Brett Ludwiczak
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When the game is on the line, Ohio State relies on quarterback J.T. Barrett’s legs to lead them to victory
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
It might not be pretty to watch, but Ohio State has won four of five games decided by a touchdown thanks to Barrett rushing the football.
“When Ohio State gets into a tough spot, the Buckeyes tend to fall back on J.T. Barrett and the QB run game to carry them through to victory.”
Ian Boyd, SB Nation
It may not be pretty to watch, but Ohio State has found success in close games when they trust in quarterback J.T. Barrett’s running ability. Barrett doesn’t have the type of ability to beat defenses with his speed like Braxton Miller, or he isn’t going to run defenders over like Cardale Jones, but the redshirt junior is smart with the football when his team needs him to be. The Buckeyes have seen five games decided by a touchdown or less this year, and because of what Barrett is able to do on the ground, Ohio State has won four of those games. When yardage lost from sacks are omitted, Barrett has averaged at least 5.8 yards per carry in those five games.
Over the past few years, Ohio State has found plenty of success on offense with the run/pass option, and the Buckeyes have needed Barrett’s legs more this year since the wide receivers haven’t developed as much as the coaching staff had hoped they would by this point. The troubles the wide receivers have had this year are highlighted even more by Barrett failing to average more than 7.8 yards per passing attempt in the five games decided by a touchdown or less. Along with Barrett’s legs, Ohio State is going to have to need their defense to step up like it has for most of the year. The defense has helped to put the Ohio State offense in a position for success, and when they do Barrett usually finds a way to capitalize on the opportunity.
“Watching him move again yesterday — you watch the other day late in the game he had gone like eight straight minutes and he wasn’t himself. He’s not in shape. He’s missed in essence, about four months. We gotta continue to build him and get him back.”
Ohio State men’s basketball coach Thad Matta on Keita Bates-Diop via Bill Landis, Cleveland.com
Ohio State is going to need a total team effort on Saturday if they want to score an upset over UCLA. Many are hoping for expanded minutes for Keita Bates-Diop on Saturday, but don’t be surprised if that doesn’t come to fruition. The forward suffered an ankle injury against Providence in November, and is still trying to work his way back into game shape. Bates-Diop returned for the last two games, but it’s obvious that Ohio State is taking things slow with him. In the loss to FAU, Bates-Diop was on the floor for 20 minutes, and he followed that up with 16 minutes in the win over UConn. By comparison, Bates-Diop played at least 24 minutes in the first three games of the year, which included the game against Providence where he was injured.
On top of the ankle injury, Bates-Diop is also trying to recover from a stress fracture in his left leg which he suffered over the summer. The combination of the stress fracture and the ankle injury, has seen Ohio State be a little more cautious with Bates-Diop’s return, as they have their eyes on a bigger prize. While a win against UCLA would be nice to bolster Ohio State’s résumé, Thad Matta wants to make sure Bates-Diop is a close to fully healthy as possible for Big Ten play. Bates-Diop isn’t quite at the level that many have become used to seeing him at, but he should be ready to help the Buckeyes contend for the conference crown if Matta continues to bring him along slowly.
“It makes us even want to be more hungry. We’re going out there playing with a Heisman candidate and a great player, so it feels like it’s sort of a thing for the back end. I feel like if we stop the pass, we have a great chance of winning this game.”
Ohio State safety Malik Hooker via Jacob Myers, The Lantern
Ohio State is going to need all hands on deck when they take on Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve, but two players they are going to need to step up more than others are safety Malik Hooker and h-back Curtis Samuel. Hooker is tied for fifth in the country with six interceptions on the year. Against Michigan, Hooker returned his third interception for a touchdown, which set a school record. Hooker and the rest of the defensive backs will have their hands full trying to slow down Mike Williams and the rest of the Clemson wide receiving corps.
On the other side of the football, Ohio State is going to need a big effort from junior Curtis Samuel. When the Buckeye offense is hitting on all cylinders is when Curtis Samuel is involved, not only in the rushing game, but in the passing game as well. The Buckeyes are going to need to utilize Samuel in both aspects of the game, which could help to neutralize the tremendous Clemson defensive line. Taking some of the pressure off of quarterback J.T. Barrett’s shoulders will greatly improve Ohio State’s chances of making it to the championship game in Tampa.
“The best thing about it was how proud my parents were of me. They told me that’s the best thing they could hope for out of any award, just because it’s the most well-rounded in terms of your character, athletically, schoolwise. That really made me the happiest, their reaction.”
Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard on being named an academic All-American via Tim May, The Columbus Dispatch
While four Ohio State Buckeyes were named All-Americans this year, Sam Hubbard received an even bigger honor, as the redshirt sophomore was named an academic All-American. Hubbard sack numbers might have been a little down this year, after registering 6.5 sacks in limited time last season, the defensive end has registered 41 tackles, which is 13 more than in 2015. Last year Hubbard had the luxury of playing with guys like Joey Bosa and Adolphus Washington on the defensive line, but this year saw his role increase as he was a starter at defensive end.
Hubbard is a fourth-year finance major, and has a 3.61 GPA. The defensive end has found balancing football and classes challenging at the time, but as shown by his performance both on the field and in the classroom, he is more than up to the task. Sometimes shouldering such a heavy load means studying all night, hitting the weight room, taking a test, practicing, and following that up with another test. Not only is Hubbard proud of what he has accomplished so far, but his biggest fans are even prouder. The best part of being named an academic All-American for Hubbard was being able to tell his parents about the honor. Now Hubbard can focus on his next test, as Ohio State will take on Clemson in the College Football Playoff in a couple weeks.
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Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
It might not be pretty to watch, but Ohio State has won four of five games decided by a touchdown thanks to Barrett rushing the football.
“When Ohio State gets into a tough spot, the Buckeyes tend to fall back on J.T. Barrett and the QB run game to carry them through to victory.”
Ian Boyd, SB Nation
It may not be pretty to watch, but Ohio State has found success in close games when they trust in quarterback J.T. Barrett’s running ability. Barrett doesn’t have the type of ability to beat defenses with his speed like Braxton Miller, or he isn’t going to run defenders over like Cardale Jones, but the redshirt junior is smart with the football when his team needs him to be. The Buckeyes have seen five games decided by a touchdown or less this year, and because of what Barrett is able to do on the ground, Ohio State has won four of those games. When yardage lost from sacks are omitted, Barrett has averaged at least 5.8 yards per carry in those five games.
Over the past few years, Ohio State has found plenty of success on offense with the run/pass option, and the Buckeyes have needed Barrett’s legs more this year since the wide receivers haven’t developed as much as the coaching staff had hoped they would by this point. The troubles the wide receivers have had this year are highlighted even more by Barrett failing to average more than 7.8 yards per passing attempt in the five games decided by a touchdown or less. Along with Barrett’s legs, Ohio State is going to have to need their defense to step up like it has for most of the year. The defense has helped to put the Ohio State offense in a position for success, and when they do Barrett usually finds a way to capitalize on the opportunity.
“Watching him move again yesterday — you watch the other day late in the game he had gone like eight straight minutes and he wasn’t himself. He’s not in shape. He’s missed in essence, about four months. We gotta continue to build him and get him back.”
Ohio State men’s basketball coach Thad Matta on Keita Bates-Diop via Bill Landis, Cleveland.com
Ohio State is going to need a total team effort on Saturday if they want to score an upset over UCLA. Many are hoping for expanded minutes for Keita Bates-Diop on Saturday, but don’t be surprised if that doesn’t come to fruition. The forward suffered an ankle injury against Providence in November, and is still trying to work his way back into game shape. Bates-Diop returned for the last two games, but it’s obvious that Ohio State is taking things slow with him. In the loss to FAU, Bates-Diop was on the floor for 20 minutes, and he followed that up with 16 minutes in the win over UConn. By comparison, Bates-Diop played at least 24 minutes in the first three games of the year, which included the game against Providence where he was injured.
On top of the ankle injury, Bates-Diop is also trying to recover from a stress fracture in his left leg which he suffered over the summer. The combination of the stress fracture and the ankle injury, has seen Ohio State be a little more cautious with Bates-Diop’s return, as they have their eyes on a bigger prize. While a win against UCLA would be nice to bolster Ohio State’s résumé, Thad Matta wants to make sure Bates-Diop is a close to fully healthy as possible for Big Ten play. Bates-Diop isn’t quite at the level that many have become used to seeing him at, but he should be ready to help the Buckeyes contend for the conference crown if Matta continues to bring him along slowly.
“It makes us even want to be more hungry. We’re going out there playing with a Heisman candidate and a great player, so it feels like it’s sort of a thing for the back end. I feel like if we stop the pass, we have a great chance of winning this game.”
Ohio State safety Malik Hooker via Jacob Myers, The Lantern
Ohio State is going to need all hands on deck when they take on Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve, but two players they are going to need to step up more than others are safety Malik Hooker and h-back Curtis Samuel. Hooker is tied for fifth in the country with six interceptions on the year. Against Michigan, Hooker returned his third interception for a touchdown, which set a school record. Hooker and the rest of the defensive backs will have their hands full trying to slow down Mike Williams and the rest of the Clemson wide receiving corps.
On the other side of the football, Ohio State is going to need a big effort from junior Curtis Samuel. When the Buckeye offense is hitting on all cylinders is when Curtis Samuel is involved, not only in the rushing game, but in the passing game as well. The Buckeyes are going to need to utilize Samuel in both aspects of the game, which could help to neutralize the tremendous Clemson defensive line. Taking some of the pressure off of quarterback J.T. Barrett’s shoulders will greatly improve Ohio State’s chances of making it to the championship game in Tampa.
“The best thing about it was how proud my parents were of me. They told me that’s the best thing they could hope for out of any award, just because it’s the most well-rounded in terms of your character, athletically, schoolwise. That really made me the happiest, their reaction.”
Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard on being named an academic All-American via Tim May, The Columbus Dispatch
While four Ohio State Buckeyes were named All-Americans this year, Sam Hubbard received an even bigger honor, as the redshirt sophomore was named an academic All-American. Hubbard sack numbers might have been a little down this year, after registering 6.5 sacks in limited time last season, the defensive end has registered 41 tackles, which is 13 more than in 2015. Last year Hubbard had the luxury of playing with guys like Joey Bosa and Adolphus Washington on the defensive line, but this year saw his role increase as he was a starter at defensive end.
Hubbard is a fourth-year finance major, and has a 3.61 GPA. The defensive end has found balancing football and classes challenging at the time, but as shown by his performance both on the field and in the classroom, he is more than up to the task. Sometimes shouldering such a heavy load means studying all night, hitting the weight room, taking a test, practicing, and following that up with another test. Not only is Hubbard proud of what he has accomplished so far, but his biggest fans are even prouder. The best part of being named an academic All-American for Hubbard was being able to tell his parents about the honor. Now Hubbard can focus on his next test, as Ohio State will take on Clemson in the College Football Playoff in a couple weeks.
STICK TO SPORTS
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