Vegas Always Knows: A look at Week 3’s standout betting lines
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

What does Vegas know that I don’t with some of these spreads?

If you’re anything like me, you like to check out the weekend’s gambling lines ahead of time. On any given week, there are always a handful of numbers that stand out for one reason or another. Whether it be a questionably high spread or the wrong team is favored, at least in your mind, you always tend to ask yourself, “What does Vegas know that I dont?”

That is the question I'm asking with a handful of the lines for Week 3, courtesy of our friends over at the DraftKings Sportsbook.

No. 12 BYU vs. No. 25 Oregon (-3.5)


Of all the spreads available for this weekend, this is the one that confuses me the most. Oregon, who sits at 1-1 on the season, lost its first ranked matchup of the new campaign in a 49-3 trouncing at the hands of Georgia. BYU, on the other hand, is 2-0 on the year with one ‘upset’ already on their resume as they took down No. 9 Baylor this past weekend in a 26-20 thriller in overtime. While that game for the Cougars was at the friendly confines and the Ducks are the ones with home field in this matchup, I dont see enough there to sway this game in Oregon’s favor.

Bo Nix has never quite lived up to the hype, and has generally been a turnover machine against the stiffest competition, tossing another two interceptions in the loss to the Bulldogs. On the flip side, Jaren Hall is usually quite economic with the football, completing over 67% of his passes this season. BYU also won that game against Baylor without both of its top receivers, who could potentially return this weekend. I worry a bit about an emotional letdown coming off that exciting finish, but the Cougars are the more physical of these two squads, and I like Hall far more than Nix.

No. 11 Michigan State vs. Washington (-3.5)


This is yet another game where it feels like the wrong team is favored, but I think I understand this one more than the aforementioned matchup. Both programs enter this contest at 2-0, with the 11th-ranked Spartans picking up wins over Western Michigan and Akron while the unranked Huskies boast W’s over Kent State and Portland State. I dont think we’ve learned much about either of these two squads based on their previous opponents, however much like in the BYU-Oregon matchup, I trust one of these two offenses far more than the other.

We saw what Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. was able to do when healthy in the Big Ten, and he is off to a fantastic start in Washington to the tune of 682 yards on a nearly 70% completion percentage with six touchdowns to just one pick. Payton Thorne hasn’t been quite as impressive for MSU, tossing four TDs with three INTs through his team’s first two games. I’m not sold on Mel Tucker’s ability to build an entire team through the transfer portal two years in a row, and I think I trust Kalen DeBoer’s offense to take advantage of a secondary that was one of the worst in the country a year ago.

As far as trends go, it is worth noting that Washington was just 1-4 against the spread last season when favored by 3.5 or more points, while Michigan State was 4-1 ATS last year when 3.5-point underdogs or greater. Different teams with different rosters this year, but an interesting statistic nonetheless.

Nevada vs. Iowa (-23)


This game isn’t as much about the wrong team being favored, as Iowa is likely the more talented team in this matchup. My main issue here is that I'm not sure an offense led by quarterback Spencer Petras is capable of scoring 23 points. After a miserable offensive season in 2021, the Hawkeye offense is somehow even worse in 2022. Kirk Ferentz’s team has scored just one touchdown through two games, barely defeating South Dakota State 7-3 on two safeties and a field goal and then losing their rivalry game to Iowa State, 10-7.

Petras may very well be one of the worst multi-year starting quarterbacks in the history of college football. Over his last seven games, the senior has thrown just one touchdown pass — compared to nine interceptions! Even still, Ferentz maintains that Petras will be the team’s starter, and so until that changes and/or he fires his son as the team’s offensive coordinator, I cannot see a valuable reason to lay 23 points to this Iowa team. Considering the Hawkeyes have scored 34 points total over their last four games dating back to last season — an average of 8.5 points per game for you mathematicians out there — I can’t comfortably put actual U.S. currency on this team to cover any type of double-digit spread.

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

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Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for September 14, 2022
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.

Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.

Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.

You’re welcome!

For your Earholes...


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

Ask LGHL


Introducing ‘Ask LGHL,’ asking and answering questions throughout the football season
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land

Ask LGHL: How does losing Evan Pryor impact the Ohio State offense?
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land

On the Gridiron


Ohio State looks for fully-loaded offense when Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Julian Fleming return
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

Key takeaways as Ryan Day, Jim Knowles evaluated Buckeyes
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes

Ohio State coach Ryan Day compared his team to a pianist in a dive bar
Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch


Four Lessons Learned from Ryan Day, Jim Knowles as Buckeyes gear up to finish nonconference play
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row

Knowles notes: Will Caden Curry play more? | How well are Buckeyes tackling thus far
Dave Biddle, Bucknuts

Ryan Day, Jim Knowles Confident Denzel Burke Will Bounce Back After Shaky Start to Season
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors

Practice Report: Buckeyes getting healthier on offense as Big Ten play nears
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row


How Perry Eliano went from spider webs to a dream coaching job with the Ohio State football program
Nathan Baird, cleveland.com

Knowles: Defense a “Right Now Proposition”
Andy Anders, Buckeye Sports Bulletin

You’re Nuts: Who is your favorite in-state opponent for Ohio State?
Brett Ludwiczak and Meredith Hein, Land-Grant Holy Land

On the Hardwood


Buckeyes fan, ALS fighter Patrick Behan welcomed by Ohio State
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch

Seems good:

Outside the Shoe and Schott


Column: “Are you showing the women’s soccer game?”
Jami Jurich, Land-Grant Holy Land

Cross Country: New Program Director, Head Coach Looks to Establish Success
Steven Kishpaugh, The Lantern

Men’s Soccer: No. 22 Buckeyes Earn 3-All Draw at No. 14 Akron
Ohio State Athletics


Women’s Golf: Ohio State Wins Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational
Ohio State Athletics

Men’s Soccer: Borkovic, McLaughlin Earn Co-Big Ten Honors
Ohio State Athletics

And now for something completely different...


Absolute comic gold.


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LGHL Uncut Podcast: C.J. Stroud discusses return of Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State Athletics

QB1 also gets into the increased involvement of the tight ends in the passing game.

Throughout the year, Land-Grant Holy Land will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

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


On this episode of “Land-Grant Holy Land Uncut,” Ohio State starting quarterback C.J. Stroud discusses how the eventual return of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming to the wide receiver rotation will impact the Buckeyes’ passing game. He also discusses the increased role that the tight ends are seeing this year in the OSU passing game and how Cade Stover has become a focal point for opposing defenses.

Moving to the running game, Stroud praises the dynamic duo of Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson coming out of the backfield, the emergence of Donovan Jackson on the offensive line, and what the recent rash of upsets across college football can teach his Ohio State team about how they approach their work on a daily basis.


Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

Music by: www.bensound.com

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A pair of blue-chip defensive linemen set visits to Ohio State
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

Defensive line coach Larry Johnson and the Buckeyes will have the opportunity to impress a pair of standout defensive linemen in the coming months.

Ohio State picked up some good news on Tuesday as a pair of highly-coveted defensive line prospects revealed their intentions of upcoming visits to the Buckeye campus. Plus, the head coach of one of the last remaining targets in 2023 for Chris Holtmann and the hoops program breaks down the latest.

Hall, Scott set Buckeye visits


It was a positive Tuesday for defensive line coach Larry Johnson and Ohio State, as it was revealed that a pair of top defensive line prospects from different classes will head up to Columbus this fall to get an in-person look at what the program has to offer.

One of those, as revealed by On3 Recruits, is 2023 four-star defensive lineman Jordan Hall of Westside (FL). The Jacksonville product will be making his trip to Ohio State in late November as an official visit when the Buckeyes take on arch-rival Michigan.

Hall, the No. 61 overall player in the class, will give Ohio State a tremendous opportunity to put themselves into contention for his services. With schools like Florida, Florida State, Georgia, and South Carolina also well-positioned, the Buckeyes will want to hit it out of the park with Hall, as he could be a major piece to the defensive line puzzle in a class that currently features just two pledges in the unit.

The other prospect along the defensive front that will get a look at Ohio State this year is 2024 four-star defensive lineman Justin Scott of St. Ignatius (IL). According to Bucknuts, the Chicago native will be in attendance on Sept. 24 when the Buckeyes square off against Wisconsin.

Scott and Ohio State wasted no time hashing out a visit date as the 6-foot-5, 310-pounder was just recently offered by the program at the beginning of this month. Perhaps that is telling of the interest that the second best prospect from Illinois has in the Buckeyes.

Other schools that are also highly interested in Scott as evidenced by already offering include Auburn, Miami (FL), Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, Wisconsin, and more.

Coach breaks down OSU hoops target


As Ohio State looks to finalize a 2023 hoops recruiting class that recently saw a spot open up with the decommitment of 2023 four-star shooting guard George Washington III of Chaminade Julienne (OH), one name worth monitoring is 2023 four-star combo guard Taison Chatman of Totino-Grace (MN).

Chatman, a Minneapolis native, does include Ohio State in his top five along with Minnesota, Kansas, Virginia, and Xavier. With a decision looming for the Buckeye target, 247Sports’ Steve Helwagen caught up with Chatman’s head coach Nick Carroll on Tuesday morning to discuss what he brings to the table.

“He’s got a unique ability to shoot off the catch and off the dribble. In his last two years, he has shot it better off the bounce than off the catch. He’s shooting the ball 48 percent on pull-up jump shots last year. That is kind of a unique thing,” Carroll told 247Sports.

Carroll would also rave about what Chatman can do at the defensive end of the floor.

“I think he is a very good defender right now. I think he has the ability to be a top-shelf defender. He’s got great anticipation skills. As he continues to build his conditioning and his body, we’re just scratching the surface of what he is capable of doing. I think he just needs to continue to sharpen his habits so when he gets to that next level he’s not able to just exist; he’s able to thrive as soon as possible.”

While it remains to be seen where Chatman will suit up at the next level, it definitely sounds as if the top ranked player from Minnesota has the tools to play at a level wherever his next chapter may be. The 6-foot-4, 170-pounder also pencils in as the No. 31 prospect overall and the eight highest graded combo guard in the class.

Quick Hits

• According to Bucknuts.com, Ohio State is “the school that stands out” for 2024 four-star athlete Miles Lockhart of Basha (AZ) among the double-digit offers he has received thus far. The Buckeyes offered the Chandler native back in June after participating in camp, and the Top 100 prospect for next years cycle looks as if he holds the program in high regard.
• Ohio State pledge and 2023 four-star safety Cedrick Hawkins of Cocoa (FL) spoke with Chad Simmons of On3 on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the latest. Of note, the 6-foot, 175-pounder described his visit for the Notre Dame contest “lovely,” discussed his likely return trips to Columbus being for the Wisconsin, Rutgers, and Michigan games and that he is “100% locked in” with his commitment to the Buckeyes.
• 2023 four-star offensive tackle Samson Okunlola of Thayer Academy (MA), an Ohio State target, revealed to Eleven Warriors on Tuesday that he is at least considering a visit to Columbus later this season. “I might,” the No. 3 offensive tackle in the class told Garrick Hodge about a potential visit to Ohio State coming.

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LGHL Uncut Podcast: Ryan Day, Jim Knowles provide major injury updates
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



They also discuss whether or not young players who have flashed early will see increased playing time.

Throughout the year, Land-Grant Holy Land will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

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


On this episode of “Land-Grant Holy Land Uncut,” Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles wrap up the analysis of the Arkansas State victory and turn their attention toward this weekend’s matchup with the Toledo Rockets. They detail the injuries to wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming, cornerback Jordan Hancock, and defensive tackle Mike Hall. Fortunately, from the sound of things, all are tracking to play this weekend, some with more certainty than others.

They also preview the Rockets’ offensive and defensive capabilities, discuss the nagging penalty issues for the Buckeyes, talk about which young players have earned more playing time, and more.


Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

Music by: www.bensound.com

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Column: “Are you showing the women’s soccer game?”
JamiJurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

It should not be impossible to find bars that show women’s sports.

If you dedicate yourself to watching women’s sports the way I do, and if you enjoy doing that in public spaces, you’re probably familiar with how difficult it can be to find a bar showing The Game (women’s edition). My google history is absolutely cursed from the number of “Where to Watch Angel City FC Game Los Angeles,” “New York Bars USWNT,” and “Chicago bars showing WNBA Playoffs” searches I’ve entered over the past few years.

Given a 2021 study published by USC and Purdue University showing that 95% of total television coverage and “SportsCenter” highlights focused on men’s sports, it makes sense that it would be hard to find places to watch women’s sports with the same public camaraderie that we find for football, March Madness, and the World Series.

But a few days ago, I learned about a bar in Portland that was making waves as a women’s sports haven. The Sports Bra, self-described as “the sports bar dedicated to women’s sports,” opened earlier this year in Northeast Portland and devotes itself fully to broadcasting only women’s sports.

It was, until earlier this month, the only sports bar in the country dedicated to showing women’s sports. With the announcement earlier in August that Seattle is following suit with the Rough & Tumble Pub (focused on showcasing Seattle’s women’s sports teams including the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and the NWSL’s OL Reign), our whopping total has been brought to two (2). Two whole sports bars that offer the guarantee you can catch that NWSL game or the WNBA playoffs.

Lines have been out the door for The Sports Bra, which also makes sense when you consider the growing popularity of professional women’s sports across the board.

Viewership for last year’s WNBA finals was up 40% from just two years earlier, and the league has increased the number of regular-season games thanks to the growing popularity. As of 2019, US women’s soccer generates more revenue than men’s soccer. The NCAA increased the women’s basketball tournament pool to 68 teams this year, and the women’s Final Four games averaged 3.5 million viewers, the highest-watched women’s Final Four in a decade.

The Women’s College World Series out-performed the Men’s College World Series on average viewership per game and number of viewers in the most viewed game. The U.S. Women’s Open in golf nearly doubled the purse between 2021 and 2022. The list goes on and on.

And yet, for those of us who don’t live in Portland or Seattle, it can feel like we have to move mountains to find bars that show women’s sports on TV.

Why?

It’s clear there’s a demand for these games. If I had a dedicated bar I could go to for women’s sports, I would drive at rush hour in LA traffic to be there for my teams.

I love spending my fall Saturday and Sunday mornings at the bar watching college football and the Chicago Bears. I love a good B-Dubs March Madness moment. And I want to be able to enjoy that same sense of shared fandom for my women’s teams in their everyday games, not just when the Olympics roll around.

Sure, I can watch these games at home – but half of the fun of fandom is finding other fans to share the madness and excitement with. When I watched the Cubs win the World Series at the Chicago Cubs bar in NYC, it was a collective moment of joy and relief and many tears and many more Old Style toasts. It would have been fine to sit on my couch, but a lot of the magic that night was found in singing “Go Cubs Go” with strangers. Any Buckeye fan who’s ever linked arms with someone they didn’t know to sing Carmen knows the feeling.

And women’s sports fans deserve that experience too.

If bars and restaurants are paying attention, they’ll capitalize on the surging popularity in women’s sports by filling a major hole in the market and dedicating themselves to showing women’s sports regularly.

So this is major props to the Sports Bra and Rough & Tumble (and a friendly heads-up to pop in if you’re in Portland or Seattle), and it’s also a call to other bar and restaurant owners or wannabe owners to start showing women’s sports. Even if it’s not the only thing you show, I promise it will draw the loyalty of the millions of fans like me who are searching for a home base to watch our women.

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Anyone had to do this? Going in on Thursday.

Karma for all the times that I made jokes about how cool it would be to wear an eye patch.

You’re Nuts: Who is your favorite in-state opponent for Ohio State?
Brett Ludwiczak 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 Hickey/Getty Images

Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.

Ohio State will host Toledo on Saturday night at Ohio Stadium. The Rockets will be trying to do something that no in-state foe has been able to do in 101 years: beat the Buckeyes. Ohio State has won 44 straight games against other teams from the Buckeye State, with the most recent victory coming last year when Akron was trounced in Columbus by Ohio State.

Toledo can at least hang their hat on a solid performance against the Buckeyes, losing 27-22 at Ohio Stadium in 2011. The Rockets have now been beaten three times by Ohio State during their 44-game winning streak against in-state opponents. Following Saturday night’s game against Toledo, Ohio State will host another Ohio opponent next year when Youngstown State comes to Columbus.

It feels like there are some Ohio opponents that have a little more juice than others when it comes to play the Buckeyes. For example, Youngstown State will probably get a lot of love next year because of their ties to Jim Tressel, but the Penguins won’t challenge Ohio State on the field. Other schools from Ohio have come into The Horseshoe in the past and shown a little more fight than you’ll likely see from Youngstown State.

Today’s question: Who is your favorite in-state opponent for Ohio State?

We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.

Brett’s answer: Cincinnati


By “favorite” we mean the Ohio school you like to hate on the most, right? Since I’m a big ball of hate, I feel like favorite should be the Ohio school that makes your blood boil the most. I already think Cincinnati is terrible because of my hatred for Skyline Chili. If y’all want to eat what looks like the contents of a used diaper, that is on you. Just don’t try and pretend that it is good and the rest of us are missing out. We definitely aren’t.

Last year Bearcat fans got a little chesty, and they had good reason to, shocking the college football world and going undefeated during the regular season and earning a spot in the College Football Playoff. This caused some Cincinnati fans to think they were ready for the Buckeyes. I would have loved to see Ohio State take on Cincinnati, just because it would have resulted in Bearcat fans getting shut up real quick. How quickly they forget they were just two years removed from getting shutout by Ohio State, 42-0.

Honestly, I don’t even think of Cincinnati as a Buckeye city. Look at how many Cincinnati prospects end up going to Notre Dame. I feel like if you took a poll of everyone living in Cincinnati and the surrounding area, Ohio State wouldn’t be the preferred college team of the area. That’s fine though, since we have seen how bad Cincinnatians are at picking things. You can see why I now call Cincinnati “The Jewel of Kentucky”.

Meredith’s answer: Ohio University


For this one, there’s only one answer: Ohio University. There’s no actual football reason for wanting to play them. The Buckeyes are 6-0 all-time against their MAC opponents from Athens. Most recently, Ohio State brought home a 43-7 victory during the now-vacated 2010 season.

Yes, the Xs and Os have always worked in favor of the Buckeyes in this matchup, but I have a bone to pick with Rufus the Bobcat. That’s because, in that fateful game in 2010, Rufus, unprompted and unprovoked, attacked Brutus.

Let me make one thing clear: No one attacks MY Brutus and gets away with it. Brutus is an icon and a national treasure. A two-time mascot of the year, Brutus was also inducted into the mascot hall-of-fame in 2007.

I don’t want this to turn into mudslinging, but there’s probably a degree of jealousy from Rufus who felt that he was perhaps overlooked or lumped in with the myriad other wildcat-type mascots in the FBS. Perhaps we should even pity Rufus as this was a clear teenage-type attempt to get attention.

As an aside, Brett, for this particular occasion, Brutus’ official bio says he is friends with the Cincinnati Bearcat. I’m okay with that.

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Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for September 13, 2022
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.

Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.

Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.

You’re welcome!

For your Earholes...


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

Ask LGHL


Introducing ‘Ask LGHL,’ asking and answering questions throughout the football season
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land

LGHL Asks: Ohio State fans reassess season expectations following Notre Dame win
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land

On the Gridiron


Harrison Jr. is Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Ohio State Athletics

Ohio State opens as 31.5-point favorites over Toledo
Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land

Buckeyes draw primetime kickoff in B1G opener against Wisconsin
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row

It’s only two games, but what a difference a year makes.


Film Review: Ohio State’s passing attack stole the show, tackling from the corners raises concerns
Chris Renne, Land-Grant Holy Land

Snap Counts: 63 Buckeyes See Playing Time as Ohio State Expands Rotations Against Arkansas State
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors

Ohio State: Key takeaways as Buckeyes handled Arkansas State
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes

The Monday After: Taking closer look at Buckeyes win over Arkansas State
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row

Ohio State names three players of the game following Arkansas State win
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts


Ohio State Rewatch: Thoughts on tight ends, Caden Curry, Jack Sawyer (paywall)
Bill Landis, Dotting the Eyes

Grumpy Old Buckeye: Ohio State vs. Arkansas State
Michael Citro, Land-Grant Holy Land

Five Ohio State players who stood out vs. Arkansas State
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

Buckeye Stock Market Report: Stroud, Harrison Jr. pace OSU past Arkansas State
David M. Wheeler, Land-Grant Holy Land

Scientifically ranking all six of Ohio State’s touchdowns against Arkansas State
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land


How Steele Chambers and Ohio State football’s defensive front are playing downhill and dangerous (paywall)
Nathan Baird, cleveland.com

OSU safety Josh Proctor relishes ‘second shot’ against Arkansas State
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch

Dallas Gant Says Leaving Ohio State Was “Hardest Decision I’ve Ever Made,” but Thinks He’s “Exactly Where I Need to Be” at Toledo
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors

Five Things to Know About Toledo Before It Tries to Upset Ohio State on the Road
Griffin Strom, Elevn Warriors

Should be an interesting test this week.


You’re Nuts: What was your favorite Week 2 upset?
Josh Dooley and Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land

B1G Thoughts: Major upsets for the B1G West, goodbye Scott Frost
Jordan Williams, Land-Grant Holy Land

Column: This Ohio State team is still a work in progress, and that’s ok
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land

On the Hardwood

Outside the Shoe and Schott


Women’s Golf: Buckeyes In First Place After 36 Holes Of Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational
Ohio State Athletics

Women’s Ice Hockey: Ohio State Voted No. 1 in Preseason USCHO.com Poll
Ohio State Athletics

Women’s Cross Country: Engel Selected USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week
Ohio State Athletics


Women’s Volleyball: Londot and Podraza Earn Big Ten Weekly Awards
Ohio State Athletics

Men’s Soccer: Dowling Makes the Most of Final Year as a Buckeye
Gaurav Law, The Lantern

And now for something completely different...


This is disturbing...


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Silver Bullets Podcast: Arkansas State Rewind & Toledo Preview
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Steve Helwick from Hustle Belt stops by to give us the 4-1-1 on the Rockets.


Ohio State had little trouble dispatching Arkansas State in a 45-12 win. Even though the Buckeyes still had some hiccups and didn’t cover the spread, things weren’t too far off from what we expected out of Saturday’s game. C.J. Stroud, Marvin Harrison Jr., and TreVeyon Henderson were explosive on the offensive side of the ball. The linebackers and defensive line are still playing well, and the defense is forcing field goals instead of allowing touchdowns. Although the Buckeyes need to clean up the penalties and perhaps start forcing a few turnovers, things are on schedule. We look into the scores and stats of Ohio State’s win.

Of course, we checked in to see how our predictions and our picks to click fared, and we are seemingly better on the offensive side than the defensive side so far this season. Ohio State’s defensive ends aren’t putting up big numbers even when they’re playing well, so we’re seeing some patterns emerge in the statistical breakdowns of the games.

To get us prepped for the Toledo Rockets, we enlisted the help of Steve Helwick from SBNation’s Hustle Belt blog, which covers all the MACtion. Steve got us caught up with familiar face Dallas Gant’s exploits with the Rockets this season, told us what to expect from the Toledo offense and defense, and let us know what the team’s expectations are for the 2022 Mid-American Conference season. Big thanks to Steve for both his expertise and his time.

After bidding goodbye to our guest, we dug into the results around B1G football in Week 2, which was filled with blowouts, but there were a few close games and one that we didn’t expect to be close ended up being the last straw for Scott Frost at Nebraska. We threw around some names that the Huskers might turn to in order to right the ship.

We’ll be back next week to analyze the Toledo matchup, check on our picks and predictions, and get ready for a Big Ten-opening war with Wisconsin. In the meantime, feel free to reach out with your feedback and questions below in the comments section or send us an email.

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Ohio State trending for Ohio four-star athlete
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


2024 four-star ATH Garrett Stover via Mick Walker of 247Sports

The Buckeyes are trending for an Ohio 2024 four-star athlete, and the men’s basketball team continues its hot recruiting stretch.

Ohio State had a much less exciting game this past weekend, but it provided the Buckeyes with the opportunity to show off more of their offensive firepower. With the majority of the headlines surrounding the football team revolving around the current roster, Ryan Day and the Ohio State coaching staff continue to make the recruiting headlines. But don’t forget about Chris Holtmann and the men’s basketball Buckeyes, as they are on an impressive recruiting run as of late.

Ohio State trending for Ohio 2024 four-star athlete


The Buckeyes are hard at work finishing up their 2023 recruiting class. The group currently sits at No. 6 overall with 20 verbal commitments. The Buckeyes will continue to try to add to this class, but the coaching staff is also moving a lot of its attention to next year’s cycle — one that is already off to a bang.

Ohio State has just one commitment in 2024 thus far, but five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola is a huge get for the Buckeyes, and is already doing his part to recruit his peers to join him in Columbus. Raiola may not be the sole Ohio State commitment for long though, as the Buckeyes appear to be trending for one of Ohio’s best recruits in next year’s class.

2024 four-star athlete Garrett Stover (Sunbury, OH / Big Walnut) is certain to be very familiar with Ohio State as his cousin, Cade Stover, currently plays tight end for the team. He received his official scholarship offer from the Buckeyes on June 1 after impressing at one of Ohio State’s June recruiting camps. The offer seemed jump-start his recruitment, as he received offers from Cincinnati, Notre Dame and Northwestern to go along with his other offers from schools like Michigan State, Kentucky, Iowa State, Minnesota and Duke.

Stover was able to return to Ohio State’s campus for its home-opener versus Notre Dame, and told Stephen Means of Cleveland.com that Ohio State was his “dream school” following the visit, saying the following:


Fast-forward to Monday, and there have now been two 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions for Stover to commit to Ohio State. These predictions are far from guarantees, but when Steve Wiltfong and Dave Kurelic agree, the smoke usually means fire.

Stover has not yet mentioned he is ready to commit, but the Buckeyes have to like where they sit in his recruitment. Ryan Day has made it known he wants to prioritize winning in-state recruitments, and this trend appears to be the same for 2024.

Stover is the No. 39 ATH in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, and is the No. 244 overall prospect. He is also the No. 9 recruit from Ohio.

Men’s Basketball Buckeyes continue red-hot recruiting run


Chris Holtmann and the Ohio State men’s basketball coaches have been busy on the recruiting trail. The team offered 2025 combo guard Jalen Haralson over the weekend, and continued to hit the recruiting trail head-on Monday. First, the team made a follow-up visit with the aforementioned Haralson.


Haralson was not the only recruit the Ohio State coaching staff visited with Monday, as they also visited with 2024 four-star small forward Darren Harris (Fairfax, VA / Paul NI Catholic) and 2024 three-star power forward Tyler McKinley (Branson, MO / Link Academy).

Quick Hits

• Ohio State also sent out a pair of new offers in the 2024 class on Monday. On the receiving end were four-star wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan and four-star edge rusher Colin Simmons. McClellan is the No. 38 WR in country as well as the No. 5 player out of his home state of Missouri, while Simmons is the No. 51 player overall in the 2024 cycle and the No. 6 EDGE.

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LGHL Uncut Podcast: Ryan Day discusses Ohio State’s victory over Arkansas State
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State Athletics

The Buckeye football coach meet the media following Saturday win.

Throughout the year, Land-Grant Holy Land will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

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


On this episode of “Land-Grant Holy Land Uncut,” Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day spoke to the assembled media following the Buckeyes’ 45-12 victory over the Arkansas State Red Wolves. In a fairly short postgame session, Day discussed his team’s improved passing performance following an uncharacteristically muted performance in the opener against Notre Dame.

The head coaches also talked about the continued improvement of the team’s defensive unit under new coordinator Jim Knowles, the impressive performance of true freshman Caden Curry on the defensive line, and the large holes and running lanes that TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams were given by the offensive line.


Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

Music by: www.bensound.com

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Ohio State opens as 31.5-point favorites over Toledo
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

The Buckeyes are big favorites for the second week in a row.

DraftKings Sportsbook odds: Betting Line: Ohio State -31.5 | Over/Under: 61

Ohio State is once again favored by over 30 points as they head into their Week 3 matchup against in-state Toledo. The Buckeyes are coming off a 45-12 win over Arkansas State in a sleepy afternoon game that clearly lacked the same fire from the home team — understandably so — from the Week 1 tilt against Notre Dame. Toledo is coming off a 55-10 win over UMass as the Rockets have also begun their 2022 campaign 2-0.

Ryan Day’s squad looked good against an overmatched Red Wolves squad led by Butch Jones and Florida State transfer QB James Blackman. C.J. Stroud put up big numbers as expected, finishing completing 16 of his 24 pass attempts for 351 yards and four touchdowns. It was a coming out party for Marvin Harrison Jr., catching seven passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns. The run game didn’t have to do a whole bunch, but TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams combined to average over seven yards per carry, led by Henderson’s 10 carries for 87 yards and two scores.

On defense, the Buckeyes’ front seven once against put on show, holding the Red Wolves to just 1.6 yards per carry and just 53 total rushing yards on 34 attempts on the ground. Mike Hall Jr. continued his standout start to the season, registering a sack and a three tackles for loss. Steele Chambers had the team’s other sack, looking like he was shot out of cannon on a blitz up the middle. The secondary was shaky at times, but at the end of the day Ohio State was able to bend and not break as they held Arkansas State out of the end zone all game.

As previously mentioned, Toledo has started off the season 2-0, beating up on perennial powerhouses Long Island University and UMass. In this past weekend’s 55-10 win over the Minutemen, the Rockets were led by their ground game. Toledo toted the rock 37 times for 234 yards, topped by quarterback Dequan Finn’s seven carries for 74 yards and two TDs. Finn was not at his best through the air, but completed 12-of-26 for 177 yards and another touchdown. Jerjuan Newton led the way through the air, hauling in four balls for 106 yards.

Defensively this year, Toledo has been led by a familiar face in Ohio State transfer Dallas Gant, who has registered a team-high 20 tackles through his first two games with his new squad. Defensive end Desjuan Johnson has looked good to begin the campaign, as the senior leads the Rockets with 4.5 tackles for loss. The Toledo defense has forced three fumbles thus far this season, including one by the aforementioned Gant. Overall, Jason Candle’s team is ranked 5th in the country in scoring defense, allowing just five points per game, but the level of competition hasn’t exactly been stellar.

Toledo’s strength this season has been running the football — something the Ohio State defense has excelled in stopping. They will need Finn to make some plays through the air if they want to keep things competitive against the Buckeyes. On the flip side, C.J. Stroud and Company will be a far cry from the offenses Toledo has faced thus far this season, but this defense is certainly a significant step up from Arkansas State’s this past week. It also remains to be seen if Jaxon Smith-Njigba and/or Julian Fleming will suit up for Ohio State. The Buckeyes likely won’t need them to come away with a win, but 31.5 points is a lot to cover against a solid MAC program.

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

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B1G Thoughts: Major upsets for the B1G West, goodbye Scott Frost
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska gave Scott Frost his $15 million and showed him the door, while half the Big Ten West got upset on Saturday

Every Monday 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.

Goodbye Scott Frost


The Scott Frost era ended the only way it could — with a disappointing loss in a one-score game. It is a fitting end to a miserable coaching tenure that saw Frost go 16-31 in four-plus years. Nebraska, under Frost, has gone 5-22 in one-score games, including 12 of their last 13 losses coming by one score or less. The only loss with a margin larger than eight points was a nine-point loss to Ohio State. Nebraska is 4-11 in their last 15 games going back to last season.

Trev Alberts tried to give Frost a chance to prove that things could change, allowing him to fire and replace coaches while bringing in 20-plus transfers. As I’ve said before, nothing could fix the true issue, which was simply the fact that Scott Frost was the head coach.

After an undefeated season at UCF, Frost was deemed one of the best coaches in the country. He spurned multiple job offers to come home and return Nebraska to the glory of the 90s, but instead he broke the program. Frost will collect his $15 million buy-out as Alberts decided that waiting three weeks for the buy-out to be cut in half was too long. After firing Frank Solich and Bo Pelini for “only” winning nine games, the Cornhuskers will be on the search hoping to find a coach who can at minimum get this team to bowl eligibility after not reaching one since 2016.

Mickey Joseph and the elusive first


After the firing of Frost, a former Nebraska quarterback, Trev Alberts tapped Mickey Joseph, another former Nebraska quarterback, as interim head coach. Joseph, who joined the staff this year after serving as LSU’s wide receivers coach, is the first black coach at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. To clarify, he is not the first black football coach, he is the first black coach period.

I’m happy for Joseph, but it’s ridiculous that in the year 2022 Nebraska has never employed a black head coach for any sport. It gets sadder when you realize that Joseph is only an interim head coach and will most likely be replaced by whichever white coach has the name, recognition and desire that will impress the fanbase. Here’s hoping Joseph is given a legitimate chance to keep this job, but Nebraska needs to take a look at its history and hiring practices when it comes to athletics.

Braelon Allen: Under 100 yards = loss


Wisconsin was upset by Washinton State 17-14 on Saturday in an embarrassing showing. There were many reasons Wisconsin lost this game, starting with three turnovers — two fumbles, and an interception. Couple that with 11 penalties for 106 yards and it’s hard to win a game against anyone. Add in the fact that the Wisconsin kicker missed two field goals, and the Badgers were doomed to lose this game against a Washinton State team that prides itself on its defense under head coach Jake Dickert.

Despite all of this, Wisconsin should have won this game, but since star running back Braelon Allen stepped foot on campus, the Badgers have lost every game in which he runs for less than 100 yards. Allen ran for 98 yards on Saturday, and it’s hard to say that two more yards would have led to a win, but this is a trend that can’t be ignored. Allen is the engine for this program. If he doesn’t get loose then expect a long day and most likely a loss.

Iowa, please end our suffering


Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Iowa’s offense is a disgrace, Brian Ferentz should be out of a job, and Spencer Petras didn’t throw a touchdown in this game. Iowa’s offense once again didn’t show up, and it’s fair to question if they even have an offense. At this point, I would just let the defensive players play both ways and let the defensive coordinator call plays, because this is ugly.

Iowa lost to their in-state rivals Iowa State, 10-7, marking the first time Matt Campbell has won this game in his six years at Iowa State. Petras, in his last eight games, has thrown one touchdown and nine interceptions, yet Ferentz has stubbornly stuck by him while seemingly not considering a chance at quarterback. It’s time for Kirk Ferentz to be shown the door. His loyalty to Spencer Petras and his son Brian has sent Iowa into a downward spiral that he is not capable of recovering from.

Heartbreak in the Windy City


Let’s face it, Northwestern is not a good team. Their win against Nebraska was more of a statement about Nebraska and less a sign of things to come for the Wildcats. Enter Duke, a program that has been the dregs of college football for years but is trying to turn it around under new head coach Mike Elko.

Duke got out to a big lead early, but Northwestern fought back and had a chance to win the game twice. Both times, Elko’s team came up with back-breaking takeaways helping to secure the victory. It is going to be a long season for Northwestern. A win here would have provided confidence towards conference play. Instead, the Wildcats must find a way to regroup after a heartbreaking loss.

The Blue Devils secured the win with these takeaways late:

Ohio State’s receiver depth is scary


Ohio State entered this season with one known commodity and a bunch of high four and five-star wide receivers after losing two first-round draft picks in Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. If that wasn’t bad enough, star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba left early in the first game of the season with a lower leg injury, and former five-star receiver Julian Fleming couldn’t suit up due to injury. By my count thats four wide receivers who would start at any school in the country who are not able to play. Oh well. No problem, because here comes the next wave of five-star receivers in Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr.

After a slow start against Notre Dame, Egbuka and Harrison Jr. broke out against Arkansas State to the tune of 11 combined catches for 302 yards and four touchdowns. Route Man Marv showcased his route running ability on his way to 187 yards and three touchdowns, with a fourth inaccurately taken away by a bad decision by the review crew. The Ohio State receiving corp is the most dangerous group in America, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba hasn’t played more than two quarters this season. RIP to any secondary that has to face these three studs and the next wave of players waiting for their turn.

Check out Marvin Harrison Jr. three touchdowns:

A Silver Bullets sighting


After holding Notre Dame to 10 points, Jim Knowles’s defense held Arkansas State to 12 points, once again stiffening on multiple red zone trips and forcing field goals instead of touchdowns. Despite multiple stupid penalties and a few bad plays from the corners, the defense dominated in the trenches and made big plays when needed. They held their opponent to 54 rushing yards on 34 carries — a measly 1.6 yards per attempt.

Knowles’ defense racked up 12 tackles for loss, two sacks and three quarterback hurries. After two games, Ohio State is 19th in 3rd down conversions, allowing eight first downs on 33 attempts. They’re also tied for 14th in tackles for loss and 23rd in total defense. The cornerback group needs to get better, but under Knowles, this defense has the chance to be special and remind Buckeye Nation of the Silver Bullets of old.

Welcome to the McCarthy era


Jim Harbaugh has ended his quarterback charade by announcing J.J. McCarthy as the starting quarterback moving forward after choosing not to announce a starter before the season. Instead, he continued the sham competition by starting Cade McNamara in Week 1 against Colorado State and J.J. McCarthy in Week 2 against Hawaii.

After going 11-for-12, including a wide receiver drop, for 229 yards and two touchdowns, it is abundantly clear that McCarthy has a much higher ceiling and has the best chance of leading Michigan past Ohio State and back into the playoffs. It’s easy to look good with Michigan’s easy out-of-conference slate, and I fully expect McCarthy to make mistakes due to his high-risk high-reward style of play. But for Michigan to reach its ceiling, they need McCarthy under center.

The Chase for the Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year award


Chase Brown is chasing the Big Ten running back of the year award — pun intended. Brown ran past Virginia en route to a 24-3 Illinois victory to the tune of 146 yards on 20 carries. That’s good for 7.3 yards per attempt. After three games, Brown has 496 yards and two touchdowns on 75 rushing attempts. There are a lot of big names in the Big Ten collective running back room, but Brown is staking his claim as the best of the best. Illinois should be 3-0 on the season, but even at 2-1 with the way Brown is running, I expect the Illini to grind out a few Big Ten wins and reach a bowl game in Bret Bielema’s second season.

Multiple goose eggs + 50-point victories


After four Big Ten teams were upset, a win is a win. But Michigan State and Purdue left no doubt in their victories on Saturday. Michigan State beat Akron 52-0, while Purdue put up 56 points against Indiana State in another shutout. Both teams played severely overmatched opponents, but a shutout is always noticeable, especially in a season where three Sun Belt teams upset three Power 5 opponents on the same day. Not sure these wins mean anything in the big picture, but MSU and Purdue deserve some acknowledgment at the bare minimum.

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You’re Nuts: What was your favorite Week 2 upset?
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Lots of choices from the second full week of college football action.

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 was your favorite Week 2 upset?

Josh’s Take


While not expected to be a pivotal week in the college football landscape, Week 2 provided plenty of drama, and plenty of fireworks. A number of ranked teams dropped non-marquee matchups, and a few of the teams that did win were forced to hang on for dear life. Such is life in the often crazy world of CFB, and that is why we love it... as long as our team is unaffected, and somehow manages to avoid the upset shrapnel.

Ohio State did exactly that. The Buckeyes were on the outside looking in, at least when it came to the chaos that was Week 2. They took care of business during a sleepy noon kick against an inferior opponent, and came out none the worse for wear. As fans, we’ll take it. Because on the other end of the spectrum, we could have been cheering for a once-storied program that has completely lost its way, or another that has recently attempted to buy its way into CFB’s VIP lounge. In this case, the latter is a reference to Texas A&M, and I can’t say I feel bad for the Aggies. Their upset at the hands of mighty Appalachian State was my favorite chaotic moment of the past weekend.

A&M hired Jimbo Fisher in 2018 with hopes that he would lead them to a national title. Fair enough I guess, given that he had won it all with Florida State recently... if we’re calling 2013 recent. Fisher enjoyed another great season in 2014, but dropped three games in back-to-back seasons after that, and bottomed out with a 5-6 record in 2017. So why exactly did A&M hire him away from Tallahassee with a 10-year deal? And let’s not forget: That deal was signed on Dec. 1, 2017 — the day before FSU was scheduled to finish their regular season. Fisher left that program high and dry, which is another reason I enjoyed watching the Aggies fall on Saturday.

Since Ol’ Jimbo joined the SEC, A&M has been... relevant? Maybe I have a lower opinion of the team than most, but nobody can argue that the Aggies have been great. Far from it, actually. They have not exceeded nine wins in any of his four seasons, and only once did they finish the season ranked inside the top-15. That was in 2020, also known as the fluky pandemic season. A&M is 3-0 in bowl games, and they did upset No. 1 Alabama last year, but aren’t you just getting into Iowa territory at that point? On the precipice of competing, pulling off the occasional upset, with a coach fans generally know of, but never really making it beyond that? However, relevancy is clearly not enough for the A&M program, so they have attempted to spend their way to the top.

Because not coincidentally, the school landed 2022’s top recruiting class. AKA, the first class really eligible (wink, wink) to enjoy the benefits of NIL. And good for them. Same goes for the players who chose to attend A&M. But let’s not act like it comes down to anything other than money. It’s not coaching. It’s not recent success. It’s not the sights and sounds, although I’m sure College Station is awesome. A&M just has greater bandwidth for recruiting, as well as more NIL incentives to offer. But what is that “currency” backed by? No proven track record, no history of success. The school went big on promises, and now we’ll see if they can keep it all together. But don’t try to tell me that A&M’s 2022 class is/was anything other than some anomaly.

During Fisher’s time at the school, their recruiting classes were ranked 17, 5, 6, and 9 prior to 2022. Their 2023 class is currently ranked No. 24. So was it Fisher and the campus that enticed this year’s signees, or was it something else? And A&M can’t even lean on Texas being a talent-rich state as the reason, because six of the top ten signees hail from outside of the Lone Star State. The program cast a wide net, made a bunch of promises, and they will now hope that their investment pays off. But last Saturday, it certainly did not.

Appalachian State was too physical for No. 6 A&M. Too physical! The Sun Belt darlings controlled the ball, rushed it 52 times, played strong defense, and won the turnover battle in their 17-14 upset. And this is a team that gave up damn-near 100 to North Carolina in Week 1. They imposed their will on the Aggies, knocking off the SEC’s third or fourth best team. Again, how’s that ROI looking for A&M?

I love to see a good upset. Said upset is made even more enjoyable when a team like App State, which has worked their way up from the FCS and built a program the right way, takes down a “powerhouse” program attempting to take a shortcut. So go Mountaineers, and please stay the hell away from Columbus!

Gene’s Take


As Josh and I discussed on the podcast this week, so many times its the seemingly lackluster college football slates that lead to the most chaos. When previewing the Week 2 schedule, it was hard to ignore the lack of ranked matchups and the hefty betting lines. Outside of the Alabama-Texas game and the pair of AP Top 25 showdowns — Kentucky-Florida and Baylor-BYU — it sure seemed like we were headed for a week of some lackluster football. Instead, we got quite the opposite.

The biggest upset of the day, as Josh discussed, was App State stunning No. 6 Texas A&M in College State as 18-point underdogs. It was far from the only upset of the day, however. We also saw the likes of No. 8 Notre Dame fall to Marshall, No. 12 Florida lose to No. 20 Kentucky in the Swamp, No. 19 Wisconsin come up short against Washington State. In addition, No. 9 Baylor lost a thriller to No. 21 BYU, however its tough to call that an upset when the Cougars were favored in the game despite being the lower-ranked team. All of these results are enticing to choose from, but my favorite Week 2 upset came between two unranked teams.

For that we look to the Big Ten, where Nebraska was defeated — at home — by Georgia Southern, leading to the subsequent firing of Scott Frost. The Huskers entered the matchup as 23.5-point favorites, but it was yet another one-score loss for Frost, and despite his buyout dropping significantly at the start of October, the administration could not wait another second before letting the failed head coach go.

I can’t say that I watched all of this game, but it was definitely one that caught my eye while scrolling through the box scores, and eventually I put it on to watch another Nebraska meltdown in the fourth quarter. Tied 35-35 entering the final frame, the Eagles quickly got on the board with a field goal to take a 38-35 lead. It wasn’t until there were about three minutes remaining that Nebraska finally answered with a score of their own, with Casey Thompson’s 1-yard touchdown scamper giving the Huskers a late lead, 42-38. It was at this point that seemingly everyone knew what was about to happen.

Georgia Southern put together an 11-play, 75-yard drive in 2 minutes and 29 seconds, capped by a 8-yard touchdown run from Kyle Vantrease with just 36 seconds remaining in the game. It was at this point that everything started to become real. It was happening again. The Scott Frost one-score game nightmare was taking shape in front of our eyes. Nebraska was able to work the ball down to the Eagles’ 34-yard line with 1 second left on the clock. However, the 52-yard field goal attempt to tie the game was no good, and the Huskers fell to 1-2 on the season with an embarrassing loss in their own stadium.

It was a perfect way for the Scott Frost era to end. Frost went 5-22 in one-score games during his time at Nebraska. In that same timespan, no other FBS team suffered more than 16 one-score losses. Overall, Frost never put together a winning season with the Cornhuskers, never winning more than five games in a single year and finishing with an overall record of 16-31 (10-26 in Big Ten play).

It’s nothing against Frost personally, but watching Nebraska continue to lose the exact same game week after week for multiple seasons with different personnel and coaching staffs was simply a sight to behold. I was actually excited to see the Huskers take on Oklahoma this week, a game that would be even more hilarious if they were able to win. The Nebraska administration has robbed us of that possibility, but the move had to be made before things really spiraled out of control.

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


Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Here’s what made my face do that thing as if I’d eaten a lemon.

Week 2 of the Ohio State football schedule pitted the Buckeyes against the Red Wolves of Arkansas State. Butch Jones brought his team into Ohio Stadium for its paycheck and its beating, the latter did happen, although it was at times a bit more annoying than expected. How dare the Red Wolves not roll over and allow Ohio State to play every guy on the roster by the end of the third quarter!

Here are the things that yucked my yum Saturday in the Buckeyes’ 45-12 win over Arkansas State. (And remember, much of this is a kernel of truth saturated in 36 layers of sarcasm. I won’t say not to “@” me about it, but at least keep that in mind if you do.)

Don’t Be Unsportsmanlike


After the first touchdown, Xavier Johnson committed a completely unnecessary penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Johnson, the hero of last week’s game, is a guy who is supposed to be seen as a leader on the team, and although passion is a good thing to show, there’s no need for Goliath to antagonize David. Just take away David’s stones and pummel him good, and that’s it. The former walk-on should know better than that. The only good thing about that penalty was that it gave me something to write about the opening drive in this column. So, thanks Xavier, I guess.

Penalties: Still Bad


A week after committing seven penalties for 75 yards against Notre Dame, the Buckeyes apparently thought that was an area where more was necessary. Ohio State committed nine fouls for 85 yards against Arkansas State, and that would have been more but a Red Wolves receiver was able to haul in a pass despite being interfered with, and two fouls were committed on one play with Arkansas State only allowed to take one of them.

One of the most egregious fouls was a Teradja Mitchell leaping violation on a punt play. Now, I will give Mitchell a bit of a break, since every player jumps to try to block a punt and not every player who does so gets hit low and flipped over the top of the shield like that, which makes it a pretty obvious call. It extended the Red Wolves’ drive, as did one of multiple Denzel Burke pass interference penalties. That isn’t to say that the referees were calling a consistently tight game. After all, Emeka Egbuka was hit three yards out of bounds a drive after those earlier fouls I mentioned.

Several of Ohio State’s penalties were pre-snap, like last week. But this week it was the defense jumping offside that was the bigger issue, whereas last week it was Dawand Jones trying to get a head start.

Harrison Got Hosed


Marvin Harrison Jr. had a terrific game, with seven catches on nine targets for 184 yards and three touchdowns. However, it should have been four and a crime was committed in stealing one of them from him. Harrison caught the ball short of the goal line, dove, and the ball crossed the plane just before it was punched out of his hands. The ruling on the field was incomplete, but the replay seemed just as conclusive as the live action.

Since Harrison did not go to ground while making the catch, the play should have been dead once the front of the ball broke the plane of the goal line, which it apparently did — if cameras are at all to be trusted. He did not have to “make a football move,” because he already did that when he pulled the ball in and dove for the goal line. Diving is a football move. The replay was inexcusably not looked at by the referee on the field and the Buckeyes kicked a field goal.

This is what happens when you hire an officiating crew from the dollar store.

Maybe Burke is…Bad Now?


A lot is expected of cornerback Denzel Burke after a breakout season last year. It’s only been two games so far, but Burke doesn’t look like the same lockdown cover man as last year. He’s been repeatedly burned in space, has allowed catches when his coverage is good, and he’s panicked and taken pass interference penalties when he’s got things pretty well handled.

Other than looking a bit more bulked up than last year, I haven’t seen any physical reason for this. Yeah, Notre Dame is expected to make plays, but Arkansas State is not a team that should be able to pick on your lockdown corner for chunk plays. His penalties were a problem, and he also gave up a big play right after the Noah Ruggles field goal — the one above that should have been a Harrison touchdown…Grrr! — that allowed the Red Wolves to pull those points right back on their next drive.

Muff and Stuff


It was late, with lots of backups in, but the muffed punt late in the game was another aggravation. There was insufficient communication between the return man and his blockers, and the ball hit a Buckeye and was recovered by Arkansas State, giving the visitors another opportunity to get points. It was the only turnover of the first couple of games, but it happened and I don’t have to like it.

Two and Counting


I’ll let everyone else proclaim the defense has been fixed. Sure, it’s been more physical and has been much more reliable through two games against the run than last year. It remains to be seen if that trend holds after Notre Dame’s home loss to Marshall, which might indicate the Irish are less good than expected. The issue that galls me is the number of four- and five-star athletes running around out there not taking the ball away.

Jim Knowles’ defense has forced no turnovers through two games, and one of them is allegedly the easiest one on the schedule. I realize it’s only been two games, but if the Silver Bullets are indeed back, let’s see some forced fumbles and interceptions.


Those are the things that burned my bacon on Saturday. What ticked you off? Let me know in the comments section below. Let’s get our collective gripe on!

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• HEIGHT 6-4
  
• WEIGHT 245
  
• HOMETOWN NEW ALBANY, OHIO
  
• LAST SCHOOL NEW ALBANY
  
• YEAR 3RD YEAR

Ohio State Overview
• Patrick is in his third year with the program after initially walking on in 2020
• Saw first collegiate action in 2021 vs. Akron
• He is a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and is exploring majors in the health sciences

Prior to Ohio State
• Joined the Ohio State football program in June of 2020 as a preferred walk-on
• A versatile player for New Albany High School, contributing at tight end, outside linebacker and defensive end throughout his career
• Collected 42 tackles, 3.5 sacks, eight tackles-for-loss, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery during his senior season for the Eagles
• Named first-team All-OCC and Academic All-Ohio
• Also played lacrosse at New Albany where he was an all-conference defender as both a sophomore and junior
• His father, Andy, was a linebacker for the Buckeyes from 1987-91
• Has a sister, Carolyn, who attends Ohio State

Film Review: Ohio State’s passing attack stole the show, tackling from the corners raises concerns
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Buckeyes showed up, took care of business, and got into the win column. That story looks a little different on each side of the ball.

On Saturday, Ohio State took care of business in its 45-12 win over Arkansas State. The game was an example of the emotional challenges that come for heavily favored teams after playing in a primetime environment the week before.

Throughout the game, Ohio State’s offense was in cruise control. The receivers had an excellent performance, and Stroud made throws that showed his NFL ceiling. When needed, the running backs were reliable and made a few big plays themselves. In a game like this, not hearing much about the offensive line is a good thing.

Defensively, the Buckeyes had some trouble in the secondary at times. There were some issues that can be easily resolved, but fundamental shortcomings like tackling in space should at least raise eye brows. The front seven picked up where they left off, and Arkansas State’s quarterbacks were never really able to get comfortable. Outside of penalties, there really aren’t any areas to complain about with the linebackers or the defensive linemen.

The game itself was simple and straight forward — a pay game the Buckeyes never really fully woke up in and still ended up winning comfortably. In this review, we’re going to see how the Ohio State receivers took another step this week, as well as take a look at what the defense will be trying to clean up when the Buckeyes take on Toledo in Week 3 before the start of conference play.


Receiver Play

College football is fun to watch, and players like Marvin Harrison Jr. are why Saturday’s against Arkansas State can be special. After a solid performance against Notre Dame, Harrison Jr. took this opportunity to show the world the tools that make him such a special talent. The speed, strength, and catch radius was on full display, with Harrison Jr. scoring three touchdowns – should have been four – and hauling in seven catches for 184 receiving yards.

The effectiveness by Harrison Jr. started early in the game. The Buckeyes were on their first offensive series. Harrison Jr. lines up as the lone single receiver to the top of the screen, and he gets one-on-one coverage. His route starts when his stem takes him onto the screen. His inside route stem takes the leverage away from the cornerback. Coming out of his break on a “Dig” route – a rounded 15-yard in-breaking route – Harrison Jr. explodes to create separation, and Stroud hits him in stride. The rest is Harrison Jr. showing off his speed and getting to the end zone for six points.


In the next play, we see just how easy this game came to Harrison Jr. The Buckeyes had a 2nd-and-2 on the Arkansas State 42-yard line. This is “take a shot” territory, and that has air quotes around it because announcers love to point that out every time a team is in this exact situation.

The Buckeyes oblige. Stroud sells a hard run fake and then takes a drop back to give the receivers time to get down the field. Harrison Jr. is running a Go-route, and he once again has one-on-one coverage. Harrison Jr. runs by the cornerback and Stroud drops the ball into the basket. The ease of this throw-and-catch shows the chemistry being built by the quarterback and his receiver. This will go a long way for the Buckeyes down the road, especially once they get Smith-Njigba back into the fold.


In the next play, we see the throw and catch of the day for the Buckeyes. Arkansas State is running “Cover-2 man under” meaning they have two-high safeties and the rest of the defenders have man responsibilities. This coverage is one of the few that make it hard to push vertically, and the windows to complete vertical throws are much smaller to the outside receivers.

This is where the term “hole-shot” comes into play. The space behind the corner and before the safety in coverage over top is the hole. In Cover-2 Man, this is an even tighter window with the corner in a trail technique. Harrison Jr. runs a vertical route, and Stroud throws the ball into the only spot this pass would be completed. The timing by Stroud is undermined by the incredible athleticism and concentration Harrison Jr, needed to make the tough catch down the sideline for a touchdown.

Overall, this is just that high level execution that Ohio State quarterbacks and receivers have made look effortless over the last few seasons.


Harrison Jr. wasn’t alone on Saturday, and Emeka Egbuka had a big game in his own right. Egbuka had four catches for 118 yards and a touchdown catch. The play below shows high level receiving and quarterback play.

If the route Egbuka ran here was a designed play, it was drawn up perfectly. That being said, I do not think that was play that was designed. Egbuka was running a drag route across the formation, and once the defender cut off his path, he turned up field vertically. Stroud saw this and delivered a perfect touch pass over top to Egbuka, who ran the rest of the way for six. This play is not made without Miyan Williams’ elite blitz pick up, which gave Stroud time to adjust to Egbuka turning up field. Without that block, the Buckeyes probably don’t score on this play.


The results of this game were an expectation, but with limited experience the receivers showed growth with how they were able to dominate. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has shown this ability, and now Harrison Jr. and Egbuka showed their reliability as well as their explosiveness this week. As they continue to build their relationship with Stroud, their level of play should keep rising.


Fundamental Issues in Secondary

Defensively the Buckeyes were far from perfect, the secondary having the most issues. There was an early intensity, but the Buckeyes had a propensity for undisciplined penalties on Saturday which took that early edge away. The Buckeyes definitely settled in, and to make up for their mistakes they tightened up in the red zone, forcing Arkansas State into settling for field goals.

The penalties started with a pass interference on corner Denzel Burke. This was exasperated by a second penalty, which started the day off on the wrong foot. In the play below, we see Burke get lost in his coverage with the technique he was playing. Once he lost position and feel of the receiver, rather than trusting his rules of getting back to the defenders hips and turning when the receiver shows his hands, he panicked. This led to a poor close out and another 15-yard penalty.


Burke had a rough day, and this film article could have singled out quite a few of his errors. That being said, there were more fundamental issues to look at from the defense than just the few plays by Burke. In the play below, we see Arkansas State in a 3rd-and-1 situation.

The Buckeyes are lined up straight up in their base defense against 12-personnel. Arkansas State motions a receiver across the formation, and the goal is to get their athlete the ball quick in space to gain the one yard. Ohio State’s defenders read the play immediately and have the receiver caught in the backfield if they use proper technique. Cam Martinez (No. 13) and Jakailin Johnson (No. 4) over-pursue the player, who cuts back and picks up just enough for the first.

This is a small thing, but the difference in a tackle for a loss and giving up a first down is the angles taken by the defensive backs when they were trying to make a play in space.


The last play builds on what we just looked at. The defensive backs really struggled on Saturday with their tackling in space – most notably the corners and young safeties. In the next play, we see Cam Brown playing off man coverage in a 2nd-and-19 situation.

Arkansas State runs a quick hitch to the outside receiver Brown has in coverage. Brown takes a bad angle to close out on the receiver and gives up a move inside after the catch. By taking a bad angle, what should have been a short gain forcing a third-and-long, the Buckeyes ended up allowing a first down. This was a common theme throughout the game for the corners, and this will be on position coach Tim Walton to get this issue fixed as the Buckeyes prepare for Toledo.


The emotional aspect of the game of football can not go underrepresented, and going from a huge non-conference home opener against an AP Top-5 team to playing Arkansas State at noon is significant difference. For the Buckeyes to go in and never relinquish control of this game at any point shows some maturity for a young team at a lot of key positions.

On offense, Stroud and the receivers stole the show, and Marvin Harrison Jr. officially announced to the country that he has arrived in 2022. The growth of Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka can not go under appreciated. The amount of game reps they are getting will only make them more dangerous as Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming return to the fold. Add that to a running game that’s finding their identity, the Ohio State offense got a lot of this pay game against Arkansas State.

The same can not be said for the secondary, more specifically the corners who had lapses in coverage and tackling techniques. This poor play took away from a relatively strong defensive performance from the rest of the groups on that side of the ball. If the corners can learn from their mistakes and grow from them against Toledo next week, Ohio State should head into their match up against Wisconsin with a lot of confidence.

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I-70 Football Podcast: The Scott Frost era has mercifully ended
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

After another disappointing loss, Nebraska has parted ways with Scott Frost. Plus, a review of a wild and wonderful Week 2.

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.

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It has finally happened: the Scott Frost era is over, and we are all victors. The first of many names on Jordan’s list of fireable coaches has been crossed off after Nebraska suffered a 45-42 loss to Georgia Southern — a Georgia Southern team led by Clay Helton, who was last year’s Scott Frost. It is a fitting end to a miserable coaching tenure that saw Frost go 16-31 in four-plus years. The guys get into Nebraska’s firing of Frost and who should be next on the list. We’re looking at you, Kirk Ferentz.

Next up the guys review a weekend in which the Big Ten West had a miserable showing, as four teams lost, all of which could be considered upsets. Wisconsin continues the trend of losing games where Braelon Allen doesn’t run for 100 yards, losing 17-14 to Washington State. Iowa’s offense again failed to show up as Spencer Petras continued his streak of games without throwing a passing touchdown. Without the defense providing some scoring, the Hawkeyes lost 10-7 to their in-state rival Iowa State. This makes the first time in six years under Matt Campbell that Iowa State has beaten Iowa. After a week off, Northwestern lost to Duke, which is not surprising and should serve as the second to last nail in Scott Frost’s coffin.

It’s time for Kevin Warren to announce the end of divisions effective for the 2024 season. With the false confidence allowed by being competitive in a weak West division, many of these programs will never get better until they start catching annual beatings at the hands of “lesser” Big Ten East teams.

After a brief stint of complaining about the AP Top 25, which once again fails to capture a realistic picture of the good teams in college football, the guys begin their preview of Week 3. There are some sneaky good games, as Penn State faces Purdue, Michigan State plays Washington and Nebraska goes to Lincoln to face the Oklahoma Sooners. In their weekly pit stops, Jordan is tired of the NFL already as the Colts found a way to tie against their much worse division foe in the Houston Texans. Dante celebrates the Steelers’ win over the Bengals, but acknowledges the season may be over with injuries to TJ Watt and Najee Harris


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Dante: @DanteM10216

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Ohio State offers 2025 shooting guard from Indiana
Bret Favachio via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Jalen Haralson | 247Sports

The Buckeyes and hoops coach Chris Holtmann send an Indiana standout home with an offer after his weekend visit to Columbus.

While most of the weekend focus came on Saturday as the Buckeyes took care of business on the gridiron, it was the basketball program who made most of the headlines on the recruiting trail in recent days. Ohio State had their eyes set on a prospect from Indiana and gave him the invitation to claim a spot in Columbus. Plus, a Cincinnati prospect briefly talks his visit to the Buckeye campus last weekend.

Buckeyes send offer to Haralson


After a jam-packed visitor list for the contest against Notre Dame, it was a bit less of a recruiting weekend in Columbus this weekend. However, the Buckeyes did welcome a prospect that gets in done on the hardwood in 2025 combo guard Jalen Haralson of Fishers (IN).

The visit would ultimately end in Haralson securing an offer from the Ohio State and pushing his current total to 11 scholarship opportunities.


Ohio State joined Auburn, Florida State, Indiana, Iowa, IUPUI, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, and Purdue as the early programs to get in an offer to the 6-foot-7, 205-pounder.

According to his 247Sports profile, Haralson has an upcoming visit scheduled to check out Michigan State prior to end of this month.

Another Crystal Ball prediction for Moore


After receiving a Crystal Ball prediction last weekend prior to Ohio State’s contest against the Irish, it was 2024 four-star interior offensive lineman Ian Moore of New Palestine (IN) who received yet another crystal ball forecast in favor of the Buckeyes on Saturday courtesy of Bill Kurelic.

Moore was indeed in attendance last weekend against Notre Dame and much like Wiltfong, Kurelic also feels as if it is Ohio State who is out in front for the coveted pledge of the Indiana standout.

The 6-foot-5, 295-pounder currently slots in as a Top 100 prospect overall at No. 91 and is the highest graded player from the state of Indiana. Moore also finds himself inside of the top five prospects at his position as he ranks as the fourth best interior offensive lineman in next years cycle.

While the Buckeyes are seemingly out in front for Moore, it won’t be an easy pull as programs like Iowa and Wisconsin are also considered real options for the Dragons mammoth, highly-touted offensive lineman.

Quick Hits

• In Friday nights contest against Wayne (OH), 2024 four-star cornerback Aaron Scott of Springfield (OH) was spotted sporting Ohio State gloves, as shown on Twitter by Marc Givler of Buckeye Huddle. Scott, a top-10 in-state prospect next cycle, already holds an offer from the Buckeyes and is considered a top target for the program.
• According to Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com, Dayton was in to visit 2023 four-star shooting guard and former Ohio State pledge George Washington II of Chaminade Julienne (OH) this weekend. Weingarten also notes that the Dayton prospect will also see Virginia in the coming days.
• After securing offers from both Old Dominion and Penn State this weekend, 2024 small forward Jadyn Harris of Bishop O’Connell (VA) is expected to have numerous schools stop in to visit in the next few weeks including Ohio State, according to the aforementioned Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com. Georgetown, Maryland, Syracuse, and Vanderbilt are also expected to see the Arlington native.
• Weingarten also revealed that along with Haralson, who was offered on his weekend visit, the Buckeyes also welcomed 2025 shooting guard EJ Walker of Lloyd (KY) to campus this weekend. Walker currently holds offers from Duquesne, Northern Kentucky, Ohio, Toledo, and Youngstown State.

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Well, week 2 was more exciting than expected. Here’s the lineup for what comes up next.

WEEK 3

Friday, Sept. 16

Florida State at Louisville | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Air Force at Wyoming | 8 p.m. | CBSSN


Saturday, Sept. 17

Wofford at Virginia Tech | 11 a.m. | ACC Network
No. 1 Georgia at South Carolina | 12 p.m. | ESPN
UConn at No. 4 Michigan | 12 p.m. | ABC
No. 6 Oklahoma at Nebraska | 12 p.m. | FOX
Texas State at No. 17 Baylor | 12 p.m. | FS1
Youngstown State at No. 9 Kentucky | 12 p.m. | SEC Network
Abilene Christian at Missouri | 12 p.m. | ESPN+/SECN+
Villanova at Army | 12 p.m. | CBSSN
Southern Illinois at Northwestern | 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Purdue at Syracuse | 12 p.m. | ESPN2
Cincinnati at Miami (Ohio) | 12 p.m. | ESPNU
Long Island University at Kent State | 12 p.m. | ESPN3
Western Kentucky at Indiana | 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Towson at West Virginia | 1 p.m. | Big 12/ESPN+
Buffalo at Coastal Carolina | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Bucknell at Central Michigan | 1 p.m. | ESPN3
South Alabama at UCLA | 2 p.m. | Pac-12 Network
Ohio at Iowa State | 2 p.m. | Big 12/ESPN+
Rutgers at Temple | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
Old Dominion at Virginia | 2 p.m. | ACC Network
Murray State at Ball State | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
Cal at Notre Dame | 2:30 p.m. | NBC/Peacock
Tulane at Kansas State | 3 p.m. | Big 12/ESPN+
New Mexico State at Wisconsin | 3:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
No. 12 BYU at No. 25 Oregon | 3:30 p.m. | FOX
No. 20 Ole Miss at Georgia Tech | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
No. 22 Penn State at Auburn | 3:30 p.m. | CBS
Vanderbilt at Northern Illinois | 3:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Colorado at Minnesota | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Stony Brook at UMass | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN3
Troy at Appalachian State | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Georgia Southern at UAB | 3:30 p.m. | Stadium
UL Monroe at No. 2 Alabama | 4 p.m. | SEC Network
Kansas at Houston | 4 p.m. | ESPNU
UT Martin at Boise State | 4 p.m. | FS1
Liberty at No. 19 Wake Forest | 5 p.m. | ACC Network
Colorado State at Washington State | 5 p.m. | Pac-12 Network
Marshall at Bowling Green | 5 p.m. | NFL Network
Mississippi State at LSU | 6 p.m. | ESPNU
North Carolina A&T at Duke | 6 p.m. | ESPN+/ACCNX
Campbell at East Carolina | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Toledo at No. 3 Ohio State | 7 p.m. | FOX
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at No. 8 Oklahoma State | 7 p.m. | Big 12/ESPN+
Missouri State at No. 10 Arkansas | 7 p.m. | ESPN+/SECN+
Texas Tech at No. 16 NC State | 7 p.m. | ESPN2
Akron at No. 15 Tennessee | 7 p.m. | ESPN+/SECN+
Jacksonville State at Tulsa | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Northwestern State at Southern Miss | 7 p.m. | ESPN3
Arkansas State at Memphis | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Charlotte at Georgia State | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Tennessee State at Middle Tennessee | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
South Florida at No. 18 Florida | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network
No. 11 Michigan State at Washington | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
NO. 23 Pitt at Western Michigan | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU
Nevada at Iowa | 7:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
SMU at Maryland | 7:30 p.m. | FS1
Maine at Boston College | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN3
UCF at Florida Atlantic | 7:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Louisiana at Rice | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Louisiana Tech at No. 5 Clemson | 8 p.m. | ACC Network
Montana State at Oregon State | 8 p.m. | Pac-12 Network
UTEP at New Mexico | 8 p.m. | MWN
UTSA at No. 21 Texas | 8 p.m. | Longhorn Network
No. 13 Miami (Fla.) at No. 24 Texas A&M | 9 p.m. | ESPN
San Diego State at No. 14 Utah | 10 p.m. | ESPN2
Fresno State at No.7 USC | 10:30 p.m. | FOX
North Dakota State at Arizona | 11 p.m. | FS1
Eastern Michigan at Arizona State | 11 p.m. | Pac-12 Network
Duquesne at Hawai'i | 11:59 p.m. | Spectrum Sports PPV

Column: This Ohio State team is still a work in progress, and that’s ok
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images

Have they been perfect this year? No. Do they need to be? Also no.

I admit — either because I am a massive Ohio State homer, or because I know very little about college football (or perhaps some combination of both) — I expected the 2022 Buckeyes to look more like a finished product to start the season than they have through their first two games. I obviously understood that there would be adjustments and growth throughout the season, especially on the defensive side of the ball as those players adapted and adjusted to the new scheme implemented by first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

However, I foolishly expected Heisman Trophy finalist C.J. Stroud to immediately fall into a rhythm with a nearly entirely new slate of starting wide receivers without skipping a beat. I expected the Buckeye offense to pick up exactly where it left off as the No. 1 unit in the country last season. While both the OSU defense and offense have been sturdy in wins against Notre Dame and Arkansas State in their first two games, they certainly haven’t been perfect; perhaps partially because of the injury to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the offense has looked more disjointed at times than the well-oiled “Greatest Show on Turf” that I anticipated.

But you know what? That’s on me. Ohio State is 2-0 and has played really well in its first two games of the season; it was unreasonable to expect them to be perfect right out of the gate. I did not appreciate how hard it would be to replace two top-11 NFL Draft picks at wide receiver. I didn’t give credit to how important in-game reps would be to get Knowles’ reconfigured secondary to gel. I did not give much credence to the need to build up to mid-season form.

Being a Buckeye fan is always an exercise in managing unreasonable expectations and uncontrolled rage when even the slightest thing doesn’t go perfectly. However, watching Saturday’s full slate of games reminded me of something that I’ve always known intellectually, but often forget emotionally in the moment: College football is built on chaos, and even if your team isn’t perfect, surviving any test should be celebrated, instead of taken for granted.

As someone who covers the team, I clearly need to be a bit more analytical about OSU’s on-field performance than I would if I was strictly watching the games as a fan, but it is important to not become too myopic when focusing on a single team. If I get too far into the weeds on the Buckeyes, it becomes incredibly easy to miss the forest through the trees, to mix my flora metaphors.

Yesterday alone was a perfect example of how special every win is in college football:

No. 1 Alabama nearly (re: should have) lost to unranked Texas
No. 6 Texas A&M lost to unranked Appalachian State
No. 8 Notre Dame lost to unranked Marshall
No. 9 Baylor lost to No. 21 BYU
No. 12 Florida lost to No. 20 Kentucky
No. 17 Pittsburgh lost to No. 24 Tennessee in overtime
No. 19 Wisconsin lost to unranked Washington State
No. 25 Houston lost to unranked Texas Tech

But No. 3 Ohio State beat unranked Arkansas State 45-12. Was it the 60-6 outcome that I predicted? Nope. Were there things that the Buckeyes need to clean up before they start playing better competition? Yep. Should I still be happy with the performance and the team’s continued growth and development? Absolutely.

Because we as fans build our entire weeks around the 3+ hours that the Buckeyes are on the field each Saturday, and the team’s accomplishments play such an out-sized role in our day-to-day moods, we can forget that football is an incredibly complicated sport and that the players that we are hanging our happiness on are 17 to 23-year-olds; it is foolish for us to expect perfection out of the gate and we need to recognize that things take time.

This is already a really good football team in a sport where there are very few of those to go around. And what’s exciting is that they will undoubtedly get better the further they get into the season.

More so than I have in a really long time, I have a ton of faith in this coaching staff to get guys in the right spots and to put them in the best positions to be successful. Yes, there are still things that need to be fixed, but I truly believe that Ryan Day, Knowles, and the rest of the coaching staff can get those issues figured out in time to accomplish all of the team’s goals (and — more importantly — meet my incredibly high expectations).

The passing game still needs to be tightened up, especially when Smith-Njigba and (presumably) Julian Fleming return, position coach Tim Walton needs to get something figured out at the cornerback position, and Parker Fleming needs to sure up the punt return operations. But, to steal a phrase from a franchise that was not ultimately successful, we Buckeye fans need to “Trust the process.”

This team is more than talented enough to beat their rival, win the Big Ten, and take the national title for the first time in eight years. So, while we shouldn’t ignore poor play and coaching decisions if/when they happen, context is always important, and — even with ample room to improve — the Buckeyes are better than just about every other team in the country and have plenty of time to get even better.

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Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: Ohio State wins on a very normal college football Saturday
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

The Buckeyes defeated the Red Wolves as chaos ensued across the sport elsewhere.

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:

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On this episode, Gene and Josh recap Ohio State’s 45-12 win over Arkansas State on Saturday. After a huge under-the-lights matchup against Notre Dame, the Red Wolves coming to town at noon didn’t exactly have the same feel to it, but the Buckeyes took care of business and continued to improve on both sides of the ball. At the same time, the rest of the college football world around them suffered a number of upsets, including the likes of Texas A&M, Wisconsin and of course Scott Frost’s Nebraska. All that and more on this Sunday show.

“Hangout in the Holy Land” will be back to 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

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Twitter: @Gene_Ross23

Connect with Josh
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye

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Buckeye Stock Market Report: Stroud, Harrison Jr. pace OSU past Arkansas 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


Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Maybe not the total blowout that we expected, but a nice return to form for the passing game, while there is still some work to do elsewhere.

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


The first thing that we noticed against Arkansas State was that the Buckeye big-play offense, missing against Notre Dame last week, is back. Long passing touchdowns, long running plays, almost a long punt return. Marvin Harrison, Jr. and Emeka Egbuka had no trouble getting behind the defense, and quarterback C.J. Stroud was accurate as usual.

But the game was closer, and more contested, than we would have thought. The Buckeyes did manage to insert some of the players from the second or third slots on the depth chart – but not until the middle of the final quarter.

Additionally, there were plenty of mistakes, like missed tackles and penalties, that caused problems. Did the Bucks play better this week than they did against Notre Dame? I don’t think so. The deep passing game was certainly better; the running offense, the pass defense, and the special teams play was poorer. Perhaps Arkansas State, a team that I figured to be the weakest on the Buckeye schedule, is better than expected. Clearly the Sun Belt Conference – Marshall, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern – shone for the day. Whatever the case, Ohio State still has work to do if it hopes to make the playoffs this season.

Offense

Overall rating: A Strong


The offensive numbers were right about at Ohio State’s average last year. 45 points was one shy of the average, and 538 total yards were not that far off of last year’s 561. The team passing offense against Arkansas State was 370 yards (380 average last year), and the rushing offense was 168 (180 in 2021). Since the OSU offense was the best in the country last year and the Bucks were still missing starting wideouts Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming, we shouldn’t have much to complain about. Right? Well, the opponent was Arkansas State. I expected more.

The Buckeyes started off strong in both halves, registering touchdowns on the first two possessions in the first and third quarters. But then they would occasionally bog down, go three and out, and be forced to punt. TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams both had good rushing games, but the Buckeyes didn’t seem as dominant on the ground as they did in the fourth quarter against the Irish.

The passing attack looked nearly back to normal. Harrison, Jr. and Egbuka had monster games, with long gains and great catches. Stroud completed 67% of his passes (16/24) for 351 yards and four TDs. No interceptions. With the quick strikes, the Buckeyes didn’t run many plays and lost the time of possession battle convincingly: 37:44 to 22:16.

Overall, the offense was good but not mind-boggling good. A bit of a disappointment, in fact.

Defense

Overall rating: A Strong


I almost gave the Buckeye D only an “adequate.” Missed tackles, penalties, and the inability to cover wide receiver Champ Flemings surely gave me pause. The opponent was, I repeat, Arkansas State. But the OSU defense didn’t allow any touchdowns, forced eight punts (and one out on downs), and yielded only 53 net rushing yards on 34 carries for a 1.6 yard per carry average. That average was lowered by the Buckeyes' 12 tackles for loss in the game. Pretty good.

There were a number of defensive players that played really well (see below) and a few who didn’t. I’m a little concerned that the OSU defense hasn’t yet gotten a takeaway this season. Two games in, I’m not sure what to make of this defense. Better than last year’s? Certainly. Really good? Maybe, but it’s too early to make that call.

Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Special Teams

Overall rating: BBB Adequate


I’d almost modify this rating into “barely adequate.” The special teams didn’t make any errors that put the game in jeopardy, but there were mistakes galore. When it appeared that the Red Wolves’ second series of the game would end just like the first one – with a three and out – the Buckeye special teams gave them a new possession.

It was actually worse than that because Egbuka had a long punt return for a touchdown, a really beautiful run, negated by two penalties. One would have canceled the return and moved the Bucks back, but it was declined. The Wolves accepted the second penalty, a jumping over the offensive line call against Teradja Mitchell before the kick, and Arkansas State kept possession, a possession that, with the help of more penalties, resulted in a field goal.

There were other issues. Like last week, an OSU punt returner let the ball bounce instead of getting under it for a fair catch. In the fourth quarter, Buckeye punt returner Cam Martinez got out of the way of a bouncing ball but didn’t communicate with his blocker, J.K. Johnson, who was knocked into the ball for an ASU recovery. Sloppy play on the punt return team throughout the game.

Individual Performances

Blue Chip


Marvin Harrison, Jr. The Red Wolves simply couldn’t cover him. He’s too big, too quick in separation, too fast down the field. He pulled in seven passes for 184 yards (26.3 yds/catch average!) and three TDs. He became only the second Buckeye in team history to twice record three touchdown receptions in a single game. Joey Galloway was the other in 1993 and 1994.

Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka also had more than 100 receiving yards against the Red Wolves, catching four passes for 118 yards (29.5 average). Although he had the punt return called back, Egbuka also ran an end around for a 27-yard rushing gain. Get him the ball!

Mike Hall, Jr. For the second week in a row, Hall was awesome. He wasn’t always in the game, but all three of his tackles were behind the line of scrimmage, and one was one of the two Buckeye sacks for the game.

Steele Chambers/Cody Simon. The two linebackers both played well. (And so did Tommy Eichenberg, actually.) Combined, Chambers and Simon had 12 tackles, three TFL, and one sack. They were really rough on the ASU running game.

Solid Performance


C.J. Stroud. He looked sharp the whole game, especially on the long passes. He had fewer underthrown balls than last week and seemed more comfortable throwing to the receivers that he had in the game.

TreVeyon Henderson. A solid game: 10 carries for 87 net yards and a couple of TDs. He got nearly half of his yardage on a 41-yarder on the first Buckeye possession.

Josh Proctor. Last week, Proctor missed a tackle early in the contest and sat out most of the rest of it. Against Arkansas State, he redeemed himself. Credited with only three tackles, he seemingly was all over the field and taking charge of the defense.

Penny Stock


Denzel Burke. Burke is supposed to be one of the best corners in the country. But he couldn’t handle Champ Flemings. Maybe Flemings will be an All-American. I don’t know. But I do know that Burke got burned several times by Fleming and also committed two interference penalties. I thought that Cam Brown played better on the other side.


As we head into Week 3, I still have questions about both the Buckeye offense and the Buckeye defense. It’s early yet and plenty of time for the talented Bucks to settle down, but the Notre Dame win lost some of its luster yesterday. On the other hand, Wisconsin looks a lot less menacing than it did a couple of days ago. Let’s hope that JSN and Fleming are back for Toledo.

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