The goal for today is to work smart, not hard—like USC's 5-10 wide receiver Steven Mitchell throwing a crucial block to spring a teammate:
It doesn't have to be a big crack back block all the time that's going to cost your team a penalty. This works better. pic.twitter.com/L8X6CakIm5
— MALIK (@ErrolWisdom) November 1, 2017
ICYMI:
- Urban Meyer on spotting Penn State 21 points, Ohio State's maturity, and "very stereotypical" Iowa.
- Emory Jones on the brink of flipping to Alabama.
- Iowa Q&A with the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
- Chris Holtmann says OSU may play some games in St. John Arena.
- Help put a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
Word of the Day: Licentious.
MORE SACKS. Nick Bosa has four sacks, which is hilarious considering an NFL team would draft him next spring if it could. It speaks to the attention he garners, and doesn't tell the full story of his impact.
During the fourth-quarter bullying of Penn State's offensive line, Bosa looked like the Buckeyes' most tenacious lineman. He wants more sacks, he knows he's wrecking offensive game plans without them.
From dispatch.com:
“One sack gets you more attention than nine QB hurries,” he said. ”(But) it’s not about the attention. It’s about altering the game. I think I helped alter the game.”
Bosa and the rest of the Buckeyes’ defensive linemen took over the Penn State game when Ohio State desperately needed stops.
“I think I’ve been winning a lot,” Bosa said of his play-by-play battles. “There’s always room for improvement. I just need to finish plays more, and then I’ll get the recognition I think I deserve. I think I’m playing well. I also think the defense is playing very well.”
Only going to get worse for Bosa after Tyquan Lewis, Sam Hubbard, Tracy Sprinkle, and Jalyn Holmes depart for the NFL in the spring. Doubt he'll back down from the challenge, though.
SCOUTING A STEREOTYPE. Josey Jewell is a stereotypical Iowa linebacker in that he's a former two-star recruit from some place called Decorah that turned into one of the best middle linebackers Urban Meyer—never known for hyperbole—has faced.
So what does he do well, besides bringing a blue collar attitude and a lunchpail to work every day?
From Kyle Morgan of theozone.net:
The leader of the defense with 79 Tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss, Jewell consistently provides effort and toughness for the Hawkeyes. A good overall athlete, Jewell excels in run-down opportunities where he can use his instincts and lateral agility to read and react to the play. Josey is a smart player and rarely over-pursues the ball. He does well to avoid blockers and has the ability to shed if engaged. Jewell is a good tackler, both at the point of attack as well as in the open field.
His name also sounds like the train-robbing antagonist of a Spaghetti Western. We'll see how he does tackling J.K. Dobbins in space. I don't think it ends well for Iowa.
RED ZONE FOCUS. Last week, Penn State's red zone scoring was a storyline entering the game. The Nittany Lions stalling on 1st and goal in the fourth quarter helped cost them the game.
This week, the onus will be on Ohio State's red zone scoring. If the Bucks score touchdowns, they'll win.
Iowa's defense is very strange. Amazing at preventing RZ TDs (13th), but 97th in rushing S&P+ and 90th in adj. sack rate
— Chad Peltier (@CGPeltier) November 2, 2017
So win the red zone, win the game for Ohio State
— Chad Peltier (@CGPeltier) November 2, 2017
If J.T. Barrett is still on his Mr. Touchdowns swagger, it will be light work for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes will need Mr. Touchdowns to stick around, too. While the rest of their opponents aren't known for potent offense, their defenses range from venerable to elite.
Defensive S&P+:
— Chad Peltier (@CGPeltier) November 2, 2017
PSU - 14th
Iowa - 16th
MSU - 6th
UM - 15th
UW - 7th.
Good thing the Buckeyes can play on both sides of the ball.
NERD CAPACITY. Ohio State's average ACT score of incoming freshmen set records the last two years. Thursday, the university paused the quest for academic ascension, at least when it comes to ACT scores.
From Matt Dorsey of The Lantern:
The increase in applications has allowed the university to be more selective about who it enrolls, and average ACT scores of incoming freshman have gone up over that time, as well — from 27 to 29.2.
The university is not eager to seek a further increase in the ACT average, however.
“There was a feeling that the investments that would be necessary to go from a 29 to a 30 would be substantial and they could take away from other priorities and they could have an impact on some of the access and diversity goals that we have at the university,” said Vern Granger, the interim vice president for strategic enrollment planning.
Ohio State is a Land Grant university, and I respect any decision to keep the college more accessible to common folk.
DIXON DROPS BY BTN. Given the injury history, I didn't expect Johnnie Dixon to post six touchdown receptions this year, let alone by November. However, I'm not surprised.
He dropped by BTN this week. Among the nuggets you may have missed in the post-Penn State fracas: Dixon was supposed to throw a pass to Marcus Baugh on that failed two-point conversion.
DYK? Six of @YoungKing_JD5's 13 receptions have gone for a TD.
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) November 1, 2017
Can't help but feel good for the resilient @OhioStateFB WR. pic.twitter.com/DZLJ2vcq2j
At least he apologized. I'm not apologizing when I start my Friday night at 2:30.
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