Eleven Warriors

Name	Sergio Kindle
Year	Junior
Number	2
Position	LB/DPR1
Size	6-4/239

Texas linebacker Sergio Kindle gives hope to every program with a former high school all-American struggling for playing time early on in their career (slightly looking your way, Connor Smith).

After arriving in Austin accompanied by considerable (earned) hype, he was unable to crack the starting lineup his first two years and was officially in the "fighting for a starting spot" category heading into this season. Just a few short months after making life hell on opposing offenses, he's an all-Big 12 selection and one of the Longhorns the Buckeyes must account for on every snap Monday night.

Kindle matriculated to Texas after a standout career at Woodrow Wilson high school in Dallas². There, he was nothing short of dominant. Rivals thought enough of him to name him the nation's top linebacker prospect in 2005, while Texas football recruitniks considered him to be the best recruit out of the Dallas area this decade. He toted the rock on offense as well, accumulating 5,000+ yards and 86 TDs in three seasons. His senior season he earned Parade All-American, USA Today All-American, several national "ironman" awards and just for good measure, he was the only player in the state of Texas to earn all-state honors on both sides of the ball.

So, you can imagine why Longhorn fans felt some frustration when Kindle failed to make a splash on his arrival. An injury kept him out of the first couple of games of his freshman season and then he had one huge game followed by several middling efforts. Burnt Orange Nation went so far as to name him the 4th biggest disappointment of 2006 season:

Normally, disappointment is reserved for kids who've been in the program for more than one season, but the expectations surrounding Kindle were far from normal, and by all accounts, appropriately so.

Kindle was arrested for DWI the following summer and as a result, was held out of the first three games of his sophomore season. He didn't really do much to distinguish himself the rest of the season and many Horns fans were wondering if he'd exit town a bust.

Thankfully for Kindle, there's always a next year in sports and he used his next year to put on an audition for the first round of the NFL draft³. Though not quite the pure tackler that fellow linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy is, Kindle typically lined up at end and created havoc. He finished with 9 sacks and 13 TFLs on the season. The sack number is good enough for 22nd nationally and 3rd-best among listed linebackers. That, in and of itself is great, but when you consider that offenses must often first worry about Orakpo, Kindle gets scary quick.

Kindle is often substituted for on likely running downs and his run-stopping skill may be the one weakness he has right now. As a result, he's lined up more and more on the edge as the season progressed. Against the pass-happy Big 12, however, he did just fine.

Despite any perceived run-stopping weaknesses, Kindle will be a part of the group of Longhorns tasked with stopping Beanie Wells. Though he didn't see the field when the teams met in 2006, he does have experience tackling Wells. In 2006, Kindle was part of the West defense in the Army All-American Bowl that ultimately yielded three TDs to Beanie on his way to game MVP honors.

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Highlights from the Kindle File (Source)
During pregame, I like to: Listen to krunk music and bounce around
Favorite music artist: Rick Ross
Nobody knows I can: Rap

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¹ Designated Pass Rusher
² Woodrow as it is known in Dallas, is considered one of the best high schools in the city and notable alumni include two former Heisman winners in Davey O'Brien and Tim Brown. The dude that coined the term Gangster of Love also attended.
³ Kindle is most certainly and edge rusher at the next level and thought to be a first round selection. In mid-September, the word was that he was leaning towards leaving, so this very well could be his last game as a Longhorn.

With Christmas and a couple of hoops-related punches to the midsection in the rearview, it's time to start getting serious about football. As in, this Longhorn team the Buckeyes will be squaring off against a week from tonight will bring a serious amount of ass-kickage if the Buckeyes aren't ready.

A lot can change in the countdown to kickoff (Exhibit A, Exhibit B), but I think the Buckeyes will be ready. This group has taken two different approaches to the big one at the end the past two years and we all know how each approach fared.

First they tried to come out chill lackadaisical. You know, the one where you smile after throwing a pick or getting sacked. Shake it off. No big deal. It's only 41-14.

Then it was the chip-on-the-shoulder approach. The team took a custom-made dis-tape home with them for the holidays and came into the game wanting to prove the world wrong. Execute, no mistakes... MUST BE PERFECT. Only that approach didn't work out so well either as the team fought internally and mistakes did happen, with each one seemingly topping the previous.

So, I'm figuring the team triangulates emotionally and settles for a more even keel. Properly focused and intense for the task at hand, but looking to enjoy themselves in what will be the last Buckeye game for many of them (though I maintain that it wouldn't hurt if Tress got his Woody-on and dumped the Princess in favor of a place Anton Chigurh would look to settle into for a night).

Now whether that matters or not is up to Texas. There's a chance that the Buckeyes could come out and play one of their best games of the season and still not have enough for Texas if it is on as well. It would probably be one hell of a game, echoing the battle in Columbus just three years ago, but with both teams at their peaks, you have to give a slight edge to Colt over Pryor. For now, at least.

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that the snub effect is alive and well in college football and getting that would be great, but by no means is that guaranteed. That's why the news that Pryor and Boeckman may appear on the field at the same time was so welcome. Jeff likes some of the things you can do with the two of them out there at the same time and so do I.

Of course, this could all be disinformation (see: the Henton rumors ahead of the LSU game), but when every citizen in Los Angeles County testifies that he or she knew what the Buckeyes were going to do on each play of the USC game, you know you might have to mix it up a bit.

Free Alcohol, Drugs and Young Women Taking Off their Clothes

The New York Times has a feature up on the recruiting battle between Texas and Oklahoma for the services of defensive lineman Jamarkus McFarland. The Sooners eventually won out, but a Times reporter had access to both McFarland and his mother and we get several choice quotes. Like this one discussing a party thrown by Longhorn fans in Dallas after the win over the Sooners:

“I will never forget the excitement amongst all participants,” McFarland wrote. “Alcohol was all you can drink, money was not an option. Girls were acting wild by taking off their tops, and pulling down their pants. Girls were also romancing each other. Some guys loved every minute of the freakiness some girls demonstrated. I have never attended a party of this magnitude.”

He continued: “The attitude of the people at the party was that everyone should drink or not come to the party. Drugs were prevalent with no price attached.”

And this one:

McFarland’s mother, Kashemeyia Adams, said she received numerous offers, including one for an interest-free loan for a former classmate, if her son were to choose Texas. She said she did not believe the offers were affiliated with the Texas football staff.

As you can imagine, Longhorn fans are none too pleased and to be fair, McFarland and his mother both stated that neither of these incidents appear to have been affiliated with the Texas football staff, but that doesn't excuse this Mack Brown moment of cock-measurement:

“Whose house do you like better, Bob Stoops’s, Les Miles’s or mine?” Adams recalled Brown saying.

Don't mess, kids. Don't mess.

The Coldplay of College Linebacking

Be sure to check out Barking Carnival's breakdown of the Buckeye defense. Not only is the writing insightful and well-reasoned, but you get nuggets like this beauty:

James Laurinaitis has now received so much criticism for being overrated that he is now potentially underrated - cementing him as the Coldplay of college linebacking. Say what you will about his deficiencies - an inability to stop an OL in his tracks and shed, an absence of big hits, a last name that conjures an exotic form of halitosis - but the dude is as opportunistic as a small town hairdresser with a tit job who has spotted a divorced Corvette owner at Applebee’s happy hour.

Numerous reports indicate freshman point guard Anthony Crater will leave the OSU basketball program effective today.

Bob Baptist reports Crater was frustrated with playing time claiming Matta told him he'd be the starter once Conley was gone. Obviously, Conley left sooner than expected forcing Matta to go the juco route to provide depth.

As it turned out, Matta was forced to use Simmons as the starter so far this season mostly because he was actually capable of getting his own shot and was more game ready to this point.

I find it shocking Crater would use the "promise" excuse considering his offensive struggles led him to take exactly ONE two-point field goal attempt through 10 games. He couldn't see he was struggling enough that he shouldn't be the starter?

At this point, if he doesn't want to be here then good riddance. The bigger issue is obviously the season has completely veered off course with the loss of Lighty to injury and now Crater to woe-is-me syndrome.

We'll examine what this means more in depth later but off the top, I think we can expect to see a few things.

One, Tampa is going to get his wish because, unfortunately, P.J. Hill is likely to see at least minimal minutes, especially in the short term while Thad devises a game plan. Second, I think the Turner to point guard experiment from last season could also reappear for stretches.

What a weekend.

Flashing the energy of a group of grandpa's after Christmas dinner, Ohio State was served a large slice of humble pie in a 76-48 blowout loss at home to Chuggy Bear's Mountaineers today in the Schott.

The heel stomping ended the nation's longest winning streak at 14 and was OSU's first as a ranked team against an unranked foe at home in 28 years (41 games).

Ohio State hung around until the 16:59 mark of the second half when a Wil Buford bucket cut the deficit to 41-35 but WVU's athleticism, a comedy of errors, the return of the concrete shoe offense and listless defense combined to produce a 17-5 Mountaineer run putting the game out of reach at 58-40 with 10:35 to play.

Once again, the OSU offense devolved into four guys standing around while Turner tried to force a drive. Turner shot just 1/5 during the stretch with his teammates combining to shoot 1/7 while the Mountaineers caught fire going 8/11 with six field goals coming on layups or putbacks thanks to non-existent transition defense.

Somewhat surprisingly, Ohio State held their own on the glass (WVU 35, OSU 33) including a 17-15 edge on the offensive boards though it seemed the Buckeyes failed to capitalize on the o-boards after Lauderdale and Mullens both cashed in on putbacks early.

Turner's rough shooting game (10 pts, 4/17 FG) doomed any real chance of victory and no second scorer emerged as the Buckeyes combined to shoot 31% (18/58) from the floor including a Anchorage-esque 2/18 from distance and 10/20 from the stripe.

Diebler threw up a 2/10 stinker in a five point, six rebound effort while Mullens managed only a 1/5 night, good for four points and three boards. It looked like Mullens might be a difference maker early but he slowly disappeared though Lauderdale picked up his slack.

In one of the few bright moments of the game, Dallas swatted his third three point opportunity of the year and added seven rebounds (6 Off), five points and two blocks.

Another non-downer, I'll call it, was Buford having another decent game with 11 points (4/11 FG) and six rebounds. He held his own on the glass against a very athletic team helping offset Lighty's absence.

There's no doubt this team misses something with Lighty out, and Kellogg accurately talked about the hangover effect as it pertains to exactly when the impact of an injury is first felt amongst the team but I don't think a healthy Lighty changes what happened today.

 

WVU shot 48% from the floor thanks to numerous easy buckets and Lighty might've helped that stat a bit but if you only score 48 points it doesn't really matter and we already know Lighty isn't going to be a consistent offensive threat enough to consistently complement Turner.

 

That brings us to what this team needs to do to score points. I'm not sure what Matta has up his sleeve but if this team is forced to execute in the halfcourt for 40 minutes, it's gonna get ugly. WVU did a great job of slowing OSU's transition game and the end result was no ball movement in downtown Clank City, USA. How bad was it? The Buckeyes assisted on exactly THREE of 18 field goals. That is God awful. And somewhat of a trend.

The off shooting night obviously impacts the assist total but there's still some issues at point guard. Simmons had a nice day shooting the ball (11 pts, 4/7 FG) but he and Crater combined for just one assist.

So what do you guys think? Chalk it up to an off night against an underrated opponent or is trouble looming for this group?

Next up: Conference opener against Iowa @ 4pm, New Year's Eve.

#13 Ohio State 9-0, 0-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

December 27, 2008 4:00 PM ET - CBS —— The Schott Columbus, OH

West Virginia 9-2, 0-0 Big East Roster | Schedule

Ohio State and West Virginia meet for the first time since 1995, starting a home and home series that will conclude next year in Morgantown. The Buckeyes won that '95 meeting 77-68 and hold a 9-5 series advantage, but have lost 5 of the last 6 between these two teams.

Of course, this also marks the return of Bob Huggins to the Buckeye state, who in is two years at WVU has guided the Mountaineers to a 35-13 record.

Huggy Bear was born in Morgantown, but played his high school ball in Ohio, which was followed up by a playing career at WVU, along with coaching stints at Ohio State, Akron and Cincinnati.

This game could be rough of the eyes for a while, so don't be surprised to see this one in the 50's. Huggins teams are always tough nosed, with great defense and outstanding rebounding abilities, while OSU is still figuring out new roles for everyone since Lighty's injury.

#	Name	PTS	REB	ASST	POS	#	Name	PTS	REB	ASST
2	Jeremie Simmons	7.1	2.8	2.7	G	25	Darryl Bryant	11.3	2.2	2.8
33	Jon Diebler	10.4	2.9	2.0	G	22	Alex Ruoff	17.0	3.6	2.8
44	William Buford	7.4	3.1	0.7	F	1	Da'Shean Butler	15.5	6.2	1.5
21	Evan Turner	16.9	6.8	3.1	F	35	Wellington Smith	6.5	4.1	1.1
52	Dallas Lauderdale	8.0	4.9	0.2	C	3	Devin Ebanks	7.5	6.7	1.4

Opponent

West Virginia got an early Christmas present when Alex Ruoff returned from injury last Saturday. He went for a school record 9 three's and scored 38 points in their victory over Radford on Tuesday. The lone senior on this team, Ruoff has averaged double figures in each of the past two seasons and attempts over 8 three pointers a game. Ruoff and Butler provide a dynamic 1-2 scoring punch, combining for 92 points over their last two games.

As a team, WVU is scoring 74.6 points a game, on 43.6 percent shooting overall and 33.3 percent from downtown. The stat that scares me the most is their 43.2 rebounds per game, with a little bit less than half of those coming on the offensive end.

On defense, they are allowing just 56.1 points a game, ranking them 13th in the country and are outrebounding their opponents by almost 10 per contest. They give up just 10.5 assists and teams are shooting 40.2 percent against them.

Huggins will primarily use 7 players, unless Joe Mazzulla returns from his injury. Kevin Jones and John Flowers will lead the way off the bench, scoring 5.9 and 6.5 points respectively. WVU has beaten Iowa (by 19) and Ole Miss, but has lost to Davidson and Kentucky.

Buckeye Breakdown:

The Buckeyes will have another chance to dominate in the paint, after outscoring UNC-Asheville 40-20 from there on Monday. The Mountaineers have four starters between 6'6" - 6'9", but Dallas and BJ combined for 30 points and 15 rebounds Monday. Neither one started and I expect Dallas to be back in the lineup Saturday, but as Chris said earlier this week, perhaps Matta will start Madsen again in order to steal early minutes and keep the twin towers out of foul trouble.

There are a couple of keys to Saturday's game that the Buckeyes will have to do in order to keep the nation's longest winning streak alive. First, the team rebounding effort must continue, especially on the defensive side. Ohio State has given up 31 offensive boards in the last two games and have outrebounded only three opponents thus far.

Secondly, the balanced scoring has to be there Saturday. OSU put four players in double figures Monday, Mullins (19), Turner (17), Buford (16) and Swatterdale (11), while Diebler and Simmons struggled to a combined 2-9. There are 6 players that could go for 15 any night and as long as at least 3 are reaching that mark each game, their season will continue to be a success. They simply must continue to drive the ball and put pressure on the defense.

One other thing to look for tonight is Evan Turner controlling his game from the elbow. Against most defenses, that space is constantly open and Turner started utilizing his abilities from there this week. If WVU allows him to catch the ball there he could put up another monster game, but the funny thing is, that is what we have come to expect from this rising star anyhow.

Etc

• This is the fifth 9-0 start in OSU history (Thad has two of them) and the Bucks have reached the tourney the previous four, including two titles games in '61 and '62.
• The Buckeye have not lost as a ranked team versus an unranked team at home since Dec. 16. 1980, a span of 41 games.
• Verne Lundquist and Clark Kellogg will call the game for CBS.
• This is a huge sports day for WVU, taking on North Carolina in their bowl game at 1pm.

I couldn’t bear the thought of waiting on a game pitting a 6-6 Notre Dame team against a mediocre Hawaii team that comes equipped with its own, built-in bowl appearance, so….

What I did was imagine a fantasy game between “all-time” Texas and Ohio State teams. The criteria wasn’t much: I tried to pick players from somewhat recent memory (no 1895 fullbacks made the list), while still showing respect for each program’s rich history. When two players of roughly equal merit were up for a roster spot, I took the one who played most recently. Offensive and defensive line and linebacker spots were considered interchangeable. I also tried to look solely at collegiate accomplishments – pro careers were somewhat irrelevant, though a few sneaked in.

Argue with my picks, cat-call, do what you will. Keep in mind that I am not a Longhorns fan, so I took a good, long look at their history over the weekend, and did the best I could.

Offense

Quarterbck
	Rex Kern, Troy Smith It’s all about the “10s” here, and – Florida disaster aside – Troy was as good as they get.		Vince Young, Bobby Layne The great Bobby Layne (’44-’47) was a four-time All-SWC selection, and a great pro.
Running Back
	Archie Griffin, Chic Harley, Keith Byars, Eddie George, Pete Johnson How do you choose just five? There are three Heisman Trophies here, and Harley might have had three all by himself, had the award existed. Johnson is here to block and pick up key thirds-and-one. I might see an argument for dropping Byars in favor of Hopalong Cassidy, but I’m partial to anyone who could lay out Pepper Johnson.		Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams, Chris Gilbert, Roosevelt Peaks, Cedric Benson Two Heismans, three Doak Walkers and seven All-American selections in this group. Campbell was a monster.
Line
	Jim Parker, John Hicks, Orlando Pace, Korey Stringer, Jim Lachey Lachey was a prototype for the NFL’s new tackle position; Hicks was the greatest lineman ever to grace Ohio Stadium – just try to beat his 1973 season.		Bob Wuensch, Jerry Sisemore, Justin Blalock, Dick Harris, Scott Appleton Harris was a four-time consensus All-American.
Tight End
	John Frank, Jan White White No Hamby = no dropped passes. Hair-challenged? Dr. Frank can help you.		Pat Fitzgerald No, not this guy. Not a position of historical strength for the ‘Horns, either.
Wide Receiver
	Cris Carter, Terry Glenn, Paul Warfield An embarrassment of riches at wideout, but I could only take three: Carter was clutch, Glenn electric, and Warfield versatile.		Roy Williams, Cotton Speyrer, “Hub” Bechtol Bechtol (’44-’46) started his career a Red Raider, finished it a Longhorn, and lived to tell the tale after racking up three consensus All-American selections.

Defense

Line
	Jim Marshall, Bill Willis, Jim Stillwagon, Mike Vrabel, Will Smith Will Smith was under-appreciated at OSU; Jim Marshall was an Ironman defensive lineman in the pros, after excelling on the offensive line at Ohio State.		Tony Brackens, Steve McMichael, Tony Degrate, Kenneth Sims, Casey Hampton Two Lombardi winners are here, as well as Casey Hampton, an All-Pro who plugs the middle for the Steelers’ 3-4 defense.
Linebackers
	Randy Gradishar, Chris Spielman, A.J. Hawk, Andy Katzenmoyer Some might ask for Marcus Marek or Tom Cousineau, but Katzenmoyer taught Big 12 quarterbacks not to run the option, and Gradishar never gets the press he deserves.		Jeff Leiding, Derrick Johnson, Tommy Nobis Not a lot of greats here, until you get to Nobis. Never heard of him? Run – don’t walk – and find out. He was Jack Tatum, only at linebacker, and turned out to be an even better man.
Secondary
	Jack Tatum, Shawn Springs, Antoine Winfield, Chris Gamble, Michael Doss Tatum + Doss = no patterns over the middle, and no draw plays.		Bryant Westbrook, Quentin Jammer, Johnnie Johnson, Michael Huff, Raymond Clayborn Johnson was a unanimous All-American in ’78 and ’79, and went into the College Football Hall of Fame in ’07.

Special Teams

Punter
	Vic Janowicz When even your punter has a Heisman, you’ve got a good program.		Russell Erxleben A straight-ahead kicker who could do it all; he hit a record-setting 67-yarder against Rice.
Kicker
	Mike Nugent Noooooooooge!!!		Russell Erxleben See above.
Returner
	Ted Ginn, Jr. I agonized over this one.		Eric Metcalf Never set the world on fire as a Brown, but tricky, speedy, and tough to find on kicks.

There’s one thing left to do: name the coaches. I don’t think Texas can pass up Darrell Royal, but the Ohio State job is up in the air. I have to tell you: for this particular game, with the talent on the edges, I’m going with Earle Bruce. He’s a Buckeye through-and-through, gives a heck of a pep talk, had a winning record against Michigan, and would probably toss some darned fool triple reverse in there, somewhere. He also wins – and wins big – against teams from Texas when dressed as a gangster. Just what we’d need.

I see a close game, but – all homerism aside – I think Ohio State wins this one in solid fashion – say, by 10 points or so. Anyone want an over/under on the total number of rushing yards?

As the temperatures dropped across the land over the weekend, so did the outstanding performances for the former Buckeyes.

Gonzo started the week off Thursday night with 4 catches for 38 yards, 2 of which went for first downs, in Indy's 31-24 win at Jacksonville. In the Colts 8th straight win, AG upped his season totals to 56 catches for 652 yards and 4 TD's, with 38 of his grabs going for first downs.

Not to be outdone, Ted Ginn took the opening play 31 yards for a touchdown in Miami's 38-31 thrilling victory at Kansas City. On the day, Teddy added 4 receptions for 44 yards and didn't return any kicks.

Perhaps the best story in the NFL is the Atlanta Falcons, who clinched a playoff spot with a 24-17 win in Minnesota. While Roddy White has been a much improved #1, Michael Jenkins has filled the #2 role pretty admirably, going for 50+ receiving yards in 9 of his last 10 games. Sunday was no different, as Jenkins lead Atlanta with 4 catches for 61 yards.

On the defensive side. Antoine turned in the most tackles, with 8 against Atlanta, while Shawn Springs made 5 and defended a pass in Washington's 10-3 win against Philadelphia. Nate Clements only made 3 stops in San Francisco's 17-16 win and Gamble recorded 6 stops in Carolina's 34-28 overtime loss at NY Giants.

The best game of the day may have belong to Jay Richardson, who registered 4 tackles and a sack in Oakland's 27-16 rare win over Houston. Although Donte Whitner was right there with 3 tackles and a forced fumble in Buffalo's 30-23 road triumph in Denver.

But the best stats and winner of his second Buckeye NFLer in the last three weeks is Santonio Holmes. I know the Steelers lost 31-14 to the Titans, but Holmes' 31 yard diving touchdown grab was a thing of beauty and lead to his 5 catches for 91 yards. Santonio also recovered a Hines Ward fumble late in the first half, preserving a field goal attempt.

Holmes has equaled his career high with 52 catches set a year ago, but has 152 less yards this season and only 5 TD's, as compared to 8 in 2007. The Steelers gave up 323 total yards, marking the first time Buckeye great Dick LeBeau's defense has given up more than 300 yards in a game.

Buckeye fans had seen signs of an eruption brewing. The nine points and four rebounds in an impressive first half last Saturday in addition to the strong outings against top flight competition in Notre Dame (11 pts, 7 reb) and Miami (9 reb) served as writing on the wall.

Sure, it was against undersized UNC-Asheville but tonight might have been the coming out party for B.J. Mullens. The big man from Canal Winchester was simply dominating recording career highs with 19 points and three blocks along with eight rebounds (5 offensive) as Ohio State blew past the Bulldogs 83-59 tonight in the Schott.

The big night from Mullens included six dunks contributing to a healthy 8/11 from the floor. He impressed with his ability to get out in transition and did his part defensively with the blocked shots and I continue to salivate over Thad using him to pressure the inbounder.

That strategy paid off once again as Mullens created a turnover off the inbounds as soon as he checked in then threw down an alley oop from Jon Diebler on the following OSU possession. After an Evan Turner layup, Mullens was back at it scoring the next six Buckeye points including back to back dunks before converting a sick left handed putback tip extending the Buckeye lead to 25-12 with 8:50 left in the half.

The euphoria from the Mullens flurry was somewhat tempered as Turner picked up his second foul less than a minute later allowing Buckeye fans the opportunity to watch the offense once again go into the dumper. With Turner on the pine, the Bulldogs would play OSU to a 12-12 standoff bringing the halftime score to 37-24.

Even with the minor blip without Turner, the second half was more of the same as Ohio State turned the game into a rout with a 13-5 run swelling the lead to 50-29 with 15:41 to play.

Though Mullens was the big story, the Buckeyes did unleash a balanced attack placing four in double figures.

Turner put together another outstanding floor game with 17 points (7/12), four assists, three boards and three steals against just one, that's right, one turnover in 27 minutes. Even with his usual stat stuffing performance, he's got to understand his importance to the team and avoid silly fouls. Don't get me wrong, he's still logging heavy minutes but you can bet Big Ten teams will more effectively target him when on the floor playing with two fouls in the first half or three fouls early in the second.

Joining Turner and Mullens in double figures were Wil Buford and Dallas Lauderdale.

My man crush on Buford grows by the game as he's quickly validating all the hype I've been throwing his way. I still say he's on pace to supplant Diebler as the second consistent scoring option and he's proving he can crash the glass. He brought down seven boards tonight, after notching five against Iona, and added 16 points (6/14) and two blocks. He's a born scorer so he's not afraid to pull the trigger but more often than not he does it in the flow of the offense and he's not one dimensional in how he tries to score. The pressure he puts on a defense will only help less aggressive/capable scorers like Diebler get open shots.

Speaking of Diebler, while he struggled to get his shot leading to just three points (1/5 FG, 1/4 3FG) after scoring 16 and 14 in the previous two games, he did contribute a season high six boards along with three assists.

Down low, Lauderdale tallied 11 and seven thanks to a 5/6 night from the floor. He and Mullens also played significant minutes together helping OSU to a 41-30 edge on the glass.

Considering the production from Lauderdale and Mullens, it will be interesting to see if Matta leaves Kyle Madsen in the starting lineup against West Virginia. Matta's post game comments clearly indicated he didn't feel he was getting max effort from Dallas or B.J. leading up to tonight and he reiterated he's comfortable starting Madsen because he maxes out against his capabilities.

I'm all for the rah-rah reward stuff but I'm wondering if Thad's underlying strategy is that he knows he needs to at least get 10-12 minutes from Madsen on most conference game nights and he might be able to more easily disguise Madsen with four other regular starters and no concern for Turner being in foul trouble at the beginning of the game. If OSU gets to the first TV timeout without having to use Mullens or Lauderdale and the score is assuredly close then he's effectively shortened the game while increasing the chances both his bigs will be available down the stretch. Am I over thinking?

Either way, I was very pleased with tonight's effort. Hopefully the Buckeyes will keep focus over the holiday before welcoming Chuggy-Bear's Mountaineers this Saturday.

Etc.

• For the game, the Buckeyes shot 52% from the floor while holding the Bulldogs to 35%.
• Crater took his first collegiate two-point shot, a sweet breakaway jam, four minutes into the second half of his ninth game!
• Titus blew his shot at a Trillion with a steal though he might give him self credit for two bone crushing screens.

#16 Ohio State 8-0, 0-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

December 22, 2008 7:00 PM ET - BTN —— The Schott Columbus, OH

UNC-Asheville 4-7, 1-1 Big South Roster | Schedule

Ohio State faces the Bulldogs for the second time this year, having defeated them 84-66 in the opening round of the NIT back in March, starting the Bucks' current 13 game win streak.

UNC-Asheville has lost 7 of their last 8, including games against UNC, Duke and Tennessee. The Bulldogs went down to Buffalo on Saturday 71-52, while Ohio State disposed of Iona 71-53.

Don't be surprised to see another slow start tonight, due to the quick turnaround for both teams and the expected lackluster crowd because of the severe cold.

#	Name	PTS	REB	ASST	POS	#	Name	PTS	REB	ASST
2	Jeremie Simmons	7.6	2.8	2.6	G	10	JP Primm	9.3	2.6	5.5
33	Jon Diebler	11.4	2.5	1.9	G	15	Sean Smith	9.5	4.0	1.8
44	William Buford	6.4	2.6	0.6	F	20	Reid Augst	14.5	4.4	2.5
21	Evan Turner	16.9	7.3	3.0	F	23	John Williams	11.1	6.0	1.5
52	Dallas Lauderdale	7.6	4.6	0.1	C	45	Jason Ridenhour	8.9	4.8	1.2

Opponent

The Bulldogs come in scoring 71.8 points a game on 44.1 percent shooting, including 32.2 percent from downtown. This team has really struggled defensively without the services of 7' 7" Kenny George, allowing teams to score 83.5 points a game on 46.1 percent shooting.

North Carolina Asheville has 10 players that average over 10 minutes a game, with Matt Dickey and Quinard Jackson leading the way. Their bench produces about 20 points a game, but the primary production will come from the starters, as all 5 play over 25 minutes a contest.

Buckeye Breakdown:

OSU will continue to adjust without David Lighty and I wouldn't be surprised to see Buford getting his first start tonight. Although he got going later in the first, BJ Mullens didn't start off too fast in either half and Buford seems ready to shoot as soon as the warmups come off. Plus with a another smaller opponent, the need for twin towers may not be there tonight.

With that said, the Bucks need to continue to give Dallas and BJ touches inside. Swatterdale hasn't missed a shot from the floor in his last two games, but he has only had 5 attempts. Mullens has shown some impressive footwork and moves lately, but he has had only 7 attempts over the last two, while collecting just 6 boards in his last three. I think Thad benching the duo for most of the second was due to a lack of hustle coming out of the half, so it will be interesting to see how these two are used tonight.

Even though they may not be getting the post entry pass down, the Buckeye wing players have been aggressive in driving to the hoop. I know it sounds like a broken record, but the more you drive, the better chance you have of winning the game. I can't recall the last time OSU attempted more than 25 free throws in three straight games, but their totals 28, 27 and 35 is impressive. Now if they can only improve the 68.8 conversion rate.

The Bucks still rank third in the country by allowing 52.9 points a game and have slipped to 13th with a defensive FG percentage of 36.5. They have raised their scoring output to 67 points a game and are shooting 45.5 percent, moving them up to eighth in the conference.

Etc

• OSU is tied for fourth nationally with 7.4 blocks a game.
• Turner and Diebler have combined for 35 FT attempts in the last two games.
• The great Tom Hamilton and former Buckeye Tony White will call the game tonight.

We covered #11-6 last week and are back with the top five Buckeye moments of 2008. We're sure these will spur some disagreement, but hopefully they are all enjoyable for you to relive in one way or another. Be sure to let us know if we missed any.

5. Boeckman Throws a Bullet
True, it was late and insignificant in regards to the outcome of the game, but still, it was one more moment of joy on the field for Todd Boeckman. And it came against the Wolverines.

The senior captain had lost his job a couple of months earlier to the nation's top quarterback recruit and though it must have hurt in a way that few of us could imagine, he was the consummate team player, never once spouting off to the media, instead saying the right thing when inevitably asked how he felt about a freshman taking his job.

Despite several lopsided scores, Boeckman had rarely seen the field since the USC game yet hopes were high that he'd get some action on senior day against Michigan.

With the Buckeyes up 35-7 in the 4th quarter and having just recovered a Boubacar Cissoko fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Boeckman came on to the field to cheers from the Horseshoe partisans. After handing off twice to Mo Wells for minimal gains, the Buckeyes faced a 3rd and 6 from the Michigan 18 yard line.

Boeckman took the snap out of the shotgun, paused for a second and then fired a laser to Brian Hartline up the right seam for an 18 yard score. And good feelings were had by all.

4. Pryor's First Comeback Win
Coming off an ugly home win that had seen the Buckeye offense kept out of the end zone and Purdue pile up nearly 50% more yards than they had -- at home, no less -- Pryor had gone to Tressel and asked to be yanked if the team got off to another slow start against the Badgers the following week in Madison.

Tressel shrugged it off, but for most of the Saturday night matchup at Camp Randall, the offense was sluggish. The team had put together a nice opening drive that resulted in a 33 yard Beanie Wells touchdown scamper, but had only been able to muster two field goals and were hanging on to a precarious three point lead over the Badgers in the 4th quarter.

After PJ Hill scored from two yards out to put the Badgers up 17-13 with a little over six to play, Pryor was getting his first challenge on the road.

After Beanie welcomed him to manhood on the sidelines before the drive, Pryor went 3-3 for 59 yards and the offense found itself facing a 2nd and 8 from the Badger 11 with just over a minute left in the game. Seeing the Wisconsin linebackers confused, Pryor called for a quick snap and kept the ball on an option to the left side, racing into the end zone to put the Buckeyes up.

After a Malcolm Jenkins pick on the very next play, the victory was in the bag. Pryor had taken a partial step into manhood and Mark May had his answer to whether Pryor could deliver in a hostile environment on the road.

3. Jenkins Takes the Thorpe
Malcolm Jenkins is a Buckeye that was always appreciated by the fans, but by returning for his senior season, he may have elevated himself into rarified status amongst Buckeye greats.

While Laurinaitis got a good portion of the ink, astute followers of the team realize that it was Jenkins that was the defensive MVP of the team from his cornerback position. He commanded so much respect that he was rarely challenged and when he was, he was usually there to break up a pass or force an interception.

He notched two blocked punts on the seasons, both paramount to the outcome of the game. The first, against Purdue, proved to be the only Buckeye touchdown on the afternoon as Ohio State pulled through 16-3 in what was otherwise one of the most boring games ever televised. The second, at the end of the 1st quarter of the Illinois game, put the Buckeyes up 9-7 and the team subsequently scored a touchdown off of the free kick turning a close game into a 16-7 lead that the team would never relinquish.

When Jenkins wasn't disrupting opposing passing attacks or blocking punts, he was blitzing from the edge, causing havoc in the backfield. It was a Jenkins blitz, after all, that forced the fumble that led to Thad Gibson's romp and the put-away score in East Lansing.

I'm not sure whether it's because I thought the Thorpe Award was destined to land in Eric Berry's hands, or whether his winning the award made Jenkins only the 2nd Buckeye ever to have done so (despite a strong lineage of cornerbacks), but Jenkins will fondly be remembered with the best of the Buckeye defensive backs. Whatever the case, his name is now etched alongside Winfield, Springs and others.

2. Beanie Hops
2008 may not have gone as Beanie and much of us envisioned it would for him, what with the toe injury suffered in the opener, but when he did return to action, he gave us the gift of hop.

The first one came against the Gophers in his first game back from injury. With the Buckeyes up 13-3 and time running out in the first half, the team had just taken possession of the ball after a gang-tackle-delayed-whistle fumble that sent Minnesota coach Tim Brewster into a minor rage.

After an incomplete pass to Hartline, Beanie took the ball from the Gopher 35, cut right and hurdled defensive back Kyle Theret on his way to a 21 yard gain. The foot appeared fine and a couple of plays later, Pryor found Robo on a fade to make it 20-3 with a little over 30 seconds remaining the half.

Three weeks later, Wells delighted us again with a stiff-arm side-hop combo for six to put the Buckeyes up 28-0 in East Lansing. But the encore was yet to come.

With the Buckeyes nursing a 23-13 lead in Champaign, Wells took a handoff up the middle and again cut back to the right, breaking through the first level and hurdling Illini defensive back Donsay Hardeman on the way to a 25 yard run. Though he would eventually fumble the ball away inside the Illini 20 a few plays later, a new threshold for airborne excellence had been set for Buckeye running backs.

1. Pryor Committing
The wooing had been fierce for the services of the Jeannette quarterback, believed to be the next coming of Vince Young. The Buckeyes had maintained a solid position, but Michigan hiring Rich Rodrguez threw a wrinkle into things. As did the last minute appeal by Joe Paterno and Penn State.

On signing day, the only Pennsylvania prep to have ever thrown for and rushed for 4,000 yards in high school announced that he would not be making a decision and the fanbases of three major college programs held their breath. The star of the Army All-American Bowl had teased Buckeye fans from the sidelines, but now there were so many what-ifs.

We followed along as Pryor led his basketball team to a state championship and were on the edge of our seats when he said he'd make his official announcement within a week of winning his final game on the hardcourt. Finally, March 19, he signed his name on the line, becoming a Buckeye and ending all suspense.

Pryor had chosen the Buckeyes over Michigan, where he could have played right away, and Penn State which was his father's preferred destination. He had decided to come to a place where he'd likely be facing a first year of mop-up duty and clipboard rocking. Little did he know how quickly he'd be depended on.

After getting his first start against Troy in the fourth game of the season, Pryor went on to lead the Buckeyes to an 8-1 record under his guidance. His only setback, a late fumble against Penn State, was quickly owned up to and added to the list of things he would work to learn from. Along the way, he led the Big Ten in passing efficiency, the first freshman to do so since the late 1970s and when you consider the play of the Ohio State offensive line and the early injury to Wells, he's the primary reason the team is facing down yet another BCS bowl game and a chance to finish in the top five teams in the nation.

You could argue that there were bigger moments, whether on-field or elsewhere, for the Buckeyes in 2008, but when we look back on his career in a few years, the signing of the man Mack Brown believes will lead Tressel to another title has to factor as the top event of this year.

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Honorable Mention
Honorable mention goes out to Beanie's run against LSU and Ray Small's punt return against the Bobcats. The 65 yard run got the Buckeyes off to a quick start and was a beautiful thing to see, but ultimately, what took place in the other 59 minutes of that game work against it. Small's return was amazing, but we'd have to point out the suck that went into it -- meaning that the Buckeyes essentially needed that late score to put away a pretty mediocre Ohio team.