Battered But Not Defeated

I wonder what it’s like to play the favorite at home four straight weeks against teams you’re expected to not only beat but beat handily? Does that put pressure on a  young football team learning a new system and at some point make them begin to feel confidently complacent yet nervously unsure at the same time?

This is in no way an attempt to make any excuses for the myriad of problems the 2012 Ohio State Buckeyes face nor to defuse the complaints being lobbed at them from its die-hard fan base. It’s just a question of mindset and trying to imagine what goes through the head of a 18-20 year old college athlete playing at the most popular university in the country.

B1G a welcome sight?

For the last 5-6 years we’ve had it shoved in our face weekly just how bad the Big Ten has become. Quite honestly, I’m really tired of hearing about it and beginning to not care. If Michigan can’t beat Notre Dame and Nebraska can’t beat an upstart UCLA team in the Rose Bowl and Wisconsin can’t beat anybody, what’s it matter to us? I’ve said it for a few years now and it needs repeated: Just win the games on your schedule and things will fall out how you deserve. Win them all and If you still can’t get in the BCS title game or upcoming playoff, be honest with yourself, look at your schedule and realize it’s likely you didn’t deserve it anyway. Besides, what is Ohio State going to do, leave the conference? But, more on the B1G overall later…

Coming in to this weeks game against Michigan State in East Lansing (ABC 3:30) all the lingering issues from the games with UAB , California and UCF can be put to rest. It’s time to start fresh. It doesn’t mean those problems don’t still exist (tackling, angles, dropping passes etc) it just puts the focus elsewhere. Instead of pounding it in players heads all week about how poor the tackling was, Coach Meyer’s staff can now use it as a tool to sharpen senses and focus on the task at hand: Beating Sparty. As an example: Instead of spending the week repeating the same fundamental issues over and over until they’re blue in the face, Luke Fickell can simply throw in during practice “And if you think you’re going to tackle Le’Veon Bell the way you tackled Joe Schmo from UAB, we might as well not even get on the plane!” Nothing more needs to be said. The message is clear. Get it together or you will fail. Read More

Tags: 2012 Season, B1G, Braxton Miller, Etienne Sabino, Luke Fickell, Michigan State, Rod Smith, Wednesday's Rumble
Categories: College Football, Football Analysis, Ohio State Football

Westy

Hall is the first running back to hit the century mark for the Bucks this season.

Offensive Consistency. At times, this offense seemed unstoppable. Other times, they seem miserably poor. Does “Consistent Inconsistency” count?

Receivers that can catch. Not for the most part, no. Plenty of drives were killed by dropped passes. While they hauled in 60% of Miller’s passes, it still took them the better part of a half to focus on the game.

More ground production from halfbacks. Hall picked up the first 100 yard game for the running backs this season, and Rod Smith picked up a healthy 24 yards on 6 carries.

A Defense that tackles. It was an improvement, surprisingly. But, it is still not where it should be.

Linebackers that live up to their legacy. Someday perhaps. Saturday was a tad early to ask for it.

Gary

Consistency. Consistently Inconsistent – tattoo it on this team’s forehead, because it is the perfect descriptor for them.

Less Wounded Ducks. Didn’t see too many, but did see a few poor throws still. The footwork is not quite where it should be – particularly when he gets excited.

Secondary Still. It was an improvement in terms of long plays, but the coverage is not where it should be. 10 yards off the receiver is pathetic pass coverage.

Read More

Tags: Blazers, Braxton Miller, buckeyes, Bucks, Devin Smith, Jordan Hall, Ohio State, Rod Smith, UAB, Urban Meyer
Categories: College Football, Football Analysis, Ohio State Football

Coach Meyer’s comments following the win over the Central Florida Knights, courtesy of Fox Sports Ohio: (transcription provided by the Ohio State Athletic Department)

As always, I like to give credit to a very good team we faced in Central Florida.  We knew going in they would try to run downhill on us.

I think this is the second week in a row we held a team under 100 yards rushing.  However, pass defense, we have a long way to go.  Getting pressure on the quarterback.

Offensively, we’re down to our third tailback, and it looked like it.  We have to get better.  The guys carrying the ball are talented, just terrible mistakes.  Penalties and turnovers are not ‑‑ in the first game, very minimal penalties and zero turnovers.

And then this week was not good.  So just gotta fix it.  We’re going to have to really ID who is going to touch the ball.  We have to go back to the drawing board and make some decisions on who is going to physically touch that ball and they have to take care of it, obviously.

So I would also like to thank our fans and our student body.  Tremendous.  And also the weatherman did a nice job for us.  So appreciate his effort.  And got a big one next week, but we’re going to enjoy the win.  Winning major college football games is a tough duty, especially when you face a quality opponent.  Read More

Tags: 2012 Season, Braxton Miller, Brionte Dunn, Carlos Hyde, Central Florida, FSO, Jordan Hall, Nathan Williams, Rod Smith, Travis Howard, UCF, Urban Meyer, Zach Boren
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Football

Quick reflections on the Ohio State Spring Game…

• I’ve Solved Your Problem- You know how the NFL is worried about lawsuits concussions and keeps monkeying with the kickoffs? Well, what if we just got rid of the kickoff and did the Hoot And Holler between five position players on each of the two team; most “victories” gets possession at the 25 to start the game/overtime. It used to be that the NBA did a jump ball after each basket; now there’s just the one at the beginning of the game- this would be like that. Sure, it’s a little XFL, but who’s to say we can’t all learn from each other? You’re welcome.
• Whereforeart Thou Woody?  Saint Hayes of the Clouds Of Dust would have certainly been less than excited to watch yesterday’s action, as the teams focused primarily on the passing game. Given the desire to protect the quarterbacks, a true “zone read” look was off the table and Coach Meyer seemed to be most interested in assessing the play of the wide receivers. Michael Thomas continued the connection that he built with Braxton at the Under Armor game and during the spring, with 12 catches and 135 yards total (More catches than the total leader for last season). For the Gray team, Corey Brown’s 7 catches were good for an additional 90 as well. Braxton ended up taking every snap for the Scarlet and went 24-31 with one INT and and 258 yards passing; Kenny G was 17-26 with one pick, one TD, and 191 yards passing. Read More

Tags: Braxton Miller, Brionte Dunn, Chris Carter, Corey Brown, Corey Linsley, Hoot And Holler, Jake Stoneburner, John Simon, Kenny Guiton, Kerry Coombs, Michael Thomas, Rod Smith, Spring Football 2012, Spring Game 2012, Tyvis Powell, Urban Meyer
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Football

Bumped back a day to cover today’s press access- one more day means even more news, notes, and inanity.

Would look great in the man cave- and Father's Day is coming up...

Buckeye 411

• You (will be) looking live… at a brand new, super hugemongous, HD capable scoreboard in Ohio Stadium in the fall of 2012. In addition to this addition, the ‘Shoe is getting HDTVs throughout the concourses and a brand new sound system. Pluses: great view of hard hits and controversial plays, as well as being able to enjoy the schadenfreude on the other sideline with more definition. Minuses: they still won’t show the plays you want to see, they’ll probably use most of that space for advertising, and the sound system will encourage them to play stuff rather than letting TBDBITL bring the heat.
• Meyer’s Musings- Coach Meyer was in front of the media twice today; once with the B1G conference call and then again after practice. And, as surprising as this might be for folks who are used to Ohio State press interviews… he actually answered questions and gave his honest opinion.  Whew, lawdy… almost got a case of the vapors.
• Topic du jour- Coach was asked about a Sporting News piece regarding his time at Florida (more after the break), and was adamant that any alleged NCAA issues were blatantly not true. His exact quote-

There was no NCAA violation. If you could bold and underline that for me, please.

Done and done, coach.

• Also, on the phone- Coach Meyer talked a bit about the process that the team was going through in learning the offense, and said that Braxton has been having success with the perimeter running game. While the passing game still behind, he’s seen that Stoneburner and Hall are playmakers and that John Simon is a  “Warhorse”. Hopefully this won’t mean he’ll be snubbed during Oscar season.
• This Week In Injuries- In the teleconference, Coach Meyer revealed that Jacoby Boren had surgery for a torn labrum suffered during his senior season, and that the surgery was done now to ensure that he would be ready for the fall. He will remain the #2 center, in spite of missed time.  Later, we heard that Se’Von Pittman will also miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Today in practice, CJ Barnett and Rod Smith were dinged up a bit, and several folks were still recovering from earlier issues and were in limited action. Read More

Tags: Adidas, Arkansas, Baylor, Bobby Petrino, Braxton Miller, Brionte Dunn, Carlos Hyde, Chris Carter, Chris Wormley, Gene Smith, Jacoby Boren, John Simon, Kerry Coombs, Ohio Stadium, Rod Smith, SBP, Se'Von Pittman, Spring Football 2012, Taver Johnson, The Game, The Shoe, TTUN, UCLA, Urban Meyer, Zach Boren
Categories: College Basketball, College Football, Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Football, Recruiting

Moving Forward

Before Buckeye Nation turned it’s eyes to shootyhoops on Saturday, the 2012 football team took to the field for it’s first full-pad practice of the spring. Here’s some of the things we’ve learned after three days under Coach Meyer:

• Saturday was a chance for the media to meet with the linebackers, and you can find some great footage from Sabino and Shazier after the jump. Coach Meyer has been pretty vocal about Grant needing to fulfill a major role in the defense moving forward, and with Klein dinged up, it’s definitely been his time to shine. Today, in pads, it sounds as if the lights are coming on- some big hits, involved all over the field, and even a pick at one point. For Ohio State to use it’s speed on the outside (Shazier/Sabino), they’ve got to have a runstopper at Mike; Grant looks to be ready to fill that role.
• Still a lot of questions about the receivers; is there a “playmaker” in this group? While that question is being sorted out, though, it’s great to hear that TY Williams has gotten past his problem with the drops and is catching everything that comes his way. With his size, he could definitely be a great weapon in the passing game. Read More

Tags: Andrew Norwell, Braxton Miller, Brionte Dunn, Carlos Hyde, Corey Linsley, Doran Grant, Etienne Sabino, Jack Mewhort, Jacoby Boren, Jeff Heuerman, Jonathan Hankins, Jordan Hall, Kenny Guiton, Maurice Hall, Reid Fragel, Rod Smith, Ryan Shazier, SBP, Se'Von Pittman, Spring Football 2012, T.Y. Williams, Taylor Decker, Tom Herman, Urban Meyer, Zach Boren
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Football

This week, on The Walking Dead...

Be sure you get involved in the BBN Bracket Challenge, and the Women’s Pick-em Competition (password: sammy!)… even if the lady Buckeyes got hosed.

Buckeye 411

• Meyer Musings-  Today, the press corps got to connect with Coach Meyer and talk about the end of winter conditioning as well as taking a look at what what the staff is looking forward to for the spring. While the insight was welcomed, most folks who were present were incredibly impressed with the candor and straight forwardness of the new staff. I guess not everyone is was a fan of the Senatorial tone from the previous administration and so forth.
• Every Day I’m Battlin’- In listening to Coach Meyer, you really get an understanding of his number one priority: Will to win. Winter training has been all about competition, and will wrap up with a special dinner upon returning from Spring Break for those who’ve earned it via their hard work. Spring practice will not change this focus; Wednesday and Saturdays will be all about competitions, with winning teams receiving awards and losing teams having more conditioning to do- coaches and all.
• Standouts Standing Out-  In addition to Big Hank’s graduation to the next level of maturity within the team standards, Coach Meyer singled out Brionte Dunn as someone who’d progressed and “graduated” as well.  Initially, Meyer wasn’t too enthused about Brionte, but following a conversation with him at his home and the work that the GlennOak star put in during the winter, he’s a fan. Incidentally, when Brionte initially told coach that he was interested in visiting other schools (presumably Michigan), he was told that “you’d better like it”- implying that his spot would not be waiting for him upon his return.  Whispers around the WHAC indicate that Dunn will certainly be pushing for significant playing time in the spring.
• Spring Forward- Speaking of spring football, Coach Meyer talked about his desire to set the two deep after the spring game on the 21st, and having fall training be primarily for game day preparation. New Buckeyes will essentially be told that the lineup is set, and they should go and work to take a position.
• Impressions- Kenny Guiton has had a good winter, and is “Acting like a quarterback” now. Reid Fragle has worked to become Fragel Rock as he transitions to tackle (rumors are that he’s up to 300 pounds with 8% body fat); including having his best quarter academically. He’ll be joined on the OL by Darrell Baldwin, who was moved due to Coach Fickell’s suggestion regarding his footwork. This will be a move that helps address Coach Meyer’s concerns regarding the shape and mobility of the current offensive line corps.
  
• Toting The Rock- Jordan Hall had a good offseason, and Carlos Hyde/Rod Smith have come light years under the new regime. Philly Brown is the best competitor of the receivers, and Devin Smith ended the training season strong.
• Transitions? Finished-  Coach Coombs has fit in and brings an enthusiastic energy; Coach Fickell is the “general manager” of the team and has excelled in his return to the role of an assistant. In terms of players, Meyer believes that attrition is complete; now they’ve survived training and get to play football.

Read More

Tags: Big Integer, Brionte Dunn, Carlos Hyde, Harvard, Jordan Hall, Kelly Coombs, Luke Fickell, March Madness, North Carolina, Reid Fragel, Rod Smith, Syracuse, Urban Meyer
Categories: College Basketball, College Football, Humor, NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

For once, SBP could serve as a public service announcement, particularly for the folks in the Zanesville area.

No afternoon presser today, so here’s all the non-exotic animal related news… unless you count John Simon as his own overly evolved species of critter.

Buckeye 411

• Injury update: Again, nothing huge, but Coach Fickell said today that Travis Howard was running without problems, and that Braxton also looked pain free in the Buckeye’s 45 minute practice.
• Can’t Bye Me Love: Coach Fickell was adamant that he’s not a “bye week” kind of guy, and that this week gives them the opportunity to get healthy and work on some of the things that they’ve struggled with. “Getting better”, “men of action”, and so forth.
• That Being Said: Zach Boren seemed excited for the break, and mentioned that he played around 50 plays against Illinois on Saturday. Defensively, Johnathan Hankins also got in about 60 snaps or so; these guys have more than earned a little break of sorts.
• Captain, My Captain: No captain announcement du jour, but major kudos to tBBC favorite John “Sandman” Simon for being named the B1G defensive player of the week. Hankins called him the perfect teammate, and said he’s “not a normal guy”. See earlier comments. Read More

Tags: Big East, Big Integer, Braxton Miller, Carlos Hyde, Conference USA, John Simon, Mike Adams, Missouri, MWC, Nike, Rod Smith, SBP, Time and Change Clothiers, Travis Howard, Uniforms, Zach Boren
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Football