Buckeye Blogger Network
Pregame Juice
On Homecoming 2012 in Ohio Stadium before a record crowd of 106,102 fans on national television in prime time the Ohio State Buckeyes left no doubt they are beginning to arrive in new head coach Urban Meyer’s system. What was being billed as a “Showdown in The Shoe” turned out to be a “Blowout in The Shoe” as the men of scarlet and grey plowed their way to an impressive 63-38 victory.
Fire and Ice
The Ohio State offense wasn’t exactly on fire to start the game. Coming out of the locker room the Buckeye offense went four straight series of three and out, the last included a fake punt attempt. I’d like to say that Bradley Roby’s 41 yard interception return for a touchdown at the 8:29 mark of the first quarter was the spark that got the team rolling, but the truth is Ohio State found themselves down 17-7 at the end of the first quarter. Starting slow is a first quarter trend that started back in game one against Miami, Ohio and continues through week six.
So what got the proverbial ball rolling? What kicked the offense and the team itself into gear and got them on a torrid scoring pace that ended up with a 63 spot on the board for the good guys? The answer: Braxton Miller. A 72 yard burst from “XBrax360” juking defenders out of their shoes and racing to the three yard line put the stadium and the Ohio State sideline into a frenzy. Two plays later Carlos Hyde busted into the endzone (more on Hyde later) and the onslaught of scoring had begun.
Video Game Moves
After his 72 yard sprint, Miller limped to the sidelines and could not finish the series. It’s the second week in a row that Braxton has given the Buckeye faithful a near heart attack. It’s also the second week in a row he shook off a bump and got back in the game. The question of course has to be asked: Can he keep taking hits and carrying the ball at this pace for an entire season?
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Straight Up The Olentangy...
Midweek look at news and notes from around Ohio State and the nation… getting ready for what’s been predicted to be a very wet weekend.
Hey! Have you signed up for pick-em yet?
Buckeye 411
| Following his plea to a lesser charge this week, Senior linebacker Storm Klein has been reinstated to the Ohio State football team by Urban Meyer.
As you may remember, he has been suspended following his arrest on charges of assault, specifically during an altercation with the mother of his child. This comes after reports that the alleged victim in the situation fully recanted her earlier testimony, and in addition to speculation that the testimony may have been less than accurate. The Associate Press quotes Coach Meyer as follows-
Klein will still miss two games to open this season, and has missed the entirety of Fall Practice thus far. Your reaction to this may depend on your perspective prior to recent events in this story. For those who are looking for a reason to praise Coach Meyer for waiting for the truth to come out and do “what is right” by his student athletes, you can find rationale in this. For others who are interested in Coach Meyer’s “record” at Florida and elsewhere regarding players’ legal issues, this only reinforces your perception that he is soft in these matters. As always, the truth lies somewhere in the middle- and will more than likely never fully come to light in the same media that would rather project and support whatever narrative they’ve chosen. At any rate, we wish everyone involved in this situation the healing and closure that they deserve. |
#25 could be a part of this year's offense for the Scarlet and Gray
Spent the biggest part of my day Sunday trying to decide what I wanted to rant about this week, and I will keep it brief.
Too many times in the social media world we take for granted that information that’s being put out there is fact. More recently, in regards to situations with Brionte’ Dunn and Storm Klein, we have passed judgement on these players just because someone released information prior to the actual facts. As we have learned, Dunn’s case has pretty much run its course and he will probably pay for what many consider to be a bogus charge. Moving on can be a huge positive for a player that has an opportunity to contribute.
If you are active on twitter or facebook, then you know exactly what I am talking about. People were clamoring to have him off the team for being stupid as far as drugs are concerned and the fact is they weren’t even his. I applaud his mother for taking full responsibility for the situation and doing the best she can to help her son.
In the Storm Klein case, there has emerged a possibility that he will be exonerated for his domestic battery charges. His attorney filed a motion for dismissal of charges based on the alleged victim recanting- you can read the report here.
Media days 2011; It'll be nice to see a smile on his face again.
Everything being said, they have to wait for a hearing and then he can continue with his life.If what his attorney says is accurate, it seems as if the best thing would be for the football program to reinstate him so he can enjoy his senior year. I understand the need to protect a woman who claimed that she had been hurt and support all programs that are in place for abuse prevention. At any rate, this is yet another lesson in the drawbacks of our “report first, fact check second” culture.
Have a great Monday and an even better week- September 1 is rapidly approaching, does it get any better than that?
May be vacation, but feels like home
Salutations from our nation’s 48th state, where I currently find myself vacating on the same road that I live by several hours to the west. Yup, this is as close to Rich Rod as I’ll ever get… probably for the best. Knowing that we were headed this way the wife let me plan our trip around two sacred OSU sites, although she did boycott one of my musical selections for the journey. Ah, well… at least she let me watch the 2002 game on the BTN this evening.
Buckeye 411
This “update” seems to be merely a reflection of Coach Meyer’s decisions regarding Klein’s actions, and there may not be any more to read into it. Again, Urban stated at the end of spring practice that the chart would be set- fall camp was about preparation and not position battles.
If you screw up you best pray to your dear and fluffy lord - because I will end you.
I’ve gone back and forth the past two days while on vacation trying to decide the angle of my rant this week. Honestly I think my good buddy CeMo Buckeye said it best,
Part of me it’s kind of sad they pulled the cord on a senior so quickly, especially if it’s too send a message, but it also needs done.
There it is, it needed to be done. The previous troubles that the football program had tied Coach Meyers hands. He has no choice but to do what he is doing. These players are going to have to learn the hard way I guess. I am not going to hammer Storm Klein because I don’t have all the facts. What I will say is this – if people didn’t believe he was serious with Stoneburner and Mewhort? Believe it now. A senior and one of the hardest working kids on the team is gone for all intents and purposes. I wish him luck and wish any future player luck who wants to try Coach Meyers patience.
On to more positive things. In case you hadn’t already heard there’s some great recruiting taking place in Columbus. This past week at the SPARQ recruit challenge a possible big get for the Buckeyes not only obliterated the competition, he set new record for LBs in the 40 with a 4.39 and a new over-all high score with more than 150 points. The fun part about all of this is Mike Mitchell out of Texas says he is a 80% Buckeye lean. He will take other visits before committing however. The other interesting part to all of it is that it caused a former commit to tweet that there’s great combine players and then there’s those who can play. I’m sure he wasn’t referring to the kid that is called “the Abusement Park ”
The past two weekends were busy in Columbus with tons of former Buckeyes playing some hoops. Several former players competes against each other in the Battle for Ohio as Team Columbus defeated Team Cleveland in St. John arena yesterday. Last weekend showcased several of Roy Hall’s buddies as they raised funds for his DRIVEN Foundation. I’m on vacation and must apologize for not having more details about each event’s success and who participated. Suffice it to say that I believe in all that Roy does with his foundation and it deserves your support here.
Until next Monday. Have a great week.
| Updating our earlier post- As anticipated, Coach Meyer has responded quickly and firmly to Storm Klein’s arrest for assault and domestic violence, and he has been dismissed from the Buckeye squad.
From this evenings’ press release-
According to NBC4, in Klein’s arrest came from a dispute with a person regarding their future relationship. In addition,
Tim May at the Columbus Dispatch added the following-
Storm becomes the third Buckeye dismissed from the team, joining DerJuan Gambrell and Dominic Clark from earlier in the year. Jake Stoneburner and Jack Mewhort have had their scholarships removed and are working toward restoration; Jamaal Berry also left the team following an incident with law enforcement. |
 Storm Klein “Nothing good ever happens after 10 PM”- Jim Tressel “Nothing good ever happens on Fridays…” Urban Meyer? Reports Friday night surfaced that charges were filed earlier in the day against Senior Buckeye linebacker Storm Klein. Klein is expected to be arraigned on Saturday. The official report (Case No. 2012 CR B 016728) cites allegations of domestic violence and assault, and has a 9:00 am trip to the courthouse on the schedule. This would be Klein’s second assault incident; charges were dropped in a case from August of 2010. Klein, from Licking Valley in Hanover Ohio, started for ten contests during the 2011 season, but slipped to second team behind rising sophomore Curtis Grant. If accurate, this will be the second “legal issue” for Meyer’s Buckeyes, following Stoneburner and Mewhort’s bladder control issues during the Memorial tournament. In that case, both students were stripped of their scholarships, although they are working toward being restored to their places on the team. Earlier, Jamaal Berry and Dominick Clark both saw their places on the team revoked following legal issues that occurred early in Meyer’s tenure. It’s important to note that, at this time, the process is still ongoing- including any investigation, hearing, and potential sanctioning. As such, speculation regarding his tenure with the university or the football program are unwise. We’ll keep you updated as this develops. |
