Just a reminder on this frigid Monday with the specter of snow looming tonight: Vote for me when I run for governor, and I'll give all Ohioan non-vital civil and medical employees mandatory paid time off between Thanksgiving and New Year's.
It's not like anybody is actually trying in these last three weeks, least of all your boss.
ICYMI:
- Ryan Shazier reportedly making strides in spine injury rehab.
- Accounting for redshirts, freshman and medical alike.
- 11W Community Interview: Four-star Toledo LB Dallas Gant.
- Help put a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
Word of the Day: Plunderbund.
RECEIVER BOUNCE BACK? The receiving corps entered 2017 under the proverbial microscope. With the regular season in the books, the campaign seems to satisfy veteran Terry McLaurin, who played his best game of the season against the Wisconsin Badgers.
From Tim May of The Columbus Dispatch:
“It’s huge, especially on the stage that we played on,” Campbell said of his touchdown in the 27-21 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 2. “Honestly, even myself when I got back to the sideline, I was like, ‘Wow, I just scored in the Big Ten championship.’ But it’s huge to be able to make those plays for my teammates.”
[...]
This season, the group made an impact from the start, with memorable touchdown catches by Dixon and Campbell in the opener against Indiana. Unlike its disappearing act in the 31-0 loss to Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal last season, the receiver corps stepped into the spotlight right away.
“We went into the season with a chip on our shoulder as a group,” said McLaurin, who caught an 84-yard touchdown pass from J.T. Barrett at Wisconsin. “We didn’t make enough plays last year, and we really challenged ourselves from spring on to be one of the stronger units on the team.
I give the receivers a "B" when grading on the curve of expectations for the group entering the year. Comparing them against other top teams, it's a "C-" from me.
They were non-factors in both losses. There was no consistent deep threat for the third year in a row despite the emphasis by Urban Meyer and Zach Smith in spring and fall camps. There were too many drops and too much inconsistent play (see: Victor, Ben).
They just didn't make a leap like the offensive line.
GOOD GAME AT LEAST. One silver lining to the playoff snub is Ohio State doesn't have to play some scrappy undefeated mid-major willing to die on the field for respect.
USC is in a similar boat as Ohio State (and had an equal playoff case, to be honest). The styles of play should produce playoff-like fireworks.
From cleveland.com:
In a strange way, Ohio State for USC feels like a more enticing game than at least one of the playoff matchups. Oklahoma vs. Georgia might not do as much for the casual football fan as Buckeyes vs. Trojans. Obviously the stakes of the playoff make that game more interesting, though.
But Ohio State players are taking at least some solace in the idea that their game against USC can create some memorable moments.
“You want to show that you are one of the top teams in the country,” McLaurin said. “What better test to have than two conference champions going at it? I wouldn’t be surprised if this is one of more watched games of the bowl season.”
I'd love to see Ohio State–USC outdraw an opening playoff game. (No, I'm not bitter about the committee manipulating me like a father in Toys "R" Us looking to buy back his son's respect during daddy's first weekend of custody in three years. Why do you ask?)
Do I think that would happen? No. But it should be the highest rated non-playoff game.
The game won't disappoint neutral viewers, either.
2018 SLOB FORECAST. The paradox of the Ohio State beat is football season feels like it's six months long yet you still go from covering a historic comeback to Penn State to next-season outlooks in a blink.
Where did this season go? I'm not sure. Hell, it's still going, technically. But it's never too late to look at next year's team, which will lose two titans in Happy Jamarco and Billy Price.
From Tony Gerdeman of The Ozone:
What do you see for the Fall 2018 OL 2-deep? Any shuffling? Replace just two?
One of the 64 million-dollar questions for Ohio State heading into 2018. The good news is that there are options. I expect Isaiah Prince to move to left tackle, and then at right tackle you’d have a battle between Josh Alabi, Branden Bowen, and Thayer Munford. The guards don’t necessarily need to change, but you’ll still have guys like Bowen, Matt Burrell, Malcolm Pridgeon, Wyatt Davis, Josh Myers, and Gavin Cupp vying to make things interesting. Billy Price thinks it will be Brady Taylor at center, so that’s good enough for me. Jack Wohlabaugh will also hope to make it interesting. Urban Meyer complains about his depth right now, but it’s going to be pretty good next year because there are more than just five decent options here.
Prince going from the sole reason Ohio State lost to Penn State in 2016 to an NFL draft-pick at left tackle would be a helluva testimonial to Prince's mental toughness and work ethic. He deserves all that success, too.
Brady Taylor won't be a household name like Billy Price of Pat Elflein were when they took over the center job. Taylor is more in the Jacoby Boren mold, a smaller grinder that plays above his size. He may not win the Rimington, but the job is in capable hands.
Michael Jordan is known commodity. He could be eying the NFL Draft this time next year.
Branden Bowen has a tackle body, and he ran away with the right guard spot before breaking his leg. He'll be fine on the outside.
Demetrius Knox should hold down the right guard spot. For somebody that got caught in the headlights against Clemson, he took his play to another level late in the season.
Wyatt Davis is my pick to be the next guy off the bench.
COACHES DISH ON BAMA–CLEMSON. I have tempered my take on watching the playoffs from "Absolutely not" to "Maybe, but only if I'm bored that night and can't find a good Hallmark Christmas movie on demand."
Anonymous coaches seem to agree Clemson is the better team... but others warn of counting out Nick Saban.
From Pete Thamel of yahoo.com:
“I think Clemson is going to repeat as national champions, as I really think they are the complete package. Kelly Bryant is playing lights out for them right now, and at any level of football if you have a great quarterback and a great defense you are going to win. I really think their advantage against Alabama is going to be up front, as I think Alabama’s offense is going to be stymied by those guys on the defensive line. Clemson’s best strength is defending the run and that neutralizes what Alabama does best.
[...]
“First of all, I don’t think they’ll lose to Clemson two years in a row. Nick Saban rarely loses to a team two years in a row. My trust isn’t in the team. My vote and guess is on Nick.
“But this is a different Alabama team than in past years. They don’t have the alpha guy inside on the front. It’s just a different team for them. They don’t have the same threats that they had at rush end in past years. Now he has to be a little more exotic on third down. That means the focus for Clemson should be to get three or four yards each down up the middle. Running sideways on them is hard because their defense still runs really well. But this is a different Alabama team up front, you can hit them in the mouth and get three or four yards between the tackles.
I hope Clemson wipes Alabama off the map and makes Tide message boards clamor for over-the-hill Nick Saban to retire and for the immediate hiring of Bama boy Dabo Swinney.
It kills me when analysts said, "Alabama would be favored over Ohio State! The Bucks don't want the Tide!" as if it's an objective fact. They said the same stuff three years ago, and Meyer trumped them with a third-string quarterback.
The only team Alabama dominated in November plays in the FCS.
COLUMBUS DRINKS. Though this survey was taken before the Cleveland Browns led their fans to the precipice of their first win in a year on Sunday and promptly kicked them back into the hellacious abyss in an overtime loss to the Packers, it crowned Columbus as Ohio's binge drinking capital.
From msnbc.com (via 11W legend Matt Gutridge):
- City: Columbus, OH
- MSA adults binge or heavy drinking: 19.6% (top 25%)
- State adults binge or heavy drinking: 19.2% (14th highest)
- Alcohol related driving deaths: 30.5%
An estimated 19.6% of adults in the Columbus metro area drink excessively, the largest share of any of the state’s 11 metro areas. Excessive drinking rates tend to be higher among better-educated, wealthier populations, and Columbus has both the highest median income and bachelor’s degree attainment rate of any metro area in Ohio.
Despite being home to the largest share of adults who either binge drink or drink heavily in the state, Columbus residents appear to be relatively healthy. Only 14.5% of area adults are in fair or poor health, below the corresponding 15.0% of adults nationwide and the smallest such share in the state.
This explains why 80% of bearded males in Columbus between the ages of 38-50 own a microbrewery.
THOSE WMDs. The Browns' infamous QB jersey has a tale to tell... Despite DEA and FDA warnings over kratom use, the substance remains legal... Inside a secret 2014 list of hundreds of L.A. deputies with histories of misconduct... Portugal's radical drug policy is working... 52 places to go in 2017 2018... A father's cruel mission to create "The Only Girl in the World."
