Eleven Warriors

No Wonder Pete's Name Surfaces for NFL Jobs
Pete Carroll's name has been tossed around a few times for open NFL jobs within the past couple of months and after each rumor, the conventional wisdom has always been that he'd be foolish to leave his spot for the NFL. After all, his time with the Jets and Patriots aren't necessarily shining spots on his resume.

But is he really crazy considering the dark Reggie Bush-tinted cloud enveloping his program? News just broke that Bush will be giving a deposition later this month in connection to a lawsuit filed against him by "financier" and aspiring agent Lloyd Lake.

If what Lake alleges is true -- and most seem to think so -- Bush will have to come clean about the loan for the Impala, the house for his parents and everything else. Programs have been torched for less and maybe Carroll can sense it coming as well.

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Talent Is Never Enough
It's banquet season for college football coaches and that means the Vest will be conducting his 2nd straight post-mortem following a bowl disaster. Fans will be treated to soundbites from lecterns in cities across the state as they try to figure out what happened. Again.

Tressel spoke to the Hall of Fame Luncheon Club in Canton yesterday and mentioned the book the team read last season:

"Every year we read a book and the book we decided to read this past year is a book entitled ‘Talent is Never Enough’. The reason that we wanted to read that book was that we really felt as a coaching staff that we had good talent. We didn’t have much experience, but we felt we had talent. And the message that we had to internalize and truly believe is that despite the fact that we have some talent, that’s not enough. We were going to have to do all those things that don’t take talent."

His outlook for '08 in pure Tressel-speak:

"I think there’s no question Ohio State’s football team will be talented but, reflecting back on what was real going back to this past year, I hope we understand that talent isn’t enough, and the fact that the title of that book is that talent is never enough."

You know, talent isn't enough, but talent and some creative playcalling usually is.

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Home Court Advantage
A U.S. District Judge has ruled that the lawsuit over Rich Rodriguez's $4 million buyout will be heard in West Virginia state court.

The judge took a look at the case and determined that the state and the university were basically one and moved the case back to the Circuit Court of Monongalia County after Rodriguez's attorneys had unsuccessfully argued that the case should be tried in the Federal Court system.

The long and aching break-up marches on, but the move back to West Virginia courts cannot be a good sign considering all but about 3 people in the state actually like the guy in a wizard hat selling snake oil.

The state would like to call Joe Tiller as its next witness, your honor.

"I guarantee Herschel Walker did not pick Georgia because of a knock-down drag-out game of foosball with Vince Dooley."

(Via The Wizard of Odds)

If you've played a lick of hoops in your life you've no doubt executed the old "throw the ball off the opponent" move in order to keep possession. Well, Washington Husky Tim Morris took the move to another level with this beauty against UCLA.

I think my favorite part is the attempt at an apology as if it was an accident. Love it. (Video via Awful Announcing)

The rivalry continues.

According to a recent article at Forbes.com, Michigan and Ohio State rank #1 and 2 in number of current professional athletes. The Wolverines currently boast 68 pros while the Buckeyes check in with 62. The slight edge is due in large part to the 21 NHL players that have passed through Ann Arbor, the best total among all schools.

Of course, the Buckeyes hold the edge in producing NFL talent, placing second overall with 48 active players with Michigan in fifth place at 41 players.

Specifically, the count is of players in the 4 major pro sports plus MLS, for whatever reason.

Top 5 Schools - Total Pro Athletes

1. Michigan - 68
2. Ohio State - 62
3. Miami - 60
4. UCLA - 59
5. FSU/ND - 51

The official NCAA blog (sounds exciting, right) recently posted about a mock tournament selection that they put on. It's a long read, but it gives you a little insight into the process and what the committee uses to determine tournament-worthy teams -- bracket freaks will love it.

How do the Buckeyes fare? Well, the post went up last Wednesday and at that time they were the last at-large team in, securing a 10 seed. I'm not sure how much the loss to the Hoosiers technically hurts that cause as Indiana was the favorite coming in, but as Chris mentioned, the Buckeyes' strength-of-schedule won't do them a damn good if all of those tough games go into the books as losses.

Matta's crew travels to Evanston on Wednesday and Ann Arbor on Sunday for two very winnable games before ending the season with Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue and Michigan State. A 4-3 finish to the regular season (which is highly optimistic at this point) puts the team at 20-10 heading into the conference tournament.

One thing is for certain. If the team continues playing like it has been for the past few weeks, Matta's streak of 20+ win seasons will be coming to an end and we'll be staring down the NIT.

(Via Get The Picture)

We've hoped all season that Ohio State's strength of schedule (29) might give them a boost come Selection Sunday but SOS means nothing if you lose nearly all those tough games.

The latest example, a 59-53 home defeat at the hands of #13 Indiana, again showed the Buckeyes have just enough to hang around for awhile before some combo of inconsistent scoring, untimely turnovers and/or the lack of a true inside presence dooms the cause.

That missing ingredient inside loomed large today as Indiana's DJ White showed why he's the front-runner for Big Ten POY with a monster 21 point, 13 rebound effort exposing OSU's soft underbelly on countless possessions. Besides being unable to stop White, the Buckeyes sealed their fate allowing Indiana to score 21 points off 10 turnovers while managing just 3 points off 7 Hoosier miscues.

The Buckeyes showed some heart in the second half trimming an early 31-21 second half deficit to 31-29 shortly before the first TV timeout but a 13-5 IU run pushed the lead back to 44-34 with 11:55 left. Shortly thereafter, the game's defining moments would play out in painful fashion.

A three from the top of the key and another jumper from Kosta Koufos sandwiched between a Jon Diebler baseline jumper cut the Indiana lead to 46-42 with 8:14 left but the Buckeyes wasted 4 stops in 5 trips at the defensive end by launching three deep clankers in addition to Evan Turner making just 1 of 2 in a crucial trip to the line resulting in a 49-43 deficit with 4:38 left.

The Buckeyes stayed within 4 points over the final 4 minutes but it certainly never appeared they would recapture the lead as Indiana hit six straight free throws to secure what the media is calling their first "signature" win of the season.

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Freshmen Kosta Koufos (18 pts, 9 reb) and Jon Diebler (14 points, 4 3FG) led Ohio State while heart and soul PG Jamar Butler was held to 4 points and 6 assists in 40 minutes. Butler never got it going as Indiana's zone extended high on the point and wings daring OSU to look inside. More often than not, post entries only led to kickouts and missed threes. OSU shot just 26% from deep (7/25) with those not named Koufos or Diebler shooting a combined 1/14, or 7 freaking percent.

Also failing to help Koufos and Diebler were freshman Evan Turner and David Lighty. According to Bob Baptist, Turner's recent regression has likely been aided by a bum wrist but Lighty has no such excuse. The sophomore from Cleveland was pathetic going scoreless with 3 turnovers in 26 minutes which should have been expected considering he wa productive in the two previous games (21 pts, 2 TO) keeping his roller coaster season firmly intact.

The frustrating loss dropped OSU to 16-8 overall and 7-4 in the conference with seven games remaining. The good news for OSU is they still control their dance card destiny but the schedule is not favorable with tilts against against Wisky, @ Indiana, @ Minnesota, Purdue and Michigan State still on the docket.

That means it's put up or shut up time for a team that shows glimpses but no consistency as the youthful seven man rotation finds it way. For now, all they can do is prepare for two upcoming must wins starting Wednesday night in Evanston before next Sunday's rematch in Ann Arbor with Tressel and RichRod on hand.

Ohio State 16-7, 7-3 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

February 10, 2008 1:00 PM ET - CBS —— The Schott Columbus, OH

#13 Indiana 18-3, 8-1 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

OPPONENT: Indiana might be a tired team after their double overtime thriller against a "hostile" Illinois team Thursday night. The Hoosiers have lost only three games, but their body of work is not that impressive. Yes, they have lost to UConn, @Wisconsin and Xavier, but their best win is against Illinois State? They play 6 of their next 7 games against the top half of the Big Ten, so their true colors will shine through in the next couple of weeks.

Indiana is the top scoring team in the Big Ten at almost 71 points per game and are virtually tied with OSU for third in overall shooting with 45.6 percent. Indiana shoots 35.1 percent from deep and 74 percent from the line, while averaging 14 assists and 12 turnovers.

I have seen Indiana a few times and notice they do a lot of one on one. They have the top two scorers in the conference, but only play about 6 or 7 guys. There is no doubt they have 2-4 players that could have big games, but I think Ohio State's 3/4 court pressure and swarming zone defense will limit the Hoosiers offense, especially with their lack of preparation time.

KEY PLAYERS: Eric Gordon is the top scorer within the conference at 21.6 points a game. The 6'4" freshman is one of the best players Ohio State will face all season, but he showed Thursday night that a little physical play may throw him off. Gordon's best attribute is getting to the line. He has made 37 more free throws (141) than any other conference player and hits them at an 85 percent clip.

D.J. White is the second leading scorer in the conference at 17.5 points per game. The 6'9" senior leads the conference in rebounding and FG percentage at 10.6 and 62.7 respectively. White is a veteran of conference play, but is not the best of jumpers, so if Hunter can get position on him he should be able to change a few shots.

Armon Bassett and Jordan Crawford are the other two Hoosiers who average double figures. Bassett is a 6'1" sophomore who will launch the three and leads the conference in 3point shooting (48%). He is coming off a 16 point, 7 rebound effort against Illinois.

Crawford will look to shot more from within 2 point range. He is scoring 10.6 per game, but only 51 of his 167 shots have come from outside. He averages 2 assists and 2 turnovers per game, so any type of pressure will cause some youthful turnovers.

Jamarcus Ellis and Lance Stemler will fill in the other playing roles. Ellis is playing over 32 minutes a game, but only scores 7.5 points and grabs 7.7 boards. The 6'5" junior is not a very good shooter at 41 percent. Stemler is the token white boy, scoring five points a game, while also shooting 41 percent.

NOTES: Indiana leads the all time series 97-68... Indiana has lost their last four games in Columbus when they are ranked... Kelvin Sampson is dirty... Indiana has played two ranked teams, Southern Illinois and Wisconsin... Check out the Hoosier Report for a closer look at thy enemy.

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BUCKEYE BREAKDOWN: OSU will look to knock off the second ranked opponent this season, going 1-5 thus far with their only win coming against Syracuse in November. Ohio State looked like a true team in the second half against Michigan and will need another complete team effort in order to take down Indiana.

Ohio State stills leads the conference in defensive FG and 3point FG percentage, at 37.4 and 30.1 respectively. They will need to keep the zone flowing and force Indiana into bad shots from the perimeter. The inside has been a weak spot at times this year and D.J. White will be ready to expose it if allowed.

It is no secret Ohio State has trouble making post entry passes, but it will be critical for them to at least try. I believe it was at least 8 minutes into the Michigan game before we saw an attempt inside and OSU needs to go right at D.J. White to get him in foul trouble. Kosta showed some emotion last game and needs an early opportunity to build upon it.

Ohio State put five players in double digits Tuesday night for the fourth time this year and first within conference play. This needs to continue Sunday with a energetic start against a possible road weary Hoosiers team. Catching early momentum is going to be a key element.

KEY PLAYERS: Jamar will have a great chance against a young Hoosier back court, to prove he is a legit POY candidate. He had harsh words for his teammates after the Iowa loss and will need to get this team jump started from the opening tip.

Othello Hunter is also going to be key for the Buckeyes, but again his teammates have to give him the opportunity. Hunter is shooting almost 62 percent within conference play and ranks second within the conference for the season at 57 percent. He is coming off a 15 point, 12 rebound effort and should have a decisive jumping ability against D.J. White, giving him the chance for another all-conference performance.

After leading the Buckeye freshmen for a few games, Evan Turner has fallen off the last couple of games. He didn't see the floor for the last 18:30 minutes against Michigan and in his last three games he has hit 3 of 15 shots, to go along with 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 9 turnovers.

As mentioned, Kosta Koufos showed some emotion last game and will have another height advantage in the lane tomorrow. Koufos has scored in double digits for six consecutive games, but hasn't had 10 or more rebounds in the last nine. He has only 3 free throw attempts in the last three games (all last game).

Ohio State's season is going to come down to the scoring of David Lighty and Jon Diebler. IMO, these two are the prettiest shooters on the team and have the capabilities of scoring double digits any night, but have yet to show it on a regular basis. We can only hope these two peak over the next month or so.

NOTES: Thad Matta is going for his 200th career victory, 98th at Ohio State, going 199-60 in his 8 seasons... Ohio State is fifth nationally in defensive FG percentage (36.8) and fouls per game (14)... Ohio State will play in front of their 6th "sell-out" crowd of the season... Ohio State has had 20 or more points off the bench only three time this season...

We still don't have our hands on the Ron Burgundy interview, but Gee Soulja Boy-in it should hold us over.

Will Farrell was at the Schott Wednesday night on the 3rd leg of his FunnyOrDie.com tour and after coming out to boos wearing a Michigan sweatshirt, he won the crowd over by conducting a Ron Burgundy interview of.. Gordon Gee.

Some higlights:

"Gordon, I forgot how fun you are. What do you say we get a bucket load of Valium and some fried chicken just go to Michigan and start punching people?"

Later, Gee brought it Def Jam style:

RB: Have you ever woken up with a German shepherd licking Gatorade off of your body?
GG: Yes, that's the reason I had to leave the University of Colorado.

There were 12,000 students in attendance and we know one of you captured this on your tricked-out phone. This needs to be on YouTube.

(Thanks to Wolverine -- that's fun to say -- for tipping us off on this one.)

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On a less-than-funny note, Keith at Buckeye Commentary has decided to hang 'em up:

Those of you who are long time readers will remember this site nearly stopped existing in August last year. I took a short break, re-prioritized and continued on. It was a great season and the content was as good as ever with the help of the contributing writers. For me personally, however, I'm tapped out. Spent. Tired. This gigantic love of mine has become something I want to release. So, I'm doing just that.

We can't emphasis just how damn good he is. While we bring the fart jokes and gratuitous photos of EA, Keith would consistently put out the sort of stuff that had you wondering why he wasn't on the Dispatch payroll.

If you read this blog or any other blog for that matter, blogs like Buckeye Commentary are to thank because he was doing this when sports blogging wasn't all that fashionable.

We have a spirited and growing community of readers that do a great job of adding to the running conversation. To recognize a few of these, we have asked them each to write a guest post about what they'd tweak to ensure the Buckeyes got (yet another) shot at redemption in ‘08. Joe Fox got things rolling last week and the Jack Park of 11W, GoBucks89, weighs in today.

On January 30, 1994, the Dallas Cowboys trailed the Buffalo Bills at halftime of Super Bowl XXVIII 13-6. As the teams came back on the field for the second half, the sideline reporter relayed to the announcers in the booth what Dallas Coach Jimmy Johnson had told his players at halftime. He told them to go after the football and create some turnovers. As the Bills were moving the ball on their first possession of the 2nd half, the Cowboys forced a fumble and ran it back 46 yards for a touchdown. The rest is history.

What does this have to do with OSU football you ask? Well, I think it's the key to our success in finally breaking through to a BCS championship next season. I was asked to provide one thing that I would tweak, and so my answer is: tenacity and ball skills. I know what you're saying: "Hey you idiot, that's two things." Well, let me explain how they go together. One problem I saw in the game against LSU, and it has been there for at least three years, is that we don't force a lot of turnovers on defense. Another thing that was obvious in the LSU game is that our receivers didn't go aggressively after the ball when defenders were close by. We can get away with that against inferior competition, but against the top teams, we need to win every battle for the football. Remember "Holy Buckeye"? That was Michael Jenkins one-on-one against a defender and he was determined to get that football. Remember Jenkins again converting 4th-and-14 in the championship game? Same story. Look at the replay and you'll see Jenkins both times aggressively creating separation (some would say pushing off) so that he would get the ball and not the defender. That is what we needed, and didn't get, against LSU. Think about Robiskie dropping that TD pass, leading to a blocked FG attempt. I'm telling you, Jenkins would have had that one. Think about Ray Small losing the one-on-one battle on LSU's key INT in the 2nd half. I know the ball was underthrown, but he needs to go after that football aggressively and at least keep it from being intercepted.

The same is true on defense. It seems for the past 3 years or so our DB's have had stone hands. We got an INT against LSU, but even that one was almost a drop. And it is absolutely inexcusable that Austin Spitler missed blocking that punt when he was in perfect position to get it. Go after the football! Why does James Laurinaitis have more INT's over the past two years than any of our DB's? He's tenacious. He goes for the ball. Think about the key play against Texas in 2006: JL knocked the ball loose at the 2 yard line and we took it 50 yards the other way. Go after the football! Who wins the battle for the football? The one who is more aggressively trying to get it. Tenacity will pay big dividends for our players on both sides of the ball. If our DB's get more aggressive, then suddenly we will be praising them for their "ball skills". The one leads to the other, so they are really two sides of the same coin. Win all of the battles for the football and you probably win the game. Remember MoC against Miami stealing the ball away from Sean Taylor? That should be our model for all of the next season. Be aggressive. Be tenacious. Get the ball, and get the win. This is one thing that Coach Tressel could learn from Jimmy Johnson.