Urban Meyer Talks Tattoo, LeBron & More on Late Night w/ David Letterman
Dave has a lot of questions for Ohio State HC Urban Meyer. Jan 16, 2015
Ohio State football: Legendary status secure, Cardale Jones now ponders future
January 13, 2015 Source: Columbus Dispatch - The rise of Cardale Jones happened so fast with such a roar it appears that he was launched by NASA.
Five weeks ago, he was lost in the shadows of Ohio State football, a redshirt sophomore who hadn’t started a game in his career. Now, a legend among all Buckeyes quarterbacks.
Jones soared into the heights of OSU history last night by leading the Buckeyes to their first national championship since 2002 with a 42-20 win over the Oregon Ducks in only his third career start. The victory over Oregon completed a trifecta of games for Jones that seems almost mythical considering the Cleveland native was OSU’s third-string quarterback last August.
That was before Braxton Miller suffered a season-ending shoulder during preseason practice and before the his replacement, J.T. Barrett, suffered a broken ankle on Nov. 29 in OSU’s win over Michigan in the regular-season finale.
Forced into a starting role after Barrett went down, Jones led the Buckeyes to a 59-0 win over No. 13-ranked Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 6.
Jones then slayed the dragon when OSU upset No. 1 Alabama 42-35 on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl, the semifinal of the inaugural College Football Playoff.
Then came Oregon, and Jones outdueled Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota -- the Heisman Trophy winner -- and launched himself into a status where OSU fans will forever babble about his three-game run as starter.
“It means a lot to me because I’m happy I was able to show what I’m capable of,” Jones said. “It sucks that I had to come in the way that I did with two quarterbacks getting hurt with season-ending injuries. But I’m happy that with the preparation I was able to display my skills.”
The rise of Jones happened so fast it left him answering questions after the Oregon win about whether or not he was going to return to OSU next season or declare early for this spring’s NFL draft.
“I don’t want to say definitely,” Jones said. “It’s something I’ll probably consider. But the most important thing, and my focus is on, is my degree.”
While Jones considers his options, so will Miller, who has the option of transferring to another school without sitting out a season because the senior and two-time Big Ten offensive player of the year has already earned his OSU degree.
If those two return, OSU spring practice will be a logjam of talent at quarterback, considering Barrett is a redshirt freshman and led the Buckeyes to a 12-1 regular season before Jones took flight.
“Oh man it would be crazy,” Jones said. “We’ll try to get all three quarterbacks on the field at one time.”
Could Jones settle on being a backup again for the Buckeyes?
“That’s a good question,” he said.
Jones was the only quarterback OSU needed against Pac-12 champion Oregon. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 242 yards and also ran for a 1-yard touchdown.
Two turnovers, including an interception, didn’t shake Jones. He showed leadership after losing a fumble inside the OSU 25-yard line that Oregon converted into a field goal to draw within 21-20 midway through the third quarter.
“He came over to the offensive line and told us that’s on me, you guys keep playing and we’re going to get this win,” OSU offensive tackle Taylor Decker said.
In leading OSU to three magical wins, Jones threw for 860 yards, seven touchdowns and only two interceptions. The Buckeyes scored 143 points in his three starts.
“This stage isn’t too big for him,” Decker said. “He’s a big-time player, and he makes big-time plays. He was ready when he got his opportunity.
Those sparkling statistics and the nature of the victories -- culminating in a national championship -- have made the quarterback who few paid attention to five weeks ago now folk hero in Ohio.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Jones said. “This was a whole team effort. Really it was our defense’s win. We put up a lot of points and a lot of yards. The momentum we fed off the defense was unbelievable.”
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Ohio State Football Playoff Game 2014 Hype Video
This Chilling Ohio State Playoff Hype Video Will Give You Goosebumps
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 Alabama CFP Semi-Final Jan 1, 2015 8:30pm |  |
Buckeyes Touch Down in the Big Easy Source: Bucknuts.com
Bucknuts.com has video of the team’s arrival as well as comments from OSU coach Urban Meyer (video courtesy NBC4 Columbus). Much more at Bucknuts, including comments from Urban Meyer & players.
Ohio State Football: Big Ten Championship Highlight
Relive the excitement and the victory of Ohio State's Big Ten Championship.
Nick Bosa talks St. Thomas state title, recruiting, Ohio State
2016 defensive line recruit Nick Bosa, the brother of Ohio State's Joey Bosa, is a top recruit and now a state champion. He discusses his recruiting process. |
College Football Playoff: Who’s In? | Playoff Ride Extended ESPN
For most fans, the dream of making the first-ever College Football Playoff has been crushed…except for Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State. But don't be too sad. You have to admit, it's been a wild and memorable ride to finally finding out Who's In.
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Ohio State College Football Playoff Hype Video 2014 via cocopelad
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer talks about securing the No. 4 seed for the inaugural College Football Playoff and facing Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Danny Kanell, Kirk Herbstreit, David Pollack and Joey Galloway discuss the showdown between No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Ohio State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
      After Big Ten title, the stakes get higher
December 8, 2014 Source: Columbus Dispatch
25 words or fewer
Fresh off as monumental a win as Buckeyes have had in recent memory, they’re tapped for spot in first College Football Playoff against — gulp — Alabama.
In the polls
The only vote that mattered as this regular season came to a conclusion was that of the 12 playoff-committee members. In the finale, they moved Ohio State from No.5 to No.4 to take on No.1 Alabama in a semifinal in the Sugar Bowl. The winner will get the winner of the Rose Bowl between No.2 Oregon and No.3 Florida State in the title game on Jan.12 in Arlington, Texas.
Who’s hot?
Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tom Herman. He and his staff groomed Cardale Jones — No.3 on the depth chart in August, and the backup to J.T. Barrett through the season — to handle his first college start in place of the injured Barrett, and he did it with aplomb. Jones tossed three TD passes to Devin Smith in the 59-0 win over Wisconsin and was named the Big Ten championship-game MVP. Herman also schemed to spring Ezekiel Elliott for 220 yards rushing and two touchdowns as the OSU offense dominated the night.
What’s not hot?
Nothing for the Buckeyes, at least for most of the 60 minutes against the Badgers. It was domination over the Big Ten West champion. The only lapse for the OSU offense came late in the third quarter when the line seemed to lose its edge. But that was regained in the fourth quarter. The defense stayed on point throughout.
What went right?
The defensive game plan. As linebackers Darron Lee and Joshua Perry put it, the aim was to build a wall across the breadth of the field and not let Melvin Gordon, the nation’s leading rusher, escape. Gordon, averaging 188.33 yards rushing going in, managed only 13 yards on his longest run, and he finished with 76.
Back to the drawing board
That’s what the OSU defense probably made Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen and his offensive staff do. With their running game getting stuffed, the Badgers had no reliable passing game on which too call. The OSU front seven, led by Michael Bennett, brought constant pressure. And when Bennett poked a fumble from Gordon, Joey Bosa scooped and scored late in the first half. The party was done for Wisconsin.
Dinged up
Nickel back Armani Reeves was banged up on the last play of the first half, but he is expected to be fine.
Up next
Alabama (12-1), champion of the Southeastern Conference, the pinnacle program for much of the past seven seasons. The Buckeyes have final exams to deal with this week, and Barrett might even get an invitation to attend the Heisman Trophy presentation ceremony on Saturday despite his season-ending ankle injury. But soon enough, the attention will turn to the Crimson Tide. Oddsmakers already are saying the Buckeyes are overmatched, but then they had Wisconsin as a four-point favorite on Saturday night, and you saw how that turned out.
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Ohio State junior linebacker Joshua Perry and his teammates used their
platform to encourage Buckeyes fan Joshua Chambers during his battle with leukemia.
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Teammate’s death will challenge focus
December 1, 2014 Source: Columbus Dispatch
25 words or fewer
Death of walk-on Kosta Karageorge casts a pall as J.T. Barrett-less Buckeyes prepare to take on Wisconsin in Big Ten title game.
In the polls
Ohio State is No.6 in both major polls, which each list Alabama, Florida State, Oregon, Texas Christian and Baylor as the top five. What matters is where the Buckeyes will be in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings. Last week they were No.6.
Who’s hot?
Offensive coordinator Tom Herman, line coach Ed Warinner and the Buckeyes’ offense. Barrett went down on the first play of the fourth quarter against Michigan with a season-ending ankle injury. Yet, running back Ezekiel Elliott and the line delivered the play of the game a few moments later with a 44-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 that clinched a third straight victory over the Wolverines. But just how hot Herman and Co. are will be judged by the way they bring new starting quarterback Cardale Jones along this week in the most crucial of times for the Buckeyes.
What’s not hot?
Counting Barrett out of the Heisman Trophy race. He had set a Big Ten record for touchdowns responsible for with 35 (a school-record 34 passing, 11 rushing). He also set a school record for total offense with 3,772 yards (passing for 2,834, rushing for 938). Those numbers still stack up well with the rest of the elite in major-college football this season.
What went right?
The defense delivered some key plays and even got in on the scoring. Defensive end Joey Bosa made up for a couple of penalties by causing a fumble that linebacker Darron Lee scooped and scored with for the team’s final touchdown in the fourth quarter. Vonn Bell picked off Devin Gardner’s first pass of the day, setting up Ohio State’s first touchdown, and giving the sophomore safety his team-leading fourth interception. The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten with 18, tied with Utah State for seventh in the country.
Back to the drawing board
The run defense still had some leaks against Michigan, at least before running back Drake Johnson was injured while scoring the Wolverines’ third touchdown. Gardner also sneaked out for some timely gains. But that’s nothing compared to the fury headed Ohio State’s way on Saturday night, when Wisconsin and Melvin Gordon, the nation’s leading rusher (2,260 yards) aim their attack at the Buckeyes’ front seven.
Dinged up
Barrett underwent surgery yesterday to help set the broken bone in his right ankle. He will not be available for the postseason, but coach Urban Meyer said there’s a good chance he could return in a limited basis for spring drills.
Catch that?
Backup receiver Corey Smith had his most active game, and not just tying Michael Thomas for the lead in catches with three, including a diving pluck. He also had a crushing block to help spring tight end Nick Vannett for about 15 yards on a 22-yard play.
Up next
Wisconsin, champion of the West Division, riser from that season-opening collapse against Louisiana State and an early Big Ten upset at the hands of Northwestern. Gordon led the rebound, augmented by the rejuvenation of quarterback Joel Stave and supplemented by the runs of speedy Corey Clement. What makes the Badgers, No.2 in the nation in total defense, more dangerous now is they discovered a passing game in the past couple of weeks.
This week’s challenge
The Buckeyes not only must work to help Jones step up quickly at quarterback, but deal with the death of Karageorge, who had been an Ohio State wrestler and walked on to the football team in August as a senior. He went missing from his campus-area apartment on Wednesday morning and was found dead yesterday, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. Meyer and his staff will have quite the task keeping the Buckeyes on point this week.
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Kyle Kalis only one five-star prospect Brady Hoke signed at Michigan who hasn't had a major impact
November 27, 2014 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - If Brady Hoke loses his job in the near future, it won't be because he couldn't recruit talent to Michigan.
It'll be because the talent he brought to Ann Arbor never turned into wins.
In actuality, if anyone in the Big Ten has been anywhere near neck-and-neck with Ohio State's Urban Meyer, it's been Hoke. Since 2011, Hoke has signed four recruiting classes and two have ranked among the top 10 nationally.
During that span, Hoke signed seven five-star prospects that earned that rating from one of the recruiting services, but none of them have had a major impact on the field.
Let's look at them:
• OT Kyle Kalis of St. Edward (2012): Initially committed to Ohio State, Kalis flipped to Michigan after the tattoo scandal came to light. Shortly after pleading to the Wolverines, Kalis became infamous to Ohio State fans for making comments that, well, let's just say fed into the rivalry.
But he's exactly the type of prospect Ohio State cannot afford to lose from Michigan – an elite offensive lineman from a hotbed recruiting area.
However, Kalis' career at Michigan has been underwhelming so far, stooping as low as losing playing time to walk-ons this season. Now a redshirt sophomore, Kalis has time to turn it around and he's now in the starting lineup, but he hasn't had the lift on Michigan's program that comes with that five-star label.
• DT Ondre Pipkins of Kansas City (Miss.) Parker Hill (2012): Pipkins chose the Wolverines over scholarship offers from Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and others, but he's now in his junior year and isn't in the Wolverines starting lineup.
Pipkins has been bitten by the injury bug. As a true freshman in 2012, Pipkins suffered a neck injured in fall camp that hampered his performance for the remainder of the year. Then he tore his ACL in 2013 and missed the majority of the Wolverines season.
In three years, Pipkins has only made three tackles and he's only appeared in four games for the Wolverines this season.
• RB Derrick Green of Richmond (Va.) Hermitage (2013): b Green was heavily recruited by Ohio State and there was a time he was considered a Buckeyes lean, but Urban Meyer went all-in for current Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott. Green got onto the field for Michigan as a freshman and entered this season as the Wolverines' starting running back, but he's been out with a broken clavicle since Oct. 4 vs. Rutgers.
Green is a big, bruising back that may have been having a huge impact on the Wolverines offense this year, but he's a five-star talent that isn't contributing right now. It's a tough break that it's because of injury.
• OL Patrick Kugler of Wexford (Pa.) North Allegheny (2013): The former five-star offensive lineman is still really early in his career, but he redshirted as a freshman last year and has appeared in only one game this season.
• LB Dymonte Thomas of Alliance (Ohio) Marlington (2013): Another elite Ohio prospect Meyer didn't want to allow to leave the state, Thomas played linebacker in high school but was forced to make a transition once he got to Michigan. As a freshman last year he began at corner, then moved to nickel and now is trying to settle in at safety. He made his first-carer start vs. Penn State this season, but he's listed behind Jeremy Clark on the two-deep for the Ohio State game.
• QB Shane Morris of Warren (Mich.) De La Salle (2013): There's something special about having a five-star quarterback in a class, a sense of security that things are going to be fine for at least the next three or four years. That's what Morris, Hoke's first bluechip quarterback prospect, brought to Michigan. Things haven't worked out that way.
A sophomore, Michigan tried to go to Morris early this season when Devin Gardner struggled, but Morris looked overmatched and overwhelmed. To make matters worse, Hoke found himself at the center of a concussion controversy when Morris got roughed up against Minnesota and there was a notion that Morris shouldn't have even been in the game.
There's no telling whether Morris will turn out to be an elite quarterback, but he hasn't had the instant impact a dynamic game changer could have from that position.
• DB Jabrill Peppers of Paramus (N.J.) Catholic (2014): It's hard to expect a freshman to come into college and have an instant impact, but Peppers was the type of player who could conceivably do it for a Michigan team looking for game-breakers in 2014. Hoke thought that was going to be the case by having him as a punt returner early in the season, but two separate injuries changed the plans.
Peppers hurt his leg prior to Michigan's game against Minnesota in September, but the team hoped he'd return sometime in 2014. Then Hoke announced in November that Peppers would be done for the season and applying for a medical redshirt.
Photo gallery of above players
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Urban Meyer will be blaring one song in particular all week as the Buckeyes prepare to take on Michigan
Ohio State HC Urban Meyer: "Players will get tired of hearing the song I always play. It's nuts. Insane. Same way when it was Coach Bruce in 1986 when I experienced my first rivalry game. It's different. Everything… it's the song and it's just, the whole Woody changes for this game. We're honored to play it. We understand our responsibilities of it, too.” Source: BuckeyeSports.com |
It's Time for War-LL Cool J
Chris Spielman Explains the Ohio State-M*ch*gan Rivalry on ESPN
Watch the HBO Special M*ichigan vs Ohio State The Rivalry HERE
Jalin Marshall saves laboring offense
November 24, 2014 Source: Columbus Dispatch
25 words or fewer
Redemption tastes best when guzzled — just ask Jalin Marshall. Buckeyes clinched return to Big Ten title game, then took aim at The Game.
In the polls
The Buckeyes stayed No. 7 in the coaches’ apoll and the Associated Press media poll. The coaches raised Alabama to No.?1 over still undefeated but lackluster Florida State, while the media kept FSU No.?1, Alabama No.?2. Of course, these polls are moot. What matters is how the College Football Playoff committee sees it in its weekly rankings on Tuesday night. The Buckeyes were No.?6 last week.
Who’s hot?
Marshall. His hiccups against Minnesota aside, he has shown a desire to pluck it and truck it since he first took to the field this year. It finally paid dividends in grand-slam fashion for an Ohio State offense that was floundering against Indiana. His punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter regained the lead, and then he followed with three touchdown catches (yes, the short shovel flips from J.T. Barrett on the two jet sweeps are touchdown receptions) that gave the Buckeyes four straight scores the Hoosiers couldn’t match.
What’s not hot?
It’s true, the nasty things coaches say about turnovers. The eight by the Buckeyes in the past three weeks turned games that should have been runaways into dramas. OSU’s offense lost its way in the second quarter against Indiana with three straight turnovers followed by two straight three-and-outs against a not-very-good defense.
What went right?
Barrett and the offense finally regained their rhythm in the second half, when the coaches flipped the page to the Marshall Plan. Urban Meyer always has said his desire is to get great players in space with the ball in their hands and let them do what they do best. Barrett, the distributor, was the great benefactor, ending up with 302 yards passing and four touchdowns, giving him 33 touchdowns passes this season, three more than Troy Smith’s school record. With 380 yards of total offense, Barrett also upped his season total to 3,507, a school record, with at least three games left.
Back to the drawing board
Run defense. A couple of missed gaps here, a couple bad angles there, and suddenly what was looking like a decent day against the nation’s second-leading rusher, Tevin Coleman, turned into a black mark on OSU’s defensive board. Coleman’s second-half touchdown runs of 90 and 52 yards boosted him to 228 yards, and the Hoosiers to 281, the second-best total against the Buckeyes this year behind the 370 against Navy in the opener. And depending on how things go between Minnesota at Wisconsin on Saturday, the Buckeyes are either going to face the nation’s leading rusher, Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin, or Minnesota’s David Cobb again in the Big Ten title game.
Dinged up
No one.
Catch that?
That’s what the Buckeyes are doing for Barrett, who remains No.?3 in the nation in passing efficiency behind Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson. Only Brandon Doughty of Western Kentucky has thrown more touchdown passes (36) than Barrett.
Up next
Michigan. The Game. Fourth-year coach Brady Hoke is considered a fired man walking after his team’s slide to 5-6. The Wolverines need to upset the Buckeyes just to become bowl-eligible. Interestingly, Michigan is ninth in the nation in total defense, which flies in the face of the assertion defense wins championships. The Wolverines are 114th (out of 125) in total offense.
This week’s challenge
Ohio State already has clinched a spot in the Big Ten title game and continues to dream of a College Football Playoff spot. But a funny thing can happen in a rivalry when things are taken for granted. Just rewind to The Game last year, when Tyvis Powell’s interception of a two-point conversion try preserved a 42-41 Ohio State victory. This week, tunnel vision on Michigan should be the Buckeyes’ battle cry.
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 42-27
College Football Playoff Top 10 as of November 18, 2014 and their potential remaining schedules:
Notes (based on the standings & remaining games as of November 18):
SEC Championship: Either Georgia or Missouri could meet either Alabama, Mississippi State or Mississippi
PAC12 Championship: Oregon could meet either UCLA, Arizona State, Arizona, Utah or USC
ACC Championship: Florida State could meet either Georgia Tech or Duke
B1G Championship: Either Ohio State or Michigan State could meet either Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa or Nebraska |
31-24
Jalin Marshall's reaction to fumbles? Ohio State freshman catches punts on his own in the snow
| After fumbling a punt, and fumbling after making a catch, against Minnesota on Saturday, Ohio State freshman Jalin Marshall took to the practice field, in a hat and gloves, to work on his game Monday afternoon. Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer |
Everyone has reacted to Jalin Marshall's two fumbles at Minnesota on Saturday, one on offense, the other on a dropped punt.
The redshirt freshman heard it on social media from a vocal, but likely comparatively small, segment of the fanbase on Twitter.
Receivers coach Zach Smith said he brought up that reaction to Marshall.
"It never fazed him, it didn't seem like it fazed him, but I wanted to address it because I know he saw it, and I know he's young," Smith said, "so I wanted to make sure that I addressed it with him before it festered into something else."
Smith said other players talked about to Marshall as well, including former OSU receiver Philly Brown, now in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, who dropped a punt in the Orange Bowl last season.
"It kind of comes with the territory, right?" Smith asked. "People are going to praise you for doing well, they're going to be critical when you do something that's not positive. It's something kind of in the growing process of an athlete at this level that he's got to get used to, and I think he is, just understanding with the good comes the bad."
Urban Meyer reacted to Marshall by acknowledging that the ball security must be better, but reiterating that the freshman's effort will keep him on the field unless the problems don't go away. Meyer said he talked with Smith, and he was thinking about making a change at punt returner, but Smith talked about how aggressive Marshall is going after the ball, so they watched every one of his returns. He's had other issues, but the coaches like what they have seen.
Marshall only took that job from Dontre Wilson in the middle of this season, and it sounds like he'll keep it.
"I felt like, and Coach Meyer felt like, he really gave a lot to our unit being aggressive to the ball, catching the ball, and really not necessarily gaining yards after the catch, but really preventing us from losing yards where the ball is rolling," Smith said. "He was very aggressive to the ball, and that's a trait that we really liked, and so we put him in that situation, and he's been physical since we put him there.
"This last game he had two hiccups. I don't want to jump to any conclusions. It was just kind of a bad day for him, so we're just going to work really hard to make sure he doesn't have another bad day like that."
So how has Marshall reacted?
The former five-star recruit didn't speak with the media after the game Saturday or on Monday. But as several other Buckeyes talked to reporters on the indoor field at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Monday afternoon, another figure, in sweats, a winter hat and gloves, made his way out the side door of the indoor field out to the cold.
Small plows had cleared the snow from the outdoor fields at the Buckeyes' football headquarters, even though Monday is the players' usual day off. But this player made his way onto the field. Staying inside, in a perfect climate, wouldn't do any good. Two others soon joined him.
Someone began to punt.
Jalin Marshall, the upper reaches of Ohio Stadium visible behind him, began to catch those punts.
That's how he reacted. (November 17, 2014 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer |
Snowy win sustains playoff hopes
November 17, 2014 Source: Columbus Dispatch
25 words or fewer
Win and advance — that hasn’t changed from BCS to CFP. Buckeyes seek spot in Big Ten title game and immerse themselves in the playoff conversation.
In the polls
Ohio State stayed No.7 in the coaches poll and moved up one spot to No.7 in the Associated Press media poll. What counts is how the College Football Playoff committee will shuffle things in its rankings on Tuesday night. The Buckeyes were No.8 last week and won at No.25 Minnesota on Saturday; No.7 Arizona State was upset by Oregon State late Saturday, No.4 Texas Christian overcame a scare from Kansas and No.1 Mississippi State lost at No.5 Alabama.
What’s hot?
J.T. Barrett’s Heisman Trophy campaign. Late out of the gate, he has made his bid by doing things never done by an Ohio State quarterback. He has been responsible for 38 touchdowns (29 passing, nine rushing), a program record. His four at Minnesota — including an 86-yard touchdown run and 189 rushing yards, school records for a quarterback — pushed him two touchdowns past Braxton Miller’s record set last year. Barrett’s three touchdown passes left him one short of Troy Smith’s school season record of 30, and Barrett still has at least three games to play. No one is saying he’s going to win the Heisman; Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon and Oregon’s Marcus Mariota are in a race for No.1. But Barrett is in the conversation.
What’s not hot?
The run defense, at least in the first half. Just like at Michigan State, it was the occasional slash at Minnesota that hurt the Buckeyes more than sustained cuts. The Gophers have an elite runner in David Cobb, who had 145 yards and three touchdowns running behind a huge line. But as defensive tackle Michael Bennett said in a passionate talk at halftime, it’s “not acceptable” for a defense that considers itself playoff worthy to be shoved around.
What went right?
The word on Barrett going into the season was “distributor,” but what he has done as a runner has surprised even coach Urban Meyer. He doesn’t have Miller’s flash, but he’s very good on the zone-read counter keeper, and he has gained 771 yards rushing and racked up a couple of school records in that category. Running back Ezekiel Elliott added 91 more yards at Minnesota, upping his team-leading total to 954, thus 1,000 is all but assured. Barrett is in the same neighborhood.
Back to the drawing board
Jalin Marshall will undergo an intense seminar on ball security this week. His derring-do had bothered some fans earlier in the year. Their wrath came in waves on Saturday after he fumbled on a potential touchdown reception and then he muffed a punt catch attempt that set up a touchdown that kept Minnesota in the game in the fourth quarter. The coaches want to just tame him a little because there’s no doubt about his intention to score every time he touches the ball, as on that 57-yard touchdown catch. . He was the team’s leading receiver with five catches.
Dinged up
The team appeared to emerge from the cold and light snow with no major thumps. Linebacker Joshua Perry had to leave for a play in the second half after landing hard on a tackle, but he returned.
Catch that?
One week after providing the go-ahead-for-good 44-yard touchdown catch in the victory at Michigan State, Devin Smith was shut out. Considering the Buckeyes are 20-0 over Smith’s career when he catches at least one touchdown pass, it would seem to behoove them to make that happen just for the karma.
Up next
Indiana, which fell hard to Rutgers last week. The Hoosiers have one of the nation’s more dangerous runners in Tevin Coleman. But their team hasn’t been the same since an upset victory in September at Missouri, which leads the Southeastern Conference East Division. As has long been the case with Indiana, defense is lacking. But the Hoosiers can score on anyone.
This week’s challenge
It’s first things first for the Buckeyes, which is to disregard being a huge favorite over Indiana and concentrate on Saturday on clinching at least a share of the East Division title and a return to the Big Ten title game on Dec.6 in Indianapolis. Anyone paying attention to contemporary college football knows nothing should be taken for granted (see “In the polls” above). Winning usually takes a team where it wants to go, and that’s looking more and more like the case for the Buckeyes.
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49-37
 
Key win in hand, Buckeyes await playoff rankings
November 9, 2014 Source: Columbus Dispatch
25 words or fewer
J.T. Barrett’s dealing made MSU’s defense look more like Rutgers. Now we wait to see if the College Football Playoff committee was impressed.
In the polls
The Buckeyes leaped four spots to No. 7 in the coaches’ poll yesterday, and they moved up five spots to No. 8 in the Associated Press media poll. But what matters is where they will stand in the third week of the College Football Playoff committee’s rankings. They were 14th last week, but they beat No. 8 Michigan State. Four members of last week’s CFP top 10 went down on Saturday.
Who’s hot?
Barrett, named the Athlon national offensive player of the week, moved up to No. 2 in the nation in passing efficiency, just behind Oregon’s Marcus Mariota. He threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for two more TDs. He gave credit to the team, especially the offensive line, and he also pointed out that this time, the 568 yards of total offense came against a highly respected defense.
What’s not hot?
The way the fourth quarter went down, Michigan State coaches probably are kicking themselves for not throwing on every down once the Buckeyes got on their roll. Connor Cook found some wide-open targets as the OSU defense went into what appeared to be relaxed mode, and the Spartans made the difference more respectable.
What went right?
The offense got on a roll in the second quarter with a couple of quick-strike touchdown passes to Michael Thomas (79 yards) and Devin Smith (44), and didn’t let up. The Buckeyes scored TDs on five straight possessions from the second quarter to early in the fourth quarter, and Michigan State could not keep up. The OSU defense came up with several key stops, not the least of which was cornerback Eli Apple’s tackle for loss on fourth-and-5 on the last play of the third quarter, stopping the Spartans at the OSU 36.
Back to the drawing board
The Buckeyes don’t exactly have the kill-the-clock routine down, as evidenced by Barrett throwing an incompletion on third-and-4 at the Michigan State 33 with 39 seconds left. Another rush by Ezekiel Elliott, who finished with 154 yards on 23 carries, would have left the Spartans, who had no timeouts, with little or no time for any desperate measures. As it was, Buckeyes punted for just the second time, and the ball was downed at the MSU 7.
Catch that?
Apple, dealing with a tight hamstring, did not start, and the Spartans took notice. Cook took aim at Apple’s replacement, Gareon Conley, with a couple of big passes to Keith Mumphery on the way to MSU’s first touchdown. Apple came on soon enough, though, and the OSU defense seemed to tighten.
Up next
Minnesota, which is a ridiculous loss at Illinois away from leading the Big Ten West Division outright. In his four years since moving from Northern Illinois, coach Jerry Kill has built a solid program predicated on ball-control offense and stiff defense. Running back David Cobb is ninth nationally in rushing average yards per game (133.9). The Gophers destroyed Iowa 51-14 on Saturday.
This week’s challenge
The Buckeyes are flying high, but all they have to do is flip on the video of Minnesota’s win over Iowa to realize this: The Gophers are no joke, and it’s expected to be bitterly cold in Minneapolis on Saturday. Ohio State has control of its Big Ten destiny — it would have to lose twice not to make the B1G championship game. But to get where it really wants to go, it has to keep traveling in impressive fashion.
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The wait is nearly over
November 3, 2014 Source: Columbus Dispatch
25 words or fewer
And now for the main event! The B1G East was always going to turn on the result of Ohio State at Michigan State.
In the polls
The Buckeyes moved up two spots to No. 11 in the coaches’ poll, and idle Michigan State dropped a spot to No. 6. In the Associated Press media poll, OSU stayed No. 13, with the voters slotting Ole Miss, which has lost two straight, in 12th.
Who’s hot?
Outside linebacker Darron Lee and defensive end Joey Bosa, and their knack for making game-changing plays. It was Lee’s pluck of an Illinois receiver’s bobble on the first possession of the game that shoved Saturday night’s blowout into gear. The Buckeyes are 12th nationally in turnovers gained (20), trailing only No.8 Michigan State (22) in the Big Ten. Bosa had two sacks, upping his season total to a league-leading 10 while sitting fifth nationally with an average of 1.25 per game.
What’s not hot?
J.T. Barrett admitted his passing wasn’t hot at the start. He badly missed on a few throws that would have jacked his stats immediately. Playing despite a left knee sprain, Barrett settled down and tossed both of his touchdown passes to Devin Smith before sitting down at halftime. He slipped one spot to No. 4 nationally in passing efficiency, but he still leads the Big Ten, ahead of No. 2 Connor Cook of Michigan State, who is No. 7 nationally.
What went right?
Freshman Curtis Samuel got his first collegiate start, and a 23-yard sprint around right end for the first of his two TDs set the OSU running game in motion. It wound up with six players carrying at least five times and combining for 296 yards and three TDs. OSU has rushed for at least 200 yards in six straight games.
Back to drawing board
The OSU coaches know Mark Dantonio and his staff likely spent time adding wrinkles to Michigan State’s schemes during the bye week. And if Ohio State has been hiding some things on the backside of the drawing board, this will be the week to flip it over. For example, remember that fourth-and-2 try that failed against the Spartans in the Big Ten title-game loss last year? The OSU offense generated seven TDs on Saturday, but it was stymied twice on fourth down in the red zone.
Dinged up
Barrett had to play only half the game, and he reported no ill effects to his braced knee. He even ran seven times for 38 yards.
Catch That
For those complaining that the “wildcat” is too predictable, Jalin Marshall introduced the “winged wildcat.” The redshirt freshman hybrid back and former high-school quarterback scored on a 30-yard run and threw a pass after taking a direct snap late in the third quarter. It was incomplete, but showing that a pass was possible is what mattered most.
Up Next
Michigan State, sitting in the same position it was this time a year ago. The Spartans lost early in 2013 to Notre Dame, then went on an undefeated run that included the win over OSU in the Big Ten championship game and a victory over Stanford in the Rose Bowl. Cook is statistically better than he was a year ago and the Spartans — known previously for shut-down defense — are ninth nationally in total offense (515.3-yard average) and fifth in scoring (45.5). OSU ranks 14th (505.1) and fourth (45.6), respectively.
This week’s challenge
It’s tough to get a gauge. OSU and Michigan State are both in the East Division, but eight games into the season they’ve yet to play a common opponent. And don’t judge based on last year’s league title game. The Spartans’ offense is more explosive; the Buckeyes’ more diverse. Michigan State’s defense is not quite as formidable; OSU’s is much improved against the pass. What haven’t changed are the spoils that likely will belong to the victor. But keep in mind that the regular season is not yet complete.
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