Eleven Warriors

Welcome back. It’s Saturday y’all and things are definitely starting to feel like summer around here. As I sit writing, it’s currently 91 degrees with no break in this haughty heat wave on the horizon. I love summer, don’t get me wrong. But is it football season yet? I don’t want to wish away the months, but with basketball quickly winding down the thought of ONLY having baseball to watch is a little too much to bear. Apologies to any baseball purists out there, but I’m trying to hear some pads pop. You feel me?

I know Jake Stoneburner and Jack Mewhort agree with me. After copping to a lesser plea on Friday for an early June incident in which they were caught urinating in public, Urban Meyer promptly took the pair off of scholarship for the summer. The obvious: Stoneburner will miss valuable rapport-building time with quarterback Braxton Miller. The less obvious: Two sets of parents just took a shot in the wallets.

THESE BACKS ARE SO FULL OF THEMSELVES. Brandon Castel of the Ozone continued his depth chart breakdowns recently focusing on the fullback position.

There aren’t many surprises here as Zach Boren is the projected starter and will get a majority of the reps at the position. Backing him will be senior Adam Homan. 

Since Urban arrived it’s been no secret he loves Boren’s work ethic and leadership. The head man had this to say when asked about ZB:

“He (Boren) is down to around 245 pounds now, that’s down 12 pounds. He’s a much better runner than I thought. He can catch, he can carry the ball. He doesn’t exactly have the home run ability you’d like, but he’s a tough guy. He will carry the ball.”

Boren is a bruiser and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield is an added value few slobber-knockers bring to the table. In 2011, Zach caught 6 passes for 60 yards. Not too shabby considering throwing the football was a decision listed just above “thread a safety pin through my eye-lid” on Bollman’s “Things I Feel Confident in Doing” list.

I can’t wait to see how Urban utilizes Boren in the new offense. It should be fun to watch. Also, am I the only one who appreciates the fact both Boren and Homan are younger brethren of former Buckeyes? Well done gentlemen, your current Thanksgiving tables will house more athleticism than seven generations of mine combined.

AN URBAN ROSE. Todd Jones had a nice write-up on Meyer meeting Pete Rose before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch in Wednesday’s Reds Indians game.

The general premise: Meyer was downright giddy about meeting the living legend, blurting out, “Holy ----, Pete Rose!” upon first spotting Charlie Hustle. 

Stories like this make you realize just how happy Meyer is to be back in his home state. While I’m sure he enjoyed every stop of his incredibly successful coaching career, one has got to believe this is ultimately where he wanted to end up. Welcome home Urban, welcome home indeed.

Before moving on it’s important to call-out one other highlight from Jones’ story. Eventually during their meeting, conversation shifted to none other than Wayne Woodrow Hayes. Rose had this to say about the bespectacled icon:

“I’m a Buckeye fan,” Rose said. “A long, long time ago, I went up to Columbus to the old ROTC building (on the OSU campus) and had lunch with Woody. He had two pictures in his office. One was of me, and the other was (Gen. George) Patton. Woody was the best. I loved his aggressive style.”

Does the fact Woody had a picture of Patton on his wall surprise anyone? Didn’t think so. The man basically ate bullet casings for breakfast. Thank you for being you Woody.

Zach be nimble.

BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR? Cleveland.com recently posted an interesting poll asking readers who they believed would be the 2012 Big Ten Coach of the Year. As of Friday night the poll results indicated a landslide victory for Meyer who garnered 62% of the vote (OHIO REPRESENT). Coming in second was Hoke with 10% followed by Dantonio at nearly 7%.

At this point declaring a Big 10 coach of the year is nothing short of conjecture, but it is an interesting question to ponder. I’ve got to believe if Meyer comes anywhere close to 11-1 the award is his, especially in a season where motivating players to perform could become increasingly difficult (post-season ban, hooraaaay!!!!!!!!)

But, what do I know. Apparently a season like this followed by utter domination of the conference year-in and year-out wasn’t enough for JT to EVER win, so it’s safe to say the award will probably go to Kevin Wilson after a 7-5 season.

THROWIN THEIR JOCKS ON THE FIELD. Yesterday the BTN’s Tom Dienhart answered a reader who asked how good the Buckeyes will REALLY be. Dienhart’s response painted a pretty rosy outlook:

"It looks like Ohio State could just throw its jock on the field and go 8-4. The four games that will determine greatness for OSU will be: at Michigan State; vs. Nebraska; at Wisconsin; vs. Michigan. If the Buckeyes start 4-0, and then beat the Spartans and Cornhuskers … look out. A run at perfection may be possible, just like the 1993 Auburn team did under Terry Bowden when it was on probation."

I’ve said the same myself. It’s a shame this team can’t compete for a Big Ten championship because I believe they’ve got a chance to do some real damage in the conference. Meyer’s ability to plant the role of “spoiler” in his players’ minds will be key in terms of motivation and performance.

During these aforementioned dog days of summer it’s easy to say I’d love to see the Buckeyes go 12-0. But seriously, how hard would that pill be to swallow in November? The Buckeyes going undefeated and then packing their bags for a holiday break instead of a January Bowl would be tough. 

What’s that? You said a 12-0 season would mean the Bucks beat Michigan ruining their season? Oh never mind, I could get on board with that.

THAT'S A LOVELY LINK COAT. I'll admit, I'm still bitter about the whole Lebron thing, but all bias aside, in what world is this not a foul? I don't believe the findings of this study for a second. Will this Michigan punter GIF ever get old? Essential toys for hipster children.