Josh Dooley
Guest
You’re Nuts: Who is Ohio State’s biggest non-Oregon threat in the Big Ten?
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images
Besides the Ducks, who else can challenge the Buckeyes?
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.
Depending on who you ask(ed), Ohio State either experienced its Week 8 bye at A) exactly the right time or B) the worst time imaginable. It seems like this is/was no in between.
On one hand, the Buckeyes were able to lick their wounds after a tough loss, try to figure out their left tackle situation, and recalibrate before a tough stretch of games. On the other hand, the Scarlet and Gray were forced to sit and stew in the stench of said loss, with no opportunity to redeem themselves. Personally, I think having time to at least try to figure out the LT situation is and was paramount to immediately getting back on the horse.
Regardless of how you or I feel/felt about OSU’s bye week, it’s over. It’s done. And I think we’ll see rather quickly whether the time off was beneficial (or detrimental) to the team. If the Buckeyes come out hot against Nebraska, then we can safely assume that the break was well-timed and very much needed. If the home team struggles in The Shoe on Saturday, well then maybe they’re not “built for this” like we heard all summer. And that would be a damn shame. But we’re not considering a trip to Negative Town just yet.
Instead, Gene and I wanted to take this opportunity to look ahead. Ohio State has six games remaining in the regular season, four of which will be played in Columbus. Two of the six are against teams currently ranked in the top-15, while two others will pit OSU against teams at or near the bottom of the Big Ten barrel (Purdue and Northwestern, no offense). And then there’s, ya know, the rivalry of all rivalries. We call that a mixed bag.
Within said bag, which game and/or opponent should Ohio State fans be (most) nervous about? That is the question Gene and I are attempting to answer. And for me, there is one clear and obvious choice: It’s the Michigan game!
Look, I get it. The Wolverines might just stink out loud now that they can’t cheat. Or throw a forward pass. But TTUN is still OSU’s hated rival, and nothing is ever off the table when it comes to the greatest rivalry in all of sports. Especially when one team has nothing else to play for. And that’s Michigan this season. By the time Nov. 30 rolls around, Sherrone Moore’s squad might be staring down the barrel of a .500 record. And that makes this year’s version of The Game pretty interesting in my mind.
TTUN is likely going to pull out all the stops in their effort to knock off the Buckeyes because the game in Columbus is all they’ll have left at that point, literally and figuratively. This season is already a wrap for the Wolverines... But what if Moore could move to 2-0 against Ohio State and Ryan Day? What if he and his team could take down OSU in a year when/where the latter was expected to compete for a national championship? Wouldn’t that be the next best thing to actually winning a natty!? Maybe that’s just me being petty.
And finally, the other thing that concerns me about this year’s TTUN game is the same thing that concerns me year-round or season-round, which is Day’s record and coaching performance in big games. Until he and the Buckeyes start winning a few of these games, I am always going to have some level of anxiety and/or doubt going in. Even if Michigan is 6-5... Why do you do this to me, Coach Day!?
So that’s where I’m at. I understand and acknowledge that Penn State and Indiana might be better teams on paper, but that paper gets crumbled up and thrown away when we’re talking about The Rivalry.
Of Ohio State’s six remaining games, Penn State is obviously the toughest, right? If the Buckeyes are legit, they have three should-be easy matchups remaining against Nebraska, Purdue and Northwestern, two ranked opponents in Indiana and Penn State, and of course The Game at the end of the regular season against Michigan.
It would seem that the Nittany Lions present the biggest challenge among this group. Ohio State has dominated this “rivalry” over the past decade-plus, with the Buckeyes having won each of the last seven meetings and 11 of the last 12. In fact, Penn State’s only victory over those 12 games was on a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown in a 24-21 contest in Happy Valley.
However, this year’s Penn State team is much improved from year’s past. Now in year three, Drew Allar is a big upgrade at quarterback from those that came before him. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are a tremendous duo at running back, and Tyler Warren is one of if not the best tight end in the country. The Nittany Lions also have some game-breakers on defense in Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton.
All that being said, I am not choosing Penn State as Ohio State’s biggest remaining threat. Much like Ryan Day, James Franklin has a propensity to lose the big game, which may outweigh the Buckeyes’ own similar issues. Instead, Ohio State’s biggest threat in the conference is the one that is also the most well-coached, and that team resides in Bloomington, Indiana.
The Hoosiers have become a complete different program under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti, who previously managed to lead James Madison to 8-3 and 11-1 records in their first two seasons at the FBS level. Now coaching in the Big Ten, Cignetti has seen no drop-off in his ability to get results, as Indiana has begun the year a perfect 7-0, including a 4-0 mark in conference play.
Indiana has managed to find immense success both offensively and defensively under Cignetti, currently ranking No. 1 in the nation in scoring offense with 48.7 points per game and No. 7 nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 13.7 points per contest. The Hoosiers haven’t exactly had to play the toughest schedule to this point, with B1G wins over UCLA, Maryland, Northwestern and Nebraska, but they are coming off a 56-7 beatdown of the Cornhuskers and have won each of their seven games by an average margin of 35 points.
Offensively, Indiana has been led by Ohio transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke. The former MAC QB has dominated so far, racking up over 1,900 passing yards with 15 touchdowns to just three interceptions. The Hoosiers have a pair of 400-plus-yard receivers in JMU transfer Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr., while the run game has been strong as well with Wake Forest transfer Justice Ellison leading the way with 514 yards rushing and eight touchdowns on seven yards per carry.
On the other side, Indiana has imposed its will on teams defensively. The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten with 48 tackles for loss, led by another pair of JMU transfers in defensive linemen Mikail Kamara and James Carpenter with 8.5 and 6.5, respectively. Indiana is tied for the B1G lead with 21 sacks as a team, Kamara and Carpenter leading the way in that category as well, while the unit also ranks second in the conference in forced fumbles with seven, having picked off seven passes as well.
This is not your older brother’s Indiana football team. Sure, there are still question marks with this group that we may or may not figure out before the Hoosiers and Buckeyes meet on the field on Nov. 23 — a week before The Game. Indiana hasn’t played any real high caliber football teams thus far, with matchups against Washington, Michigan State and Michigan ahead of the Ohio State game. There is also the question of Rourke’s health, who is currently sidelined indefinitely with an injury but expected to return this season.
All that to say... I do think Indiana could be a real thorn in the Buckeyes’ side. Is Penn State the more talented team between the two? Absolutely. But the Hoosiers under Cignetti are one of the most well-coached teams in Big Ten, and I could see them giving Ohio State a real tough time, especially with the game occurring right before the finale against Michigan.
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images
Besides the Ducks, who else can challenge the Buckeyes?
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: Who is Ohio State’s biggest non-Oregon threat in the Big Ten?
Josh’s Take
Depending on who you ask(ed), Ohio State either experienced its Week 8 bye at A) exactly the right time or B) the worst time imaginable. It seems like this is/was no in between.
On one hand, the Buckeyes were able to lick their wounds after a tough loss, try to figure out their left tackle situation, and recalibrate before a tough stretch of games. On the other hand, the Scarlet and Gray were forced to sit and stew in the stench of said loss, with no opportunity to redeem themselves. Personally, I think having time to at least try to figure out the LT situation is and was paramount to immediately getting back on the horse.
Regardless of how you or I feel/felt about OSU’s bye week, it’s over. It’s done. And I think we’ll see rather quickly whether the time off was beneficial (or detrimental) to the team. If the Buckeyes come out hot against Nebraska, then we can safely assume that the break was well-timed and very much needed. If the home team struggles in The Shoe on Saturday, well then maybe they’re not “built for this” like we heard all summer. And that would be a damn shame. But we’re not considering a trip to Negative Town just yet.
Instead, Gene and I wanted to take this opportunity to look ahead. Ohio State has six games remaining in the regular season, four of which will be played in Columbus. Two of the six are against teams currently ranked in the top-15, while two others will pit OSU against teams at or near the bottom of the Big Ten barrel (Purdue and Northwestern, no offense). And then there’s, ya know, the rivalry of all rivalries. We call that a mixed bag.
Within said bag, which game and/or opponent should Ohio State fans be (most) nervous about? That is the question Gene and I are attempting to answer. And for me, there is one clear and obvious choice: It’s the Michigan game!
Look, I get it. The Wolverines might just stink out loud now that they can’t cheat. Or throw a forward pass. But TTUN is still OSU’s hated rival, and nothing is ever off the table when it comes to the greatest rivalry in all of sports. Especially when one team has nothing else to play for. And that’s Michigan this season. By the time Nov. 30 rolls around, Sherrone Moore’s squad might be staring down the barrel of a .500 record. And that makes this year’s version of The Game pretty interesting in my mind.
TTUN is likely going to pull out all the stops in their effort to knock off the Buckeyes because the game in Columbus is all they’ll have left at that point, literally and figuratively. This season is already a wrap for the Wolverines... But what if Moore could move to 2-0 against Ohio State and Ryan Day? What if he and his team could take down OSU in a year when/where the latter was expected to compete for a national championship? Wouldn’t that be the next best thing to actually winning a natty!? Maybe that’s just me being petty.
And finally, the other thing that concerns me about this year’s TTUN game is the same thing that concerns me year-round or season-round, which is Day’s record and coaching performance in big games. Until he and the Buckeyes start winning a few of these games, I am always going to have some level of anxiety and/or doubt going in. Even if Michigan is 6-5... Why do you do this to me, Coach Day!?
So that’s where I’m at. I understand and acknowledge that Penn State and Indiana might be better teams on paper, but that paper gets crumbled up and thrown away when we’re talking about The Rivalry.
Gene’s Take
Of Ohio State’s six remaining games, Penn State is obviously the toughest, right? If the Buckeyes are legit, they have three should-be easy matchups remaining against Nebraska, Purdue and Northwestern, two ranked opponents in Indiana and Penn State, and of course The Game at the end of the regular season against Michigan.
It would seem that the Nittany Lions present the biggest challenge among this group. Ohio State has dominated this “rivalry” over the past decade-plus, with the Buckeyes having won each of the last seven meetings and 11 of the last 12. In fact, Penn State’s only victory over those 12 games was on a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown in a 24-21 contest in Happy Valley.
However, this year’s Penn State team is much improved from year’s past. Now in year three, Drew Allar is a big upgrade at quarterback from those that came before him. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are a tremendous duo at running back, and Tyler Warren is one of if not the best tight end in the country. The Nittany Lions also have some game-breakers on defense in Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton.
All that being said, I am not choosing Penn State as Ohio State’s biggest remaining threat. Much like Ryan Day, James Franklin has a propensity to lose the big game, which may outweigh the Buckeyes’ own similar issues. Instead, Ohio State’s biggest threat in the conference is the one that is also the most well-coached, and that team resides in Bloomington, Indiana.
The Hoosiers have become a complete different program under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti, who previously managed to lead James Madison to 8-3 and 11-1 records in their first two seasons at the FBS level. Now coaching in the Big Ten, Cignetti has seen no drop-off in his ability to get results, as Indiana has begun the year a perfect 7-0, including a 4-0 mark in conference play.
Indiana has managed to find immense success both offensively and defensively under Cignetti, currently ranking No. 1 in the nation in scoring offense with 48.7 points per game and No. 7 nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 13.7 points per contest. The Hoosiers haven’t exactly had to play the toughest schedule to this point, with B1G wins over UCLA, Maryland, Northwestern and Nebraska, but they are coming off a 56-7 beatdown of the Cornhuskers and have won each of their seven games by an average margin of 35 points.
Offensively, Indiana has been led by Ohio transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke. The former MAC QB has dominated so far, racking up over 1,900 passing yards with 15 touchdowns to just three interceptions. The Hoosiers have a pair of 400-plus-yard receivers in JMU transfer Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr., while the run game has been strong as well with Wake Forest transfer Justice Ellison leading the way with 514 yards rushing and eight touchdowns on seven yards per carry.
On the other side, Indiana has imposed its will on teams defensively. The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten with 48 tackles for loss, led by another pair of JMU transfers in defensive linemen Mikail Kamara and James Carpenter with 8.5 and 6.5, respectively. Indiana is tied for the B1G lead with 21 sacks as a team, Kamara and Carpenter leading the way in that category as well, while the unit also ranks second in the conference in forced fumbles with seven, having picked off seven passes as well.
This is not your older brother’s Indiana football team. Sure, there are still question marks with this group that we may or may not figure out before the Hoosiers and Buckeyes meet on the field on Nov. 23 — a week before The Game. Indiana hasn’t played any real high caliber football teams thus far, with matchups against Washington, Michigan State and Michigan ahead of the Ohio State game. There is also the question of Rourke’s health, who is currently sidelined indefinitely with an injury but expected to return this season.
All that to say... I do think Indiana could be a real thorn in the Buckeyes’ side. Is Penn State the more talented team between the two? Absolutely. But the Hoosiers under Cignetti are one of the most well-coached teams in Big Ten, and I could see them giving Ohio State a real tough time, especially with the game occurring right before the finale against Michigan.
Continue reading...