Buckeye Blogger NetworkBasketball’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
Deep In The Heart
Following last week’s news that the Buckeyes would be entering into a two game, home and away series with Texas Christian for 2018-2019, the Athletic Department today announced that Ohio State would again play the University of Texas in 2022 (in Austin) and 2023 (in Columbus)
This will be a renewal of a great, recent series- Vince Young led the Longhorns over the Buckeyes in 2005 on their way to a national title and a Heisman*; Troy Smith and Ohio State defeated Texas in 2006 in a season that ended with a national title game (involving Urban Meyer… hmm…) and a Heisman for Smith as well.
Ohio State lost to Texas in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl following a great performance at the end of the game by Heisman finalist Colt McCoy.
Here’s the official word from the WHAC:
| Ohio State vs. Texas in 2022 & 2023Games will be the fourth and fifth in a series that had its first game in 2005COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University and the University of Texas have agreed to a home-and-home football series that will have the two teams playing in Austin, Texas, in 2022 and in Columbus in 2023.
“Playing a program like the University of Texas always creates remarkable experiences for our players and fans,” Ohio State Director of Athletics Gene Smith said. “Our last series with the Longhorns contributed to the great history and tradition that Buckeye Nation enjoys.” The games will be played Sept. 17, 2022 in Texas Stadium and Sept. 16, 2023 in Ohio Stadium. The schools have met three times previously – a home-and-home arrangement in 2005 and 2006, and in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl – with Texas holding a 2-1 edge in wins. |
*Since Reggie Bush had his taken away…
And now, it gets real. Conference season. No more cupcakes… although, that hasn’t worked out all that well for a lot of teams. Today’s soundtrack is from this week’s release, and was chosen just to make our friend Bacon happy.
Quack
Let’s start out west this week, which gives me a chance to do two of my favorite things in the world. The first is to enjoy this moment: Oh, Rich Rod face, how I’ve missed your sublime poignancy. The second is to post a great FanShot, sent to us from pretty choice seats in Eugene… lots of people making their “O” face in that game, for sure. As a reminder, if you go to a game this year, send us a photo and we’ll run it on Monday mornings.
So, let’s talk about the Ducks. The wife and I watched the game… at least until Arizona threw a 4th and goal interception in the third quarter. After that, the fate of the Wildcats was sealed and we headed onto other things (Food Network, Ahoy!). ‘Cause here’s the fact- Oregon may take some time to warm up, but once they find weakness they will attack and attack and attack… and the next thing you know, you lose 49-0. Well, until they play a team with a defensive front, that is.
While the Ducks are still doing what they do, I’ve got to tip my hat a bit to Arizona- it was fun to watch the Rodriguez offense again and only have a little bit of hatred for the passes to the slot receivers and so forth. He’ll do well in Tuscon, particularly given that the transition won’t be as drastic as it was heading from Morgantown to Ann Arbor… and he probably doesn’t have alumni and former coaches trying to sabotage him as well.
In fact, I’d love to see RRod’s former team play the one he just faced- What WVa is doing offensively is probably the only thing that can match with the speed and scoring ability that we’re seeing in Eugene. Granted, they only managed 31 against a pretty bad Maryland team, but the potential is there. A bowl game between Chip Kelly and Dana Holgorsen would certainly surpass the UW/Baylor game from last year, and would feature some of the most unique costumes uniforms in college sports.
I don’t know which is worse- that the play was allowed to continue, or that the official seems to be enjoying the spectacle. A little help here: Was the player that removed the helmet ejected, as per the rules? Read More
For our last blogger chat of the season, we approached several writers for TTUN to see if they could manage to actually string a few one syllable words together… but unfortunately, most of them were in jail. Then we remembered that the great MZone had re-opened their shop, and were happily cranking out photoshop coping mechanisms. We emailed Yost about joining us, and once he’d sobered up he sent us what you see below. Be sure to follow their stuff on twitter, and also on an upcoming edition of “COPS”.
Do you ever feel dirty rooting for the Maize and Blue? Do you ever get one of those shudders like pure evil has settled into your soul?
Wonder What He's Been Eating?
Never dirty, just horribly dazed watching what passed for our beloved Wolverines the last three years. And if you’ve been following the Maize and Blue this season, as you know, the only evil emanating out of A2 is of the Pop Evil variety. While, as the world knows, the evil that spews forth from Columbus is more of a Mordor strain.
What’s your favorite memory of The Game? On the other end of the spectrum, what play or game gives you nightmares?
Near the top of the “good” list are ’95 and ’96 when Michigan wasn’t given a chance and Ohio State was undefeated and, I believe, #2 in the country both times. Of the two, I think I enjoyed ’96 a tad more just because it was in Columbus. That was the 13-9 Michigan win that swung U-M’s way when Shawn Springs slipped and fell allowing Tai Streets to score on a 69 yard slant. OSU had been up 9-0 at halftime and you could almost hear the dread as it settled over the stadium. My god, I’m getting weepy just thinking about it again. But I digress.
Actually, at the top of my fave list has to be ’97 when #1 Michigan faced off against #4 OSU with everything on the line. The Game initially looked to be a Wolverine rout with Charles Woodson returning a punt for a TD (you seen that replay once or twice, right?). But when OSU cut U-M’s 20-0 lead to 20-14, you could hear a car key jingle pin drop in The Big House. Thankfully, Michigan held on and then won the Rose Bowl to claim a National Championship.
It was the stakes of ’97 and what a victory meant that made it so meaningful and memorable. Conversely, that’s precisely why 2006 still gives me nightmares. For the first time in history, Michigan and Ohio State were #1 and #2 at the time of The Game. OSU had the big lead at halftime but Michigan fought back. With 6:49 left, Michigan had cut the lead to 35-31. OSU had the ball on the Michigan 38 yard line, 3rd and 15. Troy Smith rolled out and threw an incomplete pass. Michigan was gonna get the ball back with a chance to drive down for the winning score. But… Read More
QB1?
New writer Chris brings us insight into the quarterback situation in Columbus, with a look back at some previous QB tandems…
There is an old saying that history often repeats itself. When it comes to a quarterback derby, Ohio State’s history is fraught with them.
It became clear with each boo on Saturday from the 105,000 fans crammed into Ohio Stadium that the honeymoon with Joe Bauserman is over. With every errant pass, throngs of scarlet and gray clad spectators wondered when it was going to be Miller Time, well Braxton Miller time.
Whether a change needs to be made or not, the problem is nothing new when it comes to Buckeye signal callers.
Stan Jackson and Joe Germaine duked it out in the late 90’s. Steve Bellisari and Austin Moherman dueled at the turn of the century, and most recently Terelle and Todd fought for the job in 2008.
While the Bauserman – Braxton affair has many similarities to the Boeckman and Pryor battle, this one resembles one that unfolded right in front of my eyes: Troy Smith vs. Justin Zwick.
After much speculation and rumors, the article that possibly expedited the end of the Ohio State careers of Jim Tressel (and Terrelle Pryor?) went online at Sports Illustrated this evening.
In it, author George Dohrmann raps up a six week investigation into Ohio State football and other aspects of life in the WHAC. As you can imagine, it’s not flattering.
Sports Illustrated is alleging that the number of student athletes who have exchanged memorabilia for tattoos is actually 28, and not the 6 that were originally named. After interviewing former employees at two Columbus area tattoo parlors, this number also includes nine Buckeyes currently with the program- Jamaal Berry, C.J. Barnett, Bo DeLande, Dorian Bell, Zach Domicone, John Simon, Storm Klein, Etienne Sabino, and Nathan Williams
Also in the piece, SI alleges that some of the exchanges of memorabilia was for marijuana, and that players often partook while they were at the various tattoo establishments.
Although there is still a game or two left between various college football teams around the country, for Ohio State and its fans, the waiting game has begun.
Having put the finishing touches on an 11-1 regular season with a convincing 37-7 victory over Michigan on Saturday, the Buckeyes now wait to see who and where they will be playing in their bowl game.
At the moment, the most likely destination is the Sugar Bowl against an SEC opponent (likely Arkansas). But until the bowl selections are officially released, everything is uncertain.
Rather than looking forward into the unknown, I thought I would take a moment to look back at how the regular season went for the team.
Each year, I have ridiculously high expectations for the Buckeyes in the preseason. So high, in fact, that it is almost impossible for the team or the players to live up to them (thankfully, I have video games to take care of that).
I, along with most other Ohio State fans, had particularly high hopes for Terrelle Pryor following the Rose Bowl. So, how has he lived up to those lofty expectations?
Read on for a look at Pryor’s 2010 season, how it compares to some previous Ohio State greats (see the title), and some speculation about the future.
Juuuussst a bit outside
As promised, updates from Tressel’s press conference and other college football news:
Buckeye 411
