America lost a great one yesterday when Norm MacDonald, one of the smartest comedians to ever grace a stage, passed from cancer at age 61. Here's his legendary moth joke to get your morning off to a good start.
YIKES. Ryan Day did not mince words when discussing his frustrations with defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs and Ohio State's defense yesterday. Our own Dan Hope has the full story, but here are the highlights.
On what concerns him the most about the defense through two games…
“Giving up too many yards and too many points, that’s the bottom line. And I think now, it’s not just a single game, it’s a little bit of a pattern,” Day said. “When you look at the results over the last couple games and then coming off of last year, it’s not what we expect here. It’s not our expectation.”
On what might come out of the “long, hard look” Day took at the defense over the last 48 hours…
“Certainly we’ve gotta make some adjustments here, not only of how we’re attacking other offenses but also, just structurally, how we’re doing our day-to-day operations,” Day said.
Day said the possibility of changing responsibilities within the coaching staff is on the table and did not answer directly when asked if Coombs would still be the defensive play-caller going forward, though he said no changes within the coaching staff had been decided upon yet.
Anything else, coach?
“We hire guys to do a job, and they gotta do it.”
Day was honest, raw, and it was quite frankly refreshing. How badly did this presser go for Coombs? At one point, Day was asked if Coombs was still the defensive coordinator for the team.
“Yes, he’s still the defensive coordinator,” Day replied with a laugh. “But we’re gonna look at everything, and we’re gonna keep working toward Tulsa and figure out how the staff is working together, how the scheme works together, and then we’ll go from there.”
Ohio State is not the type of program to fire a coach midseason – unless something awful happens – but it's clear that Day expects more out of Coombs and if things don't improve, he won't be afraid to make a move in the offseason.
REMEMBER THE RUBBER DUCKY LEFT ON THE 50 AT THE SHOE SATURDAY? It was a kid, and man, you gotta hand it to him because it's the best kind of prank. Harmless and not really that disrespectful.
"I just got the idea of putting the rubber duck in the middle of the field, not knowing it was going to go viral just as a troll."
— Peoples Sports Podcast (@PeoplesSports) September 14, 2021
The Ohio State rubber duck mystery has been solved. H/t @TheWilderThings. pic.twitter.com/sotCVPoLqC
DON'T DO THIS. I'll never understand bets with a tattoo on the line. Look at this poor fool, rocking Oregon's duck on his thigh forever.
This Ohio State fan lost a bet with his friend so he had to get a Duck tattoo after their loss to Oregon
— br_betting (@br_betting) September 14, 2021
(via oozyooze32/IG) pic.twitter.com/qnkxQVd2dS
I was pretty convinced the Buckeyes would roll Oregon, too, but there's no chance in hell I would have put something like this on the line.
#CHAOS. Save for about six quarters of Alabama football and one-half of Georgia's starting 22, no college football teams have really looked elite through two games this season. Bluebloods are notching close Ws, FCS teams are dunking on former bluebloods and well, #Team #Chaos is ruling the month of September so far. Here's proof:
13 AP-ranked teams have lost in 2021,
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) September 14, 2021
the most all-time through the first two weeks of a season.
I'm not sure we'll approach the absolute madness of the 2007 season this year, but we might! And that's good news for teams you may cheer for that are already holding a loss (but desperately need to fix the defense).
USC NEEDS A COACH AND HERE'S WHO VEGAS LIKES. With Clay Helton's nine lives finally up at Southern Cal, BetOnline.ag released odds for over a dozen candidates to become the program's next skipper. Leading the pack is someone we all know well, Luke Fickell.
| Coach | School | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| LUKE FICKELL | CINCINNATI | 13/2 |
| P.J. FLECK | MINNESOTA | 13/2 |
| MARIO CRISTOBAL | OREGON | 7/1 |
| MATT CAMPBELL | IOWA STATE | 15/2 |
| URBAN MEYER | JACKSONVILLE (NFL) | 15/2 |
| JAMES FRANKLIN | PENN STATE | 17/2 |
| BOB STOOPS | RETIRED | 9/1 |
| TONY ELLIOTT | CLEMSON (OC) | 9/1 |
| CHRIS PETERSEN | RETIRED | 10/1 |
| GARY PATTERSON | TCU | 10/1 |
| JOE MOREHEAD | OREGON (OC) | 10/1 |
| GREG SCHIANO | RUTGERS | 14/1 |
| GRAHAM HARRELL | USC (OC) | 16/1 |
| BILL O'BRIEN | ALABAMA (OC) | 19/1 |
| JOE BRADY | CAROLINA (NFL, OC) | 20/1 |
| LANE KIFFIN | OLE MISS | 26/1 |
| MIKE GUNDY | OKLAHOMA STATE | 25/1 |
It's an interesting list, for sure. Fickell essentially said he was flattered and James Franklin doesn't even want his name mentioned, but it's one of the top jobs in college football, so if you're on USC's shortlist, you at least have to listen to the pitch, if for no other reason than to go back to your current school and get a raise, right?
I'm sure you all caught Urban Meyer's name on the list with the third-best odds to become USC's next coach. Sounds crazy since he is one game into his stint with the Jaguars and I don't personally see him jumping back into college ball next season, but stranger things have happened.
For what it's worth, Adam Schefter is reporting there's a good chance Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, not even on that list, will emerge as a candidate for the gig.
League sources believe Chiefs' OC Eric Bieniemy will emerge as a head-coaching candidate for USC. Bieniemy is from Southern California and has told confidantes in the past, that USC is one of the only college jobs that might interest him.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 14, 2021
WE'RE ALLOWED TO CHEER FOR PENN STATE THIS WEEKEND, RIGHT? Because this stat is insane and regardless of how much you hate Penn State, the SEC must be mocked for his.
Auburn at Penn State is:
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownCFB) September 14, 2021
1) Auburns first B1G road trip since 1931 at Wisconsin
2) Only the 3rd time a ranked SEC team has visited a ranked B1G team (in conferences at time of game), joining 2011 Bama at PSU and 1965 Georgia at Michigan
“DEEEEEZ NUTS!” — NICK SABAN. I used to hate Nick Saban. These days, I can't bring myself to do it. I'm too in awe of what he's built and how he's won over the last decade. Plus, he's a 69-year-old who loves “deez nuts” jokes, so he can't be all that bad.
Funny moment just now in Alabama player interviews. I asked Jordan Battle about his favorite Nick Saban coaching saying. Innocent enough.
— Michael Casagrande (@ByCasagrande) September 14, 2021
Battle: Touch deez or suck on deez.
Well probably never get him again after that but what a moment.
SPEAKING OF NICK SABAN… He's going to love this. The NCAA is close to passing a one-year waiver to immediately expand the 25-man football class signing limit. Coaches will be able to replace up to seven players who leave a program via the transfer portal.
In August, Saban stumped for something like this and it looks like he'll get it.
THE JUSTIN FIELDS STORY. Part 1 of Overtime's Justin Fields documentary dropped on YouTube and it's absolutely worth a watch if for no other reason than to see his sister call him out for crying all of the time when he was little.
On a serious note, it's well-produced and a great watch.
TODAY'S JAM. Orville Peck's “Dead of Night.” Canadian, wears a mask, sounds like Elvis. This song bangs.
ETC. Walking on the beach with a Michael Myers mask and a knife, what could go wrong… Goalie rocking an Eleven Warriors jersey shuts down Cam Atkinson (once at least)… Look at you, Tulane, claiming what's rightfully yours… Two Navajo broadcasters make history announcing a college football game in the Navajo language… Here's a fun game: Google “Florida man” followed by the month and day you were born… Patch your phones, tablets, and laptops if you haven't already… “This is the most gangster thing I've ever seen.”
