I can think of nothing better to kick off Penn State week than a video of Terry McLaurin cleaning up two defenders in less than two seconds.
To be honest, doing this makes me happier than scoring pic.twitter.com/Rqpg4cFPpV
— Terry McLaurin (@TheTerry_25) September 23, 2018
Evan Spencer became a sort of folk hero for his blocking, but McLaurin is right there too.
ICYMI
- Ohio State Trounces Tulane
- Notebook
- Quotebook
- Five Things
- Debriefing
- Social Reax
- Game in Gifs
- Players of the Game
- Statagram
- Centenarian Dots the I
Word of the Day: Deasil
HASKINS' HEISMAN PACE. I've been handling Dwayne Haskins' rise to power cautiously, as not to end up slapping him with the Denard Robinson-Geno Smith September Heisman Award, but it's getting harder and harder to not hop on the hype train.
I mean, look at this:
Heres a fun stat for our friends at @11W and @BigTenNetwork:
— All-America Game (@AllAmericaGame) September 22, 2018
Troy Smith through his first four games during his 2006 Heisman Trophy season: 888 total yards, 8 touchdowns.
Dwayne Haskins through his first four games of this season: 1,222 total yards, 17 touchdowns.
That would honestly be difficult to do in a video game.
It's time to talk about it. Dwayne Haskins is a legit Heisman Trophy candidate, and could quite possibly be the frontrunner.
From Max Olson of The Athletic:
However, it’s about time to acknowledge that Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins is putting himself right in position to be perhaps Tua’s fiercest competition. Maybe it’s a week early to say so because the Buckeyes have to travel to Happy Valley next weekend to face a top-10 Penn State team. But if Haskins excels on that stage, look out.
Four games in as the Buckeyes’ starter, he’s putting up video game numbers — 1,194 passing yards, 75.7 percent completion rate, 16 touchdowns, one interception — and taking their passing game to another level. Like Tagovailoa, he’s surrounded by weapons at receiver and running back who make life a lot easier and, collectively, they are putting up a ton of points (54.5 per game) for a Playoff-caliber team. The sophomore has everything he needs.
...
It’s worth noting that Haskins hasn’t had to play a four-quarter battle. In fact, he’s only thrown three fourth-quarter passes thus far this season. The Buckeyes put away TCU in the third quarter in their biggest test yet. How he handles this next bout can go a long way toward establishing him as a national star.”
He'll have his chance at a Heisman moment when the Buckeyes visit Happy Valley this week. If he lights up the Lions on the national spotlight, he can basically go ahead and book his travel accommodations.
WIN OR STAY HOME. With how atrocious the Big Ten has looked early on, it's looking like a Big Ten team might have to go undefeated to make it to the College Football Playoff.
And folks, the only two undefeated Big Ten teams play each other this week. While it's not technically winner-take-all, but it may as well be.
Ohio State-Penn State next weekend is the most impactful remaining game (not including conference championship games) on the playoff race this season, per ESPN's Playoff Predictor. pic.twitter.com/olgn0OxKaP
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) September 23, 2018
It's kind of crazy that what's probably the single most important game the Buckeyes play all year happens in week five. I guess we better buckle up.
A GOOD OMEN? One fairly solid way to kick off Penn State week is by beating Penn State, so the Ohio State women's volleyball team went ahead and did the thing.
BUCKEYES WIN!!!
— Ohio State Women's Volleyball (@OhioStateWVB) September 23, 2018
Ohio State grinds to upset the No. 4 Nittany Lions for its first B1G victory of the season!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/erxMz8WCdD
For those of you not well versed in your women's volleyball, Penn State is an absolute powerhouse, winning more than half of the NCAA Titles of the past 11 years.
Hopefully, this is a good start to an extremely good week.
YOUNG WINFIELD OUT FOR SEASON. I was looking forward to seeing Antoine Winfield Jr. play against his father's former team this season, but it looks like that's not going to happen.
#Gophers announce Antoine Winfield Jr. will miss the rest of the season because of a left foot injury suffered in the first quarter Saturday against Maryland. They will seek waiver for a sixth year of eligibility for the sophomore.
— Randy Johnson (@RJstrib) September 23, 2018
I've been watching Winfield from afar as he balls out at Minnesota and deeply wishing the local team would have taken a chance him, even though he was just a three-star prospect.
In hindsight, he sure would have been nice to trot him out there opposite of Jordan Fuller this season.
LET ME LIVE, IOWA. Every time I think I have that Iowa loss tucked into a deep, dark, untouchable corner of my brain, something triggers images of a long snapper trotting past Tuf Borland and stumbling towards the goal line, and I'm sure I'm not alone.
Imagine taking your child to the playground, looking down, and seeing this elbow from the top ropes.
Someone put this at the new playground in Granville. That is spiteful as hell, and absolutely hilarious. pic.twitter.com/4Rqdlav1uf
— Tom Orr (@TomOrr4) September 22, 2018
I was praying Iowa would beat Wisconsin this week so the Buckeyes would have a chance to avenge whatever the hell it was that happened in Iowa City last year. But because of what I assume was another calculated attack at Ohio State, the Hawkeyes blew it.
LINK LOCKER. College professors allegedly sold drugs and "pimped" out students... What will humans look like in 100 years?... This is what happens to a shy octopus on ecstasy... Boxes of donated bananas contained $17.8 million worth of drugs... Quadriplegic drug lord who tried to extort money from Beanie Wells indicted again in drug-related case...
