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What To Do With Braxton Miller And The QB Situation

User Blog Post By Ian_InsideTheShoe -20 January 2011
20 Comments

Braxton Miller. Get used to this name, Buckeye fans. You’ll be hearing it a lot in the near future. A five-star recruit, according to Scout, Braxton Miller is one of the top quarterbacks in the 2011 class. He is rated as one of the top two quarterbacks by Scout, Rivals and ESPN.

If you haven’t heard a lot about this kid before, Miller is a 6’2”, 185 pound quarterback from Huber Heights (Oh.) Wayne. A dual-threat QB, Miller will bring back memories of the Troy Smith era.

Miller is a more polished passer and possibly a more explosive running threat than Terrelle Pryor was when he came in as a freshman. According to ESPN, Miller “has a big arm and can make every single throw.”

Miller is more accurate than Pryor was, although both have great arm strength. As a runner, Miller seems to be very elusive, more in the mold of a Troy Smith in terms of running style. He has the potential to break an 80-yard run or launch an 80-yard touchdown pass. With all of this potential, Jim Tressel has a major decision on his hands. What does he do with Braxton Miller in 2011?

Does he redshirt him, and hope that Joe Bauserman and Kenny Guiton can hold the fort until Pryor returns from suspension?

Does he start him from day one? He seems to have the skills to do so and coming in for spring practice certainly will not hurt his chances.

Or, does he start Bauserman and use Guiton and Miller as chance of pace guys?

If Pryor had not been suspended for any games in 2011, redshirting him would be the easy choice. Let him learn behind Pryor for a year and then hand him the reins starting in 2012.

With Pryor being suspended, do you still redshirt him? Miller certainly has the potential to be great, but do you burn a year of eligibility just for five games? That could be even less than five games if the suspensions are reduced, which is a possibility.

If Miller is played during Pryor’s suspension, what do you do with him when Pryor returns? Even if Braxton guides the Buckeyes to a 5-0 mark, there is almost no chance that he holds on to the starting spot when Pryor is eligible. Pryor has proven to be a winner and is one of the best quarterbacks to ever put on the scarlet and gray.

Braxton Miller was brilliant for Wayne during his senior year. After starting the season slow at 3-3, Miller led the Warriors to eight straight victories and a trip to the Division 1 state championship game, where they came close to winning it all in a 35-28 loss to Lakewood St. Edward.

Joe Bauserman is the most experienced candidate for the starting job for the first five games. In backup duty in 2010, Bauserman went 16-22 for 174 yards with two touchdowns, with the touchdown passes coming againstEastern Michigan and Purdue (3:45 mark). He seems to be the logical choice as he will be a senior and the most familiar with the Buckeye offense.

Kenny Guiton is another candidate for the quarterback spot. Guiton starred in the spring game last year and would be a better fit in the Terrelle Pryor mold of offense. Guiton has confidence throwing the ball, shown in the spring game when he led the Gray team to a 17-14 victory with 11 completions for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Guiton saw limited action in 2010, throwing just two passes, completing one for five yards. He also ran four times for 21 yards and a touchdown.

Kenny Guiton starred in the spring game in 2010

Burning a year of eligibility for just five games may not be the best situation for Miller and the Buckeyes when there are very good options in Bauserman and Guiton to hold down the fort until Pryor’s suspension is up.

Starting Bauserman is the likely choice for 2011, but spring practice could change that if Miller impresses the coaching staff or if they think Guiton would be easier to slide in to Pryor’s spot in the offense.

Spring practice will be huge in the development of Miller and will go a long way in helping Coach Tressel decide what to do with Braxton for the 2011 season. Decisions like these are why Tressel has been so successful at Ohio State, and Buckeye fans should be confident in whatever he decides to do.

Michigan's new DC legally changed his name

User Blog Post By The_Lurker -19 January 2011
6 Comments

I was racking my brain, trying to figure out where I'd seen new Michigan Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison before his days with the Baltimore Ravens. I remember him stalking the sidelines for another team at some point. Then it hit me. Years ago, when the head coach of the Texas State Armadillos was ill, his DC, Wally Rig, stepped up and coached the team to a big win behind middle-aged quarterback Paul Blake. Coach Rig must have run into problems with the NCAA so he changed his name to Greg Mattison. Below is a side-by-side from this past year (left) and from his halcyon days at Texas State University (right). Same hair, eyes, nose and jawline, so you know it’s got to be the same dude.

It's Official, THE Ohio State is the #1 team

User Blog Post By Seth4Bucks -17 January 2011
3 Comments

On Monday, Ohio State ascended to No. 1 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll.

An odd mix of mostly seniors and freshmen, the Buckeyes returned to the top spot in the nation by beating Penn State at home Saturday after Duke lost at Florida State on Wednesday.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6030019

Homan Selected to Play in the Senior Bowl

User Blog Post By Jason -16 January 2011
0 Comments

Per a release from Ohio State:

Mobile, AL. (Jan. 16)—Ohio State linebacker Ross Homan will represent the Buckeyes in the 2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl. Homan has officially accepted an invitation to the senior showcase event, it was announced today. He will play for the North team while in Mobile, which will be coached by Marvin Lewis and his Cincinnati Bengals staff. The 62nd game is scheduled for 3pm (CT) on Saturday, January 29th in Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The game and all practices will be televised by NFL Network.

“Ross is a fine football player and played a big role in leading the Buckeyes to a great season which culminated with a Sugar Bowl victory,” Senior Bowl President and CEO Steve Hale said. “We believe he’s a great addition to our North roster and we’re really expecting him to perform well down here next week.” Homan, a first team All-Big Ten selection for the Buckeyes, was a three-year starter at linebacker for Ohio State. He capped off his career with a team-high nine tackle effort against Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. He totaled 72 tackles, two tackles for loss and one interception on the year. For his career, the Coldwater, Ohio native racked up 287 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss and seven interceptions.

Tickets for the 2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl are currently available for purchase at the Senior Bowl ticket office (151 Dauphin Street), the Bel Air Mall customer servic

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Brady Hoke's speech

User Blog Post By Jeff @ Fox Spor... -12 January 2011
6 Comments

I just finished up watching Brady Hoke's introductory speech as the new head coach at Michigan. I thought I'd share my findings with you, if you don't mind.

He only spoke for six minutes before opening it up for questions. But in those six minutes, he did the following;

Said "uhhh" 42 times (yes I counted. And that's also 7 "uhhhs" per minute)
Repeatedly mentioned "that school in Ohio". Brady, you're still saying the state name. Fail. But at least you're trying to emulate the master, so that's something.
Refenced "touching kids" twice. It was kinda creepy.
Nearly cried.

Thank you, God. Just thank you.

If it turns out that he's a huge fan of Josh Grobin, and his wife was wearing a leopard print dress to the press conference, it's a virtual gold mine. Or if he mentions that he used to live in a VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!

Are college athletes being "undervalued" by the market?

User Blog Post By tomcollins -11 January 2011
6 Comments

There's a big argument that these kids are being underpaid or undervalued by the market, and should get paid. If that were the case, a minor league professional system would surely be able to be formed by the market. But the thing is, people don't want to see random kids competing. They want to see them competing for THEIR teams. College athletics makes a ton of money not because of the talent they have, but because of the teams themselves. I wonder if they really would make any more than that in a competitive free market. Minor league baseball players rarely make much, and those that do are the prospects that are tied to professional teams who are basically being locked away and trained. But the real value being brought to the table is from the universities themselves. If Terrele Pryor played for the Chilicothe Cowboys, I wouldn't give a damn about his games or what his team did. It's only because silver helmet that causes me to follow him. I follow college football for the tradition, the rivalries, and the familiarity. The talent on the field has little to do with it.

Ohio State's Statement on NCAA Appeal

User Blog Post By Jason -09 January 2011
4 Comments

OSU released a statement Saturday announcing their intent to appeal the NCAA's decision to suspend five players for five games to begin next season. We've known this was coming, but the statement provides additional details:

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State has notified the NCAA that it will appeal the reinstatement decisions for its football student-athletes. The university has requested this appeal be heard via a teleconference, which would include university officials and the student-athletes.

The appeal will be heard by the Division I Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, an independent committee comprised of representatives from NCAA member colleges, universities and athletic conferences. This committee’s decision is final. It can reduce or remove the reinstatement conditions, but it cannot increase the conditions imposed by the NCAA national office reinstatement staff. An appeals teleconference date has not been set as cases with student-athletes currently in season will be given priority.

Ohio State student-athletes involved in this case are able to practice, participate in workouts and all other permissible offseason activities, including spring practice and the spring game, which is not competition but rather the final spring practice session.

I wouldn't expect to hear anything for at least two, probably three weeks based on similar situations in the past, but the five should get reduced to four with an outside/miracle shot of getting it down to three.

Tonight's Top Ten: Michigan's Coaching Options!

User Blog Post By BucksfanXC -08 January 2011
3 Comments

Dave: Alright folks, time for tonight's Top Ten!

(musical interlude)

Dave: Ok, tonight's top ten is - Top Ten Options for the UofM Football Coach! Ready?

#10 - Bear Byrant's hat on Les Miles' head.

Dave: So Les will call the plays and run practice, but the hat manages the clock, haHA!

#9 - John Harbaugh

Dave: Dave Brandon called the wrong J. Harbaugh in the phonebook and had to at least give him an interview.

Paul: That's the least you can do, interview him.

Dave: Yeah, can't hurt.

#8 - Bring Lloyd Carr back from retirement.

Dave: That sounds like it could help.

#7 - Bring Bo back from the dead.

Dave: Zombie football coaches are a force to be reckoned with.

Paul: Lots of brains to eat at UofM, huh?

Dave: Not on the football team. Right Jim?

#6 - Gary Moeller (Seriously).

#5 - The Lions Cast-offs.

Dave: That one would consist of HC - Steve Mariucci, OC - Rod Marinelli, DC - Bobby Ross, ST - Matt Millen

Paul: At least they are all Michigan men.

Dave: It's true.

#4 - Charlie Weis' nutritionist

Dave: He'll be used to Denard Robinson and those big gains! haHA! Gains! It has two meanings.

Paul: Why couldn't they get Charlie Weis himself?

Dave: Charlie found out Dave Brandon no longer has the authority to get him free pizza.

#3 - John Cooper

Dave: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em I suppose.

#2 - The Noid.

Dave: Can't get Michigan's star from the 80's, get Domino's!

Paul: Where's he been for 20yrs?

Dave: Ah, I believe, if I'm not mistaken, ah rehab. For cheese.

And the Number One Option for Michigan's Football Coaching Job is...

#1 - Brady Hoke

Paul: I don't get that joke.

Dave: You will after he starts!

Pryor Against Arkansas

User Blog Post By thePhilipJFry -06 January 2011
6 Comments

[Ed: Bumped for statistical porn.]

Pryor's numbers from the Sugar Bowl win against Arkansas.

Passing
	Dead On	Catchable	Inaccurate	Bad Read	Throwaway	Batted
ATT	1	15	5	2	1	1
COMP	1	13	0	0	0	0
YDS	43	179	0	0	0	0
TD	1	1	0	0	0	0
INT	0	0	0	0	0	0

Pryor waited until the second half to make his bad reads, both on third downs in the third quarter. On third and nine with 13:22 left, Pryor scrambles then throws deep to two Arkansas db's who drop the ball. The pass was well short of Sanzenbacher. The next series on third and two, Pryor throws to the middle of two defenders short to Saine, while Brown(?) the outside receiver to the top of the screen has the numbers to the sideline open against one man as he starts inside and then breaks outside.

Five inaccurate passes, four on deep throws and one short out to Sanzenbacher. One ball thrown away to avoid a sack and an early pass batted as Pryor had his arm hit while attempting a pass. Then there was the dead on ball to the back shoulder of Posey for a touchdown to close the first half.

Under Armour Game Tonight

User Blog Post By Alex -05 January 2011
1 Comments

The UA All-American game is tonight at 7PM on ESPN. Current OSU commits QB Braxton Miller, DE Steve Miller, and LB Ryan Shazier are participating. Potential future Buckeyes at the game are DB Doran Grant, DB Jabari Gorman, ATH Darius Jennings (Won't play-injury), WR Ja'Juan Story, LB James Vaughters (if Harbaugh leaves), and DE Jadeveon Clowney.

Grant and Gorman will announce during the game tonight. I have a good feeling Doran Grant will pick the Buckeyes but Gorman is really a toss-up. I think he is down to Florida and OSU. He really wants to be a Buckeye, but is getting a lot of family pressure to stay in state. I'm going to go with the Gators here, but the Bucks could definitely be picking up two awesome corners tonight (much needed!).

Here are the rosters for the game. Also a bonus is that Mike Ditka will be coaching!