Ben van Ooyen
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View From the Fan: Tulsa
Ben van Ooyen via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
(This article originally appeared at ohiostate.scout.com)
Thoughts on Last Week –
I sure wasn’t expecting that outcome in the first game of the season! The team came out firing on all cylinders – minus that pick-six – and showed it has the potential to be a serious playoff contender this year. When you put up 77 points and 776 yards of total offense in the first game of the season, there’s a lot to be happy about.
I personally liked seeing so many young guys make their debuts for the Buckeyes against Bowling Green. Last year we only saw four true freshmen break into game action, and we’ve already seen 10 so far this year. Skill players like Joe Burrow and Demario McCall had good days – Burrow had his first collegiate TD pass, which happened to go to McCall. One of the most popular talking points last game was the selection of Michael Jordan on offensive line. He’s the first true freshman to start on the line since Orlando Pace did it in 1993. Jordan’s no Orlando Pace, but he surely held his own on Saturday despite a few penalties. We also saw Nick Bosa rack up his first career sack (the first of many, I’m sure), and Rodjay Burns take one to the house on a pick-six late in the 4th quarter.
This team is very young with only six seniors on scholarship, but after what we witnessed last week, the future at Ohio State is bright with all the talent that Urban and Co. is bringing in on a year-to-year basis.
Players of the Game –
Curtis Samuel – I know J.T. Barrett won Big Ten Player of the Week, but without Samuel, he probably wouldn’t have. Samuel provided that true H-back Urban has been looking for since he got here. Eighty-four yards rushing on 13 carries, 177 yards on nine receptions, and three touchdowns probably would’ve won Samuel the award any other week.
Malik Hooker – I mean, he put on an interception clinic on Saturday. The first one was simply amazing. The fact he was able to cover so much ground to get to the ball, jump up as high as he did, tip the ball, and then concentrate enough to come down with it was simply spectacular. On his second interception, I thought the Bowling Green receiver had it, but then I see Hooker running away with the ball. He again ran across the field to make the play and stole the ball right out of the hands of the receiver. It’ll be fun to watch him prowl around the secondary all season, that’s for sure.
On Tulsa –
Tulsa comes to us from the American Athletic Conference, which is the home to some quality football programs like Houston, Cincinnati, and ECU. They defeated San Jose State last week 45-10 and racked up 512 yards of offense in doing so. They have experienced leaders on offense in senior quarterback Dane Evans and junior running back D’Angelo Brewer. Considering they ran the ball 58 times against San Jose State, I expect they’ll try it again against the Buckeyes. Unlike San Jose State, though, Ohio State will be ready to plug the gaps. Tulsa held the Spartans to 287 yards of offense and only 10 points last week, but I think the Buckeyes will at least double those numbers with their arsenal of speed and weaponry.
What am I looking for out of this game? I want the Buckeyes to come in focused on the task at hand and not looking ahead to Oklahoma next weekend. If they do that, they should win this game pretty easily. I hope to see a more dominate offensive line that can open additional holes for Mike Weber, Curtis Samuel, and the other backs. Watching Samuel and Dontre Wilson catch balls is nice, but I really want to see the other wide receivers step up. Guys like Noah Brown and KJ Hill, even Austin Mack and Parris Campbell, both of whom were held without a catch last week, should get more involved this week.
On defense, I’m hoping to see more of the same. We kept big plays in check against Bowling Green, and we need to contain Tulsa in a similar manner. We didn’t hear much about the linebackers on the television broadcast last week, but that’s because the defensive line was doing a great job plugging the holes and limiting Bowling Green’s running game to 2.5 yards per carry. The secondary will continue to gel around Gareon Conley and Malik Hooker, with Marshon Lattimore and Damon Webb continuing to grow in their roles. The loss of Tracy Sprinkle for the year certainly hurts as far as depth goes, but the show must go on. I’m looking for Davon Hamilton and Dre’mont Jones to come out of their shells and shore up that defensive tackle spot.
Overall, I don’t think we’ll see the same offensive output as last week, but I still expect us to have a decent showing. My prediction: Ohio State 59, Tulsa 13.
Musings –
Like most of America, I watched a lot of college football over the weekend, and I’ve come to the conclusion that preseason polls need to go away. Yes, I understand they generate discussion and make the offseason a little more bearable, but after what I saw last weekend, preseason polls – as always – mean squat. LSU was a preseason top-five team and looked pretty terrible against Wisconsin. Tennessee was ranked 9th and needed overtime to take down Michigan-slayer Appalachian State. Oklahoma was preseason #3 and lost to Houston in a game the Sooners never really had much of a chance to win. Texas held on against ninth-ranked Notre Dame, and FSU came from behind to take down #12 Ole Miss.
How about we hold the rankings until teams have played five weeks of football? By then, everyone will have played a cupcake or two, a tough non-conference opponent, and a few conference opponents. Then we can really see who’s who. I know I shouldn’t get so riled up about these polls since the only one that matters is the one the College Playoff Committee puts out at the end of the year, but I can’t help it.
The polls are just too subjective. Let’s take for instance Jon Wilner, who’s an AP poll voter for the San Jose Mercury News. His preseason #1 pick was Ohio State, but after one week, he dropped them to the 9th spot. His reasoning –
“You’ll note that the top-eight teams on the ballot all played marquee opponents, not cupcakes. The rankings are based on my view of the quality of the individual win — Alabama over USC being the best, followed closely by Texas over Notre Dame.”
I’m sorry Jon, but that’s not how it’s done. You rank teams based on their overall performance, not just the “quality” of a single win. You ranked Ohio State preseason #1 with the knowledge that it opened with Bowling Green and Tulsa. You knew the Buckeyes would probably blow both teams out of the water, but you put them #1 anyway. Then, after a great weekend of college football, the Buckeyes’ 67-point win over Bowling Green wasn’t as impressive as Texas’ three-point win against Notre Dame? Sure, Texas was probably under-rated going into the season, but catapulting them from unranked to #2 in the country based on a double-overtime win against the #10 team seems a bit farfetched. Yes, it was a good win, but seriously, #2? If we follow Jon’s reasoning, Ohio State is only two ticks better than TCU, who struggled until late with FCS foe South Dakota State.
Let me end on this: I enjoy the preseason hype as much as the next person, and discussing college football year-round makes me happy. But when I have to read and listen to 15 voters put out 15 different top-25 rankings based on their personal logic, then all credibility for the voting system goes out the window. I’d rather the voters wait five weeks, see teams in action against a variety of opponents, and then make a logical Top 25. Sure, I put together my top four at the end of this column, but I don’t get paid to look like a fool. I do that for free.
A Fan’s Week 1 Playoff Predictions –
Alabama – A dominate performance on a big stage against a ranked opponent with a freshman quarterback. Not much more you could ask for, in my opinion, but Nick Saban will demand more from his team as they prepare to enter the SEC gauntlet later this year.
Houston – I called it last week when I said they would beat Oklahoma, but I didn’t see it being so easy. They shut down Baker Mayfield and provided the Buckeyes with a great scouting report on how to win. I expect old friends Tom Herman and Urban Meyer to discuss what went down as Ohio State gets ready to make the trip to Norman.
Clemson – Until they lose, I still think they belong here. Yes, they struggled against Auburn, but it was a road game in a hostile environment. We saw what the Deshaun Watson-to-Mike Williams combo is capable of, and I expect them to be a dynamic duo the rest of the season. Again, the battle with FSU looms large, as the winner of that game will most likely be playoff bound.
Ohio State – Yep, I’m biased, but the way the Buckeyes played on Saturday made them look like a playoff contender right out of the gate. The offense got rolling after the early pick-six, and the defense shut down the likely MAC champions. We’ll see what these young Bucks are made of in two weeks in Norman.
A Fan’s Week 1 Heisman Standings –
Christian McCaffrey – If you didn’t see the punt return that wasn’t, look it up. We might’ve seen a Heisman moment in the first game of the season if not for a weak block-in-the-back call that reversed it. Add 22 carries for 126 yards and two TDs (not counting the infamous punt return touchdown) and seven receptions for 40 yards to Mr. Does-It-All’s resume. Right now he holds the top spot for me.
J.T. Barrett – A six passing, one rushing touchdown performance in the first game of the season vaults Barrett up a spot in my rankings. He bounced back from an early pick-six to settle into a rhythm. Although he favored Curtis Samuel quite a bit, he completed receptions to eight other receivers, and he looked good running the read-option as well.
Nick Chubb – Boy, did he return from a season-ending injury in a big way! In a game against a tough North Carolina opponent, Chubb put up 222 yards on 32 carries and two touchdowns in Georgia’s come-from-behind victory on Saturday. Chubb didn’t look rusty at all as he ran through the Tar Heel defense.
Deshaun Watson – Yes, he didn’t look great against Auburn. He didn’t throw or run the ball particularly well, and he has high expectations on his shoulders this year since he’s leading a team that lost very few offensive pieces. He’ll continue to get better throughout the season, and I fully expect him to end up at the trophy presentation at the end of the year.
The post View From the Fan: Tulsa appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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Ben van Ooyen via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
(This article originally appeared at ohiostate.scout.com)
Thoughts on Last Week –
I sure wasn’t expecting that outcome in the first game of the season! The team came out firing on all cylinders – minus that pick-six – and showed it has the potential to be a serious playoff contender this year. When you put up 77 points and 776 yards of total offense in the first game of the season, there’s a lot to be happy about.
I personally liked seeing so many young guys make their debuts for the Buckeyes against Bowling Green. Last year we only saw four true freshmen break into game action, and we’ve already seen 10 so far this year. Skill players like Joe Burrow and Demario McCall had good days – Burrow had his first collegiate TD pass, which happened to go to McCall. One of the most popular talking points last game was the selection of Michael Jordan on offensive line. He’s the first true freshman to start on the line since Orlando Pace did it in 1993. Jordan’s no Orlando Pace, but he surely held his own on Saturday despite a few penalties. We also saw Nick Bosa rack up his first career sack (the first of many, I’m sure), and Rodjay Burns take one to the house on a pick-six late in the 4th quarter.
This team is very young with only six seniors on scholarship, but after what we witnessed last week, the future at Ohio State is bright with all the talent that Urban and Co. is bringing in on a year-to-year basis.
Players of the Game –
Curtis Samuel – I know J.T. Barrett won Big Ten Player of the Week, but without Samuel, he probably wouldn’t have. Samuel provided that true H-back Urban has been looking for since he got here. Eighty-four yards rushing on 13 carries, 177 yards on nine receptions, and three touchdowns probably would’ve won Samuel the award any other week.
Malik Hooker – I mean, he put on an interception clinic on Saturday. The first one was simply amazing. The fact he was able to cover so much ground to get to the ball, jump up as high as he did, tip the ball, and then concentrate enough to come down with it was simply spectacular. On his second interception, I thought the Bowling Green receiver had it, but then I see Hooker running away with the ball. He again ran across the field to make the play and stole the ball right out of the hands of the receiver. It’ll be fun to watch him prowl around the secondary all season, that’s for sure.
On Tulsa –
Tulsa comes to us from the American Athletic Conference, which is the home to some quality football programs like Houston, Cincinnati, and ECU. They defeated San Jose State last week 45-10 and racked up 512 yards of offense in doing so. They have experienced leaders on offense in senior quarterback Dane Evans and junior running back D’Angelo Brewer. Considering they ran the ball 58 times against San Jose State, I expect they’ll try it again against the Buckeyes. Unlike San Jose State, though, Ohio State will be ready to plug the gaps. Tulsa held the Spartans to 287 yards of offense and only 10 points last week, but I think the Buckeyes will at least double those numbers with their arsenal of speed and weaponry.
What am I looking for out of this game? I want the Buckeyes to come in focused on the task at hand and not looking ahead to Oklahoma next weekend. If they do that, they should win this game pretty easily. I hope to see a more dominate offensive line that can open additional holes for Mike Weber, Curtis Samuel, and the other backs. Watching Samuel and Dontre Wilson catch balls is nice, but I really want to see the other wide receivers step up. Guys like Noah Brown and KJ Hill, even Austin Mack and Parris Campbell, both of whom were held without a catch last week, should get more involved this week.
On defense, I’m hoping to see more of the same. We kept big plays in check against Bowling Green, and we need to contain Tulsa in a similar manner. We didn’t hear much about the linebackers on the television broadcast last week, but that’s because the defensive line was doing a great job plugging the holes and limiting Bowling Green’s running game to 2.5 yards per carry. The secondary will continue to gel around Gareon Conley and Malik Hooker, with Marshon Lattimore and Damon Webb continuing to grow in their roles. The loss of Tracy Sprinkle for the year certainly hurts as far as depth goes, but the show must go on. I’m looking for Davon Hamilton and Dre’mont Jones to come out of their shells and shore up that defensive tackle spot.
Overall, I don’t think we’ll see the same offensive output as last week, but I still expect us to have a decent showing. My prediction: Ohio State 59, Tulsa 13.
Musings –
Like most of America, I watched a lot of college football over the weekend, and I’ve come to the conclusion that preseason polls need to go away. Yes, I understand they generate discussion and make the offseason a little more bearable, but after what I saw last weekend, preseason polls – as always – mean squat. LSU was a preseason top-five team and looked pretty terrible against Wisconsin. Tennessee was ranked 9th and needed overtime to take down Michigan-slayer Appalachian State. Oklahoma was preseason #3 and lost to Houston in a game the Sooners never really had much of a chance to win. Texas held on against ninth-ranked Notre Dame, and FSU came from behind to take down #12 Ole Miss.
How about we hold the rankings until teams have played five weeks of football? By then, everyone will have played a cupcake or two, a tough non-conference opponent, and a few conference opponents. Then we can really see who’s who. I know I shouldn’t get so riled up about these polls since the only one that matters is the one the College Playoff Committee puts out at the end of the year, but I can’t help it.
The polls are just too subjective. Let’s take for instance Jon Wilner, who’s an AP poll voter for the San Jose Mercury News. His preseason #1 pick was Ohio State, but after one week, he dropped them to the 9th spot. His reasoning –
“You’ll note that the top-eight teams on the ballot all played marquee opponents, not cupcakes. The rankings are based on my view of the quality of the individual win — Alabama over USC being the best, followed closely by Texas over Notre Dame.”
I’m sorry Jon, but that’s not how it’s done. You rank teams based on their overall performance, not just the “quality” of a single win. You ranked Ohio State preseason #1 with the knowledge that it opened with Bowling Green and Tulsa. You knew the Buckeyes would probably blow both teams out of the water, but you put them #1 anyway. Then, after a great weekend of college football, the Buckeyes’ 67-point win over Bowling Green wasn’t as impressive as Texas’ three-point win against Notre Dame? Sure, Texas was probably under-rated going into the season, but catapulting them from unranked to #2 in the country based on a double-overtime win against the #10 team seems a bit farfetched. Yes, it was a good win, but seriously, #2? If we follow Jon’s reasoning, Ohio State is only two ticks better than TCU, who struggled until late with FCS foe South Dakota State.
Let me end on this: I enjoy the preseason hype as much as the next person, and discussing college football year-round makes me happy. But when I have to read and listen to 15 voters put out 15 different top-25 rankings based on their personal logic, then all credibility for the voting system goes out the window. I’d rather the voters wait five weeks, see teams in action against a variety of opponents, and then make a logical Top 25. Sure, I put together my top four at the end of this column, but I don’t get paid to look like a fool. I do that for free.
A Fan’s Week 1 Playoff Predictions –
Alabama – A dominate performance on a big stage against a ranked opponent with a freshman quarterback. Not much more you could ask for, in my opinion, but Nick Saban will demand more from his team as they prepare to enter the SEC gauntlet later this year.
Houston – I called it last week when I said they would beat Oklahoma, but I didn’t see it being so easy. They shut down Baker Mayfield and provided the Buckeyes with a great scouting report on how to win. I expect old friends Tom Herman and Urban Meyer to discuss what went down as Ohio State gets ready to make the trip to Norman.
Clemson – Until they lose, I still think they belong here. Yes, they struggled against Auburn, but it was a road game in a hostile environment. We saw what the Deshaun Watson-to-Mike Williams combo is capable of, and I expect them to be a dynamic duo the rest of the season. Again, the battle with FSU looms large, as the winner of that game will most likely be playoff bound.
Ohio State – Yep, I’m biased, but the way the Buckeyes played on Saturday made them look like a playoff contender right out of the gate. The offense got rolling after the early pick-six, and the defense shut down the likely MAC champions. We’ll see what these young Bucks are made of in two weeks in Norman.
A Fan’s Week 1 Heisman Standings –
Christian McCaffrey – If you didn’t see the punt return that wasn’t, look it up. We might’ve seen a Heisman moment in the first game of the season if not for a weak block-in-the-back call that reversed it. Add 22 carries for 126 yards and two TDs (not counting the infamous punt return touchdown) and seven receptions for 40 yards to Mr. Does-It-All’s resume. Right now he holds the top spot for me.
J.T. Barrett – A six passing, one rushing touchdown performance in the first game of the season vaults Barrett up a spot in my rankings. He bounced back from an early pick-six to settle into a rhythm. Although he favored Curtis Samuel quite a bit, he completed receptions to eight other receivers, and he looked good running the read-option as well.
Nick Chubb – Boy, did he return from a season-ending injury in a big way! In a game against a tough North Carolina opponent, Chubb put up 222 yards on 32 carries and two touchdowns in Georgia’s come-from-behind victory on Saturday. Chubb didn’t look rusty at all as he ran through the Tar Heel defense.
Deshaun Watson – Yes, he didn’t look great against Auburn. He didn’t throw or run the ball particularly well, and he has high expectations on his shoulders this year since he’s leading a team that lost very few offensive pieces. He’ll continue to get better throughout the season, and I fully expect him to end up at the trophy presentation at the end of the year.
The post View From the Fan: Tulsa appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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