Eleven Warriors

I was taking a look at BM's stats on the season and just realized that his pass attempts so far this season are just about where BM finished the season last year with.

2011

PC/PA: 85/157

PCT: 54.1%

Yards: 1159

TD/INT: 13/4

Sacks: 39

Efficiency: 138.4

2012 (7 games to date)

PC/PA: 96/159

PCT: 60.4%

Yards: 1271

TD/INT: 11/4

Sacks: 12

Efficiency: 145.3

Thank God for much better O-line play, much better game planning, and better coaching across the board! His completion percentage and sacks taken are much better this year than last year's total. He also has about a 100 yards more passing this season but with 2 fewer TDs through the air. I know BM didn't start every game last season, but for him to have already surpassed last year's  passing attempts with a full half the season left to go speaks volumes.

While I'm at it and since I need more wordage to post, here's his rushing yards as compared to last year.

2011

Attempts: 159

Yards: 715

Avg: 4.5

Long: 81

TDs: 7

2012 (7 games to date)

Attempts: 129

Yards: 912

Avg: 7.1

Long: 72

TDs: 9

He's averaging quite a bit more per run this year and already has run for more yards than he did through all of last year. A lot of this can be attributed to not having that extra 27 sacks that he did a year ago. But a lot of the yards he picked up on the ground last year was him just making plays out of nothing. And although that's been seen quite a bit this year as well, the offense has been tailored to his strengths. Again, he's also taking advantage of the improved play from the O-line group. He's on pace to get 3500 total yards (~2000 yards throwing and 1500+ yards rushing). Not bad considering last year the offense just barely surpassed the 4k mark in total offense.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8163297/pac-12-big-ten-co...

At least four Pac-12 schools ultimately decided they would not accept mandatory scheduling, ESPN.com has learned. One proposal called for eight matchups per year, featuring the willing Pac-12 schools, but the Big Ten wanted a complete collaboration or none at all.

"After extensive deliberation and consultation with member institutions, television partners and others, the Pac-12 and Big Ten have decided not to pursue the previously announced plans for enhanced scheduling collaboration across all sports," Scott said.

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Lame! I was really looking forward to this series and would've enjoyed the extra Pac12-Big10 matchups. This could've had a domino effect of forcing other conferences to increase their noncon slates. Hopefully the playoff system will reward tougher noncon slates enough that we'll see more and bigger matchups between power conference teams.

In a scarlet and gray world, a lavender shirt sticks out.

And that’s the point, said Ohio State football’s new director of performance, Mickey Marotti. In putting the Buckeyes through the first winter conditioning program under coach Urban Meyer, he has made the lavender shirt the wardrobe of a loafer on the field, in the weight room, at the training table or in the classroom.

The rest of the story here.

http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/stories/2012/02/16/new-strength-coach...

Nothing like wearing purple and being singled out to your teammates as a slacker to help motivate you. I love how the lavender shirts are not just for the weight room but also for classwork. 

The Grizzlies won a tough 91-88 game in front of their home crowd. The win is their first home playoff win and second playoff win over the Spurs. They now lead the series 2-1 and could take command of the series with another home win. Our very own Mike Conley put up 14 points, 8 dimes, 6 boards, and 3 steals against only one turnover and three fouls. Not only that, but his tough D at the end helped prevent Ginobli from even attempting a shot in the closing seconds. Conley can give his team a great shot at winning their next game if he turns in a similar performance in game four. And I'm not at 125 words yet . . . . . hmmmm.

http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=310423029

This is a couple days old, but I didn't see this posted anywhere on here. Who knew he was a cookie dough fiend?

10 Questions with Thad Matta

1. What's the best thing about coaching at Ohio State?
Being a Buckeye, I think, just the power and the feeling you get anytime you are involved with Ohio State and how much these people love the Buckeyes. The No. 1 thing for me is just being a part of something that is so special.

2. What kind of pressure does being No. 1 bring?
It is funny because I don't feel the pressure of being No. 1.  I feel more the pressure of trying to get our team to play the best basketball they can. I do not look to far outside of the box, it is more of what we have to do and I think there is more talk on the outside than there is on the inside of being No. 1.

3.  What do you like most about your current team?
I think who they are as kids and the camaraderie that they have and without question the work ethic they have every day they come into the Schottenstein Center.

4.  You played collegiately at Butler. Best game memory?
We were down six points at Dayton my sophomore year with 1:50 to go in the game and I ended up scoring the last eight points (including) a last-second shot and we won the game.  I think I finished with 8 points for the game.

5.  Who's your hero?
I would have to say my father and the reason, growing up he was an educator and I felt like both he and my mother sacrificed a lot to give the kids in the family just a lot of opportunities and they definitely put us before them. I know this I would not be sitting in the situation I am without the guidance of my father and my mother.

6.   What's your idea of a dream vacation?
On a beach with nobody around.

7.  If you weren't coaching basketball, you'd be doing what?
I would say if I wasn't coaching basketball I would probably be in education. I would be a teacher.  That was what my degree was in. That's what I always wanted to do was teach.

8.  Favorite movie?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

9.  Best late night snack?
I hate to say this but its cookie dough, but don't tell my wife because she is always wondering where it goes in the middle of the night but that is definitely me with a cold glass of milk.

10.  In high school, you played for the Hoopeston-East Lynn Cornjerkers. What is a Cornjerker?
A Cornjerker is a very powerful warrior type person who back in the days before they had combines and things, kids would walk the fields and jerk the corn off the stalks and throw it into a trailer so therefore it became the Cornjerkers.

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

Jim Tressel has added to his already impressive resume with the Buckeyes' heart attack inducing win in the Sugar Bowl against the Arkansas Razorbacks. After whiffing in two straight NCG games, the Sweatervest legion have come back swinging with two BCS victories over the past two years. The two losses against SEC foes in the NCG tattered both Ohio State's and Tressel's national reputation, especially in the South. The win in the Rose Bowl a year ago gave a much needed boost to Ohio State's national prestige. But heading into this season there were still doubters out there, people who were dubious Ohio State had what it took to win a game against an SEC team. The 2010 season played itself out and lo and behold it pitted Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas. Here was Ohio State's chance to redeem itself against their personal Kryptonite .  .   . an SEC team  .  .   . a team with 'Southern Speed'

The stakes of the game were raised with the revelation of the Tatgate scandal and once more with the huge egg the Big 10 dropped on New Year's day. Suddenly the Big 10 was once again on the cusp of becoming nationally irrelevant. In one hard day the Big 10 fell hard and fell fast, becoming a national laughingstock in the eyes of everyone. Only a Buckeye win against Arkansas could salvage any respectability for the Big 10. Not only did Ohio State need the win for the Big 10, but they also needed it for themselves. They needed it to soothe the sting of the Tatgate scandal, they needed it to silence the critics, they needed it to ensure the record would not extend to 0-10.

Hungry for the win, the Buckeyes came roaring out of the gates en route to a comfortable 28-10 lead at the half. Ohio State's offense went cold and Arkansas continued to put more points on the board, resulting a potential blowout turn into an uncomfortably (at least from the Buckeyes' point of view) tight game. A sense of impending doom seemed to settle over the field as the lead continued to lessen and as Ohio State failed to mount any sustained drives. The Razorbacks recovered a blocked punt deep in Buckeye territory. With momentum on their side, Arkansas seemed poised to finish an incredible comeback. Fortunately, Solomon Thomas came up with a late interception to seal the game for the good guys.

With the win, Tressel added another BCS bowl win to his resume. But has this win put him in a league apart from the rest of the coaches out there? Maybe not quite, but it certainly puts him among the leading candidates. It also puts the Sweatervest one Orange bowl ring away from being the only coach to win all four BCS bowls. Having won the Fiesta bowl (several times), Tressel has recently added two more BCS bowl wins to his resume. Jim Tressel has the most BCS bowl game appearances (8) of any coach. He also boasts the most BCS bowl wins in the coaching ranks. Without a doubt Tressel is among the best, if not the best, college football coaches out there. The Sugar bowl win has done as much to vindicate and repair Tressel's reputation as it has for the Buckeyes.

Will Tressel ever get a shot at the Orange bowl? A Buckeye appearance in a future Orange bowl is something that is unknowable at this point. But if Jim ever does get a shot at the Orange, I have faith that he's the best coach period to come out of the Orange bowl with the 'W'. For now though, I will 'settle' with basking in the afterglow of Tressel's latest win.