Buckeye Blogger Network
MAACO Las Vegas Bowl December 22, 3:30pm EST, ESPN television
Trying to make a return to their 90’s self, the Washington Huskies find themselves at 7-5 and in Las Vegas to face Boise State and (maybe) head coach Chris Peterson (10-2). After being lured away from USC where he occupied the offensive coordinator post under Pete Carroll, Huskie head coach Steve Sarkisian is doing his best to bring the program back. Since taking the job inheriting a team coming off an 0-12 season in 2008, “Sark” has led Washington to marks of 5-7, 6-6, 7-6 and this season’s 7-5. The good news in Seattle is that it is a relatively young team led by quarterback Keith Price and sophomores Bishop Sankey at running back, wide receiver Kasen Williams and Austin Seferian-Jenkins at tight end. Though they were crushed (literally) by Oregon, USC and Arizona, the Huskies were one of two teams (the other is undefeated Notre Dame) to get a win over PAC-12 conference champion Stanford in 2012. Unfortunately they fell in overtime to Washington State in the highly anticipated yearly grudge match known simply as “The Apple Cup”.
It’s a pretty safe bet that the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes would have their way with the 2012 Washington Huskies. A defense that surrendered over 50 points on multiple occasions would be Swiss cheese for the Buckeye offense. Head to head, the Buckeyes are 8-3 all-time against Washington. Their last meeting was a 33-14 Buckeye win in 2007 at Huskie Stadium. The last time they met in Ohio Stadium was August 30th, 2003 in the season opener. The Buckeyes won that night as well by a final of 28-9. This was the first home game after the 2002 National Championship game and the last game that Maurice Clarrett was still officially a member of the Ohio State football program.
Southern Idaho State enters the game at 10-2 with absolutely no really spectacular wins under their belt, unless you subscribe to the Notre Dame school of thought that a hard fought battle with BYU is something to brag about. In that case, Boise was “champion-like” in their 7-6 triumph over the Mormons. Of course, we all watched on opening weekend when Boise fell in East Lansing to Michigan State 17-13. They were also beaten by San Diego State. The Broncos are led offensively by running back DJ Harper who finished with 1065 yards and 15 touchdowns.
I don’t think the Buckeyes would have much of a problem with the 2012 Boise State Broncos. Though the Buckeyes have never met the Broncos head to head on the field, former head coach Jim Tressel won his third national championship at Youngstown State with a 28-14 win over Boise State in 1994. For you trivia buffs, that playoff run for the Penguins started with a home victory in the first round over the Steve McNair led Alcorn State University.
The BBC staff picks are as follows: Eric, Mali, and Wva selected Washington, while myself and Janelle (clearly the younger and smarter of the group) are going with Boise State.
I think Boise wins because of Chris Peterson, one way or another. If he stays at Boise and doesn’t take a major conference gig, his players reward him and show their appreciation with their performance in Las Vegas. If he bolts for greener (and warmer) pastures, his players and the interim coach play inspired to prove that Boise State isn’t just Chris Peterson.
ESPN has the broadcast and the play-by-play will be handled by Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit. This one could be a pretty entertaining ballgame!
After a tough, hard-fought, game against the Rhode Island Rams, the Buckeyes took on the Washington Huskies in their final game of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off. After an even start in the early going, the Buckeyes took a lead late in the first half and never relinquished it on the way to a 77-66 win. DeShaun Thomas led all scorers with 31 points, tying his career high, while also picking up 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Aaron Craft followed with 18, and Evan Ravenel with 12 as Buckeyes with double digits in scoring. Washington’s C.J. Wilcox led their team with 18, and was joined by Abdul Gaddy (15) and Scott Suggs (11).
The Buckeyes did a much better job today of warming up into this game from the get go rather than slowly easing their way into it. DeShaun Thomas pretty much took care of that by himself with his incredible early shooting. As a whole, though, the team did enough to keep the game competitive until they were able to get one of their patented late first-half runs and go into the half up 10. They were then able to stave off Washington through the second half to maintain that lead, mostly, through the end.
Overall, the team is improving from game to game. This is definitely what we wanted to see in the early going, especially with the young guys down low. Players are stepping up and taking care of their roles on the floor, and are quickly learning how to play their positions better. Amir Williams in particular is showing growth as he begins to move around in the paint a bit on offense. A lot of this has to be due to the improved playing time for everyone.
Last night was not pretty, but the Buckeyes pulled out a 69-58 victory against Rhode Island in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncansville, Conn. The Buckeyes will take on Washington today at 4:30 in their final game of the weekend. The Huskies earned an 83-79 overtime win against Seton Hall in the second game of the classic last night.
The Huskies are up next.
| School: | University of Washington |
| Location: | Seattle, Washington |
| Founded: | 1861 |
| Student Population: | 42,907 |
| School Type: | Public |
| Division: | NCAA Division 1 |
| Conference: | Pac-12 |
| Stadium: | Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion |
| Seating: | 10,000 |
| Opened: | 1927 |
| Head Coach: | Lorenzo Romar |
| Experience | 8th Year |
In spite of the huge win in Happy Valley on Saturday, I’m feeling a bit of the blues are in order for this week’s recap. So, enjoy some Collins, Cray, and Copeland.
It’d be easy to say that this week was “spook-tacular”, and “scary” for a lot of top teams, but that would be way to easy. So, let’s just admit that Saturday once again proved that we’re fans of the greatest sport in the world; because anything can happen once the ball is kicked.
Whoops
As a promise to a “friend” that’s a Notre Dame fan who I’ve been justifiably ripping for the last ten years, we’re leading off this week with the Irish’s huge win in Norman over the Sooners. Like most of America who pays attention to the sport, I imagined that Oklahoma would stomp a mud hole into Brian Kelley’s team- Stoop’s defense, high powered offense… not exactly playing Air Force here. So, because the Irish emerged victorious, undefeated, and “relevant” enough to bump up to the third ranking spot in the BCS, I tip my journalistic cap to them- particularly their defense, which is playing lights out this season. Although they gave up their first* (non-official assisted) rushing touchdown to Oklahoma, they were able to keep Sooner QB Landry Jones guessing all night long. That’s not to say that we’re not without some controversy, as the “luck of the Irish” continued when Heisman Candidate Manti Te’o intercepted the Sooners late in the game to seal away the victory. Your perspective of the play will depend on your hopes prior to the game- Irish fans were elated, others thought that the initial play was a case of pass interference resulting in a ball that clearly touched the ground. At any rate, complaining about the officiating is better left to other fan bases; the Irish are undefeated, and have overcome all but one of the games that had people pointing to theirs as the toughest schedule in college football. Congrats indeed.
Although… How much of this gets pinned on Bob Stoops? “Big Game Bob”, as we’ve discussed before, has built a reputation on an early BCS championship and his ability to beat his rival. However, given the state of his rival over the past few years, is it really fair to continue to give him a pass for his team’s coming up short in these types of games? The loss to Notre Dame is the second at home this year… although, to be fair, both teams are undefeated currently. So, Sooner fans- enjoy that BCS win over Connecticut a few years back, and hope that things can get turned around in the B12 for your squadron in the near future.
Since we alluded to them, let’s talk Texas, shall we? It took some late game heroics by a McCoy (no, not that one) to keep from being beaten by Kansas. You read that correctly… the Jayhawks and their “Coach by weight” strategy were within seconds of beating the Longhorns and turning the heat even higher up on coach Mack Brown. I’m not one to jump on a dead bandwagon- check out the great “post a picture of our defense” thread on Shaggy Bevo- but I still can’t figure out how the flagship school in one of the most talent rich states in the nation continues to struggle on the field. Granted, it may be the competition in the conference and adjacent conferences, but you’ve got to think they’d be able to be successful whether or not there’s a prodigy at quarterback.
Also in the B12, Kansas State, the new #3 in the BCS continues to roll, playing even with Texas Tech for a half and then making the adjustment necessary to blow out the Raiders in Lubbock. Read More
On this anniversary of James Patrick Tressel’s last day at work, several of the folks from tBBC are joining others in the BBN to talk about the impact that The Vest had on the program.
Senatorial? Well...
Coach Jim Tressel’s public persona has taken a beating over the past thirteen months, and understandably so. His transgressions deserved to be punished, and they were.
It’s still my contention that much of the animus and vitriol that’s been aimed at Jim Tressel and the Ohio State program, though, is due not to the magnitude of the infractions, but instead because the “fallen from grace” narrative is one that is attractive. It makes us feel better about ourselves, “Look at that hypocrite… see, I’m not so bad!” and provides an easy way to gain ratings and readers in our 24-7 media frenzy.
No one reads stories about “Guy did what he was supposed to do, and was consistently a good person”. Hard to sell advertising that way.
So, the backlash that Buckeye Nation has felt since December 2010 (not to mention the Tressel family) is, in many ways, magnified by the joy that people have at seeing someone dragged off of their high horse. Particularly when, as may be the case here, that persona was so carefully crafted by the man himself.
He wasn’t called the “Senator” for nothing.
Prior to “The Unfortunate Business”, the national perception of Jim Tressel was similar to the national perception of the “flyover states”- nice people, kind of boring. And some of that was accurate- from his seeming lack of offensive creativity to his efforts on behalf of his faith to the incredibly frustrating (for the media) press conference filibusters, Tress was bland, according to most. Mashed potatoes, Butter optional. Still played smoochie-pants with his wife… just like your mom and dad did, and it made you feel just as awkward.
But the fact of the matter is that, underneath the sweatervest was a man of passion and fire. While it would be hard to tell watching “Dave” crash over and over and over and over into the line, Jim Tressel had a fire that only occasionally would leak out to the public. Luckily for me, though, I was present during two of these incidents. Read More
Need picturesque photos of tourists along a canal? Missing moments for mariachi bands in your life? Well, this is the bowl for you- Since I’m the only member of tBBC who’s actually seen both of these teams play over the past five years, I’m the guy to get you prepped for all the festivities.
The Basics: Thursday, December 29th, 2011, 9:00 PM EST on ESPN, from San Antonio. Washington (7-5, 5-4 Pac 12) and Baylor (9-3, 6-3 Big 12).
Remember... always remember
History: Ah, the Alamo… Here’s the jokes we’ve made at this games’ expense in the past. This historical festivity has seen such great matchups as Texas Tech’s last stand minus the Capn’, and the introduction of the Shot-Ginn (more later).
Washington: Year one of AL (After Luck), the Huskies got ready for the new stadium by putting together a relatively middle of the road team. No disrespect to Steverino; but UW won all the games they were supposed to (minus a loss to Oregon State) and were blown out against better opponents (including a revenge beating at the hands of the Cornhuskers). Starting out with a three point victory over a team with the worst field in America (take that, Boise!) , it was going to be a rebuilding year from the opening kick. Their defense is 99th in the country in points against, which means that Chris Polk (1340 yards rushing) and Keith Price (2625 yards passing) have to keep busy just to keep them in the game.
Baylor: You know, it’s a pity that Baylor never has anything newsworthy happen to it. Wonder what they’d be like with quality athletes and stuff, you know? Speaking of new stadiums, the Bears are joining in the game with a river side venue that’s actually near campus. Huge year for the Bears, with wins over Oklahoma and Texas in Waco; that one point loss to KSU probably stings a little bit. Heisman winner Robert Griffin the third leads a team that’s 5th in the country in passing yards and seventh in scoring- he’s accounted for 4600 yards himself, with 45 TDs and only 6 interceptions. Yeah, he’s good.
Fun Facts. Ohio State has never met Baylor on the field. Since Troy’s in the news and stuff, let’s remember that time where he was suspended and the Buckeyes beat Les Miles’ team, huh? Thanks, Vico!
Who we got?
Wrapping up our look across the shootyhoops landscape, with Ohio State’s East Region. Don’t forget to get your picks in for tBBCBC before tip-off tomorrow- we’ve also linked to our “Impressions” of some of these teams from earlier in the year.
This is my worst nightmare.
Beast of the East
A bit of a confession… I was a North Carolina fan as a kid (not living in Ohio), and loved Jordan, Perkins, Worthy, and Dean Smith basketball. Then, to make things worse, I did a grad degree in Lexington and worked with the athletic tutoring program during the Pitino/Mashburn era… yup, I was around for “The Shot“. Add to that some family in West Virginia (it’s all relative), a six year stint in Seattle, and the fact that I’ve finally come to my senses and follow Ohio State full time and this year’s East Region is a personal history of my career as a fan.
In addition to that, it’s got to be the most difficult region in recent memory. We talked about this in this week’s tBBC Radio Hour, but I’ve got to agree with Jeff Rapp’s assessment that this one is “loaded up”:
Yeah, it’s a tough region. But I’m a tough guy, so here’s what you need to know…
No breaching whale? I blame PETA...
This year’s sponsor is Bridgeport Education, a start diversion from the Pacific Life legacy that we’ve grown used to. As a partner in the higher educational process, it’s interesting to see that this bowl game (a tax free educational endeavor) has picked up money from another (presumably) tax free educational provider. Wonder what we’ll learn?
Since this match up is a repeat of a game from earlier this season, here’s a repeat of part of my preview from last year:
I’ll be honest- of all the “pre-CS” games, the Holiday Bowl has always been one of my favorites. Sure, the Buckeyes have defeated anything Mormon that they faced in the game, but my formative memories of this clash are as follows:
This bowl has been to BYU what the Humanitarian Bowl is to Boise State- a rite of passage and a part of the traditions and holiday plans for the folks from Provo. Begun as a way to get the WAC some love by pitting their teams against national powers, the Holiday Bowl has been a part of the San Diego seasonal festival since 1978, with the WAC serving as host until 1994. In 1997 the ties switched to the Big 12, and the game currently sees the #3 PAC10 program against the #5 Big 12 team. This year, the Holiday Bowl is somewhat of a consolation game- for Nebraska, who’d rather (for the second straight year) be in a BCS game as the Big 12 championship; for Washington, who are the #3 team by default, since Stanford and Oregon received BCS nods, and Southern Cal gets to stay at home and watch the games over at Kiffykins’ house. Read More
