I'm not sure exactly what the main intent is behind ESPN's All-Access series currently running on Ohio State but two things stand out to me.
First, while the show is great in that it gives fans a glimpse of things they wouldn't see otherwise, it doesn't really follow enough specific storylines all that deeply. That's a shame because a more organized approach to the footage would tell a more interesting and diverse story about Ohio State's fall camp. I watch and while it's awesome, I feel like taking a tack similar to BTN's The Journey would've made for better television.
Second, though the show is a bit raw in its presentation, seeing significant cuts of practice footage combined with some truly outstanding quotes from Urban Meyer as he honestly and directly sizes things up is still all kinds of awesome in that we continue to learn more about how Urban directs the program through his decidedly refreshing and amazingly versatile communication style.
I particularly enjoyed yesterday's episode as it showcased how intense he can be without yelling. Speaking of his excitement about finally putting on pads, he matter-of-factly offered, "Any time you have pads on, the pretenders don't show up. The football players show up." You could feel how sincerely he meant what he said and that he doesn't think too fondly of pretenders.
Just as quickly, he can switch off the intensity and have fun with the players. Talking with Jordan Hall he quipped that Hall cut his foot on purpose just so he could miss two-a-days.
In case you haven't tuned in yet, here's the first-run schedule and remember the replay is typically at 10pm Eastern each evening.
UCF'S DANCE WITH THE DEVIL. Likely to be Ohio State's toughest non-conference opponent, the UCF Knights feature a decent set of guys at the offensive skill positions and return six defenders, giving them a legit shot to be the 'class' of Conference USA. Unfortunately for George O'Leary's crew, they are currently banned from postseason play, a punishment levied by the NCAA after it determined recruits were being paid, a recruit's mom was given a job at the behest of the former AD, runners were steering players to agents and members of the institution lied to investigators.
Though the school says it accepts the majority of severe penalties given to both the football and basketball programs, UCF President John Hitt announced yesterday a plan to ask for an expedited appeal of the 2012 postseason football ban.
What makes the appeal plan interesting is that this is the final year UCF will compete in C-USA before taking off to join the Big East, meaning it's easy to surmise this is a strategical/financial move to hopefully delay the ban, allowing the Knights to make a legit run at the C-USA championship game and a more lucrative bowl realizing that they'll have much tougher sledding in the Big East next year, likely earning a lower tier, less lucrative bowl payday in the process.
HAS IT REALLY BEEN FIVE YEARS ALREADY? Just two weeks away from celebrating their fifth anniversary on the air, the BTN (specifically, Brent Yarina) launched a series in which they select the top five position players during the network's existence. After looking at the WRs - a position featuring zero Buckeyes - Yarina shifted his focus to the running backs.
To be considered, a player must have competed in the conference at some point during the 2007-2011 seasons and some extra love is given to players who did most of their damage during that window. With that said, Yarina's top five looks like this:
1. Montee Ball - 3,310 yards in BTN era with 55 TDs on the ground and six through the air. Ball has scored at least two TDs in 17 of his last 19 games.
2. Mike H2O-4 Hart - Just one year of BTN stats including 1,419 yards rushing with 14 scores. Hart ran for over 5k yards in his Michigan career with 67 touchdowns. He never beat Ohio State. Ever. Like, Never.
3. John Clay - The big man churned out over 3,400 yards in his BTN era career with 41 TDs.
4. Rashard Mendenhall - I'm not sure if he still hates America or not but while at Illinois, Mendenhall had a sick 2007 season with 1,999 total yards and 19 scores, setting a then school record with 1,681 yards rushing.
5. Beanie Wells - The oft-injured bruiser from Akron amassed 2,806 yards during the BTN era and 3,382 overall, posting an impressive 5.8 yards per carry.
Now, I've never been bullish on Beanie - in fact I drew my fair share of venom from readers back in the day based on my concerns surrounding his toughness - but 5th? I'll give you Montee Ball as his numbers are truly Nintendo. I can't put Hart above Beanie either. The real crazy one to me, though, is John Clay. He was a beast when he wasn't fumbling the ball, but he wasn't beastly enough to avoid losing a ton of carries to Ball and James White as he got older. How is that good enough to be the 3rd best RB during the last five years of B1G football?
Despite my issues with Hart and Clay, I'm still not sure where I solidly slot Beanie. His injuries - whether you think he was a tad soft or not - are something you have to weigh when ranking him on this list and frankly, the helmet tapping when he was healthy is something that troubles me more. At the same time, when he was on his game nobody wanted to get in the way of that freight train. The more I think about it, he's probably the one truly elite Buckeye that I have the toughest time trying to slot even among his Buckeye RB peers.
Based on Yarina's criteria, what's your top five?
Beanie's place in OSU lore is a bit of a lightning rodONE LAST SHOT. Just 14 months ago, Nevada WR Brandon Wimberly was laying in a hospital bed wondering if he'd ever play football again.
A gunshot that was reportedly a centimeter away from ending his life instead shredded his intestines so badly that he spent a week in the ICU and two weeks total in the hospital as he underwent multiple surgeries.
The severity of the injury and the resulting operations had doctors thinking he'd likely never play football again but despite losing 60 lbs., dropping from 228 to 165, Wimberly is now back to playing football and figures to be a key contributor in the Wolf Pack's new Pistol attack.
The 2009 WAC Frosh of the Year, Wimberly sounds like he's got his head on straight:
"Not one time did I think football was over for me. I couldn't give up on my team. They didn't give up on me. They kept showing up, they kept visiting, they kept me in good spirits.'"
Obviously, the players are thrilled to have the kid back in the fold and so is his WR coach, Scott Baumgartner :
"It's just awesome he's back. It's incredible. It's really good to see him out here and back to the old Brandon Wimberly. He's exceptionally mentally tough. He's a strong kid and he's a great kid. Just to have him out here with the opportunity to play football again is really special."
I'm not usually one to get hung up on feel-good stories like this but here's to hoping this kid blows up for Nevada this fall.
SO, HOW ABOUT THE SCENE IN JOE DIRT WHEN BRANDY DISMOUNTS THAT HORSE? I've always been kinda fond of it... B1G's must-see games of 2012... What you should do after OSU stomps Purdue on 10/20... Ron Swanson on fishing... Young Kip... Photobomb success... When pro athletes were in little league. Wie and Belichick rule.
