Buckeye Blogger NetworkThis week’s soundtrack is colorful, but has a bit of a different taste to it: trust me, it makes total sense in the grand scheme of things. Enjoy… language warning.
There’s no denying it… one group of conference-mates had an incredibly difficult Saturday.
Positioned for excellence, and featured in a number of nationally significant matchups, the on the field results just did not help dissuade the critics who argue that they have lost their prestige, and are rightfully scorned by college fans across the country. Once seen as powerful contenders for titles, it seems as if the results on Saturday have shown that the game may have passed them by.
Yup, it was a terrible day for the Big 12 expats. Who did you think I was talking about?
Texas A&M, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska all dropped matches on Saturday, with two of these being significant “upsets” in terms of rankings and so forth. The Aggies, after a week full of bravado regarding their new allegiance to the “we can spell three letter words” conference, saw the early lead against Florida disappear in the waning moments of the game, and couldn’t count on Kyle Field to help carry the day. You’ve got to wonder if the different understanding of the word “cheerleader” might have had something to do with it. Ah well, you know they’ll just say that they won later… it’s the SEC way.
Mustard? Really?
Missouri also opened SEC play by welcoming Georgia to play between the… uh… rocks in Columbia. The Bulldawgs emerged victorious, but you’re right in realizing that Mizzou is excited to be in a new home. There were too many Longhorns in the last one, and the B1G never returned their phone calls, so you can’t blame them for being OK with a loss in their prestigious opener. So excited about the new opportunities were they, that they broke out their new school clothes… or someone else’s old school clothes from when they were in the Arena League. As goofy as they looked, though, they didn’t win our “awkward haberdashery of the week award”… more later.
Ah, CoLOLorado… See, here’s how it works. You schedule a FCS opponent in the pre-season, you get them at home, you beat them and build up your alumni/student confidence in your program = profit. But, the Buffs are constricted by no man’s social norms, and instead chose to allow the mighty Hornets of Sacramento State to kick a field goal with time expiring and upset the Buffs in Boulder. I’m sure the fans will have to find some way to console their grief.
Which brings us to Nebraska. Read More
Lots of holiday options for this week’s soundtrack, but I’m that guy that thinks Christmas music should be banned until at least December. So, given all of the rumors of this past week and the results from yesterday’s Ohio State game, the R&B genius of Sam And Dave make a return as we give thanks and look to the future.
Ah, Thanksgiving weekend. When thoughts turn to leftover turkey and pie and… football. While the NFL takes front stage on Thursday, and even with the “exciting news” that the NBA is “back, baby!!!”, this weekend was all about the college game. It’s the weekend that puts the best of both worlds together- family and friends gathering together to break bread and then scream at each other because someone had to go to that school just to be different.
And we got three days of amazing games, starting with the end of an era. Because of future schedule issues between the SEC bound aTm and the Big Integer anchor Texas Longhorns, the Turkey Day Tradition saw its last episode end in a classic fashion. This was supposed to be THE year for the Aggies, but failure after failure on their farewell tour led to a mentality where the UT game was a must win to maintain dignity before heading to the 4-8 seasons that SEC play was sure to bring.
Texas’ struggles are also well known (and well documented), and there was a contingent of Longhorn faithful who were as tired of their staff’s decisions regarding offensive and defensive play as some Ohio State faithful have been as of late. For this to end the way that it did highlights the beauty of the rivalry and the reason that college football is the heart of the lives of so many:
“You are never as bad as you look, but you are never as good as you look either. The truth is you are somewhere in the middle.”
It is an old sports adage that has elevated the feelings of a downtrodden team or brought the lofty dreams of a fan base crashing back to reality.
I opened last weekend’s piece saying it would be easy to ignore how bad the Buckeyes looked in South Beach, and it would be easy to dismiss how good the team looked against Colorado.
Reality and perception might be far apart as to how good Ohio State was against Colorado, but the 180 degrees this team turned in a week was an impressive feat.
Sure, Colorado look bewildered the first quarter and half of football. When you play that bad on special teams, it is pretty easy for the opponent to seize momentum and never look back.
As Ohio State rolls towards a showdown with Sparty in the ‘Shoe, it is time to address some of the more pressing questions from Buckeye nation after a solid win.
What should people think of Braxton Miller’s performance against Colorado?
This is one of the more difficult questions that were asked after the game last weekend. The numbers were solid. The freshman sensation had 83 yards rushing and threw for two scores. The touchdowns were some of the few highlights the passing game produced. Miller was 5-13 for just 83 yards passing. In his defense, however, he was victim of a few dropped passes.
On the surface it is clear there are still some issues in the passing game, but at the end of the day the numbers were tolerable, especially when there were no turnovers by Miller. Even Terrelle Pryor threw an interception is his first start at quarterback. Read More
Every now and again, we run across something at one of the great Buckeye message boards that deserve a longer look from Ohio State fans. So, when our facebook and twitter pal JessiBuckeye (no relation) posted the following it made sense to ask her to give us permission to repost it at tBBC. Enjoy, and thanks Jessi! First an introduction of sorts:
Enthusiasm personified
Hi! I’m Jessica, and I’ve been a Buckeye since the day I was born. There was never a time – even in my young childhood years, that I wasn’t rooting for my Buckeyes. I live in Orlando, Florida where I was born and raised, but came from McKinney, Texas. I am an Ohio State Alum, majoring in Early Childhood Education, but am now going back for Sports Broadcasting and Sports Journalism. I am a survivor of Anorexia, for which I spent 3 years in the hospital recovering from. I’m now more passionate about the Buckeyes then ever, because I can get on a personal level with the people involved. I love it.
Well, I don’t know about you, but it’s been a long time since I saw an Ohio State team rebound and dominate like this. Especially after a crushing loss to the Miami Hurricanes and no plays in the end zone. Especially just one week later.
The score was -to a Football Fan- an “acceptable” 37-17 Buckeye Victory. Looking at the score, it seems that this game to the unbeknownst eye was actually competitive at some point. But those Scarlet jerseys covered the field the entire game, in all the right places. Now, yes, the score does make the average fan do a double take. It seems like every play was huge, causing Ohio Stadium to erupt into a euphoric cheer. But it was still, despite the excitement – executed strategically and conservatively.
A lot of critics will jump on Fickell for being too conservative on the offense. Especially when it was 4th & 1 and he decided to punt. Some even blast the defense for allowing 17 points.
It’s been a few week’s since we’ve been able to run one of these posts. Hopefully the wait wasn’t too much for you, loyal reader.
That was a much better result than last week’s game, I’m sure everyone will agree. That said, though, there’s still a long way to go before this team is anywhere near as good as we’re used to. Let’s see how entertained we were this week.
Storm Klein's sack helped the defense look like the usual Silver Bullets defense.
Big Plays. We saw a few big plays, including four players who made plays of longer than 15 yards. The longest of the day was a 32 yard pass to Devin Smith for a touchdown.
Start Fast. Well, the first drive was a quick three and out, but the Offense did move the ball effectively for a touchdown on the 2nd drive. The team was also able to take a 17-0 lead before Colorado was even able to score.
Defense being the defense. The defense certainly looked presentable. They did a good job of limiting Colorado all day long. The unit is still showing some weaknesses, particularly in zone coverage, but they’re doing good work so far.
Rush the BRAXTON. You wanted 50+ running yards from Miller, you got 83 yards on 17 attempts. I think that gets the job done! They even focused on the running game for the first drive, so they took this idea to heart.
Start Strong. How about entering the second quarter with a 10-0 lead? Is that strong enough?
Receivers at Ohio Stadium. Devin Smith caught 3, T.Y. Williams caught one, and Chris Fields caught one. The receivers were on display today in a bigger way – though they clearly still have a long way to go.
Stop the Big Play. Colorado’s biggest play of the day was a 27 yard run by Rodney Stewart. Several CU receivers picked up more than 15 yards on any given pass – many over the middle of the field. Colorado had success, but in general the big play was not available.
Read More
Since I had the opportunity to attend the game in the Horseshoe today, I wasn’t able to do my usual recap. Because of that, I instead took a series of notes and jotted down some thoughts from the game to share. Hopefully I can provide some insight that wasn’t obvious from the television broadcast.
Also, I want to thank Joe D for covering me so ably on the recap this week. Without him, I might not have even been able to make the game!
Pregame
Braxton Miller attempts the Stiff Arm of Justice.
Welcome to this week’s LiveBlog! We’re certainly hoping for a better show than we got last week, and at least we get to bask in the glory that is Braxton Miller’s talent and potential.
As usual, hats off to the guys that help making this what it is: Our Honor Defend, Men of the Scarlet and Gray, and Fox Sports Ohio. Make sure to stop by their place and see what they have to say.
The big negative for this one, however, will be the unfortunate color commentating crew. I hope you all enjoy listening to Craig James during the game, as I will be missing the LiveBlog (and the broadcast) by going to the game myself. Make sure to let me know how Craig James does in the comments, because I’m certain I’m going to be missing quite the show.
Not to say it’s a show I necessarily want to hear, though!
Enjoy the game, and Go Bucks!
