Tag: Buckeyes

Ohio State football: The three key players needed in the postseason

Ohio State has made it this far on the backs of three dynamic players. It’ll need those three to still come up big in the postseason.

Ohio State beat Michigan to continue its dominance against that team up north. It finished an undefeated regular season and now has a chance to win consecutive Big Ten Championships. Is it realistic that this could end in a picturesque season? Imagine Ryan Day hoisting the trophy alongside Dobbins, Fields, and Young. Here are three reasons why Ohio State could win it all this year which boils down to the three best players on Ohio State’s team. 

JK Dobbins

On the offensive side, it comes down to the ability to run the ball to open up the passing game. With Dobbins being one of only two players in Ohio State history to run for the 4,000 yards during his career, he’s been a beast. In fact, based on history, when Dobbins runs for two touchdowns and 140 yards, the Buckeyes normally win. 

While he’s been an unstoppable force in almost every game this year, it will be critical that he continues to eat up the defense with his rushing ability to create passing opportunities for Justin Fields and the passing game.

Chase Young

Young has lived up to expectations this year. So much so that he’s in the conversation for the Heisman as a defensive player. With his ability to pressure the quarterback, it has limited the time and space opposing quarterbacks have had. In the Michigan game, he didn’t statistically show out, but a lot of it factored into him being constantly double and tripled teamed. But he still took on multiple players, which allowed for others along the D-line to get into the backfield. 

Coming down the stretch, if Chase Young continues his dominance and continues to be a game-wrecker in the backfield it’ll allow OSU to slow down teams like LSU and Clemson since they have mobile quarterbacks.

Justin Fields 

At the helm of it all is Justin Fields. He has more than met expectations after the departure of Dwayne Haskins last season. So far this year Justin Fields has been incredible with his decision making with just one interception all year. He does have a tendency to hold onto the ball a little too long at times, but that’s just nitpicking at this point.

His ability to continue and make plays with a bum leg bears watching, but he’s been a warrior so far. For Ohio State to meet its ultimate goal of winning a national championship, he has to still provide that threat on the ground.

So far Field’s youth has not been in question and he has handled the big stage incredibly well. It will be interesting to see how the end of the season finishes. Maybe, just maybe, it will end with Ohio State hoisting a large trophy in New Orleans.

Ohio State’s Justin Fields wins Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year

Justin Fields has won the Big Ten’s Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year Fields neared 2,700 yards through the air with 37 pass touchdowns and just one interception On the ground, he added 470 yards and ten more touchdowns Fields has led the Buckeyes to a 12-0 record and is looking to continue the team on the path to national champion

Justin Fields has won the Big Ten’s Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year Fields neared 2,700 yards through the air with 37 pass touchdowns and just one interception On the ground, he added 470 yards and ten more touchdowns Fields has led the Buckeyes to a 12-0 record and is looking to continue the team on the path to national champion

Jeff Okudah snubbed on Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year

Jeff Okudah is widely praised as the second-best defensive prospect set to enter the NFL Draft The award for the Big Ten’s best defensive back was not given to the highly talented Okudah Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield Jr. was given the award finishing fourth in the nation in interceptions with seven Okudah’s own talent might have worked against him this season in terms of stats as he’s often not even thrown toward

Jeff Okudah is widely praised as the second-best defensive prospect set to enter the NFL Draft The award for the Big Ten’s best defensive back was not given to the highly talented Okudah Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield Jr. was given the award finishing fourth in the nation in interceptions with seven Okudah’s own talent might have worked against him this season in terms of stats as he’s often not even thrown toward

Jeff Okudah snubbed on Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year

Jeff Okudah is widely praised as the second-best defensive prospect set to enter the NFL Draft The award for the Big Ten’s best defensive back was not given to the highly talented Okudah Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield Jr. was given the award finishing fourth in the nation in interceptions with seven Okudah’s own talent might have worked against him this season in terms of stats as he’s often not even thrown toward

Jeff Okudah is widely praised as the second-best defensive prospect set to enter the NFL Draft The award for the Big Ten’s best defensive back was not given to the highly talented Okudah Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield Jr. was given the award finishing fourth in the nation in interceptions with seven Okudah’s own talent might have worked against him this season in terms of stats as he’s often not even thrown toward

Jeff Okudah snubbed on Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year

Jeff Okudah is widely praised as the second-best defensive prospect set to enter the NFL Draft The award for the Big Ten’s best defensive back was not given to the highly talented Okudah Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield Jr. was given the award finishing fourth in the nation in interceptions with seven Okudah’s own talent might have worked against him this season in terms of stats as he’s often not even thrown toward

Jeff Okudah is widely praised as the second-best defensive prospect set to enter the NFL Draft The award for the Big Ten’s best defensive back was not given to the highly talented Okudah Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield Jr. was given the award finishing fourth in the nation in interceptions with seven Okudah’s own talent might have worked against him this season in terms of stats as he’s often not even thrown toward

Jeff Okudah snubbed on Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year

Ohio State University’s Jeff Okudah wasn’t named Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year. Needless to say, he was snubbed.

Jeff Okudah is widely praised as the second-best defensive prospect set to enter the NFL Draft, and best overall defensive back. His only competition for overall defensive player is teammate Chase Young, who was was recently awarded the Big Ten’s Defensive Player and Defensive Lineman of the Year.

For Okudah though, he did not receive the honor of the Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year. While Okudah may very well be the best, it was Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield Jr. who was given the award.

Winfield Jr. is a stellar corner. He’s fourth in the nation in interceptions with seven, and those have been a major factor in why Minnesota has just two losses.

However, his numbers are better because he’s actually thrown at. Most quarterbacks choose to run their first read at Shaun Wade or Damon Arnette, two other Ohio State corners that may also be drafted.

Okudah isn’t often targeted. That kills his numbers. While he was named to the All-Big Ten First Team, Okudah should’ve been noted as not just the conference’s but the nation’s best corner.

He recently garnered some praise in CBS Sports’ recent mock draft. Selected fourth overall by the Dolphins, columnist Ryan Wilson noted that Okudah was an absolute monster against Michigan.

“Okudah had his best game of the season on Saturday against Michigan, shutting down every Michigan WR he lined up against.”

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It was shocking. Shea Patterson actually opted to test Okudah instead of just not looking to that entire side of the field.

Okudah has just 20 solo tackles and three interceptions on the year. It’s not a shocker that his numbers are significantly worse than Winfield Jr.’s. Winfield is a viable selection for the award, but that doesn’t make him the conference’s best corner.

We have a feeling the NFL scouts and executives will agree with us when it’s all said and done.

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Ohio State Football: A holistic look at Tuesday’s Big Ten Awards

Coach awards, defensive awards, and special team awards for the Big Ten were announced on Tuesday. How did Ohio State perform in them?

Coach awards, defensive awards, and special team awards for the Big Ten were announced on Tuesday. How did Ohio State perform in them?

Let’s just say Ohio State was well represented. The Buckeyes featured seven players on the All-Big Ten Defensive Team. Those seven included four on the first team. The names and specific team can be found below.

Ohio State also had its kicker, Blake Haubeil, who didn’t miss a PAT all season, named to the All-Big Ten Special Teams third team. Haubeil was 8-for-10 on field goals including a 55-yarder against Northwestern.

It was shocking to not see punter Drue Chrisman on the list as well.

On top of those eight, Ryan Day was named by the media as B1G Coach of the Year. Day led Ohio State to a perfect 12-0 record during his first season in Columbus.

Outside of Day’s COY, those were the team awards.

Chase Young won two individual awards as the conference’s best defensive player and its best defensive lineman.

Somehow, someway, he wasn’t unanimously the best defensive player. Young has 16.5 sacks, a single-season Buckeye record, and 19.5 tackles for loss on the season. He’s a projected top-two pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

That said, here’s the released graphic breaking down how the defensive players were separated among the three teams.

Later today, the offensive awards for the conference will be announced. It’d be shocking if Jonathan Taylor beat out J.K. Dobbins and Justin Fields for the Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year. Also, be on the lookout for Fields potentially taking home the Griese-Brees QB of the year in the conference and Dobbins the Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year.

We’ll have the rest of the awards for you when they’re announced. And we’ll have our own awards after the conference championship games are all played.

Oklahoma into top-6 of College Football Playoff Rankings

It’s been a slow climb, but Oklahoma finally is in the top-6 of the College Football Playoff rankings.

It’s been a slow climb, but Oklahoma has moved into the top-6 of the College Football Playoff.

The College Football Playoff Committee has released its Dec. 3 College Football Playoff Rankings, with the Sooners coming at No. 6 behind Utah.

Oklahoma is coming off a dominant 34-16 win over Oklahoma State that saw Kennedy Brooks carry much of the offensive load and a defense shut down one of the best running backs in the country in Chuba Hubbard.

Three weeks ago, the Sooners fell to No. 10. They have since rose from 10 to No. 9, then nine to No. 7 and now are at No. 6.

Here is how the rest of the top-10 of the College Football Playoff Rankings rounded out:

  1. Ohio State
  2. LSU
  3. Clemson
  4. Georgia
  5. Utah
  6. Oklahoma
  7. Baylor
  8. Wisconsin
  9. Florida
  10. Penn State

Oklahoma’s rematch with Baylor will be a top-10 matchup for the Big 12 Championship. Since the Sooners historic 34-31 comeback win on Nov. 16 over Baylor, the Bears have beat Texas 24-10 and Kansas 61-6.

Oklahoma’s win over Oklahoma State only moved the Cowboys down to No. 25. Iowa State’s 27-17 loss to Kansas State on Saturday also pushed them out of the top-25 from No 23. The Sooners will get credit for the Oklahoma State win as a top-25 win in the final rankings.

No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 7 Baylor will play in the Big 12 Championship at 11 a.m. CT (TV on FOX) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

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Ohio State head coach Ryan Day believes Ohio State should have three Heisman candidates

Ohio State University’s head coach Ryan Day believes his Buckeyes have three Heisman Trophy candidates.

The Ohio State football team is 12-0, and it has been largely been due to the Buckeyes’ first-year head coach Ryan Day. He has figured out how to thrive with one of the most talented teams in the nation.

One of just three teams to enter the conference championship weekend undefeated, the Buckeyes have been dominant, crushing most teams en route to clinching the Big Ten East a week early.

Although Day has constructed most of the team’s quintessential gameplans, they’ve executed them behind three players that could all be considered finalists for the Heisman Trophy.

And Day is drinking his own Kool-Aid, also believing he has three players that deserve to be in New York for the ceremony.

Chase Young, Justin Fields, and J.K. Dobbins are the three. That trio involves one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks, the nation’s best defender and arguably the best running back in college football.

Young, with potentially three games remaining, already has the most sacks in a single season in Ohio State history this season — all while missing two because of a suspension.

As for Dobbins, he’s broken into the university’s top-two in all-time rushing yards while not even seeing the bulk of the second-half carries in what feels like the majority of Ohio State’s games.

Lastly, Fields has been the engine that’s created such a dynamic Ohio State offense.

In his sophomore season, Fields has 37 passing touchdowns and ONE interception. Tack on almost 2,700 passing yards, 470 rushing yards and ten more rushing touchdowns, and Fields has seemingly made every big play when it’s mattered most.

Fields and Dobbins put up four touchdowns each against Michigan. It wasn’t just this past Saturday that they’ve been atop their game, the dynamic duo has been running the Big Ten all season.

Had Ohio State been in more four-quarter games, we could be talking about any of these three as Heisman favorites. Sadly, it seems LSU’s Joe Burrow is running away with the award.

Still, getting at least two from Ohio State to make the trip to New York would be special.

Ohio State vs. Michigan: Weather no longer expected to be huge factor in “The Game”

Despite early doom and gloom, it now looks like the weather for Ohio State vs. Michigan will not play a huge factor.

The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, dubbed “The Game”, was supposed to get a rude interruption by Mother Nature just a few days ago. A noon kickoff was thought to coincide with a nasty storm.

The Buckeyes will travel up to Ann Arbor where they take on the No. 13 ranked Michigan. Ohio State has taken on two other top-15 ranked Big Ten teams, beating them a combined 66-24.

That said, late-November games are never safe from the weather, and it was looking like it could play a factor for both teams. For Ohio State, the bulk of their games, excluding partially Wisconsin, haven’t had weather play a role.

However, the forecast has improved somewhat, and despite some chilly conditions, precipitation is not supposed to move in now until after the game is completed.

Any poor conditions could actually be on the side of Ohio State anyhow. The run-heavy offense should be able to battle in windy, rainy, and icy conditions.

But, that no longer appears to be a possibility.

Ohio State does have a top five running attack in the country AND the best defense so that should travel no matter what conditions The Game is played in.