Spring is finally in the air. Baseball season is underway. Saturday is the annual Scarlet and Grey game. Basketball has crowned its national champion. It’s Wednesday, let’s rumble!

Buckeye football

We’ve hit the stretch run of spring football and the Scarlet and Grey game is being held this Saturday at Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Brown Stadium. The game starts at 1pm and you can hear it live on the flagship station for Buckeye sports 97.1FM or www.971thefan.com It will be shown on the Big Ten Network at 7pm Saturday night.

Braxton Miller

Student Appreciation Day

One of the highlights of the 2012 spring camp was the first ever Student Appreciation Day at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Don’t be cynical, the name implies exactly what it is: a chance for the football team to allow unprecedented access to the students who make up the body of this great university and support it so vehemently on Saturday’s in Ohio Stadium and even on the road in opposing dojos. Read More

Tags: Braxton Miller, Carlos Hyde, Chris Carter, David Perkins, Drew Basil, Jimmy Jackson, Jordan Hall, Louisville Cardinals, Noah Spence, Ohio State basketball, Ohio State Football, One Shining Moment, Urban Meyer, Warren Ball
Categories: Analysis, Basketball Analysis, College Basketball, College Football, Football Analysis, Humor, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

Well, howdy-do, Buckeye nation! Thanks for paying attention to my little neck of the sunshine state… hope it works out as well as last time Ohio State had a team out here.  You know what? Since we’ve already got a visit scheduled to the Bay Area for September, what say we just go for the trifecta and come on back out this way in January. Multiple options for today’s soundtrack- Vintage, Old School, Hippie, Country, Top 40, Hip Hop, Rock. Oh, and I’ve got a great recommendation for a place to stay.

Silver Bullet, Knotts Berry Farm

Buckeye 411

• Big Plays- In today’s scrimmage, both Heuerman and Fields had long receptions for scores, coming on the first play and a fourth down play action (respectively).
• You Rock- Also, we found out today that former DeSales star and one time Michigan defensive end Chris Rock has returned home to Columbus to be a walk-0n third year sophomore at Ohio State. Given the last “walk on” from TTUN, there’s reason to be optimistic regarding his career as a Buckeye. If nothing else, he certainly helped my parenting skills.
• Backup Plans- It seems that Tuesday’s practice was a chance for the staff to look a bit closer at some of the folks who might be called into service if there’s an injury. Kenny G sat out while Cardale took snaps with the second team, and Carlos Hyde gave way to the “young Bucks” in the backfield. Which brings us to…
• A Good Problem To Have- Great reports from the Running Backs thus far; Rod Smith had an amazing practice Tuesday, while Brionte Dunn was singled out by some as a highlight  in last week’s practices. Not to be left out, Warren Ball’s shiftiness and ability to get extra yards seemed to be a constant part of Tuesday’s work. Oh, and there were even passes to a fullback during Tuesday’s drills.  Running Back by Committee ain’t to shabby when all of the Committee are stellar.
• Rising To The Challenge- Coach Withers talked at the end of practice about his wanting to see more from Corey “Pittsburgh” Brown, telling him that he wasn’t playing well enough to keep from being jumped on the depth chart by some of the incoming team.  On Tuesday, Brown seemed to be playing with that edge, making key plays in coverage as well as a crucial stop in the goal-line period.
• Up Front- Coach Meyer talked about how positively he feels about the current offensive line; they’re picking up where they left off, and should be among the best in the conference. Defensively, Michael Bennett has taken a more vocal leadership role for the D, including a firey moment when the Offense managed to score. Bennett, according to Coach Meyer, has graded out as 5/6 “wins” for each practice.
• New Crush Candidate- Since John Simon has chosen to leave me, I’m just going to get on #TeamSpence for the near future. From what we hear in practice, he’s going to be the next in great Ohio State rush ends. Read More

Tags: 2013 March Madness, 2013 West Region, Aaron Craft, Brionte Dunn, Cardale Jones, Chris Fields, Chris Rock, Corey "Pittsburgh" Brown, Everett Withers, Indiana Basketball, Jalin Marshall, Jeff Heuerman, Jim Heacock, Jordan Hall, Logan Stieber, Maryland, Michael Bennett, Nick Saban, Noah Spence, Officiating, Rod Smith, Sammy Silverman, SBP, Spring Practice, Syracuse, Tyvis Powell, Urban Meyer, Warren Ball
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

Welcome to the calm before the storm… unless you’re an NIT junkie, then your Madness has already started.  In honor of Coach Calipari’s fantastic coaching job on Tuesday night, today’s soundtrack channels the thoughts of Wildcat fans as they get to watch the rest of the tournament. Hey… you think they’ll have time to join our Bracket Challenge?

It’s What We Do

Buckeye 411

• We Talkin’ About Practice? Tuesday was a return to the WHAC for the Buckeyes after Spring Break, and it sounds as if it was a bit of a “rusty day” for the Scarlet and Gray. No need to panic, though- this is typical for teams the first time they put the pads on in the spring or in the fall.
• Injury Update- Barrett, Shazier, Wood, and Bogard were in “orange” jerseys today, although JT was taking mental reps behind Braxton as the practice went along. Jordan Hall had a hamstring strain as well, but Coach Meyer said that there was nothing to be overly concerned about with his progress.
• TP Again- Tyvis Powell seems to, at least for now, locked in on the #1 Star position, with Roby and Doran Grant at corner.
• Committee- Rod Smith and Warren Ball ran the ball really well Tuesday, although Smith caught the ire of Coach Drayton with his nonchalant flip of the ball in the endzone.  Anything to help break the fumble-itis, right?
• Caffeinated- Apparently Kerry Coombs is in mid-season form, screaming at what he perceived to be a horrible call by an official helping monitor the scrimmages.
• los ‘Los- After practice, Carlos Hyde talked about his decision to return, and his desire to help Coach Meyer get his first 1K yard runner. He also was honest about the fact that he had some work to do in order to be NFL ready, a sentiment that his coach agreed with. Read More

Tags: Aaron Craft, B1G Conference, Carlos Hyde, Devin Smith, Dontre Wilson, Frank Epitropoulos, Jack Mewhort, Jim Delany, Jim Foster, Jordan Hall, Kerry Coombs, Mekka Don, Men's Hockey, Rod Smith, SBP, Spring Practice, Tyvis Powell, Warren Ball
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

Basketball’s regular season is in the books. It’s officially time to get serious: Its tournament time. It’s also Wednesday night and you know what that means… Let’s rumble!

Hoops on Hoops

The Buckeyes finished the regular season Sunday with a 13 point home win over Illinois. They finish with a record of 23-7, good for a tie for second place in the Big Ten and the number two overall seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They now await tomorrow’s winner of Purdue vs Nebraska and will play Friday at 6:30 eastern on the Big Ten Network.

Deshaun Thomas, Lenzelle Smith and Aaron Craft during the 2012 tournaments

Read More

Tags: Aaron Craft, Deshaun Thomas, Drew Basil, Jake Stoneburner, Jordan Hall, Ohio State basketball, Ohio State Football, Ryan Shazier, Sam Thompson, shannon scott, Thad Matta, Troy Smith, Urban Meyer
Categories: Analysis, Basketball Analysis, College Basketball, College Football, Football Analysis, Miscellaneous, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

Sexier than the swimsuit issue

Today’s soundtrack is brought to you by 70 degrees and sunny skies in Los Angeles. Oh, and a little bit of EW&F.

Buckeye 411

• Buck And Cover- That thing over there is this week’s Sports Illustrated cover, well everywhere but the southeast. I think that the expectations and so forth for this team are pretty high…
• In Case You Were Wondering- Here’s the other cover… which may explain why Braxton looks so terrified on his “Breakout” photo.
• Healing Nicely- At the Combine last week, we learned that John Simon was recovering from shoulder surgery. It sounds as if it was pretty routine, if you call “requiring diamond tipped instruments to cut through his muscle tissue” routine.
• Nice Gig- Brandon Castel has a great article from the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer (unfortunately named, but it sounds like there are plans to change it). Who do I need to talk to to get assigned to the “Ohio State Cruise” beat?
• Updates- From Brandon: Jordan Hall is no longer a running back, but will be a “pivot”; Christian Bryant is the emotional leader of the defense (more later); and Urban didn’t really ‘call out’ the other coaches but challenged the conference to raise it’s standards.
• Gene’s Scene- We’ve talked before about the expansion landscape; Gene Smith this week said that the conferences is not looking to grow until they see how Maryland and Rutgers fit in. So- the B1G is totally annexing the entire B12 on Thursday.
• So Dreamy- Aaron Craft doing Aaron Craft things, on the radio this time.
• But… He only gets that interview because he’s a rosy cheeked white guy.
• Great Read- MoC’s new book is out, part of his Redemption Tour. Check it out here...
• This Week In Sammy Silv- Seriously, this needs to be a regular feature: Read More

Tags: Aaron Craft, Braxton Miller, Christian Bryant, Gene Smith, Jay Bilas, John Simon, Jordan Hall, Manti Te'o, Maurice Clarett, NCAA, Sammy Silverman, SBP, Texas Tech, Uniforms
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Ohio State Football

Major Award

At times it hasn’t been pretty, but the bottom line is that Ohio State is still unbeaten on the 2012 season–Urban Meyer’s first as head coach.

Through just six games, the Buckeyes have had less than impressive victories over Cal and UAB. But they also had a hard-earned victory on the road against Michigan State and had an offensive outburst in a win over Nebraska.

There’s no denying Meyer’s impact on the Ohio State offense. The Buckeyes rank second in the Big Tne behind the Cornhuskers in total offense (431.5 ypg) and scoring offense (38.5 ppg).

The defense, though? Not so good. OSU ranks sixth in scoring defense at 20.5 points per game and tenth in total defense, giving up 386.5 yards per game. Both numbers will need to improve as the season goes on.

But one thing most Buckeye fans will say is that it is exciting to watch Ohio State football again.

Through six games, though, there have been ups and downs, surprises and disappointments. With that, I present to you my 2012 midseason awards on both offense and defense.

Offensive MVP: Braxton Miller (QB)
Probably the easiest choice of the group. Ohio State would not be undefeated if it didn’t have Miller. The OSU quarterback has thrown for 1,060 yards, run for 763 and accumulated 17 total touchdowns. Simply put, Miller is everything to the OSU offense.

Most Improved Player: Corey “Philly” Brown (WR)
I must admit, I didn’t see much out of Philly Brown in his first two seasons at OSU. But this year, under Meyer, Brown has improved greatly as a legitimate threat at wide receiver for the Buckeyes. Brown has 35 catches so far this season (he had just 14 last year) for 352 yards and one touchdown. Going forward, Brown will be a big part of the offense’s success.

Biggest Surprise: Offensive Line
There are no stats to back me up here as I’m just going with what my eyes see. But this year’s offensive line is the playing at the highest level we’ve seen in quite some time. With most of the same guys back from last year, and Reid Fragel moving into the starting right tackle spot, the offensive line has been extremely consistent.

Biggest Disappointment: Jordan Hall (RB) Read More

Tags: 2012 Season, Braxton Miller, Christian Bryant, Corey "Philly" Brown, Curtis Grant, Jonathan Hankins, Jordan Hall, Nathan Williams, Reid Fragel
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Football

Technically, in Beech Grove Indiana...

Welcome to Hoosier Week… accompanied by a soundtrack from Bloomington’s greatest artist (no, not JCM- although I would have accepted Hoagy).

Buckeye 411

• New Hotness- If you’re on the interwebs much today, you need to take some time and check out these two great Ohio State websites: CoachUrbanMeyer.com is a pretty user friendly insight into the program, while InsideOhioStateFootball.com is a 360 view of the locations that make up Buckeye football… you’ve got to think that recruits and families will appreciate the ability to “visit” campus before they actually get to the 614.
  
• Walking Wounded- We heard Monday that Etienne Sabino would be out for at least three games, having broken his fibula against Nebraska; he’s already had a plate surgically inserted into his leg, and Josh Perry will take his spot in the lineup.  We’re also aware that Jordan Hall will more than likely not be a part of the gameplan on Saturday as he heals from the knee issue suffered against Michigan State.  Otherwise, it sounds as if everyone’s good to go.
• Urb’s Verbs- (Ok, we’re still looking for a catchy title for Coach Meyer’s presser information… we’ll keep looking) In the B1G Presser this week, Coach Meyer talked about his respect for Coach Wilson at Indiana, and how they’d connected early in their careers as “spread to run” gurus.  He also stated the obvious, that Braxton and Harvin are the two most electric athletes he’s ever worked with. He also addressed the “AP National Championships” thing that started bubbling after Saturday’s win, and said that his hope is that his players don’t get caught up in the hype and people telling them how good they are.  Luckily, Michigan State being on the ropes to Indiana was enough to get the teams’ attention.

SammySilv At It Again

• Everyone Gets A Trophy! Nope, not talking about youth league soccer, just the reality of life in the WHAC these days, as each week brings more and more accolades to the Ohio State team.  For the Nebraska Game, Braxton was named the Davey O’Brien Quarterback of the Week, Carlos Hyde was the B1G Co-Offensive player of the week, and Corey Brown was the B1G Special Teams player of the week. John Simon really cleaned up this week, though- following a great showing on The Journey, Simon’s play against the Huskers resulted in being named the Lott Impact Player of the Week, the College Football Performance Award national defensive player of the week, and the Chuck Bednarik Award’s national player of the week. Read More

Tags: 2012 Season, Bradley Roby, Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones, Carlos Hyde, Corey Brown, Derek Dooley, Etienne Sabino, Hawaii, Higher Education, Indiana University, Jerry Sandusky, John Simon, Jordan Hall, Josh Perry, Kevin Wilson, Mark Emmert, SBP, South Carolina, Urban Meyer, West Virginia
Categories: College Football, Humor, Ohio State Football

Jason

This for Mr. Bell. Sans missed tackle, of course.

Ring the Bell. Put as many silver helmets on Le’Veon Bell as possible. Wear him out before he wear the defense out.

Speed it up. I’d like to see the offense speed things up to a pace similar to the Miami of Ohio game when they ran 85 plays.

3rd down. Silver Bullets: Get off the field on third downs, especially ones over 5 yards.

XBrax360. Braxton Miller, do your thing.

College Gameday. Ohio State is 19-10 in games whereby ESPN’s College Gameday broadcast their morning pregame show from the site. Time to make that an even ten games over .500

Tim

Under 80. Hold Le’Veon Bell to under 80 yards. MAY is going to try and run early and often. If the Buckeyes contain Bell and force Andrew Maxwell to beat them with his arm, they have a great chance to win.

Hall and Hyde. There’s been some talk of both being on the field together. It will be interesting to see if that happens. And if so, what kind of plays will Urban Meyer have in store.

Wrap Up. It has been hammered home as a point of emphasis, but OSU simply cannot miss open field tackles or they will be in trouble. It would be nice to see 2 or 3 guys swarming to the ball on every play.

Read More

Tags: Andrew Maxwell, Braxton Miller, buckeyes, Carlos Hyde, Jordan Hall, Mark Dantonio, Michigan State, Ohio State, Spartans, Urban Meyer
Categories: College Football, Football Analysis, Ohio State Football