Shoutout to all those prisoners in county jails across America wondering how a few drinks on Labor Day weekend ended with them in a jail cell. It all seems so petty now.
TERRY MCLAURIN IS A BUCKEYE. It appears burner Terry McLaurin, a freshman from Indianapolis, is "officially" a Buckeye.
Got that black stripe off! #GoBucks
— Terry McLaurin (@TheTerry_25) September 1, 2014
Here are where the black stripes stand:
| Name | position | DATE OF REMOVAL |
|---|---|---|
| Curtis Samuel | RB | 8-10 |
| Raekwon McMillan | LB | 8-10 |
| Darius Slade | DL | 8-11 |
| Damon Webb | CB | 8-13 |
| Aaron Parry | DL | 8-15 |
| Noah Brown | WR | 8-16 |
| Sam Hubbard | LB | 8-16 |
| Jalyn Holmes | DL | 8-16 |
| Dante Booker | LB | 8-18 |
| Johnnie Dixon | WR | 8-18 |
| Stephen Collier | QB | 8-21 |
| Brady Taylor | OL | 8-21 |
| Kyle Trout | OL | 8-21 |
| Erick Smith | DB | 8-21 |
| Kosta Karageorge | DL | 8-21 |
| Demetrius Knox | OL | 8-22 |
| Sean Nuernberger | K | 8-23 |
| Malik Hooker | DB | 8-25 |
| Marcelys Jones | OL | 8-25 |
| Guy Ferrelli | TE | 8-25 |
| Mike Maduko | DB | 8-25 |
| Terry McLaurin | WR | 8-31 |
Freshmen yet to lose stripe: Kyle Berger (injured), Parris Campbell, Jamarco Jones, Marshon Lattimore (injured), Micheil Pruni, Dylan Thompson (injured), Isaiah Williams.
OSU's NOT DEAD. Welcome to the party, BTN's Tom Dienhart:
With Miller out, Michigan State was moved to the front of the Big Ten line by most every prognosticator with a keyboard.
Why not? The Spartans are loaded, especially on offense. And while the defense is replacing six starters, it still figures to hum along under standout coordinator Pat Narduzzi. MSU looked like a buzz saw in dispatching Jacksonville State in the opener, for what it’s worth.
But after what I saw today, I’m thinking it may be short-sighted to write off the Buckeyes as Big Ten favs and concede the Big Ten East race and Big Ten chase to Michigan State.
The schedule is manageable for Ohio State, especially if the Buckeyes beat Virginia Tech next week. Win there, and OSU should cruise to 8-0 as it heads to Michigan State on Nov. 8 for a huge showdown.
Thank you, Tom, for giving legitimacy to an idea I've sprinkled amidst barely-literate internet ramblings for the last couple weeks. Ohio State's schedule sets up about as well as could be asked from the Football Gods.
Unless J.T. Barrett commits 2-3 turnovers in a single game (and I don't think he will), Ohio State will be undefeated going into the Michigan State game.
I normally wish terrible things on the Big Ten, but I'll be cheering for Michigan State against Oregon. (I'm also cheering for Michigan because Notre Dame is the worst.)
Wisconsin didn't shame the Big Ten; even if their second half was about as pleasurable watching Brady Hoke bathing (in hot dog water).
If Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State can ride out on their enemies... it'd give the B1G some credibility come playoff time. (Although the Big Ten will likely be everybody's punching bag until they start winning national titles.)
Do I feel confident in the Michigans and Ohio State going 3-0? That's a different thing entirely.
I do think Ohio State is waxing Virginia Tech, though.
OBIE STILLWELL'S UNIT GRADES. I love grades, as long as I'm the one arbitrarily delivering them and under no circumstances receiving them.
Ok I'm back and have digested the game and I grade the following: 1) D Line - B 2) O-Line, C, 3) Secondary-A, 4) QB- A-
— Obie Stillwell (@OStillwell) August 31, 2014
I PERSONALLY GAVE THE D-LINE AN A. Cutblocks (and the triple option) should be illegal and I thought the defensive line stepped up when it mattered most.
The offensive line (I gave them a D+, tbh) was abysmal at times, but I guess that's to be expected from a unit entering a game with six less than 20 career starts. Fluidity is the name of the game in that realm, and while Ohio State has depth, they don't appear to have an identity yet.
Not to state the obvious, but if offensive line play doesn't get rectified... it could be a bad omen for an "offensive line driven program."
Tyvis Powell's open-field tackling left a lot to be desired at times. A- for the secondary, though.
J.T. Barrett, take a bow, bro. A.
Linebackers: B.
Stidwell didn't mention wide receivers, but ol' Evan Spencer proved his being listed at the top of the depth chart was no fluke. Michael Thomas and Dontre Wilson did their thing too. I give the receivers a B+.
And it's only one game, but man oh man, freshman Curtis Samuel might be this team's best running back. The RBs, as a unit, however, get a B-.
JUST SOME #BudIceColdHardFacts FROM A GUY WHO SAT ON A COUCH DURING THE GAME AND NIBBLED ON SOME CHIPS CAKED WITH BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP.
IT'S DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN. I've been a conductor of the Les Miles Swagger-wagon for about three years, and I have no intentions of stopping.
On Saturday's Skull Session, I quipped Wisconsin didn't have much of a chance against LSU. Jason, in the 11W Lair (think premium lounge, but real), smugly reminded me of my prophesy during the first quarter of the LSU-Wisconsin game.
J-Money forgot, however, Les Miles has warlock blood coursing through his veins. Here's LSU's win probability throughout the game:
Some people just walk on a different plane of reality. I have friends like that; they're mystics in tune with angles and dimensions unseen by us regulars.
It's seen in stuff like the chart above (and Les Miles).
IT SOUNDED BETTER IN THEORY. Baylor opened their new stadium — remember, these programs are actually hemorrhaging money — and you can almost see the bright-eyed guy on the low-end of the marketing team totem pole finish his boss' unveiling plan with "AND THEN ALL THE STUDENTS CAN RUN OUT ONTO THE FIELD TOGETHER."
Sounds cool, right? Until you're on the ground getting trampled by reality:
A similar situation happened at Eastern Michigan; it's that, or their players haven't been hitting the weights nearly as hard as coaches think.
THOSE WMDs. Angkor Wat, Kambodza... Lost chapter from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory published for first time... Getting photos from spy satellites in the pre-digital era sounds like a hassle... 1970's sci-fi art... 127-year-old woman sounds like a boss among bosses... Fellas, cooking like a pro is in the preperation... Gotta say, China, I don't get this... Wuuuuuut.
