ICYMI:
- WR Corey Smith done for the year after suffering a leg injury similar to Noah Brown's.
- Urban Meyer Monday presser notes.
- Videos: Interviews of Luke Fickell, Vonn Bell, Joe Burger, Cam Williams, and Billy Price.
- Gold Pants Social tickets are going fast.
- This tweet:
Given tweets we've recently received, looked back at tweets to us following 4227 Indiana win last year. Perspective. pic.twitter.com/dD7i58A225
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 6, 2015
CARTER DROPS BUCKEYE #TAKES. Cris Carter — like everyone else in America besides Urban Meyer — knows what ails the Buckeyes. On Monday, he weighed-in on ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike.
Via 247Sports.com:
“The No. 1 issues is the quarterback play hasn’t been very, very good," Carter said. "That’s the No. 1 issue. The No. 2 issue is that their play calling has changed and they have no identity. So now you have all these weapons and it’s (Ed Warinner’s) first time being the coordinator for Ohio State. So how do I get them all involved?
"And now you also have an X factor, you have Braxton Miller who was the best player on the team when he was healthy, you know two years ago, and didn’t play any role in their national championship last year. But he switched positions. So you kind of made a commitment to him in some type of way. So how do we get all this master mix to make sure the pancakes taste good? I believe they are going to be able to work it out because Cardale (Jones) needs to get back to his fundamentals.
[...]
"They can win. They won 25 straight Big Ten games. They could win it without Cardale. They could win the national championship without him. And I think Cardale realizes that."
The quarterback always gets a heaping helping of the praise/blame depending on if the team is winning/losing. Cardale Jones may be the first quarterback to get blamed for winning.
Obviously I'm no guru, but I will concede Jones seems clunky and disjointed at times. Part of that is due to Tom Herman coaching Houston now.
That's not meant as a slight to Tim Beck either. Herman, who you might not know is a MENSA member, is already wrecking shop with "Baby Braxton" down in Houston. That said, even Herman took time to find his groove. Not only as a play-caller, but also building a repertoire with Dale.
LET'S TALK GAMBLING. Stop me if you've heard this before: Ohio State is a double-digit favorite this weekend against a Big Ten foe.
From TestudoTimes.com:
The Maryland football team has opened as a 28.5-point underdog in Saturday's game at No. 1 Ohio State, according to odds released by Odds Shark. It's the third-most lopsided line in college football for next weekend
The Buckeyes haven't covered in four games, but poor Maryland is struggling for respect right now:
I'll have to go back and check on this, but I don't think the word "Maryland" was ever used or referenced in Urban Meyer's press conference
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) October 5, 2015
In other gambling news: Bovada worsened Ohio State's title odds for the first time this year (7/4 to 9/4). The Buckeyes still lead the field, though.
Ezekiel Elliott's Heisman odds went from 12/1 to 9/1. (He still trails LSU RB Leonard Fournette and and Baylor QB Seth Russell.)
COULD BE AN OMEN... Two things are known: Ohio State's offense faces a bevy of issues, and turnovers are one such issue.
They may, however, be the issue plaguing the offense:
OSU through 5 games last year: 6.73 yards/play. OSU through 5 games this year: 6.73 yards/play. Five extra turnovers slowing down Buckeyes.
— Austin Ward (@AWardESPN) October 6, 2015
Per Stats & Info, OSU's percentage of 10-yard plays virtually identical as well. Assuming Urban Meyer fixes TO problem, his offense is fine.
— Austin Ward (@AWardESPN) October 6, 2015
Buckeye players/coaches have been harping about turnovers for awhile now, so we'll see if Indiana taking them to the brink was the wakeup call they needed. Because without those turnovers that game never gets that close.
TOO MANY COOKS? As these kids today love to say: Eventually, the cream will rise to the top.
From Peter King of MMQB.SI.com:
7. I think this is what I hear from a longtime NFL scout who has been to Columbus, Ohio, in the first month of the college football season: “Depending on who comes out, they could have eight first-round draft picks. I honestly believe that could be the most talented college team I have ever scouted.” Maybe not if the guy watched Ohio State 34, Indiana 27 on Saturday.
We should not be surprised that the freshman class has yet to contribute on the field. The Buckeyes are a bunch of grown-ass men out there, and that scout only singled out the potential first rounders.
NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL CRAZY. Ohio State produced an excellent look at TBDBITL's 60th drum major, Nathan MacMaster, and his game-day regimen.
The full profile is worth checking out in full, but what mesmerized me was this video of the baton toss:
Here's a high toss of the baton from point of view of drum major @natemac60. More: http://t.co/EKCEkSwCrh #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/qJVd8Bw67P
— OhioState (@OhioState) October 5, 2015
Tracking that baton through that gray sky like that? Hell, get this MacMaster fella some pads; that tracking ability is Devin Smith-like.
THOSE WMDs. Feeling stressed out? Do the dishes... The Price is Right: What advertising does to TV... New favorite Instagram: @sadtopographies... Hawkeye #Teen punched in face after win at Wisconsin... Air France bosses have shirts ripped from their backs as they escape furious employee mob... When keeping it real goes wrong, Clemson style.
