Thoughts on OSU mid-season and the QB Battle

I've been swamped with this new role.  I've gone from putting in "a light 40 hrs a week" to now working "an intense 50-55 hrs a week".  I'm sure I'm stealing the words right from your mouth, "Welcome to my life".

My thoughts are... its BEEN clear to me (this past week was just icing on the cake) that JT should / needs-to-be the guy.  I was a "JT guy" during the pre-season & coming into this season, but then I saw Cardale's performance vs. Va Tech, and I thought the Meyer made the correct choice; that is to say... I was all convinced Cardale was the right guy.  But around I'd say the Northern Illinois game, it started becoming clear to me that JT is/was the better fit for this team; especially for Meyer's offensive style.  I think the Western Michigan game was really just masking tape; it masked the fact that maybe Cardale can be "the guy".  But then we saw Cardale struggle again vs. Indiana, and continuing to struggle thereafter.

Here's Cardale's QBR game-by-game this season:

Week 1 vs Va Tech = 87.4

Week 2 vs Hawaii = 42.7

Week 3 vs N.Illinois = 6.3

Week 5 vs W.Michigan = 71.9

Week 6 vs Indiana = 11.5

Week 7 vs Maryland = 76.2

Week 8 vs Penn St = 14.2

I'm sorry, but that's not cutting it my any stretch of the imagination.  Cardale is driving a Ferrari.  It should not be that difficult.  The car should practically drive itself.  As I've said all along, there are simply too many weapons (almost to a fault) on this team to fail.  Ohio State has / should have an MASSIVE advantage at nearly every unit.  This job can't/shouldn't-be THAT hard.  And yet Jones has struggled mightily.  One has to wonder how much Jones cost himself by deciding to come back this year.  There were talks AT BEST last year about him being a 1st round draft pick; at worst, a 5th round draft pick.  I personally think 3rd round was more realistic.  After this season, I'm not so sure I'd say a 3rd round pick is very realistic at this point; 1st/2nd round is surely out of the question.  I still think on POTENTIAL ALONE he's at least a 5th round draft pick, but that's not really saying much.

JT proved he's the better quarterback this week.  Again, I feel the writing to this was on the wall when Meyer decided two weeks ago to bring JT in for the RedZone plays.  IMO, when you do that, you've essentially said JT is the better of the 2; and if that's the case, then why aren't you using JT all-day?  If JT doesn't start next week, I think that has to show/prove that there's some under-the-table handshake agreement between Jones and Meyer.  I have absolutely no idea how Meyer can go back to Jones, given the production woes we've seen from Cardale and how efficient JT was this past week.  Meyer said after the Hawaii (or maybe it was N.Illinois) game I think it was that in order for JT to start, he had to win the job from Cardale; and at that point, neither QB had performed well enough to "win" the job.  Well, guess what... JT performed well enough last week (IMO) to "win" the job.  So if we don't see JT starting next week, I think it's got to be pretty obvious then that there has to be some handshake deal then between Meyer and Jones.

Looking at the schedule moving forward... it's

@ Rutgers (cupcake)

vs Minnesota (shouldn't be terrible challenging)

@ Illinois (cupcake)

If Meyer does decide to roll with Cardale, then my point is... it's going to pretty much be ride or die then with Cardale; because those 3 games are powder puffs, and Jones should be able to at least put up halfway decent #'s.  And if Jones puts up halfway decent #'s, then you're not going to pull him.  So (IMO) if Meyer starts Cardale next week, we're pretty much going into Michigan State then with Cardale at QB.

This why I think now is the time to make a switch if you're going to make a switch... you still have 3 "cake" games to ease JT in and build up JT's confidence pre-Michigan State and get him acclimated to the game/team.  Give the keys to JT... let him beat-up on these 3 cupcakes and get any errors out of his system now, so that come Michigan State it's a well-oiled machine.

The probably is the remainder of the schedule from Michigan State on out:

vs Michigan State

@ Michigan

(IF we're fortunate enough to win both...) Big Ten Championship

Playoff

Championship

That's a murder's row of scheduling, if you ask me (granted the Big Ten Championship will likely be against Iowa, and Iowa isn't that great, but you can't underestimate those corn-fed boys).

Right now... I would never admit this to my Michigan friends, but BOTH Michigan State AND Michigan are BETTER football teams than we are.  Our defense is NOT as good as theirs are (at this point in the season), and our offense is HIGHLY suspect.  Yes... I do really think Michigan would beat us TODAY.

Put JT in... get him some reps... and roll the dice he's good enough to win you a Big Ten Championship.  I know Jason is going to shoot me, but screw the national championship hopes... I'm just playing for a Big Ten title at this point.  I think we'll be lucky right now to just sneak away with that.

Here's all you need to know about this past week vs. Penn State...

Jones: 34 plays, 141 total yards, 0 TDs, 4.1 yards per play

Barrett: 32 plays, 270 yards (240 rushing), 5 TDs, 8.4 yards per play

Scoring by Quarter, 1stQ 0, 2ndQ 21, 3rdQ 0, 4thQ 17.

Guess who played 1stQ and 3rdQ; and guess who played 2ndQ and 4thQ.

Before I move off the Cardale topic, I do want to be fair and go on record that I think the offensive play-calling has been atrocious.  I don't know if it's trying to 'hide' plays from MSU and Michigan or what, but they are NOT using Cardale like they when he was so successful last season.  Where are the deep plays downfield?  I know, I know... it's cuz we don't have anyone who can stretch the field deep - we're missing Devin Smith (Hey... who was the guy that went on record last season saying the guy we will miss most is Devin Smith... THIS GUY!)  But personally, I think that's a bunch of hogwash.  Sure Michael Thomas is more of a "possession" guy than a "speedster", but damnit... use him!  He might not blow by the DBs, but he'll out-jump them / make a play and win you the ball I bet.  I also trust Jalin Marshall and Braxton Miller to have the speed to fill the "Smith" role.  And I'm not saying you have to go deep ever play, heck even every quarter; but there's no reason why we can't at least 1-2 deep-balls per game.  If you're not... then why do you have Cardale in there?  Everyone knows Cardale's best card is his deepball/arm-strength.  So why aren't you using it?  If you're going to run all this read-option stuff, then why aren't you using JT when everyone knows that's a strength of JT's.  Makes no sense to me.  So my point is... the play-calling has not been very fair to Cardale.

I keep trying to tell my friends (especially Ulysses) that I really do believe Meyer & co. are saving Zeke.  Everyone (including myself at times) keeps crying/calling for Zeke... give the ball to Zeke... etc.  No, Meyer is not going to do this because Meyer knows he doesn't need to run Zeke 25-30 times to beat Hawaii, N.Illinois, W.Michigan, Indiana, Maryland.  But he IS going to need to give the ball 30-35 times to beat the likes of MSU, Michigan, win the Big Ten Championship, and if he's going to make a run into the playoffs.  So... I do truly believe that Meyer is conserving Zeke.

I think it's obvious too looking at the Box Score - Zeke's carries by week

Week 1 vs Va Tech 11 carries

Week 2 vs Hawaii 27 carries

Week 3 vs N.Illinois 23 carries

Week 4 vs W.Michigan 16 carries

Week 5 vs Indiana 23 carries

Week 6 vs Maryland 21 carries

Week 7 vs Penn St 27 carries

I'm not with you on the mad hatter trick punt nor am I with you on rushing 3 or 4.  1) we have Johnston and he's been back to lights out again after a shakey start at the beginning of the year.  2) I'm a big fan of blitzing and bringing different looks (blitzes from different areas).  Yeah Bosa, Washington, and Lewis can all get to the QB... but our 4th guy (Schutt) is worthless.  Plus, I haven't been too happy with our safeties (namely Vonn Bell) so I don't really trust our secondary to make a play.  I think we need to keep bringing pressure.  We're such a different/better team, IMO, when we do.

I agree tackling - especially, or maybe even namely, in the secondary - has been horrific.  Unfortunately, this is something you have to know/settle with when you're getting Meyer.  Meyer has traditionally never had good tackling defenses - especially in the secondary.  I honestly believe this is attributed to the style of players he recruits.  Meyer's not recruiting the fundamental kids; Meyer's recruiting the pure, raw athletic kids.  Meyer wants the DB who's 6'0" and runs a 4.4 and will fly to the ball and hit you.  Meyer doesn't recruit the 5'10, 5'11" guy that's all heart and makes the sure-thing play.  Look at Vonn Bell... the guy is IMPACT or BUST; absolutely no in-between.  He's either going to make a pick for you or going to jar you hard enough to pop the ball out.  He's not going to breakup the pass or tackle you by the shoe-laces.  Very frustrating at times, but you just gotta know that's what you're getting when you get Meyer.

2015 - Week 1 Recap - Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech

Well... the wait is finally over.  The question that has been plaguing the entire country - yes, the entire country, given the fact that tOSU is the reigning, defending National Champions and the unanimous #1 team in the country - who will be Ohio State's starting quarterback?  I thought Chris Fowler let it slip... I don't know if anyone else caught it, but as the Captains (including J.T. Barrett) were walking out for the coin toss, Fowler made some comment about, "Yes, Barrett is a captain even tho he won't start".  I thought this was a very odd comment to make, given that up until that point I still don't think a final comment had been made on the topic by/from Meyer.  I did find it interesting, however, that during the warm-ups, Ezekiel Elliott was receiving hand-offs from Jones, whereas it was a backup RB receiving the hand-offs from Barrett.  Also, the announces made the comment that Jones had been receiving the bulk of the 1st team reps all week, but yet wasn't it on Scarlet & Gray Days where we heard Barrett had been receiving the majority of the 1st team reps.

Regardless... I truly believe it as a win-win decision for Meyer.  I think this team would be just fine under the direction of both Jones and Barrett.

And now for my actual thoughts on the game...

The Hokie crowd was ELECTRIC.  Sitting at home watching the telecast on the TV, you could literally feel the electricity of the crowd oozing thru the TV.  That crowd was hyped, and they did an excellent job of trying to set the home-field advantage for their team.  Much respect.

I'm happy to finally have a kicker that can boot it deep into the endzone on kickoffs.  Idk if there was much wind last night, but I thought Willoughby's opening kick, and several subsequent kicks, were pretty strong.  This has been something that irritated me greatly last season, as I don't know if it was a conscious decision by Meyer to have the kicker NOT kick it deep into the endzone, or if our kicker simply didn't have the leg strength to do so.  IMO, given the depth of talent on this Buckeye team, I would much prefer our chances at forcing the opposing team to drive the ball down the field 75 yards than give the opposing team the opportunity to house a kickoff.  I think the risk/reward is simply too high on the risk side to not justify kicking the ball deep into the endzone.

I'm a big believe in the 1st play of the game sets the tone/pace for much (not all, but much) of the rest of the game [even the coin flip, I believe, is a big part of setting the tone/pace of the game/season; I was ecstatic when Barrett won the coin toss (#TailsNeverFails); 52% of teams to win the coin toss, win the game - I know it's only 2% points higher than 50/50, but heck... I want as many odds in my favor as I can have/take/get].  The 1st play of the game (Michael Brewer's pass attempt to Isaiah Ford) literally could have gone almost either way.  As Al Pacino famously stated in Any Given Sunday, it's a game of inches.  About 6 inches more tot he field, and Ford comes down with a big 1st down catch, perhaps setting the pace/tone for the game.  But instead, while Ford was able to get his toe down, he was NOT able to get his heel inbounds.  As explained via Pro Football Referee's College Football Officiating 101 - Catch/No Catch, "If the Toe touches inbounds, but the Heel touches out of bounds, RULE INCOMPLETE."  Thus, the CORRECT call was made.  Tone set, Ohio State.

Ohio State was able to clamp down then with 2nd and long, and eventually forced the Hokies to punt.

OSU's 1st drive of the game (again, big proponent of setting the tone/pace for the game...) OSU trots out Cardale Jones, and Jones opens with a nice 6 yard run up the middle, and then hits a BEAUTIFUL strike to Michael Thomas (Thomas had a PHENOMENAL game) for 20 yards.  The very next play should have been a touchdown, but unfortunately Ohio State suffered their first real impact from the suspensions/injuries of Jalin Marshall, Dontre Wilson, Corey Smith, Noah Brown, as Parris Campbell dropped a WIDE OPEN pass from Cardale.  Campbell has to catch that pass (in a bigger game, that could be the reason for an eventual 'L').  A couple plays later, Jocoby Boren was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  I'm still scratching my head over this one.  When they cut to the reply, Boren was getting his feet pulled from underneath him by a Hokie player and falling to the crown.  Did Boren do something before or after this that was not caught on the replay?  IMO, if there should have been ANY foul, it should have either (a) been on the Hokie player or (b) been offsetting fouls.  I really thought this was going to kill OSU's drive, but a couple of plays later, Jones scrambles and finds Curtis Samuel for a 24 yard TD pass.  IMO, this was the first play of the night where I can honestly say, had Meyer picked Barrett over Cardale, Barrett would NOT have been able to make this throw.  This was a scramble throw and ALL upper body/arm.

Va Tech's 2nd drive was interesting.  It started off a little promising with J.C. Coleman running for 5, 4, and 3 yard (1st down run) gains.  But then Hubbard's sack (and really it was Josh Perry / Darron Lee - I forget which one's - pressure that allowed Hubbard to get the sack) set the Hokies back 5 yards and was able to force the Hokies into a 2nd and long that they wouldn't be able to surmount.  #Punt.

Ohio State's 2nd drive = Ezekiel Elliott.  What more needs to be said about this kid?  80 yards and to the house.  Love me some Eazy E.  Nice run up the middle, but then demonstrates the speed to outrun the rest of the coverage.  #LoveIt.

Va Tech's 3rd drive.  I was kinda honestly surprised when they lined up to kick a 50 yard FG attempt.  I didn't think Va Tech would have a kicker with that kind of leg.  While he ultimately missed it wide right, he did have plenty of leg.  Ohio State is now up 14-0 and has the ball.  I'm thinking #Gameover... Right?

Ohio State's 3rd drive.  Man that 'Bear defense' is really loading the box and making it tough to run.  I want to keep handing the ball off to Zeke, but there's just so many guys in the box.  The 1st pass and catch to Braxton Miller of the season... what a thing of beauty.  Yeah Cardale could have thrown a slightly more accurate pass, but that layout/dive by Miller... and the hands... wow.  That should quiet all the haters about 'does he have the hands to play the position / can he catch?' talk.   Well, I think this catch answered that question, as that was a wide receive catch. (The 2nd question was 'can he avoid getting hit', and I think we saw the answer to that question later on...)  Flash-forward a couple plays... the offensive holding (Billy Price) was a killer.  Without that call (and before anyone gets too defensive - yes, it was the right call), OSU is in the endzone and up 21-0.  For sure game over.  But instead, OSU is backed up, and forced to settle for a FG.  Willoughby misses a 43 yd attempt.  Gahhh.  Gotta have those.  Maybe not against Va Tech, but against someone like Alabama, that could be a killer.

Va Tech's 4th drive.  Not much to talk about here other than Sam Rogers 51 yd pass from Brewer.  What a scrapper that Sam Rogers was.  Gotta give the Hokie staff a lot of credit here... this was a fantastically drawn up play.  I forget who the OSU DB was that Rogers made the move on at the end of the play to ultimately get into the endzone, but man that was a nice shake.  I hope the 'boys' get on that DB and dog him about that.  Can't be having that stuff.  Again, I forget who the DB was, but I'll use this time to comment that... I thought Vonn Bell had a horrific game.  Idk what it was, but he just looked like he did not have his head in the game.  There were a couple of previous plays where I thought Bell was out of position and gave poor attempts.

Ohio State's 4th drive.  Someone has to explain to me how Ezekiel Elliott gets flagged for a holding call, when he gets absolutely cream-tackled by the Va Tech LB on the read option.  How can you hold when you're too busy getting tackled by the defense?!??!  The drive ends when Cardale throws a pass and it was deflected and intercepted by Va Tech's Desmond Frye.  I'm not going to pin this one on Jones.  Maybe you can argue he has to throw a better/smarter pass, but the pass deflection looked to be a pretty lucky pass-breakup, and the interception catch was a helluva dive by Frye.  So recapping OSU's drives so far, 2 TDs, 1 missed FG, and 1 fluke interception.  Seems to me like Ohio State is pretty much having their way on offense.

Va Tech's 5th drive.  After 1 st down, the Hokies have to settle for a 46 yd FG attempt (thanks to a short field).  Props to their kicker, he nails a 46 yd.  Score is still OSU 14 Va Tech 10.

Ohio State's 5th drive.  Not sure if it was this drive, or perhaps a combination of this one and some of the earlier ones, but at this point in the game, there had been a few plays now where Cardale has ran/scrambled for a couple of yards, and I've thought to myself, 'Man... I wish we had Barrett in there... cuz with Barrett's speed over Cardale, that would have been a much bigger gain'.  But to be fair, there were also a couple other plays where Jones' height/size came into advantage, where had Barrett been in there, he probably would have been tackled where Cardale was not.  So at this point in the game, I'm saying it's about Jones 2, Barrett 1 on my grading scale.  The drive ends with a punt.  Wasn't impressed with Johnston here.  Punt was only for 37 yards.  We need better than that, IMO.

Va Tech's 6th drive.  Once again, Va Tech is only able to muster up 1st Down, and then forced to punt.  Unfortunately, here's where the 2nd evidence of not having Marshall/Wilson/Smith/Brown comes into factor - Eze muffs the point, and Va Tech recovers.  That's now twice Marshall/Wilson/Smith's selfish suspension is costing us.  I'm starting to think... if we lose this came because of whatever boneheaded decision these guys made, I'm going to be PISSED.

Va Tech's 7th drive.  With a short field, and a nice 36 yard gain to Ford (I think this was another Vonn Bell mishap - feel free to correct if wrong), Va Tech is finally able to punch another one in.  The "blessing in disguise" here, however, might have been the opportunity to see our goalline defense performed.  We stuffed them not once, but twice from the 0 yard line, and it took a sneaky fake-block-but-then-rollout-to-catch-a-pass-play for the Hokies to score 6.  I was  VERY pleased to see our defensive front 7 were up to the task of stifling the Hokies goalline, even without Bosa.

Ohio State's 6th drive ends with the half.

HALFTIME - If I'm Meyer, I gotta be pissed.  My team has played/performed well, but a couple of key costly turnovers is what's currently preventing me from winning.  Va Tech 17, Ohio State 14.  How is this the score.  Sure doesn't feel like it...

Ohio State's 7th drive.  Ohio State opens right up where they left off... Jones hits Miller for a 54 yd pass.  So happy for Braxton Miller on this play.  This had to feel so good for Miller.  Reaffirmation that he made the right/ok decision, by deciding to switch positions and sacrifice for this team, in order for the team to benefit.  The 1st TD of this season was going to be BIG for Miller mentally I think, and I'm so happy it came in this 1st game, because I think this will serve as the driving motivation for Miller that he CAN do this (i.e., play WR).

Va Tech's 8th drive. Adolphus Washington absolutely destroys Brewer.  Va Tech is forced to punt.  We eventually learn that Washington broke Brewer's collarbone, and that Bewer will likely miss 4-8 weeks.  Feel bad for the kid, but... it is a big boy sport, and when you play the Buckeyes and Washington, you best wear your big boy pants and watch out for devastating hits like this one from Diesel.  It was a perfectly legal hit.

Ohio State's 8th drive.  I didn't like the play-calling here.  We were pinned inside our 10, so naturally the play-calling was going to be limited to begin with, but when you have one botched snap/read-option (what was up with the snaps all night... there were at least 3 'high' snaps, and a couple other questionable ones).  Again, we're forced to punt, and this time, it only goes for 34 yards.  #CmonAussie

Va Tech's 9th drive.  So the 1st play of the drive is Motley throwing an incomplete pass.  While it's only a 4 pt lead at the moment, you're feeling pretty good cuz you have the lead and now you have a backup non-passing QB leading the Hokies.  Drive is a quick 3-and-out.

Ohio State's 9th drive ends in another punt.  This one was a little better (45 yads), but still a little concerning now that this is essentially 3 punts now in the Buckeyes last 4 drives (not including the 1 play end of half drive).

Va Tech's 10th drive.  Ends with a fumble.  Forget who the LB was that ripped the ball out (either Lee, McMillan, or Perry), but I had noticed earlier that we had been ripping at the ball all night, so I was not surprised to see one finally pop.  The recovery was made by Eli Apple, so like seeing his name there.

I'll use this point to drop a couple side thoughts about some of the defensive Buckeye players...

• I thought McMillan had a fantastic night.  Raekingball is only a true Sophomore, but I have all the confidence in the world in saying that this kid is/will-be the next great LB in a long lineage of Buckeye greats.  He has noise for the ball.  He brings the wood every hit.  He plays physical.  He hits hard.  He demonstrates an understanding for the game.  I think this kid is really something special, and I'm excited to see what he can be/do next year (cuz I think he might be under-shadowed this year by the play of Darron Lee and Josh Perry - but I still expect for him to have a very solid year).
• Eli Apple.  IMO, there's no question Eli Apple is our best CB.  I thought Gareon Conley had an ok/decent night (considering it was his debut night), but he has a ways to go still.  But I thought Apple had a quietly superb night.
• Washington.  Washington did himself well by having a huge night vs. the Hokies.  With talk about him being a borderline 1st Rd guy, it was nice to see him support those talks by laying a huge hit on the QB and being a disruptive force all night.
• Josh Perry.  I don't know what it is about this guy, but he continues to lead the team in tackles.  He's not the flashy guy.  He's not the name you're going to hear, see, or remember, but every.single.time. this guy's name either tops or is near the top of the leading tackler list.
• Darron Lee had a quiet night (and not in a good way).  I'm not concerned/worried (he'll be fine), but I was hoping/expecting to see a bigger night from him.
• Tyquan Lewis was kind of a ghost, IMO.  This is a bit disappointing, as seeing how I was hoping to see how Lewis and Holmes would hold up in the absence of Bosa.  I think the one saving grace, however, might have been the fact that Va Tech simply didn't have the ball that much to be able to evaluate these guys long enough.  The return of Bosa will be a HUGE shot to the arm.
• I thought Tyvis Powell had a solid night.  The interception was huge (see next drive).  As great as Powell was tho, I thought Vonn Bell was very uncharacteristically awful.

Back to the drives...

Ohio State's 10th drive.  O.M.G.  Braxton hits the "O" button on 'em.

#XBrax360 #XbraxOne is back.  In 2 plays in 1 night, Miller answered 'can he catch' and 'can he avoid getting hit' (as evident by this beautiful spin play).  As much talent as Ohio State has... and considering Braxton "lost" the starting QB job... it's unbelievable to think that Braxton just might still possibly be this team's best option/weapon.  The speed... the moves... the talent.  All demonstrated on this play.  This season could be very special...

At this point, the game is OSU 28, VT 17.  Ohio State has a 2 score lead, and VT's starting QB is out of the game.  Starting to feel pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty confident now (in best Larry David impersonation voice).

Va Tech's 11th drive.  Motley heaves one up and it's intercepted by Tyvis Powell.  I really love Powell.  It goes back to this kid's recruitment.  He was one of the guys that stuck with the program and committed during the turmoil we went thru with the whole Tat 5.  The kid just gets it.  He puts Ohio State above everything else.  He hustles.  He's just such an awesome guy.  Love this kid.  Can't say enough great things about him.

Ohio State's 11th drive.  We see a Johnnie Dixon sighting.  Again, this is a play that Cardale Jones and only Cardale Jones makes.  If JT Barrett was in there, there's no 29 yard connection to Dixon.  Only Jones had the upperbody-arm strength to pull up and heeve one downfield like that to Dixon.  Score: Cardale 3, JT 2 (I say 2, because I think by now in the game, there had been another scramble or 2 where it would have benefits to have JT in there over Cardale).  But at this point, I'm starting to really feel/believe that Cardale IS the better choice over Barrett.  he's just able to make more passing plays that Barrett (and to be fair, practically anyone else in the country) just can't simply make.  On 3rd and 3, Fuller is flagged for PI against Thomas.  On 3rd and 10, Va Tech Edmunds is flagged for a 2nd PI against Thomas.  Michael Thomas is just having his way with the Va Tech secondary, which is a pretty nice secondary - Fuller might be one of the best CB's in the country, but not tonight... not guarding Michael Thomas.

Va Tech's 12th drive.  3 and out.  ends in a punt.  Score is OSU 35, VT 17.  Time is dwindling.  At this point, the game is pretty much in the bag.

Ohio State's 12th drive.  JT Barrett is in now.  Happy to see Barrett get some time, and not total garbage time either at that.  JT hits Michael Thomas on a 26 yard pass, where Thomas OWNED Fuller and served official notice to the country that Thomas is here as arguably one of the top receivers in the country.  Thomas gave Fuller fits all night, and for good reason.  To be fair, however, I think CBS Radio's Kevin Kiley made a very good point... To be fair, Fuller was asked to do A LOT last night.  Not only did he have to guard Thomas (arguably one of the best receivers in the country), but he had to protect against guys like Eze, XBraxOne, Jones, Samuel, etc.  There's just soooooo much talent on this team this year, it's kinda pick your poison.  And unfortunately, Fuller is just one man and can't do it all.  But that move that Thomas put on Fuller was an NFL type receiver move.  That was crazy.  I literally rewound it 5x to watch the pure beauty of that move.

#CornerbackLivesMatter #Zone6

The game is now OSU 42, VT 17.  Game is over for all intents and purposes.

Va Tech's 13th drive results in more-or-less the par for the night - a punt.

OSU's 13th drive ends with a Bri'onte Dunn fumble.  #Goodbye.  I'm officially done with Dunn, and I think Meyer might be too.  THIS IS YOUR CHANCE... you FINALLY break into the game.  Granted it's mop op duty/minutes, but you mean to tell me your 1st carry is going to be a cough-up fumble on a SOFT hit.  No, I'm done with you.  There's simply too much talent and too many other guys/weapons to spend time on, then spend time on this guy.  This is a mental thing.  HANG.ON.TO THE FOOTBALL.  I was happy to see Meyer not give the ball to Dunn again, but instead roll with Ball.  I don't have a preference one way or the other with Dunn/Ball, but it grinds my gears (and I bet ya it grinded Meyer's too) when you FINALLY get your chance, and your first attempt ends up in a "fumble".

Va Tech basically gets luck and scores a late TD.  Score is now OSU 42, VT 24.  I'm thinking 'Oh god... I wonder if that was the one to beat the line' and thinking of all those poor souls in Vegas who might have lost $$$ on Bri'onte's fumble.  Buckeyes win by 18 and the line was like 13 or so I believe, so didn't end up affecting the line that much.

Thoughts on the offensive side:

• It only took 1 game, but I'm convinced Urban made the right choice.  While I think both guys would have success leading this team, I think last night's game proved there's just more things Cardale can do that JT can't, and not enough things that JT can do that Cardale can't.
• XBraxOne is the real deal at WR.  He might not be an NFL receiver, but he's a talent and he's a college threat.  The possibilities are titillating this season with Miller in the mix.  Braxton became the 1st Ohio State player with a 50+-yard TD run & 50+-yard TD catch in a single game since Ted Ginn Jr vs. Notre Dame in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.  It's nice to see XBraxOne has already been blessed with the Big Ten's 'Offensive Player of the Week' award.  Also... Braxton's 2 scores give him the school-record of 86 career TDs.
• Samuel had a quietly nice night.  He filled in very nicely for Marshall and Wilson.  But I think there's no question, Marshall is the best guy for the H-back position when Miller is out.
• We really missed Marshall at punt return.  Zeke did a nice fill-in job, but I hate the idea of having our starting RB back there, and I just feel more comfortable/confident with having Marshall back there.
• Disappointed in Paris Campbell (and Terry McLaurin to an extent - mostly cuz he didn't play, or at least not that I saw).  Paris can't be dropping those wide open looks.  Unacceptable.  The loss of Brown and Smith really hurt tonight and was felt.  Given a better team (Alabama), I'm not sure we come out unscathed with that type of performance at our #2 WR spot.
• Michael Thomas.  Wow.  What a talent.  What.A.Talent.  This kid is special, and will be a fine NFL wide receiver some day.  Thomas abused Fuller all night, and Fuller is no slough.

OHIO STATE'S EXPLOSIVE PLAYS VERSUS VIRGINIA TECH

HALF	POSS	PLAY DESCRIPTION	DRIVE OUTCOME
1ST	1	JONES 20 YD PASS TO M. THOMAS	TD (OSU 7, VA TECH 0)
1ST	1	JONES 16 YD RUN	TD (OSU 7, VA TECH 0)
1ST	1	JONES 24 YD TOUCHDOWN PASS TO C. SAMUEL	TD (OSU 7, VA TECH 0)
1ST	2	ELLIOTT 80 YD TOUCHDOWN RUN	TD (OSU 14, VA TECH 0)
1ST	3	JONES 24 YD PASS TO B. MILLER	MISSED FG
1ST	4	JONES 14 YD RUN	INTERCEPTION
1ST	5	JONES 19 YD RUN	PUNT
2ND	1	JONES 20 YD RUN	TD (OSU 21, VA TECH 17)
2ND	1	JONES 54 YD PASS TO B. MILLER	TD (OSU 21, VA TECH 17)
2ND	4	MILLER 53 YD TOUCHDOWN RUN	TD (OSU 28, VA TECH 17)
2ND	5	JONES 29 YD PASS TO J. DIXON	TD (OSU 35, VA TECH 17)
2ND	6	BARRETT 40 YD RUN	TD (OSU 42, VA TECH 24)
2ND	6	BARRETT 26 YD TOUCHDOWN PASS TO M. THOMAS	TD (OSU 42, VA TECH 24)

Ohio State WR Noah Brown breaks left leg during practice, done for season

Losing Sophomore WR Noah Brown is a pretty decent hit.

From all the reports I've read, he was having a fantastic Spring Camp and poised for a strong season.

I think the biggest concern is, with the suspensions for Week 1 - HB Jalin Marshall, WR Corey Smith, HB Dontre Wilson, and DE Joey Bosa - that's 3 guys (Marshall, Smith, Wilson) who catch balls.

Now you're talking about another WR (Brown) missing Week 1 (Virginia Tech, who beat you last year?)...

Yeah it's a pretty decently big loss.

I think this means a couple things:

1) Braxton Miller is going to have to show up and be better RIGHT AWAY than a lot of us were expecting.  Miller was slated to play that HB role (Marshall/Wilson) this season, so assuming he can show up and play big time there, Ohio State theoretically would not lose a step there.  The problem is... why I'm confident Miller can find success there playing that HB role, I'm one of the few who believes it's going to take some time, and I don't think he'll have a lot of success right away.  What I'm trying to say is... when the game is on the line, it's 4th and 7, the Buckeyes are down 7 late in the 4th Quarter, I'm not sure I want to be putting all my faith in Braxton Miller running a route & catch a pass - things he's never really been asked to do before.  See what I'm saying?

2) "Next Man Up".  Ever since Meyer set foot on campus in Columbus, this has been Meyer's mantra and the motto for the Buckeyes.  Young guys like James Clark (5'10" So), Terry McLaurin (6'1" So), Parris Campbell (6'1" Fr), Johnnie Dixon (5'11" Fr), Torrance Gibson (6'4" Fr), K.J. Hill (6'0" Fr)... these guys are REALLY going to have to step it up, and 1 of them will have to emerge and prove that they are worthy of playing along side Senior Corey Smith and Junior Michael Thomas.  So, what I'm trying to say is... we still have our 2 starters at wide receiver (Smith and Thomas), but man o' man is the PROVEN-depth pretty slim at the WR position now, and I have to believe at some point this season, we're going to need to call upon one of those aforementioned guys to step in for Smith/Thomas and run a route & catch a pass in a critical spot in the season.  There's been A LOT of chatter around the highly heralded recruit, Torrance Gibson.  He was originally recruited to Columbus as a Quarterback, and just recently it was announced that he would be making the switch to wide receiver this season - given the log jam at Quarterback (Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett, and potentially Braxton Miller).  The irony is Gibson PICKED Ohio State because Ohio State was one of the few (perhaps even ONLY) schools that was recruiting him for Quarterback.  Every place else wanted Gibson to play wide receiver, and Gibson wanted to play Quarterback.  Now... we're talking about a TRUE FRESHMAN who has LIMITED experience running routes & catching passes.  I'd say the odds are VERY small that Gibson is able to experience a lot of success right out of the gate.  I think Gibson can end up being a STUD at the wide receiver position someday for Ohio State, but honestly... I don't quite see it happening this season.  So, me personally, I'm hoping Sophomores James Clark or Terry McLaurin can step up and fill that "Next Man Up" role.  If I had to bet, I'd bet Terry McLaurin ends up being "the guy".

Last point... 3) For all the talk about how "loaded" this team is... and, for all the talk about how "this is our season"... if there's one bump in the road, Ohio State is sure doing a great job at steering right into that one pothole that exists in what seems like a perfectly paved road.  Let's not forget... Ohio State struggled MIGHTILY against Virginia Tech last season.  Now, I know much of the hubbub was about "breaking in a rookie QB (Barrett)" and "breaking in a new offensive line (4 of 5 new starters)".  Those are all VERY VALID points... but nonetheless, Bud Foster's Bear defense made Ohio State look like a high school football team.  And now we face that same team... in THEIR home environment, Blacksburg, VA.  And now we have to face them without 4.5 starters? (I say 4.5, because technically Jalin and Dontre play the same position, so 1 of them would be the ".5" while the other would be the "1").  Idk... it just seems like last season's toughest (regular season) game just keeps getting tougher & tougher.  BUT... nonetheless, I still have ALL THE FAIR IN THE WORLD in Urban Meyer.  If there's one head coach in the country who will make sure his team does NOT lose that game, I have to believe it's Urban Meyer.  He'll have these boys ready... and the #Juice will for sure most definitely be brought.

Thoughts on OSU vs Maryland | Week 6 (2014)

Well... I'm going to try to keep this one short and sweet.  The good news is... OSU continued the progress/domination they built up/started from the Cincinnati game, and kept that pace rolling right on into & thru Maryland.  I think this team is finally starting to find it's identity, and I think the coaches are started to see/realize it too.

With all the upsets that took place this past weekend, this could have easily been one of them.  From Maryland's perspective, this was billed as the biggest game in Maryland's history.  The Terps even sold out their stadium for the 1st time since 2008; tho, I wonder how many of those tickets were actually 'OSU fans'.  So, yeah... Maryland was hyped (or at least should have been) and this had the makings for a nice upset; especially with Maryland rolling into the match at 4-1 (1-0 in Big Ten play).

But getting back to my original point... I think OSU (as a football program) is really rolling right now.  The offense is clicking.  The coaching staff (especially on the offensive side of the ball) is placing the team in winning positions (e.g., controlling the tempo of the game, settling in on a handful of 'guys' rather than worrying about getting 'everyone touches', and drawing up plays that fit perfectly with the personnel they have -- kinda the opposite of Michigan, really).

QB - J.T. Barrett is really progressing along nicely.  I thought his passes looked crisp, but I was wary a bit of his decision making (I thought he tried threading a couple passes in there that were ill-advised attempts, but to Barrett's credit, he completed them; I just feel like with a more athletic/faster team, Barrett probably has 2-3 INT's that game).  Regardless... he did look good.  I think he's executing flawless decisions in the option game.  I love how the coaches are using him more like Braxton (i.e., running for 71 yards).  One thing is for sure... the team isn't really missing that big of a beat (i.e., from Miller to Barrett).  Sure Barrett isn't the athlete that Miller is, but he's 'good enough' and not that far behind (if at all) in the passing game & decision-making.

RB - Another dominating performance by Ezekiel Elliott (139 rushing yards).  Man, this kid is getting to be fun to watch.  Yeah he's no Carlos Hyde (not even close), but boy have I been impressed with Elliott's effort & performances the past two games.  He's diving, he's lead-blocking, he's hustling, he's asking-for/wants the football in his hands, he's leading, he's out there doing just about EVERYTHING.  There's no doubt in my mind that Elliott is the heart of this offense.  You give him the ball and you get him going, and *WHAM* this team becomes hard to stop.

Moreover, I was happy to see Elliott receive the bulk of the carries (24) and Barrett receiving a nice load himself (16).  I think I would rather see Barrett, however, have closer to 10 carries and Rod Smith / Curtis Samuel getting the remainder.  I was surprised Samuel didn't see any carries at all (not sure he even saw any snaps) [EDIT: Looks like Samuel didn't even dress].

WR - I've been saying it for the past 2 years, and I'm finally glad to see it coming to fruition out on the field... MICHAEL THOMAS IS A BEST and is the best/most-talented receiver in Columbus!  The guy just looks like an NFL receiver.  He has the body, build, speed, and hands; he's a clear mis-match for your average DB.  He's making circus catches, he's blocking (and not just trying to block defenders - i.e., getting in the way of defenders - but he's actually BLOCKING defenders from making plays), and his route-running is one of the best on the team (maybe 2nd to Devin Smith's).  I'm telling you... this kid (Thomas) has a bright future.

Corey Smith looked good... I wish Dontre Wilson had more catches (targets)... Again, Devin Smith is a beast on the deep ball; I love how the staff is drawing up at least 1 deep-ball play for him per game (and it's seems to be working every time)... Jalin Marshall looks like he has the potential to be a stud, but again I think the probably is there's simply too much talent (Thomas, Wilson) that are better than Marshall... I'd like to see Elliott get more involved in the receiving game (he only had 1 catch)... And I'd like to see us settle on 1 TE from here on out, unless we're running a double-tight formation; Heuerman or Vannett needs to make that next step.

OL - The OL looked great.  I think this group (Decker, Price, Boren, Elflein, Baldwin) is really starting to settle-in and gel (which is exciting).  I'm a firm believe in any success (whether it's in the passing game or in the running game) begins upfront, and if you're hog-mollies are giving your QB time to sit back in the pocket and survey the field or opening up gaps for your RB to run thru, then you're off to a good start (and that's what these guys are doing).  If I had one complaint, it's that I think we rotate our guys a little too much for my liking.

Side note: Ohio State's offensive line coach, Ed Warinner, has to be one of the best in the country.  Last year's OL was remarkable (and coincidentally enough, 4 of the 5 are now playing i the NFL) and this group is now starting to look like they're well on their way to being a solid O-line too.  ... Which makes the loss to Va Tech so frustrating!  It's mind-numbing how awful the offense looked against Va Tech, and now how great it's looked against Cincinnati and Maryland (I don't think Va Tech is that much better than Cincinnati and/or Maryland).  The coaching staff was just simply out-schemed and out-coached that game, and they even acknowledged it themselves.

VERY GOOD READ on the differences of the Offense from Va Tech till now (i.e., thru Cincy & Maryland) >> COMPARED TO SHAKY SHOWING AGAINST VIRGINIA TECH, OHIO STATE'S ROLLING OFFENSE IS UNRECOGNIZABLE NOW

DL - Nothing new here, really.  Bosa again looking like JJ Watt [3 solo tackles, 2 ast, 1 sack, 2.5 tackles for loss (16 yrds)].  The guy is an absolute BEAST out there.  There's not a doubt in my mind that if OSU had Bosa, Bennett, Washington, and Spence it would be the best defensive line in the country.  Such a shame.

Side note: I thought Steve Miller looked much improved this week, but still has a long way to go.  The 'vacant' DE spot is not playing up to the level of competition that we need from that spot.  I was encouraged to see Jalyn Holmes receiving increased snaps.

LB - I'm calling it now... Raekwon McMillan will be the listed starter next week over Curtis Grant.  It's time.  McMillan (I think) played more snaps than Grant did this past week.  He had the big INT and a fumble recovery.  You can see he's starting to look more & more comfortable out there.  It's time.  I'm sure Curtis Grant is a decent kid, but son... you have no idea what you're doing in the passing game, and ya gots ta go.  It's time.  McMillan has demonstrated he has enough skills to get us by.

Darron Lee is the team's best LB tho.  This guy has a missile attached to his saddle, I swear.  He's flying everywhere.  I loved the blitz he had to open the game up.  They clearly must have picked something up from the tapes.  Beautiful.

Perry is racking up the stats (i.e., # of tackles), but to me, he's 'just a guy'. He's very quiet and doesn't make any BIG plays.  The best way to describe him for now is... he's serviceable.  But I think in a couple years, once McMillan is a Jr, this team will have a nice LB core and will be back to the days of Hawk, Carpenter, Laurinaitis, etc.

DB - Smh... This secondary is going to cost us at least one more game.  Yeah they played better, but they're still not where they should be.  I'm so tired of seeing us play bump-n-run coverage, but without the bump.  Yeah the announcer said it, you know what... it's so true.  Our cover packages are (1) play 10 yards off the receiver and give them everything underneath or (2) play tight coverage but give the receiver a free release and then just try to run with them on pure speed alone.  So stupid.

I've been a big proponent of Doran Grant (last year I even made the assertion that Grant was going to be a better player and had a better year than Roby), but you know what... I'm starting to think I was wrong about that.  Idk... maybe it's not the kids... maybe it's Coombs and the coaching staff.  Because you know what... Eli Apple looked all-world too when he came in, but these guys are just looking worse than ever!  There's been zero development in talent and it's pretty much been the same ol', same ol'.  OSU will be fine because of the pathetic Big Ten, but I'm telling you now... be prepared for at least one more regular season loss, because this group just simply can't cover squat.  The one 'shining' point has been Vonn Bell.  Even my boy Tyvis Powell I thought had a poor game this weekend (saw him way out of position too many times).


One thing that I wanted to touch on last week but I think I forgot, was... Has anyone else noticed how OSU running a 'cadence' this season as opposed to the 'clap' that Miller ran last season?  Idk if it's just me, but give me the 'clap' again.  Last week there was an absurd amount of false starts, and while the offense was better this week, I still feel like the rhythm is missing a bit.  When we're on the road in a boisterous environment (granted Maryland isn't that loud), a 'cadence' is simply too difficult to hear (in my opinion).  Go with the 'clap'/motion and I think we'll see the number of false starts drop.

Thoughts on OSU vs Cincinnati | Week 5 (2014)

First off, I really need to get these out sooner.  It's now Tuesday and my aging brain is already forgetting some of the details that I wanted to write about.

First, I'll start with general impressions...

I thought the until about the tail-end of the 2nd Quarter, this was the Buckeyes team that I've been longing for this season.  The tempo was fast... the play-calling was quick (i.e., Barrett and the offense weren't stuck waiting around for the play to come in from the sidelines)... and if you've been reading up on all of my posts this year, then you'll know that the the Buckeyes did exactly what I've been preaching they needed to do (i.e., they finally got away from spreading the ball around to their abundant resources of weapons, and finally started concentrating on 2-3 weapons; namely J.T. Barrett, Ezekiel Elliott, Dontre Wilson, Devin Smith, and Michael Thomas.  Until Curtis Samuel fumbled late in the 2nd Quarter (and really that was a crucial turning point in the game that halted the Buckeyes' machine), Barrett had 9 passes for 141 yards (including 2 TD passes) and 76 rushing yards, Elliott had 57 total yards (important note: Elliott didn't touch the ball in the 2nd Q until Samuel fumbled... that blows my mind), Wilson had 46 total yards, and Devin Smith and Michael Thomas each had 33 yards receiving.  That needs to be OSU's offense.  That should be how OSU's offense looks every week (with an exception for a pass or two to a TE).  Rod Smith should only be used in the short yardage situations (i.e., 3rd and 2) and Curtis Samuel and Jalin Marshall (while they've looked good the times they've been in there) should only be used when the game is in hand (which, I suppose an argument could be made for this is exactly what happened, because by the time Curtis Samuel got in there and saw his 1st touches of the game, the score was already OSU 30 CIN 7... so I suppose this is actually exactly what the game plan was).

While I think Samuel will turn into a fine player, I was thrilled to see Meyer bench him after his fumble.  Teach the young star athlete a lesson... You're not going to play for me if you're not going to take care of the football.  Yes Samuel is a star in the waiting... and yes there's going to be a time where Meyer is going to need to lean on him, but for right now... let the freshman ride the bench and give it to your workhorse Elliott.  The Bearcats couldn't stop Elliott all night.

Time to get into the individual players...

I'm really starting to enjoy J.T. Barrett.  I think this kid is going to be just fine.  He's reads, progressions, and throws are all so advanced for his level.  You look at where Barrett's at verses where Florida State's Jameis Winston (most talked about player in college football) and Michigan's Shane Morris (same recruiting class as Barrett) are at... and go ahead and call it scarlet glasses all you want, but I would honestly take Barrett over both of those guys.  Next time you watch Jameis Winston, look for how many times he's throwing curl-route passes.  It seems like every time he throws the ball, he's throwing to where the WR was/is; not where the WR is going to be (i.e., he doesn't lead his receivers).  As for Morris... Morris looks like he's just out there trying to win a pitching competition of who-can-throw-the-ball-the-hardest.  Morris has yet to demonstrate zero touch on his passes (and no... I'm not just talking about this past weekend's game, I'm talking about throughout his entire collegiate career, so including last year's bowl game vs Kansas State), and he's just out there launching the ball wherever (hence all the interceptions - 5 INTs in 7 games).  Barrett on the hand looks poised, hes matured from game-to-game, and I'm watching him learn from his past game mistakes.  I'm beginning to feel far more confident in him managing the game, and starting to see potential for him to take games over.  Very exciting.

Cincinnati fans want to point to their "stud" QB Gunner Kiel... Barrett had a higher QBR (85.7) than Kiel did (76.7).  As I already discussed with many of my Bearcat friends... you take just THREE pass completions away from Kiel (all of which were to Chris Moore), and the Buckeyes limited Kiel to a measly 131 passing yards!  Now... let's exam all three of those passes to C.Moore... the 1st one was essentially a 'jump ball' pass.  Vonn Bell (#11) was in decent position (yeah, you could argue he was a little beat, but all he has to do is turn his head around and look back for the football and he probably has an INT; heck... Bell even had his arm in-between Moore's hands and could have ripped the ball out!)  So the first catch was very lucky on Kiel's part, and quite a bit of skill on Moore's part.  As for the touchdown pass to Moore that was called back... the rule (Ineligible Receiver Downfield) clearly states... "No originally ineligible receiver shall be or have been more than three yards beyond the neutral zone until a legal forward pass that crosses the neutral zone has been thrown (A.R. 7-3-10-I and II).  It's tough to make it out, but if you look closely, there's about 3 Bearcat OL who are 3-4 yards past the original LOS (the original LOS was about the 45... the 3 OL were at about the 41-42).  REGARDLESS... this wasn't even a GUNNER KIEL PLAY!  It was Jarred Evans! (not to be confused with Cincy Bearcat alum Jared Fawley).  Cincy fans... ask yourself... who was Jarred Evans in the game at this point if Gunner Kiel was doing such a fantastic job?!  Could it be because they were down 7-30 and Kiel wasn't doing anything great?!?! Hmmm...  Now let's look at the 3rd play... first & foremost, what in the world Chris Ash (OSU's co-defensive coordinator) is doing with our DBs playing 7-10 yards off the Bearcat wide receivers on 1st and 10 is beyond me.  That's just terrible coaching to begin with, and pisses me off even more because Ash vowed that we would play more press-coverage at the beginning of the season!  Where the press coverage has been, I don't know.  Still waiting...  But back to the play at hand, Moore essentially toasts Eli Apple (#13) and blows right by him. I suppose we can give props to Kiel for hitting Moore in stride, but then again, Moore had Apple by a good 2-3 yards, so again I think this is more the talent of Moore than it was anything Kiel really did.  It was a deep ball.  They connected.  Terrible coverage.  Terrible scheming.  You really want to own that one?  Ok.  Now... finally on to the 3rd and final big play.... Doran Grant (#12) gets the weakest bump-and-run coverage I have ever seen (perhaps this is why Ash isn't playing press coverage?).  He basically love-taps Moore and essentially gives Moore a free release.  Then, to compound matters, my boy Tyvis Powell (#23)... Lord knows where he's going (running to the sideline).  He bit hard on the screen, and for the life of me I don't know why because you have Moore streaking downfield and while Kiel did pump the screen route, Kiel then recollects himself and even pumps again on Moore's route, yet Powell is still sprinting to the sideline!  So... you can sit there Cincinnati fans and you can toot your horn about how Gunner Kiel had a "phenomenal day"... but at the end of the day, OSU's secondary play was ATROCIOUS on 3 plays, and then they held Kiel in check the rest of the game for 131 passing yards!  OSU's woefully secondary play has been well documented.  So... it's not like Cincy blasted some well-oiled Alabama-like secondary.

OSU found their pony -- Ezekiel Elliott.  I say "pony" because as impressive as Elliott was on Saturday, he's still no Carlos Hyde ("horse"... again, not to be confused with Jared Fawley).  Elliott had somewhat of a coming out party, amassing 182 yards on the ground (6.5 avg) and 51 receiving yards.  But what the numbers don't show is truly how impressive Elliott looked running the ball.  He ran as hard as I've ever seen him run (noise down, lowering the shoulder, diving for every last yard, etc.).  I was thoroughly impressed.  Barrett ran the ball well too (amassing 79 yards on the ground, channeling his inner Braxton Miller).  I thought Rod Smith looked great grinding out the "tough" short yardage plays.

The receiving group put forth probably their best performance to date, and yet still they had several key drops (3 consecutive drops, if I remember correctly).  Devin Smith's drop is the key one that sticks out to me.  He literally had a first down, and with no one even remotely near him, he turns and drops the ball.  Dontre Wilson looked absolutely fantastic in the receiving game (6 receptions for 71 yards).  As I've been saying all season long throughout every single one of these Game Reviews... OSU needs to focus on getting the ball into Wilson, Smith, and Thomas's hands more (and a TE here or there).  I'm done with Evan Spencer.  I'm done with Corey Smith.  These guys are simply taking targets away from guys who could be our big playmakers.

The offensive line looked GREAT.  By far their best performance all season.  Barrett had HOURS to sit in the pocket and throw.  I don't recall Cincinnati blitzing that much (which was slightly surprising considering all the luck Va Tech had blitzing; my only thought regarding this is perhaps the Bearcats coaching staff saw the Kent State game tape, and Kent State tried blitzing a bunch but OSu was able to handle it pretty well; so perhaps the Bearcats coaching staff thought OSU was good at picking up the blitz?  Idk.).

Defensive line.  What was once the strength of the team is now becoming just another 'group', in my opinion.  Joey Bosa is without question NFL ready.  Scary to think that this kid has 1 more year (technically 2, but let's face it... this kid is as good as gone after his Junior season) year/season.  My fear tho is starting to come true... the OSU defensive line is essentially Joey Bosa, Michael Bennett, and Adolphus Washington.  The 4th guy (Frazier or Miller) is essentially worthless.  Definitely starting to feel the loss of Spence (sidenote: When is an official ruling/statement going to be levied re: Spence?!?!  I haven't heard squat after the news broke re: his 2nd failed drug test).  I'm all for kicking Frazier and Miller to the side and testing our Jalyn Holmes, Tyquan Lewis, or Dante Booker at the 2nd DE spot.

LBs.  Was thrilled to see Raekwon McMillan receiving so much PT.  The writing is on the wall... Curtis Grant is just absolutely a non-factor when it comes to the passing defense.  I think the reason we saw McMillan receiving so many minutes on Saturday was because Cincinnati was throwing the ball 63% of the time.  (sidenote: for as much as I've dogged Cincinnati, I think they have 3 helluva good LBs in Leviticus Payne (best name award), Nick Temple, and Jeff Luc.  Payne to me looked like NFL potential, and Temple and Luc looked pretty solid as well.  Can't believe I'm going to say this, but I would prefer to have those 3 over Curtis Grant, Josh Perry, and Darron Lee as a group).

Secondary.  The secondary was atrocious.  This group gets an F.  Yeah they only gave up 131 yards (minus 3 big plays), but I'm tired of seeing the big plays.  When is this group going to buckle down and play Silver Bullet Buckeye defense?  It's time.  Enough is enough.  I'm tired of seeing our guys chasing after other guys, and I'm tired of seeing our guys being unable to CATCH the other guys when they ARE chasing them!  Where's our speed!?!?!  Chris Moore made our secondary look like Swiss cheese.   It was embarrassing.

All-in-all... I think this was the Buckeyes best game yet, which is actually encouraging because they didn't really even play to their fullest capability (significant dropped passes and terrible pass D).  So there's still plenty of room for the team to improve.  I have zero idea how anyone can come to the conclusion that the Buckeyes did not dominate this game.  They were up 30-7 late in the 2nd Quarter, until Curtis Samuel fumbled and the momentum quickly shifted to Cincinnati's favor.  But if you look at the numbers, the Buckeyes nearly doubled the Bearcats output (710 Total Yards vs 422), throttled the Bearcats in # of 1st downs (45 vs 15), and killed them in rushing yards (380 vs 70).  Not to mention, the final score was 50-28 (almost double'd em up).  (I think the final game line was 17 points, no?  So the Buckeyes even beat the spread).  IMO, this was a thorough domination in almost every regard.  Hopefully this will shut all the 'Nati fans up for another 5-10 years until inevitably we have to listen to them bitch & moan about how "you're afraid to play us" and "The Buckeyes don't play anyone... you should play us", etc.  Just STOP.  It's been over 100+years since you were even "in a game" against Ohio State (1911 OSU 11 CIN 6)  So STOP IT already.

On the brightside Cincinnati fans... hey, at least you're not Michigan and your program isn't releasing statements at 1 a.m. ET  ;-)

Finally my Buckeye brethern... I leave you with this gem...

For those of you who didn't notice/hear about it... an idiot fan ran out onto the field on Saturday.  Unfortunately for that idiot, he ran into former OSU LB and now current strength coach, Anthony Schlegel.

Video

Looks like this twit was guilty of multiple violations (notice the concealed drinking bag)

And one more glorious link.
I lied... one more link... ElevenWarriors had a nice 'Five Things' wrap up the game vs. the Bearcats..

Thoughts on OSU vs. Kent State | Week 3 (2014)

It's Week 3... after a terrible loss to Va Tech where the OSU Coaches were simply 'out-coached' (IMO), the patsy Kent State Golden Flashes strolled into Columbus.  Short of scheduling an FCS school, this was honestly the best thing the Buckeyes could have this week.  After a terrible loss, the Buckeyes needed a patsy to beat-up on and get their moral back up.  Unfortunately for them... Kent State had to be that victim.

But before we jump into the actual game itself, we first have to talk about another setback for the Buckeyes.  Late Friday (9/12) afternoon, news broke re: Junior defensive-end Noah Spence.  Spence, who had been suspended for the first two (2) games of the season (plus last year's bowl game vs. Clemson) for a failed drug test (ecstasy), was popped again for a second failed drug test (ecstasy again).  This is very alarming.  First and foremost, the kid needs help.  I was glad to see he admitted he has a problem (but then again, what was he going to say this time? 'Someone dropped something into my drink... AGAIN' ?).  So... I hope Spence receives the treatment he clearly needs.  But then after that... I'm left shaking my head.  Time & time again we see these college stars that have literally the WORLD at their finger tips, and the piss it all away by doing stupid stuff like 'poppin Mollies'.  Good gracious.  I get it... these kids want to live the rock-star life... but when you're already a star, do you really need to live/become a rock-star?  This fruit-loop dingus is poppin Mollies and probably dancing at rave parties, etc... Can't these guys just retire to their dorms and play 'Idiot Ball' in the hallway or Call of Duty... something... ANYTHING... just stay away from the DRUGS!

On to the game...

Let's start with the offensive line.  I thought the offensive line looked MUCH improved (then again, it was Kent State).  The Golden Flashes defense immediately came out and their 1st defensive formation was 46 (Bear) defense/package that gave the Buckeyes fits last weekend.  The good news is... the Buckeyes were able to handle it this week.  The bad news it... it was against Kent State (i.e., not Virginia Tech caliber).  Also... Kent State didn't 'live' in the Bear (46) formation like the Hokies did last week (i.e., the Golden Flashes didn't blitz almost every down like the Hokies did).  So... I don't take this victory as a 'cure' to the Buckeyes woes, but it's certainly (maybe 'hopefully' is a better word choice) a step in the right direction.

JT. Barrett.  I'm really pleased with Mr. Barrett.  If you go back to what I saw about him in Week 1, I said I wanted to see him progress.  I think Barrett is doing that.  Sure some will say he didn't progress against Va Tech, but I'm actually going to side in the other camp on that one.  I think Barrett looked fine against Va Tech... his coaches just didn't do him any favors (i.e., play-calling), neither did his OL (pressure in his face all night -- that's what she said!), nor his wide-receivers (dropped passes).  So... I think Barrett is fine.  Again, I'm not sold on him being a 'stud'/'star', but he's certainly 'not the problem'.  There are bigger holes/woes (like the OL and lack of a offensive playmaker) that need to be tended to first.  I personally was in heavy favor of leaving Barrett in there (at least thru the 3rd Q) and even into the 4th Q.  At this point, Barrett simply needs the experience (snaps).  And the only way he's going to get that is by getting/taking the snaps.  I understand the argument, "Well what if Barrett gets hurt/injured?"  But guys, let's face it... this team isn't going anywhere this year.  Yeah the Buckeyes could possibly go undefeated and earn a 'BCS' bowl game, but let's face it... they would probably get absolutely destroyed this year/season as the team is simply too young and doesn't have that 'it' player/playmaker.  So... who really cares if Barrett goes down?  If you're going to have a bad season, get it done & over with (i.e., get Barrett the experience he needs so that next season - or the season after - isn't miserable and then we have TWO bad seasons because of it -- it being the lack of in-game experience for Barrett).

Running backs.  I was disappointed to see Eze (Ezekiel Elliott didn't get the bulk of the carries (7 car for 65 yds - 9.3 avg).  Instead, Curtis Samuel received the most carriers (15 for 100 -  6.7 avg).  Both looked solid.  I'm super impressed with how well Samuel is running between the tackles (for a freshman and for the size he is).  I'll officially go out a limb now and call it... with the fumble, Bri'onte Dunn's career as a Buckeye is over.  I'd be surprised if Dunn ever receives another carry in an OSU uniform.  Nothing will piss a coach off more than coughing up the football, and when there's a plethora of horses in the stable, and younger horses passing you (ala Samuel and Elliott), the coaches are going to spend their time focusing on developing that younger talent rather than an old dog.  I thought Warren Ball looked pretty good too (again... it's Kent State), so there's also another reason I doubt Dunn will see too many more snaps.  I think Dunn will for sure transfer out after this season, and I wouldn't be surprised if Ball did either.

Receiving.  The receivers were much ok this week.  There were still one or two drops that I remember.  I'm telling you... Michael Thomas is the diamond in the rough in this group.  The kid has talent, and he displayed it when he caught two passes and took them BOTH for touchdowns.  He's the closest thing the Buckeyes have to a 'total package' in terms of speed, skills, size, and hands.  I really wish Tom Herman would draw up more plays to get him open and target the ball to him.  I also still stand by my proclamation that Devin Smith will be a better NFL receiver than a college receiver.  This kid has the wheels to get open, and almost every time he touches the ball, it's a touchdown.  Herman & Meyer need to find a way to get Devin more involved (again... it's that problem... we have so many weapons that it's almost a 'detriment' rather than an advantage; there just simply aren't enough snaps to get these guys all touches.  Who are you going to take touches away from? Samuel? Eze? TE?).  Which segues me into my next point... I'd like to reduce Evan Spencer and Corey Smith's minutes / snap-counts.  These guys have been in the program 4 and 3 years now, respectively, and neither has really done anything significant.  It's time to target Michael Thomas, Devin Smith, Curtis Samuel, Dontre Wilson, and the TE spot.  Sorry guys... but you've had your opportunities to produce, and quite simply you haven't.  #TimeToMoveOn

Tight end.  FINALLY... the Herman HAS COME BACK... to TIGHT END COUNTRY!

With Heuerman out (cough :: Lisa Ann :: cough), Nick Vannett received the starting nod and capitalized on it to the tune of 4 receptions for 40 yards (and Marcus Baugh even saw some meaningful minutes as he hauled in the lone touchdown for the TE group this season).  This was VERY pleasing to see, but equally VERY frustrating, as I'm confident that all we had to do to beat Va Tech's 46 (Bear) defense last week was utilize the TE and quick passing game.  Why it's taken till week 3 to get our TEs into the passing game is beyond me.


Defense.

The loss of Noah Spence really hurts.  Somehow, our defensive line went from one of the deepest / most-talented groups in the country, down to suddenly scraping the bottom of the barrel.  With the losses of Jamal Marcus (transfer to Akron -- grades), Tracy Sprinkle (suspension), and now Noah Spence (suspension)... that vaunted defensive front isn't looking as enticing as originally believed to be.  it's still without question the backbone of this defense (Bosa, Bennett, Washington), but I'm not so sure I'd say it's the best in the country anymore like I was thinking it might have been this off-season.  And part of that is because I'm not as sold on Bennett still as much as the media is for whatever reason.  Don't get me wrong, Bennett is a very good player, but I don't think he's the "beast" that the media likes to make him out to be.  Going into this season, the pre-season talk was Bennett was potentially a top 5 pick in next year's NFL draft.  I vehemently disagreed (and got blasted for it), but I think we're starting to see that I was more right than more wrong.  Yeah Bennett gets good penetration (that's what she said), but I don't see he DOMINATE games like a top 5 player prospect should.  BOSA should be the top 5 prospect.  That kid is a STUD.  Still looking for someone to step-up and grab hold of that 2nd DE spot (sigh: Spence :sigh).  At this point, I would love to see the coaches experiment with Jayln Holmes or Donte Booker.  Steve Miller and Rashad Frazier just aren't showing me enough.

LBs

Best part about blowing out Kent State?  Seeing Raekwon McMillan getting extra snaps / bigger workload.  I'm telling you... this kid is a STUD and the next great OSU LB in a long line of RICH LB tradition (Matt Wilhelm, A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, James Laurinaitis, Ryan Shazier to name a few).  Curtis Grant still looks lost in the passing game.  IMO, the coaching staff needs to work on phasing Curtis out and finding more minutes/snaps for McMillan.  Sure there's going to be plenty of bumps in the road and learning points, but again... better to go thru those bumps and learning roads now than suffer another abysmal season later.  As for the other two guys (Joshua Perry and Darron Lee)... I fear they are just simply that - 'JAGs' aka 'just a guy(s)'.  Lee has demonstrated more talent than Perry (and I think Lee could end up being pretty decent, actually), but I just don't see anything special about Perry and Lee needs to make more plays before I fall in love with him.

Secondary

I think we're set at Safety, and have perhaps one of the best pairs in the country (in Tyvis Powell and Vonn Bell).  Bell is a difference maker, and Powell just makes plays (i.e., Powell is 2nd on the team in tackles, avg almost 8 per game).  The real concern is the corners, but thankfully Doran Grant has been as I thought (pretty solid), but unfortunately the other corner has certainly been little to desire.  It looks like Eli Apple has surpassed Armani Reeves (which I'm happy to see), now hopefully he can just develop & progress.

2 for the road...

I thought it was interesting seeing Mr 'We-Aint-Come-Here-To-Play-School' Cardale Jones saw his first minutes of the season.  I laughed when his first couple plays were all read-options and he kept the ball almost every single time.  The guy is more about me-me-me than team (no surprise).  I actually think he's a pretty solid athlete (in the mold of  dare I say Terrelle Pryor), but with perhaps a stronger arm.  The accuracy, however, still remains to be unseen (partly due to limited opportunities).  I have to imagine he'll transfer out after this season.  If he didn't come here to play school, then I'm guessing he damn sure as hell didn't come here to play 'sit-the-bench'.

Despite the lackluster performances, Ohio State is still co-favored to win the Big Ten (tied with MSU).  So it can't all be bad.... [Can it?]