January 2, 20214 yr well this is a big win and revenge for osu. fields threw a few amazingly accurate daggers wow. you can see how clemson can play ball with with this team for a quarter, but then in the 2nd quarter the buckeyes start to wear them out. osu won't have the advantage/luxury of the depth of talent factor with 'bama.
January 2, 20214 yr CFP SEMI-FINAL GAME RECAP: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021-sugar-bowl/2021/01/119947/ohio-state-finally-beats-clemson-49-28-to-advance-to-college-football-playoff-national-championship
January 2, 20214 yr 8 minutes ago, Columbo said: CFP SEMI-FINAL GAME RECAP: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021-sugar-bowl/2021/01/119947/ohio-state-finally-beats-clemson-49-28-to-advance-to-college-football-playoff-national-championship And some more Dabo roasting: The moral of the story for Dabo is...
January 3, 20214 yr the best outcome of this game was trey sermon’s entry into the meme hof: https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/trey-sermon-meme-ohio-state-clemson-college-football-playoff
January 6, 20214 yr https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/30657905/cfp-executive-director-bill-hancock-says-national-championship-game-go-scheduled According to the ESPN story linked above, there's been rumors/discussions about postponing Monday's College Football Playoff Final because of covid issues within Ohio State's program. The CFP committee last week announced Jan. 18 as a potential makeup date for the national title game, if necessary. However, everyone involved (including Ohio State's AD Gene Smith and HC Ryan Day) is saying the Monday, January 11 date is still a go. So we'll see if there is anything to this. This didn't stop Nick Saban's daughter from stepping in it on twitter though: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/01/120197/nick-sabans-daughter-kristen-calls-bs-on-the-covid-cases-thinks-ohio-state-trying-to-stall-to-heal-justin-fields First, she dropped an inflammatory tweet saying Ohio State was faking covid cases to postpone the game. Then she deleted the tweet, deleted her account, then reactivated her account with an apology: You think her daddy told her to STFU and stop giving the Buckeyes more motivation to beat his team? Look what happened when Dabo did that(!) Deleted tweet or not, it did allow former OSU QB Cardale Jones to win the day with this tweet:
January 8, 20214 yr On 1/3/2021 at 1:31 PM, mrnyc said: the best outcome of this game was trey sermon’s entry into the meme hof: https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/trey-sermon-meme-ohio-state-clemson-college-football-playoff Trey Sermon meme strikes again(!)
January 9, 20214 yr According to media reports, Alabama completed its final round of covid testing on Friday morning and arrived in Miami on Friday night. An Ohio State spokesperson confirmed Friday afternoon that the Buckeyes have also completed their final round of pregame covid testing and is scheduled to arrive in Miami at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/01/120300/mondays-national-championship-game-proceeding-forward-with-alabama-set-to-arrive-in-miami-on-friday-ohio-state
January 10, 20214 yr https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/01/120336/ohio-state-arrives-in-miami-ahead-of-monday-nights-championship-showdown-with-the-crimson-tide The Buckeyes are now in Miami for Monday's national championship game. Both teams won't release player availability info until a few hours before game time. According to this report in the Dispatch, the Buckeyes received an allotment of 3,750 tickets, as did the Crimson Tide. Ohio State's tickets will go to players and coaches, with remaining tickets made available to students and donors. Players will receive six tickets apiece. Approximately 16,000 spectators will be allowed inside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for the national championship game on January 11. Which would make this the most highly attended game in this bizarre season for the Buckeyes(!)
January 11, 20214 yr So, the Buckeyes are 8-point underdogs facing an undefeated Alabama team that no one thinks can be beaten this season. Sounds familiar(!) Actually, there's good reason to have the Crimson Tide favored by over a TD tonight. Bama has not only a great, but an historically great offense this year. Five first-team All-Americans and three of the top five Heisman vote getters (QB Mac Jones, RB Najee Harris and the Heisman winner WR DeVonta Smith) on this high-powered offense. Nobody's been able to slow them down much this season. However, the Alabama defense doesn't really match the superb Saban defenses of past national championship teams. It hasn't mattered much so far, as the offense has just overpowered the opposition. But it is a weakness. Another weakness is that QB Mac Jones - although having a tremendous passing season - isn't very mobile. So if the OSU d-line can get pressure like they did against Trevor Lawrence, that could cause problems for Bama. For Ohio State, the game plan is probably "just play like you did against Clemson". The health of Justin Fields is definitely a concern though. Another hard hit like he got in the Clemson game might not be recoverable this time. Can Trey Sermon dial up another monster game? We'll find out tonight. Win or lose tonight, I feel good about the Buckeyes chances. I almost feel like Ohio State is in a no-lose situation. If they win, it will be an historic victory over two straight superteams. If they lose, it will be a loss against an Alabama superteam that no one else could defeat either. And there's still the satisfaction of beating Clemson and Dabo(!) Either way, I'm hoping for an entertaining game. GO BUCKS!!!
January 12, 20214 yr NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME HALFTIME: ALABAMA 35 - 17 OHIO STATE The game started out rough for OSU. Sermon went down with an injury on his first carry with a likely separated shoulder and is out for the game. Teague comes in and does okay though. And for a while its a back-and-forth shootout with Bama scoring a TD and OSU matching with a TD. Then when OSU only manages a FG to make it 21-17 with Bama leading at about 7 minutes remaining in the half - the Bama offense takes over with two quick TD drives to go up 35-17 at the half. And Alabama will get the opening kickoff in the second half(!)
January 12, 20214 yr Without the fumble recovery that gave us a short field to get a [comparatively] easy touchdown, we're probably down 35-10 or 35-13. Things a Buckeye for life isn't supposed to be saying in January: "Well, at least the Browns won."
January 12, 20214 yr NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FINAL SCORE: ALABAMA 52 - 24 OHIO STATE Welp, Alabama's offense was the real deal. Ohio State stayed with them until late in the second half when Bama opened up a three score lead. After that the Buckeyes couldn't narrow that big lead. Saban gets his 7th national championship - his 6th with Alabama since 2009. Gotta give the former Ohioan his due credit.
January 12, 20214 yr Honestly besides our game versus Clemson this is more how Ohio State has played all year. We just couldn't replace our defensive backs like we did in the past. Also, we can't underestimate the difference losing Sermon made. Teague is the worst starting running back Ohio State has had since Brandon Saine. Having Tyreke Smith and Tommy Togiai out too killed our ability to get pressure. I think Fields stock had to have taken a hit as well. In games where he is under pressure he does not look great.
January 12, 20214 yr I hate Bama, but this was the most complete team in the country this year. They dominated everyone. There is no team that could have held it close. A&M looked pedestrian against them and in their bowl game against an ok UNC. Clemson was boat raced by OSU. ND was stomped by Clemson and Bama. Florida gave them a game, but also had 3 losses including an embarassment against OU also UF had no Defense. OU is not championship caliber either. So props to Bama who was a top notch team. D was good enough but that Offense was unstoppable. They had OSU on their heels all night and were just a couple steps faster than the Buckeyes D. Their discipline was what stood out too. They just dont make mistakes. they dont have bad penalties, they dont miss blocks or their holes. Harris was so elusive, it make the good tackling line and linebackers look bad.
January 12, 20214 yr 14 hours ago, cle_guy90 said: Honestly besides our game versus Clemson this is more how Ohio State has played all year. We just couldn't replace our defensive backs like we did in the past. Also, we can't underestimate the difference losing Sermon made. Teague is the worst starting running back Ohio State has had since Brandon Saine. Having Tyreke Smith and Tommy Togiai out too killed our ability to get pressure. I think Fields stock had to have taken a hit as well. In games where he is under pressure he does not look great. I think losing Sermon, an injured Fields, and the absence of Smith and Togiai really, really hurt. It would have been a lot more fun to play with a complete team. But even so, 'Bama was the far better team and we likely would still have lost without those hurdles. Props to 'Bama -- let's see if we can get together again next year!
January 12, 20214 yr Maybe it was okay for Alabama to win this year. Ohio doesn't need any superspreader events right now:
January 17, 20214 yr When Urban Meyer took the Jaguars' job, there was some concern that he might raid the OSU coaching staff to build out his NFL staff. It looks like that won't be the case. Meyer confirmed he will not be bringing director of sports performance Mickey Marotti or director of player personnel Mark Pantoni with him to Jacksonville. And it looks like only assistant athletic director of player development Ryan Stamper, a Jacksonville native who played for Meyer at Florida, is heading to the NFL to join Meyer: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/01/120622/urban-meyer-will-not-be-taking-mickey-marotti-mark-pantoni-or-many-other-ohio-state-staffers-to-jacksonville
January 19, 20214 yr https://www.thisweeknews.com/story/football/2021/01/18/ohio-state-football-offseason-roster-tracker-players-staying-leaving/4202335001/ Yesterday was the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2021 NFL draft. To the surprise of no one, starting QB Justin Fields and All-American cornerback Shaun Wade declared for the draft and will forgo their senior season. Two-year starting center Josh Myers, two-year starting right guard Wyatt Davis and defensive tackle Tommy Togiai also declared for the draft. But some underclassman thought to be interested in declaring didn't - led by the Buckeyes leading receiver Chris Olave, tight end Jeremy Ruckert and defensive end Tyreke Smith. Additionally, three seniors - defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson, offensive tackle Thayer Munford and cornerback Marcus Williamson - opted to use the NCAA’s additional year of eligibility because of COVID-19 to remain with the Buckeyes next season. Defensive tackle Haskell Garrett is also considering using this additional year, but seniors have until March 1 to announce. Running back Trey Sermon, linebacker Baron Browning, defensive end Jonathon Cooper, punter Drue Chrisman and kicker Blake Haubeil, all announced they are forgoing their additional season of eligibility to join the 2021 NFL draft.
January 19, 20214 yr 7 minutes ago, Columbo said: Defensive tackle Haskell Garrett is also considering using this additional year, but seniors have until March 1 to announce. Haskell Garrett just announced he will return: https://www.dispatch.com/story/football/2021/01/19/ohio-state-football-haskell-garrett-announces-hell-return-2021/4220305001/
January 20, 20214 yr Only a couple surprises - Olave returning for his senior season when, at worst, he was looking at 2nd round money in the draft. Togiai leaving - he started, what, 7 games and is off to the NFL? He could have put together a dominant full season and moved up a round or two, I thought. No real surprises with the seniors and 5th year guys going. At some point, you've probably maxed out your development in college and it's time to move on, even if the NCAA is allowing guys to come back. I haven't followed it much - will teams still be required to be under the 85 scholarship limit? Ohio State returns all of its receivers, I believe. Plus, Ruckert is coming back and is one of the best TEs in the country. RB still a question mark (I've never liked Teague as a full-time starter, so we'll see) and obviously whoever starts at QB will have never thrown a collegiate pass. But Olave and Ruckert returning means they've seen Stroud and Miller in practice and are confident that coming back won't tank their draft stock for 2022. Of course, that doesn't even cover whichever 5 star kid is coming in this year as well. The WR room has *NINE* former top-100 (overall) recruits plus Olave, who was a mere 3-star out of high school. Ruckert was the top (or #2) TE in his recruiting class. The O-Line should be fairly stable (only Wyatt Davis and Josh Myers gone from the inside - both tackles are back and the team will fill the inside with 5 star guys). So the offense could be pretty fun. The defense...may continue its struggles. Edited January 20, 20214 yr by DarkandStormy Very Stable Genius
April 18, 20214 yr https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/04/122307/cj-stroud-kyle-mccord-throw-two-touchdowns-each-in-ohio-states-2021-spring-game OSU's spring practice session finished up with yesterday's Spring Game in Ohio Stadium. The question on most fans mind was "who will be the starting QB next season". Statistically, true freshman Kyle McCord and redshirt freshman C.J. Stroud had a better Spring Game than redshirt freshman Jack Miller. But the QB decision won't be made until Fall. Whoever the new starting QB will be, he'll have an outstanding receiver corps to throw to. True freshmen WR's Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. (son of the NFL Hall-of-Fame WR) stood out among the newcomers. Among the defense, true freshman five-star DE recruit from Pickerington, Jack Sawyer, impressed with 4 sacks in the Spring Game.
May 7, 20214 yr Been meaning to post the Buckeyes 2021 NFL Draft class this week, just getting around to it now: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/05/122532/ohio-state-ties-for-most-picks-among-all-schools-with-10-players-selected-in-2021-nfl-draft Fewer first-round picks than previous years, but just like in 2020, a total of 10 Buckeyes were selected in the 2021 NFL draft: QB Justin Fields: Round 1, No. 11 overall, Chicago Bears LB Pete Werner: Round 2, No. 60 overall, New Orleans Saints C Josh Myers: Round 2, No. 62 overall, Green Bay Packers G Wyatt Davis: Round 3, No. 86 overall, Minnesota Vikings RB Trey Sermon: Round 3, No. 88 overall, Arizona Cardinals LB Baron Browning: Round 3, No. 105 overall, Denver Broncos DT Tommy Togiai: Round 4, No. 132 overall, Cleveland Browns TE Luke Farrell: Round 5, No. 145 overall, Jacksonville Jaguars DB Shaun Wade: Round 5, No. 160 overall, Baltimore Ravens DE Jonathon Cooper: Round 7, No. 239 overall, Denver Broncos With those 10 selections, Ohio State tied with Alabama for the most players selected in this year's draft. Ohio State is the only school to have 10 picks in each of the last two drafts, and the first to accomplish that feat since Alabama had 10 picks three years in a row from 2017-19. However, it should be noted that six of Bama's picks were in the 1st-round (tying Miami's all-time record from 2004) and eight Bama picks were in the first two rounds(!) Additionally, five other Buckeyes signed contracts as undrafted free agents: TE Jake Hausmann: Detroit Lions LB Tuf Borland: Minnesota Vikings LB Justin Hilliard: San Francisco 49ers K Blake Haubeil: Tennessee Titans P Drue Chrisman: Cincinnati Bengals
May 7, 20214 yr Also been meaning to post something about this article from the Dispatch after the NFL draft finished. It goes back to the Championship Game against Alabama and looks at just how injured the Buckeyes really were for that game. https://www.dispatch.com/story/football/2021/04/30/ohio-state-football-injuries-before-cfp-title-game-worse-than-known/4894219001/ College football doesn't have rigorous injury reporting standards like the NFL. So only players unavailable for the game, plus players we already knew were injured (like QB Fields as the best example) get officially reported. Many other injuries go unreported because the head coaches don't want to give any advantage. Even after the CFP game, injuries to players going to be drafted a few months later, still go unreported because the players don't want to hurt their draft status. Now that the NFL draft is finished, those players are opening up about injuries they carried into the CFP game. Defensive tackle Tommy Togiai and defensive end Tyreke Smith couldn’t play because of COVID-19. Kicker Blake Haubeil and backup running back Miyan Williams were also among the 13 Buckeyes out for the title game. But just how beaten up the Buckeyes were is only now becoming clearer. Quarterback Justin Fields, offensive linemen Josh Myers and Wyatt Davis and cornerback Shaun Wade were also far from full strength in the Alabama game. QB Fields’ status was a matter of much speculation before the game. He took a hard hit in the back by a Clemson LB (who was ejected for targeting with his helmet) in the CFP semifinal. It didn't stop Fields from finishing a brilliant six-touchdown performance. But after the adrenaline of the game wore off, Fields “could barely get out of bed” leading up to the Alabama game, said Coach Day last Friday after Fields was drafted by Chicago. “But he still found a way to play in the game and actually play OK without really practicing,” Day said. However, RB Trey Sermon, who ran for a school-record 331 yards against Northwestern and followed with a 191-yard performance against Clemson, injured his shoulder on his first carry against Alabama and didn't play again - putting even more pressure on Fields to match his spectacular semi-final performance, which he couldn't do, as injured as he was. Starting center Josh Myers injured his foot at the end of the Big Ten championship game and then during the Clemson game felt his sesamoid bone break (that's the bone under the ball of your big toe that takes most of your foot's pressure). Myers said, “I didn't get to practice and just did as much cardio as I could to try and stay in shape. Then I kind of just rolled out there for the Bama game and white-knuckled it and did the best I could.” However, on a fourth-and-1 play when Ohio State trailed by 21 points late in the third quarter, Myers acknowledged that his foot injury kept him from being able to make a block on a run play stuffed for a loss, leaving him in tears on the sideline. Starting right guard Wyatt Davis played much of the year with a bone bruise and sprained ligament in his knee. He said withstood the pain as best he could, but it was excruciating when he took a direct shot on the knee. And that’s what happened in the second quarter against Alabama, which knocked him out of the game. Finally, starting cornerback Shaun Wade said he injured his toe in the Northwestern game and was bothered by it in both playoff games. Now, this is not to say if Ohio State had been at full strength that they would have beaten the Alabama juggernaut of 2020-21. It would have taken a nearly perfect game from the Buckeyes and probably some mistakes from the Crimson Tide. But it is now clear that the Buckeyes weren't close to being fully healthy. The article concludes with Justin Fields saying, “I think things could have went way differently (but) we'll really never know, so there’s really no point in hoping for it.” And that's just the way it goes sometimes. But it is interesting to put that final game into further context.
June 2, 20214 yr Ohio State is beginning their rollout of ticket sales for the upcoming 2021 season - after going their entire 2020 season with only 2,000 family members of players and coaches in the stands. With the pandemic easing, 19,180 spectators had been permitted at the 2021 Spring Game on April 17 - about 20 percent Ohio Stadium's 104,944 capacity. On Tuesday, the athletic department sent out renewal notices to returning season-ticket holders. That will be followed by faculty and staff ticket notices, student ticket notices, and then general public sales for any remaining seats. Right now, Ohio State is "hoping for full capacity" at Ohio Stadium this fall: https://www.dispatch.com/story/football/2021/06/01/ohio-state-planning-full-capacity-ohio-stadium-2021-season/7491272002/ https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/06/122909/ohio-state-hoping-for-full-capacity-at-ohio-stadium-this-fall-season-ticket-sales-now-underway
June 2, 20214 yr And although we still have a ways to go until the 2021 season begins at Minnesota on September 2 - it is within 100 days now. So 11W has this early preview of the 2021 regular season opponents: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/05/122898/the-loseable-index-tiers-of-how-dangerous-ohio-state-s-opponents-will-be-in-2021
July 17, 20213 yr https://www.10tv.com/article/sports/buckeye-great-ted-ginn-jr-retires-from-nfl-after-14-seasons/ Buckeye great Ted Ginn Jr. retires from NFL after 14 seasons The 36-year-old said the decision was "very tough," he is happy to go out "on my terms." Ohio native and former Ohio State wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. announced he is retiring from football. Ginn made the announcement Friday. The 36-year-old spoke with reporters at COhatch Ohio City, and while he said the decision was "very tough," he is happy to go out "on my terms." "It was a hard decision, but it was a decision that had to be made," Ginn said. "I'm respectfully leaving the game the right way, the way I wanted to." =================================================================== Well done and godspeed, sir. Even 14+ years later, I have many fond memories of you in the scarlet and gray.
August 31, 20213 yr The Buckeyes 2021 season starts in just two days - and it's important to know important details about the upcoming season. Such as, Will Head Coach Ryan Day keep his beard? https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/2021/08/31/osu-football-coach-ryan-day-shave-beard-ohio-state-2021-season-nears/5662532001/ Apparently not. Which is disappointing because he'll be losing a strong "80's movie/Walker Texas Ranger evil henchman" vibe. But he has his reasons: "I'm not gonna coach with the beard," Coach Day said. "I'm just too superstitious. I'd like to (keep it). I've thought long and hard about it. My wife and I had a conversation about it. I'm not taking that chance, especially starting with a conference game. The beard has to go." Day's wife, Nina, told The Dispatch on Tuesday in a prized exclusive that her husband has coached with a beard only once during a season. That came in 2016 when he was quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers. They went 2-14. "He has never coached with a beard, and the one year he did, it was a really hard year," she said. "And so now he's just like, 'I'm not taking any chances.' "
September 2, 20213 yr The 2021 Buckeye Football begins tonight - at Minnesota - on FOX at 8PM. The Big Ten has been scheduling a conference game as the opening game for the past few seasons. Which is a break from tradition and something I wish they'd discontinue. With no preseason games, I liked it when teams eased into the season - scheduling an easy first game, and then more difficult second/third games before starting the conference schedule. But the networks want big matchups to start the season - so Ohio State will travel to Minnesota for the 2021 opener. Though the Buckeyes are ranked #4 in the preseason polls and are a two-touchdown favorite, there’s still plenty of apprehension about this game that probably would be lessened if the game were later in the season. Starting a new freshman quarterback against a credible conference opponent in a hostile stadium is not the gimme most Ohio State openers are. So let's look at the 2021 Buckeye Football team: QB: The quarterback competition between redshirt freshman C.J. Stroud, redshirt freshman Jack Miller and true freshman Kyle McCord was the biggest question going into this opener. C.J. Stroud was thought to have the advantage since he was Fields' backup in 2020. But Stroud didn't attempt a pass last year and all three QB's were highly touted recruits. Stroud eventually won the QB1 role and will start at Minnesota. Complicating the depth chart is the early addition of Quinn Ewers. Ewers was originally going to play his senior year at his Texas high school. But he graduated early, reclassified for the 2021 recruiting class, and joined the Buckeyes halfway through the fall training camp. It's unknown whether the Buckeyes will play him in 2021. But if Ewers is as talented as everyone thinks he is, he might work his way onto the field. RB: Master Teague III has the most experience and shared the backfield with Sermon last season (before Sermon's late season surge). TreVeyon Henderson is a flashy five-star freshman recruit that should see playing time. But they've also got a lot of depth with Miyan Williams, who played as a freshman last season - and Evan Pryor, who was considered to be the sixth-best prospect at the position by 247Sports’ composite rankings. WR: When Chris Olave decided to return instead declaring for the NFL, you knew this WR group would be one of the best in the nation. Both Olave and Garrett Wilson are projected as NFL first-round draft picks, and were the Buckeyes two leading receivers - Olave caught 50 passes for 729 yards and seven touchdowns in seven games and Wilson had 43 catches for 723 yards and six touchdowns in eight games. To that top duo, position coach Brian Hartline has recruited at an ultra-high level and added Julian Fleming, who was the No. 1 receiver and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was the No. 5 receiver in the 2020 recruiting class. For 2021, Emeka Egbuka was the top-ranked receiver, with Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 14 and Jayden Ballard at No. 15. OL: Ohio State lost its starting center and right guard to the NFL. But they return Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere at left and right tackle, who are ranked by Pro Football Focus as the top tackle duo in the country for 2021. With high-level recruits waiting in the wings, the expectation is that they'll just plug-and-play their younger linemen with no loss in quality. Although, who will play center vs guard still needs to be sorted out. DL: Since defensive line coach Larry Johnson came over from Penn State a few seasons ago, the Buckeye DL has been one of the best in the nation. Although it helps when you have two Bosas and Chase Young, the overall depth of his DL is also a strength. For 2021, the Buckeyes expect to run a two-deep DL that can wear out opposing OL's. Defensive ends Zach Harrison and Tyreke Smith and defensive tackle Haskell Garrett return from 2020. They are joined by talented treshmen Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau. Sawyer looked especially impressive in the spring game and is the No. 1 ranked pass rusher in the 2021 recruiting class. LB: The Buckeyes will need to replace all three starting linebackers from 2020. But they believe there are plenty of talented candidates. The most obvious candidates are seniors Dallas Gant and Teradja Mitchell, who have been backups for several seasons and had the highest snap counts among returning linebackers. If the Buckeyes lean on the 4-2-5 base defense they used in the spring game, only two linebackers might need to take the field. But fellow senior K'Vaughan Pope could also step in if they continue to use a 4-3 formation. The wild card is Palaie Gaoteote, a transfer from USC who started the last two seasons for the Trojans. However, his transfer eligibility status has not been ruled on by the NCAA yet. DB: Senior Sevyn Banks and junior Cam Brown are the projected starters at the outside spots with fifth-year senior Marcus Williamson as the nickel position. Banks had off-season surgery on an unspecified injury and Brown tore his Achilles against Penn State last season. Ohio State has a multitude of four-star youngsters battling for playing time. Lathan Ransom impressed in spot duty as a true freshman last year. Ryan Watts, Lejond Cavazos and Cam Martinez also have much promise, though the COVID-affected 2020 season deprived them of typical playing opportunity. Adding 2021 recruits Jordan Hancock, Denzel Burke and Jakailin Johnson, and competition for playing time will be intense. K/P: If there's any position that coaches are most uncertain about, its the kicking game. Jake Seibert filled in for starter Blake Haubeil last season. He handled kicking duties for a pair of games in November after Haubeil injured his groin at Penn State and during the College Football Playoff final against Alabama when Haubeil had tested positive for COVID-19, requiring him to sit out. Appearing in three games, Seibert made all 16 of his extra-point tries and one of two field-goal attempts. The spring game left some uncertainty about Seibert’s handle on the position after he missed field-goal attempts from 40 and 45 yards out during the scrimmage. Two months later, the Buckeyes brought in another kicker to help replace Haubeil, who left for the NFL, adding North Carolina graduate transfer Noah Ruggles. They also have a new punter in Jesse Mirco, a freshman and former Australian-rules football player who is replacing Drue Chrisman.
September 2, 20213 yr Preview of tonight's opener with the projected starters: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/09/124481/preview-ohio-state-opens-season-with-thursday-night-big-ten-road-test-at-minnesota Scholarship grid classes at OSU: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/scholarship-grid
September 3, 20213 yr 2021 SEASON - GAME 1: OHIO STATE 45 - 31 MINNESOTA https://www.espn.com/college-football/playbyplay/_/gameId/401282789 https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/09/124535/big-plays-propel-ohio-state-to-victory-over-minnesota-in-cj-strouds-first-start Even if you're the #4-ranked team in the nation, there's still good reason to worry about an opening game on the road against a conference opponent that went 11-2 in 2019. Minnesota returns many players from that 2019 team, especially a massive OL and dynamic RB. And that was the Minnesota game plan - grind out long drives with that running game, keep OSU's offense off the field and ride that PJ Fleck "row the boat" energy to an upset. However, the Buckeyes struck first with a Miyan Williams 71-yd TD run on their opening drive and then a FG to take a 10-0 early in the second quarter. But then a grinding 80-yd TD drive plus a shorter 37-yd TD drive after a Stroud INT gave Minnesota a 14-10 lead at halftime. Stroud struggled in the first half of his first start. But he started to put it together in the third quarter with a 38-yd TD pass to Olave and a 56-yd pass Wilson to retake the lead. Then the defense scored on a Harrison strip-sack that Garrett returned 32 yards for a TD to put the Buckeyes up 31-21 to start the fourth quarter. Minnesota didn't fold their tent and scored 10 points in the fourth to keep some pressure on the Buckeyes. But two big TD plays in the fourth - a simple screen pass to TreVeyon Henderson that went 70 yards and 61-yd pass to Olave - sealed the win for Ohio State. A slightly shaky start for Stroud with a strong second half. A good overall beginning game. Now the Buckeyes will wait for #11 Oregon to arrive at Ohio Stadium for what might be their toughest test of the 2021 regular season.
September 9, 20213 yr https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/2021/09/09/ohio-state-football-palaie-gaoteote-eligibility-waiver-denied-ncaa/8259376002/ https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/09/124697/ohio-state-linebacker-palaie-gaoteotes-appeal-for-eligibility-denied-by-ncaa Coach Ryan Day told reporters on Thursday that transfer linebacker Palaie Gaoteote's appeal to be eligible to play for the Buckeyes this season has been denied by the NCAA. While the NCAA expanded the one-time transfer exception to all sports this offseason, allowing players to transfer one time and play immediately at their new schools, Gaoteote is dealing with a separate eligibility issue. Had Gaoteote been granted eligibility, the former USC linebacker was expected to be a key piece of Ohio State's defense this year. Without Gaoteote, the Buckeyes’ linebacker corps will continue to be led by the likes of Teradja Mitchell, Tommy Eichenberg, Cody Simon and Dallas Gant, while Steele Chambers, K'Vaughan Pope, Reid Carrico and Mitchell Melton provide additional depth.
September 10, 20213 yr First home game tomorrow at Noon against Oregon: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/09/124713/preview-ohio-state-hosts-oregon-in-biggest-non-conference-game-of-2021-season-as-fans-return-to-ohio-stadium #12 Oregon travels to #3 Ohio State for one of Saturday's marque matchups and maybe one of the best teams the Buckeyes will face all season (although Penn State just passed Oregon to be ranked #11 this week). Nevertheless, the PAC-12 title favorites should give this talented but maturing Buckeye football team a tough test. On the offense, if CJ Stroud plays he did in the second half against Minnesota, it could be a very long day for the Ducks. OSU used four RB's in a rotation against Minnesota, as they wanted to see who would be more effective. Younger RB's Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson broke off big TD plays and looked better than 2020 vet Master Teague - so we might see more Williams and Henderson against Oregon. On the defense, a large DL rotation was used against Minnesota because they have a deep talent pool they needed to evaluate. But the Gophers also frequently used a jumbo run package with 7 OL's that forced OSU into extra DL's run stopping lineups. Oregon should allow the Buckeye DL to keep their very best on the field. In the secondary, OSU was forced to start two freshman CB's when projected starting senior CB Sevyn Banks and junior CB Cameron Brown were both sidelined for the Minnesota game. In the fourth quarter, starting free safety Josh Proctor had to leave the game with an injury. As of this post, it is unknown whether those three secondary starters will play in the Oregon game. Oregon is also facing a significant injury to their defense. DE Kayvon Thibodeaux sprained his ankle in the Fresno State game and is listed as "day-to-day". Thibodeaux is considered to be the best college football defensive end since Chase Young played for Ohio State two years ago. Ohio State had their issues during their 2021 shakedown game at Minnesota. But it was nothing compared to Oregon's issues in their opener against Fresno State. The Ducks were down 3 in the fourth quarter before they rallied for a 31-24 home win. Both teams are talented but still relatively untested. The oddsmakers don't have much faith in the Ducks as they're 14-point underdogs against the Bucks. But depending on who is available and how they play, it's anyone's game tomorrow.
September 10, 20213 yr On 9/9/2021 at 1:48 PM, Columbo said: https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/2021/09/09/ohio-state-football-palaie-gaoteote-eligibility-waiver-denied-ncaa/8259376002/ https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/09/124697/ohio-state-linebacker-palaie-gaoteotes-appeal-for-eligibility-denied-by-ncaa Coach Ryan Day told reporters on Thursday that transfer linebacker Palaie Gaoteote's appeal to be eligible to play for the Buckeyes this season has been denied by the NCAA. While the NCAA expanded the one-time transfer exception to all sports this offseason, allowing players to transfer one time and play immediately at their new schools, Gaoteote is dealing with a separate eligibility issue. Had Gaoteote been granted eligibility, the former USC linebacker was expected to be a key piece of Ohio State's defense this year. Without Gaoteote, the Buckeyes’ linebacker corps will continue to be led by the likes of Teradja Mitchell, Tommy Eichenberg, Cody Simon and Dallas Gant, while Steele Chambers, K'Vaughan Pope, Reid Carrico and Mitchell Melton provide additional depth. ^ OK, so forget about all that stuff. He's eligible now. No word if he'll play during tomorrow's Oregon game: NCAA rules linebacker Palaie Gaoteote eligible to play for Ohio State A day after it appeared that Palaie Gaoteote would not play for Ohio State in 2021, the NCAA has approved the linebacker's petition for eligibility. Ohio State and NCAA spokesperson Michelle Brutlag Hosick confirmed the approval late Friday afternoon. On Thursday, Day told reporters that the organization had denied a petition for eligibility. Later Thursday, OSU released a clarification, saying that Gaoteote is not currently eligible but that the school is continuing to work with the NCAA on the petition. The Dispatch learned Friday morning that the NCAA had not rejected the petition but declined to give a timetable for a decision. That decision came hours later. Gaoteote was a five-star 2018 recruit who played at USC in 20 games during three injury-marred seasons. MORE: https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/2021/09/10/ncaa-rules-linebacker-palaie-gaoteote-eligible-play-buckeyes/8281180002/
September 10, 20213 yr It is ridiculous that given the huge impact of OSU football, that this thread is not pinned.
September 11, 20213 yr 2021 SEASON - GAME 2: OHIO STATE 28 - 35 OREGON https://www.espn.com/college-football/matchup?gameId=401282809 https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/09/124776/ohio-state-falters-in-home-opener-against-oregon-35-28-for-ryan-days-first-regular-season-loss-as-head-coach Ohio State's offense moved the ball well during this home opener against #12-ranked Oregon - getting 624 yards of total offense - most of it thru the air with 484 passing yards. But they didn't connect on those long TD plays like they did against Minnesota. This made it a grind-it-out game. And Oregon played that game better with 269 rushing yards and 236 passing yards. The game analyst noted that on three TD rushes, Oregon ran the same play against a base level OSU defense that never adjusted to it. Although the Buckeye defense did better in the fourth quarter with two big stops to keep our comeback hopes alive, DC Kerry Coombs really needed to be better in those other three quarters. Stroud was good enough, given the ineffective rushing attack and the 54 attempts he was forced to take. But an interception on OSU's second-to-last drive with 2:50 left (the only turnover in the game) sealed the win for the Ducks over the Bucks.
September 11, 20213 yr ^this loss hurts, no doubt. However, I don’t think I’m looking through scarlet and gray glasses when I say this type of experience can be good for a young Buckeyes team in the long run. A lot of opportunities to get right before the difficult stretch of the Big Ten schedule begins at Indiana on 10/23.
September 12, 20213 yr The Bucks would've been smart to mix in the run more on that last drive. It was suddenly working for them and taking the pressure off of Stroud. But nope. Instead they stuck with the passing game and quickly fell into a 3rd and 13, which led to the INT. There's going to be some growing pains when you're going with a freshman QB, of course. Guy seems to throw 90mph but the decision-making and touch on the ball are just not there yet.
September 13, 20213 yr Kerry Coombs should have been fired last year. Saban would have done it. Very Stable Genius
September 14, 20213 yr 23 hours ago, DarkandStormy said: Kerry Coombs should have been fired last year. Saban would have done it. You can maybe understand if the atypical 2020 pandemic season wasn't the best gauge for evaluating whether Coombs should have been retained or not. But after the defense's performance in the first two games of 2021, he's definitely on the hot seat now. As for what to do now, at least the next four games offer an opportunity to reset the defense, if they can. Here's some opinions and film study analysis on the Oregon loss: https://www.landgrantholyland.com/2021/9/11/22668745/ohio-state-football-oregon-coaching-failure-how-to-fix-it-ryan-day-kerry-coombs https://www.landgrantholyland.com/2021/9/11/22668519/its-time-for-ohio-state-to-look-for-a-new-defensive-coordinator-kerry-coombs-al-washington https://www.landgrantholyland.com/2021/9/13/22671033/ohio-state-football-film-review-defensive-mistakes-lack-of-offensive-identity-ohio-state-oregon-2021 https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/film-study/2021/09/124884/film-study-oregon-out-coached-ohio-state
September 15, 20213 yr https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/09/124926/ryan-day-isnt-happy-about-ohio-state-s-defense-and-changes-are-coming https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32208285/ohio-state-ryan-day-promises-d-changes-loss "Day confirmed that Coombs remains the team's defensive coordinator, but declined to say who will handle playcalling duties for this week's home game against Tulsa." "Ohio State's defensive challenge is compounded by the loss of safety Josh Proctor, who will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery for a fracture in his leg. Proctor, a second-year starter, was carted off the field in the third quarter of the Oregon game."
September 19, 20213 yr 2021 SEASON - GAME 3: OHIO STATE 41 - 20 TULSA https://www.espn.com/college-football/matchup?gameId=401282810 https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/09/125049/treveyon-henderson-leads-ohio-state-to-41-20-victory-in-uncomfortably-close-game-against-tulsa The final score looks okay, but it was uncomfortably close for the Buckeyes through most of the game yesterday. Day promised changes to the defense after the Oregon loss - and there were changes. DC Kerry Coombs coached from the press box while secondary coach Matt Barnes coached and called the defense from the field. If Coombs wasn't calling the defense from the press box, many fans wondered if he wasn't being handled like Milton in Office Space(!) In addition to the coaching shakeup was a shift in tactics. Instead of the press man coverage that Coombs employed, Barnes used more two-deep zone coverage. That change did prevent the big plays given up in the Oregon game. However, it allowed Tulsa to complete dink-and-dunk passing plays all game long. Tulsa ended up with 428 passing yards, but with only 59 rushing yards, Tulsa had difficulty converting their drives into TD's. Which was good because Stroud had a sub-par game, going 15-25 for 185 YDS with 1 TD and 1 INT. However, 5-star true freshman TreVeyon Henderson made up the difference by running for a freshman-record 277 yards on 24 carries with 3TD's (topping Archie's freshman rushing record from 1972!). The duo of Henderson and Teague got 339 rushing yards for the game. Although the new look Buckeye defense still gave up too much yardage, they did produce some turnovers in the second half. One was a brilliant strip of a Tulsa receiver by freshman Denzel Burke that got inexplicably overturned by replay. Later was another interception that got negated because of an iffy roughing the passer penalty. But with only 1:50 remaining, the Buckeye secondary got an interception that held up - and it was a PICK-6 to close out the scoring for the night.
September 21, 20213 yr Does C.J. Stroud have a shoulder injury? https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/2021/09/21/ohio-state-football-reporters-roundtable-after-tulsa-win/8418280002/ https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/09/125078/cj-stroud-thinks-he-s-getting-better-and-better-every-week-despite-shoulder-injury-outside-criticism
September 22, 20213 yr With C.J. Stroud having a sub-par passing game against Tulsa and the disclosure that he has a "minor" shoulder injury, Buckeye fans wonder if might be advisable to rest Stroud against Akron. Coach Day says no. Although with OSU being a 49-point favorite over the Zips, one or two backup QB's might see some playing time anyway: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/09/125182/ohio-state-wants-to-get-backup-quarterbacks-reps-against-akron-ryan-day-remains-committed-to-cj-stroud-as-starter Coach Day didn't make a commitment whether true freshman Kyle McCord or redshirt freshman Jack Miller would be the second quarterback into the game after Stroud. But he did commit that 5-star, top-of-the-2022-class QB Quinn Ewers would not be seeing any playing time. Ewers graduated a year early from his Texas high school and reclassified to join the Buckeyes training camp midway through August. Then Day said that Ewers had some minor surgery for an undisclosed injury that caused him to miss practice time and, because of that, won’t get the reps necessary to climb the depth chart in his first year: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/09/125178/ryan-day-says-transition-from-high-school-has-been-hard-for-quinn-ewers-there-s-a-lot-of-catching-up-to-be-done
September 24, 20213 yr On 9/22/2021 at 3:52 PM, Columbo said: With C.J. Stroud having a sub-par passing game against Tulsa and the disclosure that he has a "minor" shoulder injury, Buckeye fans wonder if might be advisable to rest Stroud against Akron. Coach Day says no. Upon further reflection, maybe it is advisable to rest Stroud against a 49-point underdog opponent: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/09/125226/cj-stroud-will-play-only-in-emergency-capacity-against-akron-due-to-shoulder-injury-kyle-mccord-or-jack-miller-to
September 26, 20213 yr 2021 SEASON - GAME 4: OHIO STATE 59 - 7 AKRON https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore/_/gameId/401282811 https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2021/09/125314/ohio-state-rolls-past-akron-59-7-for-first-dominant-win-of-2021-season On their final non-conference game of the 2021 regular season the Buckeyes could benefit from resting some players and a decisive victory to get on the right foot heading into B1G play. Fortunately they were facing Akron last night. After Akron scored on their opening drive to go up 7-0, the Buckeyes scored the next 59 to power a 59-7 victory over the Zips. True freshman QB2 Kyle McCord started for CJ Stroud, who was resting his injured shoulder, and did pretty well going 13-18 for 319 yds with 2 TD's and 1 INT. Although his 319 passing yards were inflated with a lot of YAC, and of course it was against Akron. Redshirt freshman QB3 Jack Miller came on for mop-up duty midway in the third quarter to finish out the game. The rushing game got 237 yards in a four RB by committee with Henderson and Teague getting 2 TD's each. The defense looked much better, only allowing 229 total yards and grabbing 2 INT's - although with the caveat that it was against Akron. On to Big Ten play and Piscataway next Saturday.
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