Eleven Warriors

So, I was afraid I'd have to lead with the catastrophe that is Braxton Miller's new 'do but alas, Auburn came to the rescue. 

Via Selena Roberts of roopstigo.com, comes a juicy story detailing all kinds of shenanigans taking place within the Tigers' football program. Before you scoff at the web source, take note that Roberts is a former columnist for the New York Times, senior writer for SI, and a graduate of Auburn University. 

In her article surrounding a 2011 robbery allegedly carried out by players Mike McNeil, Antonio Goodwin, Shaun Kitchens and Dakota Mosley, Roberts details how Gene Chizik and the Auburn coaching staff supposedly left McNeil hanging out to dry in the name of protecting the program.

Further, the article contains allegations via quotes from said former players outlining various ways in which the coaching staff skirted a host of NCAA bylaws – beyond erecting churches without a paper trail – in an effort to keep the program in position to compete for SEC and national titles. 

In the lengthy but worthy long read, highlights abound. On the topic of Academic Fraud:

Three players say that before the BCS Championship game the team was told that as many as nine of their teammates would not be able to play in the title game because they were academically ineligible. “We thought we would be without Mike Dyer because he said he was one of them, but Auburn found a way to make those dudes eligible,” says Mike Blanc, a teammate and roommate of Mike McNeil’s. Dyer’s name was cited by McNeil, too. Dyer did not respond to calls to his cell phone.

Before the season, McNeil says he was given an F for attendance in a computer science class. “I had B work but I missed too many classes; and I went to the instructor and said, ‘I really need this grade,’” says McNeil. “He said that he was sorry but he wouldn’t change it. I went to the person over him. She was in a position of power and backed up the instructor. I then told my counselor with the athletic department.” Within days, McNeil says, the grade was changed from an F to a C and he did not miss a game.

The Item – A Piece of Clarett's Cape

Oh, hi there. Welcome to another 11W Stumbler. This week’s edition was a tough one as I unearthed a number of eBay gems from politically incorrect B1G posters, to a gumby Woody Hayes and even a creepy Ohio State chef baby.

In the end those were all great Stumbler candidates, but I ultimately landed on this interesting piece of Buckeye goodness: a Maurice Clarett Jersey Card.

What is that exactly? Let’s let the seller do the talking:

"OSU FOOTBALL MAURICE CLARETT game used jersey swatch card ...GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC !!!  Sage certifies the piece of a jersey / uniform worn by Maurice Clarett on the reverse side of the card ..."

Is that an ACTUAL piece of a game-worn uni or is it just part of a local junior high practice jersey? Who’s to say. Either way, it looks great and makes for an excellent conversation piece.

McMillan is on campus right now. [@Kwon_daTRUTH]

Not long after signing one of the nation's top classes, Urban Meyer and his staff are in on some of the nation's most coveted prospects in the class of 2014.

Under Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes built a fence around the state of Ohio with that strategy paying dividends in the form of most of the state's top-ranked talent finding their way to Columbus. The list of five-star recruits he pulled in from Ohio is impressive: Maurice Clarett, Ted Ginn Jr., Alex Boone, Beanie Wells and many others.

Meyer, however, takes a more national approach to recruiting, which is why we're starting to see the Buckeyes in the mix for highly rated recruits across the nation, not just in the great state of Ohio. The recruiting battles are always going to be a little more ferocious when you venture out of your backyard, but the prizes can often make the fight worth it.

Today, we'll take a look at Ohio State's top targets in the class of 2014, current high school juniors from across the United States. To form this list, I used position need, the chance of Ohio State landing the prospect and overall talent.

IF ONLY MATTA HAD ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION!!

Who can say where the road goes? Where the day goes?

Only time. And only time will tell if Ohio State's Elite Eight loss to the Wichita State Shockers will help propel them to even greater heights next season. All we know now is that losing pretty much sucks, especially when you're so close to the Final Four that you can taste it (assuming that Final Fours have a taste. I like to think they do, kind of like a sweet jerky).

To help Sarah and I work through our grief is one Rob Oller of the Columbus Dispatch, who offers us no false sense of hope or optimism on our way to the depths of the postseason; the shortcomings of the 2012-2013 Buckeyes are now laid bare, and Oller minces no words when talking about them.

Still though, I am pretty optimistic about next season, and Sarah and I find that nugget of gold in the mountain of sad, sad tears. Also Ask Us Anything (which you can do by sending us an e-mail at elevendubcast@gmail.com)!

We got a ton of great questions this week, so keep em coming, because this train ain't derailed yet: the spring game awaits.

0:23- Sarah and I break down Ohio State's loss to the Shockers, and look ahead to both the rest of the tournament and next year for the Buckeyes.

16:07- Rob Oller stops on by and drops the aforementioned knowledge about Ohio State, and then we get into some much clamored for Cincinnati Reds chat.

33:47- Ask Us Anything! Contests, trust funds, SEXUAL INNUENDOS! It's like a Wednesday night ABC comedy all up in here.

53:56- BASEBAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL

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Music for the Dubcast this week was Lord Only Knows by Beck, New Genious (Brother) by the Gorillaz, and Talkin' Softball, which was so nice I played it twice. Also I played it twice because it was too short. Whatever, it's awesome, baseball is great, and we'll see you guys next time!

The expectations surrounding the Ohio State football team rest mostly on the juggernaut offense. Few comments are sent the defense’s way when hopes of an undefeated season are discussed. But there is one part of that other side of the ball that provides a senior nucleus.

The Buckeyes’ secondary features three seniors – CJ Barnett, Christian Bryant and Corey “Pittsburgh” Brown. It’s one of the non-senior starters that is drawing all the headlines, though.

Bradley Roby enters his fourth season at Ohio State as a Jim Thorpe Award candidate and future first-round NFL draft pick. It’s also his final year in scarlet and gray.

Following the season, there was much debate about whether the then-redshirt sophomore would leave the Buckeyes after a perfect season and with so much potential still untapped. Roby finally came to the conclusion that another year of college would be wise.

“The NFL can wait,” he said. “I feel like after another year, I’ll be even more ready.

“I came here with a plan. I told a guy a long time ago that I was going to be one of the best corners to ever play here, and I don’t feel like I’ve accomplished that yet.”

Good morning, everyone and welcome to your regularly scheduled Wednesday Skull Session.

Another Tuesday, another spring football practice for us to discuss. 

The practice updates ranged from the ugly (Braxton getting hit wearing a non-contact jersey) to the I-can't-believe-we-had-the-Walrus-two-years-ago awesome (diamond package).

• About that hit on Braxton – I'm glad Braxton gave the defense an earful. It's good for the defense to know that he's tough.
• I feel terrible for Underwood and his ACL. Best of luck in his recovery.
• Interesting to hear backup OL Pat Elflein's name being thrown around. He's likely a guy that not many have thought about since he signed, but it appears his tenacity has him in contention for starting right tackle and/or guard and backup center spots. This also means that Darryl Baldwin is apparently no longer a contender for that RT spot.
• The diamond featured Hyde, Dunn, and Smith – all big guys. Have to wonder whether Meyer and Herman will experiment with a pivot guy like Hall or Jalin Marshall, or a shifty running back, like EzE or Warren Ball, in there too.
• Just in: Cardale Jones has the ability to play QB at Ohio State. That was never a given, but it looks like he has earned Meyer's respect from Saturday's scrimmage.

 BAD BEHAVIOR ON THE COURT. Between Pac-12 referee supervisor Ed Rush's bounty "jokes" against Arizona coach Sean Miller and Rutgers coach Mike Rice using gay slurs and throwing basketballs in practice, it's been a rough few days for college basketball. 

In particular, this news of Mike Rice is just terrible:

In several dozen hours of video of Rutgers men's basketball practices obtained by "Outside the Lines," coach Mike Rice is seen hurling basketballs from close range at his players' heads, legs and feet; shoving and grabbing his players; feigning punching them; kicking them; and screaming obscenities and homophobic slurs.

Spring practice is never a time for perfection. Coaches are always looking for the best blocks, a great throwing motion from the quarterback, crisp route running and form tackles. But they’re also realistic. March and April are used for fine-tuning and housecleaning.

And staying healthy.

The Buckeyes narrowly averted disaster in that category during Tuesday’s practice.

Braxton Miller, Ohio State’s do-everything quarterback, took a vicious hit from defensive end Noah Spence on an option toss to running back Rod Smith. Miller – wearing a black no-contact jersey – remained on the turf for several minutes, flat on his back. When he finally got to his feet, he wasn’t interested in keeping the peace.

Miller walked straight to the culprit and a skirmish broke out on the defensive sideline. Words and shoves were exchanged. Mike Vrabel and a mob of players broke up the brief brouhaha. Urban Meyer said there wasn’t intent in the hit.   

“It’s football,” the head coach said. “We ran option to the left and he got dinged. He’s fine.”

Meyer said Miller already has sore ribs from a hit he suffered during a scrimmage on Saturday. As for the fire inside Miller, Meyer is A-OK with it. 

“I like quarterbacks that want to go get in a street fight and get after it,” he said. “That’s not probably the time to do it, but he’s a competitor. 

“Braxton is a competitor. I guess that’s better than the opposite, just curl up and say, ‘Why did he hit me?’ So he’s a tough kid.”

Despite losing all four starters to graduation or the NFL, few are worried about the Ohio State's defensive line. Replacing Garrett Goebel, John Simon, Johnathan Hankins, and Nate Williams will be one of the many talented underclassmen that are ready to step into a starting role.

Michael Bennett brings experience.

Michael Bennett is one of those guys that is projected to seize a starting defensive tackle spot. The junior has the most experience of any of the potential starters, bringing in 28 tackles, six for loss, and four sacks. Though he has just two career starts under his belt, Bennett has very much been in the mix since he arrived from Centerville as a freshman.

However, a groin injury last season severely limited his playing time and effectiveness once he did return. Bennett only recorded 11 tackles, one for loss, and one sack last season. Not exactly what one would consider a springboard campaign.

While the Buckeyes could have used him last fall, his absence likely paved the way for freshmen Adolphus Washington, Tommy Schutt, and Noah Spence to gain more game experience than they would have otherwise. 

As the Buckeyes begin the fourth week of spring practice, Michael Bennett has as a vital cog in an otherwise untested machine. 

Mike Vrabel was blunt about it: "We need Michael Bennett."

The Big Ten Tournament's fifth seed has reached the pinnacle of college basketball. Michigan had seven losses this season, with six being delivered by the four teams seeded higher than it was in both tournaments.

Yet none of those squads from America's Toughest Conference™ are joining the Wolverines at the Final Four. Three of them fell to significantly lower seeds. Remember how the B1G's bowl season was stacked against it from the outset because the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions weren't eligible, forcing everyone else to move up at least one or two spots in the pecking order?

These tournament matchups were pretty much the opposite of that, and it still ended poorly. How could this happen? Why can't the B1G have billions of television dollars nice things? Let's point fingers and engage in some name-calling.

Ohio State's shooty hoops campaign came to a regrettable conclusion in the regional finals in Los Angeles. That's the bad news, made worse by having watch that particular team from the Mitten State play in Atlanta in lieu of us. The good news is that the end of the basketball season highlights just how close the upcoming college football season is. In fact, the spring game is in less than two weeks.

Ezekiel Elliott

With that in mind, the seventh installment of the fifth edition of this now 25-part series titled Better Know A Buckeye continues profiling the incoming freshman class by taking a look at Ezekiel Elliott.

Ezekiel Elliott, an all-purpose back from St. Louis, Missouri, is arguably the most intriguing prospect in the entire class. He selected Ohio State early in the process, a year ago yesterday, in fact. Later in the process, he had second thoughts about forgoing the opportunity to play for the Missouri Tigers, the team he grew up idolizing and for which his parents played varsity athletics. After taking a visit to Columbia and thinking about it for a week, he reaffirmed his commitment on National Letter of Intent Day.

This feature "better knows" Ezekiel Elliott in the usual fashion, first recapping this recruitment and commitment phase. Thereafter, I include a breakdown of his strengths and weaknesses before projecting a redshirt, which I actually think would help both Elliott and the Ohio State football program. I also offer film and miscellaneous things of minor importance before concluding that Ezekiel Elliott is better known.

Height: 6'0
Weight: 212 lbs
Fake 40: 4.4
High School: John Burroughs School; St. Louis, MO

Follow @EzekielElliott