Eleven Warriors

Devin Gardner, not wearing red (MGoBlog/Fuller)

Ohio State and Michigan held spring games on Saturday. They were largely mundane affairs, as these glorified practices tend to be.

The Buckeyes played their game in an Ohio city that isn't nuts about Ohio State football – yes, these places exist – and borders SEC country. The Wolverines were at home in Ann Arbor, but the game was contested in snowy conditions, not exactly ideal for building excitement within the fan base. Fewer than 20,000 turned out to Michigan Stadium.

But the first post-Denard Robinson spring game provided Michigan fans with hope, this coming on the heels of a heartbreaking defeat in college basketball’s national championship game.

At nearly the same moment, Ohio State and Michigan, with games separated by 250 miles, gave fans a glimmer of what could come in the fall. Braxton Miller completed a 49-yard pass on the first play, while Devin Gardner connected with a receiver on a 29-yard strike.

Saturday's performance from Miller was expected. He dazzled with his arm and his legs, leading the Scarlet team to four touchdowns in a 31-14 victory. What Gardner would do, though, was a little more uncertain. After all, this was a player who began 2012 as a backup quarterback, then shifted to wide receiver, only to be thrust into the starting quarterback position when Robinson was injured in late October.

Gardner played well in spot duty, winning his first three starts while ending the season with consecutive losses to Ohio State and South Carolina. He completed nearly 60 percent of his pass attempts for the season and tossed 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.

But now the Maize and Blue is undoubtedly Gardner’s team.

In times of tragedy — whether on a national level or a private, personal one — sports often act as part of our recovery process, a way of group hugging people we've never met as we try to return to some sense of normalcy.

Yesterday, sports and tragedy met at the Boston Marathon, a bombing that was frightening, infuriating and above all else, heartbreaking. As quickly as our faith in humanity evaporated after yet another senseless act of violence, we were just as quickly reminded — thanks to the heroic actions of first responders and ordinary citizens, along with former NFL players ready and willing to help however possible — that mankind isn't hopeless, even in our darkest moments.

Except for the Bruins postponing their game scheduled for Monday and the Celtics canceling theirs, the sports world didn't take a hiatus, which was reassuring in its own way because sports make sense to us.

Or at least they do on a macro level. I mean, I don't know how Phillies center fielder Ben Revere made this catch, but even as a Reds fan, I've got to give him props for that, especially considering the glove he used. Well said, and played, sir. 

And because there's not really a smooth transition to make from that to Ohio State football¹, I'm just going to acknowledge the awkwardness and jump into topics that may seem trivial at this point, but can also offer us a bit of solace.

FIRST OFFENSE. After the spring game, Urban Meyer spoke for all Buckeye fans when he said, "I would be disappointed if we're not the best offense in the Big Ten."

Considering Ohio State boasted the conference's top scoring offense a season ago, returns almost every starter, and the B1G isn't exactly known for its offensive prowess², "disappointed" probably isn't a strong enough word to describe how the fanbase and Urban himself would feel if they failed to live up to expectations.

One of the top tight ends in the country – and a Buckeye target with a long-standing scholarship offer – is starting to wind down his recruiting.

Charlotte (N.C) Christian tight end Jeb Blazevich has offers from Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Michigan and a who’s who of other schools around the country, and he finds himself in the enviable position of being able to handpick the path his future takes. That future is becoming more and more clear to the 6-foot-5, 240-pound junior, but he is not entirely ready to divulge exactly what he’s thinking.

Jeb Blazevich will decide very soon.

The reason he's holding off? It's simple, or at least it is if you're a person and player who subscribes to life the way that Blazevich does. 

“My parents, my coach and I are going to sit down this week or the next and figure everything out,” Blazevich said. “I'm hoping to be committed not too long after that. I won’t name the last few schools that stand out at this time, not until I’ve figured out which other coaches I have to say no to. I just feel like that's the right thing to do.”

Blazevich won't talk publicly about which schools are standing out for his services until he’s told each school that is no longer in the running that he’s going to choose someone else, a matter of deference and respect that is customary – and expected – when talking to the tight end.

Blazevich visited Ohio State last summer and again this past November, where he checked out the Buckeyes' gameday atmosphere, and he came away impressed with the school, the crowd, the coaching staff and more. Will that be enough to push the Buckeyes to the finish line? 

A player who puts his faith at the forefront of every decision he makes and one of the nation’s top players, Blazevich has seen his fair share of attention during the recruiting process. He admits that it’s had its up and downs, and for the most part it’s been a process that he’s thoroughly enjoyed, but he’s glad it’s winding down because of the toll it’s taken on the old odometer.

“The best part in all this has been dealing with the people, even getting to know people like yourself. It’s very encouraging knowing that as a high school kid that Christian values are not only appreciated, but taught and looked for in kids to play this great game of football,” he said. “The worst part about all this is just making the trips, literally traveling and being in a car 8-12 hours a day. I've missed out some of developing relationships with friends but I know in the end it'll all be worth it.”

Blazevich had intended to make a trip to Ohio State a few weeks back, but was unable to as the lingering winter made travel difficult. Still, he’s confident that he’s seen enough from Ohio State to know if the Buckeyes are a realistic, and more importantly, a good option. One doesn’t make a 850-mile round-trip – twice – otherwise.

Ohio State welcomed a solid list of prospects to the annual spring game in Cincinnati this past Saturday.

One of the Buckeyes' top targets in attendance for the game was Carmel (IN) wide receiver/tight end Austin Roberts.

The 6-3/210 Roberts has a very impressive list of offers that include Alabama, Florida, Miami, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Stanford, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and many others.

The Buckeyes are recruiting Roberts to play a wide receiver/tight end hybrid (H-back) role similar to the way Meyer used Aaron Hernandez at Florida and Jake Stoneburner last year at Ohio State.

Roberts has visited Ohio State before, but he wanted to make the trip to Cincinnati to check out the spring game and to get a feel for the game environment.

We caught up with Roberts to get the scoop on his trip to Cincinnati for the spring game.

Keep reading to learn more about junior wide receiver/tight end Austin Roberts.

First pitch, synchro style

Cincinnati is an interesting place. Because of its proximity to Kentucky, Toledo-esque lack of loyalty to Ohio State, and the fact that for some reason people in Columbus seem to lean toward being Cleveland pro sports fans (despite Cleveland sports teams being somehow worse on average than their counterparts from the Nati), many Buckeye fans have a hard time getting over the idea of the city as an unholy Benedict Arnold/Vidkun Quisling joint enterprise.

Well, let me drop some knowledge on you Doubting Thomases. I was born and raised near Cincy. I have friends and family who went to UC. I grew up rooting for Bob Huggins and the Bearcat basketball team.

And dammit, today I am here to inform you plebes that you are absolutely, one thousand percent correct about your suspicions concerning the Queen City.

But this isn't something to be smug about, guys! Yes, the "bUCkeye state" shirts were endearing and hilarious in a "three-legged puppy with a big leaf on its head" way, and it's always fun to knock a front-running fanbase down a peg (like, say, in the NCAA Tournament, or on our way to a national championship in football), but truth be told, it actually sucks pretty hard for Ohio State in the long run.

Because as hard as it might be to admit, the Buckeyes need Cincinnati firmly in their corner, and last Saturday's game in Paul Brown Stadium was the first in a series of moves that started almost as soon as Urban Meyer was hired. A battle plan, if you will, to ensure that the assorted forces of Eastasia (in this case, Notre Dame and assorted SEC schools slumming it up above the Mason-Dixon Line) are never able to keep a foothold in our precious Midwestern stronghold. 

The 2013 Ohio State Spring Game is in the history books and now we wait out the weeks between now and the Aug. 31 opener against Buffalo. The Buckeyes put on a good show in the Queen City, even though the whistles kept us from fully enjoying the magic that is Braxton Miller.

Michael Thomas had another good spring game outing.

As expected, the emphasis was put on the passing game in an effort to maximize reps for the quarterbacks and offensive line, and in an attempt to mitigate the chance for injury. The Gray team did more running, with Warren Ball looking good in his 11 carries for 45 yards. The Scarlet team had only 20 carries, and several of those were by Miller on “sacks.” In fact, Bri’onte Dunn carried from scrimmage only twice.

Some of our fears were partially allayed (Curtis Grant at linebacker), while others weren’t (what to do about right tackle). But in all honesty, it’s a glorified practice and there isn’t much you can really take from it.

For example, there’s no way to know how the Buckeyes will be on defensive line, because there was no attempt at smashmouth football. Can Michael Bennett play the 3-technique effectively at his size? Will Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington maintain their run responsibilities? Saturday told us nothing about it with the pass-happy play calling.

Like any other practice, all you can really do is sit back and pick out what was good and what was bad about it. As such, here is a list of what I would hypothetically upvote and downvote from Ohio State's spring game.

The largely unspoken topic during Ohio State's 15 spring practices was special teams. There were plenty of discussions about Braxton Miller and the Buckeyes’ high-octane offense, and about the fearsome foursome on the defensive line. But there was scant mention of the part that often decides national championships.

Whether it’s field goals, punting, kick returns or coverage units, special teams is a vital piece to every team with designs on winning it all. They say defense wins championships, which is largely true, but football remains a team game – offense, defense and special teams.

With Jim Tressel as head coach, Ohio State fans learned to appreciate the plays they used to miss due to bathroom breaks. He popularized the punt, famously calling it the most important play in football. During his tenure, the Buckeyes pieced together some of the best special teams units in the country (minus a few coverage units). Coinciding with that was a decade of dominance.

A change in head coaches didn’t alter Ohio State’s success – it did finish 12-0 last season – but the special teams were far from pretty. Multiple blocked punts were returned for touchdowns, there was a 100-yard kick return and the field goal unit was last in the country in makes. The Buckeyes did only attempt 11 field goals on the season, but the 72.7 percent conversion rate still wasn’t impressive.

“Special teams have to improve, and they will improve,” said Kerry Coombs, who was recently named special teams coordinator.

All Mondays are tough, but the Monday following the spring game might be the Everest of Mondays.

We're now in the void. The long days between the spring game and the season opener are always brutal, but are made worse this year due to Ohio State playing its spring game on the 13th of April, the earliest on record.

We're 138 days until Buffalo rolls into town, but that's okay, for we're soldiers. We'll do what we always do and say a quick prayer to protect the team from Fulmer Cup points, break down the spring game for as long as anyone can stand talking about it, and then move on to the dog days of summer, where you'll find exciting features like Team Hair Rankings, July 2013.

Now, about that spring game...

Chris said as much yesterday, but Braxton Miller looked pretty great Saturday. His opening, a 49-yarder to Evan Spencer was a nice deep ball, but the touch he displayed three plays later, when he scrambled and then floated a 20-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith on an altered route was a thing of beauty.

With rules limiting his game-breaking running ability and a throw-first mindset, Miller finished a healthy 16 of 25 for 217 yards and two touchdowns. He showed poise, touch – particularly on crossing routes that he's struggled with in the past – and was a vocal leader helping Scarlet to a 31-14 victory.

It's the spring game, so grains of salt everywhere, but Miller certainly looks like a junior with two years in a solid system, learning from a real quarterback coach (this cannot be stressed enough) and the beneficiary of some extra seasoning from quarterback whisperer George Whitfield, Jr.

The transition from winter to spring is a catalyst for optimism on many levels. The weather that keeps us predominantly indoors begins to improve, paving the way for things like weekend tee times, drinks on patios, sundress season, and of course, an Ohio State spring game that gives us just enough to keep talking about football until pads start to pop in August. 

The man with the plan

This year, I didn't feel as much hype surrounding spring drills. The newness of Urban has had some time to settle, the basketball team's run gave us something else to pay attention to and staging the scrimmage in Cincy seemed to calm the buzz inside the C-Bus outerbelt just a bit. 

But then the game kicked off and we remembered just how lucky we are to pull for an elite program oozing with talent. 

When the gun sounded, the Scarlet team beat the Gray to the tune of 31-14 but the score is meaningless unless you're a member of the Gray team and you aren't particularly a fan of gardening. 

For the rest of us, the scrimmage provided an exciting glimpse of what's to come this fall. With that, I give you the first Five Things of the 2013 season, one that could prove even more special than what we got in 2012. 

Photos from Team Scarlet's 31-14 win over Team Gray at Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium.

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