best X’s and O’s writers, Gene and George, and the other from the players and coaches themselves.

From around the gridiron...


Near the end of his opening comments following Ohio State’s 52-17 win against Nebraska, Ryan Day issued an apology to Huskers head coach Scott Frost.

“I just want to say it publicly and I’m gonna text (Frost), at the end of the game, if I could do that again I would have taken a knee,” Day said after the game. “I feel bad about that at the end of the game. I had a younger quarterback in the game, and I didn’t feel like we had the personnel to take the knee, and I probably should have done that. So I just want to publicly apologize for that to Scott.

Look Ryan Day, it’s time to stop being such a good guy. This is Ohio State. We stuff our talent down the world’s throat and we do so unapologetically!

On Monday, Frost acknowledged Day’s apology with an A+ response.


Okay, now where’s Frost’s apology for his defense playing like they were out for blood?

Ohio State is now ranked No. 3 in the Absolutely Pointless Poll.


The AP Poll is biased, has nothing to do with the CFP rankings and exists for no other reason than to get people fired up.

Exhibit A:


However its stupid-ness catapulted through the roof on Sunday when one of the Poll’s voters, Auburn beat writer Tom Green of Al.com, had Ohio State at No. 16.

Six. Teenth.

This professional sports reporter put the football team that Justin Fields plays for behind the likes of Marshall, Liberty and his No. 4-ranked BYU (!)

I —


Safe to say Nebraska fans are not taking this tweet well.


After reading George’s film study on how the hell Fields completed 95% of his passes on Saturday, check out Eleven Warriors’ Kyle Jones’ film study on Ohio State’s run game. You’ll be glad you did... especially if you’re worried about it.


Speaking of it being too early to panic...first-game jitters are very much a real thing.


Ohio State named 16 players of the game, one special teams player of the week and four scout team players of the week. We’re going into Week 2 with positive momentum, baby!


Ohio State’s game against the *checks notes* undefeated Rutgers will be a *checks notes* primetime game on Nov 7. at 7:30 p.m. ET.


However Ohio State has one game between them and their toughest opponent of the season. The Buckeyes are headed east this weekend to face the good ole Nittany Lions, who are coming off a pretty devastating (and by devastating I mean glorious) loss against Indiana.


Thoughts?


Considering Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz already tested positive for COVID-19, I’m on board with this. I don’t care if they have to move games to 7 a.m. ET on a school night.

From around the hardwood...


Here we go again.

Due to concern about some of the testing requirements for early-season tournaments, College basketball tournaments and events in what was supposed to similar to the NBA bubble in Orlando have been canceled.

The Athletic reports that there were “ongoing differences” between ESPN and the participating schools over COVID-19 health and safety protocols required for participation,

From everywhere else...


This moment was *chef’s kiss*


So was this one.


In case you missed it, Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf defied the laws of physics on Sunday.


It’s the Super Bowl/Cowboys meme for me.


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Film Room: How Justin Fields completed 95% of his passes vs. Nebraska
George Eisner via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The Ohio State passing game looked as prolific as ever in the season opener, with Fields hitting Buckeyes in the hands on all 21 of his throws.

Ohio State football is finally back. Thank goodness.

Two months ago, that idea seemed completely outside the realm of possibility given the tumultuous state of our world. So beyond reality, in fact, that I coped by streaming on Twitch with an Ohio State football dynasty in NCAA Football 14 featuring the original 2020 schedule and updated rosters.

Broken football simulations aside, in a year that has seen as much turbulence as any in my lifetime, consistency is always welcome in any form it takes.

If you watched the Buckeyes’ 52-17 thumping of the Nebraska Cornhuskers this past weekend, you already know it doesn’t get much more consistent than what fans saw out of Justin Fields.

Still widely regarded as a Heisman Trophy candidate despite playing fewer games than most of the other frontrunners for the award, Fields’ path to college football’s greatest individual honor was always going to be via efficiency. Given he threw just one interception in all of 2019 prior to the College Football Playoff, a similar systematic season for Fields absolutely appeared on deck heading into 2020.

But a 95% completion rate on over 20 throws in the first Ohio State football game in nearly ten months? No one saw that coming.

However, such alarmingly efficient numbers do not come without A+ efforts from every sector of the offense, so for this week’s film session, lets take a look at how a full team effort led to Fields shining through the air on Saturday:

First Completion: Chris Olave for 14 Yards


Play action served a crucial role in establishing the air attack for Ohio State last season, and before the running backs could get even one tote on the ground in the opener, Ryan Day was already dialing up fakes. What made this formation particularly interesting was having Chris Olave operate out of the slot, given how much hype Garrett Wilson had coming to the season as the firm occupier of that receiving role.

Instead, Wilson lines up on the outside and streaks up the far sideline, while Olave runs a deep out route to the newly open space. One of the key elements to observe that sets the tone for much of the rest of this game is the way Olave performs a softer and curvier break than the sharp cuts receivers typically perform on these routes. This results in a less robotic and predictable execution, which allows the receiver locate the safest placement for the incoming ball

Given Fields does not have time to set his feet on the rollout, Olave finding the area with the highest likelihood for a successful catch is critical. As a result, Fields is able to put the ball nearly five yards away from the nearest defender, and Ohio State converts a first down on their very first play of the season.

Second Completion: Garrett Wilson for 24 Yards


There are two different components of this play that should leave Buckeye fans feeling very encouraged about the progression of the offense from 2019, but let’s start with the obvious one.

Garrett Wilson’s first catch of 2020 immediately demonstrates why he is going to be an absolute headache for opposing defenses out of the slot. Wilson navigates three different defenders in the zone defense on this play by skillfully giving a brief cut back inside to continue what appears to be a streak out of the slot.

Right as the final defender commits to covering over the top, he perfectly times planting his outside foot to sharply cut into a deep in route. With Jameson Williams already flying down the near sideline and Luke Farrell forcing the underneath defensive back to commit to a delayed release, this leaves the same sideline area from the previous completion wide open once again. Fields doesn’t provide the cleanest placement of the ball, but Wilson’s catch radius thankfully allows for some flexibility with respect to execution.

More intriguing for me, however, is the way Fields adjusts the protection and the pass blockers deliver. Not even three minutes into the season or into the opponent’s territory for the first time in 2020, Fields is already making telepathic pre-snap reads of the forthcoming coverage and pass rush.

Fields motions Farrell over to the right and calls out the blitz from Nebraska SAM linebacker. After Farrell executes a solid chip on the defender before breaking into his delay route, Nicholas Petit-Frere adjusts from providing assistance to Wyatt Davis to picking up the blitz coming off the edge.

On the other side, Thayer Munford correctly dedicated his primary attention to the WILL linebacker, and after identifying that the defender is dropping into coverage, he shifts his focus back to helping Harry Miller. Miller got beat on a swim move at the beginning of this play, so the communication and senses of responsibility from both sides of the line were critical to this play’s success.

For all of the success the offense had last season, pass blocking mishaps frequently resulted in more sacks than perhaps should have taken place. Though the Buckeyes still gave up four this past Saturday, there were still plenty of instances such as this one that demonstrate their ability to pick up the rush has improved from last year.

Third Completion: Garrett Wilson for 14 Yards


Another example of a softer break on a sharp angle route as well as another great instance of blitz pickup. In a critical fourth down situation early on in the game, Wilson runs an in route to the opposite direction of his previous catch, and he gives a nice series of stutter-steps before curving back into the middle of the field.

On both catches already, Wilson has showcased his impeccable sense of timing when it comes to forcing a defender to commit to a direction, then turning them around to get open for safe placement of a ball. Combined with a catch radius and certain hands, Wilson is going to wreak havoc over the middle all season line.

Elsewhere, pass protection again saves the day for the Buckeyes on this play. Fields brings Master Teague III back into the backfield to provide extra blocking for the forthcoming blitz, and even with two delayed pass rushers coming from Nebraska’s linebackers, Wyatt Davis does a great job picking up the blitz from the strong side while Teague squares up and meets his man well in front of the pocket.

Fourth Completion: Chris Olave for 16 Yards


Another soft break from Chris Olave towards the far sideline, as he begins curving his out route roughly five yards downfield before finishing the change of direction another six yards later. That angling allows Olave to get open without losing speed as he heads towards the sideline, again creating a safer area for Fields to deliver the ball.

Fifth Completion: Garrett Wilson for a 42-Yard Touchdown


One of the classic abilities of an NFL-caliber quarterback is the ability to look off a safety to set up big plays. The best examples are normally more exaggerated than what takes place here, but Nebraska’s safety in the middle of the field also somewhat set himself up for failure by creeping up prior to the snap.

With the safety’s body already drifting to a shallower position, Fields gives a quick glance towards Jeremy Ruckert’s crossing route over the middle, which leaves the back half of the middle of the field completely open. Garrett Wilson—to this point now consistently putting defenders in helpless positions out of nearly every break thanks to incredible footwork— performs a great stutter on the outside corner to get separation over the top.

Even on a play where the play action fake did absolutely nothing to fool any members of the defense, Fields’ execution is so sharp elsewhere that Nebraska already finds themselves completely overmatched when it comes to guarding against Ohio State’s offense.

Ninth Completion: Luke Farrell for five Yards


Nothing particularly special about this play, but hopefully as the season progresses, we’ll see a bit more involvement from the tight end room than what transpired in this game. Coming off a season where all four tight ends for Ohio State caught 25 combined passes, it wasn’t very encouraging to see this serve as the only catch of the game between Luke Farrell and Jeremy Ruckert.

Buckeye tight ends have gotten plenty of burn as blockers, decoys, and safety valves; but seldom to they get the spotlight or glory they probably deserve. That was again the case on this play, where all the Buckeye receivers run routes at least fifteen yards downfield while Farrell merely serves as a primary check-down on a buttonhook just shy of the sticks.

Farrell is a great all-around player for his position and Ruckert may be one of the most talented overall pass-catchers on the team. Fans can only hope as the season progresses and opposing defenses require more dynamic looks to find success against that the tight end room sees more involvement than it did last season.

10th Completion: Chris OIave for 29 Yards


More curvy route running from Chris Olave on what was arguably the best-schemed play of the day for Ohio State. With both tight ends serving as pass blockers on a play action disguised as an inside zone run, Olave is really the only player that has any chance to get open on this play. Garrett Wilson’s streak opens up the deep part of the left sideline, but the defensive back is playing too far off the ball pre-snap to get easily beat over the top, and Nebraska covers Trey Sermon’s route into the flat coming off the play action perfectly.

But Wilson’s previous success on the last touchdown forces the middle safety in cover 4 to turn away from Olave as the latter crosses the middle of the field. With both downfield defenders now focused on Wilson, Olave has a safe pocket in which to make an easy catch that puts the Buckeyes back in scoring range.

Roughly 30 yard completions against downfield zone coverage with one realistic target available are not easy to execute correctly against any defense. Fortunately, Ryan Day’s contextual play-calling skills appear sharp as ever in the infancy of Ohio State’s season.

12th Completion: Garrett Wilson for 11 Yards


More outstanding blitz pickup on both a stunt and disguised coverage from the Cornhuskers. Nebraska shows a five man rush before dropping both linebackers into coverage and sending the weak side defensive end on an inside rush, while also adding a near-side cornerback blitz for good measure. This is a pretzel of a pass rush on third down.

But Master Teague III shows why he’s probably going to get a few more snaps than Trey Sermon this season thanks to superior pass blocking skills. He completely takes the corner blitz out of the play by sealing off the edge, while Josh Myers does an excellent job of recognizing the inside stunt and picking up the defensive end right away.

The resulting protection gives Justin Fields plenty of time to find Garrett Wilson running a deep buttonhook in the middle of the field. A big part of Ohio State’s success on offense last year was their ability to convert third and long, and this was a crucial conversion in a two-minute drill scenario that helped set the Buckeyes up for points before the half.

14th Completion: Garrett Wilson for 16 Yards


Wilson has run streaks, outs, ins, posts, and buttonhooks already through two quarters. His infinitely-branching route tree continues to sprout here, as Ohio State simply runs a classic mesh concept that sees all four potential pass catchers perform crossing routes over the middle.

This is free cheese against a defense operating in man coverage, and Wilson’s footwork is so crisp that it doesn’t even appear he needs to run full speed to get open underneath. Farrell also does a good job of making sure he gets in the way of the defense without leaving himself in a position to make contact and get called for an OPI pick penalty.

Last Completion: Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 5-Yard Touchdown


I’ll conclude with this, as no quarterback finishes a game with only one incompletion across 20+ throws without a bevy of talented receivers at their disposal. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is perhaps WR5 on this team’s depth chart, and teams that get this kind of talent from the lower rungs of their skill players simply don’t come around very often.

When a true freshman receiver makes what might go down as the most impressive catch of the team’s season in the first game, it speaks volumes about the talent the Buckeyes are brimming with at just about every skill position.

We may not see Justin Fields complete 95% of his passes in a game again in 2020, but if the season opener is any indication of what’s to come, fans could very well be in store for one of the most efficient passing attacks college football has ever seen.

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Woody, Zeke, Brutus, Can’t Guard Mike, the Bosas spell O-H-I-O in new bobblehead series
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


I don’t know why we need three Os, but otherwise, these are pretty sweet.

For the first time in the illustrious history of those charming, head-nodding collectibles known as bobbleheads, thanks to FOCO and the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, you can now display up to six of your favorite Ohio State icons proudly using their bodies to spell our favorite word “O-H-I-O.”

Last week, on the eve of the Buckeyes’ season opening victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum released six gorgeous new bobbleheads featuring OSU legends Woody Hayes (O), Ezekiel Elliott (also O), Michael Thomas (H), Nick Bosa (another H), Joey Bosa (I), and Brutus Buckeye himself (yet another O for good measure).



All six of the bobbleheads are available for order now, and you can purchase them for $35 a piece (plus an $8 flat-rate shipping charge per order) or if you are a completist like me and need all six, you can get the set for $200. Not a bad deal when you consider that at the rate that our country is going, sports memorabilia might be our primary form of currency by the end of the calendar year.

Did you know (because I didn’t until I read it in the bobblehead press release) that originally, a chant of “O-H-I-O S-T-A-T-E” was done by sailors in World War II aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington to express their unbridled enthusiasm for Ohio State athletics?

After learning the chant as a member of the Navy, Matthew Sidley joined the cheerleading squad at Ohio State and taught the cheer to fans in Ohio Stadium in 1947. The second part was ultimately dropped (it is kind of hard to get your body to make an S), and the now famous chant that echoes throughout Big Ten stadiums during blowouts every fall was born.

“We’re excited to release this unique Ohio State Buckeyes O-H-I-O series for fans to add to their bobblehead collection,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “The O-H-I-O chant is one of the most notorious in all of college sports and a staple of the Ohio State gameday experience and we think fans will love these new bobbleheads.”

This one-of-a-kind bobblehead series is produced by National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum and manufactured by FOCO.

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I have no idea how this is working. Some teams played "playoff" games then non-playoff games. I have no idea who's in it or who is out.

I do know this: In their last 5 games, 2 of them playoffs, Marion Local has outscored their opponents 203-0

203-0!!!!

2020 Ohio State Football Game Videos Thread

tenyardtracker has the nebraska game in 720p and 2160p, should I post the .torrents? (unclear if they support cross posting)

Some Post-Game Thoughts

1. After being tied 14-14 with 8:24 left in the 2nd quarter, Ohio State outscored Nebraska 38-3 over the rest of the game. Ohio State started slow and sloppy, Nebraska started hot and played hard. The talent gap between the two programs is literally amazing. There are plenty of third-stringers on Ohio State who would start (or see significant playing time) for Nebraska.

2. Justin Fields was 20/21 for 276 yards and 2 TDs. His only incompletion was a "drop" by Chris Olave on a 43-yard pass into the end zone. It was definitely a tough catch, but an All American caliber receiver should have come down with the ball. If Olave does so, then Fields is a perfect 21/21 for 319 yards, 3 TDs, and an off-the-charts QB rating.

3. Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave were the primary beneficiaries of Fields' outstanding performance, as Wilson had 7 receptions for 129 yards and a TD, while Olave had 6 receptions for 104 yards. The rest of the receiving corps didn't do much, although true freshmen Julian Fleming (1 reception, 13 yards) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2 receptions, 5 yards) each made the first reception of his Buckeye career. Smith-Njigba's second reception was a 5-yard TD where he was barely able to get his foot down in the end zone, a play reminiscent of Michael Thomas's famous catch against Alabama in 2014.

4. Fields also had 15 rushes for a team-high 54 yards and another TD. Those would be acceptable numbers if it were 2016 and our QB were JT Barrett. The Buckeyes need to find a running game from their tailbacks, none of whom had a good (or even a decent) game: Trey Sermon 11 carries, 48 yards, no TDs; Master Teague 12 carries, 41 yards, 2 TDs; Steele Chambers 4 carries, 32 yards, 0 TDs; Xavier Johnson (a walk-on who played on the final drive) 4 carries, 17 yards, no TDs. As a unit, the Buckeyes tailbacks had 31 carries for 138 yards (4.45 average), with 2 TDs, and a long run of just 17 yards. Are we going to miss JK Dobbins this season?

5. In an interesting move, true freshman QB Jack Miller relieved Fields at the end of the game and led the Buckeyes on their final scoring drive. Miller played before both Gunnar Hoak, who was on the team last season and played in 5 games, and fellow true freshman CJ Stroud, who was the much more highly-rated prospect. Miller did not attempt a pass, but he did have the Ohio State's longest run of the game (21 yards) and scored his first Buckeye TD on a 2-yard run with 18 seconds left in the game.

6. Ohio State was 10 of 15 on 3rd- and 4th-down conversions (66.7%), which is extremely good. On the other side of the field, Nebraska was 4 for 10 (40.0%). Ohio State also won the total yardage battle (491 to 370), first downs (28 to 17), and time of possession (33:14 to 26:46).

7. The Ohio State defense looked positively awful on Nebraska's first drive, then progressed to mediocre by the end of the first half. After the Buckeyes scored on their first possession of the second half to take a 31-14 lead, Nebraska's playbook shrunk and the Buckeye defense was able to tee off a bit. Still, the Buckeyes were killed by designed QB runs from Adrian Martinez (13 attempts, 85 yards, TD) and Luke McCaffrey (9 attempts, 80 yards), and passes to the tight end. Opposing offensive coordinators will not fail to notice these holes in the Buckeye defense, and good teams will exploit them much more so than a bottom feeder Big Ten team.

8. Defensive back Sevyn Banks scored on a 55-yard fumble recovery, which is tied for 5th-longest in Buckeye history. Banks also scored on a 33-yard blocked punt (longest in Buckeye history) against Michigan in 2018

9. Ohio State had only 3 penalties for 15 yards, while Nebraska had 8 penalties for 90 yards. Nebraska had four targetings - two called and upheld; one called and reversed; one obvious but not called that led to a concussion for Chris Olave. I understand that Scott Frost is trying to make Nebraska a tougher, meaner, more aggressive team, but headhunting isn't the way to do it in this era of college football.

Late starting this.

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G) None of the above.....

Boise State Broncos - Albertsons Stadium: BLUE
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Brooks Stadium: TEAL
Luther College - Carlson Stadium: BLUE
Central Arkansas Bears - Estes Stadium: PURPLE and GRAY alternating every five yards
Lindenwood Lynx - Lindenwood Stadium: RED and GRAY alternating every five yards
New Haven Chargers - Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium: BLUE
Eastern Washington Eagles - Roos Field: RED
Eastern Michigan Eagles - Rynearson Stadium: GRAY
Hosei Tomahawks - Tomahawks Field (Japan): BLUE

Just sayin': A kind of scarlet and gray might be the best of the lot:

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Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy

Offensive Tackle
6-4
290 lbs
Class of 2022


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Chandler (AZ) Chandler High School

Wide Receiver
6-1
170 lbs
Class of 2022


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Let's try to keep this non-political, please.
We did "absentee ballot" voting last week. And our votes are "validated".

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This video is wild. This may need to be moved to recruitment area to remind people that this is still a HS aged kid. I believe he is a 3* recruit. He doesn't have a thread so I doubt there was any interest on either side to play in Columbus.

BRADLEY ROBINSON



Position: Long Snapper

• HEIGHT 6-1
• WEIGHT 230
• HOMETOWN TROY, MICH.
• LAST SCHOOL ATHENS
• YEAR SENIOR

Ohio State Overview
• Bradley Robinson is in his fourth year with the Ohio State football program, having initially walked on to the team in the summer of 2017
• Will compete for the starting long snapper job in fall camp following the graduation of starter Liam McCullough
• Was one of 56 Ohio State student-athletes, representing 17 varsity sports, to take part in the Fourth Annual Wolstein Leadership Academy Retreat in May 2018
• Is a Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar, an Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete who is pursuing a dual degree in human development and family science and human nutrition with hopes of attending medical school.

Honors & Awards
2019: Academic All-Big Ten
2018: Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar, Academic All-Big Ten, OSU Scholar-Athlete
2017: OSU Scholar-Athlete

More on Bradley
• Robinson was a member of the Michigan State football team in 2016 before transferring to Ohio State
• As a prepster, he lettered for two years in football and four in lacrosse at Athens High School in Troy, Mich.
• Played offensive tackle, long snapper and middle linebacker for the Red Hawks
• Ranked as Michigan’s No. 1 long snapper and No. 20 nationally coming out of high school
• High school coach was Josh Heppner
• A Dean’s List student for three semesters at Michigan State
• Son of Brad and Susanna Robinson
• Has an older brother, Andrew, who was a long snapper at Michigan. We'll forgive the family for that....

Entire article: https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/roster/bradley-robinson/

Just sayin': If the man is going to be a starter (and it appears that he will be, see next post) he deserves his own thread.....

https://www.knightcommission.org/wp...-d-i-model-session-3-slide-deck-101320-01.pdf

Time to take the little kids table out to the garage for good.

Vote is set to come today.

Hopefully its like Football where the school will have the option to bring back our three seniors without it counting towards the scholarship limits on the schools dime if they wish.

Good news for a guy like Sotos that we requested instant eligibility for that the team was looking at sitting out this season to play next instead. Now they can use him both if approved.

Also burning El Diablo's redshirt last year was a bit questionable, but with this extra year, looks like the right move for sure to keep him involved and growing.