Central Florida Recap

I could write a very easy synopsis of the Ohio State v. UCF game:

UGLY, BUT EFFECTIVE

That sums it up nicely. Granted, UCF was a superior opponent to Miami of Ohio, but the Buckeyes did NOT play well on Saturday. I think the game plan was to run Braxton Miller 17 times. He ran the ball 27. I know not all of those were designed runs, but where are his receivers??

I heard three names during the first half of the game: Braxton Miller, Travis Howard, and Orion Johnson.

Miller played okay. I didn't see anything superior in his passing or running game. When Carlos Hyde went out with an MCL sprain, it was nice that Miller could fill that runningback role. But wait...Miller ISN'T A RUNNINGBACK!! If we intend to use him as a RB, why not play Kenny Guiton as a QB and put Braxton in the backfield? Because Braxton is a QB, and he has talent to be an even better QB, and we haven't gotten to see much of that talent yet because for some reason, the plays are not developing well thus far.

And while I am focusing on the offense, I will say that some of the receivers were decent in this game. It is obvious that Miller has taken a liking to Philly Brown. But Philly, here is my only note of significance to you. When your team is up by 2 scores in the 4th quarter and trying to burn some clock, please, oh please, STAY IN BOUNDS after you catch the ball.

Devin Smith continues to be impressive with most of his receiving capabilities. It is also nice to see Stoneburner step up and make some plays.

Now to the defense.

The question that has been nagging me for 2 weeks is, "Where is John Simon?" I was so excited pre-season because I heard John Simon had returned for his senior season, despite high potential in the NFL draft and the post-season ban imposed on the Buckeyes this year. And I think he made one significant tackle on Saturday. Granted, he is always there, behind the scenes, pulling blockers to him, being held on every play.

But between John Simon and Big Hank (Johnathan Hankins) on our D Line, OSU was supposed to be dominant this season. Against two relatively weak opponents, OSU has failed to be impressive, and I have seen so little pressure on the opposing QBs that I can't help but wonder what is wrong there.

But the D-Line is the not the biggest of the offensive woes. No, that honor goes to the secondary. Travis Howard is much improved from last season, and he only made one critical mistake on Saturday that I could see (when he committed a lazy and blatant pass interference penalty), but the secondary often looked confused and was almost always out of position. Later, the coaches made comments about lack of understanding and communication on the field. That is a problem, if you are having trouble communicating the plays to the players AT HOME. What happens when you go to MI State or, gulp, Wisconsin?? Noah Spence was out of position most of the game, but most notably on the play that sticks in my brain now:

The Buckeyes accepted a penalty on what would have been 4th down, in an attempt to get UCF out of field goal position. This made it 3rd and 21. I thought to myself, "I hope this is worth is Urban, and they don't convert this." But then of course, how often does a team convert on 3rd and 21?

Well on Saturday, UCF converted 3rd and 21 once. Because THREE of OSU's secondary players were out of position on that play. There were THREE Buckeyes in the middle of the field surrounding ZERO UCF players. Because the UCF players were too busy catching the ball on the side of the field, thus converting the down and setting themselves up for a touchdown.

Travis Howard and Orion Johnson were key to OSU's victory, both making key interceptions at critical moments and swinging the momentum of the game. Gameball to Braxton for his rushing and minimal passing efforts. He stepped up and figured out a way to win.

All-in-all, I can't say much more than the game was sloppy and ugly. There are so many examples of this that I could go on for paragraphs more. And I would really rather not. In a nutshell, OSU needs to run Braxton less to prevent injury and to develop a real passing threat; pressure the opposing QB more; and figure out what the heck is going on in the secondary.

But on a weekend where most of the Big Ten teams fell to inferior opponents, OSU came away with a win, and it was a 2-score win at that. So that can't be all bad.

Going forward: CALIFORIA. I have been invited to this game by my #1 fan. He looks forward to learning more about football from me. He tells me I can stand when other people are standing but I have to behave myself otherwise.

I will fill you in on how that goes next time. :)

Miami(OH) Recap

I didn't do a preview of the Ohio State vs. Miami (OH) game, because I honestly didn't have much to go on. I heard prior to the game that Miami's QB is on pace to break Ben Roethlisberger's records at Miami(OH). So I guess it shouldn't have come as a great surprise that 90% of the plays (at least) Miami ran were without a tailback of any kind in the backfield. The sad thing is that it took the defense almost a quarter to figure out how to handle that kind of an offense.

I must admit, I was sitting in the stands a little bit concerned. I wasn't concerned that we would lose the game. I never felt like that was a true scenario that would play out. I was concerned that when we got to the meat of our schedule, we would start to relive last year's disaster of an offense.

The start of the game seemed to be a test for Braxton and the new offense. Obviously, we have all heard that this will be a fast-paced offense, without many huddles, meant to keep the game moving and wear down the opposing defense. So that part didn't surprise me. I was really surprised that we lacked a running game (outside of Braxton pulling down the ball and taking off) for much of the first quarter. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised...it is just such an adjustment to go from a power running team to one that uses the run as a supplement to the pass more than a key to the game.

The next thing I noticed (and appreciated) was that Urban made adjustments. And when I say he made adjustments, I am not talking the adjustments the man next to me predicted ("Oh, they will fix it in the locker room at halftime...). No, he made adjustments after the first quarter! Maybe part of it was that our fast pace was wearing down the Redhawks defense. Maybe our offense started relaxing and clicking. Maybe Urban called everyone over and said, "Hey this isn't working, we need to do this, this, and this." I don't know. But the adjusting happened in the 2nd quarter, and you could see that by the halftime score of 21-3 (versus 0-3 at the end of Quarter 1).

Speaking of that halftime score, the final offensive drive by the Buckeyes in the first half intrigued me. With 3 seconds to go in the half, leading 21-3 from the 1 yard line, with an almost guaranteed 3 points from the leg of Drew Basil, Meyer elected to go for the touchdown. If you have watched Meyer coach before (and most Buckeye fans have [insert groan here]), you know that he would go for it in this situation. From the 1 yard line, an offense like OSU's should be able to punch it in against an inferior defense. But the Buckeyes didn't quite make it in, and they had to settle for their 18-point lead at the half as well as a likely butt-ripping from Coach Meyer.
But the whole offensive drive was a new experience for fans, wasn't it? The Buckeyes got the ball with less than 2 minutes to go in the half, and they could have easily burned the clock down and run into the locker room for rest and recuperation. When I was trying to convince my mom that Tressel would have taken the field goal from the 1 with 3 seconds to go (mom didn't seem to believe me at first), a woman behind me remarked that he would never made it that far down the field -- he would have run out the clock and taken a knee! All that to say -- I think it is going to take Buckeye fans some time to adjust to the way our games are going to be called from now on!

And even halftime brought a new atmosphere. TBDBITL is under new leadership as well, with the retirement of Dr. Woods, and they were SPECTACULAR. They did a Beach Boys arrangement that was lively and enthralling, complete with formations that kept the crowd far more interested than I have seen them in a while. But then again, when have the Beach Boys ever been dull? =)

The third quarter brought more offense, with a big run from the legs of Braxton Miller for a score, but my mom had just told me how she was beginning to feel sorry for Miami when they ended up driving down the field for a score. There were 11 minutes or so left in the THIRD quarter. Plenty of time for Miami to mount a comeback, however unlikely. Plenty of time for Mark May to sit and salivate about how Ohio State wasn't winning by enough points to be taken seriously (more on that later). I told mom she was not allowed to feel sorry for Miami until at least the fourth quarter. They came to play -- I doubt they would want anyone's pity.

I did become concerned watching Braxton's runs in the second half. He needs to learn to throw the ball away more often instead of trying to force plays. It is exciting to see him make something out of nothing, but there are times when he needs to toss it away and not risk a major loss of yards. He was very lucky to get called for intentional grounding in the third quarter, rather than a fumble recovered by Miami. I know I am just a girl, but if you are going to ground the ball, I recommend throwing it directly into the ground, rather than throwing it up for grabs in a flailing attempt to make something happen.
Also, all those hits Braxton incurred (while also inspiring) throughout the game made me very nervous. When he went down with cramps after taking a hit running out of bounds, I would have been happy to see him rest for the remainder of the minutes. I know, I know -- we have to build up his stats and get him playing time. But when he returned, he was obviously still not feeling 100% and it risked injury to him if he was uncomfortable out there. Plus, it was great to see Kenny Guiton's improvement from last season. Urban has said he wasn't impressed with Kenny G when he arrived on campus but has since changed his tune -- and Guiton didn't disappoint with his performance. The first two series were not awe-inspiring, but from that point on, Guiton played with control and composure, completing passes and keeping the ball (and the offense) moving. Again, bear in mind that he was playing a tired Redhawks defense, but it was nice to see a backup QB whose philosophy on being a backup doesn't center around which band member will be the target of his next pass.

As the game wound to a close, and OSU was winning handily at 49-10 with very little time left to play, we once again saw a controversial (at least in Columbus) decision to keep scoring against an obviously outmatched opponent. Late in the fourth quarter, Zach fell just short of the endzone after an impressive run. I have always been impressed by Boren's blocking skills. Now I am impressed with his running skills. And on the very next play, they gave the ball to Boren to finish it out, putting the Buckeyes up 56-10. There is no way Tressel would have taken that score, and I am sure it left a bad taste in the mouths of many Buckeye fans who remember the era of Jim Tressel and his "classy" ways. I liked being a classy team too, actually. But I also know that there are a lot of people out there who weren't watching the OSU-Miami(OH) game to see whether OSU was going to be classy late in the game. People who just check the score to see whether the Powerhouse thrashed the Underdog like it was supposed to.

Which leads me back to the idea of Mark May and what his opinion represents. We all know that May doesn't exactly care for OSU. Too many times I have seen him break in at halftime and question why the Buckeyes are only up by 2 TDs or at the end of the game when he criticizes the Buckeyes for winning only by a fractional margin in comparison to Wisconsin's drubbing of their opponent. Unfortunately, in the college world nowadays, you have to earn what are called "style" points. You have to make a statement for people to take you seriously. You have to develop a killer instinct. And quite frankly, it isn't your job to make your opponent stop you from scoring either. Miami(OH) showed up Saturday to play a football game. I doubt they were surprised that they didn't win. I doubt the players were astounded that Coach Meyer gave the green light on scoring when they were winning 49-10. I am sure the Redhawks defense wasn't happy that they couldn't stop OSU from scoring. But I also doubt any of them are outraged that Meyer "ran up" the score on them. It's another adjustment a lot of OSU fans will have to make over the coming years.

A couple quick thoughts on individual performance:

• Bradley Roby changed his number this season from #25 to #1. From the way he was playing Saturday for the majority of the game, this is a fitting change. I felt like there were few plays where Roby wasn't involved, and he nearly had an interception to boot. He flew around the field, and I was thoroughly impressed with his individual performance.
• Carlos Hyde may not be a back who breaks out for long runs often (yet), but watching him run sure is fun. He bounces off defensive tackles and linebackers like a pinball, often shaking off the first tacklet and gaining a few more yards before he is brought down. His effort is remarkable.

Until next week!

Raise 'Em Right!

When  my daughter was born, I would sing to her every night. Songs included Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, The Alphabet Song, Hush Little Baby, and--of course--The Buckeye Battle Cry and Carmen Ohio.

Lately, I have been singing the songs to my son, and she has definitely picked up on more of the words of the latter two songs. Sometimes she tries to sing them to herself, and I have to say, it warms my heart. She doesn't quite have the words down, but she gets the gist of it. I have been trying to catch her on camera, but she clams up when I pull the camera out, but I at least wanted to share what I usually hear from her when she attemps to sing it.

In Ol' Ohio, there's a baby
Known throughout the land
Eleven warmers, brazen fold
Who fames shall never land


And when the ball over
our cheers reach the SKY!
Ohio field hears again
The Buckeye Bat Cry!


DRIVE! DRIVE down to the field
Men of scarmitt and grey!
Don't go through the vine,
We win this game today!
COME ON OHIO!


SMASH through to dickory
We cheer as you go!
Our smwhuwh defend, we fight to end
for O-HI-O!

2012 Women's Football Clinic

Coach Meyer and Me

As I mentioned in my Spring Game entry, I learned about a unique opportunity to attend the Women's Football Clinic, which was to be held June 9th at the Woody Hayes Athletic Facility. I wasn't sure what to expect, as the description was less-than-descriptive, but I heard a couple of things about meeting Coach Urban Meyer and learning more about football (two things I knew I would enjoy), so I signed up and invited my friend Kim to join me.

When I received the itinerary for the event, I was still a bit befuddled. It briefly mentioned offensive and defensive demonstrations, auctions, and drills. DRILLS? Hmmm. Okay. It also encouraged participants to wear athletic shoes. In my mind, I pictured most of the women attending to be in their mid-to-late 50s, so I couldn't imagine what they had planned for us. I also wasn't sure who was running the camp, but it guaranteed a photo opp with Coach Meyer, so again, I was game.

Lines to see Vrabel and Fickell

So when Kim, her sister Abby, and I arrived at the camp, we were still a bit unsure about what we were in for. Immediately after registering, we received a goodie bag with sunscreen (the camp was to benefit cancer research and funding at the OSU James Cancer Hospital as well as the Stefanie Spielman Foundation), a nice bracelet, and a nifty keychain. We jumped in line for our photo with Coach Meyer, and as we stood there, we noticed a separate line growing. Apparently people were having their pictures taken with defensive coaches Fickell (formerly the interim head coach) and Vrabel (former OSU great and New England Patriot). My fascination grew -- these were some of the bigger name coaches on staff! That's impressive!

Me and Abby

The line for pictures moved quickly, and when it came my turn, I felt like a groupie. I tried to maintain my composure, said "Hi Coach" and stepped up for my picture. He smiled for the camera, patted my shoulder, and  said, "Have fun today!"

As we took our seats to start the day of events, runningbacks coach Stan Drayton stepped up to the podium with his wife beside him. This was a theme throughout the day -- the coaches brought their wives with them, and you could just sense the utter respect they had for these women. It was heartwarming. Drayton introduced Athletic Director Gene Smith.

Kimmie and Me

Now, you may have read some of my opinions on Gene Smith. Sufficed to say, he was also taking pictures with fans, and his line was not very long. His bungling of last year's events did not make him popular in Columbus. However, as he gave his introductions, I have to admit that he was quite charming and really comical. He poked fun at himself and the mess he had made of some things recently, telling anecdotes along the way.

Coach Vrabel was hilarious!

I have to tell you that from the very beginning of the day, all of the coaches were pushing for high-energy experiences from all the "campers." They wanted to see people jumping out of their seats, screaming and cheering. At one point, Coach Meyer sent a woman back to her seat because the crowd had not properly applauded as she approached the stage.

One of the nicest coaches out there.
Hoping he does really well as
Defensive Coordinator this season!

Moving on to Coach Meyer's introductions,  he stressed the idea of competitive excellence through instruction and repetition (reps). He even emphasized that back-ups needed to get mental reps as they watched the starters play -- highlighting that ever-popular theory of reloading rather than rebuilding.

The coaches who did the demonstrations were not the assistants and graduate assistants that I expected -- they were all head coaches of their respective groups. The RB coach, LB coach, WR coach, Strength coach, Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator, etc. I recognized all of their names, and their attitudes and instruction were fun-filled and informative, all presented with humor and levity.

I could go on for pages trying to convey to you the energy and experience of the day, and you still won't fully grasp how entertaining the activities were--how each coach mixed comedy with coaching, all the while threatening us with grueling workouts to come in the afternoon's 87-degree heat.

As the presentations went forward, they pulled volunteers onto the stage to represent the positions on the team. From Coach Fickell, we learned that OSU primarily plays a 4-3 defensive strategy; that almost no one knows the name of noseguard on the defense for OSU (because they rarely get the credit or the blame) even though they are one of the anchors on the defensive front; and that the middle linebacker needs to be THE leader on the defensive side of the ball. Without a strong leader in that position, the defense will falter under pressure.

If you are going to read this blog,
you must understand that I love Troy Smith
as a college football player.

On offense, we learned (from Coach Tom Herman) the importance of equating numbers -- that is, pulling defensive players out of position by using different formations that will confuse or mislead them, thus equaling the amount of blockers to tacklers, and giving the RB or QB a chance to run a successful play.
Coach Mickey Marotti was probably my favorite. They call him the "FUN" coach, because he is insane. He has more energy that anyone else I have seen at his age, and he managed to yell at us and make us laugh simultaneously. I can understand why Coach Meyer brought him up from Florida.

Best Rivalry in College Football!

Then it was time to get serious -- we needed to focus on the meaning of the day, which was raising money for "the cause." Representatives from the OSU James Cancer Clinic gave presentations about funding, research, and prevention. And after our lunch, we moved on to the silent and live auctions to raise money for the cause. Items included pre-game sideline passes, dinner with the team the Friday before a game, tickets to the OSU-UM game with pre-game sideline passes and the chance to sing Carmen Ohio with the team after the game, and various autographed items. Unfortunately, the silent auction and live auctions weren't anything in which I was involved. The majority of the silent auction items went for $500-$600 each, and the bidding started around $500 for the live auction items, and eventually they sold for $3300 and $7000, respectively. It was encouraging to raise so much money for the Stefanie Spielman Fund, but it did alienate a lot of the group who couldn't afford to participate. If I had to make any suggestion for next year, I would include a variety of raffle items, leading up to a grand prize, and I would sell tickets for $5 each. That would raise at least $2000 and would allow everyone to get involved.

I found my locker!

After the auctions, there was a brief equipment demonstration as well as a talent show featuring former player Kirk Barton and some of the assistant coaches. It included popular dance numbers, and Abby and I enjoyed the opportunity to get up and move around a bit.

Then it was time for drills for Abby and me. The other half of the 800 women in attendance went on a tour of the locker room and facilities. I wasn't sure what to expect of the drills, but I can tell you that next time I will be wearing athletic shorts. I also have a new appreciation for the football team! The coaches did not torture us -- but they did give us a great taste of what the football players endure in training for the season. We did footwork drills, blocking drills, catching, passing, tackling (my favorite), fumble recovery (MUCH tougher than it looks on TV), and just plain sprinting.

The "Naughty List"

Finally, we came back inside and it was our turn to do the tour. Kim had gone with the first group, so she led me on the way. We went through the locker room, the hallways, the meeting rooms, and the players' lounge. We saw the trophies, inspirational quotes, memorabilia, and the weight room. One of my favorite parts was the "Naughty List," as I like to refer to it. It lists each of the players based on attitude and effort. Scarlet is the best, Grey is the middle, and Maize (i.e., a TTUN color) is bad. Let's just say that two of the players who were recently suspended were in the Maize section, and I am guessing it will take them a while to get back up to the Grey!

Kim enjoying the air conditioned players' lounge

We ended the day with something called a Smokehouse Challenge. It began with a sprinting competition, by age group, and ended with a push-up challenge (i.e., push-ups done in 10-unit increments). As I watched the winner do roughly 175 push-ups, I noticed the coaches down on the ground, cheering the competitors forward. I saw Urban Meyer, head coach of the OSU Buckeye football team, pouring water on the women to cool them off. I saw inspiration and leadership and camaraderie.

  I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am for next year's Women's Football Clinic. I will be registering right away! I encourage all of my female friends to attend. You will have a blast, and you will get some great personal memorabilia out of it! And most importantly, you will be supporting an amazing cause -- Cancer Research and Prevention.

Woody Hayes' Chalkboard

After the drills

Ahhh, memories. It looks a little lonely though.

Coach Schlegel (he couldn't
believe I wanted a picture with him!)

I was talking when Abby snapped this.
Coach Meyer was telling me
how much he loves Script Ohio.

Spring Game

I have been remiss in posting my take-aways from the OSU Spring Game. To my reader, I apologize. Unfortunately, this isn't my 8:30 - 4:30 gig, so things get in the way of blogging.

But if you hadn't heard, the OSU Spring Game took place Saturday, April 21st. And if you haven't heard, I am really surprised, because the turnout for the Spring Game was an astonishing 81,112 people. That was the highest for all of the NCAA football programs. And looking around the stadium, people filtered in pretty steadily until 15 minutes after the start of the game, filling up a good portion of C-Deck. Not too shabby for a cold and rainy day in Columbus, Ohio.

And in that cold and rain, Coach Urban Meyer came out on the field wearing shorts!

I have been to a few spring games at OSU, so I was interested to see whether the first Spring Game under the Urban Meyer era was any different. So despite the bleak weather, my husband and I braved the elements and sat in the rain through about 3 quarters of spring football. And if I wasn't pumped up for next season before...


I am now.


Before the game started, I was expecting to seeing the infamous Hive at mid-field. I have always enjoyed watching the players get revved up before the games. So as they gathered mid-field before the game, a part of me smiled that Tradition was being upheld. And all of a sudden, the Hive parted in the middle, and two OSU players took their stances opposite one another, as if they were playing a one-on-one football scrimmage.

Interesting.

As we watched, pair after pair of players took a stance across from each other, as the players surrounding them in a ring looked on and cheered.

So somewhat the same, with a new twist. I can get into that.

Then the players lined up to start the game. Anyone who was there can correct me if I am wrong, but I didn't see any returns on punts throughout the game. So as far as player safety goes, it looks like Urban is covering his bases, because the QBs were considered down by (sometimes minimal, or not-even-real) contact.

And much to my surprise, Urban wasn't pacing the sidelines in his I-must-still-think-I-am-in-Florida-or-I-wouldn't-be-wearing-shorts-on-a-40-degree-day-in-April-in-Ohio-shorts. No, Coach Meyer lined up in what appeared to be an official's stance, about 10 to 15 feet behind the offensive line, as if he was scrutinizing every aspect of the play personally.

I can definitely get into that.

How many times have we heard people complain that Coach Tressel (and even Coach Fickell, to some extent) failed to make adjustments during a game? And didn't we all watch as Florida, under a certain un-retired coach, dismantled a Buckeye team in the National Championship years ago because that OSU team failed to make adjustments? This is all streaming through my head as I watch Urban Meyer pull his QB, RB, OL, etc., aside throughout the game, coaching them immediately about the execution of any play he didn't quite like.

Then, midway through the 2nd quarter, as Basil lined up to kick a field goal, Urban Meyer was standing RIGHTNEXTTOHIM. I said to the husband, "No pressure." His retort? "He needs to feel some pressure. Why do you think our kicking game is so bad?" Good point.
And to top that off, Meyer then decided he was going to test that kicking game, backing up Basil 5 yards progressively and making him repeat each distance until he successfully made a field goal. The crowd seemed to like the challenge, but it really got them riled up when Meyer lifted his arms, urging them to cheer louder.

So, all-in-all, Meyer impressed me in the Spring Game. He seems to have implemented subtle changes to improve the competitive spirit in the players. I didn't see any miracles on the field, but I did see a lot of fun-filled sparring.

Moving on to some of the players...

Braxton Miller, our young star QB, started out with a bang and ended with a fizzle. He seemed sharp and elusive at the beginning of the game, but even though his stats were good, what I saw on the field was still a collection of athletic skills -- not necessarily an overwhelming quarterback. He ran well, and there were times that the down-by-sorta-kinda-contact hurt him, because it looked like he would have made a play, but someone on the DL got  a piece of his jersey. But overall, I am still frustrated by the lack of patience in the pocket and how Braxton stares down his first option receiver, leading to broken plays and interceptions.

Kenny Guiton looked even more impressive, perhaps because we didn't see much of him last season, and anyone looks pretty great compared to Bauserman. But he made solid decisions, and he advanced through his progressions very well. He isn't quite as quick on his feet as Miller, but what he lacks in track skills, he makes up for in confidence and poise. If nothing else, he gives us another solid QB option.

Regarding the runningbacks, Carlos Hyde was average. The offensive line still isn't wowwing anybody with their blocking, so I think that is what people really want to see improvement in this season. The person who really stuck out toting the rock was Bri'onte Dunn, our shining new star. His cuts were impressive, and he will be exciting to watch.

The receivers were average, and the tight ends were targeted often, though they had a little bit of trouble connecting with the QB. There is no star pass-catcher, but they all serve their purposes. It will be interesting to see if any of them can get good separation against star corners.

Speaking of corners, and the defense as a whole, while we didn't get to see the defensive unit as we will see it in the Fall (with the return of Nate Williams as a solid complement to Jon Simon), they got good pressure on the QBs throughout the game and the corners picked off the QBs a couple of times. Defensive prowess is never easy to judge in a game where you have to be careful who you hit, but they looked pretty sharp overall.

I am really excited to see where this goes in the coming season.

In the meantime, I am thrilled that I will be attending the Women's Football Clinic on June 9th! It will give me an opportunity to meet the coaches, see informational sessions, and even strap on some shoulder pads and go through a few drills. I think it will give me some great insight for the blog. =) Stay tuned!

Return to Glory?

Let me first apologize for not covering the basketball Buckeyes' trip to the Final Four. I have no other reason than just being too busy with the rest of life to do much in the way of blogging. But I think the Buckeyes did a fantastic job in the NCAA Tourney, and despite the way it ended, they have nothing to be ashamed of this season. With the return of starters Lenzelle Smith Jr (who was amazing in the first several rounds of the tournament), DeShaun Thomas (who became one of the tournament's leading scorers), several bench players, and the ultimate defensive talent of Aaron Craft, I think the Buckeyes could put together another great run next season.

And speaking of next season, the Football Spring Game quickly approaches! Can you believe it? I expect record numbers to flock to the Horseshoe next Saturday, April 21st, to witness the installment of Urban Meyer's new offense and get a glimpse of the new Ohio State Buckeyes.
There has been a lot of speculation about how next season will go, and I hear a lot of people claiming that next season we (meaning OSU) will return to our former glory and reclaim a spot at the top of the Big Ten, which would be a championship if not for that nasty little post-season ban.
I have seen a lot of things about Urban Meyer in the news, but can I just make one quick observation about Coach Meyer:

I don't believe he has ever worked as a magician.

I have great confidence that Coach Meyer will elevate the play of the Buckeyes throughout the season, that the Buckeyes will find the leadership and continuity they were sorely missing last season, and that eventually they will become a dominant force in the Big Ten, if not the nation.

But let me also point out that the offense that Urban Meyer is installing is so drastically different from the traditional offense that Ohio State has employed for so many years that you are likely to see a lot of growing pains in the play of the Buckeyes when they begin to implement this new system. Remember that TTUN tried to adopt a spread offense years ago and never really recovered until firing Rich Rodriguez and hiring Brady Hoke, who essentially restored the traditional offense to get the Wolverines back on track.

Now, I know that Urban Meyer is a far superior coaching talent than Rich Rodriguez. But I feel obliged to note that so far, observers of the Buckeyes practices have not been too impressed with their grasp of the new offense. There have definitely been some hiccups, and Coach Meyer hasn't been shy to admit this. There have also been some bright spots, one of whom is Jordan Hall, the leading tailback. The offensive line is looking better with the adjustments that Meyer has made, and the return of Jon Simon on the defensive line, in combination with the anticipated return of the injured Nathan Williams, definitely speaks volumes for the defense as a whole.

But in the spread offense, there is a large need for speedy and effective receivers, and that was something the Buckeyes certainly lacked last season. Meyer hasn't been shy about his doubts in the receiving corps.

So while I am eager to see this new, explosive offense -- especially given the offensive woes the Buckeyes suffered last season -- I have to say I am not one of those Buckeye fans who thinks that Urban Meyer is the next David Copperfield, who will magically transform the offensively challenged, i-formation, power football Buckeyes into a high-speed, spread formation, scoring-at-will team.

I know they will be better, but I also think it might end up being a good thing that we aren't working toward the post-season this year. We have a lot to work on through the season. Because I do know that once this offense does take hold (and I have no doubt that it will in the next few seasons), Buckeye fans are going to be spending a lot more money on bowl tickets!

And speaking of money, i was just reading about the new scoreboard renovations set to occur April 23rd. Apparently they are increasing the size of the scoreboard from a measley 30-by-90 feet to 42-by-124 feet, with high-definition, increased speakers, and LED ribbon boards that will flank the South stands. As if it weren't exciting enough to go and see Urban Meyer coach the Buckeyes this season, now you get a more visually stimulating scoreboard experience to boot. I wonder how much that will increase ticket prices altogether? I will have to ask my mom...

Signing Day

Signing Day was Wednesday. This was the day all Buckeye fans have been waiting for. The day when the Urban Meyer era would officially stake its claim and give fans a preview of the era to come.
And may I say, it did not disappoint. Urban Meyer took a subpar recruiting class and made it one of the top 5 recruiting classes in the nation. He signed 5 offensive linemen, 4 linebackers, 3 defensive ends, etc. etc. etc. In all, Meyer landed 25 recruits, many of whom had previously committed to schools such as Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Penn State.
This last point has stirred up much controversy in recent days. Apparently Coaches Bielema and D'antonio haven't taken too kindly to Meyer's recruiting tactics -- namely, Meyer actively recruiting players who had given verbal commitments to their schools.
Bielema, I can't call him a baby on here. That would give babies a bad name. No, I don't have a real word for Bielema. Every loss he has had to Ohio State has been followed by excuses and underhanded insults. Let's face facts that Wisconsin currently is more of a rival to Ohio State than That Team Up North has been in recent years (despite the outcome of The Game this year). And I enjoy a good jab back-and-forth between rivals. But Bielema's antics aren't in the spirit of a good rivalry. It is more of a "I'm-gonna-take-my-ball-and-go-home" nature. It takes away from the fun, and this week has been no exception. He has hurled accusations and whiny comments in the direction of Meyer, even referring to Meyer's recruiting practices as illegal. It speaks of a sore loser, and it takes beating him and his Badgers to a whole new level.
D'Antonio is a coach I have always respected. Though he hasn't said much to Meyer's recruiting himself, his assistant wasn't too thrilled to lose a recruit (Se'von Pittman) to Meyer and the Buckeyes, citing a handshake agreement between D'Antonio and Tressel that they wouldn't recruit each other's commitments. I have something to say about that one...

Tressel doesn't coach at Ohio State anymore.

So yes, Meyer's tactics are a little more aggressive. It is going to change the "gentlemanly" recruiting practices of the Big Ten in the near future. But maybe that is a good thing, because the Big Ten as it stands hasn't been too successful in the national standing lately. So a little more spirited competition might be the best thing it could get.

And really, you can't blame players for wanting to play for Urban Meyer. He is like the superstar of the Big Ten right now. If you wanted to go to a Big Ten school, wouldn't you want to go to the one that has dominated the Big Ten for almost a decade (save 1 year full of uncertainty and violations) that is donning a bright and shiny new coach?