Category: Buckeyes Wire

Can Ryan Day carry over the success with Ohio State in an underdog role?

Ohio State has been favored in every single matchup this year, but that’s not the case in the Fiesta Bowl. How will Ryan Day handle it?

With the regular season and another Big Ten Trophy in the trophy case at The Woody, Ohio State now turns its eyes towards preparing for the matchup in the desert against the reigning champs Clemson Tigers.

With the recent history against Clemson, it’s an intriguing matchup. Ohio State is 0-3 against the Tigers, and fans would love to get a sour taste out of their mouth after the 31-0 dominating game Clemson pitched against Ohio State in 2016. Could it be that this year will change the narrative against Clemson?

For the first time this year, Ohio State is an underdog in the Fiesta Bowl despite being the higher seed. In just a short week, it went from being the College Football Playoff’s No. 1 team, to now nearly everyone picking the Tigers to beat the Buckeyes and move on to the national title game. While it may be disappointing to many, it could also be just the extra motivation that the team needs to elbow its own way to a national title.

But let’s be clear here. While there are several players that were part of that 2016 team this one is very, very different. Whether it be coaches, players, or schemes, Ohio State is far different than when it got trounced in the desert last time out.

Some might remember that Urban Meyer was incredible as an underdog with a crazy and somewhat unbelievable 7-0 record.  Could Day be just as great with Urban in that category? Day has this calm presence and has faced adversity this year.

While the conference championship game was too close in the first half for comfort, it tested Day and his staff’s resolve, resiliency, and game-management on the biggest stage yet in his young coaching career. When it’s all said and done, all eyes will be eagerly awaiting the matchup in the desert in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl to see how he does.

Maybe he’ll show he can go from underdog to top dog?

 

Five Ohio State players named to Walter Camp All-American Team

Ohio State landed a nation-leading five players on the Walter Camp All-American teams.

Ohio State players may be missing out on some of the bigger awards as college football parades its annual circuit of trophies and recognition around the country, but there sure has been no shortage of Buckeye players in the running.

And as it relates to All-American and All-Big Ten teams, OSU has had its fair share of players get recognized. We’ve already seen a slew of Buckeye players make the Big Ten’s list of All-Conference performers, and now we’ve got more on a national scale.

That’s right. Several Ohio State players have landed on the prestigious Walter Camp All-American teams.

Defensive end Chase Young added to his already impressive list of notoriety and awards by being named to the First Team along with cornerback Jeff Okudah. But three more players also made the Second Team which is also nothing to sneeze at.

Quarterback Justin Fields, running back J.K. Dobbins, and right guard Wyatt Davis all made the second team. That gives OSU five Walter Camp All-American selections which leads all programs including the likes of those that like to drink sweet tea and eat grits and crawfish.

Congratulations to these five. And remember, a First Team selection gets Young and Okudah a tree in Buckeye Grove.

Trio of Ohio State Football Players invited to 2020 Senior Bowl

Ohio State football players Malik Harrison, Damon Arnette, and Devon Hamilton have been invited to participate in 2020 Senior Bowl.

The accolades for Ohio State football players continue to grow as three defensive players have been invited to the 2020 Senior Bowl thus far. For those unfamiliar, the Senior Bowl is considered the premier all-star game for the country’s best senior collegiate football players and top NFL draft prospects.

The first round of invitations was sent out and the Senior Bowl announced this week that Ohio State Linebacker Malik Harrison, cornerback Damon Arnette Jr., and defensive tackle Davon Hamilton have accepted their invitations.

The Buckeyes defense was ranked  No. 2 overall for yards allowed and No. 5 for points allowed.  Harrison was the season leader with 69 tackles including 16 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, four pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries.

Arnette had 34 tackles including one tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble, seven pass breakups, and one interception he returned 96 yards for a touchdown. Hamilton recorded 25 tackles including 9.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, and one fumble recovery.

Jim Nagy, the Senior Bowl Executive Director, referred to Malik Harrison as “one of the most talented LBs in this year’s draft”:

Harrison is one of the top NFL prospects from the Ohio State senior class and was listed as the 4th best linebacker according to NFL draft analyst Matt Miller.

The Senior Bowl is scheduled to be played on January 25, 2020, in Mobile, Alabama.

Chase Young wins 2019 Bednarik Award

Ohio State defensive end Chase Young has added another award to his trophy case by taking home the 2019 Chuck Bednarik Award.

Tonight was the 2019 Home Depot College Football Awards Show and there were plenty of Ohio State players on hand hoping to have their name called. Unfortunately for guys like Justin Fields, Jeff Okudah, and J.K. Dobbins, they didn’t get the awards they were up for. But one guy did take one home, and that was none other than defensive end Chase Young whose trophy case continues to expand.

After leading the country in tackles for loss per game, as well as sacks with 16.5 total, Young was named the 2019 Chuck Bednarik award winner. The award was first handed out in 1995 and goes to college football’s best defender annually.  He beat out defensive tackle Derrick Brown of Auburn and Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons.

Despite all the talent that has come through the OSU program, Young is the first player from Ohio State to win the award. He now has won not only the Bednarik, but the Bronko Nagurski, Ted Hendricks, Chicago Tribune’s Silver Football, and also was named the Big Ten’s best defensive lineman and defensive player of the year.

Young is still a finalist for the Heisman and will be in New York for that ceremony, but LSU’s Joe Burrow is expected to win that one going away.

After not getting a carry in the Big Ten Championship Game, will we see Master Teage in the Fiesta Bowl plans?

Ohio State backup RB Master Teague didn’t get a carry in the Big Ten Championship Game. What’s in store for him in the Fiesta Bowl?

Master Teague was named third-team all big ten this year despite not getting any carries against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin. That certainly makes one wonder how much part Teague will play with Ohio State’s gameplan in the College Football Playoff.

While some may say that Teague is being underutilized, it’s more likely that the dominance of starting running back J.K. Dobbins has taken away snaps from Teague as the Ohio State coaching staff goes with the hot hand and known commodity.

But now, not only does OSU have a fresh Teague, it has a starting running back that’s nearing 2,000 yards on the season.

To this point in the season, Teague has almost 800 yards rushing and has proven to be a dynamic complement to Dobbins in the running game. It makes some reminisce about the days of Boom and Zoom which was the combination of Boom Herron and Jordan Hall in 2009.

Dobbins and Teague though have better eye-popping stats, with the duo looking at the possibility of rushing for over 2,800 yards on the season once the curtain falls on the 2019 postseason.

So what does all of this mean for the Fiesta Bowl and hopefully beyond?

Of course we’re still going to see a ton of J.K. Dobbins, but look for Teague to be used in short yards situations, or as Dobbins gets gassed from the pounding he is likely to take against Clemson’s defensive front.

No matter what happens, with Dobbins expected to exit the college stage to the NFL after this season, it will most likely be Teague as the featured back next year. He looks to be the next one in the long lineage of great running backs in Ohio Stae history. Buckeye fans can certainly be excited about the future of Master Teague.

But first, I have a feeling we’ll see him a bit more on December 28 when Ohio State tries to slay the defending national champions and earn a spot in the New Orleans for a chance to win a national championship of its own.

 

Can JK Dobbins hit 2000 rushing yards on the season?

Ohio State RB J.K. Dobbins has had one whale of a year. There’s one milestone that’s still attainable that would put him in rare company.

Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins has had himself one whale of a year. As of right now, he is second on the all-time career list for total career yards, and yards in a single year. But is it a legitimate reality that Dobbins could break the 2,000-yard threshold this season?

Let’s dive into the numbers.

As of right now, JK Dobbins has 1,829 yards on the season, which means he could hit the mark in one game if he has a game for the ages in the Fiesta Bowl. But if Ohio State was to make it to the national championship game, he would be almost a shoe-in.

The mind-blowing reality is that Dobbins has done all this without rushing in the second half of four games. Imagine if he played four quarters of every game. He would have likely already eclipsed the 2,000 yard mark for the year.

If Dobbins were to break the 2,000 yard mark he would be the first player in Ohio State history to rush for that many yards in a season. It is noted he would also have played in more games in a season to attain that mark.

No matter what happens though, Dobbins will forever leave a great legacy at Ohio State, it just might be a little sweeter with a win over Clemson in the desert night on December 28.

Ohio State stars discuss not being No. 1 in the College Football Playoff

Ohio State stars discuss not being No. 1 in the College Football Playoff and having to play Clemson

ATLANTA-

Sunday, it was announced that the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes would not be the No. 1 seed in this year’s College Football Playoff.

Despite rallying to beat Wisconsin 34-21 in Indianapolis after big-time wins over Penn State and Michigan, the Buckeyes fell behind LSU in the final bracket list and now face No. 3 Clemson.

As impressive as LSU’s resume is right now, many felt Ohio State deserved the top seed in the playoff with its full-season portfolio.

On Wednesday, Buckeyes Wire was able to speak with running back JK Dobbins, defensive end Chase Young and cornerback Jeff Okudah before the Home Depot College Football Awards in Atlanta.

Did being ranked No. 2 put a chip on the players’ shoulders? Was there any added motivation to make a statement to the committee? How about the task of facing the reigning national champions in Phoenix?

Here’s what the first team All-Big Ten cornerback had to say.

“I think it’s really exciting to be number two, it’s really the matchup against Clemson and I’m excited to see how it plays out,” said Okudah.

The junior cornerback projected to go in the first round of the NFL Draft is excited to play the defending champs, as are the rest of the Buckeyes.

“We always want to be a number one seed seed and I feel like we earned it, but we’ve gotta roll with the punches thrown, so we’ll play Clemson and it’ll be a good game.”

How did the most feared defender in college football view the decision?

“We’re just blessed, happy to have the opportunity to be in the College Football Playoff. Regardless if you are one, two, three or four, you’re going to have to play a great team regardless, so we’re just thankful for the opportunity,” said Young.

You’ve heard from two of Ohio State’s best defensive players, but what about JK Dobbins? The junior running back mentioned motivation, but noted the Buckeyes are always out for blood.

“We always have a chip on our shoulder because we always feel like we have something to prove to people, so we’re going to go in with a chip on our shoulder.”

Ohio State will collect a plethora of awards over the next few nights before turning its attention to Clemson and the College Football Playoff. As for now, it’s time to regroup and recharge, then get back on the gridiron.

The Home Depot College Football Awards will air live on ESPN at 7:00 pm Thursday. Make sure to tune in to see your favorite Buckeyes.

Here’s everything Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said about Ohio State upon selection to the Fiesta Bowl

Dabo Swinney and Ryan Day held a press-conference upon selection to the Fiesta Bowl. Here’s what the Clemson head man said about Ohio State.

Ohio State and Clemson will be facing off in the Fiesta Bowl as one of the two semifinal matchups of the College Football Playoff. Neither team is a stranger to all the playoff fun that was started just a few years ago. Ohio State won the inaugural event at the end of the 2014 season, and has been selected three out of the six years.

Clemson on the other hand, has won two national championships out of four tries, and is the reigning national champions from the 2018 season.

Needless to say, it’s two of the programs that have been on top of the college football world, and only one of them will be moving on after the titanic struggle in the desert night on December 28.

To whet your appetite, the two head coaches held a joint press conference earlier in the week to provide an initial preview of the event. Both Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Clemson head man Dabo Swinney had the utmost respect for each program and was very complimentary in their comments toward the other.

In case you missed all that was said, we have the complete transcript for you thanks to what the Fiesta Bowl put together after the press conference was over. The comments appear in their entirety in the following. Click through and enjoy.

[lawrence-related id=18689]

[lawrence-related id=18631]

Next … Ryan Day and Dabo Swinney opening remarks

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Ohio State to wear throwback alternate jerseys with gray-striped sleeves for Fiesta Bowl

Ohio State is breaking out the 1968 throwback Nike uniforms with the gray sleeves for the Fiesta Bowl against Clemson.

If you’re a traditionalist, you’re going to love this bit of news. It flew maybe a little bit under the radar when the Ohio State football Twitter feed congratulated the team for making the College Football Playoff with an invite to the Fiesta Bowl. But it didn’t take a few fans and media-types to pick up on a rather sneaky way to maybe break some news.

In a graphic shared on Twitter, Ohio State threw an Ohio State jersey into the corner. Oh, but it wasn’t just any Buckeye jersey. No, what we were teased with was an OSU jersey with some gray striped sleeves staring at us in the face.

You could have looked at it and thought nothing of it, but that’s not how these things normally go.

So, of course fans were beside themselves in anticipation for a return of the 1968 throwbacks with the Diamond Quest Nike Swoosh. And, as luck would have it, Andrew Lind of Buckeye Sports Bulletin who is normally on these sort of things seems to have the inside scoop that confirms what we all thought.

So what do these uniforms look like? They’ll be almost identical to the ones OSU wore during the inaugural College Football Playoff run in 2014, and the home version of what was worn the last time Ohio State took on Clemson.

Here’s a look at the 2016 away version.

December 31, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) greets Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) following the 2016 CFP semifinal at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

And here’s more of what you’ll see with the home version. We saw these beauties against Oregon in the CFP National Championship game against Oregon in January of 2015.

Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) runs past the Oregon Ducks defense in the first quarter for a touchdown in the 2015 CFP National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

What do you think? Do you like these? If so, you might be in luck, because there are also rumblings that these gray sleeves might just be a staple of the uniforms beginning next year.

 

USA TODAY has Ohio State, not LSU at No. 1 in its re-rank of college football teams

Ohio State finishes the regular season atop of USA TODAY’s re-rank of all the college football teams. Take that LSU.

We’ve been following the USA TODAY re-rank column almost all season now, and we’ve got the last look at how Paul Meyerberg stacks up all the teams to end the regular season.

We’re happy to report that despite the push from most of the media and even the College Football Playoff Committee, Myerberg has stayed true to his beliefs and is sticking to his guns that Ohio State is still the best team in the country. He didn’t fall in lock step with most other media outlets that moved the LSU Tigers on top.

In fact, despite flipping the Buckeyes and Tigers after LSU beat Alabama, the USA TODAY writer quickly went back to placing OSU No. 1 and has had it that way over the last few weeks.

Here’s what he says about Ohio State:

“The Buckeyes landing at the top of the poll reflects their dominant regular season. While Wisconsin wobbled Ohio State for two quarters of Saturday night’s Big Ten championship game, the Buckeyes responded by outscoring the Badgers 27-0 in the second half to head into the College Football Playoff at 13-0.”

So what do the rest of the top ten look like? LSU continues to be No. 2 followed by Clemson (3),  and Oklahoma (4) to give you the four playoff teams. Georgia (5), Baylor (6), Oregon (7), Memphis (8), Wisconsin (9), and Penn State (10) round out the top ten.

At least one national media guy believes in the Buckeyes still.