Buckeyes clobber the Colonels 91-53 to begin the new season
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Justice Sueing led all scorers with 20 points and Isaac Likekele flirted with a triple-double as Ohio State buried the Colonels in the second half.

The transfer portal action is over. The summer international trip is over. Speculating on how the freshmen will look is over. Wondering if Justice Sueing will ever actually play in a basketball game is over. The off-season is over, and so is the pre-season. We longer longer have to use our imaginations to guess how the 124th iteration of Ohio State men’s basketball will look — now we can use our eyes.

College basketball is back. These games count, and the Buckeyes’ first real game was tonight against the Robert Morris Colonels out of the Horizon League.

RMU (0-1) went 8-24, and 5-16 in Horizon League play, but return nearly all of their core from last season. Despite this, they were picked to finish eighth in the league (out of 11) in both the pre-season media poll and The Field of 68’s Basketball Almanac. They were the No. 294 team in the nation leading into tonight’s game, according to KenPom.

After missing all but two games last season with a lower abdominal/groin injury, Justice Sueing returned to the starting lineup for Ohio State (1-0) against the Colonels. Alongside him was Zed Key, Bruce Thornton, Isaac Likekele, and Sean McNeil — with the last three of those making their Ohio State debuts. Robert Morris went with a lineup of Enoch Cheeks, Kahliel Spear, Stephaun Walker, Jackson Last, and Josh Corbin.

The first shot attempt of the season for Ohio State was a jumper from near the free throw line for McNeil that rattled in and out, but Key opened the scoring moments later with a three-pointer from the right wing — his first career make on his first career attempt. Sueing was aggressive early attacking the basket, scoring two points after tipping in his own miss and another two on a pair of free throws — his first points in 360 days, exactly. The Buckeyes held a 9-6 lead at the under-16 media timeout.

But the Buckeyes couldn’t defend worth a lick over the next few minutes, as Robert Morris strung together some shots and took a 14-13 lead on Spears’ long jumper at the 13:12 mark of the first half. While the Colonels went on a little scoring run, Ohio State went three- straight minutes without scoring and also turned the ball over three times.

The Buckeyes regained a five-point lead by the under-eight timeout, powered by two things they didn’t have last season — Zed Key three-pointers and Justice Sueing (in general). Key had two triples in the first half, while Sueing had nine points on 3-5 shooting over the first 13 minutes. Still, RMU hung around, shooting in the 40-50% range for most of the first half.

Ohio State closed the first half on a 6-0 run, taking a 42-28 lead into the locker room at halftime. Sueing led all Buckeyes with 12 points on 4-8 shooting, but all nine OSU players who saw first-half minutes scored. Cheeks led Robert Morris with a dozen as well, on 5-8 shooting. Ohio State led the first-half rebounding battle 22-15, with Likekele leading the pack with five boards.

The 10-ish point deficit that Robert Morris was clinging to for much of the first half doubled quickly in the second half, as Ohio State went up by 20 points on Key’s layup below the basket with 17:01 remaining. After hanging out on the perimeter for most of the first half and being a little three-happy, he began to take advantage of his size and strength advantages over RMU, scoring six points over the first three minutes of the second half.

The Buckeyes extended their lead to 71-44 by the under-eight media timeout. Ohio State was subbing liberally, rotating nine guys in and out and getting contributions from everyone. They were also dominating on the glass, with a 36-21 rebounding advantage with eight minutes remaining.

Eight more minutes of blowout basketball happened from that point onward, but the important thing is that Ohio State thoroughly disposed of Robert Morris in the second half en route to a 91-53 win Monday night.

Sueing led Ohio State with 20 points on 8-14 shooting, including 2-3 from beyond the arc. Sensabaugh (17), Key (13), and Tanner Holden (12), all scored in double digits as well. Likekele finished just short of a triple double with 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Cheeks led Robert Morris with 17 points on 7-15 shooting.

If you didn’t catch Monday night’s season-opener or you refused to purchase BTN+ for one game, here are a few key moments and accomplishments from tonight’s game:

Threes for Key but not for thee


There was a narrative building over the off-season that Key was going to attempt a few three-pointers this season. Chris Holtmann compared Key’s progress to Kaleb Wesson’s a few years ago, who went from not attempting any triples as a freshman to a 40%+ shooter from long range after his junior season.

However, many people were skeptical since Key is now a junior and — before tonight — had never attempted a shot from beyond the line.

Naturally, he knocked down his first two attempts from three-point land, including the first one to open the scoring. Key was 2-3 from downtown in the first half for six points and did not take a shot below the basket. That’s not at all how Holtmann drew it up, and it’s unlikely that it’ll go like that again this season.

Ice over top of the mop


Two minutes into the game with Ohio State leading 5-2, Cheeks turned the ball over below the basket and it was swiped by Likekele. At the same time, an Ohio State manager was mopping up sweat below the opposite basket, and did not see the fast break coming his way. With two players bearing down on him, the manager dropped the mop below the basket and bailed out. Likekele laid the ball up for two fast break points — mop be damned — to give OSU a 7-2 lead.

Colonels not rolling over early


Despite being huge underdogs in the season opener, Robert Morris didn’t back down for most of the first half, and even took the lead for a few minutes. Trailing 13-10 with just under 14 minutes remaining in the first half, Cheeks hit a three-pointer and Spears hit a long, stepback two to give the Colonels a 15-13 lead. That lead lasted just 32 seconds, but they still went into the halftime break down 14 points — hardly an insurmountable lead.

Sueing making an impact after one year off


Sueing’s last time on a basketball court was November 12, 2021 against Niagara. He went on to miss the final four and a half months of the season last year, finishing with just 31 minutes logged.

After 360 days off, Sueing returned tonight with a bang, scoring 12 points himself in the first half plus assisting on two other baskets. He also went 2-3 from three-point land a blocked a shot. His versatility was sorely missed last season, and he showed no ill-effects from the groin injury that held him out all of last season or the sprained ankle that held him out of the exhibition against Chaminade.

Freshman to freshman connection


While Thornton was the only freshman to start tonight, Felix Okpara, Roddy Gayle, and Brice Sensabaugh all played a ton off the bench. Gayle showed a ton of patience on a pass to Sensabaugh towards the end of the first half, dishing a line drive over Robert Morris’ zone defense to Sensabaugh on the right block for a layup to give Ohio State a 36-26 lead with 2:17 remaining in the first half.

(I don’t know if anyone clipped the highlight or not, but just trust me on this one, it was impressive)

Okay, no more threes, Zed


Key had six points and five rebounds in the first half, but all three of his shots came from beyond the arc. Sure, Zed hit two of those three shots, but we all — Holtmann included — know that’s not his game. After the halftime break, Key came out and scored six points immediately, four points on two layups and two points on free throws that he earned below the basket.

Key’s layup at the 17:01 mark gave Ohio State a 51-31 lead.

20-piece for Sueing


With his fast break dunk at the 8:44 mark of the second half, Sueing reached the 20-point plateau for the first time since March 14, 2021 — the Big Ten Tournament title game against Illinois two seasons ago.

Key’s third career double double


With his offensive rebound at the 6:13 mark, Key registered his third career double-double. He scored 13 points to go along with 10 rebounds over 26 minutes. It is also noteworthy that after picking up two fouls over the first five minutes of the game, he did not commit another foul for the remainder of the game.

Up Next:


Ohio State (1-0) welcomes Charleston Southern to the Schottenstein Center Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. E.T. The Buccaneers finished in last place in the Big South conference last season with a 1-15 record in conference play. They enter the season as the No. 324 team in the country (out of 364) according to KenPom. That game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.

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Column: Who should be ranked higher— Ohio State or Michigan?
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Both of these teams have had some struggles against easy opponents, yet both remain undefeated. Who should be the top Big Ten team?

The rivalry has already arrived, yet Ohio State and Michigan don’t even play each other for three more weeks. After this week, Georgia is pretty much the unanimous No. 1 team in the country. As for the second and third best team — well, there’s been much debate to whether TTUN or Ohio State should be ranked higher.

Let’s review both teams’ schedules. The Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame by 11 points, who at the time was ranked the fifth-best team in the nation. While the Fighting Irish lost respect for losing to Marshall and Stanford, they certainly rebounded. They whomped No. 4 Clemson 35-14 Saturday, proving that they are in fact a talented team, which makes Ohio State’s win over them more impressive.

Both teams played Rutgers and ended up winning in dominant fashion. However, Ohio State was up 28-7 at halftime, while Michigan was down 17-14 at the half. The Wolverines have proven they’re a second half team all season long, but the fact that they were losing to Rutgers for two quarters is a little concerning.

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Next common opponent is Michigan State. The Buckeyes topped Sparty 49-20, but TTUN only won 29-7. Granted, it’s an in-state rivalry, so they are definitely bigger rivals than Ohio State and Michigan State, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Spartans are bad this year. They’re 4-5 overall and 2-4 against conference opponents. So once again, the Buckeyes have the advantage.

As I continue to write this, the more I realize that Ohio State has the upper hand when it comes to dismantling same opponents. Iowa is the next conference foe both teams played, and the Bucks won 54-10, while the Wolverines won 27-14. It is true that Iowa has a great defense, but somehow Ohio State figured out a way to put up 54 points. This is one demonstration of how Ohio State’s offense is better than Michigan’s.

Moving on to the shared opponent that has some people giving the edge to TTUN: Penn State. Michigan won fairly easily, by a score of 41-17. However, Buckeye fans know that the Nittany Lions gave them about as much as they could handle, with Ohio State edging them 44-31. Not to make excuses, but playing in Happy Valley is one of the most difficult environments in college football, and Michigan didn’t have to do that.

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Both teams were pretty much in the same boat around halftime. But, following a field goal on the first drive of the second half, Michigan didn't allow any further points. The Buckeyes ended up surrendering two more touchdowns and a field goal in the second half. In the end, Ohio State pulled out the win, which is what really counts. So, it’s hard to say whether Michigan or OSU has the edge on this one, since the Wolverines didn’t have to play in Happy Valley.

As for close games against unranked teams, Michigan was victorious against Maryland, winning by a touchdown. The Buckeyes obviously had their fair share of struggles against Northwestern this past weekend, winning by two touchdowns. The Wildcats are certainly worse than Maryland, which isn’t a great look. However, Michigan also didn’t have to play in 50 mph winds. It may sound like I’m making up excuses, but these are just the facts.

So, what have we learned? Ohio State had better wins over Rutgers, Michigan State and Iowa. The Penn State games are tough to say since the Wolverines didn’t have to deal with the Nittany Lions’ crowd, yet they did win by a larger margin. Finally, both teams had one close game with a conference opponent, yet both came out on top. Who should be ranked higher?

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

I’m not saying this as an Ohio State fan, but when you look at everything presented here, I feel it is fairly obvious that the Buckeyes are the better team. They have won by larger margins against shared opponents, and haven’t had as many first half scares as Michigan has. Overall, the Buckeyes are more dominant. Therefore, I believe the AP poll got it right— Ohio State ranked No. 2 and Michigan ranked No. 3.

Let’s see if the CFP Playoff rankings feel the same way Tuesday.

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Visiting Locker Room: Previewing Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball with Black Heart Gold Pants
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Everyone knows about Caitlin Clark, but what about the rest of the Hawkeyes? We asked a friend for more information.

Right now, the name most synonymous to Big Ten women's basketball is the Iowa Hawkeyes’ Caitlin Clark, and for good reason. The dynamic guard is outstanding and led the Hawkeyes to a regular season co-championship and conference tournament title. Now they’re ranked in the top-5 to start the 2022-23 season.

To help preview teams across the conference, Land-Grant Holy Land’s talking with folks who cover Ohio State women’s basketball’s biggest opponents to see what this season holds. Bartt Pierce writes for Black Heart Gold Pants on SB Nation. Pierce discusses the aforementioned Clark, if their early NCAA Tournament exit was a fluke and where he sees the team in the standings at the end of the season.

Land-Grant Holy Land: The Hawkeyes had a big 2021-22 season. They won a share of the regular season title and swept Indiana in three games, including in Indianapolis at the Big Ten Tournament. Is the Creighton NCAA Tournament upset a fluke, or is there a way to stop the Hawkeyes from repeating?


LGHL: Iowa added one transfer in Central Michigan’s Molly Davis and three freshmen. Do any of the four have the potential to make an impact this year?


LGHL: The biggest roster transaction of the offseason wasn’t a transfer at all, but center Monika Czinano electing to return for a final season. Caitlin Clark earns the attention nationally, but how important is Czinano to this team? Does Iowa compete at a high level without her?


LGHL: Finally, what are your way-too-early predictions for where the Hawkeyes end on the final conference standings, and how far do they make it in the NCAA Tournament?


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B1G Thoughts: Stroud can run and Michigan State bounces back
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

In a week where the midwest was pounded by crazy winds and rain, we were treated to a weekend of surprising performances and even more surprising results.

Every week after the Big Ten slate of games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and maybe a joke or two. Be sure to check out the I-70 Football Show in the Land-Grant Holy Land podcast feed for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.

Run, (Stroud), Run


What would you say if I told you that C.J. Stroud would run for more yards than he threw for? You would probably call me all sorts of names, claim that I know nothing about football, laugh at me, and maybe worse. Yet, that is exactly what happened against Northwestern on Saturday. In a game where winds sustained at 30mph and had gusts of wind over 50mph, the Ohio State passing offense was rendered mute as the winds took passes way off the mark.

Stroud has emphasized all season that he doesn’t care about stats and just wants to win. Well, he backed that up on Saturday by running the ball for a career-high 79 yards on six carries, including a long scamper of 41 yards. Stroud is an exceptional pocket passer, and putting this on tape is a massive win as teams will have to start preparing for Stroud as a runner. Now it’s up to Ryan Day to unleash his quarterback and allow him to use his legs when the situation dictates it.

This was not football weather:

Illinois falls as Michigan State rebounds


The Big Ten East is one of the best divisions in college football, and they’ve flexed their muscle this season with multiple wins — some less expected than others — over their West counterparts. This trend continued this weekend with Michigan State. After previously beating Wisconsin, they took down Illinois 23-15 on Saturday.

Illinois came into the game at 7-1 with arguably the nation's best defense and one of the best running backs in the country. Michigan State, on the other hand came, into this one following an embarrassing loss to Michigan after an even more embarrassing decision by their players to jump two of Michigan's players in the tunnel after the game. This led to eight players being suspended, including star linebacker/defensive end Jacoby Windmon.

Even at full strength, many expected an Illinois win. Especially with MSU down eight players, this seemed like a blowout in the making. Instead, coach Mel Tucker rallied his troops and got a much-needed win. This season has been a major disappointment for the Spartans, but wins like this can provide some positivity for the future.

Iowa found its offense, which is bad for everyone involved


Iowa upset Purdue 24-3 on Saturday behind another impressive offensive performance. No, this is not a joke — their offense was impressive. Spencer Petras played one of his better games, throwing for 192 yards and two touchdowns while most importantly not turning the ball over. The most impressive showing came from freshman running back Kaleb Johnson, who ran the ball 22 times for 200 yards and a touchdown. He broke off a 75-yard touchdown run, and averaged almost first down per carry with his 9.1 yards per carry average.

All of this sounds great, except this 100% means that Kirk Ferentz is going to puff out his chest, blame the media for chronicling the downfall of the Iowa Hawkeyes, and give his son a raise. Ferentz has been almost hostile when asked about his offense scuffles. The past two games have been their best performances in the past couple of seasons, but for there to be real change this offense needs to continue being the worst in college football. Unfortunately, if this continues and Iowa keeps winning because of it, we will be stuck with the Ferentz father/son duo for the foreseeable future.

75-yards to the house in a breakout game to remember:

Aidan O’Connell’s draft stock is plummeting


Iowa has a special defense. That is not shocking to anyone who hasn't been living under a rock the past few seasons, and they gave Aidan O’Connell hell this weekend. O’Connell came into the season with fringe first-round hype, but finished this last game 20-of-43 for 168 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. O’Connell connected with Charlie Jones 11 times for 104 yards, but that is the only good thing about this performance.

Iowa's defense made C.J. Stroud struggle for half, so you could argue that the credit should just go to Iowa, but Stroud figured it out eventually. To be a first-round pick you have to play well against your toughest opponents. On the season, OConnell has thrown for 2,438 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a 64% completion percentage. With three games left he has almost eclipsed his interception total from last season, and is not producing touchdowns at nearly the same rate.

O’Connell will probably still get drafted, but in a season where you wanted to see him build on his 2021 campaign, throw fewer interceptions and lead Purdue to back-to-back good seasons, he has fallen short in almost every category.

Nebraska…. You know what to do


Lance Leipold just orchestrated one of the best turnarounds of the past couple of decades, turning around the Kansas Jayhawks and making them a legitimately good football team. In their second season under Leipold, the Jayhawks are going bowling and there are still three games left to play. Leipold is the hottest name in the coaching industry right now. He’s in Kansas and made his name at Wisconsin-Whitewater, so he isn’t afraid to coach in the midwest. Plus he has Nebraska ties, spending seven years at Nebraska-Omaha and another three years at Nebraska-Lincoln.

There is not a better coach on the market, and if he keeps current interim head coach Mickey Joseph on staff to recruit, he could turn Nebraska around faster than Kansas. This is a no-brainer. Back up the brinks truck and promise your firstborn grandchild if you must, but Lance Leipold needs to be screaming Go Big Red next season. Anything else would be a complete failure. That may be harsh, but as a Big Ten program you should be able to take a coach from almost any school in the country, especially one with ties to your program.

Head ball coach, Jim Leonhard


Jim Leonhard, congrats on your full-time appointment as the head ball coach of the Wisconsin Badgers. You’ve shown yourself capable of going 3-1 in your first four games with three games left and a chance to win the division. As long as you don’t finish 0-3, you’re all but guaranteed the job. No pressure, you just need to win enough games to make it in a 12-team playoff and compete for a Big Ten Championship against Ohio State, Michigan, and USC.

If I can offer some advice, don’t do the loyalty play. Fire the majority of this staff, and bring in a young and talented offensive staff who can innovate and recruit. Hire a defensive coordinator who can run your system and trust them to do it. As a first-time head coach in this situation, you do not need to hold onto defensive play calling. Hire people you trust, and bring Wisconsin into national relevance. I promise you, no one wants to play in Madison in mid-December.

Stars Matter


Throughout the last few seasons — maybe since Saquon Barkley left for the NFL — Penn State has struggled to run the ball. Much of their struggles can be attributed to a porous offensive line that couldn’t block a troll on Twitter. Despite multiple high-ranked running backs, the Nittany Lions could not run the ball effectively. That changed this year, and it's due to two highly ranked freshman running backs.

Recruiting isn’t a surefire thing. You may miss on a few prospects, but the more highly rated guys you land the higher your chance of success. Penn State found success in the 2021 recruiting class, landing the No. 1 running back in the cycle in Nick Singleton, and adding four-star running back Kaytron Allen to boost the class. Both running backs have been a huge success and are going to compete to be the best running back duo in the country as early as next year. Add in five-star quarterback Drew Allar, and Penn State’s future is bright.

Go home West Division, you’re drunk


Nine games into the season and anyone can win the West division. I’m sure if we did the math even Nebraska could find a way to win. Illinois, despite a loss to Michigan State, still leads the division with a 7-2 record and a 4-2 mark in conference play. Four teams — Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Minnesota — are tied for second at 3-3 in the division with three games left. Illinois is the favorite to win the division with the tie-breaker wins over Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota, but they still have to face Purdue and Michigan to end the season.

In the past two weeks, Iowa has found an offense and has put up impressive numbers, by their standards. Jim Leonhard is 3-1 as Wisconsin’s interim head coach and has them playing much better en route to most likely making a bowl game. With four teams still in play, the West is bound to cannibalize itself. I can’t in full confidence say that anyone is going to win this division, so buckle up. It’s going to be a fun three weekends until this thing is settled.

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You’re Nuts: What would you set the Ohio State-Michigan line at right now?
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Will the Buckeyes still be the favorite come Nov. 26?

Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.

In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.

This week’s topic: What would you set the Ohio State-Michigan line at right now?

Josh’s Take


Fresh off a second consecutive road victory, and owners of a perfect 9-0 record, the Ohio State Buckeyes are... not rolling? We need a vibe check, Gene, because I feel like they are nowhere near a season-high level. Not after back-to-back (first half, at least) clunkers and an ugly 14-point win over the Big Ten doormat known as Northwestern.

OSU’s offense has forgotten how to run the ball, Ryan Day – according to some – is recycling his worst play-calling hits, nobody is ever healthy, and our damn pets’ heads are falling off! Does that just about sum up the last two weeks? And now we’ve got this team up north running up the same record, winning an impossible slugfest in the fiery pits of hell — AKA Piscataway at night. What does it all mean for The Game?

Not much, in my opinion. Because I was already buying a certain amount of Wolverine hype, and a sloppy 11:00 a.m. local time win in a rain-soaked wind tunnel does not erase what I saw from the Buckeyes throughout September and October. Gene, I thought this year’s version of The Game was always going to be a battle, due to the stakes, as well as recent results. Not to mention a little thing called pure, unadulterated hate. I am not going to change said opinion based on a few funky weeks.

Ohio State is still arguably the best team in college football. C.J. Stroud is a virtual lock to be selected inside the top-5 of the 2023 NFL Draft, Ryan Day knows how to dial it up, TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams are a talented RB duo, and the Buckeyes have a ton of talent up front. Rough weeks happen — just ask Dabo.

While I readily admit that OSU has not looked great running the ball for a few weeks, I would also point out that Iowa still possesses one of the top defenses in the country, Penn State played well, and if you take into account Stroud’s rushing yards against Northwestern, the running game has not been that bad! And I also believe it can be tricky to find your rhythm – as a unit – if the offensive line is blocking for a different guy each week. The offense will get rolling again, and these past 8-12 quarters will eventually be viewed as a blip on the ol’ radar.

On the other side of the ball, Ohio State has been playing fantastic defense, and Jim Knowles exists. So does J.T. Tuimoloau. But this is nothing new. Not in 2022, at least. The Buckeyes have the No. 8 scoring defense in FBS, meaning the season will not automatically come to an end if/when Stroud and the offense struggle. OSU can finally count on getting at least a few stops, which creates additional breathing room and a larger margin for error.

Do we, as fans of the scarlet and gray, look forward to low-scoring slobberknockers? No, not necessarily. But I don’t think we should be absolutely horrified by the thought of such a game, either. I am willing to throw the Northwestern game out, and look at the matchup with TTUN the same way I would have after Week 1, Week 5, or Week 8.

As for the eventual opponent, they are legit. I wasn’t so sure about their quarterback or the replacements on defense, but once the Wolverines began Big Ten play, I found myself willing to admit that Jim Harbaugh has a squad. And the matchup after Thanksgiving might end up being a battle for the ages. But the fact that they smoked PSU has not changed my opinion on them. Because TTUN did not light the world on fire against Iowa, Indiana, or Michigan State. They are a good team, more than capable of locking horns with Ohio State. The same could have been said a month ago.

I know some fans are more fearful of the upcoming rivalry matchup, but I am not. Because I will always be at least a little bit fearful! It is known as The Game for a reason. However, I do believe the Buckeyes would be favored if a spread were established today (I am familiar with futures, but my co-host and I are debating what we think the spread should be right now). The Wolverines must come into The Shoe and take on a team loaded with NFL talent, coached by elite football minds. And that home field advantage counts for something.

I would set the line at OSU –5.5, right in the “Vegas zone” for that reason. Ohio State is the slightly more talented team, and they get a few points for playing in Columbus.

There you have it, Gene. That’s my number, and I am sticking to it... Unless the Buckeyes struggle with Indiana, in which case I might go from 0 to 60 on the panic meter.

Gene’s Take


I am not pushing the panic button on a 9-0 Ohio State team just yet, but the results of the last few weeks have at least been a tad bit concerning. The Buckeyes were absolutely cruising heading into the bye week, and it seemed as though that would be a perfect time to work out a few small minor kinks here and there as well as get a bunch of guys healthy that had been dealing with small nagging injuries throughout the first half of the season. In the three weeks since OSU had the weekend off, things have instead been trending in the opposite direction.

The Buckeyes had a slow start against Iowa, but they figured it out in a major way as they went on to drop 54 points on the Hawkeyes, who still own one of the nation’s best defenses. Not much cause for concern after that one. Penn State always finds a way to play Ohio State stuff, and they did just that despite Ryan Day’s group still emerging from Happy Valley with a double-digit victory. Small concerns in terms of play-calling after this one, but once again no alarm bells going off. Then came the Northwestern game, where rain and heavy winds led to a 21-7 win on an afternoon most expected Ohio State to win by upwards of 30-40 points.

The results of these games are not the reason I have my concerns. It is instead the way that the Buckeyes’ run game has steadily declined. In addition, receivers not named Marvin Harrison Jr. have seemingly fallen off a cliff. On the other side of the ball, the defense has continued to look solid, but I still have massive questions about the cornerback play — a position group that hasn’t really been tested, but doesn’t yet appear to be up to the task if they are. All of these areas play a major role in my thoughts about Ohio State taking on Michigan at season’s end.

Looking at things empirically, Ohio State currently owns the No. 1 scoring offense in the Big Ten at 45.8 points per game, just ahead of Michigan with 42.2 points per contest. Defensively, Michigan has the edge in scoring defense, allowing only 12.1 points per game to Ohio State’s 15.8. The gap between the two teams when it comes to scoring points and allowing them is incredibly small, and the same goes for yardage. The Buckeyes have the edge in yards per game, averaging 484.1 to the Wolverines’ 465.7, while Michigan once again has the advantage on defense, allowing 242.4 yards per game to Ohio State’s 271.8. The overall statistics are basically negligible.

The larger differences come up when you start to look at things from a style standpoint. Ohio State is far and away the better passing offense, out-gaining Michigan through the air 290.9 yards per game to 215.7, while the Wolverines have the much more impressive rushing attack, outgaining the Buckeyes on the ground 250 yards per game to 193.2. Will those sorts of things matter when the two teams face off at the end of November?

I do think Ohio State is the better team in this matchup, but the flaws the Buckeyes have began to show do concern me. On offense, I question Ryan Day’s ability to call plays when things don’t go the way he plans it, and I need to see the run game improve as well as guys like Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming returning to their early-season form. It would help to get Jaxon Smith-Njigba back on the field at some point as well, but that would require Ohio State having someone actually good in charge of their strength and conditioning program — which they do not have.

Defensively, I still think the Buckeyes are in a good spot. They allowed over 200 yards rushing to Northwestern, but it took them almost 60 carries to do it (just 3.5 yards per carry as a team). I love what I’ve seen from the defensive line and the linebackers, and the safeties have done a pretty great job as well. My questions on this side of the ball revolve around the cornerbacks. I haven’t seen any reason to believe that Tim Walton is the right man for the job, as we’ve seen a guy like Denzel Burke regress pretty heavily from a year ago and seemingly all of the corners are struggling with the same issues. Michigan doesn’t have the world’s most elite passing offense, but its good enough to attack those guys.

All that being said, right now I would put Ohio State at around a 10-point favorite. I’d likely have the Buckeyes at around a touchdown favorite at a neutral site, so I’m giving a few additional points here for home field advantage. There is obviously a ton riding on this game, not limited to a Big Ten Championship spot and a likely College Football Playoff birth. Day has a lot to prove as Ohio State’s head coach, as you simply cannot lose to Michigan two years in a row. I’m sure the entire Buckeyes’ roster still has a bad taste in their mouth from how last year’s addition of The Game went down, and they will come into this one with an additional fire that we haven’t seen in quite some time.

There are issues to be corrected, and like Josh I will be far less confident if things do not improve over the next two games against Indiana and Maryland, but Ohio State has more than enough talent to figure it out. It will take the Buckeyes’ best effort to best their rival on Nov. 26, but this type of game is exactly why so many of these players came to Columbus in the first place.

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Grumpy Old Buckeye: Ohio State at Northwestern
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

These are the things that broke my Grump-o-meter on Saturday.

Ohio State’s 21-7 win at Northwestern on Saturday was an ugly, uninspired performance, and, despite the weather making passing difficult, the game was still orders of magnitude tougher than it needed to be for the Buckeyes. I’m convinced at this point that Ohio State is one of the few teams in the nation that can beat Ohio State, and it worked pretty hard at that in Evanston, Illinois on Saturday. Thankfully, it came up short.

My Grump-o-meter (patent pending) reading is based on a scale from 1-10, but the following things (and several more that were too numerous to name) were enough to drive that reading so high that it shattered into a million pieces. Now I’ve got a broken Grump-o-meter, which is just one more thing to be angry about.

Come Get Your Weather, Nerds


Wind and rain can be a great friend to an overmatched team, as it makes the opponents a bit more predictable if passing is hindered by such weather. That’s what the Buckeyes were faced with on Saturday, and it served as a hell of an equalizer. C.J. Stroud had issues with the wind, Ryan Day refused to alter his play calling to account for it, and it served as a bit of a motivational factor for the Wildcats. It was annoying.

Henderson’s Hurts


One of the truly disappointing things about TreVeyon Henderson’s career to date — for both OSU fans and for Henderson himself, no doubt — is that he can’t seem to stay healthy for more than one or two games at a time. Running backs are rarely 100% once a season gets underway, but it’s difficult for Henderson to stay anywhere near that level for any notable period of time.

This may be more of a case of how things seem than how they are, but Henderson didn’t make the trip to Evanston, and after he started to get things going at Penn State it was a disappointing step backward, especially given the blustery weather. And his kind of burst is also exactly what the Buckeyes could have used against Northwestern. He was missed.

Don’t Hold


Going against the wind, it was imperative to stay ahead of the chains in the first quarter to set the tone. Miyan Williams ran for about seven yards on the first play from scrimmage, so of course Matthew Jones held a Northwestern defender, severely crippling the opening possession. The Buckeyes did not pick up the required 20 yards and punted to open the game. In fact, the Buckeyes struggled on third downs most of the day.

JK Johnson’s Struggles Spread to Run Game


Ohio State’s supposedly fixed defense got schooled on the second Northwestern series. The Wildcats looked tougher, stronger, and faster than the Buckeyes, which was on display when Evan Hull was met in the hole and dragged three OSU defenders for a first down. The Wildcats made the second drive pay off when Hull made one simple cut that completely baffled JK Johnson, giving the running back a free run to the end zone. Hull could literally only do two things there — run to the boundary, where Johnson could push him out, or cut inside. Johnson seemed perplexed by the second option.

Offensive Line Too Soft in Short Yardage


Running the ball in short yardage is about attitude and beating the man in front of you. Ohio State was not good at that last season, and although it has — at times — been better at it in 2022, it’s still a problem. If the Buckeyes can’t get a yard on consecutive runs against Northwestern, they’re getting out-efforted. One sequence looked ripe for an easy quarterback sneak, but instead the Buckeyes ran a slow-developing handoff to Williams that didn’t quite make it back to the line of scrimmage. The next appeared to be bounced outside by Williams because the hole was closed, but it still appeared to be off-tackle instead of straight ahead.

Dropping Like Flies


Ohio State’s receiving corps has been the best or, at the very least, among the best in the country for several years now. It’s weird to see them dropping passes. But between Julian Fleming, Emeka Egbuka, and tight end Cade Stover, five or six balls hit the ground that shouldn’t have on Saturday. Some of those drops were partially to blame for Ohio State struggling just to get the game tied by halftime. In that kind of weather, passes aren’t going to be as easy to catch, but these were in their hands. They weren’t always between the numbers, but they were catchable, and they are usually caught.

Weird, New Defensive Issues Surface


Ohio State gave up three consecutive third-down conversions on long-yardage situations on Northwestern’s first possession of the fourth quarter, and it was maddening. A defense that has excelled at getting off the field in 2022 somehow could not stop the extremely meh offense of the Wildcats from converting on third-and-7, third-and-9, and third-and-8 on three straight sets of downs. The game was very much still in doubt at that point, with the Buckeyes clinging to a 14-7 lead. Thankfully, the Wildcats’ drive stalled after a failed fourth-and-8 play at the OSU 36-yard line.

That wasn’t the only problem on the day. Hull and Cam Porter were able to find success in the wildcat formation when it was fairly obvious what was coming. The defense has been strong this season against the run, and somehow Northwestern gave the Buckeyes fits on an obvious rush look. The Buckeyes will likely see this again as a result.


Those are the things that enraged me on Saturday. At least the Buckeyes avoided sharing the fates of Alabama, Clemson, Illinois, Kansas State, and Tennessee, and it was nice to see Williams go over 100 yards again. It was incredible to see Stroud run for 79 yards.

What ticked you off on Saturday? Let me know in the comments below.

Next week: The Buckeyes return home to face the Hoosiers.

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Film Review: Ohio State’s recent run game struggles continue against Northwestern
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The Buckeyes’ run game is struggling, and the clock is ticking when it comes to finding their identity on the ground.

Heading to Illinois this time of year is never easy, and the Ohio State Buckeyes learned this in their 21-7 win over Northwestern. In conditions with 35 mile per hour winds and rain, the Buckeyes were forced to win on the ground this week, and once again did not look pleasant doing it.

Early in the game the Buckeyes tried to keep their passing offense involved, forcing the ball through the air with little success. With the winds blowing at such high speeds, the Buckeyes’ passing game was rendered useless early on in the matchup. Ohio State ran the ball 36 times to only 26 passes, and in the first half starting running back Miyan Williams averaged only two yards per carry. The weather and lack of run game success put Ryan Day into an uncomfortable position as a play-caller, constraining what the Buckeyes’ offense was able to do.

“I’ve never been around conditions like this. I don’t know what the numbers show, but there must have been 30-mile-an-hour winds. And if you ever tried playing golf in 30-mile-an-hour winds, it’s hard to get off the tee, forget throw a football. We saw this coming, so we had a plan,” Ryan Day said regarding the weather on Saturday.

Despite the weather in Evanston, Ill. – and Ohio State knowing they would need to run the ball – the running game had another sub-par effort, not to steal Ryan Day’s golf reference. Three games in a row the Buckeyes struggled to find any consistency running the football. The reasons were multiple in the failures on Saturday, but the late success in the matchup provides a little evidence that there can be success moving forward.

Run Game Struggles


The run game struggles happened early on in the matchup, which has been the case in the last three games for the Buckeyes. In their last two games against Penn State and Iowa, Ohio State ran for 3.8 and 2.2 yards per rush, respectively. Against Northwestern, the game was trending in that direction once again. In a contest that was a mirror image of some of Ohio State’s biggest matchups in 2021, they were unable to gain first downs in 3rd-and-short scenarios, and showed a lack of inventiveness to amplify the mistakes.

The lack of creativity is the place to start. Ohio State has given away tendencies leaning on runs from under center or pistol looks. Against every team on the schedule this season, you can go back and find Ohio State in a 3rd-and-short scenario running their Wide Zone to the boundary side of the field. This tendency has been recognized by three consecutive defensive staffs.

At the snap, Northwestern slants their entire defensive line to the boundary side. This allows them to cut off the offensive linemen trying to reach and turn the defenders. Matt Jones (No. 55) and Donovan Jackson (No. 74) get pushed up field. Jones getting beat inside forces Williams to bounce the ball outside. Northwestern was able to key in on tendencies, and they were able to beat the Buckeyes to their spot, leading to a huge 3rd-down stop.


In the next play, Ohio State is once again in a 3rd-and-short scenario around midfield, this time needing only three yards. If you have been following along you know the play-call here, and yes, it is wide zone to the boundary.

Looking at this play, pause the clip at two seconds and look at how far the offensive line is away from the line of scrimmage. Northwestern was consistently pushing Ohio State’s offensive line back ,changing the running angles. Even with the loss of leverage at the line of scrimmage, Williams does a solid job of staying play side, following the block into the running lane. Jones (No. 55) is responsible for getting out to the backside backer, but he whiffs on the block and the backer makes the play. This shows how important technique is in zone blocking, and when one player misses his block it can blow up the whole play.


Execution in the blocking scheme was the issue in the first two plays, and that trend continues again in Ohio State’s next 3rd-and-1 attempt. This time around, Ohio State decides to bring in their heavy-personnel package with Josh Fryar as an extra tight end/tackle.

This is technically 13-personnel with three tight ends. The Buckeyes motion Gee Scott Jr. into the formation. Scott runs a split-action to lead block across the formation, adding an additional blocker play side. The offensive line down blocks, and Fryar and Stover double team the end until Fryar comes off to help inside. Stover falls off his block right in the hole and this blows up the play.

For the Buckeyes, the run game needs to start up front, and until the offensive line begins executing at a higher level, the ground game is going to be hard to evaluate.


The last thing I personally want to hear is the predictability argument. The Buckeyes were in four obvious run situations. Tendencies are thrown out the window in short yardage run scenarios. It comes down to toughness and doing the job better than the guy across the line.

In the next play, the Buckeyes are in a pivotal 4th-and-1 spot. Ryan Day wants the team to get some momentum back, deciding to go for it on fourth down. Ohio State’s interior offensive linemen take on the the cutting nose tackles in the A-gaps. The issue here is the play is lost on the backside of the formation. Dawand Jones (No. 79) is responsible for blocking the backside backer. His job is to get to the second level and cut him off from the run-lane. Jones gets beat to the spot, and the Northwestern linebacker is able to scrape and make the play at the line of scrimmage.

Jones was not better than the man across from him on this play, and once again one small misstep led to a fourth down stop for the Wildcats.

Success in run game


Ohio State’s run game was not kept at bay for the entirety of the game, and they began finding success when they needed it most. In a call of desperation, the Buckeyes turned to the quarterback run to aid them against the loaded numbers in the box. With Northwestern consistently outnumbering Ohio State, they had to get creative and they found ways to do that.

Before halftime the game was 7-0 Northwestern with neither team scoring since the 6:45 mark in the first quarter. The Wildcats were receiving at the half, so the Buckeyes needed to get something going. As we looked at, the Buckeyes had little success running in short yardage scenarios with the backs. This was in part due to Northwestern treating Stroud as a non-threat from a running standpoint. Ohio State recognized this and saved the right play-call for the perfect moment.

Northwestern’s outside linebacker crashes down hard with the down blocks by the offensive line, and so does the nickel safety who has the quarterback run to that side. By both these players diving in, Stroud pulls the ball and gets an easy first down.


Now that Ohio State has recognized how Northwestern is attacking by keying on the offensive line steps and slanting that direction, they now have an opportunity. Ohio State motions Egbuka and blocks a wide zone to the field side. This gets Northwestern’s defense off balance and moving the opposite direction.

With Northwestern overcommitting defenders in the box, this gives the Buckeyes an opportunity to get outside with a misdirection look. Instead of needing to block eight defenders with seven, they can block two with two with Egbuka responsible for beating the backer outside. Ohio State used Northwestern’s shown tendencies against them again, and Ohio State was able to get in the end zone before the half.


The next play, Ohio State goes away from their traditional zone and runs a “Pin-and-Pull” run scheme. A “Pin-and-Pull” is a simple but effective blocking scheme. The basic rule of this concept is if a defensive linemen uncovers an offensive linemen, that offensive linemen pulls to the run action. For the rest of the offensive line, they pin the defender to the inside away from the run action.

In this case, Donovan Jackson is uncovered and the puller. Ohio State slants left and Northwestern stays consistent to their technique slanting with the blocks. The Buckeyes do a solid job pinning down the defensive linemen, and Jackson turns in the crashing defensive end, giving Miyan Williams plenty of space. At the second level, the receivers and tight end make their blocks, leading to a nice gain for Williams. Ohio State has had this run play in their bag since Week 1, but rarely go to it. This play can really add a nice dynamic and keep defenses honest with how they respond to the offensive line’s steps.


Later in the game, Ohio State once again shows a Split-Zone run concept and this time they are successful with it. The Buckeyes do a great job initially at the line of scrimmage and Stover kicks out the crashing end to open up the initial hole to run through. Williams hits the hole, and Donovan Jackson and Dawand Jones are able to make their blocks at the second level. Williams is able to get the first down here with a physical run, but more importantly it sets up the next play.


In this last play, the Buckeyes had run a few more Stroud designed runs and scrambles before they broke off a huge run. Ohio State is in a 2nd-and-9 down and distance trying to put the game away. The Buckeyes run the read option off of the same split-zone look from the previous play.

The Buckeyes’ zone blocking scheme steps to the side of the run-action of Williams. This creates a situation that puts the defensive end into a decision point. He chooses to crash down, which allows Stover to get to the second level and lead block for Stroud, who pulls the ball instead of kicking out the end. When we talk about equating numbers, the crashing defensive end creates a 3-on-2 numbers advantage for Ohio State on the outside. Stover and Marvin Harrison Jr. do a great job of getting on their blocking responsibilities, and this creates a huge gain for Stroud.

The Buckeyes would score a couple of plays later and put the game away on the back of Stroud’s running performance.


Expecting Ohio State to rely on Stroud as a runner is a relative pipe dream. The Buckeyes want to win with their blocking schemes without having to get Stroud involved. The Buckeyes’ offensive line has been struggling, and this created the need for Stroud to be a runner to help create better numbers in the box.

Against Northwestern, they used Stroud as a necessity, but the use out of necessity created a potential solution to aid the offensive line moving forward, especially in short yardage situations. With the small threat of Stroud running the ball, the opposing defensive ends and linebackers had to give that much more thought to Stroud as a runner.

“It felt good to get a couple of runs in today, and hopefully Coach Day calls some more runs. Maybe everybody in the world will be happy with me then,” Stroud said post game about the opportunities he had running the ball against Northwestern.

In the end, the onus is still on the offensive line to get right and clean up their mistakes. They missed quite a few crucial blocks in the first half, and in crunch time Ohio State took the game out of their hand with the read options. The Buckeyes can’t beat teams if they aren’t able to run in obvious run situations.

Ohio State found success late on the ground again, but the lack of consistency has been alarming. The first half struggles have yet to hurt the Buckeyes on the final scoreboard, but to reach the penultimate goal they will need to find their identity on the ground again before it’s too late.

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Ohio State women’s basketball player preview: Kaitlyn Costner
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Kaitlyn Costner against Slippery Rock University in an exhibition game on Nov. 3, 2021. | Ohio State Athletics

The second-year guard returns for another campaign with the Buckeyes

The start of the 2022-23 Ohio State Buckeyes women’s basketball season is approaching. Up and down the roster, the Scarlet & Gray have a slightly different look than last year, when they made the Sweet Sixteen on top of winning a regular season Big Ten title.

Part of that group of players from the trophy-winning campaign is up next in the Land-Grant Holy Land player preview series. Kaitlyn Costner joined Ohio State after an impressive high school and AAU career, but had trouble earning minutes in games. Does that continue this year?


Name: Kaitlyn Costner
Position: Guard
Class: Sophomore
High School: Penn-Harris Madison & Elkhart Central (Mishawaka and Elkhart, IN)
2021-22 Stats: 0.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.5 apg, .273 FG%, .000 3FG%

Last Season


Overall, production wasn’t big for Costner, having a season high four points and three assists in the Buckeyes non-conference win against Norfolk State on Nov. 14. In 11 appearances and 59 minutes, Costner scored six points and added 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Costner entered the Ohio State program with a strong showing in high school basketball. Playing in Northern Indiana, just east of South Bend, Costner played for two different schools on top of AAU basketball.

At both high school stops, the guard’s teams won their sectional titles, and a divisional title with Elkhart Central. Not bad for basketball-crazy Indiana. Leaving high school, before joining the Scarlet & Gray, there was interest from other Division I schools. In Aug. 2020 Costner announced her intention to join Ohio State, but entered a tough group of guards to try to take away minutes.

What to Expect


Costner has the ability to drive to the lane and shoot from deep. Also, Costner possesses strong ball-handling skills. She can break down an opposing guard and either drive to the basket or shoot with limited space.

Unfortunately for the guard, it’s been hard to get a lot of time to see what she can do on the court. Costner scored four of her six points in the season in one game. In Monday’s exhibition win against Notre Dame College, Costner played the final 5:37 of the game, missing two shots but grabbing three rebounds in limited time.

Prediction


It’s really hard to imagine head coach Kevin McGuff giving Costner ample minutes this season. Enough playing time to analyze where Costner lands in the future of McGuff’s plans with the Buckeyes, but likely not much more.

Costner grew up in a basketball family, with her dad sitting in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. The coaching and ability is there, but will another season on the bench lead to a potential transfer?

There might be pause on that decision with guards Jacy Sheldon and Taylor Mikesell nearing the end of their NCAA careers, and sights on professional basketball.

Highlights


Here’s a video from Costner (24) and her time with MBA Select, the basketball school that her dad operates.


Miss any player previews? Here’s the list so far:

• Taylor Mikesell
• Eboni Walker
• Madison Greene
• Emma Shumate
• Cotie McMahon
• Rebeka Mikulášiková
• Rikki Harris
• Hevynne Bristow
• Kaia Henderson
• Karla Vreš

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BUCKEYES OPEN SEASON VS. ROBERT MORRIS MONDAY

Ohio State is set to open its 124th season of basketball this Monday when it hosts Robert Morris of the Horizon League. Tip is slated for a 7 p.m. tip at Value City Arena inside the Schottenstein Center and it will be streamed exclusively on BTN+.

Entire article: https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/buckeyes-open-season-vs-robert-morris-monday/

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This is an interesting matchup for a number of reasons. First off, the two teams are coming into this one in very different positions. Ohio State enters as a team with five new freshmen, three new transfers, and only two guys returning who played valuable minutes last season (Key and Brown) and Brown is questionable to play with a concussion.

Robert Morris, however, is returning three of their top four scorers. The Colonels struggled last season, only going 8-24 overall and 5-16 in conference.

For RMU, graduate senior Kahliel Spear is back after leading the Colonels last season with 14.7 points per game. Spear is not much of a deep ball shooter, shooting just 8-for-30 (.267) last season from three-point land, but the 6-foot-7 forward still shot an efficient 55 percent from the field. Spear also averaged 7.7 rebounds with 30 total steals and 35 blocks in 32 games.

The Colonels lost their top scoring guard Rasheem Dunn to graduation, but he only played 12 games last season. Dunn averaged 12.8 points per game and 3.7 rebounds per game. Michael Green III and Enoch Cheeks are returning as the third and fourth leading scorers for Robert Morris last season, averaging 10.4 and 9.2 points per game, respectively. Kam Farris also averaged 9.2 points per game, but he transferred to Marist in the offseason.

For Ohio State, there are plenty of unknowns with this Buckeye team, particularly on offense after losing E.J. Liddell, Malaki Branham, and Kyle Young, but they are bringing in talented scorers like Sean McNeil, Isaac Likekele and Tanner Holden to shoulder some of that load.

Another fun fact to note before watching this game (which unfortunately is only streaming on BTN+): the last time Ohio State faced Robert Morris was November 10, 2017. That also happened to be the very first game that Chris Holtmann coached at Ohio State — having been hired during the summer of 2017. The Buckeyes won that game 95-64, behind 19 points and 11 rebounds from Keita Bates-Diop.

ESPN BPI: Ohio State 95.1%
Line (According to DraftKings Sportsbook): Ohio State (-20.5)
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: BTN Plus

LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 82, Robert Morris 64

Ohio State men’s basketball vs Robert Morris: Game preview and prediction
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Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Team 124 is off and running!

We are officially back. The Ohio State men’s basketball Buckeyes host Robert Morris on Monday night to start off their basketball season. The Buckeyes faced Chaminade in an exhibition game last Tuesday, winning easily 101-57.

In the exhibition game, Tanner Holden lead the way for Ohio State with 25 points off the bench. There are a lot of different ways that Chris Holtmann and his staff can go with the starting lineup to start the season and for the exhibition, the Buckeyes started Isaac Likekele, Bruce Thornton, Sean McNeil, Zed Key and Brice Sensabaugh. Holden, Felix Okpara and Roddy Gayle played the most minutes off the bench, while Justice Sueing (ankle) and Eugene Brown (concussion) did not play.

It should be worth noting that if the game was not an exhibition and actually counted, Sueing likely would have played — according to Ohio State. Both are questionable for the game tonight.

Gayle added 14 points off the bench, and Key lead the starters with 15 points and five rebounds. All of the freshmen were productive along with Gayle, as Okpara finished with nine rebounds, Thornton finished with 11 assists, Sensabaugh scored eight points, eight rebounds and three assists, and Bowen Hardman had 12 points on four three-pointers. It should also be noted that Ohio State recorded 24 assists to just 11 turnovers.

Obviously, it was only an exhibition against a Division-II program and not too much can be taken away from the game, but they Buckeyes did what they had to do to make sure no one was freaking out heading into the season. Louisville cannot say the same.

The availability of Sueing and Brown will be key. Sueing is the best player on the team for Ohio State and Brown is an experienced and important rotational player for the Buckeyes that plays both ends of the floor. If Sueing can go, he will likely jump into the starting lineup. It appears his injury is not serious, and even if he doesn’t play, he should be ready to go Thursday against Charleston Southern.

It has been well known that the freshmen will have to play key roles early, but if Sueing or Brown miss any real time, that will be amplified and could determine the outcomes of some of the early non-conference games.

Preview

Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

This is an interesting matchup for a number of reasons. First off, the two teams are coming into this one in very different positions. Ohio State enters as a team with five new freshmen, three new transfers, and only two guys returning who played valuable minutes last season (Key and Brown) and Brown is questionable to play with a concussion.

Robert Morris, however, is returning three of their top four scorers. The Colonels struggled last season, only going 8-24 overall and 5-16 in conference.

For RMU, graduate senior Kahliel Spear is back after leading the Colonels last season with 14.7 points per game. Spear is not much of a deep ball shooter, shooting just 8-for-30 (.267) last season from three-point land, but the 6-foot-7 forward still shot an efficient 55 percent from the field. Spear also averaged 7.7 rebounds with 30 total steals and 35 blocks in 32 games.

The Colonels lost their top scoring guard Rasheem Dunn to graduation, but he only played 12 games last season. Dunn averaged 12.8 points per game and 3.7 rebounds per game. Michael Green III and Enoch Cheeks are returning as the third and fourth leading scorers for Robert Morris last season, averaging 10.4 and 9.2 points per game, respectively. Kam Farris also averaged 9.2 points per game, but he transferred to Marist in the offseason.

For Ohio State, there are plenty of unknowns with this Buckeye team, particularly on offense after losing E.J. Liddell, Malaki Branham, and Kyle Young, but they are bringing in talented scorers like Sean McNeil, Isaac Likekele and Tanner Holden to shoulder some of that load.

Another fun fact to note before watching this game (which unfortunately is only streaming on BTN+): the last time Ohio State faced Robert Morris was November 10, 2017. That also happened to be the very first game that Chris Holtmann coached at Ohio State — having been hired during the summer of 2017. The Buckeyes won that game 95-64, behind 19 points and 11 rebounds from Keita Bates-Diop.

Prediction

Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ohio State pretty much has to win their first three games, and I think they start that off with a win over Robert Morris. Even though the Colonels should be much improved from last season, Ohio State just has too many weapons and too much depth for the Colonels to compete with.

People will look at this game and point to the Akron game from last season, the season opener in which the Buckeyes needed a last second layup from Zed Key to win the game. However, Akron ended up winning the Mid-American Conference, going to the NCAA tournament, and giving the UCLA Bruins all they could handle in a 4-13 matchup.

Robert Morris is not Akron, and Ohio State may struggle a bit early as the new group tries to gel together, they will eventually pull away in the second half and move to 1-0 on the season.


ESPN BPI: Ohio State 95.1%
Line (According to DraftKings Sportsbook): Ohio State (-20.5)
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: BTN Plus

LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 82, Robert Morris 64

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I-70 Football Show: Severe weather and shocking results
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

In a weekend where multiple teams were upset and a few lost their chance at a playoff berth, a win is a win no matter how you got it.

Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s I-70 podcast. On this show, we talk all things Big Ten football and basketball. After every week of action, we will get you caught up on all the conference’s games and look ahead at the matchups, storylines, and players that you should be paying attention to in the next week. My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host Dante Morgan.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:


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Welcome back to another episode of the I-70 Football Show. This past weekend was littered with weird results throughout the sport, as three of the top six teams lost on Saturday, including Alabama falling in overtime to LSU. The weirdness extended to the Big Ten, as Ohio State survived a wind storm that featured sustained winds of 30mph and gusts of wind recorded up to 80 mph to beat Northwestern, 21-7. The Buckeyes wanted nothing to do with this game ,and their energy and effort were lackluster throughout. On a weekend where multiple teams lost their shot at reaching the playoffs, a win is a win.

Speaking of winning, Wisconsin keeps winning under interim head coach Jim Leonhard, as he brings his record to 3-1 since taking charge of the Badgers’ program with a win over Maryland. Iowa has gotten back to its winning ways and found an offense along the way, scoring 33 and 24 points in back-to-back weeks without a defensive touchdown. The consequences of Iowa having an average offense will be unbearable, as Kirk Ferentz will use it as an excuse to blame the media for questioning his offense and his son, the offensive coordinator.

Next week will be separation Saturday for the Big Ten West, which currently has Illinois at the top at 7-2 with a 4-2 conference record. After Illinois, there is a four-team tie for second place, with Wisconsin, Iowa, Purdue and Minnesota all sitting at 3-3 in the conference. Illinois plays Purdue while Iowa and Wisconsin play. A loss will knock at least one team out of the running for the West. An Illinois win, and they will all but secure the division and a trip to Indianapolis to face the winner of the Ohio State-Michigan game.

In their weekly pit stops, Dante is disappointed in Anthony Davis — again — as he only shot the ball two times in the second half of the Laker’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Jordan talks about the wild weekend in which Clemson and Alabama were all but eliminated from College Football Playoff contention.


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Dante: @DanteM10216

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Four-star DL from Florida includes Ohio State as a finalist
Bret Favachio via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Jordan Hall | 247Sports

The Buckeyes were included among the top schools from a blue-chip defender who will be taking an official visit to Columbus this month.

After escaping with a narrow — and at times ugly — victory against Northwestern this weekend, the Buckeyes were also gathering some positive momentum on the recruiting trail. A longtime target along the interior defensive line narrowed down his recruitment and the Buckeyes were a beneficiary in that update. Plus, a top linebacker in next years cycle plans a visit to Columbus later this month.

Hall down to five


Fresh off of landing a pledge from 2023 four-star defensive lineman Kayden McDonald of North Gwinnett (GA) earlier this week, Ohio State also found themselves among the finalists for another blue-chip prospect along the defensive interior. On Friday evening, it was 2023 four-star defensive tackle Jordan Hall of Westside (FL) who narrowed down the programs in the running for his coveted commitment.


The Jacksonville standout accumulated over 30 offers as a prospect and will now focus on the likes of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Ohio State going forward. As things currently stand, the Bulldogs are the current favorite to land the No. 52 overall prospect on the 247Sports Crystal Ball.

Nonetheless, the good news right now for defensive line coach Larry Johnson and the Buckeyes is that Hall, a top 15 player from Florida, is currently scheduled to make an official visit to Columbus later this month when Ohio State looks to get their revenge on Michigan inside of Ohio Stadium.

When speaking with Hayes Fawcett and On3, Hall briefly discussed the five schools still in the running. When talking about the Buckeyes, the All-American Bowl selection had this to say:

“Ohio State is the one out of the five I haven’t been to, but I’m really the most interested in seeing what they have to offer. They are always a good offense for me to compete against in practice. Coach Johnson is one of the best ever at what he does. I’ll be in a new environment for me to grow as a person, and I really feel like I’ll be able to grow and thrive there as a D-lineman. The SEC has a lot of people like me in it, but the Big Ten doesn’t, so I’ll come in and be developed and have a very good impact as soon as I get there I believe.”

While it certainly seems as if Ohio State is playing catch up in the race for Hall, if they are able to make that visit later this month come to fruition, you never know what could come about. Until then, the Buckeyes just have to remain afloat with a quartet of SEC powerhouses in hot pursuit for the No. 7 defensive lineman in this years class.

Jones set to visit this month


Much like the aforementioned Hall and numerous other prospects across the country, 2024 four-star linebacker Kristopher Jones of Mountain View (VA) is another recruit that will be in Columbus later this month. According to Garrick Hodge of Eleven Warriors, Jones is planning on visiting Ohio State near the conclusion of the month for the Buckeyes game against Michigan.

Jones may be a relatively unfamiliar name among Buckeye fans for the time being but perhaps it is a name to get familiar with. The Stafford native is one that Ohio State has already offered dating back to June when he impressed at a camp setting in Columbus.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder also has already garnered scholarship opportunities from programs like Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee, and more.

The visit from Jones, which is now just a few weeks away, will be the second stop in Columbus for the blue-chip defender and it’s a visit that the Buckeyes won’t take for granted. Jones currently grades as a Top 150 prospect in next years cycle. The Virginia standout also grades out as the sixth highest graded linebacker in the class and the third best prospect overall in his state.

Quick Hits

• According to Hayes Fawcett of On3, Ohio State target and four-star quarterback Colin Hurley of Trinity Christian Academy (FL) has committed to LSU and is also reclassifying from the 2025 recruiting class to 2024. With the Jacksonville native now off the board, 2025 quarterback Ryan Montgomery of Findlay (OH) is the lone signal-caller in the class with an offer from the Buckeyes, paving the way for him to be the clear-cut top target at the position.

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‘Ball Hell Broke Loose: Chaos Roundup Week 10
JamiJurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The games that left us gasping across the NCAA.

Something was in the air yesterday in college football. We saw undefeated teams fall. We saw undefeated teams struggle in games that should have been easy wins. We saw undefeated teams lose their game and still have their playoff chances get boosted. It was a day for underdogs, undercats, and underleprechauns.

These were the games and moments that sent ripples, waves and gasps through the NCAA in Week 10.

Ohio State at Northwestern


For the Buckeyes, something was quite literally in the air – winds so bad they grounded flights out of O’Hare. However, I doubt the playoff selection committee would deem that a valid excuse to lose to a 1-win team, so thankfully the Buckeyes pulled it together despite Pat Fitzgerald’s Northwestern team putting up an excellent fight.

Northwestern managed to fluster the Buckeyes on both sides of the ball, with CJ Stroud throwing for just 76 yards. Yes, you read that number correctly. The man who has been the Heisman favorite for so much of the season managed to throw for just 76 yards against a team whose only win came in the first week of the season. And don’t get me started on the defense, who looked like the JV version of whatever the 2021 defense was. Northwestern looked hungry.

We can certainly blame the wind for part of it. It became clear at one point that it was impacting the players’ ability to hear play calls or communicate, not to mention its actual impact on the ball itself. But the Buckeyes looked shaken in a way they haven’t really, even in Week 9, which wasn’t an easy win for them. That they remain undefeated feels like a bit of a miracle considering how some of the other games went down, but they will certainly need to work these kinks out before they face Michigan in a few weeks, or their playoff chances could be kaput.

Tennessee at Georgia


If you’d told Tennessee fans a New Year’s Six bowl was on the table at the beginning of this season, they’d have told you to lay off the drugs. If you’d told them they could lose to Georgia and still have a playoff chance? They might have had you committed.

And yet, that’s where the Vols found themselves yesterday. Georgia looked like the dominant force that terrified people at the end of last season and the start of this one. Despite a few early season struggles, the undefeated Bulldogs seemed to find their stride right when it counts, as they woofed in the faces of these Vols.

But the chaotic part of this game wasn’t the end result (a 27-13 Georgia win). It was the fact that even though this loss most likely bumps Tennessee from the SEC title game (Georgia would have to absolutely collapse in the next 3 weeks), their playoff dream is still alive, thanks to LSU and Notre Dame. A TCU loss would be helpful as well, but their strength of schedule and impressive performances through now could be just enough to edge them into that No. 4 spot at season’s end.

Alabama at LSU


We love free football! We love free football that results in a Nick Saban loss! We love free football that upends the SEC Championship game everyone expected to see. We love free football that seems to be putting the final nail in Alabama’s playoff coffin.

Alabama and LSU hung neck-and-neck the whole game, and honestly, this is the kind of football game you want to watch. The great thing about the Tide is that win or lose, they require their opponents to play 60 (or in this case more) minutes of football. Ultimately, it was a delightful overtime 2-point conversion that sealed the deal for the Tigers, giving Brian Kelly some annoying bragging rights and control of their own fate in the SEC West.

Clemson at Notre Dame


If you saw me talking smack about Notre Dame at any point this season, no you didn’t (OK fine, yes you did and I still hate their fans). But for one day only, I was glad they had the luck of the Irish on their side in their win against the previously undefeated Clemson. It’s a beautiful thing to see an overrated team come crumbling down, especially when that team has made the playoffs so many times in the last few years that we’re getting bored with them.

This wasn’t just a small upset. Notre Dame CRUSHED them. It looked like amateur hour. They absolutely demolished Clemson’s O-line. They forced major turnovers. It exposed every hole the Clemson naysayers had complained about. Since the modern playoff era began, there has never been a season in which neither Clemson nor Alabama made the playoffs. In many cases, both teams made it. And yet, this year is for new beginnings and new playoff teams (let’s just hope the Buckeyes are the exception there).

Michigan at Rutgers


The Buckeyes’ last real challenge of the season (barring any bananas outcomes against Indiana or Maryland) will be when the Wolverines come to the ‘Shoe in three weeks, and yesterday, the Buckeyes exposed some holes in their game.

Thankfully, they weren’t the only ones to do so. The 52-17 final score of the Michigan-Rutgers game was an impressive victory for TTUN, but it doesn’t indicate that Rutgers was leading 17-14 at the half. Now, they didn’t score again, but for two quarters of football, Michigan wasn’t the impressive force they’ve been til now, leaving some windows open for the Buckeyes to peer in at their weaknesses ahead of The Game.

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Ohio State opens as 40.5-point favorites over Indiana
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The Buckeyes return home after a two-game road trip.

DraftKings Sportsbook odds: Ohio State -40.5

It was incredibly ugly, but Ohio State managed to escape Evanston with a 21-7 win on Saturday in a game plagued by rain and heavy winds. While the Buckeyes played perhaps their worst football of the year thus far, things certainly could have been worse. At the end of the day, Ryan Day’s group advanced to 9-0, and avoided similar fates to that of Alabama, Illinois, and Clemson — all of whom lost outright this weekend as the favorite (double-digit favorites in terms of the Tide and the Illini). A win is a win, and Ohio State’s national title hopes are still very much alive despite a poor performance.

Nothing went right for the Buckeyes on offense against the Wildcats. Any throw for more than a few yards was simply a no-go in the awful weather conditions, and as a result C.J. Stroud had his worst performance as the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback, completing just 10 of his 26 pass attempts for 76 yards with no touchdowns. It was the first start in Strouds career that he did not complete a TD pass, and he got no help from his wide receivers as they uncharacteristically dropped a handful of passes. The run game continued to be an issue as well, despite the final stats looking okay, as Ohio State failed to pick up a first down on the ground in short yardage on multiple occasions.

Defensively, it was just sort of a meh day for the Buckeyes. They held Northwestern to just 3.5 yards per carry on the day, but still allowed over 200 yards on the ground. It was frustrating to see the Wildcats pick up yardage on multiple occasions out of the wildcat formation, as they never did anything besides run left or run right when lined up that way. They also allowed far too many conversions on 3rd-and-long against an offensive challenged Northwestern team. We’ve seen much worse defensive performances from Ohio State in recent years, as they still only allowed seven points on Saturday, but it wasn’t an afternoon that really jumped off the page.

Indiana wasn’t expected to do much this season, so it was a bit surprising when they got off to a 3-0 start, including a Big Ten win over Indiana in the opener. The Hoosiers have crashed back down to earth since then, as they now sit a 3-6 following a six-game losing streak. Things went from bad to worse recently, as starting quarterback Connor Bazelak, who transferred in from Missouri this offseason, was in street clothes for the game against Penn State. Starting in his place was Jack Tuttle, who is already in the transfer portal but decided to stick out the remainder of the year with Indiana.

The Tuttle-led offense wasn’t able to do much of anything against the Nittany Lions, as Tom Allen’s group lost its sixth-straight affair in a 45-14 blowout in Bloomington. Tuttle himself was efficient, but his numbers didn’t jump off the page, finishing the afternoon completing nine of his 12 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. As has been the case for some time now, Indiana got mostly nothing from its running game, averaging just 1.9 yards per carry on 34 carries. Overall, the Hoosiers rank near the bottom of the Big Ten in both scoring offense (11th) and yards per game (12th), making their win over the Illini earlier in the year look more and more curious.

It has not been much better defensively for this group. Indiana is allowing a Big Ten-worst 32.2 points per game. They’ve allowed at least 35 points in four of their last five games, with the one outlier being a 24-17 loss to Rutgers. This defense is really feeling the loss of a guy like Micah McFadden, who was a mainstay in the middle of the Hoosier defense for years before moving on to the NFL. Linebackers Aaron Casey and Cam Jones have led the way thus far, as well as star corner Tiawan Mullen, but they are not getting a ton of help around them.

Ohio State will be looking for a bounce back performance after a lackluster showing against Northwestern. The Buckeyes need to get things righted in these next two games before the massive season finale against Michigan, and getting the Hoosiers at home is a great opportunity to do just that. Both sides are dealing with injury issues, with the status of guys like Bazelak and TreVeyon Henderson unclear, but that shouldn’t really impact the outcome of this one. Ryan Day has heard the doubters these last few weeks, so expect him to look to make a statement in front of the home crowd this week.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

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ii watch it before i posted its not to bad.enjoy.

Nebraska loses.

You heard it here first.

More MacTion this week.

On Saturday, the B1G West has Purdue at Illinois and Wisconsin at Iowa.

At night, TCU has a big visit to DKR to play Texas.

Tuesday, Nov. 8

Eastern Michigan at Akron | 7 p.m. | CBSSN
Ohio at Miami (Ohio) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Ball State at Toledo | 8 p.m. | ESPN

Wednesday, Nov. 9

Northern Illinois at Western Michigan | 7 p.m. | ESPNU
Buffalo at Central Michigan | 7 p.m. | ESPN2
Kent State at Bowling Green | 7 p.m. | CBSSN

Thursday, Nov. 10

Tulsa at Memphis | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Georgia Southern at Louisiana | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU

Friday, Nov. 11

East Carolina at Cincinnati | 8 p.m. | ESPN2
Colorado at USC | 9:30 p.m. | FS1
Fresno State at UNLV | 10:30 p.m. | CBSSN

Saturday, Nov. 12

Indiana at Ohio State | 12 p.m. | Fox
Purdue at Illinois | 12 p.m. | ESPN2
Missouri at Tennessee | 12 p.m.
LSU at Arkansas | 12 p.m.
Vanderbilt at Kentucky | 12 p.m. | SEC Network
Notre Dame vs. Navy (Baltimore, Maryland) | 12 p.m. | ABC
Liberty at UConn | 12 p.m. | CBSSN
Virginia Tech at Duke | 12 p.m. | ESPN3
Pitt at Virginia | 12 p.m. | ACC Network
SMU at South Florida | 12 p.m. | ESPNU
UL Monroe at Georgia State | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
James Madison at Old Dominion | 1 p.m. | ESPN+

Rice at Western Kentucky | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
UMass at Arkansas State | 3 p.m. | ESPN3
Temple at Houston | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Nebraska at Michigan | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
Wisconsin at Iowa | 3:30 p.m. | FS1
Alabama at Ole Miss | 3:30 p.m. | CBS
Louisville at Clemson | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN
Iowa State at Oklahoma State | 3:30 p.m.
UCF at Tulane | 3:30 p.m.
Boston College at NC State | 3:30 p.m. | ACC Network
Army at Troy | 3:30 p.m. | NFL Network
Miami (Fla.) at Georgia Tech | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN3
New Mexico at Air Force | 3:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Appalachian State at Marshall | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Charlotte at Middle Tennessee | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN3
Louisiana Tech at UTSA | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
North Texas at UAB | 3:30 p.m. | Stadium
South Carolina at Florida | 4 p.m. | SEC Network
Lamar at New Mexico State | 4 p.m. | FloFootball

Texas State at South Alabama | 5 p.m. | ESPN+
Georgia at Mississippi State | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Kansas at Texas Tech | 7 p.m. | Big 12/ESPN+
Wyoming at Colorado State | 7 p.m. | CBSSN
Florida Atlantic at FIU | 7 p.m. | Stadium
TCU at Texas | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
North Carolina at Wake Forest | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Texas A&M at Auburn | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network
Southern Miss at Coastal Carolina | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU
Florida State at Syracuse | 8 p.m. | ACC Network

Boise State at Nevada | 10:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Utah State at Hawai'i | 11 p.m. | Spectrum Sports PPV

Washington at Oregon
Arizona at UCLA
Kansas State at Baylor
Stanford at Utah
Maryland at Penn State
Cal at Oregon State
Arizona State at Washington State
Oklahoma at West Virginia
Northwestern at Minnesota
Rutgers at Michigan State
San Jose State at San Diego State

Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: Ohio State played and won a football game this weekend
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Buckeyes defeated Northwestern, but it wasn’t pretty.

The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast ‘Hangout in the Holy Land’ is here! Join LGHL’s co-managing editor Gene Ross alongside his co-host Josh Dooley as they cover everything from football to basketball to recruiting and more!

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


Despite their worst offensive performance of the season, Ohio State defeated Northwestern on Saturday, 21-7, in a windy and rainy afternoon in Evanston. The final stats indicate the Buckeyes ran for over 200 yards, but nothing came easy on offense as C.J. Stroud completed just 10 of his 26 passes for only 76 yards with no touchdowns. The weather certainly played a factor, but Ohio State looked really unprepared and underwhelming against a Wildcats team that has now lost eight games in a row.

“Hangout in the Holy Land” will be posting two episodes per week during the regular season, with an episode before and after each Ohio State game to give you all the preview and recap content you may need. Be sure to download and listen in wherever you get your podcasts, and leave us a review on Apple to let us know your thoughts and how we can make things even better!

You can also follow us on Twitter @HolyLandPod, where we will want to hear from you guys even more! If there’s anything you’d like us to talk about on the show, @ us and let us know!

As always, Go Bucks.


Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @HolyLandPod

Connect with Gene:
Twitter: @Gene_Ross23

Connect with Josh
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye

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Buckeye Stock Market Report: Wind, rain, Northwestern defense stymie Ohio State
David M Wheeler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Player of the game: punter Jesse Mirco | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Quarterback C.J. Stroud experiences worst game as a Buckeye.

After each Ohio State game during the 2022 football season, LGHL will offer its market analysis of the Buckeyes’ performance. Using a standard bond rating system, we’ll evaluate the offense, the defense, and the special teams, according to this formula:

AA: Very Strong
A: Strong
BBB: Adequate
BB: Facing Major Uncertainty

Then, we’ll take a look at any individual players whose performance stood out (in one way or another!) and assign them a stock rating: Blue Chip, Solid Performance, Penny Stock (akin to a junk bond, dangerously high risk).

Quick Overview


Just a couple of weeks ago I was thinking that nothing could stop – or even slow down – the magnificent Ohio State passing attack. That was then. Before the trip to the Windy City (I know that Chicago, and not Evanston, is the “Windy City,” but I also know that the wind doesn’t stop at Howard Street.) The offensive line played badly, and the weather conditions did a mind job on C.J. Stroud. He lost his confidence; he lost his patience; he lost his cool.

The OSU offense couldn’t get going at all, finally scoring a touchdown on its seventh drive of the first half to knot the score 7-7 at the intermission. The expected second-half fireworks didn’t happen, fizzling in the wind and rain, I guess. After the third consecutive game with a struggling offense, the Buckeyes have some serious regrouping to do in their next two games.

On the positive side, Ohio State is very much still in the thick of things, still capable of meeting its season goals. Undefeated at 9-0, the Bucks have won every game by double digits. Two of the six unbeaten teams bit the dust yesterday, and LSU probably erased Alabama’s playoff hopes. Georgia looks to me to be (maybe by far) the best team in the country. If the Buckeyes keep winning, maybe they’ll catch the Dawgs in the national championship game – where anything goes.

Offense


Overall rating: BB Facing Major Uncertainty

In the two years that I’ve been doing this Stock Market Report, I don’t recall giving the offense this lowest possible rating. But they deserved it yesterday. Look at the first half. The Buckeyes had only 118 total yards and converted none of their eight third-down attempts. The second half was really more of the same, though a little better running game allowed the team to pick up the two TDs that provided the game’s final margin.

Stroud was bad. Granted, he had plenty of help. The line allowed Northwestern rushers into the pocket, forcing Stroud to scramble and pass on the fly. The receivers, normally sure-handed, dropped passes, including a sure TD that Emeka Egbuka flubbed. For the game, Stroud was 10 for 26 (about 38%) for a measly 76 yards. No touchdowns. The most telling stat, I think, is his yards per passing attempt – 2.9. Customarily, that number is in double digits. As I’ve said before, when Stroud’s day isn’t going well, his frustration and impatience take over. You can see it plain as day, as he starts forcing his passes, hoping for the big play that will set things straight.

Stroud didn’t get much help either from the play-calling. The rushing plays were largely predictable, both when they were called and where they were going. Little imagination there. Nor did Ryan Day provide Stroud help with “easy” pitch-and-catches to build confidence. Maybe in that weather, there wasn’t anything easy.

And then there was some imagination, finally. Stroud carried the ball! Six times actually for 79 yards, including the game’s biggest play, a 44-yarder. Having a second potential runner in the game freed Miyan Williams, who finished with 111 rushing yards.

The bottom line, however, for yesterday’s offense is that it simply won’t do. 283 total yards. Against Northwestern, the worst team in the Big Ten. 4/15 on third down conversions. Only 23:34 in time of possession. Not many plays. Not many yards. Not many points. Lots of punts.

Defense


Overall rating: BBB Adequate (i.e., good enough to win)

It’s tough to rate the OSU defense against the Wildcats. On one hand, they allowed only seven points. Zero after the midway mark of the first quarter. They allowed fewer than 300 total yards and, importantly, 0/4 in NU fourth-down attempts. The longest Wildcat passing play netted 13 yards, the longest run 19 yards. It seemed throughout the game that star running back Evan Hull was really gouging the Buckeye D, especially from direct snaps in the wildcat formation. In fact, though, Hull gained 122 yards on 30 carries, an average of 4.1, less than Miyan Williams’ average for the game.

On the other hand, the Buckeye defense couldn’t get off the field, allowing Northwestern to convert nearly half (9/20) of their third-down attempts and to dominate the time of possession 36:26 to 23:34. The Bucks had only one sack (granted, NU didn’t pass much) and did not get a turnover. They gave up 200 yards rushing. To Northwestern.

Recently, we have been saying that the Buckeye defense was getting better every week. Then, it was winning games when the offense struggled. What to say about it now? Nothing to brag about, but good enough. Barely.

Special Teams


Overall rating: A Strong

In a game where the weather conditions were as they were yesterday, a game where field position (OSU scored all three touchdowns with a short field) mattered, the punting game is crucial. Had it not blown away, I would have awarded the game ball to punter Jesse Mirco (see below). Buckeye special teams avoided mistakes and penalties.

Egbuka had a nice, 18-yard punt return, and Xavier Johnson looked pretty good on his kickoff return. Here’s my only question: after OSU’s final touchdown, with 4:21 left in the game, what was going on with that squib kick? A deliberate play? What the hell?

Individual Performances

Blue Chip


Jesse Mirco. Having your punter as your offensive star tells you all that you need to know about this game. Mirco kicked seven times for a 50.3-yard average (10 yards more per punt than the Northwestern punters). He downed one on the NU four-yard line, and another one at their 11. He would flip the field, giving his team controlling field position. A really good game.

Tommy Eichenberg. Eichenberg sometimes gets by under the radar as he plays his usual fine game. But yesterday he was dominant and recorded a game-high 13 total tackles.

Steele Chambers, Ronnie Hickman, Lathan Ransom. Notice that there aren’t any defensive linemen here; tackles, unfortunately, were made by linebackers and backs. And these guys had a bunch: Chambers had eight, Hickman 10, Ransom nine.

Solid Performance


Miyan Williams. Three or four times in my notes, I have, after a crucial third down (or even fourth down) play, “Williams stopped short.” He often was. He didn’t have much in the way of holes, but, as the game went on, he ran harder and harder, refusing to go down. Keeping his balance on his 27-yard touchdown run was a real feat. The third quarter play gave the Buckeyes their first lead of the game and shifted the momentum in their favor. Williams finished with 111 yards on 26 carries (4.3 average). In the second half, though, he ran 15 times for 89 yards and a six-yard average.

C.J. Stroud, the runner. I’m separating Stroud’s performance here. It was great to see him running the ball, and he seemed to take to it, to get better at it, once he had a couple of runs under his belt. The fake to Williams and 44-yard run around the edge turned the game around. It will be interesting to see if Stroud running will become a feature of the OSU offense.

J.T. Tuimoloau. Well, Tuimoloau didn’t have the game that he had last week. How could he? but he was still pretty good. He collected his team’s one sack and batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage. He finished the game with four total tackles.

Penny Stock


J.K. Johnson. Watching, over and over again, Johnson whiffing as the Northwestern running back blew by him for a score, made me wince. It looked as though he didn’t even try, just stood there and waved. Johnson lost his man in coverage a couple of times but didn’t really get burned, saved by bad passes and dropped balls. Against a better passing team?

The offensive line, especially Matt Jones. I’m singling M. Jones out because of his holding penalty on the Buckeyes’ first play. X Johnson returned the opening kickoff to the 30. Then Williams gained seven on a nice run. But Jones was called for holding, and it was first and 20. Not where you want to be in a game like this. The play, sadly, set the tone for the offense.

The line, generally, wasn’t very good on either passing or running plays. While not giving up any sacks, the line couldn’t protect Stroud very well either. The coverage was good, and Stroud had to scramble on most plays. On runs, the line didn’t succeed in moving people out of the way until late in the game. Against Northwestern, they shouldn’t have had any trouble. But they did.


Against an even slightly better team, Ohio State might have lost this game. Pat Fitzgerald should have opted for punts a couple of times, rather than going for it. NU receivers dropped some balls that would have made a difference. But the Buckeyes won. And the prizes are still out there waiting. Go Bucks!

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Couldn’t think of anywhere else to put this; thought we could use a place for this kind of thing

Before getting started let me remind you, we already have a thread dedicated to Miami (dead program, not Fredo).

………………………………..

Let’s get this started with a hearty congratulations to UMass, who wasted no time yesterday in their game against UConn. In the very first quarter they scored a whole field goal. In doing so, they established the fact that every FBS team has now scored 100 points this year.

Round of applause everybody. Way to go, Minutemen!

We’ll talk about this later: The Scott’s Tots game of the year
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Your dose of lighthearted takes from yesterday’s games.

Each week, we’ll break down something that happened during the Ohio State game (and occasionally other games) that we’ll be talking about for a while—you know, the silly sideline interactions, the awful announcing and the weird storylines that stick with us for years to come. We’ll also compare each of these happenings to memorable moments in pop culture, because who doesn’t love a good Office reference?

I don’t want to talk about anything related to this game—now, later, maybe ever. Ohio State’s win over Northwestern was the ugliest game of the season played on an ugly day in Chicago. I mean, look at how windy it was.


This game is the Scott’s Tots of Ohio State’s football season. For those unfamiliar with The Office, Scott’s Tots is an episode in the middle of season six of the series.


Years before the events in the episode, Michael Scott had promised college tuition to a group of underserved kids (the Scott’s Tots) if they graduated from high school. Obviously, Michael could not keep this promise. The group, set to graduate, repeatedly invited Michael to their school to say thank you, and Michael had to eventually accept their invitation with the firm direction of Pam, who admonished him for doing a “terrible, terrible thing.”


What followed was a horrendously awkward scene where the kids perform an impassioned song and give heartfelt speeches, only to have Michael tell them that he cannot afford to pay for school but CAN offer them lithium laptop batteries.


While the episode resolves with Michael offering to pay for the books of one of the students and Erin relaying that Scott’s Tots had a higher graduation rate than the rest of the school, it was not enough to make up for the absolute cringe of the cringiest episode of a series that has so, so many cringey moments.

For Ohio State, the Buckeyes escaped with a win and this episode of the season ended with a W, even if the conclusion was not as satisfying as we might have hoped for. The Buckeyes matched their lowest point total of the season (21 points in their season opener against Notre Dame). For the second-straight game, the Buckeyes were outgained on offense (yes, by Northwestern) and were held under 300 total yards for the first time this year. On a windy, rainy day where it was tough to pass, Ohio State’s backs struggled to run against the Wildcats.


And the one bright spot of the day offensively was an upside-down moment where C.J. Stroud nearly rushed for a touchdown.


In the case of Scott’s Tots, this episode was not necessary to move the plot of the season along. For fans of the series, it’s one we often skip when rewatching. Ohio State fans similarly will hope to forget this windy day in November, walk away with the win and hopefully move toward the College Football Playoff with their same trajectory.

Still, the cringe factor does not abate. So hopefully we will not talk about this later.


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Visiting Locker Room: Previewing Indiana Hoosiers women’s basketball with Crimson Quarry
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Head coach Teri Moren has new and existing weapons to choose from for 2022-23, so we asked an expert about what to expect this season.

The Indiana Hoosiers were a team that started last season with promise, but ended without any trophies to show for it. Although they beat Ohio State twice, injury, upsets and the Iowa Hawkeyes all kept Indiana back. This season, Indiana retooled to hopefully do what they couldn’t do in 2021-22.

To learn more about the changing roster of a team predicted to challenge for the conference, Land-Grant Holy Land reached out to fellow SB Nation site Crimson Quarry. Editor L.C. Norton talked about the impact of center Mackenzie Holmes, which new transfers to look out for and their weakness exploited by the Hawkeyes.

Land-Grant Holy Land: Indiana is a team who returns key role players in their starting lineup. One member of that group is center Mackenzie Holmes. Last season, she worked through an injury but still rebounded to make Second Team All-B1G. How important is Holmes staying healthy for Indiana this season? What does she bring that makes Indiana so dangerous?


LGHL: When it comes to roster changes, the Hoosiers notably lost Nicole Cardaño-Hillary but added freshmen and transfers. How much of a role do you see transfers Sydney Parrish and Sara Scalia playing within the guard group?


LGHL: Continuing the roster talk, are there any freshmen who can make an impact in their first seasons?


LGHL: Last season, the Hoosiers were in the fight for the regular season conference title until the last few games. It was Iowa who did them in, losing twice to end the conference schedule, then again in the Big Ten Tournament finale. What made the Hawkeyes so difficult for the Hoosiers, and how do you see them faring this season?


LGHL: Finally, what are your way-too-early predictions for where the Hoosiers end on the final conference standings, and how far do they make it in the NCAA Tournament?


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Scientifically ranking all three of Ohio State’s touchdowns against Northwestern
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

We are using a scientific set of rules to systematically rank all of OSU’s touchdowns by degree of difficulty, athleticism, entertainment value, and anything else we want to judge them by.

There were a painfully low number of touchdowns scored by the Buckeyes against the Northwestern Wildcats, five of them to be exact. So, since we live in a listicle world, we are breaking them down, scientifically, of course.

And since this is my column, I reserve the right to change my judging criteria week to week, heck, even touchdown to touchdown. In some cases, I will judge a play by its importance in the grand scheme of the game, others will be by the degree of difficulty, backstory, and sheer entertainment value.

If you disagree with my ranking (which my six+ years here at LGHL tells me you absolutely will), feel free to share your list in the comments below.

Ok, now, without further ado, drumroll, please.........

Third Place: Touchdown No. 2
Miyan Williams 2-Yard Run


Northwestern scored first, but only once. So, Ohio State’s third touchdown was effectively window dressing, but that doesn’t mean that going up two touchdowns was not important. So, I gave a few percentage points to Miyan Williams for this run and took a few away too.

Pretty simple two-yard run, but Mitch Rossi did do a good job picking up a second-level block to make sure that Chop got into the end zone.

Second Place: Touchdown No. 1
Emeka Egbuka 15-Yard Run


It was obvious early on that throwing wasn’t going to be easy/possible at Ryan Field on Saturday afternoon. On Twitter, I was advocating (only somewhat hyperbolically) that the Buckeyes should completely abandon the pass altogether and just empty the playbook with creative and weird run play calls.


Now, this is neither all that creative or weird, this is one of the few somewhat out-of-the-box plays that Ryan Day is willing to call on a regular basis, but this worked perfectly and couldn’t have come at a better time.

There obviously weren’t a lot of touchdown options today, so normally this wouldn’t have been the second-best score, but we work with what we’re given.

The initial blocking on this rush was good from anyone not wearing No. 34. Mitch Rossi ignored what likely should have been his initial blocking assignment, which fortunately didn’t cost Egbuka. But then, Rossi gave a half-hearted block on the second level and the defender would have been in position for a stop if Egbuka had broken back inside.

Fortunately, he didn’t and instead put a shoulder into a DB to get across the goal line. I still wish we had seen even more creativity in Ryan Day’s play-calling, but I will take this over short-yardage stretch plays any day of the week.

First Place: Touchdown No. 2
Miyan Williams 27-Yard Run


Williams looked out of sorts through most of the first half; whether it was dealing with his hand injury, trying to acclimate to the weather, or frustration with the offensive execution, he just didn’t look like the game and tackle-breaking wrecking ball that we’ve all grown to love. However, this play proved that that specific dog is still very much in there.

This play had everything that you want to see from Miyan; he did not hesitate to run north and south through the hole, he refused to go down and bounced outside, he turned on the jets to run away from defenders, and ran through an arm-tackle attempt to get into the end zone.

I honestly don’t know if Ohio State is a good, average, or awful running team, but if they want to continue to move up that continuum, they will need to keep having runs like this. The Buckeyes have obviously been hurt this season by seemingly dealing with different running back injuries each and every game, but to me, the issue isn’t really Williams or TreVeyon Henderson, the issue is the offensive line. This was relatively well blocked and Willaims gave everything he could to make the most of the opportunity.

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