Tag: Master Teague

Five burning offseason questions for Ohio State football

Like any college football program, Ohio State has some things that it has to address during the offseason. Here are five burning questions.

The college football season hasn’t been over very long, but we’re always looking ahead in places like Ohio State. That’s because one glorious run to the postseason usually leads into the next one when you are a Buckeye fan. With the recruiting classes, development, and coaching, anything short of a championship drive is disappointing — most notably when you consider where the program is as a current state.

With that in mind, there are always things that have to be addressed each offseason, especially in the college game where there is such significant turnover. It’s no different for OSU. With the loss of Justin Fields and other key starters, there are some question marks the coaching staff will have to answer.

Here are five burning questions that head coach Ryan Day and his staff will be dealing with during the offseason as they try to put things together for 2021.

NEXT … The quarterback position

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Ohio State’s Master Teague looks to earn a Master’s Degree

Ohio State running back Master Teague is looking for a post-graduate degree. He works just as hard in the classroom as he does on the field.

With a name like Master, it only seems fitting, doesn’t it? Master Teague, Ohio State’s presumed starting running back (competition pending) has announced that he has been accepted into the Master of Architecture Program at The Ohio State University.

Teague is a soft-spoken kind of player that harkens to the days of yesteryear. The red-shirt sophomore doesn’t boast about his accomplishments on the field. Come to think of it… he doesn’t really boast about anything pertaining to personal accomplishments. And it’s honestly a breath of fresh air in a world that is all about self-promotion.

You very rarely hear from him on social media unless he’s thanking someone, quietly sharing his faith, or maybe being spotted reading to a group of elementary school kids. Heck, while it’s now the norm to make a Twitter announcement about turning pro or staying in school as an underclassman, Teague didn’t post anything, making a statement without saying a word.

Maybe this is why Teague is so well-liked by his teammates and coaches. He’s not flashy. He just goes about his business and does it with excellence. And excell he has… both on the field and off and I wouldn’t be one bit surprised to see him named a captain for the upcoming season.

It’s easy to overlook Teague when he’s not the typical self-promoter of today’s game. He spent his first two years behind J.K. Dobbins and after bring red-shirted his first year, went on to be named a third-team All-Big Ten running back. He finished in the conference top-ten with 789 rushing yards in 2019… AS A BACKUP.

Even in this odd COVID-19 shortened season, Teague was the starter for most of the year only to be overshadowed by Trey Sermon’s record-breaking Big Ten Championship game performance. And not to take anything away from Sermon at all, but Teague was running hard with big gains before having to leave the game with a concussion, opening the door for Sermon’s breath-taking performance.

The third-year running back has been getting it done in the classroom as well. He’ll graduate this August in just three years’ time and has been named an OSU Scholar-Athlete twice.

Now, Teague will begin a new journey, continuing his education, working toward a Master’s Degree. He’s in line to be the starting running back again this fall, but it seems this young man understands there is more to life than just football.

And while we all like to think we’ll be young forever, when Teague’s body can’t handle the pounding any longer, he’ll have an education that no one will ever be able to take away.

Congratulations Master on this outstanding accomplishment! We’re sure there will be many more, even though we’ll have to hear about it from someone else. And maybe that’s the way it should be.

Buckeye Nation should be proud to have such a well-rounded young man represent our university both on and off the field.

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Three Ohio State football players appear in the very early BetMGM Heisman odds

The popular BetMGM Sportsbook has published its very early 2021 Heisman odds and there are three Ohio State players included in the mix.

When you follow a team like Ohio State, you live and breathe college football year around. When one season ends, you quickly turn the page to another and look ahead to what’s in store for the following year.

The Buckeyes may have lost the ultimate prize against Alabama down in Miami, but there’s still reason to be hopeful for the future of the program. That’s because head coach Ryan Day has continued to recruit at an elite level, and the cupboard is anything but bare in Columbus despite losing guys like Justin Fields and other key members of the team.

The populate BetMGM Sportsbook has also turned the page to the 2021 season already, posting both odds for winning the national title, as well as future Heisman odds.

The odds at this point are wide-ranging since there’s a lot of unknowns with position battles and all, but they are still fun to look at. They are even more interesting because the website has three Ohio State players included in the 49 it has set early odds on.

The Buckeyes may not have a front-runner like the past few seasons, but someone could come off the radar and quickly jump up in the race if OSU has the kind of season on offense we’ve been accustomed to.

So who are the three OSU players included in the odds? The best odds have been set with quarterback Jack Miller III with +1,600 odds. That’s a very respectable eighth-best odds, with running back Master Teague appearing at No. 12 with +2,800 odds. The other Buckeye finishing it off behind those two is fellow quarterback C.J. Stroud with +5,000 (No. 32).

That’s a bit surprising because many around the Ohio State program expect Stroud to have a wee-bit of an advantage over Miller, but we’ll have to let it all play out. We also can’t forget about five-star QB Kyle McCord who will also throw his hat in the ring as a true freshman.

These things can obviously be way off base this far away from practice and games, but if you’re into that sort of thing, have fun with it all. It’s sure to change as things move through spring and summer.

And while we’re at it, here are the top five odds according to BetMGM:

Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma QB – +300
D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson QB – +500
J.T. Daniels, Georgia QB – +600
Sam Howell, North Carolina QB – +700
Bryce Young, Alabama QB – +700

You can view the rest of the list at your leisure.

 

Ohio State football very early projected offensive depth chart for 2021

Now that the 2020 college football season is over, here’s a very early look at the projected offensive two-deep depth chart for Ohio State.

The crazy, unpredictable college football season is over, and Ohio State finished just short of its ninth national championship in program history, losing to Alabama in the CFP national championship game.

Now, we’re looking ahead to next season because — well, that’s what we do. College football is king on the banks of the Olentangy, so it doesn’t take long to turn the page, especially after what we all witnessed down in Miami. We could use a little forward look instead of dwelling on all that went wrong just a stone’s throw from South Beach.

On that note, we decided to look ahead at a projected two-deep depth chart for a run to special things next year for Ryan Day and Ohio State, and we’re starting with the offensive side of the ball. We must remember that there are a lot of guys that still have to make a decision on their future with the NFL, so we’re taking our best shot here on some of this. But don’t worry, we’ll update things periodically as we know more.

So with more disclaimers than a credit card terms and conditions pamphlet, here’s what we believe the offensive depth chart could look like for Ohio State in the fall of 2021.

Ohio State releases player status availability for Sugar Bowl vs. Clemson

Who’s out for the Sugar Bowl? Ohio State released its player availability for the 87th playing of the classic.

The 87th Sugar Bowl will be kicking off shortly between Ohio State and Clemson shortly. Both teams have kept injuries and who will be available for the game close to the vest. We now have official word on who will be out for the Buckeyes when they take the field.

We learned earlier from his mother’s Facebook post that starting left guard, Harry Miller, will not be with the team after testing positive for COVID. Another big name on the inactive list is running back, Master Teague. The starting OSU running back was replaced by Trey Sermon in the Big Ten Championship game after sustaining a concussion during the game. Sermon of course went on to have a monster day and broke a 25-year-old record held by Ohio State Heisman winner, Eddie George in the process.

Another big name on the list is defensive end, Zach Harrison who has rotated in at the edge. Harrison and the rest of the rushmen have had quietly had a huge impact on games. Quietly because it’s been a collective effort all season long and not just one player getting all the attention.

The Buckeyes task at hand just got a little more difficult. But as they say… Next Man Up.

NEXT … Complete status report from Ohio State.

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Five Keys to Ohio State beating Michigan State

Ohio State is ready to travel to East Lansing to take on Michigan State. Here are five keys to victory.

Ohio State is coming off a forced bye week while Michigan State is coming off a huge win against Northwestern, so momentum would seem to be on the Spartans’ side. However, Michigan State has been up and down all season, and the Buckeyes are still making a case to be in the playoffs.

Earlier this week Buckeyes Wire scouted Michigan State. In that article, we talked about some of the issues the Spartans have had this season, particularly on offense. Still though, the game must be played and this thing could go south if Ohio State doesn’t execute in areas it needs in order to take care of busines.

This is where we start the five keys for this week.

NEXT … Stop the run game before it gets going

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Ohio State vs. Michigan State 2020 Football Preview And Prediction

See the keys to the game and our prediction for the Buckeyes and Spartans squaring off in East Lansing this Saturday.

What a rollercoaster of a season. Players, coaches, and fans wait each week with bated breath to see if the team will be able to take the field or if COVID-19 will notch another victory in the win column.

This week brings the same anxiety of the waiting game. As of now, Ohio State is optimistic that the game against Michigan State will take place. But until the team is on the field, we won’t know for sure.

Sparty has been a bit of a mystery this year. They couldn’t get out of their own way in an opening loss to Rutgers and then last week beat the No. 8 ranked Northwestern Wildcats. Your guess is as good as ours.

Assuming both teams can get to Saturday with no outbreaks, let’s take a look at how the game might play out.

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NEXT … Records and broadcast information

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Five keys to Ohio State beating Illinois on Saturday

Ohio State travels to Illinois Saturday to try and remain undefeated. Here are five keys to the Buckeyes winning another Big Ten contest.

Ohio State takes on Illinois this weekend in what should be a fairly easy win for the Buckeyes. There are some pitfalls the team can not fall into, however. OSU has a more talented roster overall and that should help. With Ryan Day being sidelined for the game, coaching will play a huge role in the game, but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem in this one.

We shall see.

The 2020 Ohio State Buckeyes are still trying to get their defense to be more complete, so a lot of may be on the offense. That doesn’t mean the defense won’t have to play its role, but this season it all starts when this team has the ball. Let’s look at the five keys to an Ohio State victory Saturday over Illinois.

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NEXT … Master Teague has to be unleashed

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Ohio State vs. Illinois 2020 Football Preview And Prediction

Ohio State travels to Champaign to face the Fighting Illini as the Big Ten season rolls on. We’ve got your preview and prediction.

Well, Ohio State made it past a gritty Indiana team. While the Buckeyes looked unstoppable in short spurts against the No. 9 team in the nation, there were more head-scratching moments than we’d care to see from a team with national title aspirations.

Even though he threw for 300 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, Justin Fields probably played his worst game as a Buckeye. It seemed as if he was trying to do too much at times which led to sacks and interceptions.

This also might have been the worst game Ryan Day has called as the Ohio State head coach. Indiana sent blitz packages galore. The best way to beat a team that blitzes often? Run right at them.

When Ohio State took to the ground, they had continued success. Master Teague rushed for a career-high 169 yards and Trey Sermon added another 60. And yet, the run seemed to be abandoned at crucial times, most notably on fourth-and-1 on the Indiana five-yard line only up by a score. Don’t overthink it… hand the ball to Teague and get downhill behind one of the most experienced offensive lines in college football.

The good news is this, you learn best when you’ve been faced with a little adversity. I think it was most likely a good thing for this Buckeye team to face a challenge to see what they need to clean up as well as motivation to play better.

On to Champaign to face the Fighting Illini.

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NEXT … Records and broadcast information

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Re-live every Ohio State score against Indiana

Ohio State outlasted the Indiana Hoosiers Saturday. Re-live all six of the Buckeyes’ scores in the game with video and sound.

Ohio State survived against an upstart Indiana team on Saturday. The game never really seemed in doubt until the Hoosiers tightened things up midway through the fourth quarter. It was one of those games where Ohio State went into halftime with a big lead and seemed to be on its way to a cruising victory.

But give the Hoosiers credit. They battled back behind quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. and his 495 passing yards and five touchdowns.

Still, Indiana couldn’t quite keep up with the scoring of Ohio State, and that’s just what we believed would happen. In case you missed any of the Buckeyes’ six touchdowns, we’ve got them all for you here thanks to the amazing invention called the internet.

Here are the video highlights and recap of each.