Category: Buckeyes Wire

Report: Ohio State assistant Mike Yurcich leading candidate for Texas offensive coordinator vacancy

According to Horns 247, Ohio State assistant Mike Yurcich is the lead candidate to fill the vacant Texas offensive-coordinator position.

Things haven’t gone according to plan for former Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman at Texas. He was paid handsomely to restore a Longhorn program that had slid back to mediocrity since the Colt McCoy days.

Three years in, and things still aren’t looking that far up. The Longhorns have been wildly inconsistent under Herman and his staff, so much so that he’s blown up his assistant coaching staff, trying to make changes to provide the momentum needed to probably keep his job in Austin.

One name surfacing as a leading candidate to take on the vacant role of offensive coordinator is current Ohio State assistant Mike Yurcich. The interest was reported by the Texas fan site Horns 247, (subscription required) and sites sources close to the program.

Yurchich was lured away from Oklahoma State to act as the passing game coordinator by new head coach Ryan Day at the end of last year. He’s an Ohio native, and the quarterback play and offense in Stillwater have been some of the best in the country under his watch, so it seemed like a good fit.

It’s unclear how much input he had in the offense, or game planning with Ryan Day still calling the plays and Kevin Wilson acting as the co-offensive coordinator, but the news is somewhat surprising.

There definitely appears to be a chance that Yurchich could be leaving Columbus after just one season if the reports are indeed true.

There’s no word yet from Ohio State on the interest, or why Yurcich would even want to make such a move to a program that seems to be teetering on wholesale changes — including at the top.

However, there’s sure to be more come out. As this story develops, we’ll stay on top of it, including if we get anything official from Ohio State.

 

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WATCH: Ohio State’s plane arrives in Phoenix for Fiesta Bowl

Watch as Ohio State football’s plane arrives at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport in the Fiesta Bowl.

You know it’s real when the cleats hit the ground. All the lead up to the Fiesta Bowl comes to fruition when you step off the plane and walk into the desert air.

That’s exactly what Ohio State did around 2:30 PM Mountain Time today when its plane touched down at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Sunday.

You can watch the plane arrive and hit the pavement under what looks like some cloudy skies in Phoenix, thanks to the official Twitter feed of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl. There were plenty of reporters there to witness the event and subsequent press conference.

Click on the below and watch OSU’s plane arrive in the desert.

But wait, that’s not all. There are real live coaches and players on that plane. Here’s the team’s coaches, players and select family members disembarking.

Ohio State and Clemson are all set to face off in Glendale on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 8 PM Eastern.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day Fiesta Bowl arrival press conference

The Ohio State football team has arrived in Phoenix to begin prep for the Fiesta Bowl. Head coach Ryan Day spoke to the media upon arrival.

The Ohio State football team has arrived in Phoenix to begin preparations for the Fiesta Bowl Saturday against Clemson. Well, more or less. Some players have to fly from home and will be arriving later today. But head coach Ryan Day has definitely stepped off the plane at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport.

After the team disembarked, coach Day and players Davon Hamilton and Josh Myers held a brief press conference to field questions from media member on hand to cover the arrival.

We don’t have the video, but we do have the complete transcript of all of Day’s comments. He discussed his team’s preparation, the health of everyone, what it means to be in the Fiesta Bowl, and more.

NEXT … Complete Ryan Day Fiesta Bowl arrival transcript

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Big Ten and College Football Playoff bowl 2019 expert picks and predictions

We’ve got all the predictions, odds, and picks for all the Big Ten and College Football Playoff bowl games.

We’ve made it this far on our journey and it’s time to get all the bowl shenanigans going. We’ve been picking every Big Ten football game collectively as a staff here at Buckeyes Wire and it all comes down to the postseason. It’s one last chance for someone to become the king of college football game picks.

There’s nine Big Ten teams participating in the bowl season, so it’s not a huge population, but we know you’re interested and we’ve got some bragging rights on the line even if you aren’t.

Off we go with the last hurrah of this 2019 Big Ten college football season. Oh, and we’re throwing in the New Years’ Six bowls too for fun.

A a reminder, if there’s an *next to the pick, that means the team will win, but not cover. Also, we get our odds from BetMGM.

INSTRUCTIONS: Make your pick against the spread. For example …
– If you think Ohio State will win -3.5 over Michigan: OSU
– If you think Ohio State will win outright: OSU
– If you think Ohio State will win, but NOT cover: OSU*
– If there’s a tie, George Washington settles it via the ‘ole quarter coin-flip.

Before we get going with all the picks, here’s the standings so far at the end of the regular season …

RESULTS SO FAR

@PhilHarrisonBW: 144-36 SU, 85-95 ATS
@yesh222: 135-45 SU, 97-83 ATS
@MarkRussell1975: 142-38 SU, 103-77 ATS
@BrentReeves: 140-40 SU, 95-85 ATS
@SirBrockNetter: 141-39 SU, 89-91 ATS
@JaxFryburger: 139-41 SU, 94-86 ATS
CONSENSUS PICK: 143-37 SU, 103-77 ATS

Next … Big Ten non-New Year’s Six Bowls

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After six years, Ohio State basketball held its own in the CBS Sports Classic

The Ohio State basketball program held its own against other blue-bloods of college basketball during the history of the CBS Sports Classic

When the CBS Sports Classic was first announced as a three-year run from 2014 through 2016, many asked which of these things don’t belong. The deal with the whole event was to pit some of the most dominant programs in college basketball history against one another in a round robin, three-year tournament.

But many asked why Ohio State was put among blue bloods Kentucky, UCLA, and North Carolina. I mean, the Buckeyes are a football school right, and lack the pedigree of those three dominant programs?

Well, yes, and no.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll continue to say it until we’re blue (but not Carolina or Kentucky blue) in the face. If it weren’t for football, Ohio State might be known as a basketball school.

The Buckeyes only have one national title to their credit, but they have as many Big Ten championships as any team in the conference when adding together regular season and Big Ten Tournament titles. Ohio Sate is also tied for sixth in Final Fours in the history of the sport, and have a slew of NCAA appearances and wins — even some national players of the year to boast about.

So, it should be no surprise then that Ohio State backed up that history with a respectable showing against those three other schools after the CBS Sports Classic was extended to six years, the last of which just ended this past weekend.

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It was an up and down affair to be sure over that time, but with the win over Kentucky on Saturday, OSU finished with a 3-3 record, second only to North Carolina who went 4-2. The Wildcats tied Ohio State with a 3-3 record, while UCLA had the worst showing of the four schools with a 2-4 record over the six years.

Here’s how the Buckeyes fared against each:

Kentucky: OSU went 2-0 (wins in 2015 and 2019)
UCLA: OSU went 1-1 (lost in 2016, won in 2018)
North Carolina: OSU went 0-2 (lost in 2014 and 2017)

And what about Chris Holtmann? He’s done well for himself going 2-1, with the lone loss coming to North Carolina in 2017.

There’s been no news about extending the event for another three years, but it sure was a fun tournament to showcase Ohio State over the last six years. We’ll have to see if CBS liked it enough, and if the four programs believe it fits into their scheduling philosophy going forward.

Not bad for a football school eh?

Fox College Football Crew predicts Ohio State vs. Clemson in Fiesta Bowl

Former Ohio State head coach and his FOX College Football crew including each picked the winner of Clemson and OSU in the Fiesta Bowl.

We’re now less than a week away from the Fiesta Bowl that’ll showcase No. 2 Ohio State against No. 3 Clemson. And of course, as we get closer, you’re going to run into more and more predictions. We’re not immune to it, and in fact — we’ve already put together ours.

But guess what crew also did? How about the one that’s seen more than half of the Ohio State games this year — the FOX College Football crew. Brady Quinn wasn’t a part of it, but Matt Leinart, Joel Klatt, and of course Urban Meyer gave their thoughts individually on who wins the titanic clash in the desert.

You can probably guess who Meyer went with, but click on the below and see what the three individuals said, and ultimately decided to go with to move on to New Orleans.

Dwayne Haskins exits game vs. Giants with apparent ankle injury

Former Ohio State and current Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins was hit low and sustained an apparent ankle injury against the Giants.

Dwayne Haskins is now the man in Washington and he’s starting to show some of the promise the franchise was hoping for. In fact, he was voted Rookie of the Week after last week’s performance against the Philadelphia Eagles.

He was beginning to build on that against the NY Giants Sunday, but he left the game after a low hit and was carted off with an apparent ankle injury.

Prior to being injured, Haskins was putting together his best game of a short career, completing 12 of 15 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns. He was effective in the pocket, but also had some nice moments rolling out of danger and hitting receivers like this ten-yard beauty to Steven Sims for a touchdown.

Unfortunately, Haskins is now doubtful to return and we’ll have to see what comes out after the game about the severity of the injury he sustained. Here’s the hit that resulted in him being taken back to the locker room. Both videos here are courtesy of Mark Bullock of the Athletic.

We’ll have more on this developing story.

 

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Ohio State basketball’s win over Kentucky in stunning photos

Ohio State added another quality win to its resume with a 71-65 win over the Kentucky Wildcats. Re-live the victory in stunning photos.

Nothing says a big win like high-resolution images that capture big moments. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and there’s plenty to say after the Ohio State basketball team added another win to an already impressive resume.

So, take some time to scroll through some game images from the action on the court between Ohio State and Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic out in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Buckeyes were able to extend its modest one point lead at halftime out to a couple of buckets in the second half and never looked back in a 71-65 triumph.

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Watch what Kentucky head coach John Calipari said about Ohio State postgame

Kentucky head coach John Calipari met with the media after his team lost to Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic. Watch everything he said.

Ohio State toughed one out against a top-ten Kentucky team and continued to build upon its impressive resume.

Wildcat head coach John Calipari met with the media after his team’s loss to talk about his team, the game, and field questions from reporters. If you know anything about Calipari, he’s a talker, but he’s brutally honest to his players, assistant coaches, and the media.

He had plenty to say after the game, and he was very complimentary and impressed with Ohio State and had no problem heaping praise on the Buckeyes.

If you didn’t catch any of his comments, you can get his entire press conference here thanks to the YouTube Channel of Kentucky Wildcats TV. Just click on the below and listen.

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Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

We have a forum and message board now. Get in on the conversation about Ohio State athletics by joining the Buckeyes Wire Forum.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari calls Ohio State a top 1,2,3 team

Ohio State got another top ten win. Kentucky head coach John Calipari was impressed with the Buckeyes and called them a top 1,2,3 team.

Ohio State won big again, this time on the national stage against a top ten Kentucky team in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Buckeyes played an athletically gifted Wildcat team to a virtual stalemate at halftime, but once the second half began, the Buckeyes managed to lead from start to finish. It was a tight game throughout, but one in which Ohio State continued to make plays when it needed in order to keep the Wildcats arms’ length and, and salt away a big-time, resume-building win.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari met with the media after his team lost and had had high praise for Ohio State — even calling the Buckeyes one of the top teams in the country.

“We fought, we tried,” said Calipari. “Thank God we had Nate… Ohio State played their butts off. That’s a top 1,2, 3 team. That’s what they are.”

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Calipari should know. He was impressed watching tape of the Buckeyes heading into the showdown on the strip, but he seems to be even more impressed after. He’s won a couple of national titles himself, and has had seen his fair share of top teams — national-title winning teams — both his and others throughout the years.

Now receiving praise and winning big things don’t always go hand in hand, but it’s clear to Calipari and others that this year’s Ohio State squad has the talent to make a deep run in March.