On Its Way

This week, Ohio State faces a Purdue coach that’s undefeated* against them, and seeks to rebound from a horrible defensive showing at Indiana.  So, yeah- our soundtrack is something that should be harped on, even if it seems a little paranoid.

Buckeye 411

• Think Pink- Well, I guess this is a thing now, as this week’s game against Purdue is a “Pink Out” for breast cancer awareness.  Personally, I’d rather try to approximate the color by doing alternating shades of red and white, but no one ever asks me.  More on this event later in the program…
• Getting Defensive, Part One-  Our friends over at Men of the Scarlet and Gray have taken to defending the Buckeye defense, first in looking at the state of affairs at this point in the season, and second highlighting the real culprit for the scoreboard woes- Special Teams Play.
• Meyer’s Musings- In today’s B1G coaches teleconference, Coach Meyer talked about his role with the defense and that he was there to support the staff as they helped work on the fundamentals: 4-6 seconds of effort, Great leverage (positioning), and making tackles.  He sang the praises of Kenny G, and talked about how his attitude and effort had changed significantly than the winter where he was in line for a one way bus ticket back to Texas.  Coach said that Purdue will be a challenge for the Buckeyes, and that defensively they are two or three missed tackles from being great on the season.
• Getting Defensive- Want stats and so forth? Check out where the Buckeyes rank nationally at Football Outsiders, who have Ohio State as the 27th rated team in the country. Argue away…
• Hope Quotes- Also in the B1G teleconference, Coach Hope agreed with Coach Meyer that tackling has been an issue for the Boilermakers over the past two weeks, and that Wisconsin’s game compounded things with poor alignment.  He praised the Ohio State offensive line while remarking that Braxton can “do everything.  The Boilers expect their running back to play much more effectively this week; as you remember Bolden is recovering from knee issues suffered against Indiana at the end of last season.
• Not So Fast- Several Buckeye fans have reminded us that the Purdue team that heads to Columbus on Saturday just got pounded by Wisconsin, and to expect an easy game.  We remind you merely that last year’s Wisconsin team did the same to Purdue, and the Buckeyes ended up with “Purdue Harbor 2″.  No easy games in conference play.
• This Week In SammySilv- Great effort from El Guapo leads to this week’s poster: Read More

Tags: 2012 NCAA Tournament, Carlos Hyde, Danny Hope, Defense, Kentucky Wildcats, LSUFreek, Michael Ferns, Minnesota Golden Gophers, NCAA, Pay It Forward, Southern Idaho State, Tyrann Matheiu, Urban Meyer, West Virginia
Categories: College Football, Miscellaneous

Win/Win Scenario?

Yup, it’s that week again- we find ourselves looking to the skies and hoping for an astronomical event to head toward… let’s see… this year the game is in South Bend, so that will do just fine. Just think, if Notre Dame’s previous coach was still on the sidelines, there just might be enough gravitational pull between the two head men to facilitate this.

Buckeye 411

• Injury Update- Not much new on this front this week: We know that Carlos Hyde won’t be participating this Saturday, and there’s been no update on John Simon’s shoulder. That’s not totally true: the best thing to come out of Coach Meyer’s Monday press conference was commentary that Simon’s shoulder was a long way from his heart… meaning that he could work though the pain. Meyer then went on to comment that Michael Bennett was still injured, and that “He’s got to play some time. So I don’t know how far that groin is away from the heart.” If you needed proof that Urban Meyer understands the Ohio State legacy- his paraphrase of Woody Hayes’ famous quote regarding what his ’74 class should use to think with should seal the deal.
• Bombs Away- One thing that Coach Meyer is concerned with against the Blazers of UAB is the deep ball. Several times over the past week, he’s talked about the strength of quarterback Jonathan Perry’s arm. This has to be a point of emphasis for the Buckeye secondary, who have given up their share of big passing plays during the first two games of the season thus far.
• Good Hands, People- When the season started, Ohio State was looking for “playmakers”, and it seems that they’ve found a few. Corey Brown has shown flashes as a dependable “pivot” player in the new offense, and receiver Devin Smith continues to shine as a reliable option for the big play.  Wonder how long it is until he earns Cris Carter’s moniker of “only catching touchdowns”.
• Bloody Tuesday- From what we’re hearing, Tuesday’s emphasis for the defense was… you guessed it… “Tackling”. And not just on the field, but in the weight room and film room as well.  In talking with a couple of folks, and in looking at the game again, the “chicken and egg” argument of “was it poor scheme or poor execution?” on Saturday is answered by “Yes”, although there are a number of clearly missed assignments on the big touchdowns that made everyone’s nightmare list Saturday afternoon. So, in at least the big play categories, it seems to be execution that was at issue.
• On To The Next One- If you’re not following Samuel Silverman on twitter, you’re missing out on great Ohio State graphics- like this one: Read More

Tags: 2012 Season, Academics, Corey Brown, Devin Smith, Duron Carter, Economics, ESPN, John Calipari, John L Smith, John Simon, Kentucky Wildcats, Michael Bennett, NCAA failures, North Carolina, Oregon, SBP, Schott, SEC, Texas Tech, UAB Blazers, Urban Meyer
Categories: Analysis, College Football, Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Football

Next Stop, Ann Arbor

It’s Wednesday, halfway to what’s sure to be another glorious June weekend. Big thanks to “Darth Grant” for finding the inspiration for this week’s title and lead photo- Eric may have some more on this story a bit later in the summer, but for now, here’s one of the men behind that amazing flying machine.

Buckeye 411

• Two Sport Athlete? We introduced you to the newest member of Ohio State’s 2013 class on Tuesday, but found out later in the day that Johnny Townsend hopes to walk on to the Ohio State baseball team as well. Given that we’ve got a Boren with similar interests, I’m looking forward to seeing how Coach Meyer chooses to allow these opportunities- although, I remember that several Gators also ran track.  We’ll see…
• It’s Not A Red Flag, It’s Scarlet- After news broke regarding Jared Sullinger’s “medical red flags”, several interesting comments emerged. Jared’s dad theorized that some of this “news” was actually being leaked by teams lower in the draft who were hoping Sully would fall to them- this would be frustrating, in terms of lost money, but might put him on a much better team to start his career. At any rate, you’d think that the NBA would not allow tampering with… sorry, I just couldn’t finish that without laughing. You’ve got to wonder, though, if there are numerous players with these types of issues, why is Sullinger’s the only name we’ve heard?  The Four Letter Network had a couple of diverse opinions- Dickie V said that you don’t need clinics and workouts to know Sullinger’s going to be a star, you just have to watch him play.  And then there’s Michael Wilbon, who said that he’d pass on Sully in the first round because “Ohio State. And Greg Oden”.  Somewhere, Mark May rubs his hands together and gloats…
• “Crushed”- According to Tim May, that was Urban Meyer’s reaction when hearing about Mewhort and Stoneburner’s transgressions, although he went on to say that he thought they’d rebound well. This is an interesting observation, and one that Andrew made today over at The Empire- Kids that Urban respects and counts on make a mistake, and he “feels” for them. But, he still holds them accountable at a very high standard. While this is an intriguing corrective decision given that both Ohio State and Florida have struggled due to student athletes being on their own agenda and not on the team’s page, I’m also impressed at this from a Higher Education Professional’s viewpoint. While not always true, there is a sense of privilege and entitlement that has crept into the current generation of young adults, and learning early on that decisions have real consequences is more than developmentally appropriate. Given that young adults are still developing their pre-frontal cortices, where decision making occurs, a concrete life lesson like the one that these guys are receiving has the possibility of lasting long after the days in the ‘Shoe are over.
• Making The Grades- The OSU football team announced spring quarter GPAs today, and over 45 members of the squad had a 3.0 average or higher.
• Troll On- Well, since we’re already on the topic, the Four Letter Network decided to list the “greatest sports moments in state history for each of the 50“. Ohio’s signature moment? Well, it was the BTN’s number one three icon, although it actually happened in Germany and not within the state borders. Yup, even ESPN plays “Germany or Ohio?”
• TBUN- Yup, I’ll give some love to a Sun and Blue blogger; our friends at Maize and Brew had a great article this week about Ohio State’s place in the conference,

So as we stare down the coming 2012 college football season, a billowing cloud of fury and excitement just now beginning to peak over the late-June horizon, it becomes apparent that no matter how bad things got in Columbus last year, that the Buckeyes were merely down on the mat for a short time. The cartoon birds flew in quick circles as Ohio State shook its head and looked up at the rest of the Big Ten standing over it grinning. But the birds have gone away and the Buckeyes are back on their feet.

Read More

Tags: Auburn, Baseball, BCS, Bowls, ESPN, GPA!, Jack Mewhort, Jake Stoneburner, Jared Sullinger, Jerry Sandusky, Jesse Owens, Johnny Townsend, Kentucky Wildcats, Playoffs, SBP, Urban Meyer
Categories: Humor, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

Wouldn't You Rather Have A Rifle?

An Easter basket full of Ohio State and college sports news and notes, as we await one of the sacred holidays of the year. That’s right- “Easter Chocolate On Clearance Monday”.

Buckeye 411

• And now… what? With all the speculation about Sully and Tank’s departure, you might have missed that the Buckeyes may also have several hoopsters who are looking to transfer. Jeff Rapp looks at the possibilities surrounding Jordan Sibert and J.D. Weatherspoon.
• Spring Has Sprung- Tuesday marked the Buckeye Spring Kickoff (video here), an auction and information session from Coach Meyer and the football staff. Several interesting tidbits today, including-
• Captain, My Captain- Following the “Captain of the week” experiment, Coach Meyer said today that the voting would happen in the fall with him having veto power over the final decisions. This was followed by his remarking to John Simon “You’ll be a captain”.  Let the man-crush continue.
• First Among Equals- According to Coach Meyer, after Coach Marrioti the most important hire of the off season has been Coach Warinner, since the O Line is the lynch pin of everything that Ohio State hopes to do on offense. And, on Tuesday night we heard whispers that Coach Warinner might just have a new member of the 2013 to prepare for.
• The Guy Behind The Guy Behind The Guy-  Tim Hinton was introduced today as the staff’s recruiting coordinator. No pressure, I’m sure.  Speaking of recruiting Coach Meyer called Coach Vrable one of the best in the country as a part of the event.
• Nothing Easy Is Worth A Damn- Meyer commented today that the staff’s goal is to run the most difficult program in America to ensure that the Buckeyes are the toughest team in the country. Read More

Tags: 2012 Final Four, Bobby Petrino, Derrick Nix, Ed Warinner, JD Weatherspoon, John Calipari, John Simon, Jordan Sibert, Kentucky Wildcats, Mark Quisenberry, Mike Vrabel, NCAA failures, Playoffs, SBP, Tim Hinton, Urban Meyer
Categories: College Basketball, College Football, Humor, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

It was a great run Thad. Well done, see you next year.

The Final Four of the 2011 NCAA Tournament has now been set, and as Eric’s mini-post highlighted, this year’s remaining teams make for an interesting assortment.  Four teams, one each from the SEC, Big East, Horizon League, and Colonial Athletic Association will take their hopes and dreams to Houston next weekend to see who will come out on top.  With the differing characteristics of these teams, it should be an entertaining weekend of basketball.

Of course, an Ohio State fan choosing to watch the Final Four games will have to decide which team warrants his or her support.  With the Buckeyes knocked out, and seemingly no clear-cut alternative of which team to root for given the lack of Big Ten teams, who rises to the top?  Unless you’ve got a significant other’s alma mater still in the running, tBBC is here to help.  Let’s take a look at each remaining team going into next weekend and try to figure out who is deserving of a little Buckeye love… Read More

Tags: 2011 NCAA Tournament, Brad Stevens, Butler Bulldogs, Connecticut Huskies, Jamie Skeen, Jim Calhoun, John Calipari, Kemba Walker, Kentucky Wildcats, Matt Howard, Shaka Smart, Shelvin Mack, Virginia Commonwealth Rams
Categories: College Basketball

Calipari leading the traditional UK "Wildcat Impression"

On Friday night things could truly start to get interesting for Buckeye fans in the NCAA Tournament.  After first and second round blowouts, albeit a rather unexpected one in the case of George Mason, Ohio State next faces the Kentucky Wildcats.  If you want to talk about basketball royalty, Kentucky is near the top, and while this year’s team may not quite fit the mold of the program’s past, it has plenty of talent to pose a legitimate threat to the Buckeyes’ run through the 2011 Tournament.

It’s almost as if Kentucky has flown under the radar a bit this season, having lost John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Patrick Patterson…and Daniel Orton…and Eric Bledsoe…and some others from last year’s high-profile team.  After putting together a solid season in a relatively weak SEC this year, UK romped through the conference tournament and laid the smack-down to rival (and subsequent higher NCAA tournament seed) Florida in the championship game.  You’ll be hard pressed to find many teams younger than Coach Cal’s 2010-11 Wildcats, which has 5 out of its 10-man roster representing the freshmen class while only featuring one senior, but clearly the team is dangerous.  Here’s why: Read More

Tags: 2011 NCAA Tournament, Brandon Knight, Eloy Vargas, Jared Sullinger, John Calipari, Josh Harrelson, Kentucky Wildcats, Terrence Jones
Categories: Ohio State Basketball