Welcome to the Tuesday Skull Session.
The Peach Bowl is 11 days away.
Let's have a good Tuesday, shall we?
THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS. On Monday night, Ohio State freshman offensive tackle Avery Henry announced via Twitter that he had been diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
This isnt the way I wanted to release this, but I know no other way. A couple days ago I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. I will fight this! I have never been a statistic and I never will! I want to thank my brothers and coaches for the endless support!
— King_Henry2.0 (@AveryHenry731) December 19, 2022
As I'm sure was the case with many of you, my heart sank when I heard the news. There are things that happen in this world that simply don't make sense, and cancer is one of them. But if anyone is strong enough to beat the horrible disease, it's Avery Henry. To no surprise, the first-year Buckeye said he was gonna fight, and he'll fight like hell.
And when Avery isn't feeling strong enough to fight, he can lean on his family, friends, teammates and coaches to support him. Of course, the large army of Buckeye Nation will be right behind him, too.
Best wishes for a full recovery, Avery. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
JUSTIN FIELDS, EVERYONE. As I wrote the Tuesday Skull Session, more than 3,500 people had answered yesterday's 11W poll question, “Has Justin Fields already broken Ohio State's ‘NFL QB curse,’ or does he have more to prove?” Approximately 66% claim he has more to prove, while 34% believe he's broken the curse by now.
However you answered the question (or if you didn't respond), I think all would agree that they want Fields to break the curse. Some only want to see him show more of X, Y or Z before they are ready to deem him worthy of breaking the unfair stereotype placed upon all Ohio State quarterbacks who have entered and played in the NFL in recent memory.
In my view, Fields needs more consistent accuracy in the pros before I can confidently name him a successful NFL quarterback. But I understand the Bears wide receiver corps of Darnell Mooney, your local paper boy and the mailman needs a few upgrades before we can know how talented Fields can be as a passer at this level.
Until then, I'll keep having extreme amounts of fun watching Fields run the football like this week to week:
Justin Fields continues to wow. pic.twitter.com/LJBL4hT4hG
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 18, 2022
Fields has become such a sensation in the NFL that opposing defensive players are being asked how to stop the second-year quarterback when he tucks and runs. Fields' former Georgia teammate, defensive tackle Jordan Davis, was one of the players asked to comment in the week leading up to the Eagles' 25-20 win over the Bears.
From Martin Frank of delawareonline.com:
When Fields and Eagles' rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis were freshmen at Georgia.
That season, Fields was the backup to Jake Fromm. Fields mostly came in late during blowout wins. Fields' games, essentially, came in practice as the scout team quarterback, often going against Davis and the Bulldogs' vaunted defensive line.
"The way he’s running all over these defenses (in the NFL), he was doing the same thing at Georgia against our first-team defense," Davis said. "That’s what makes him him. He’s a dynamic player. He uses his legs. He has a strong arm. We saw all of that in practice. We knew he would be a great player."
Eagles safety K'Von Wallace was also asked about Fields. Wallace played his college ball at Clemson from 2016-19 and was a part of the Tigers squad that beat Ohio State 29-23 in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl. Fields threw for 320 yards but also had two interceptions and rushed for only 13 yards as he was sacked four times.
Wallace was drafted by the Eagles that spring, so he didn't play in the rematch when Fields threw for six TDs. But Wallace watched that game, saying, "I was pissed!"
Then he added: "He definitely got better. He knew what type of defense it was, and he exploited it. ... (The two INTs in the first game) was bad decision-making and how he was throwing it. But he didn’t do that the next year. He learned. He got better and he kicked our ass."
And that's the thing with Fields – he only keeps getting better. Whether it was at Ohio State or now with the Bears, he keeps getting better.
While Fields might not have broken Ohio State's NFL QB curse yet – at least not in everyone's minds – you can bet a whole lot of money that he will do everything in his power to break it as he works to put together a long and achievement-filled career in the league.
PERRY ON POINT. If anyone knows what it means to succeed as an underdog, it's the players on the 2014 Ohio State national championship team.
Joshua Perry was one of those players, and he spoke about how the 2022 Buckeyes can capture the same momentum he and his teammates generated during their magical championship run nine years ago.
.@OhioStateFB has another shot at college football glory, but they find themselves in unfamiliar territory against @GeorgiaFootball as the underdog.@BigTenNetwork's @RIP_JEP explains how the #Buckeyes can use that mentality to their advantage. pic.twitter.com/dxsKvhxBGG
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) December 16, 2022
"As talented as we were, and what we knew we could be at our high end, we always took exception to the fact that anyone would call us an underdog."
The players in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center better have this same approach when they enter Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Dec. 31.
Is Georgia the higher seed? Yes.
Are the Bulldogs the better team? Maybe. Probably. Yes.
But will they be the better team in the Peach Bowl? We shall see.
I heard a song once that went...
In Old Ohio there's a team that's know throughout the Land
11 Warriors brave and bold whose fame will ever stand
And when the ball goes over
Our cheers will reach the sky
O-hio field will hear again the Buckeye Battle Cry
Drive, drive on down that field
Men of the scarlett and gray
Don't let them thru that line
We're gonna win this game today
Come, on Ohio.
Smash Thru to Victory
We'll cheer you as you go
Our honor defend
For we'll fight to the end for old Ohio
If Perry and the 2014 team proved anything about The Ohio State University football team, it's that you can never count out the Buckeyes. In 11 days, it will be time to smash thru to victory.
OLYMPIC VILLAGE. Ohio State wrestler Nic Bouzakis can do it all. Whether he's on the mat or off of it, the talented freshman is making an impact in the Buckeye community by simply being himself.
Last week, Bouzakis brought several of his teammates and coaches to The James Cancer and Treatment Research to make and give blankets to patients who are on their first day of chemotherapy.
Freshman Nic Bouzakis along with teammates and coaches visited The James Cancer Hospital last week to aid Nic in his efforts to raise awareness and support those battling cancer. For more on Nic's story and photos of the visit, go to: https://t.co/UHiB3HfTjR#GoBucks
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) December 19, 2022
Bouzakis led the charge for the visit in honor of his younger brother, Greco, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma before his third birthday. Greco was given three months to live. Instead, Greco Roman (like the wrestling form) Bouzakis battled for more than three years before passing away in November 2016 – only three days after he turned 5 years old.
From Whitney Harding of NBC4:
“At that time, he couldn’t speak or talk or move, so what we would do is put our hand on his heart to see if it would beat,” Bouzakis said. “Me and my sister walked in, put our hands on his chest and didn’t feel anything. They called the people that needed to come pick him up, and I had to carry him out of the house.”
Bouzakis said his family was so broken that day, he knew he had to step up and be a rock for his parents and siblings. Being homeschooled, Bouzakis said he didn’t really have classmates or school friends to go to. Instead, he took everything to the mat.
“I can tell ya my workouts picked up after that,” Bouzakis said. “I kinda leaned on wrestling, and it got me here.”
“Here” is Ohio State.
And "here" at Ohio State, Bouzakis is a darn good wrestler.
The former top-ranked 132-pound recruit and No. 2 overall prospect out of Tampa, Florida, already has a first-place trophy from the Michigan State Open in November and holds a 3-1 record in duals, including a 10-6 decision against No. 6 Kyle Biscoglia of Northern Iowa on Monday in which he used an absolutely nasty cradle to win the match.
this just in: Nic Bouzakis is guy. #GoBucks https://t.co/rTMHqiHxUS pic.twitter.com/2fddAHfvcl
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) December 19, 2022
Cheers to Bouzakis for honoring his brother, Greco, with his efforts at The James. May he also continue to honor his brother with his performances on the mat at the Covelli, around the United States and the world. Wherever life takes him, a bright future lies ahead.
SONG OF THE DAY. “Stupid Deep” by Jon Bellion.
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