Tuesday Skull Session

By D.J. Byrnes on October 13, 2015 at 4:59 am
Jacoby Boren powers up for fall camp.
195 Comments

ICMYI:

WHO'S CALLING THE PLAYS? Tim Beck was brought in to coach Ohio State's quarterbacks. He was named co-offensive coordinator, and it was assumed he would play second fiddle to Slob Commander Ed Warinner, with whom Beck shared the co-title.

When it comes to playcalling, however, it looks like Beck is the captain now.

From Cleveland.com:

"It's evolved," Beck said Monday. That means it's different from where it started the year, when offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Ed Warinner was the play caller from the sideline.

That evolution is ...

"Ultimately, right now, the voice is mine," Beck said Monday. "Early games were Ed's voice, again, I think through collaboration and Ed calling the game from the sideline using his voice through the collaboration. Now it's just my voice through the collaboration."

Given Ohio State showing more offensive cohesiveness these past weeks, I'll assume this trend will continue.

To me, calling plays from the press box would be the move. Obviously some coaches don't need the All-22 bird's eye view, but I see it as advantageous. Making the switch to "Beck's voice" allows Ohio State to keep Warinner on the sidelines — something Urban Meyer has stated is a priority. 

PENN STATE NUMBERS. Penn State comes to Columbus on Saturday. The Nittany Lions have been a bit of a mixed bag this season, and that includes two key stats.

From PennLive.com:

+8: Penn State's turnover margin at the halfway point of the regular season. James Franklin has stressed the need to protect the football and it is paying dividends for a team that is ranked 13th in the Big Ten in total offense (343.8). A  look at the numbers reveals the Lions have forced 12 turnovers (eight fumble recoveries, four interceptions) and lost the ball only four times.

31: Third-down conversion rate by the Penn State offense after six games. The Lions are ranked last in the Big Ten. Michigan State leads the conference with a 50-percent conversion rate. James Franklin and his offensive staff need to get this number closer to 40 percent.

Turnover margin is cool, but Ohio State has pretty much turned that metric on its head during large parts of its 19-game streak. The Buckeyes can turn the ball over and win the game. Penn State, however, won't carry that same luxury.

Penn State's third-down play is going to be the key to the game, and it's a big part of the reason I have the Lions pegged for a smacking. (The other part is James Franklin being an average game-day coach.) 

To stay competitive, PSU is going to have to stay out of third-and-longs consistently throughout the game. Its offensive line isn't as bad as it was against Temple (then again, how could it be worse?), but it won't be able to block any combination of Bosa, Lewis, Hubbard, and Holmes on obvious passing downs.

THE BAD KICKOFF CHANT JUST WON'T DIE. Ohio State's Sportsmanship Council's "Be the Best Fans in the Land" initiative is 10 years old this this season, but it still hasn't stamped out a certain chant that students seem to love and know.

From TheLantern.com:

A few years ago, OSU students adopted a profane cheer during kickoffs at Ohio Stadium, yelling “rip his f—ing head off” following the O-H-I-O cheer. The athletic department is continuously dealing with complaints from visiting fans and alumni about the student chant.

“What really triggered athletics wanting this initiative was definitely the kickoff chant,” Hosbach said. “Because it is so audible … that definitely puts a bad impact on the university.”

[...]

Block “O” football director Adam Watson said he sees many of the emails the athletic department receives and often attends meetings regarding the profane chant.

“The one I remember very vividly is a mother of a son, who was 7 years old, who said ‘Mom, what does (bleep) mean,'” Watson said.

It's always baffled me how television shows can show things like the cold-blooded murder (and subsequent acid bath) of a child, yet "Fuck" is where we draw the line. (Sorry, purists, but stuff like "f---" is like an ice pick to my sanity, and I'm already operating with below optimal sanity points here.)

I agree the chant is uncouth and bad, but I feel like heavy-worded initiatives will just spur the students prone to chant this further. (See: Effect, Streisand.)

And now that I think of it, I don't know where I learned that word, but I promise you this: It was nowhere as cool as an Ohio State game. 

BTN CRUSHES RATINGS. Maryland–Ohio State! Northwestern–Michigan! Michigan State–Rutgers! The BTN broadcast them, and the people lapped it up!

From a BTN release:

CHICAGO – The Big Ten Network saw its highest viewership in its history on Saturday, with four of the top-18 football teams in the country playing on the network. For the day (12p-12a), BTN earned a 2.04 HH rating in the network’s 12 metered markets,* and topped its previous record set in November 2014 by 30 percent.

BTN’s games were the highest rated across all cable networks in Baltimore, Chicago, Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton, Detroit and Washington, D.C. and second in Indianapolis, Milwaukee, New York and Philadelphia.**

Northwestern–Michigan was supposed to be the day's #banger, but sadly Northwestern got lost on the way to the Big House (to be fair it looks like a high school stadium from the outside) and they had to forfeit.

The #banger of the day was actually that Michigan State–Rutgers affair. ("Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter," ain't the Piscataway town motto for nothing, folks!) Take it from me, the guy who used to do cool things on Saturday nights but now watches Rutgers football.

LEBRON BACKS THE BUCKS. LeBron James totally would've went to Ohio State if he were forced into college. (We know this because James told us after-the-fact.) 

LeBron was in Columbus on Monday and shared some thoughts on Ohio State before the Cavs' exhibition game at the Schott.

From ESPN.com:

"I speak and talk to Coach Meyer a lot,” James said. “I think he's a great leader. I think they have a great one here. I think all of Buckeye Nation knows that. It's great to have support from a guy like that, and I try to give the same back to him.”

[...]

The Buckeyes have won 19 consecutive games dating back to last season. How does their current run compare to James’ Miami Heat team that won 27 straight during the 2012-13 season?

“A streak is a streak,” James said. “For any professional team or for any collegiate team or for any team in general, you want to try to win as many games as you can and you want to win them in a row. This program here continues to, every single night they prepare to win every single Saturday or if it's a different day of the week they play, they want to win and they prepare to win that week. They don't focus on the following week. They don't focus on that. Just like when I was able to have the streak, we didn't focus on the next game. We focused on that game and trying to win that game, and then you move on to the next one after that.”

[...]

When a reporter suggested that Matta supported James even when his popularity was waning in Ohio after he chose to go to Miami, James quipped, “I've been very popular in this state for 30 years.” He then quoted an American mobster: 'All press is good press' - John Gotti."

I didn't attend the game, yet I feel 100% confident in saying this was the top performance of the night.

It's an honor to reside in the same state as J.R. Swish, a true 21st century luminary.

 OPEN WRESTLING PRACTICE. Here's a cool opportunity for any fans looking to check out Ohio State's defending national champion wrestling team.

Per OSU release:

OLUMBUS, Ohio – Fans will have their first opportunity to see the defending national champion wrestling team on Saturday when the Buckeyes host an open practice at Fan Fest on the south end of St. John Arena beginning at 4:30 p.m. The event will conclude at approximately 5:30 p.m. with a meet and greet.

This will mark the second straight year that Ohio State has hosted an outdoor practice, giving fans the perfect opportunity to get their fill of wrestling and football on the same day. This year’s squad features four wrestlers who have previously earned All-America honors, led by the reigning NCAA champion at 125 lbs., sophomore Nathan Tomasello. Other headlines include redshirt seniors Kenny Courtsand Hunter Stieberand sophomore Bo Jordan, who was third last year at 165 lbs.

Sounds like a good way to kill a few hours before the Penn State game.

THOSE WMDs. In Fantasy Sports, Signs of Insiders' Edge... Death in the clouds: The problem with Everest's 200+ bodies... The Pitcher Time Forgot... Webcam hacker spent up to 12+ hours a day watching his victims... How Tom Wolfe became Tom Wolfe... Alert: Stringer Bell back.

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