It’s that time of year again! Time for the Super Bowl! The Cleveland Browns are once again spectators and luckily for all of us here in Ohio so are the Pittsburgh Steelers. If we can’t go at least they aren’t either. How about the Buckeyes that are going to the big game? We’ll dig into it… Let’s rumble!

San Francisco

Four former Ohio State Buckeyes will be on the field on Super Sunday and they all will see significant action. Ironically, they all will be on the same sideline and wearing red.

Ted Ginn Jr, Donte Whitner, Alex Boone and Larry Grant will represent THE Ohio State University in the Mercedes-Benz Super Dome in New Orleans, Louisiana as members of the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl 47.  Read More

Tags: Alex Boone, Baltimore Ravens, Buckeyes in the Super Bowl, Donte Whitner, Jack Tatum, Larry Grant, Paul Warfield, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl 47, Ted Ginn Jr
Categories: Analysis, College Football, Humor, Miscellaneous, Ohio State Football, Ohio State Football History

Oooooh! A Summit!

If you think the “Final Verdict” segments of College Gameday are amazing places for rhetoric and logic, you’re probably excited for the beginning of the Presidential Debates tonight.  Me? I’d rather argue about college sports… compared to politics, the BCS makes sense.

Buckeye 411

• Clothing, Part One- Never ones to miss the obvious, the Athletic Department has declared that this week’s game will be a “Scarlet Out”, similar to last year’s homecoming event.  Although it’s nice to do one of these “all color events” on nights where the opposing fanbase will unwillingly be assisting (looking at you, Indiana), I’ve got to wonder if this might take a bit of the “home field” advantage away and inadvertently help a team known as “Big Red”.
• “And So Forth”- I wonder if I can get WKYC on my cable provider, just so I can enjoy the wisdom and wit that will be the “Off The Vest Show” starring former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.  As someone who was regularly lauded for his ability to say nothing for twenty minutes, it will be interesting to see what he comes up with as a part of this opportunity. Seriously, though- I’m really looking forward to seeing these segments, even if it’s only on the YouTubes.
• Clothing, Part Two- An article in this week’s Dispatch pointed out that sales of Ohio State jerseys were again on the rise, after faltering last season.  The article talks specifically about certain numbers being more popular than others… but it’s not about the “amateur” players who won’t see a penny of that revenue, right?

Courtesy SammySilv Designs

• Getting Ready For Nebraska- In the B1G presser today, Coach Meyer talked a little about what they might see against the Huskers, particularly from the Blackshirt Defense.  He spoke about Coach Pelini’s “pattern match” secondary philosophy, and how that will create problems for the still developing Ohio State passing game.  Coach Pelini addressed the obvious, and said that Braxton will get his yardage, but they’ve got to minimize the scoring opportunities.
• Important Reminder- If you’re looking for a way to get involved in Jason Winrow’s memorial, more details were made public about the fund that has been established by Raymont Harris to help his wife and children.
• Brotherhood- Former Buckeye Santonio Holmes is likely done for the season, but a touching moment from his injury was captured in photography this weekend. After getting hurt and fumbling, the 49ers recovered the loose ball and were in the process of taking it back for a TD… all of them, that is, except for Donte Whitner, who stayed behind to make sure his former teammate in Columbus was OK.
• Clothing, Part Three- Buckeye Nation was abuzz this morning with rumors of the 2012 “Pro Combat” design, which was soon debunked as a mock-up from 2009 and a helmet idea that had been on the internet for the entire summer.
• Little Sister, Hits The Stage- The real news today was the announcement that Ohio State and Texas Christian have agreed to a home and away series beginning in 2018.  The initial game is scheduled for Ft. Worth, but don’t be surprised to see it moved to Dallas and “Jerryworld”- TCU’s stadium holds about 45k in it’s current configuration.  Of course, President Gee’s “Little Sisters Of The Poor” comments were dredged up by lots of lazy journalists, who fail to realize that TCU will have been in the B12 for 5 seasons by the time this series begins. If you didn’t think that Gene Smith’s comments about bolstering the schedule were serious, here’s what you can look forward to in the near future: 2013- Vanderbilt, Cal; 2014- Navy, VaTech, Cincy; 2015- VaTech, North Carolina; 2016- Tulsa, Oklahoma; 2017-  North Carolina, Oklahoma; 2018- TCU, Cincy; 2019- TCU Read More

Tags: 'Da U, Academics, Alabama, Bo Pelini, BYU, Donte Whitner, Jason Winrow, Jim Tressel, Mark Dantonio, Mike McQueary, Nebraska, Nike, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn State, Santonio Holmes, SBP, SEC, TCT, Texas Christian, The Horseshoe, Uniforms, Urban Meyer, William Gholston
Categories: College Football, Humor, NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Football

The Buckeye Battle Cry will be counting down the Top 25 players of the past decade all spring/summer.  Every Monday and Thursday, Jim will be announcing a new player.  Our #1 player will be presented on Monday, August 30th.  Three days later, the 2010 season officially begins.  To view the previous entries in our Top 25, click here.

Donte Whitner (2004-2005)

As a strong safety for the Buckeyes, Donte Whitner was a heat seeking missile locked on to any apposing player who was unfortunate enough to be holding the ball. His ability to “bring the wood” was a joy to watch and what every Buckeye fan hopes to see from the Silver Bullet defense.

The only potential knock on Whitner was that his time as a starter was artificially shortened by his entry into the draft, but oh what a time it was.

Whitner showed flashes of greatness in 2004, a year in which he recorded 69 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 interception. Despite these numbers, good enough to be the 4th leading tackler on the team, 2004 as a whole was a disappointing year for the Buckeyes, overshadowing any individual achievements.

If 2004 was a the year that Whitner showed flashes, 2005 was certainly the pinnacle of his Buckeye career. To top things off, 2005 was an excellent year overall for the Buckeyes, culminating in the highly enjoyable beat down of Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

The 2005 team that went to the Fiesta Bowl was one of the best teams that Ohio State has fielded in the past decade, and the defense that shut down the vaunted Notre Dame offense, with Whitner as one of its leaders and stars, was one of the best ever. Read More

Tags: All-American, All-Big Ten, Buffalo Bills, Donte Whitner
Categories: Ohio State Football, Top 25 Countdown