Buckeye Blogger Network
Buckle Up
As a part of the 2012 season, the Buckeye Bloggers Network is pooling their expertise to give Ohio State fans the most in-depth coverage possible for Saturday’s game.
This week tBBC looks at the special teams matchup with the Miami University RedHawks . Be sure to check out the rest of this series via the links at the bottom of this post!
As the Buckeyes look to start the Urban Meyer era, there will be many changes that fans will experience.
However, the emphasis on solid special teams, a hallmark of the previous administration, will continue under the new regime… and perhaps even be more of a point of pride.
Like the Vest, Coach Meyer has called the punt the most important play in the game. Indeed, the fact that he has taken charge of the Special Forces’ planning and preparation highlights that the man is serious about the kicking game. While at Florida, this was certainly evident- the Gators prided themselves on their ability to aggressively get after the punt and the fact that their return teams were almost expected to score every time the ball was on it’s way.
Instead of being another time to gather a fresh beverage, Buckeye fans will need to stay glued to their seats during the specialists’ time on the stage.
Murphy meets Meyer, 2010
But before we look at what the 2012 version of the OSU Special Forces will be, let’s take a gander at the visitors from Oxford. The RedHawks return a good portion of their specialists from 2011, including punter Zac Murphy and kicker Mason Krysinski.
Murphy, a former walk on who earned third team MAC honors as a freshman, averages 39.1 yards per punt in each of his first two seasons, as well as having a long of 66 yards to his name. He was also responsible for dropping 13 punts inside the 20 last year, but had two kicks blocked in the 2011 campaign.
Krysinski, a 3.98 GPA student, struggled a bit in 2011. To go with his season long 45 yard FG against Bowling Green, he averages 56 yards a kickoff with only one touchback. It will be interesting to see if his numbers improve with the change in NCAA guidelines regarding kicks this season… and no better time to experiment than the first game of the season. He was 2-6 in field goals, and missed four extra points in 2011.
At this point, return specialists have not yet been identified, although the Miami media guide indicates that 50% of the punt return yards and 98% of the kick return yards return for the 2012 campaign. My guess is that, barring a new face deep to receive (Freddie McRae?), we might see defensive back Dayonne Nunley or receiver Dawan Scott awaiting kicks.
The RedHawks coverage team excelled at times last year, holding punt returns to a 7 yard average and kickoff returns to just over 14 yards per attempt. They allowed one punt return for a TD, and scored none themselves.
Ok. Now to the good guys. Read More
Straight Up The Olentangy...
Midweek look at news and notes from around Ohio State and the nation… getting ready for what’s been predicted to be a very wet weekend.
Hey! Have you signed up for pick-em yet?
Buckeye 411
Initially, this week was supposed to be “POPS”- Pink Out Penn State for Breast Cancer Awareness. While we’ve not heard anything more about that since things changed in Happy Valley, we’re more than glad to give our support. You know… given the circumstances.
This Week's Wallpaper from Kevin Dearth
Buckeye 411
Eric and Joe get together on this week’s radio hour to discuss the trials and tribulations facing the offense following the Michigan State game. They also talk about the latest suspensions and express the frustrations most Buckeye fans are feeling, along with their feelings towards Gene Smith. Lastly, they talk about Nebraska and what the Buckeyes need to do in order to pull off the win in Memorial Stadium.
For the opponent’s preview, Eric is joined by the excellent HuskerDan of HuskerMax.com. They discuss Nebraska, along with their recent addition to the Big Ten and the welcoming committee laid down by Wisconsin.
All this and more on this week’s Radio Hour!
Note: At the time of the recording, we believed Corey “Philly” Brown would be fully ready to play. Currently his status is listed as “Day-to-Day”, and while there is a chance that we will see him on the field, it’s not as certain as we claim in the podcast.
Jason Winrow returns for another excellent Radio Hour! Jason talks about what he’s hearing regarding the Ohio State offense, in particular which players are beginning to step up into their potential starting roles. Positions of interest include Quarterbacks, Runningbacks and Wide Receivers.
They also spend some time discussing the Ohio State schedule, and give a hat-tip to the Miami (FL) scandal, and how it might effect their game with the Buckeyes.
All this and more on this week’s Radio Hour!
And don’t forget, you can subscribe to us via iTunes! Just search “The Buckeye Battle Cry Radio Hour” (or click that link) and you’ll be sure to find us! Don’t miss any of our old episodes, including the lost first episode with Malibuckeye!
Third String Left Tackle Erik Kramer
Eric, Jim and Joe are back with another preseason look at the 2011 Ohio State Buckeyes! Jim has attended all of the open practices so far this year and has a lot to say about the make-up of the depth chart to date. In particular we discuss the offensive line – primarily it’s youth and in experience behind the starters – along with the shrinking of the QB competition. Current injuries are also touched on briefly, along with the names who we will likely be seeing out wide to start the season.
The three of us also spend some time discussing recent College Football news, including the recent Yahoo! Sports revelation of the Miami University (FL) scandal, and the recent spat of conference expansion news.
All this and more on this week’s BBC Radio Hour!
The Radio Hour is also available via iTunes subscription! Go to iTunes and search for “The Buckeye Battle Cry Radio Hour” at the iTunes store! Subscription is free, and you can take us with you wherever you go on your iPod, iPhone, iPad, or iWhatever!
The Golden Gophers, coming off their 7th straight loss of the season, ran into the #11 Buckeyes in the Twin Cities. Ohio State started slow, but eventually put the clamps down and killed the Gophers 52-10. The Buckeyes found success with a balanced attack, with Pryor throwing 18-22 for 222 yards and 2 touchdowns and Dan Herron carrying the ball 17 times for 114 yards and a touchdown. Herron’s 100 yard game was the first since Saine’s against Marshall during the season opener.
All Night Long. Photo courtesy Columbus Dispatch
The Buckeyes came out of the gate passing the football. The strategy was exactly the opposite to the previous game when they started out with 5 straight Herron runs. Pryor found some open receivers downfield against the Minnesota secondary early on but wasn’t able to connect on a couple of his passes. Intermixed with the passing game were a few runs to Herron that gained a few yards. The Buckeyes eventually got the ball down to the 3 yard line and took two Boom runs and a Pryor quarterback keeper for the touchdown.
The balanced offensive attack almost seemed like a first first the Buckeyes this season. Ohio State traditionally would attack in the first drive with either a vast majority of passes or a vast majority (or all runs). The change was clearly another step in the development of this offense after the Wisconsin loss.
Like this, only without the typewriters.
We here at the Buckeye Battle Cry have been working hard at improving ourselves week after week. The holy grail, of course, is to become recognized by our favorite University as a legitimate news organization.
This season, we got lucky.
Ohio State rewarded us with press passes to the Ohio University game (which Jim attended) and to the Purdue game. I was lucky enough to be the one able to use the Purdue pass today and I wanted to share with you what it’s like to spend time in the press box.
Afterwards, I’ll regale you with actual football news and notes. Specifically my thoughts on how the Buckeyes looked from my seat in the stadium. Read on for more!
