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Rockwall HS (Rockwall, TX)
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Zachery Harris (and the rest of the Tulane linebackers) will be responsible for stopping Dobbins, Weber
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Urban Meyer said the Buckeye run game can improve. Expect the Tulane defense to be tested on the ground this weekend.

Over the first three games of the season, the Ohio State Buckeyes have showcased their ability to be a passing tour de force. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins has balled out, including a 344-yard breakthrough against the Bucks’ toughest opponent this year, TCU. But, with Urban Meyer back on the sidelines, we could see a change in the way OSU’s offense operates this weekend.

Meyer has already reiterated during this week’s coach’s press conference that he wants to see the running game improve. While production from J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber hasn’t been Heisman caliber, they do pack a punch against opposing defenses. Meyer wants to see that improve, and what better way to see improvement than to test it out in real, meaningful snaps.

Whether it be more run-pass option plays centered around Haskins and Dobbins/Weber, or straight up the middle rushing, the focus for the Tulane Green Wave will be to stop the Buckeyes’ running game. With Dobbins and Weber having the speed and power to break through the line of scrimmage, everything hinges on the linebacking play of Zachery Harris and Lawrence Graham.


A great outing from them could keep Tulane in the game; allow the running game to blossom, and the Green Wave defense will be chasing down a rusher into the end zone.

Stacking the cards this weekend, Tulane will have to use this game as a rebound. In their last game (UAB), the Green Wave defense gave up 269 yards on the ground in a losing effort. Granted, UAB had 59 attempts on the ground, but if you do the math, the yards per carry average was 4.8. That’s not really good. What’s also not really good—at least from Tulane’s perspective—is that UAB isn’t in the same category as Ohio State. Ohio State has a much, much more effective ground game. If Dobbins gets a full head of steam on Saturday, he may have 269 yards on the ground all by himself.

On the depth chart, Zachery Harris and Marvin Moody are the ones listed as starters at LB. However, looking at the last two games worth of stats, it’s been Harris and Graham leading the way with tackles. Last weekend, Harris and Graham both walked away with nine tackles apiece—with Graham leading the way in solo tackles at seven. Regardless of who is playing behind the line, they’ll need to be fresh; tired tacklers leads to broken tackles, and both Dobbins and Weber have the ability to not only speed past you, but can run through you in the process.

Here’s an example of what happens when the linebackers can’t get to Weber.


Those kinds of runs will give Meyer what he’s looking for: improvement on the ground. Downfield blocking by the OSU offense will compound the problems of Tulane’s LBs. Not only do they have to track down whomever has the ball, but because of the weight and height differential at the offensive line, whomever has the ball will, more than likely, have a path to run through.

While rushing hasn’t seen huge numbers, it’s worth mentioning that Ohio State’s first three opponents were Power 5 programs. Rutgers might be the closest team to Tulane that OSU has faced. In that game, the Buckeyes had 242 total rush yards off 40 rushes. Giving up 5.6 yards per pop is a good way for the Green Wave to be warming up the buses at halftime. Stop the run, and they might have a chance at making this game interesting—especially if Meyer is dead set on emphasizing the run in his first game back as head coach.

Playing against Ohio State is a more physical version of chess. Stop the run game and Ohio State will try and beat you in the air. Haskins has an arm, and will still continue to make throws this week. How many he’ll get is anybody’s guess, but if the Buckeye run game goes cold, Haskins will start airing it out.

For Tulane, stopping the run is only half the equation—but it’s an important one. If they fail to stop the run, then Dobbins and Weber (and maybe even Brian Snead or Master Teague) will get in on the action. Urban Meyer is hungry to get back onto the field to coach, and will want to hit the ground running against Tulane before he coaches in one of the biggest games of the season against Penn State.

Tulane is up against a Goliath this week, but they can make things interesting by holding the OSU rushers in check.

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Ohio State basketball prepares for big end to 2019 class
Patrick Mayhorn via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Can Chris Holtmann close out one of the best classes in school history?

The start of the Chris Holtmann era has had quite a few highs, and very few lows. Despite a disappointing loss to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA tournament last year, and three losses to one team in a single season (Penn State), news around Ohio State’s basketball program has been overwhelmingly positive since Holtmann was hired last June.

While Holtmann wasn’t heralded as a big recruiter, a lot of the positivity around the program has come from his recruiting, and after a solid 2018 class, Holtmann seems to have really found a groove in Columbus in the 2019 class. With the early signing period coming up in just under two months, Ohio State holds two commitments in that 2019 class from five star guard DJ Carton and four star wing Alonzo Gaffney.

While those two alone would make for an awesome class (and have the Buckeyes sitting at 10th nationally), Ohio State is looking for one or two more prospects to add to the group. Whoever the Buckeyes add will likely be a big man to go with the smaller counterparts (though calling Gaffney or Carton small would just be wrong).

With that in mind, Ohio State is really starting to key in on adding a third member before the signing period begins. We talked yesterday about Minnesota power forward Zeke Nnaji and his upcoming in-home visit with the Buckeyes, but today we have yet another big man to talk about. This time, it’s Montverde (FL) center Omar Payne.


Payne was expected for a visit this coming weekend originally, but as indicated in the tweet, that visit was moved further back as a result of a scheduling conflict. Chris Holtmann visited Payne just days ago, according to Rivals, and seems to be fighting hard to land the four-star big man.

While Nnaji and Payne are certainly options, I still think the favorite to take that third spot is power forward EJ Liddell. Liddell included Ohio State in his top three a week ago, along with Illinois and his home state team, Missouri. Liddell is expected to announce his commitment soon, and at this point, my prediction is that he picks the Buckeyes.

Back to Garfield Heights


While the Buckeyes look to finish of their 2019 class with a big man, they’re also looking ahead to the future, and specifically the 2021 class. After having success recruiting Garfield Heights (near Cleveland) when they went in and landed Alonzo Gaffney earlier this year, Ohio State wants to make further in-roads.

While Gaffney has since moved onto Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, Ohio State still has a good relationship with quite a few of the players at Garfield Heights, and perhaps most importantly, the coach of the program, Sonny Johnson. Johnson, a former Mr. Ohio winner and Ohio Bobcat has developed quite the program at Garfield Heights.

Part of that program, and seemingly the future of the program, is Johnson’s nephew Meechie Johnson, and his son, freshman Sonny Johnson Jr. Ohio State has offered the former, and will likely be offering the latter as he gets older. On Monday, Ohio State assistant Ryan Pedon checked in on the young duo.


I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Ohio State was to land both Meechie and Sonny Jr, and they may look at 2020 forward Brent Darby Jr, the son of the late Brent Darby, a former Buckeye guard under Jim O’Brien.

Quick hits

• Ohio State extended an offer to 2020 three-star tackle Zak Zinter. I expect he’ll visit Columbus at some point this season, but he seems like a long shot at this point.

• Five-star safety Daxton Hill committed to Michigan. He listed Ohio State in his top six, but was never seriously considering Ohio State.

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First 6 BTN Tailgate Sites Announced
BTN Communications via Big Ten Network

As football season kicks into high gear, the first six sites for BTN Tailgate, the network’s travelling Saturday studio show, have now been confirmed. BTN Tailgate originates from a different Big Ten campus each week during conference play, and begins at 10 a.m. ET leading into the first games of the day at noon ET. Saturday’s BTN Tailgate heads to Iowa City as the Hawkeyes look to take an early lead in the Big Ten West. Iowa will face the No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers and an offense featuring sophomore running back Johnathan Taylor, who ranks second nationally in rushing at

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Ohio State trusted in Austin Mack, and it will continue to pay off
Ian Cuevas via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes continued targeting Mack against TCU, and the trust shown should help down the line.

“We are really close. So I was just saying, ‘Look, play. If you mess up, I’m going to keep coming to you, throwing you the ball.’ It was hard for him having those drops like that in key moments in the game, but he kept pushing. And I relied on him again in the big moments, and he came through for me.”


- Dwayne Haskins on Austin Mack via Austin Ward, Lettermen Row

Ohio State and Dwayne Haskins had a tough decision to make in the midst of a dogfight with TCU last Saturday. Wide receiver Austin Mack started the game off brilliantly, providing the first highlight of the night on a beautiful catch that set the Buckeyes up near the goal line. It would result in a field goal for Ohio State, but partly because of what happened next from Mack. A dropped pass in the endzone would further stall the drive.

That was followed by several other drops that Mack usually is pretty reliable for. And it was clear at a certain point that he was getting in his own head. But instead of the coaching staff benching him in favor of another receiver, they kept him in the game and Haskins made a point to keep throwing his direction.

A show of veteran leadership from Haskins may pay off down the line as Mack seemed to gain his confidence back after making a couple of nice grabs later on in the game.

“[Best wins of the nonconference season] 3. Ohio State 40, TCU 28”

- Heather Dinich, ESPN


Heather Dinich of ESPN has covered the road to the College Football Playoff for several seasons now and generally has a good sense of what the committee looks at in terms of who gets in to the playoff and who does not. So the latest breakdown of which teams made the most noise during the nonconference schedule can help determine a lot about a team early on in the season. And it looks like that’s good news for the Buckeyes as they try to get back to the semifinals.

Ohio State put aside TCU, 40-28, in what was virtually a home game for the Horned Frogs, and did so with the help of some explosive play from Haskins and the Buckeye defense. Dre’Mont Jones’ pick six and Nick Bosa’s forced fumble in the endzone that resulted in a touchdown were big reasons why the Buckeyes left Texas sitting at 3-0. The win landed third on the most impressive wins during the nonconference slate, behind Clemson’s win over Texas A&M and Auburn’s win over Washington.

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Audio: Listen to your Big Ten coach’s Week 4 teleconference
BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network

Each Tuesday morning during the Big Ten football season, the 14 Big Ten football coaches hold a Big Ten teleconference with reporters from around the country. We post the audio for each segment of the call here.

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Tulane’s offensive line will need to protect QB Jonathan Banks against Ohio State
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Keeping Banks upright needs to be the main priority if the Green Wave wants to upset the Buckeyes.

The Tulane Green Wave are coming off of a loss to UAB in which their starting quarterback Jonathan Banks was sacked six times.

If they stand to have a chance against the Ohio State Buckeyes, keeping Banks upright has to be mission critical. If they don’t protect their QB, then expect a long afternoon for the Green Wave in Columbus. The OSU defensive line has been, arguably, the strongest unit this season for the Bucks. Between Nick Bosa, Dre’Mont Jones and Chase Young, the line has dominated the Oregon State Beavers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights and (contained) the TCU Horned Frogs.

Bosa forced fumbles against Oregon State and TCU, while Jones and Young have found ways to either sack the opposing QB or force turnovers of their own. Last week, Jones made a highlight worthy snatch, and ran it back for a game-changing TD.


What Tulane has going for them is that Bosa will be inactive on Saturday, as he heals from an injured leg/groin sustained against the Horned Frogs. So, instead of blocking against three of the best D-lineman in the Big Ten, the Green Wave will only have to block two. (Which is just slightly better).

While the Green Wave offense won’t have to navigate around Bosa, there still lingers the big question of how to protect Banks—especially on drives that have scoring opportunities. In the second quarter against UAB, Tulane was driving down the field to equalize the game at 14-14. However, on a fourth-and-9 from the UAB 39, Banks was sacked for a 9-yard loss on the play—and fumbled the football. That fumble was scooped up and ran back for a touchdown, pushing their deficit to 21-7.

When the clock hit all zeros, Tulane’s comeback fell short, and they took the road loss in Birmingham, 31-24. If Banks and the Green Wave offense get anywhere near scoring territory, they have to capitalize on it. Ohio State is a completely different animal than UAB. There’s a good chance that the Buckeyes will hang 31 points on visitors before halftime, compared to UAB’s 31 points for an entire game.

Keeping the signal-caller upright is only half of the equation; the Green Wave also needs to create time for Banks to make his throws. Passing was not a strong suit last week, as Banks went 7-of-24 for 180 yards. If he’s taking pressure in the pocket and forcing throws, now there is real potential for another problem to show up: interceptions.

Banks only lobbed one pick in his last game, but it nearly put the game out of reach at halftime. On the following drive after the fumble and score, Banks threw his lone pick versus UAB at his own 38. Now, the Tulane defense forced an interception on the following drive and stopped any points from materializing, but that turnover could’ve put the Green Wave in a 28-7 deficit before the break. A couple passes right into the hands of Buckeye defenders will make life extremely difficult for Tulane—and if they happen early in the game, will leave them drifting off into blowout territory before halftime.

More of Week 1 Tulane needs to make an appearance on Saturday, rather that Week 3 Tulane. In the season opener, the Green Wave went the distance with Wake Forest, and forced an overtime period. Even though they lost, there was some promise on the offensive side; Banks threw for 281 yards and two scores on 18-of-37 passing. And, he didn’t throw an interception. Again, Wake Forest isn’t even in the same tier as Ohio State when it comes to on-field production, but it shows that good offensive play will keep you afloat. A 281-yard afternoon for Banks may need to be dialed up for a competitive game on Saturday.

Ohio State has given up a scary amount of big plays this season. Against the Beavers, a combination of big runs and passes enabled a surprising 31 points to be put on the scoreboard. TCU only scored 28 last week, but a 93-yard TD run extended the Horned Frogs lead at the time.

Tulane will probably take a couple of chunk plays for scores against OSU. But, they’ll need to constantly stay on the attack without turnovers in order to have even the faintest of chances— unfortunately for them, no team this season has been able to do that for four quarters against Ohio State.

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3 things learned from Urban Meyer’s press conference heading into Tulane matchup
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


For the first time since the Cotton Bowl, Meyer will be back on the sidelines of a game this weekend.

On Monday, Urban Meyer made his first address of the season during media availability. With the Monday pressers normally including the head coach speaking at length, Ryan Day had filled in for Meyer as he served his suspension.

Now that the suspension is lifted, Meyer spoke for nearly an hour about being suspended—and what led to it. There wasn’t any groundbreaking information that came out of Monday’s briefing from the Meyer camp, as his answers were mostly what he has said publicly and in statements over the last month as the investigative report was wrapped up.

But, there were a few on-the-field related tidbits worth mentioning. Here were the three that stood out the most.

1. “Yes, he’s getting further tests this week. He will not play this week. Further tests on an abdominal and groin issue.”


During the TCU contest on Saturday, defensive lineman Nick Bosa went down on the field, and appeared to suffer an injury to his leg/groin/abdomen area. After being helped off the field, Bosa would not return to the game. While we don’t know the severity of the injury, we do know that Bosa will be sidelined for this weekend’s clash with Tulane.

There probably won’t be any noticeable differences with Bosa being out—Ohio State should still win big without him. But the loss of one of the best lineman in the country will be noticeable if he’s out against Penn State. Last Saturday, TCU showed a little bit of life after Bosa went out of the game. The offense still continued to move, but with one of the Bucks’ biggest weapons inactive, things moved a little bit smoother for Gary Patterson’s team. However, Dre’Mont Jones and the rest of the defense eventually picked up the slack for the win.

Bosa has been a quarterback’s worst nightmare this season. Already, he’s forced three fumbles and helped pave the way for a couple of defensive touchdowns because of those takeaways. Lucky for tulane QB Jonathan Banks, he won’t have to worry about Bosa sacking him this weekend. However, he will have to worry about Dre’Mont Jones and Chase Young finding ways to get around the Green Wave offensive line.

2. “I was back two weeks ago, and I even asked today how do I assist? I’m a fundamental person, a ball security guy. I watch things very closely. I’m very involved in the kicking game. I have not been that involved in the offense. I give my ideas.”


Ohio State’s passing attack this season feels like one of the most successful in school history. Dwayne Haskins is connecting with everyone—and is reaping the rewards in the passing yards column. Last week, he pulled in 344 yards against TCU, making it one of the most effective single days in the air for a Buckeye QB.

But, could that be changing now that Meyer is back on the sideline?

As Meyer mentioned, ball security is a big deal to him. Limiting mistakes is a good way to win games, and raising the percentages for your team to keep the ball also increases your chances of winning the game. If that’s a true philosophy for Meyer, this pass-heavy of an offense may be a little too risky for Meyer.

The hallmark of the Meyer offense at Ohio State has been the read-option. In the Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett eras, both QBs were a threat to either keep the ball or hand it over to a powerful running back at the last possible moment. With Miller, he and Carlos Hyde both had 1,000-yard seasons in 2013. With Barrett, Ezekiel Elliott was the guy in the backfield for two seasons.

With Haskins showing his ability to throw, Meyer may want to see how he works in more run-pass option scenarios. Now, I wouldn’t expect to see Meyer trying to turn Haskins into a 20-carry a game QB, but if he wanted to see how his new starter would react to running a bit more, Tulane wouldn’t be a bad team to try against.

It’ll be low risk, and the added benefit is giving next week’s opponent, Penn State, more plays to be worried about. Haskins has shined in the air this season with Day as HC; now with Meyer back, we’ll have to wait and see if Meyer gives him more opportunities to show what he can do with his legs.

3. “Two very good running backs. We can get a lot better.”


From a running game perspective, things have been good this season for Ohio State. Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins have packed a punch against opposing defenses. Against Oregon State, Webber put on a clinic—rushing for a career-high 186 yards and three touchdowns. Dobbins’ best game of this young season came against TCU, where he ended with 121 yards on the ground.

If getting better at the running game is a mission for Meyer, does that mean that with him at the helm, OSU’s QBs will be throwing the ball less than they have through three games? So far, while Haskins has been in, he has thrown more than other Meyer-coached quarterbacks. The question is whether the throws will decrease to keep the ball on the ground more.

As with anything, more reps generally makes you better at whatever you’re doing. Getting more carries from Dobbins and Webber will logically make them better, however, if it’s at the expensive of the (already effective) pass game, is it worth it?

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Ohio State to host nation’s top talent
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The country’s top prospect in 2020 reveals he will be visiting Ohio State this weekend.

The Ohio State Buckeyes football program is hoping to get back to normal this week. Head coach Urban Meyer will be making his return to the sideline for this weekend’s game against Tulsa, following a three game suspension, but he will not be alone.

Joining Meyer will be the country’s top prospect in the 2020 recruiting class.

Bryan Bresee (Damascus, MD / Damascus) took to Twitter Monday afternoon to reveal that he will be making the trek to Columbus this weekend to attend Meyer’s return to ‘The Shoe.’


The five-star defensive end is being courted by virtually every program in the country and the Ohio State coaching staff has been doing its due-diligence to help separate the program from the pack. And while Bresee has yet to release a top schools list, it would be surprising if Ohio State was not among his top schools at this point in his recruitment.

Bresee’s visit to Columbus will be the first in consecutive weeks where he will have the chance to see first hand what the program has to offer on the field. This is because Bresee is also scheduled to visit Penn State the following week when The Nittany Lions host the Buckeyes.

While there is certainly plenty of time before Bresee has to come to a decision on where he wants to continue his football career, Ohio State could very easily separate itself as the team to beat after this weekend’s visit. The school already leads in the 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions, with 62 percent of the eight predictions—and that number should only increase following the weekend.

And if Ohio State is able to go into Happy Valley and hand Penn State its first loss of the season next weekend, the Buckeyes would only be adding icing to the cake. Again, Ohio State is not on commitment watch yet with Bresee, but if the following weeks go according to plan, the program should be sitting pretty in the driver’s seat.

Ohio State hoops looking to add to already dominant 2019 class


Switching to the hardwood, the Basketball Buckeyes are looking to add to an already elite 2019 recruiting class.

Already holding verbal commitments from five-star point guard DJ Carton and four-star small forward Alonzo Gaffney, Ohio State sits at No. 8 nationally in the 247Sports Class Rankings and atop the Big Ten.

However, head coach Chris Holtmann is far from finished with next year’s class, as the Buckeyes are reportedly holding an in-home visit with four-star power forward Zeke Nnaji this Thursday. The news was reported first by Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.


As Weingarten mentioned, the visit will be the second time in as many months that Nnaji will be spending one on one time with the Buckeyes’ coaching staff. He took an unofficial visit to Ohio State Aug. 25 and it reportedly went as well as possible.

If Ohio State is able to secure a commitment from Nnaji, it would likely cement the class as the top in the conference and would be one of the best in the entire country. The four-star prospect is listed as the No. 8 SF in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, and the No. 34 overall prospect, despite position.

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247 Profile (3*, #45 offensive tackle)
Rivals Profile (3*, #43 offensive tackle)
HUDL Highlights



Offensive Tackle
Cambridge MA Buckingham Browne & Nichols

Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 300 lbs
Class: 2020 (high school)

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Ohio State is killing it on its TV ratings
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes once again draw the attention of a primetime audience.

“Ohio State’s game with TCU performed 48 percent better than last year’s Week 3 game at the same time between Clemson and Louisville.”


-Patrick Murphy, 247Sports

TV may be struggling, but Ohio State’s ratings are not. The Buckeyes’ matchup Saturday versus TCU was the highest-rated college football program of the young season, earning a 4.9 overnight rating nationally. The top-25, primetime matchup was one of just three this weekend, but ABC and ESPN’s ratings got a boost. Each progressive timeslot on ABC, which included a noon matchup between Iowa State and No. 5 Oklahoma, a 3:30 p.m. between BYU and Wisconsin, and the Ohio State matchup at primetime, produced progressively higher ratings.

No. 1 Alabama’s matchup with Ole Miss Saturday night, aired on ESPN, was the second-highest rated college game on cable this year, behind ESPN’s week two game between then-No. 2 Clemson and Texas A&M.

Peak viewership for the Buckeyes-Horned Frogs matchup, naturally, came from Columbus, which had a 41.1 local rating. Dayton, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Oklahoma City rounded out the top-five viewership regions. Dallas-Ft. Worth was seventh, with a 9.1 overnight rating. The highest-rated game of last season, coincidentally, was Ohio State’s loss to Oklahoma.

The Buckeyes have an opportunity to continue to boost their ratings on a national scale, as they are scheduled to play Penn State at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 29 on ABC. It will also be a white out game for Penn State. This season will mark the fourth time the two teams have squared off in primetime in the past five seasons. Most recently, despite Penn State leading the entire game, Ohio State mounted a massive fourth quarter comeback to defeat Saquon Barkley’s squad.

“It’s not for everybody. Some people would rather play fewer conference games or FCS, but we believe in strength of schedule because we’re trying to do a variety of things.”


-Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, via Heather Dinich, ESPN

It was a brutal weekend for the Big Ten up until the time Ohio State took the field Saturday night. Half the conference lost, all to unranked opponents. Wisconsin, who had been sitting at the No. 6 spot in last week’s AP Poll, took the hardest hit, falling to BYU 24-21 in Madison and dropping a dozen spots in the AP Poll. Northwestern lost to Akron in Evanston 39-34, just a week after falling to Duke at home. Purdue is 0-3 on the year after dropping another home game to Missouri 40-37. Illinois, Nebraska and Maryland all fell to teams from non-Power-5 conferences. But the most cringe-worthy loss of the weekend was definitely Rutgers, with the Scarlet Knights falling to Kansas 55-14. Yes, the same Kansas that went 1-11 last season.

This weekend was a microcosm of how the Big Ten as a conference has fared this short season, which, overall, is not well. Michigan fell on national television to Notre Dame. Michigan State lost to Arizona State (which lost this weekend, by the way). Penn State barely escaped Appalachian State. There are only five undefeated teams in the conference as the majority of the Big Ten exits non-conference play (Ohio State, Indiana, Penn State, Iowa and Minnesota). And now, with the loss by Wisconsin, Ohio State, as it stands, remains the only hope for the Big Ten in the College Football Playoff.

While it has been a rough go for the conference in the past three weeks, the fact remains that most of the Big Ten teams have consistently played challenging non-conference schedules. Yes, there are a lot of MAC opponents involved, but the MAC is not the worst of the non-Power-5 conferences. Ohio State in particular has not been shy about scheduling premier competition a la TCU and Oklahoma. Running the table against these schedules means a major resume boost when it comes to playoff selection.

“It was Kent State, so let’s not get too excited. But Penn State is getting untracked.”


-George Schroeder, USA Today

Speaking of playoffs, Ohio State still looks like a contender after their Week 3 win over TCU Saturday night, according to USA Today’s most recent projection. Though it took two quarters for the Buckeyes to get their offense in gear, Dwayne Haskins was able to prove himself against the toughest defense in the Big 12.

Alabama, Oklahoma and Georgia round out the quartet of teams, locking out squads from both the Pac-12 and ACC. The Crimson Tide had a massive win over Ole Miss this weekend, despite talk that the Rebels might actually be able to put up a fight against Nick Saban’s squad. Oklahoma, meanwhile, had a closer than expected call against Iowa State in Ames, and Georgia took care of business against Middle Tennessee State.

Clemson, ranked No. 5 by USA Today, beat Georgia Southern over the weekend, but remained outside the top-four. LSU, however, has boosted its stock with two top-10 wins in its first three games.

Elsewhere in the Big Ten, only Penn State looks to be a serious playoff contender at this point. With Wisconsin having lost to BYU Saturday, and Michigan falling in week one to Notre Dame, it once again appears to be a race between Ohio State and the Nittany Lions. Despite a scare versus Appalachian State, James Franklin’s squad looked to be back on track after a massive win over Kent State.

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Ohio State’s national title odds improve; Dwayne Haskins’ Heisman odds dip
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes still hold the third best odds at winning it all.

After they got their first ranked win of the season, the Ohio State Buckeyes nudged their National Championship odds upwards. Bovada released a new set of odds on Monday, and the Buckeyes moved up from 8-to-1 odds to 13-to-2 odds.

Those odds are the third best in college football and only trail Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers. After annihilating Ole Miss 62-7, the Tide now has 19-to-10 odds—the best in the country. The Tigers held serve, coming in at 5-to-1 for the second straight week.

Below are the list of the 10 teams with the best odds to win the national title.


On the Heisman odds board, OSU quarterback Dwayne Haskins is still a top-3 contender. However, his odds dipped just a smidge for the second week in a row. The 344-yard passing clinic against the Horned Frogs didn’t elevate his chances apparently, as Haskins now sits at a 7-to-1 shot. Last week after picking apart Rutgers, he was at 13-to-2 odds.

As Alabama surges, the Heisman Trophy odds increased for their starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. His odds are now 3-to-2, an increase from 10-to-3 last week. Behind him is West Virginia QB Will Grier. Like Haskins, Grier saw a dip in his odds as well, as he fell to 13-to-2 odds.

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Podcast: Dwayne Haskins is the truth
Colton Denning via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State has had some very un-aesthetically pleasing wins in recent years. This was not one.

It feels wrong to complain as an Ohio State fan. The Buckeyes win games at a higher clip than almost any other program, won a national title four years ago, and are consistently either in the College Football Playoff or just barely miss out. It could definitely be a lot worse.


That being said, some of those recent wins haven’t always been pretty, and can lead to a lot of grumbling #online, including from yours truly. Ohio State’s 40-28 win over TCU was not one of those games.

On this episode of the Hangout in the Holy Land, Patrick Mayhorn and I recap Saturday’s game, and give our thoughts on what is a very good win against a tough Horned Frogs group:

Show notes


2:00- Enjoying the win

6:00- Why TCU’s hyperspeed pace at the start of the game wasn’t sustainable.

12:05- Dwayne Haskins takes the offense to the next level. This is a game that they lose last year without him.

16:44- The wide receivers were awesome, starting with KJ Hill.

22:20- JK Dobbins took the game over at times, and probably deserves the lionshare of carries going forward.

29:44- O-line held up for the most part, but what was up with the low snaps?

33:05- Heaping praise on the defensive line —particularly Dre’Mont Jones— playing well without Nick Bosa, and the rise of Jonathon Cooper.

38:54- Corners held up against tough receivers, but Shaun Wade needs more playing time.

42:05- Jordan Fuller was exceptional (again), but the safety play needs to improve.

45:16- The linebackers are struggling. Patrick references his article on Bill Davis, and why it’s a similar situation to Tim Beck.

1:00:00- What is CJ Saunders doing on punt return?

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Urban Meyer holds first weekly press conference
BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network

Urban Meyer's three-game suspension ended after Ohio State's win over TCU on Saturday night. Monday morning, the Ohio State coach held his first weekly press conference of the season.

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Indiana highlights Week 3 Big Ten football laurels
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network

Following Big Ten football games on Sept. 15, the Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week and Freshman of the Week in the Big Ten were announced this morning.

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Urban Meyer delivers first press conference following suspension
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Meyer answers any and all questions, with no issues off the table.

After a month and a half away from his team to varying degrees, head coach Urban Meyer returned full-time to the helm following the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes’ win over then-No. 15 TCU on Saturday.


Before addressing the media for the first time in the traditional Monday morning slot, Meyer spoke with ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi in an interview that has been rolling out in pieces since Sunday, and released a statement Monday morning.

In both, Meyer again expressed regret for his handling of allegations of spousal abuse against former wide receivers coach Zach Smith and reaffirmed his commitment to his core values, including respecting women.

Champions of the Game

• Offense: Isaiah Prince, Michael Jordan, Thayer Munford, Demetrius Knox, Malcolm Pridgeon, J.K. Dobbins, K.J. Hill, Johnnie Dixon, Binjimen Victor, Terry McLaurin, Parris Campbell
  Player of the Game: Dwayne Haskins
• Defense: Nick Bosa, Robert Landers, Jonathon Cooper, Davon Hamilton, Malik Harrison, Jordan Fuller
  Player of the Game: Dre’Mont Jones
• Special Teams Player of the Game: Johnnie Dixon

Suspension and Investigation

• “I want to thank Coach Day. I knew he was a difference-maker when we hired him.”
• Meyer admitted that the game was hard to watch, but that it seemed like as the game got tougher, the team got tougher.
• He also thanked the players for everything that they’ve done.
• Meyer apologized for his “performance” at Media Days, although he maintains that he did not intend to mislead.
• He said, “I want to be really clear that there was zero attempt to mislead. I didn’t listen closely to the questions.”
• Meyer again reiterates that he tried to answer questions that he assumed were about an errant report of a felony arrest of Zach Smith in 2015.
• The head coach said that he has never purposely mislead the media, however, that he understands his answers were not acceptable.
• He said, “I need to do a better job of listening.”
• Meyer laid out a timetable of the events with Smith since his initial hiring. He said that Smith was one of the best recruiters on the staff in the first few years of his tenure.
• However, he said, “In 2015, Gene Smith came up to me on the practice field and told me there was a domestic incident involving Zach and Courtney. We were both furious. I told him if it was a domestic incident, he was fired immediately.”
• After the police involvement did not lead to charges, Meyer decided to retain Smith and to help him get counseling and work through his issues.
• According to Meyer, after working through credit card and a prescription drug issue, university officials indicated that Smith was improving personally, and his job performance improved as well.
• “I was made aware of a credit card situation and of a prescription drug that (Smith) was using more than he should.”
• Meyer said that Smith had other job offers in the previous off-season, but he decided to stay at Ohio State to remain close to his children.
• The head coach also said that he has never deleted a text message from his phone, and that he doesn’t even know how to change a setting like that on his phone.
• He indicates that the university IT office set his phone to only maintain content for a year to maximize its storage capacity.
• “I was just devastated. I love these players. I have a great respect for these players. The hardest part was not being with them during training camp.”
• Meyer said that he has great relationships with president Michael Drake and athletic director Gene Smith, and he never has viewed his position as a job.
• Meyer said that his love of the university has only increased during this time.
• Meyer said, “This, to me, has never been a job. I grew up here and I love this school. My love is unwavering to Ohio State. My apology is to Ohio State.”
• Meyer claims that he was suspended for going too far in trying to help a troubled employee, not for turning his back on domestic violence.
• In speaking of a previous statement made, “Quite honestly, that came from my family. I’m not a big social media guy. What was brought back to me was there was a perception out there that I was suspended for domestic violence. I was not suspended for that. It was very clear in the report.”
• He also said, “There’s a perception out there that I was suspended for domestic violence. There’s no fixing domestic violence. If that takes place, it’s dismissal immediately from the program. I was not suspended for that.”
• Meyer said that he was thoroughly impressed by the way that his staff handled these past weeks while he was gone. He also said that it’s not by accident. He adds that Ryan Day, as well as others, are “elite.”
• The head coach said that he is very healthy, and while he has had procedures and a surgery to deal with cysts, “the relativeness to the investigation... doesn’t impact the way I coach.”
• Meyer said that the accusations that this has his credibility was shot is hurtful. “I’ve spent 30-plus years in coaching. I’ve never been coaching. My love for my players and the development of players has never been questioned.”
• The head coach routinely said that he never lied, but apologizes for not being completely transparent.
• Meyer said that he has been replaying in his mind how to balance the desire to help a struggling coach while also getting his players the best possible coaching. He said if he had known then what he knows now, he probably would have done things differently.
• Meyer said that while he has learned a great deal through this process, but respecting women has been a core value for his entire life, thanks to what his father taught him.
• When asked if he believed Courtney Smith’s accusations against her now ex-husband, he said, “I can only go by what was told to me by law enforcement.”
• He added, “Going though this process I learned I need to ask more questions.”
• Meyer said that he isn’t allowed to question law enforcement or potential victims, because that could be considered tampering.
• Meyer said that his loyalty to Earle Bruce would not have impacted anything regarding domestic violence.
• The coach said that he should have informed Gene Smith of the 2009 issue that Zach and Courtney Smith had in Florida. He said that he thought he did, but if he didn’t, he should have.
• Meyer reiterates that in terms of whether domestic violence occurred, he would defer to experts. “I can only rely on the information I receive from experts.”
• The coach said that he needs to do a better job in making it clear that people should feel comfortable coming to him.
• Meyer said that when he learned of Smith and Tom Herman going to a strip club on a recruiting visit, he immediately instituted a morality rule in the program. He said that he told them both that if it ever happened again, they would be fired. He said that he didn’t care if coaches at other places do it, but that it doesn’t happen at Ohio State.
• He admits that there has been damage done to the program. He said that he has spoken with recruits to clarify what happened.
• Meyer again said that his wife Shelley never shared text messages from Courtney Smith with him.
• When asked why people should believe that he is a trustworthy person, Meyer said that in his time back at OSU academics, on-field performance, honesty, ethics have all been very strong. He said that he hopes people understand that he never intended to lie.
• He said, “I’m telling you I did not lie. I misspoke. The deleted messages, I did not do it. The university found that I did not do it.”
• Meyer admits that he often goes to others in order to seek advice and get help in situations that are not on-field football related.
• When asked about determining credibility of Zach or Courtney Smith, he said “I try to stay away from that. I threatened to fire Zach within seconds if it was domestic violence. I’m not allowed to reach out to Courtney... What I have learned is to ask more questions.”
• He also said that he is “very sorry” for his performance at the press conference the day he was suspended. He said that no one should have to go through what Courtney Smith and her children have.
• “I’m very sorry,” he said. “I’m saying it again right now. No two children and a wife should go through this. Especially the media circus it has become with families accusing each other of things.”
• One thing that Meyer continually said was that his mistake was giving someone too many opportunities. “How far do you go in trying to help someone? To this day, I struggle with that.”

Injury Updates

• Nick Bosa will not play this coming week. He is getting further testing on an abdominal and groin issue.

Football

• Meyer said that the offense is very good right now, but it can continue to get “a lot better.”

Urban Meyer will be on the sidelines for the first time this season on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 3:30 p.m. ET when the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes host the Tulane Green Wave. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Land-Grant Holy Land will have the game, and Meyer’s return covered throughout the week.

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Ohio State-Penn State scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


It’ll be a primetime matchup in Happy Valley on Sept. 29.

Before the season started, the Sept. 29 showdown between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions had the makings of an early season primetime matchup. Now, it’s become a reality, as the kickoff time for OSU-PSU is set for 7:30 p.m. ET with ABC picking up the game.

With the game taking place in State College, Penn., and being one of their biggest contests of the season at home for the Nittany Lions, it’ll be a ‘Whiteout’ crowd under the lights at Beaver Stadium.

This pairing has been a familiar sight in primetime. Of the last five meetings, four of them have taken place in the night slot. Last year’s meeting in Columbus took place at 3:30 p.m. ET, and was a thriller—Ohio State roared back to upset then-No. 2 Nittany Lions.

However, the last time OSU was in Happy Valley, they were upset. A 17-point fourth quarter rally propelled Penn State to the win. But when the dust settled on the season, Ohio State still punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff.

With this game having Big Ten title (and CFP) implications, this could very well be the place where ESPN’s College Gameday could be at. If so, we’ll find out on Sunday.

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Dre’Mont Jones named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


A big interception against TCU was just one of the highlights from Jones’ performance.

It could be argued that Dre’Mont Jones taking over the game in the second half is what propelled the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes to their biggest win of the season in a 40-28 defeat of the then-No. 15 TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday night.


In addition to his career-high six tackles, the Buckeye defensive lineman had a remarkable interception return for a touchdown that helped swing the game in OSU’s favor. For his efforts, Jones was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.


Included in his six tackles was a pair of sacks, and with fellow defensive line-mate Nick Bosa missing the second half due to a groin injury, Jones’ impact was doubling important for the Buckeyes.

The other players receiving B1G’s weekly honors were Purdue quarterback David Blough as the Offensive Player of the Week, Indiana’s J-Shun Harris II for Special Teams, and IU’s running back Stevie Scott as the Freshman of the Week.

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Big Ten Power Rankings: 3-0 Indiana ascends in post-Week 3 list
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network

It wasn't a memorable week for the Big Ten on Saturday. As a result, there's movement in my latest Big Ten Power Rankings, presented by ArcelorMittal. The biggest mover: Wisconsin, down four spots, following its home loss to BYU.

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Urban Meyer releases statement as he returns to coaching full-time
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Meyer thanks Ryan Day, apologizes to Courtney Smith, regrets “misstatement” at Media Days.

With the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes’ win over TCU over the weekend, head coach Urban Meyer’s on-again, off-again suspension has been completed. Though Meyer has been able to coach the team during the week following the season opening victory over Oregon State, he has had to miss game days against Rutgers and the Horned Frogs.

However, now that his team is moving on to Week 4 against Tulane, he is back in control of the team 100 percent, retaking the reigns from interim head coach Ryan Day. On Monday morning, Meyer released a statement, thanking Day and praising the team while also going into further details about his handling of former assistant Zach Smith.

In addition to acknowledging that he should have taken a different route in handling Smith’s employment, Meyer apologized to Zach’s ex-wife Courtney Smith and her family, as well as again expressing regret for not telling the complete truth at Big Ten Media days in late July.

Meyer said that his time separated from his team has given him an opportunity to reflect and to reaffirm his commitment to the core values that he has preached as a head coach.

Meyer’s first game on the sideline will be this Saturday, Sept. 22 at 3:30 p.m. ET against the Tulane Green Wave.


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Sam Hubbard dominates, Michael Thomas gets all the targets in Week 2 of the NFL
Alexis Chassen via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Plus, the Saints vs. Browns games had ALL THE BUCKEYES!

It’s only Week 2 of the 2018 NFL season and several former Ohio State players are already setting themselves apart. From Michael Thomas continuing to rack up records for targets, to rookie Sam Hubbard having himself a day in primetime on “Thursday Night Football,” it was a good week to be a Buckeye, whether in college or the pros.

After spending the entire offseason as a free agent, defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins finally signed with the Oakland Raiders earlier this week and was on the field Sunday for his first taste of action in 2018.

Here’s a look at how Buckeyes in the NFL fared in Week 2.

Sam Hubbard earns more snaps


After only lining up for seven snaps in his NFL debut, rookie DE Sam Hubbard earned way more plays for the Bengals on Thursday, and made his presence known in the first quarter. Not only did he nab his first career sack, but had 1.5 heading into the second quarter.


The Buckeye finished his second NFL game with five total tackles (three solo) and 2.5 tackles for loss (including the sack and a half). It was his first time playing on the big stage in his hometown, and he made the most of his opportunity. Seems fair to say that Hubbard will continue getting more and more snaps if he keeps performing the way that he did on Thursday.

Saints vs. Browns, a.k.a. The All the Buckeyes Game


The were a ton of Buckeyes on the field Sunday in New Orleans when the Saints (Vonn Bell, Kurt Coleman, Ted Ginn Jr., Marshon Lattimore, Michael Thomas) hosted the Cleveland Browns (Carlos Hyde, Denzel Ward). The Saints barely nabbed the win, but Buckeyes on both sides had some impressive performances. Maybe if Cleveland had signed Mike Nugent this offseason they’d be 2-0 by now.

Lets’ just start by saying that Michael Thomas is still on pace to be one of the greatest receivers to ever play in the NFL — and one of the most targeted. He continued this campaign on Sunday with 12 catches for 89 yards and two scores.


Ginn didn’t get into the endzone for the Saints, but he did have four catches for 55 yards, including an impressive 43-yard run late in the game.

For New Orleans’ defense, Vonn Bell made five total tackles, safety Kurt Coleman had four, and reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Marshon Lattimore had five of his own and a forced fumble.

Buckeyes weren’t just leading the offense for the Saints either, running back Carlos Hyde had 16 carries on Sunday for 43 yards and a touchdown, and is a big part of the game plan for the Browns in his first year with the team.


Just a week after his rookie debut, Browns’ cornerback Denzel Ward had six total tackles against the Saints.

Plays of the Week

Malcolm Jenkins


The Eagles suffered their first loss since winning the Super Bowl, but the former Buckeye safety had a decent game with five total tackles and a forced fumble that looked more like a “give me that!” moment.

Terrelle Pryor Sr.


The wide receiver had a bigger game for the Jets in Week 2, making four catches for 84 yards, including a 44-yarder. He’s included in the Plays of the Week because its his biggest game since the 2016 season and a glimpse of what he can bring to the Jets this season.

Injuries and Inactives

• Bengals center Billy Price went to the locker room during the first half of Thursday night’s game with a “foot strain”, and didn’t return, but should be ready for Week 3 with the 10-day break in-between games.
• We knew early in the week that Joey Bosa would be out for the Chargers in Week 2 with a bone bruise on his foot, and it’s looking like the injury could keep him sidelined for a couple of weeks.
• Curtis Samuel was out again for the Panthers as he recovers from a minor procedure on his heart— I don’t know how you can consider heart surgery minor, but what do I know.
• Pat Elflein was still out for the Vikings, but is getting close to being ready to go. Similarly, teammate Jalyn Holmes was also inactive for Week 2.

Other notables

• There’s also one Buckeye suiting up for “Monday Night Football” when the Seattle Seahawks (Nick Vannett) take on the Chicago bears.
• Miami is still enjoying having a tandem of Buckeye linebackers, with Raekwon McMillan making three tackles and Jerome Baker with two on Sunday against the Jets — for New York, Darron Lee made four tackles in the follow-up to his two-pick Week 1 game.
• The Broncos pulled off a one-point victory over the Raiders in Week 2, and Bradley Roby claimed five solo tackles in the matchup, and tight end Jeff Heuerman had two catches for 10 yards. For the Raiders, Gareon Conley had a great game with four total tackles and four passes defended.

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Advanced stats review: Big defensive plays fueled Ohio State’s comeback win
Chad Peltier via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t comfortable, but the Buckeyes emerged with one of the best wins of the season by any team

Along with LSU’s win over Auburn and Georgia’s win over South Carolina, Ohio State now has one of the best wins in the country through three weeks of college football action.

The Buckeyes’ 12-point margin of victory was similar to the Vegas spread and advanced stats projections, but the actual game didn’t play out as many expected. Maybe I’m projecting on the rest of the fanbase here, but I expected a 2-3 touchdown win, but with the Buckeyes maintaining a comfortable lead for most of the game; maybe TCU would score a garbage time touchdown to cut it down to two-ish scores.

Instead, Ohio State was down by 8 points until there were only seven minutes left in the third quarter. According to ESPN’s FPI, Ohio State’s win probability at that point was just 34 percent. After the big throw to Parris Campbell, the Dre’Mont Jones pick-six, and the blocked punt/touchdown, the win probability jumped to 93 percent in just ~5 minutes of game time.

That’s an insane five minute run for the Buckeyes in the third quarter.

So how do we contextualize this win? Let’s get to the advanced stats:

Stats definitions


Here’s the full advanced stats glossary.

• In the tables below, points per trip scoring opportunity looks at the average points scored per scoring opportunity. Scoring opportunities are drives with a first down past the opponents’ 40-yard line.
• Drive efficiency looks at the percentage of drives that were scoring opportunities.
• Rushing opportunity rate is the percentage of runs that gained five or more yards.
• Rushing stuff rate is the percentage of runs that were for no gain or a loss.
• Explosive plays are those that gain 15 or more yards.
• Success rate: A common Football Outsiders tool used to measure efficiency by determining whether every play of a given game was successful or not. 50 percent of necessary yardage on first down, 70 percent on second down, and 100 percent on third and fourth down.

The two final kneel down plays were filtered out.

How the game was decided


Big defensive plays (the Nick Bosa sack/fumble recovery touchdown and Jones’ pick-six) and special teams (punt block), which fueled the Buckeyes’ 21 points off of turnovers, were the big reasons why Ohio State won.

But we shouldn’t overlook the role of Ohio State’s poor red zone success rate (touchdowns on just two of five red zone trips), points per scoring opportunity (5.2, with three field goal attempts), and relatively low rushing success rate (49 percent), were all major factors that influenced the game’s closer-than-expected outcome and Ohio State’s eventual win.


Here were my big questions heading in to the game:

Can the offensive line handle TCU’s pressure?


It depends on what you look at here. TCU’s defense was 22nd in sack rate and 17th in overall havoc rate through the first two games, and ranked 15th in adjusted sack rate last season. So the offensive line holding that kind of aggressive group to just a single sack was impressive.

But Ohio State’s stuff rate — which is the percentage of runs stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage — was 21 percent, or 8 percentage points higher than what Ohio State’s defensive line held TCU’s run game to. It gets much worse if you include 1-yard runs; then the Buckeyes’ stuff rate jumps to an insane 41 percent. Their rushing success rate overall was solid — 49 percent against a great defense — but they ran for only one yard or less just as often as they had a 5-yard run.

Dobbins had longer runs than Weber, and averaged a full 3.1 yards per carry more, and he had a 56 percent rushing success rate to Weber’s 44 percent, but it was also seemed like the Buckeyes’ lack of a quarterback running threat and TCU’s aggressive defense contributed to the lower overall rushing success rate.

I also took a look at how Ohio State has performed in big games over the last year. I’ll update this table after each big game this season. Here’s rushing:


The rushing offense fell off of a cliff at the end of last season. Against Oklahoma and Penn State, the Buckeyes averaged a 52 percent rushing success rate and a similar opportunity rate. But, in the last three games of the season, the Buckeyes averaged just a 39 percent rushing success rate. Part of that was playing Michigan and Wisconsin, two excellent defenses, but part of it was also with defenses realizing that they could load the box, dare Barrett to pass, and force him to keep on reads (keeping the ball out of Dobbins’ hands or making him get tackled for short gains).

So putting TCU’s rushing performance in that context — 10 percentage points higher rushing success rate, but a higher stuff rate — says a lot. First, it means that TCU’s defense is incredibly aggressive, and they’re excellent at creating havoc (which we’ll get to later). It also means that Ohio State ran well against a solid TCU run defense, even if there were too many run stuffs.

Can Haskins spur a quick lead?


No. But it wasn’t really his fault, and he was excellent overall. Ohio State’s first half offensive drives were: field goal, punt, punt, punt, field goal, missed field goal. The Buckeyes play really well with the lead (it’s kind of a hallmark of a high-efficiency offense), but the offense didn’t have a quick lead to rest on this week.

Thank goodness for defensive scores, because the Buckeyes had two first half drives that stalled in the red zone (and three if you count the missed field goal drive at the end of the half).

Ohio State didn’t half a single successful play in the red zone in the first half on six attempts. Of those six plays, four were incomplete passes, and the two runs lost a yard and gained a yard. On the day, Ohio State scored touchdowns on just two of their five red zone trips. So flag “red zone success rate” as a key stat to watch against better defenses.

Here are the passing numbers in big games:


I was more interested in comparing the passing performances between Barrett and Haskins than the rushing success in big games. Obviously this is just 1.5 games worth of big game data for Haskins, but I think there are still some takeaways here.

• First, TCU was excellent in pass defense last year, ranking 15th overall in passing S&P+ and 15th in adjusted sack rate. I’d guess they’re going to rank similarly this season, too.
• Second, the Buckeyes averaged a 34 percent passing success rate in six big games last season. Yikes. Outside of Barrett’s otherworldly comeback against Penn State, Haskins’ 47 percent passing success rate game is the best performance by an Ohio State quarterback since at least the beginning of last season.
• Third, while completion percentages varied (averaging 61 percent last season) and were similar to Haskins’ complete rate vs. TCU, he averaged an insane three full yards per attempt more than Barrett last season (with sack yardage deducted). This may be the biggest takeaway so far — while Barrett and Haskins completed a similar percentage of their passes, Haskins’ performance vs. TCU was far more successful because he averaged more per attempt. Haskins was more successful targeting receivers on intermediate and downfield throws.

Is Shawn Robinson accurate enough as a quarterback to take advantage of any holes in the pass defense?


Without charting out all of Robinson’s throws, the TCU passing game was every bit as effective as Ohio State’s, with a 48 percent overall success rate. That’s a good sign for the Horned Frogs and a credit to Robinson, but it also shows that things are not yet settled at a few defensive spots for the Buckeyes.

Can Pryor and Wade stabilize the pass defense?


The safety spot opposite Jordan Fuller remains an issue. My thought going into the game was that Shaun Wade might be the answer there, but his extensive playing time as the starting nickel back makes me think that the Buckeyes still need someone to emerge. Because while maybe Wade can play that position in three-linebacker sets, the defense needs another member of the secondary to emerge when Wade is at nickel.

And there’s also reason for concern with the three-man corner rotation. While Okudah and Sheffield looked relatively solid against TCU, Arnette was beaten on some notable plays.

Can TCU exploit linebacker inexperience for a solid run game?


Yes! Well, mostly. TCU had a 41 percent rushing success rate, which was a little lower than their 46.7 percent average last season, but significantly higher than Ohio State’s 34 percent allowed last year.

TCU found a lot of success running early on (and with screen passes), but the real issue was the 93-yard run with 9 minutes left in the second quarter. Not only was that Ohio State’s longest play allowed from scrimmage, but now Ohio State is one of only three teams to allow three plays of 70+ yards this year (they’re also one of two teams to allow more than one 80+ yard plays).

The linebackers seemed to be out of position frequently, still failing to maintain their gaps and not keeping contain. The marginal efficiency numbers haven’t been updated for this week yet, but it was notable to me that the linebacker havoc rates were by far the lowest of any unit on the defense — they just don’t seem to be around the ball as much as they should. Malik Harrison was the only linebacker in the top 7 tacklers and the unit as a whole had just one of the team’s 7 tackles for loss.

Can the Ohio State defensive line overwhelm a young TCU offensive line and create negative plays?


With seven total tackles for loss, a 16.7 percent havoc rate, and absolutely game-changing plays by Nick Bosa and Dre’Mont Jones — the answer is absolutely yes.

I was encouraged by what we saw from Jonathan Cooper, but should note that Chase Young didn’t record any tackles even if he did seem to be bringing a lot of pressure.

What about the hidden factors, like field position, turnovers, and scoring opportunities?


Obviously the defensive scores and punt block were absolutely critical to Ohio State getting the win, but field position overall was key.

Thanks in no small way to punter Drue Chrisman, eight of TCU’s 14 drives started inside their own 20, with three starting inside their own 10 yard line. That’s a tough position to be in, even if TCU still managed to use explosive plays to score on three 75+ yard drives.

Ohio State averaged starting on the 26.5 yard line, but it was just the 22.1 yard line if you exclude the drive after the punt block.

Scoring opportunity efficiency isn’t really hidden yardage like the others, and we’ve already mostly covered that point above — the Buckeyes could have done much better with their efficiency in the red zone and in scoring opportunities more broadly.

Moving forward


Just a couple of things I’ll be watching moving forward, moving from greatest to least concerns:

1. The linebackers fulfilling their assignments. (Can we play Browning outside? Will more Borland help? Will Greg Schiano/Alex Grinch stealthily takeover as the linebackers coach?).
2. The other safety spot.
3. Taking advantage of scoring opportunities on offense / red zone play calling.
4. Rushing efficiency, especially on non-read inside zone plays. (Will other opponents be similarly aggressive as TCU? Can the line be more dominant earlier in games?).
5. Haskins’ continued development.

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Pickerington duo to visit Ohio State
Charles Doss via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes will soon host a pair of the top prospects Central Ohio has to offer.

Did you miss out on your Ohio State recruiting news fix this weekend? Don’t worry Land-Grant Holy Land is here to save the day. Sit back and get caught up on some of the latest news involving the Buckeyes.

Pickerington North duo to visit Ohio State


After leading their Pickerington North squad to a big 52-7 victory over Westerville Central on Friday, class of 2020 wide receiver Chris Scott and 2021 defensive end Jack Sawyer shared some info that should make Buckeye fans rather happy.

No, No. Ohio State didn’t land verbal pledges from the Central Ohio duo, but they will soon have the pair on campus for a visit.

Telling Garrett Stepien of BuckeyeSports.com on Friday that they will attend the Buckeyes matchup against Tulane next Saturday afternoon, both Scott and Sawyer will once again get an up close and personal view at what it would be like to suit up for Urban Meyer, and crew in the Scarlet and Gray.


Even though the Buckeyes have yet to offer Scott an offer at the moment, the staff is keeping a very close eye on the three-star prospect.

Unlike Scott, Sawyer has locked in a chance to stay close to home and roll with the Buckeyes. Considered one of the top players in his class, the 6-foot-5, 220-pounder is looked as a current OSU lean, but holds early offers from some of the top programs in the Midwest.

Trying to poach him away from the Buckeyes, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State are just a few of the schools pursuing the super sophomore.

Wilson goes off


On Friday future Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson definitely backed his five-star rating on the field during Lake Travis’ 42-21 roll away win over Bowie (TX).

Accounting for over 170 receiving yards and two scores in the victory, Wilson walked away from the game with more than that, also breaking Lake Travis’ all-time receiving touchdown record, which now sits at 46.

Displaying his many talents on the night, the former Dublin native also tossed a touchdown pass for the Cavaliers.

A verbal pledge to Ohio State since April, he chose the Buckeyes over opportunities to attend well over 30 schools. A list that consisted of most of the heavy hitters on the college football scene, Texas, Alabama and Georgia were among the program to throw their hats in the ring for the 6-foot playmaker during the recruiting process.

Want to know how some of the other future Buckeyes did over the weekend? Our Caleb Houser has you covered.

Quick Hits

• Ohio State will reportedly check in on Nevada class of 2020 four-star forward Julian Strawther and class of 2021 guard Jadan Hardy later today. The 6-foot-7 Strawther holds offers from the likes of Arizona, Kansas and UCLA; five-star rated Hardy has earned scholarships from Arizona, Arizona State, Florida State, Georgia Tech and many other solid programs from across the country.
• Chris Holtmann and the Ohio State basketball staff will play host to 2020 Maumee (OH) standout shooting guard Zeb Jackson on an unofficial visit next Saturday. A four-star recruit, Jackson holds early offers from not just OSU, but also programs such as Butler, Michigan State and Purdue.

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Looking Around the Nation: Nebraska, Florida State have officially left the ‘Good Ole’ Days’
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


In 1994, these two duked it out in the Orange Bowl for a national title. In 2018, these two are just trying to get bowl eligible.

One of the more memorable scenes from “The Office” happens in the series finale when Ed Helms’ character Andy Bernard says, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in ‘the good old days,’ before you’ve actually left them.”

For the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Florida State Seminoles, they both find themselves in uncharted waters. In the last 30 years, these teams have been staples of the college football scene. Especially in the 1990s, both were national title regulars. The 1993 season brought both teams together in the Orange Bowl, to play for the national title. Florida State was the No. 1 in the nation, despite losing on Nov. 13 to Notre Dame in a contest that was dubbed the “Game of the Century.”

In the Orange Bowl, Nebraska had the lead with 1:16 remaining. However, Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward marched his team down the field, and set up the go-ahead field goal with 21 seconds left. Nebraska, led by quarterback Tommy Frazier, got the Huskers down to the FSU 28-yard line—setting up a game winning field goal on the final play of the game. That field goal would sail off course.


Did I criminally skim that Orange Bowl? You bet I did. You could make a whole documentary based on the lead-up and outcome of the game. But for this purpose, getting the CliffNotes will suffice. The main point isn’t to talk about that game, but to remind ourselves what these two teams were capable of doing. Both have obviously had successes since, but they sure feel like a long time ago after the first few weeks of the season.

Today, both these teams will be lucky to make it to a bowl game. That’s a far cry from a national title game. This season, both programs have new head coaches steering the ship of their respective programs. Scott Frost is at Nebraska, and Willie Taggart is at Florida State. Both have taken some very bad Ls already in the early season.

After the season opener against Akron was scrapped because of weather, the Huskers are still winless after Week 3. Losses to Colorado and Troy hurt, especially when you have a 9-game gauntlet in the Big Ten still to come. Frost will have to lead his team into road matchups with Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State. His team will be a massive underdog in all three of those games, with the OSU game having the potential to be close-your-eyes-and-turn-off-the-TV-at-halftime bad.

Next week, the Huskers travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. for the matchup with the Wolverines. This is a redeemer for UM quarterback Shea Patterson, who was stifled in the first game of the season against Notre Dame. A good game from him puts the Wolverines back on track. Unfortunately for the Huskers, a loss puts them into a freighting 0-3 hole with still another week to go in September. Making up the Akron game may have seemed like a bizarre idea at first, but the Huskers may actually need it if they want to make a bowl game; six wins is six wins, no matter what you have to do to earn them.

The Taggart experience in Tallahassee isn’t going much better. After a Week 1 loss to Virginia Tech, social media began chirping a conspiracy claiming fake injuries by the Hokies were throwing off the FSU tempo on offense.

Personally, when I heard that quarterback Deondre Francois was named the starter, I changed my preseason Heisman prediction to the Seminoles’ signal-caller. I thought the ‘Noles would probably go 8-4, but Francois’ comeback season would be good enough for him to snag the Heisman Trophy.

I honestly believed that he was going to have a better year than Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor, and that he would be one of the best QBs in FBS. Even after struggling with Samford, I thought 10 good games would get him an invite to New York. Then after just seeing the Syracuse score— a 30-7 loss— I finally came to terms with reality: Francois is not going to win the Heisman.

If the offensive line can’t hold their own next week, then there’s a realistic chance that Northern Illinois “upsets” Florida State.

You don’t realize it at the time, but there are defining moments in each program’s history that set them on a certain path. For Nebraska, it may seem like one of those moments was when Tom Osborne decided to retire from coaching after the perfect 1997 season. It wasn’t. The defining moment for the Huskers came in the 2002 Rose Bowl after they got obliterated by the Miami Hurricanes’ NFL-grade machine.

While Florida State has won a title in the post-Bobby Bowden era, the blowout loss in the 2015 Rose Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal to Oregon fundamentally changed the program. The Noles’ haven’t been back to the CFP since, and Jimbo Fisher, the coach that won a national title in 2014 with FSU, departed for a big-money deal to coach Texas A&M in December 2017.

To bring this conversation back home, Ohio State has seeming made every right coaching move (at least for the head position) when things began to look bleak. They got Jim Tressel after John Cooper, and they got Urban Meyer after Jim Tressel. At some point, the machine won’t spit out jackpot— but you ride the wave until it ends.

Just look at a Michigan. That program hasn’t been the same since the 2006 “Game of the Century” meeting with the Buckeyes. Since Lloyd Carr left, TTUN hasn’t found a coach that could live up to the expectations set during the Carr era; even Alabama had a run of Dennis Franchione, Mike Price, and Mike Shula as head coach over a six-year period.

Winning games in major college football is hard; consistently winning games is even harder. And at some point, even for those programs that consistently won for decades, there will be pockets of time that take you out of the good ole’ days. You just hope it doesn’t last forever.

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