Matt Tamanini
Guest
How did the win over Notre Dame impact your view of Ohio State team, Ryan Day?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Throughout the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
I don’t know about you, but I am just now starting to recover from Saturday’s thrillifying 17-14 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I feel like this game has been a bit of a Rorschach test for fans, as some seem to be viewing it as a sign of great things to come from the still-gelling unit, while others see it as confirmation that the team is not as good as it should be.
Whichever side you come down on, we want to hear from you. So, at the bottom of the page, answer the three questions in our weekly survey and if you have other thoughts beyond the options that we’ve presented, feel free to make note of them in the comments at the bottom of the page.
In a game like the one we all witnessed on Saturday, there was always bound to be a myriad of different opinions on how that game unfolded, and I think that all of them are likely valid to a certain degree. Personally, I am of the opinion that it can be a stepping stone to historic things as the team continues to grow and improve throughout the season.
However, based on our social media mentions and comments on our articles, it appears that there are plenty of folks who view it as a flukey win against an overrated Irish team. I think that is probably unfair to both the Buckeyes and ND, but can understand the perspective that this isn’t the greatest win in program history.
So, after a few days to process, how are you feeling about the win in South Bend last Saturday?
When the season started, I picked the Buckeyes to win the national championship, in part because I thought that the landscape in college football this season was without a dominant team, and because I expected the defense to be much improved over 2022. So far, I feel pretty good about those predictions.
However, what I was wrong about was that I assumed that the offense would be far closer to late-stage C.J. Stroud production than it has proven to be. I knew that there would be a learning curve for Kyle McCord as he acclimated to the starting role, but I figured that given all of the experienced talent, they would be fine.
Admittedly, coming into the season, the No. 1 concern I had for the team was the offensive line, but I didn’t think that it would be as rough in run blocking as it has been. So, between that, the new clock rules, and McCord still working his way through some early-season issues, I was pretty concerned about how the Buckeyes were shaping up through the first three games.
While I still think that there are many areas that need to be improved upon, seeing the team’s fight and McCord’s leadership on full display against a quality opponent in a hostile environment renewed my confidence in their ability to improve in time to hit the stretch run of the season in stride.
I’m not gonna lie, in the moment, I loved Ryan Day going after the old windbag. Lou Holtz has been an embarrassing caricature of himself for years having initially debased himself alongside Mark May on ESPN for years — where he once praised Hitler for his leadership abilities — he has only gotten worse since.
Admittedly, the substance of his critique of Ohio State under Ryan Day is not wrong, at least when it comes to Michigan. OSU has lost the last two games — at least in part — because they were not as physical on the line of scrimmage as the Wolverines. And, if you read what Holtz said, it doesn’t seem that bad.
But, when you watch the clip from “The Pat McAfee Show,” he is playing it up like the cartoonish wrestling villain that he thinks he is. So, I understand Day taking offense to it, especially from a guy who has such deep connections to the university.
Was it an overreaction? Almost certainly. Was it unbecoming? Depends on who you ask. Was it absolutely hilarious? Most definitely.
Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Throughout the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
I don’t know about you, but I am just now starting to recover from Saturday’s thrillifying 17-14 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I feel like this game has been a bit of a Rorschach test for fans, as some seem to be viewing it as a sign of great things to come from the still-gelling unit, while others see it as confirmation that the team is not as good as it should be.
Whichever side you come down on, we want to hear from you. So, at the bottom of the page, answer the three questions in our weekly survey and if you have other thoughts beyond the options that we’ve presented, feel free to make note of them in the comments at the bottom of the page.
Question 1: What is your biggest takeaway from Ohio State’s win over Notre Dame?
In a game like the one we all witnessed on Saturday, there was always bound to be a myriad of different opinions on how that game unfolded, and I think that all of them are likely valid to a certain degree. Personally, I am of the opinion that it can be a stepping stone to historic things as the team continues to grow and improve throughout the season.
However, based on our social media mentions and comments on our articles, it appears that there are plenty of folks who view it as a flukey win against an overrated Irish team. I think that is probably unfair to both the Buckeyes and ND, but can understand the perspective that this isn’t the greatest win in program history.
So, after a few days to process, how are you feeling about the win in South Bend last Saturday?
Question 2: How much (if any) did the game change your opinion of the Ohio State team?
When the season started, I picked the Buckeyes to win the national championship, in part because I thought that the landscape in college football this season was without a dominant team, and because I expected the defense to be much improved over 2022. So far, I feel pretty good about those predictions.
However, what I was wrong about was that I assumed that the offense would be far closer to late-stage C.J. Stroud production than it has proven to be. I knew that there would be a learning curve for Kyle McCord as he acclimated to the starting role, but I figured that given all of the experienced talent, they would be fine.
Admittedly, coming into the season, the No. 1 concern I had for the team was the offensive line, but I didn’t think that it would be as rough in run blocking as it has been. So, between that, the new clock rules, and McCord still working his way through some early-season issues, I was pretty concerned about how the Buckeyes were shaping up through the first three games.
While I still think that there are many areas that need to be improved upon, seeing the team’s fight and McCord’s leadership on full display against a quality opponent in a hostile environment renewed my confidence in their ability to improve in time to hit the stretch run of the season in stride.
Question 3: What did you think of Ryan Day going after Lou Holtz?
I’m not gonna lie, in the moment, I loved Ryan Day going after the old windbag. Lou Holtz has been an embarrassing caricature of himself for years having initially debased himself alongside Mark May on ESPN for years — where he once praised Hitler for his leadership abilities — he has only gotten worse since.
Admittedly, the substance of his critique of Ohio State under Ryan Day is not wrong, at least when it comes to Michigan. OSU has lost the last two games — at least in part — because they were not as physical on the line of scrimmage as the Wolverines. And, if you read what Holtz said, it doesn’t seem that bad.
But, when you watch the clip from “The Pat McAfee Show,” he is playing it up like the cartoonish wrestling villain that he thinks he is. So, I understand Day taking offense to it, especially from a guy who has such deep connections to the university.
Was it an overreaction? Almost certainly. Was it unbecoming? Depends on who you ask. Was it absolutely hilarious? Most definitely.
Share your thoughts here:
Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Continue reading...