Tag: Buckeyes

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.

Jim Tressel says Ohio State potential national title wouldn’t mean as much with loss to Michigan

Former head coach Jim Tressel said that Ohio State’s season, if they won the championship, wouldn’t mean as much if they lost to Michigan.

Former head coach Jim Tressel said that Ohio State’s 2019 season, if it goes on to win the national championship, wouldn’t mean as much if they lose to Michigan on Saturday.

This is quite the claim.

We all know The Game, which kicks off tomorrow at noon EST, is meaningful. Although technically it may not matter for Ohio State’s Playoff aspirations, it has all the importance in the world to the players and respective fanbases.

The third-most winning head coach in school history took that to the next level, saying Ohio State’s first championship season since 2014 wouldn’t quite be the same if it didn’t win Saturday.

Here’s exactly how the 2002 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year phrased his thoughts.

Tressel does have some room to talk here though. He was an impressive 9-1 in his time against Michigan so it’s difficult to say that he’s incorrect. It’s also difficult to say an entire season could be ruined by The Game. But, that’s what you live in with this rivalry and with being the head coach of Ohio State.

And … one could argue putting such an emphasis on this one contest has been why OSU has been so dominant over the last couple of decades.

The No. 1-ranked Buckeyes will line up as one of the only three Power 5 teams still undefeated at 11-0. The dominance that they’ve shown this season has made them a double-digit favorite, meaning Michigan, even at home, is a a significant underdog.

The Buckeyes should win, and if they don’t, it could be one of those rivalry-defining games in Ann Arbor.

This will be the Buckeyes last regular season game. They’ve already locked up the Big Ten East and will be playing in Indianapolis on December 7. But that doesn’t diminish The Game.

Badgers remain at No. 12 in latest CFP Rankings

The Wisconsin Badgers come in at No. 12 again, with a chance to rise after a potential win this week.

We are officially headed into Rivalry Week, or Week 14, of this college football season, and the Wisconsin Badgers remain at No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings…the biggest rankings of them all this time of year.

That should not come as much of a surprise, as the Badgers picked up a victory last week, but did not look very impressive at times against the visiting Boilermakers at Camp Randall.

In addition, they are the third-highest rated team with two losses, coming in just behind Florida and Penn State.

There were two pretty major moves featuring Big Ten Teams, though. The aforementioned Nittany Lions slid down two spots to No. 10, and the Minnesota Gophers took Penn State’s spot at No. 8.

Also, there is a new number one team this week, featuring the Ohio State Buckeyes (11-0) as the top team, taking the previous place of LSU.

Finally, the Michigan Wolverines come in at No. 13 with a major test at home against the Buckeyes this week, and the Iowa Hawkeyes are No. 17 in the current rankings.

One could argue the Big Ten is the best football conference in the land this year, with six teams in the top 17 of the rankings alone.

Though the team most likely to represent the conference would be the Buckeyes, both the Badgers and Gophers each have an outside shot to make it, of course needing to win Paul Bunyan’s Axe first this week to give the winning team a shot to face the Buckeyes.

Michigan DE on Ohio State: “We don’t see them as unbeatable”

The Ohio State Buckeyes are a perfect 11-0, yet Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson doesn’t think this dominant team is unbeatable.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are a perfect 11-0, yet Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson doesn’t think this dominant team is unbeatable.

I guess he hasn’t watch Ohio State. While that’s in partial jest, the Buckeyes have looked virtually impossible to beat at times this season. They combine a rare mix of unstoppable offense and forceful defense.

Yet, at the end of the day, Ohio State is beatable. Every team IS beatable.

However, with three fumbles, two of which led to critical Penn State points this past Saturday, Ohio State also proved that even at their worst they’re still a formidable opponent, downing the No. 8 ranked Nittany Lions 28-17

That said, Hutchinson is right. It’s just highly unlikely his Wolverines down the undefeated Buckeyes. Here’s his full statement.

Michigan is hitting stride, defeating Indiana last week 39-14. They also have a quality and telling victory over Notre Dame, a game they won 45-14. Now sitting at No. 10, the Wolverines have a chance.

According to ESPN, Michigan has just a 26.1% chance to beat the Buckeyes. That said, I’d bank on another double-digit victory for the Buckeyes.

Chase Young sets Ohio State single-season sack record in first quarter

Chase Young has made his mark on Ohio State-Penn State early on, setting the university’s single-season sack record as well.

Chase Young has made his mark on Ohio State-Penn State early on, and it just so happened with his first sack of the game he set the university’s single-season sack record.

Young, with just under six minutes to go in the first quarter, got to Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford. Just moments before commentators were warning of Young’s dominance.

With 14.5 sacks, Young has now passed Vernon Gholston who set the record in 2007 with 14.0. He’s been an absolute force, and it is key to also remember he was out the team’s previous two games.

The two-game absence may have taken him out of the running for the Heisman Trophy, but he’s still in the record books and can still take this team to some pretty special things in 2019.

Just think of what Young could’ve had as Ohio State won the past two games 129-35. That said, expect Young to have a huge impact on the rest of the game.

Young combined for 14 sacks his first two seasons, playing in 22 games. He is an expected top-five pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Ohio State drains Mirror Lake ahead of Michigan matchup to deter dangerous tradition

Ohio State has drained Mirror Lake in an attempt to protect its student body of a dangerous tradition prior to their matchup with Michigan.

Ohio State has drained Mirror Lake in an attempt to protect its student body of a dangerous tradition prior to their matchup with Michigan.

It’s been a tradition over the last few years to jump into Mirror Lake prior to the team’s annual matchup with the University of Michigan. However, the late-season matchup and tradition has spelled trouble for students in the past.

After all, this upcoming week the temperatures will likely be in the 40s. Jumping into a lake at that temp is just asking for chaos, and Ohio State understands that.

In 2015, a student, participating in the tradition, was killed. This has made Ohio State use an “abundance of caution” as their matchup with Michigan nears.

Here’s the release directly from Ohio State Police on why they made the decision.

The statement, as seen above, notes that the lake will be refilled at a later date. That said, Ohio State clearly wants to promote tradition but not in a way that’s dangerous to their student body.

However, students likely won’t care too much when the Buckeyes march up to Ann Arbor and absolutely demolish their northern rivals.