After an exciting week in Berkeley, the Bucks return home in a final warmup before B1G season. As the Rattlers come to town, there’s only one choice for the soundtrack this week.

Trophy Hunting

Buckeye 411

• Injury Update- The plan is for Braxton to play some on Saturday; reports from practice had him wearing a brace but with no noticeable limp. That’s the good news.  The “not yet” news is that Adolphus Washington will miss the FAMU visit to Columbus, as the Buckeyes try to ensure that he’ll be healthy for B1G play. Coach Meyer said several times this week that he would be “probable” for Wisconsin.
• Good Problem To Have- Meyer seemed most optimistic about the play of the defensive line, and praised Coach Vrable’s work with the “young pups”. Given the pressure that they’ve been able to apply minus Adolphus and Tommy Schutt, you’ve got to think that something is going right in the trenches for the Scarlet and Gray.
• And Then- There’s the linebackers, who still have some question marks in place for Ohio State. Meyer emphasized again that the depth is not what it needs to be given some of the “misses” in recruiting in the last four years; fans will remember that several key stars either haven’t panned out as of yet or have left the program altogether. At this point, the ‘Backers haven’t been tested, but with conference play coming up that’s sure to change.
• Seeking Hyde- Carlos is back after his three game suspension, but won’t immediately fall into the starting lineup on Saturday. Not only is the current lineup firing on all cylinders, it will take a bit to find a “fit” for Carlos’ game within the offense.  In addition, it wouldn’t be fair, according to the coaches, to sit Jordan Hall given the work results that have been produced over the past three weeks.
• For The Sake Of Argument- Gene Smith helped schedule this week’s FAMU game in part to bring their amazing band to The Shoe. However, as an FCS school (and not a great one, at that), the game certainly won’t help Ohio State’s “strength of schedule” perception. On the off chance that three or more schools finish undefeated (Alabama, Clemson, Oregon, tOSU), this game might cost the Buckeyes a chance at the Crystal Trophy… Or, as a friend of mine put it, “Gene Smith will have cost the Buckeyes two consecutive chances to play for a national championship”.  Discuss.
• Smooth- The same goes for Kenny Guiton, who will certainly have a large number of opportunities behind center moving forward. Again, he’s certainly earned the right to do so.
• Remember When- Ohio State fans used to envy schools like Southern Cal for their full stable of tailbacks and five star QBs? Pretty nice living, ain’t it?
• Young’uns- There’s a lot of anticipation that some of the newer faces for Ohio State will see action this week; Corey (Pittsburgh) Brown spoke at length regarding Eli Apple, Cam Burroughs, and Vonn Bell’s work in practice. Here’s hoping they get to showcase on Saturday.
• Jazz Brings The Swoons- Or is it that folks Swoon for Jazz? Either way… this photo does both.
• Bitter Bear Face- If you hadn’t already, you should read this article about how Cal’s football program has higher ideals in mind than Ohio State. Then, you should remember that Cal’s APR from 2012 would put them dead last in the Big Ten…  16 points behind the team at the bottom (hint: The Harvard Of The West).
• New Threads- Sounds as if this year’s Nike uniforms for The Game will be a white version of the ones we saw in last year’s win.
• Four Times The Awesome- Sammy Silverman had a well deserved extra design this week: Read More

Tags: 2013 Season, Aaron Craft, Adolphus Washington, Bo Pelini, Braxton Miller, Carlos Hyde, Eleven Warriors, FAMU Rattlers, Gene Smith, Kenny Guiton, Mekka Don, Mike Vrable, Ramzy, Sammy Silverman, SBP, Urban Meyer
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Football

As you’re reading this, I’m prepping for the drive from Los Angeles to the Bay Area with the Mrs. for Saturday’s game. Given that we got engaged on the Marin Headlands, this song by one of her favorite performers is the obvious choice for this week’s soundtrack. Gonna’ warn you, though… this week’s reflection is… uh… verbose.

Waiting

Buckeye 411

• Injury Update- The question that everyone’s been asking hasn’t yet been answered, as Coach Meyer said that Braxton threw a bit on Wednesday before leaving practice to get more treatment on his knee. Coach commented that the issue isn’t pain, but seems to be “stability”, and that Braxton is adjusting to his knee brace. It would not be surprising to see Kenny G start and be relieved by Miller, nor would it be a shock to have them split time at the position. Both will travel, Coach Meyer indicated that they would know more after Thursday’s practice and that he remained optimistic.
• Two Thoughts- 1) The last time Braxton was held out of play in a game he returned to action and performed pretty well. 2) That being said, if Ohio State feels that they can win the game with Smooth Jazz and give Braxton a week (or two) to recover, I wholeheartedly support that decision. Long term goals here, peeps.
• Also- Adolphus Washington did not practice on Wednesday, but is expected to travel. His is a bit of a different situation, as the injury is something that can linger. Also, as amazing as Washington is on the field, the Young Bucks are doing good work under Coach Vrable’s direction.
• Good News- Corey Linsley is scheduled to play the entire game this week at center, having gotten the clearance to do so from the medical staff after his foot injury has significantly healed
• Red, Not Scarlet- A couple of older “back ups” that many are surprised have not gotten the playing time they were expected to were discussed on Wednesday, and Coach Meyer said that it’s a possibility that Bri’onte Dunn and Michael Thomas may end up redshirting if they aren’t going to be a part of the planning this season. He also discussed how he felt that they were “wasted” by the coaches last year, and didn’t want to make the same mistake moving forward.
• Getting Defensive- Ryan Shazier talked about the Silver Bullets’ excitement to play Cal, and that they were working diligently to ensure that the Bears didn’t have the success necessary to string together drives and run 100 plays a game. He also spoke about the need to maintain leverage on Cal’s running back Brendan Bigelow, as his ability to get to the edge is a strength that created issues for Oho State last year. However, Shazier mentioned that Bigelow’s talents were helped by a number of small mistakes that the young defense made last season.
• Getting Ready- Playing the role of Bigelow this week in practice? Carlos “I’ll be back next week” Hyde. Not too shabby.
• Stripes Lost- I guess we’re still doing that now, as Cameron Johnston, Tyquan Lewis, and Trey Johnson all had their black stripes removed today. Woot!
• Honors- This week’s Sammy Silverman graphics, for your enjoyment Read More

Tags: 2013 Season, Adolphus Washington, Alabama, Amateurism, Braxton Miller, Brionte Dunn, Cameron Johnston, Carlos Hyde, Charles Robinson, George Dorhmann, Kenny Guiton, Les Miles, Michael Thomas, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Ryan Shazier, Sammy Silverman, SBP, Sports Illustrated, Tennessee, Trey Johnson, Tyquan Lewis, Urban Meyer, Yahoo!
Categories: NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Football

Well, given Coach Meyer’s perspective for this season, the soundtrack for today should be pretty obvious. There’s the awesome option, and the Ah!Sum! possibility. Happy Thursday, Buck-aroos!

Heart you, Dee Dee McCall

Buckeye 411

• Health Update- According to Coach Meyer, CJ Barnett will be back in action this week against SDSU, and Corey Lindsley will see more time; although the staff will continue to be cautious with his recovery.
• Back On The Attack? Although he had a good practice today, Bradley Roby has not yet been bumped up to the starter at corner this weekend. Rod Smith, curiously left off the depth chart released on Tuesday, finds himself on several special teams this weekend, which is a pretty good sign.
• Isn’t That Special- A lot has been made of Ohio State’s practice of having players earn playing time by being a part of Coach Coombs’ charges for a time. If you want to play, prove that you’ve got the heart and passion… I like it, and am hopeful Bri’onte Dunn (who seems to have been singled out this week) will rise to the challenge.
• Hybrid No More? Coach Meyer mentioned that Dontre Wilson is more of a receiver at this point than a running back.
• Getting Defensive- San Diego State runs a 3-3-5 Stack Defense, which is a bit different than what the Buckeyes have seen in the past. However, several players mentioned that Buffalo chose a similar look on Saturday, so they feel more prepared. That being said, don’t be surprised to see quite a bit of unorthodox pressure coming from the Aztecs.
• The Chase- While Ohio State dropped in the AP poll to #3 (I guess beating an FCS school is a good idea, huh NikeU?), they stayed at the #2 slot in the Coaches’ poll.  Oh, and they’re #1 on the Facebook poll… which reminds me; can we be friends? Read More

Tags: 2013 Season, A&M, Aaron Craft, Adidas, Asteroid Strike, Bradley Roby, Brionte Dunn, CJ Barnett, Concussions, CuppyCup, Dennis Hopson, Ed O'Bannon, Facebook, Freeh Report, Hop2theRafters, Jared Sullinger, Jim Tressel, Joe Paterno, Johnny Manziel, Kyle Berger, LeBron James, NCAA, NCAA Reform, Rod Smith, Sammy Silverman, San Diego State, SBP, Special Teams, Stanford, TBDBITL, Terrelle Pryor, UCLA, Uniforms
Categories: College Football, Humor, NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

While camp is in session over at the WHAC, it’s important to remember that in 1936 another Buckeye was rocking the world this week. By this time that year, Jesse Owens had already won three of his four gold medals in the 100 and 200m, as well as the long jump; the fourth would come on August 8th. So, as excited as we are for the speed that OSU has gained on it’s football team, it’s important to also remember someone who was so talented that he broke another barrier. Today’s soundtrack is a song that was at the top of the charts in both Europe and the United State in 1936 as well… pretty appropriate for August.

Buckeye Bullet: Ohio State Speed

Buckeye 411

• We’re Talking Practice! Day three in the books, and based on comments from Coach Meyer, it was a pretty good one. He was impressed by the strides that Braxton has taken and where he is with his leadership/communication. He also talked frankly about freshman Dontre Wilson, that he had electric speed and brought something they didn’t have in the past.
• Line? Up- Taylor Decker seems to be leading the battle for the starting right tackle slot, while Marcus Hall has trimmed down significantly in a move that has helped his mobility/agility- Coach Warriner commented that he needed a belt now.  Corey Linsley is still recovering from off season foot surgery, but there’s no concern regarding his being ready to play in a few weeks.
• That Being Said- Coach Meyer singled out the line and the linebackers as still being areas of concern, particularly in terms of depth.  When asked what would help get these positions to look more “Ohio State-ish”, he replied “another recruiting class”.
• Good News! No one was in trouble with the law this week! W00t!
• In Fact- Carlos Hyde, Marcus Baugh, and Bradly Roby were all part of practice on Tuesday.  No decisions have been made re: Roby, as Meyer stated that he was “still getting information” on the situation.
• For Kicks- Cameron Johnston is the starting punter, according to Meyer, and has athletic ability to the point where they are able to do some “different things” with the punting game this year.
• The Downside- As powerful as the offense is expected to be, we might not get to see Johnston or the amazing Bryce Haynes work their magic much this season. Alas.
• Triumph From Tragedy- News broke on Monday that B1G programs would be recieving “refunds” of sorts, as the Penn State bowl allocation would be split among the rest of the conference due to their sanctions. Ohio State announced that they were donating the amount to child advocacy groups, which is pretty cool, given the circumstances. No word on how other programs are planning on using their allocation.
• Buckeye Pron- Looking for a schedule wallpaper for the old laptop? Well, this one from Sammy Silverman will do nicely, I think: Read More

Tags: 2013 Fall Camp, 2013 Football Season, Bradley Roby, Braxton Miller, Bryce Haynes, Cameron Johnston, Carlos Hyde, Conference Expansion, Corey Linsley, Derrick Green, Dontre Wilson, Jay Bilas, Jesse Owens, Johnny Manziel, LSU, Marcus Baugh, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Sammy Silverman, SBP, SEC, Taylor Decker, Uniforms
Categories: College Football, Humor, Ohio State Football

Good to be back… although I can always count on the team to hold the fort down for me.  Given the news of the last 24 hours, I was tempted to go with a more “good advice, one week late” soundtrack. Instead, though… may this bring calm to your Wednesday’s wanderings.

Get Ready, Rod, Brionte, Warren, and EzE

Buckeye 411

• Watching The Watched Watchmen- No updates this week, but Sammy Silverman has an amazing visual representation of how special this team could be this season.
• OG Gets Paid- Much kerfuffle was made this week at the announcement of former President E. Gordon Gee’s “retirement package“.  Given the amount of money that he’s raised for the University (and will continue to do so in his new role), I’m perfectly OK with it. However, I also understand the folks who need to write things while eating their HotPockets perspective on this- it is a lot of cash. But seriously… is this even a story if we’re not in the college sports offseason?
• Ooooo! Shiny!! If you look around the college football landscape, you’ll note that the “trend” in uniform updates is either matte or “chrome” looking helmets. Check out Baylor, Miami of Ohio, and South Carolina if you think I’m off base- not to mention what Rutgers and Indiana and Oregon and others are already doing. “Sure, Mali… but why are you mentioning this in the Ohio State news section?” Well- just call it a hunch, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see something similar for Ohio State during this season, even if it’s a revisit of the great uniforms from last year’s Game.
• “Like A Real Linebacker”- Cam Williams, tweeting that he’d be wearing #55 next season.
• Although- There’s nothing wrong with a linebacker wearing #10 either… as today’s graphic indicates: Read More

Tags: Camren Williams, Carlos Hyde, E. Gordon Gee, Ed O'Bannon, Johnny Manziel, LSUFreek, Mickey Marotti, Oregon, Pat Fitzgerald, Penn State, Ryan Shazier, Sammy Silverman, SBP, Uniforms, Urban Meyer
Categories: College Football, Humor, Ohio State Football

Now that the rain has subsided, maybe the Buckeye State can enjoy the summer sunshine and higher temperatures… or as we call it in Los Angeles, “Wednesday”. Today’s soundtrack hearkens back to the halcyon days of the 80′s, before I had to actually pay for air conditioning. Back then, I thought that a Power Station meant something completely different…

Refreshing

Buckeye 411

• Watching The Watched, Men- Following up from last week, we’ve got a few more Buckeyes on “watch lists” this week. Two thirds of the secondary is on the Thorpe Award list- Roby, Barnett, Bryant; while Corey Brown and Devin Smith were named to the counterpart Biletnikoff list. Ryan Shazier doubled dipped this week, being targeted for the Butkis and Lombardi lists; he joins Andrew Norwell on the latter.
• Thoughts And Prayers- Go out to the family of Buckeye legend Jim Jackson, who lost his father this weekend.
• “I ain’t drunk… I’m just drinkin’” I’m pretty sure that Marcus Baugh is not familiar with the work of Albert Collins; just as I’m sure that Mr. Baugh is going to be intimately familiar with the work of strength coach Mickey Mariotti following the news from this past weekend. If you hadn’t heard, Marcus was arrested for underaged consumption and use of another person’s identification- it sounds like a double dose of trouble, to be honest. If you believe message boards and whatnot, Baugh was brought back to his dorm when initially confronted by police; he chose to return to the party and use another student’s ID when confronted a second time. We’ll continue to monitor this as it develops.
• Urban’s Fault? With everyone jumping on the bandwagon to blame Coach Meyer for global warming housing bubble crash assassination of Archduke Firdinand the Aaron Hernandez situation, it was interesting to read an account of the Meyer legacy from someone who was actually there. You know, in stead of someone who’s digging for pageviews and interviewing disgruntled former players.
• Your Killing Me, Small(s)- MotSaG with the latest in this trainwreck.
• The Game, Junior- Since Pennsylvania backed out of their annual High School All Star game against Ohio’s best (I guess they couldn’t handle the annual loss, in spite of the shady officiating), That State Up North has stepped up the the challenge. As the OZone’s Tony Gerdeman notes, this event will see the best from Michigan and the best from Ohio play for bragging rights, beginning next year. Several of our twitter friends pointed out that this matchup will feature TTUN and OSU players against MAC Conference players- unless, that is, Ohio’s roster gives players to Michigan to make the game interesting. You know, just like in November.
• Buckeyes Grow On Money Trees- Kyle Rowland from 11Warriors with a great article Tuesday morning about the spending habits in college athletics.  Guess what? The teams that spend more are more successful.
• Lineup- From Sammy Silverman, the front wall of the B1G’s best offense: Read More

Tags: B1G Conference, ESPN, Finance, Florida, FS1, Joe Paterno, Louis Freeh Report, Mark May, Nebraska, Officiating, Ohio-Michigan HS Game, Penn State, Ray Small, Sammy Silverman, SBP, SEC, Tom Osborne, Urban Meyer, Will Muschamp
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Humor, Ohio State Football

Following up on the earlier announcement of scheduling with our new BFFs in the B1G, Ohio State released the conference schedules for the 2016-17 seasons today.

As a reminder, this is when the conference moves to a 9 game schedule; 6 divisional foes and three from the Leaders Legends West.

Here’s the info you need to start scheduling your travel priorities:

2016 Ohio State Football Schedule
Sept. 3 – Bowling Green
Sept. 10 – Tulsa
Sept. 17 – at Oklahoma
Sept. 24 – Off
Oct. 1 – Rutgers
Oct. 8 – Indiana
Oct. 15 – at Wisconsin
Oct. 22 – at Penn State
Oct. 29 – Northwestern
Nov. 5 – Nebraska
Nov. 12 – at Maryland
Nov. 19 – at Michigan State
Nov. 26 – Michigan
Dec. 3 – Big Ten Championship Game

Starting in October, the Buckeyes will see nine/ten straight conference games on the road to Indianapolis- compare this, if you will, to the SEC’s practice of scheduling something called a “Wofford” midway through the season as a palate cleanser.  Also, it should be noted that this season will be the last that we’ll see of the mythical “Purdue” until 2018, unless they make it to the Conference Champ… sorry, I just couldn’t do it.

Across the conference- Penn State will conveniently not play any of the traditionally top three teams in the West in 2016; prepare for “We Are!” chants with a zippy “Fortunately Scheduled!” response (ok, maybe a bit wordy). TTUN will miss the two Western “N” teams in 2016 as well.

Wisconsin’s karma runs out, as they play Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State in 2016 after avoiding them prior.

2017 Ohio State Football Schedule Read More

Tags: 2016, 2017, B1G Conference, Football Schedules, Sammy Silverman
Categories: Ohio State Football

Well, there won’t be a Rumble later today; Jason’s recovering from the Orion festival (he snuck across the boarder to TSUN, and hopes to come back with his IQ intact and his hearing decimated). As such, your soundtrack for today is my favorite Metallica song from back in the day. Also, we’re launching a new feature later this afternoon to get you ready for kickoff… enjoy!

Yeah, That’s Pretty Cool

Buckeye 411

• Aloha Means “Hello”- So… you want to play the Rainbow Warriors? I’m totally OK with that, as long as it’s a “home and away” proposition… I’ve got my lei all warmed up and everything.
• This Week In “The Staff Is Awesome”, Part One- CBS Sports had a twofer on Tuesday about Ohio State assistant coaches, starting with strength and football performance coach Mickey Marotti. Interesting tidbits from that article: Coach wanted to “fight” Christian Bryant to get him to buy in, but now counts him as one of his leaders; Braxton has made great strides, but has a more “laid back” personality than previous people that Mariotti has worked with, and Noah Spence was at the top of the recruiting charts at Florida as well as being a high priority for Ohio State- and he’s gained 15 pounds of muscle since coming to Columbus
• And Aloha Means “Goodbye”- The staff at LGHL have discovered that former Buckeye linebacker David Perkins will most likely transfer to Illinois State following both his departure from the program and some issues at Bowling Green.
• This Week In “The Staff Is Awesome”, Part Two- Believe it or not Dennis Dodds wrote a very complementary article on Offensive Coordinator Tom Herman, particularly highlighting both his offensive savvy and his ability to get the Buckeyes to buy in… even when it cost them their dinners:

In the best times, Herman’s offense had lineman Andrew Norwell vomiting. The super-fast version of Ohio State’s no-huddle is labeled “Jet.” Jet took off at a key moment in the third quarter of last year’s game at Penn State.

At that point, the decision had been made to run Penn State’s defensive line out of the building the same way Herman had done it at Rice. Go fast, make defenders run sideline-to-sideline. History shows an eight-play, 85-yard touchdown drive that lasted 2 minutes, 15 seconds.

And then, regurgitation.

“Norwell came to the sideline, sat on the bench and vomited at the feet of our offensive line coach [Ed Warriner],” Herman said. “He looked him right in the eye and said, ‘Keep jettin’ ‘em.’ That’s when I knew we had them.”

• If You’re Into That Kind Of Thing- EA Sports seems to be fond of Ohio State’s offense, while Phil Steele has Ohio State at #2 this pre-season; we’ll be talking with him later this summer on tBBC Radio Hour.

Buckeye Hoops News Read More

Tags: Blaz Rola, Chris Jent, Claire-Louise Bode, Cleveland State, David Lighty, David Perkins, Greg Oden, Greg Paulus, Hawaii, Indiana Hoosiers, Jack Mewhort, Kentucky, Mark Stoops, Miami, Mickey Marotti, Mississippi State, NCAA CoI, Nevin Shapiro, North Carolina, Ohio Bobcats, OSU APR, Phil Steele, Sammy Silverman, SBP, Tom Herman, Uniforms
Categories: College Football, Humor, NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Football