Buckeyes beat *ichigan, but suffer a big loss

On Saturday, the 29th of November 2014, the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the *ichigan Wolverines 42-28....but also suffered a big loss.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Quarterback J.T. Barrett took off running and was tackled awkwardly, his right leg crumpling underneath him. He was carted off the field, leg in an air cast. It was announced later in the evening, the redshirt freshman sensation who was a candidate to win the Heisman Trophy, broke his ankle and would miss the Big Ten Championship Game and any bowl game(s) the Buckeyes would play in.

Before the injury, Barrett threw for one touchdown and ran for two more scores. That gives him an Ohio State record of 34 touchdown passes in a single season, and when you add the 11 rushing touchdowns a Big Ten record of 44 touchdowns responsible for in a single season (former record holder: Drew Brees, Purdue).

Cardale Jones replaces Barrett, and lead the Buckeyes to a TD on a long run by Ezekiel Elliot. The defense also returned a fumble for a touchdown to give you the final Buckeyes total.

It was Meyer's third consecutive win against That Team Up North, still undefeated in The Game.

Jones is now the QB for the remainder of the season, and nobody knows what to expect from him. He doesn't have a lot of experience, this year he is 10/17 for 118 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions. Last season he was 1/2 for 3 yards, 0 touchdowns and interceptions, he did have a rushing touchdown last season.

Coach Meyer says that Cardale Jones can throw it and throw it well, and he can run too. A lot of people expected Jones to replace Braxton Miller, mostly because many in Ohio knew who he was in part because he played at Glenville High School in Cleveland...the same school that gave the Buckeyes players like Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., and Donte Whitner.

Jones knows the playbook and has been practicing. Nobody knew what to expect from Barrett and many people thought this would be a 3-4 loss season without Miller on the field. Instead, Barrett would have been in New York for the Heisman Trophy Presentation and was likely going to lead the Buckeyes into the inaugural College Football Playoff.

The Buckeyes take on the Wisconsin Badgers next week in the Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Buckeyes win this game, they win an outright Big Ten Championship and with that, should be in the College Football Playoff with Mississippi State losing to Ole Miss yesterday. They might not be in the top four this week, but they should be no worse than 5th with TCU in as the fourth team. But an outright conference championship, especially if the offense stays hot with Jones at QB, should give them the edge over TCU to make the final four in the final CFP standings.

Honestly, all the Buckeyes have to do to get into that final four is just....win!

QB Conundrum 2015: JT Barrett or Braxton Miller?

I know this season isn't over yet, we still have two regular season games, the Big Ten Championship Game, and then either the College Football Playoffs or a regular Bowl Game.

But right now, I want to look at what's ahead after this season.

As far as anyone knows, Braxton Miller is planning on returning to Ohio State for his senior season in 2015. When he first made this announcement after it was announced that he would miss the entire 2014 season with a shoulder injury, Buckeye fans were very happy.

None of us envisioned that JT Barrett would become one of the best quarterbacks in Ohio State history. And after that loss to Virginia Tech...

9/29 for 219 yards, 1 TD, and 3 INT...sacked seven times

I think after that game Buckeye Nation felt it would be a long season and couldn't wait for Miller's return in 2015.

But Barrett took that game and used it as fuel, he learned from it. And since then, he's been unstoppable.

Against Minnesota, JT Barrett broke two of Braxton Miller's rushing records, longest run ever by a quarterback (86 yard TD run) and most rushing yards in a single game by a QB (189). Barrett also surpassed Braxton Miller's total TD pass mark in a season (29 for Barrett, 24 for Miller).

Also, JT Barrett is one touchdown pass away from tying Troy Smith's school record of touchdown passes in a season of 30 (in 2006), with two games left that record should be broken.

This is Barrett's stat line for the season after the win at Minnesota:

165/258 2365 yards 64.0% completions 29 TD 8 INT

136 rushes 771 yards 5.7 yards per carry 9 TD

That's a season for many QB's around the country, and Barrett still has two games to improve on that!

Miller's best single season stat line:

162/255 2094 yards 63.5% completions 24 TD 7 INT (2013)

227 rushes 1271 yards 5.6 yards per carry 13 TD (2012)

Both are pretty damn good stat lines that most schools would take from their starting quarterback.

So if Braxton Miller stays true to what he said, and returns in 2015 to the Buckeyes fully healthy, what the hell is Urban Meyer going to do?

Before becoming the head coach at The Ohio State University, he spent a season working for ESPN/ABC calling games. I remember listening to him just gush about Braxton Miller, and I still think that Meyer feels the same way.

I believe that part of Meyer would want to stay loyal to Miller. An old sports adage is that you never lose your job to injury, and that's why Miller isn't on the field this season. Nothing academic, no off the field scandals. Braxton Miller, from everything I have ever read or heard, is a great guy. Goes to class, does well in his classes, doesn't draw un-needed attention to himself or the school, stays out of trouble.

However, he got to watch Barrett blossom right before his eyes. Can you bench the quarterback that is likely going to hold some school records when this year is over?

Barrett holds four of the top 9 total offense outputs in Buckeye football history:

There is a chance that he could own the top spot in this list by the end of the season. 

Miller is a weapon. He's the better runner, and likely a better overall athlete. 

However, I think Barrett is the better QUARTERBACK. And honestly, I don't think anyone (including the coaches) saw this coming from him.

I think it's going to be a hard choice to make going into the 2015 season. But if I had to make the choice, Barrett would be my starting quarterback because I feel he's better at that specific job, throwing the football.

Also, Miller has proven to be injury prone. He's missed games before this season due to injuries. There's no guarantee that he can stay on the field. 

And what a nightmare would it be for defenses if both Barrett and Miller were in the backfield together? A handoff to Miller? A motion where Miller takes the snap? A read-option where one or the other ends up with the ball? Miller motioning to the slot or out wide and catching a pass as a receiver? I think Miller could play a "slash" roll wonderfully. 

The only thing I am absolutely sure of, is that I am glad it's not my job to make this decision. When the time comes, I won't envy Urban Meyer one bit.

How long will Tom Herman stay at Ohio State?

I woke up this morning to a link to an Eleven Warriors article, The Rise of Tom Herman, from the TeamMash email list.

For those of you who don't know, Tom Herman is entering his second year as Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was a Wide Receivers Coach at Texas Lutheran), graduate assistant at Texas (1999-2000), Wide Receiver Coach at Sam Houston State (2001-2004), Offensive Coordinator at Texas State (2005-2006), Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach at Rice (2007-2008), and Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach at Iowa State (2009-2011) before being offered and accepting the same position at The Ohio State University.

Urban Meyer wanting to bring him to Ohio State because his football philosophies are very similar to his own and because he is an excellent recruiter with strong roots in Texas, a very fertile recruiting ground. His offenses are fast paced, which Urban Meyer likes. While at Iowa State, he was the QB Coach for one of the  best quarterbacks in school history.

The article brought up the question, how long will Tom Herman remain the OC for the Buckeyes. Because successful programs, especially ones with highly successful offenses, often lose assistant coaches at quite a high rate. And at the top of the list of coaches that could be poached from Ohio State, I would put Tom Herman. He's young, only 38 years old. He's got one of the best young minds in college football according to Urban Meyer. Another year of success, especially a National Championship, would bring other programs who have fired their head coaches to at least want to interview Herman.

In the Eleven Warriors article, the very first comment was this:

"Herman hopefully can be coaxed into staying a long time with well timed, large raises along the way. He is the type of coach who can take a large load off Urban's plate and extend Meyer's career for extra years. Lets keep Herman happy."

While money is very, very nice, nobody gets into coaching with dreams of simply being an offensive coordinator as the highest level the achieve. Every single graduate assistant wants to one day be a head coach. Herman has climbed the ladder from grad assistant to offensive coordinator, the final rung he must climb is taking over a program himself as the Head Coach.

I don't see this happening at Ohio State, simply because I think Urban Meyer is hear for the long haul, he won't be leaving after the 2013 season. Matter-of-fact, he won't be leaving anytime soon, so there won't be an opening in Columbus, OH in the near future if I am right.

Now, I don't think that Tom Herman would jump onto any offer of a HC job. I don't think he'd take over a program that hasn't been good in decades, if ever, just to be a head coach. I think he would wait for what he would feel is the right opportunity. One that he feels he could come in, and wouldn't be gone in three years if it's a rebuilding project for the next coach to reap the rewards of all his hard work.

That chance might not come after the 2013 season. But don't be surprised to see him interviewing for jobs, to at least prepare himself for the next offseason. I really feel that's when he will leave for a head coaching job in one of the big time conferences. I just hope it's not a Big Ten school, I wouldn't want to have to face one of his teams on even an almost-every-year basis.

Buckeye Nation, be ready. This coaching staff could change dramatically over the next few seasons as position coaches leave for coordinator positions and coordinators get head coaching gigs. But I trust Urban Meyer to bring in coaches just as good to replace those who leave.

And remember, if coaches are constantly being interviewed and offered promotions at other schools, that's a good thing. It means we are winning a lot of games, Big Ten titles, and hopefully Nation Championships.

O-H! I-O!

Looking at Ohio State's 2013 Recruiting Class

National Signing Day for college football is just a few days away as coaches try to sway the last of the uncommitted recruits, and to keep the ones that other schools are going after. Last year, there was a big deal made when Urban Meyer came in after the worst football season in over a century for the Buckeyes and started calling recruits that changed their commitments after Jim Tressel resigned and the losing season that followed. Many Big Ten coaches were upset over what they felt was a "gentlemen's agreement" that was supposedly in force under Jim Tressel that you wouldn't go after another school's committed recruit.

Most notably, Urban Meyer convinced four star offensive tackle Kyle Dodson to recommit to Ohio State after he had chosen to switch his commitment to Wisconsin after the fallout from the Tatgate fiasco. This really irked former Badgers head coach Brett Beliema who accused Meyer of using "illegal recruiting tactics" during an interview with the media. Meyer also got five star defensive end Noah Spence in this time, when many people felt he was going to attend Penn State.

Ohio State's 2013 recruiting class is currently ranked #4 overall on Scout.com and ESPN. Scout.com has Michigan ranked #1, while ESPN has them currently ranked #5 as I type this blog post. Ohio State currently has 22 commitments in this class.

The class currently has three 5 star recruits, fourteen 4 star recruits, and five 3 star recruits (ranking provided by Scout.com). Also on Scout's website, only two Big Ten schools are ranked in the top 25 (Ohio State and Michigan). ESPN has three Big Ten schools in their top 25 (Penn State #25, Michigan #5, Ohio State #4).

There are only two soft verbals in the class. Trey Johnson, a 4 star OLB from Georgia; and Ezekiel Elliot, a 4 star RB from Missouri. These are the two that I am most worried about come National Signing Day because they are the most likely to be swayed to another school, and both are being rumored to possibly sign elsewhere on February 6th. And that's the thing about National Signing Day, nothing is official until they sign on that dotted line, tying themselves to Ohio State.

This will be the second consecutive Top 5 class for Urban Meyer at Ohio State as he brings in big talent to the Buckeyes. He plans to make this team in the image of an SEC team. Big and fast. This is the only way they will be able to defeat whichever SEC team they would face of they make the BCS National Championship Game. Meyer cut his teeth at Bowling Green and Utah, two schools that aren't exactly recruiting hotbeds. At Utah, he churned out a first overall draft pick in quarterback Alex Smith.

When he went to Florida from Utah, he had multiple top ten and top five recruiting classes. In this time he won two National Championships, two SEC titles (coinciding with the National Championships, three SEC West titles, and a Sugar Bowl. He produced many first round picks on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Tim Tebow.

Now there's no way to predict how this class will pan out in the end. But it's looking like it'll be damn good, making Ohio State a force to be reckoned with for years to come not only in the Big Ten but in the National Championship picture. O-H! I-O!

What Going 12-0 Means

Yesterday Ohio State did it, they went undefeated/untied for a final 12-0 record. It's bittersweet however, because the Buckeyes are not eligible to play for the Big Ten Championship or to play in a bowl game this year.

But that doesn't mean that going undefeated means nothing. It means a whole lot, in my opinion. This is the sixth undefeated/untied season in Ohio State football history. Even if they can't compete in postseason play, they still made history. Only two teams finished the season without a loss or tie, Ohio State and Notre Dame. If the Fighting Irish were to lose the BCS National Championship Game, then the Buckeyes would be the only team with that distinction this season. They could possibly win the Associated Press National Championship if the AP Poll would vote them number one at the end of the bowl season. That would give them a split National Championship with whoever won the BCS National Championship Game.

This is also big for the future of the football program. The Urban Meyer era started with a perfect season. This team showed a lot of resiliency under the watch of Meyer, something we didn't see a lot of last year with a 6-7 season after losing to Florida in the Gator Bowl.

This sets the Buckeyes up to make a run at the final BCS National Championship next season. The Buckeyes should be ranked in the top five in the nation, if not the top two. If Notre Dame can go from unranked to start the season to #1 overall going into the bowl season then the Buckeyes can move from a top five position to number one or two.

I expect this team to go into next year with supreme confidence in what they can do. I expect them to feed off of this season. I expect them to come out with a chip on their shoulders after accomplishing perfection but having to hear all the haters asking them "what bowl are you guys playing in?," or that their perfect season "doesn't count."

Going 12-0 this year means that the Buckeyes are set up to dominate not only the Big Ten for years to come with Urban Meyer captaining the ship, but be part of the National Championship picture every year too. I like the sound of that, don't you?

Who is going to make the plays?

Buckeye fans, Saturday starts not just a new season of Ohio State football, but a new era. It starts the Urban Meyer Era in Columbus, OH.

Last season the Buckeyes had one of their worst seasons in 100 years, failing to win seven games. Luke Fickell was the interim head coach last year and the offense was pretty bad for much of the season. Jim Bollman called the offensive plays and he wasn't very trusting of true freshman quarterback Braxton Miller. Miller threw about 12 passes a game, way under the NCAA FBS average.

Now, an offensive innovator is the head coach of the team, and I believe that he's going to turn this offense (and this entire team) 180 degrees, back to a winner. Miller is a special player, and it's going to be seen much more this season.

Last year, the defense was good, but not great. I think the Silver Bullets will be back to being a great defense.

I know we cannot compete for a Big Ten Championship or play in a Bowl Game after this season, but in reality that might be a benefit. The Buckeyes can play the young players more, get them some experience that they might not have had a chance to give them because they'd be too worried about winning the division.

I say the Buckeyes will have a 10 or 11 wins season, and these are the players who I think will be making the big plays to get us there.

OFFENSE

Braxton Miller, QB: The offense is going to revolve around Miller, a dual threat quarterback who is one of the faster players on the offensive side of the football. Last season he really wasn't allowed to grow, the offense was designed to limit his mistakes. I feel Urban Meyer will be running an offense that exploits his strengths and allows him to grow as a quarterback and a complete football player. Expect his completion percentage to go up, his passing touchdowns to go up, and his rushing touchdowns to go up. Also, expect his passing attempts to go up, Meyer will allow him to throw the ball. This offense is going to be high octane.

Jake Stoneburner, WR: Stoneburner has had his position switched from tight end to wide receiver, however I expect him to line up at tight end sometimes. He's a total mismatch for many defenses. He's too fast to be covered by most linebackers, and too big for the defensive backs to successfully defend against him. I think he's going to have a great season, as long as he can stay healthy, and he might have one of the best seasons a Buckeye wide receiver has ever had. I am thinking 10+ touchdowns and over 1000 yards receiving. He'll likely be a first round pick in the NFL draft after this season.

Devin Smith, WR: Smith became a favorite target of Braxton Miller last season, hauling in a team leading 14 receptions (yes, TEAM LEADING!). He also had four touchdown receptions. I think in the new offense that Meyer is bringing in, Smith's speed is going to show and he's going to be a go to target out wide for big plays. Devin Smith was the wide receiver who caught the game winning touchdown pass against Wisconsin last season.

Carlos Hyde, RB: Yes, the offense is going to pass the ball a whole lot more than they did last season. But that doesn't mean that they are going to get away from running the football. It's a staple of Ohio State football, and Meyer isn't going to just throw that in the garbage can. Last season, Hyde had just 566 yards rushing, but he averaged 5.3 yards per carry. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield, so look for him to be a safety valve for Miller when there's nothing deep. It's better to dump down to the RB and let him get something then getting nothing or worse, getting sacked. I expect 900+ yards and 9 touchdowns from Hyde this season.

DEFENSE

Ryan Shazier, LB: Shazier is going to be an absolute beat this season, I fully expect him to lead the Silver Bullets in tackles. He's got a nose for the football and loves to hit. Shazier is the definition of a Buckeye linebacker. Expect to hear his name a whole lot this season, and for all the right reasons. Last season he had 15 tackles against Penn State, 8 against Michigan, and 10 against Florida in the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl.

John Simon, DE: Towards the end of last season, Simon was starting to become unblockable. He had seven sacks last season, and I fully expect him to lead the team in sacks this year. I think he's going to be a dominating pass rusher, wreaking havoc in opposing backfields all season long.

Jonathon Hankins, DT: I sure don't hope teams plan on running against the Buckeyes, because stopping the run all starts with Hankins, who is going to be stuffing the run all season long on the interior of what should be one of the better offensive lines in the country.

Bradley Roby, CB: Roby is going to be showing the nation this season that he's one of the best cornerbacks in Big Ten if not the entire country in 2012. I am expecting around seven interceptions from him, and he should also lead the team in passes defended.

Noah Spence, DE: I have a feeling that we are going to be seeing a lot more of Noah Spence this season than many people think. I think we will see him in obvious pass rush situations and that he may possibly become a starter opposite John Simon if Meyer feels that is his best combo at defensive end at some point this season.

Well Buckeye Nation, if the Buckeyes are going to have the big year so many of us think and hope they will, these players will be the main reasons why.