Brett Ludwiczak
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You’re Nuts: What is the best catch you’ve seen an Ohio State player make?
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 Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
A couple of true freshman wide receivers embraced the bright lights on Saturday night with some ridiculous catches. Alabama’s Ryan Williams not only hauled in a 75-yard game-winning touchdown against Georgia late in the fourth quarter in Tuscaloosa. After catching the football Willaims made a move that resulted in two Georgia defenders running into each other, allowing the Crimson Tide receiver the space needed to make it to the end zone. At just 17 years old, Williams looks like he could play immediately in the NFL.
Another young college football wide receiver who could play in the NFL right now and not miss a beat is Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith. The talented freshman made two one-handed catches on the same drive late in the first half against Michigan State. The first was a 27-yard reception along the sideline between two defenders, setting the Buckeyes up inside the red zone. The second one-handed catch came just 20 seconds later, resulting in a touchdown from Devin Brown to give Ohio State a 24-7 lead heading into halftime.
Today we want to know what is the best catch you have ever seen from an Ohio State player. Over the years there have been some phenomenal talents to come through Columbus at wide receiver. Cris Carter, Terry Glenn, David Boston, Michael Jenkins, Garrett Wilson, and many more have had grabs that will stick with fans forever. We also can’t forget about the tight ends of the Buckeyes since there have been some big targets with the ability to catch anything thrown toward them.
Back in 2019, Ohio State was on the ropes against Wisconsin at halftime of the Big Ten Championship Game. The Buckeyes entered the game undefeated and were 16-point favorites heading into the game. Ryan Day was in his first full season as head coach of Ohio State, and the Buckeyes closed out their regular season schedule with a 56-27 thrashing to Michigan in Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, we know now that Day hasn’t been able to beat the Wolverines since then.
Since Ohio State entered the Big Ten Championship Game undefeated, they likely would have still made the College Football Playoff with a loss, especially since they had defeated the Badgers 38-7 in Columbus earlier in the year. The Buckeyes still desperately wanted to win this game since a loss would have matched them up with LSU and their former quarterback Joe Burrow, who would be named the winner of the Heisman Trophy just a week after the playoff matchups were revealed.
Ohio State came out flat in the first half, as the Badgers jumped out to a 14-0 lead, and immediately answered the first touchdown of the Buckeyes late in the first half to head into the halftime break with a 21-7 lead. It became obvious Ohio State needed a spark if they were going to keep their undefeated season going. Jeremy Ruckert was up to the task. The tight end capped off a 75-yard drive with a ridiculous one-handed 16-yard touchdown catch from Justin Fields less than two minutes into the third quarter.
I remember being amazed at how Ruckert was able to make such a tough catch when all the pressure was on him and the Buckeyes. Fields overthrew Ruckert a little bit and the tight end stretched out and somehow was able to pull in the football with his one hand to cut the deficit to 21-14. Ohio State would go on to score 10 more points in the third quarter to take the lead and they would continue to pull away from the Badgers in the fourth quarter to earn the 34-21 to set up a matchup with Clemson in the CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl.
Ruckert will always go down as one of the most underrated Buckeyes, The tight end from New York got better each season in Columbus, finishing with 54 career receptions, with 12 of them being touchdowns. The following season, Ruckert would make another insane one-handed catch in the title game against Alabama. Basically, anything thrown toward Ruckert resulted in a catch, there just weren’t all that many passes thrown his way since the Buckeye offense had weapons like Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave on the field at the same time.
There are catches, and then there are catches. I think both Jeremiah Smith and Jeremy Ruckert’s one-handed grabs would qualify, but to me, when I think of iconic, indelible Ohio State catches, I think of what Noah Brown did — with the help of Oklahoma defensive back Michiah Quick — in Norman in 2016.
Since then, we have seen other guys catch the ball on the back of opposing players, but when this one happened, it absolutely blew my mind. What is so impressive about this is that it wasn’t just an incredible physical reaction. I am not an elite athlete, but I have been around a handful in my life, and it often strikes me that often, their best plays are made by subconscious reactions. They have trained so much to refine their skills that they don’t even need to think when at the most crucial moment.
This one is different though. Yes, Noah has an insane physical response to pin the ball to Quick’s back, but you can almost see his brain working as he is falling to the ground. Brown first gets his right foot down and then reached his left arm around the DB’s back to secure the catch. He also appears to be pressing the ball into Quick’s back to make sure that there is no possible way that he could drop it, or that it could move before he completes the catch.
This play is an incredible example of someone being completely locked into every aspect of his job; the physical, the mental, the understanding of the moment. The catch is amazing, the catch is legendary. And despite the impressive feat, I never would have guessed that Noah Brown would continue to be a reliable NFL wide receiver in his eighth year in the league.
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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
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
A couple of true freshman wide receivers embraced the bright lights on Saturday night with some ridiculous catches. Alabama’s Ryan Williams not only hauled in a 75-yard game-winning touchdown against Georgia late in the fourth quarter in Tuscaloosa. After catching the football Willaims made a move that resulted in two Georgia defenders running into each other, allowing the Crimson Tide receiver the space needed to make it to the end zone. At just 17 years old, Williams looks like he could play immediately in the NFL.
Another young college football wide receiver who could play in the NFL right now and not miss a beat is Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith. The talented freshman made two one-handed catches on the same drive late in the first half against Michigan State. The first was a 27-yard reception along the sideline between two defenders, setting the Buckeyes up inside the red zone. The second one-handed catch came just 20 seconds later, resulting in a touchdown from Devin Brown to give Ohio State a 24-7 lead heading into halftime.
Today we want to know what is the best catch you have ever seen from an Ohio State player. Over the years there have been some phenomenal talents to come through Columbus at wide receiver. Cris Carter, Terry Glenn, David Boston, Michael Jenkins, Garrett Wilson, and many more have had grabs that will stick with fans forever. We also can’t forget about the tight ends of the Buckeyes since there have been some big targets with the ability to catch anything thrown toward them.
Today’s question: What is the best catch you’ve seen an Ohio State player make?
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: Jeremy Ruckert’s touchdown against Wisconsin in the 2019 Big Ten Championship Game
Back in 2019, Ohio State was on the ropes against Wisconsin at halftime of the Big Ten Championship Game. The Buckeyes entered the game undefeated and were 16-point favorites heading into the game. Ryan Day was in his first full season as head coach of Ohio State, and the Buckeyes closed out their regular season schedule with a 56-27 thrashing to Michigan in Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, we know now that Day hasn’t been able to beat the Wolverines since then.
Since Ohio State entered the Big Ten Championship Game undefeated, they likely would have still made the College Football Playoff with a loss, especially since they had defeated the Badgers 38-7 in Columbus earlier in the year. The Buckeyes still desperately wanted to win this game since a loss would have matched them up with LSU and their former quarterback Joe Burrow, who would be named the winner of the Heisman Trophy just a week after the playoff matchups were revealed.
Ohio State came out flat in the first half, as the Badgers jumped out to a 14-0 lead, and immediately answered the first touchdown of the Buckeyes late in the first half to head into the halftime break with a 21-7 lead. It became obvious Ohio State needed a spark if they were going to keep their undefeated season going. Jeremy Ruckert was up to the task. The tight end capped off a 75-yard drive with a ridiculous one-handed 16-yard touchdown catch from Justin Fields less than two minutes into the third quarter.
I remember being amazed at how Ruckert was able to make such a tough catch when all the pressure was on him and the Buckeyes. Fields overthrew Ruckert a little bit and the tight end stretched out and somehow was able to pull in the football with his one hand to cut the deficit to 21-14. Ohio State would go on to score 10 more points in the third quarter to take the lead and they would continue to pull away from the Badgers in the fourth quarter to earn the 34-21 to set up a matchup with Clemson in the CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl.
Ruckert will always go down as one of the most underrated Buckeyes, The tight end from New York got better each season in Columbus, finishing with 54 career receptions, with 12 of them being touchdowns. The following season, Ruckert would make another insane one-handed catch in the title game against Alabama. Basically, anything thrown toward Ruckert resulted in a catch, there just weren’t all that many passes thrown his way since the Buckeye offense had weapons like Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave on the field at the same time.
Matt’s answer: Noah Brown’s behind-the-back catch against Oklahoma in 2016
There are catches, and then there are catches. I think both Jeremiah Smith and Jeremy Ruckert’s one-handed grabs would qualify, but to me, when I think of iconic, indelible Ohio State catches, I think of what Noah Brown did — with the help of Oklahoma defensive back Michiah Quick — in Norman in 2016.
Since then, we have seen other guys catch the ball on the back of opposing players, but when this one happened, it absolutely blew my mind. What is so impressive about this is that it wasn’t just an incredible physical reaction. I am not an elite athlete, but I have been around a handful in my life, and it often strikes me that often, their best plays are made by subconscious reactions. They have trained so much to refine their skills that they don’t even need to think when at the most crucial moment.
This one is different though. Yes, Noah has an insane physical response to pin the ball to Quick’s back, but you can almost see his brain working as he is falling to the ground. Brown first gets his right foot down and then reached his left arm around the DB’s back to secure the catch. He also appears to be pressing the ball into Quick’s back to make sure that there is no possible way that he could drop it, or that it could move before he completes the catch.
This play is an incredible example of someone being completely locked into every aspect of his job; the physical, the mental, the understanding of the moment. The catch is amazing, the catch is legendary. And despite the impressive feat, I never would have guessed that Noah Brown would continue to be a reliable NFL wide receiver in his eighth year in the league.
Continue reading...