Tressels, Fickells and Urbans,
Between now and 8pm tomorrow night, I hate night games.
An ideal time for kick-off would be 8am. That would give me enough time to go for a run down to Ohio Stadium, read the paper with a cup of coffee and go right to the game. I would probably have enough time to do "extra things" like talk to my family and send a few "Go Bucks!" texts.
Instead, I have all day...and the minutes tick by very slowly. I try to fill that time and stay busy. The kids will want to play football either in the family room or outside - outside is less precarious. Little Jakey will be excited to wear his #5 jersey and he will relay that "J.P. Barnett" is #16. Then, he will smile because he now knows his name is J.T. Barrett after I gently corrected him 1000 times. I'll see if Walt Keys posted any new Ohio State football photos. Simultaneously, I'll listen to the Buckeye coverage on 97.1 The Fan, watch ESPN Gameday and check out the league updates on BTN...because guys are so good at multi-tasking. :)
I try to stay in the moment, but I find my mind wandering to very, very important questions:
- Will the offensive line gel and make significant improvement early in the season? They were pretty bad in the first half against Navy and exponentially better the last 20 minutes.
- Are the best five (L to R) Decker, Elflein, Boren, Price, Baldwin? Should the guards switch again?
- Is Boren the right guy at center? There were a lot of missed assignments versus Navy and the center is the captain of the offensive line.
- Why not have Dontre and Jalin touch the ball more often? They both look to be the real deal. Dontre looks outstanding - maintained his speed and bulked up. He reminds me of Joey Galloway. It's been since Joey Galloway since Ohio State has had a Joey Galloway.
- If I were Urban and Herman (I can't recall if we went with Herban or Urbman last season), how would I divide carries between Eziekel, Samuel and Rod Smith? Samuel has better speed in the hole and seems good for an 8 yard per carry average. EzE looked powerful running the ball and had some devastating blocks. And, then Rod Smith complicated things with his now legendary 11-second block last weekend; Urban called it the best play he's ever seen by an individual.
- When will Heuerman be healthy...and when will Ohio State start going to the TE?
- Will J.T. continue to show the poise and command he displayed last weekend? Is he the best game manager at Ohio State since Joe Germaine? Joey G. was adept at finding the open receiver and delivering an accurate pass.
- Which name is more funny - Krenzel or Mewhort? Or are they equally funny?
- Are the linebackers good or bad this year? There were moments when the were fast and had a nose for the ball against Navy....and there were moments when they could not shed blocks and gave up a ton of rushing yardage.
- How scary-good will the defensive line be once Noah Spence is back? They were disruptive against a really difficult Navy rushing attack and chop-blocking scheme last weekend. Joey Bosa may be the best defensive lineman at Ohio State since Dan Wilkinson was drafted first overall (and played with Joey Galloway). There were times early in the game where OSU missed Spence, but the defensive end play from his position improved as the game progressed...esp.Frazier...no relation to Simon Fraser :)
- How will the secondary hold up once they are tested? I liked the speed, ability to shed blocks, positioning and open field tackling from Tyvis, Vonn and Doran. Can they get in the right coverage and find the ball defending the pass?
...and so it goes...all day long. These very important questions only begin to scratch the surface...and I didn't even get into special teams play yet.
...I wonder if Cameron Johnston and Sean Nuerenberger will become the best kicking duo in Ohio State history? They have two more seasons after this. I wonder if Walt has any photos of Cameron to see if Johnston really does look like Ed Sheeran? Or does Cameron look like my friend Chuck who looks like Ed Sheeran and was born before both Ed and Cameron. So, Ed and Cameron really look like my friend; not the other way around.
...and so it goes...all day long...and it has even started a day early.
But, then I walk into Ohio Stadium tomorrow night; the scene is shrouded in light and a great calm comes over me.
In the midst of 105,000 screaming fans, the boom of the marching band, the chatter from the guy who always sits to my left wearing a Marvin Martian t-shirt and knows every last detail about Ohio State football history, the constant flow of vendors up and down the aisle selling over-sized sodas...I'm finally in the moment. And ready to see the Buckeyes put on a show in primetime I've been waiting all year to see.
Touchdowns: Curtis Samuel, Zeke Elliot, Dontre, Michael Thomas, Vannett
OSU 38 Virginia Tech 17
Go Bucks! Beat Virginia Tech! Michael Bennett for Heisman!
Puffy Padre
