Tag: Master Teague

Buckeyes run game has slow start

The Ohio State football running game has started slow. Some of it is Nebraska, some of it is adjusting to Nebraska. Adjustments will be the key.

Throughout the first half of the Ohio State football game, the run game was not gaining the traction many expected. Yes, they have two touchdowns on the ground, but they just were not churning yards out. Late in the first Master Teague got a little bump on the last touchdown drive, but it has been tough sledding.

One of the reasons is Nebraska has a really good defensive line. However, the Huskers were selling their linebackers out and having them consistently creep down if they saw run. Fields made a few decisions to not pull the ball back, and it has caused some issues in the running game.

In the second half, Ryan Day has to see what the Huskers have been doing and adjust. He will have to either have Fields pull it back and read the end better, or have a quick hit to where the creeping linebacker was to get behind them. This will cause the Huskers to have to not creep down and play looser.

If they can do this, the run game should open up in the second half. The offensive line will also have to slide some blocks if they see a linebacker come down. Taking nothing away from the Huskers, the Buckeyes should be able to get the run game going, but this is a solid Nebraska defense.

Halftime Report: Ohio State off to sluggish start against Nebraska

Ohio State leads at the half but doesn’t look dominant as expected.

With great anticipation, Ohio State took the field for the first time in 2020. Outside of quarterback Justin Fields, the Buckeyes are off to a slow start.

Nebraska took the opening drive to the house in under two minutes to take an early lead. Ohio State and Fields would answer on their first possession as well.

Fields as looked as good as advertised going 12 for 13, completing his first 11 passes, with 187 yards passing and a beautiful touchdown toss, while leading the Buckeyes in rushing with 46 yards.

Unfortunately, the rest of the team isn’t doing much. The offensive line isn’t getting much of a push at the line of scrimmage opening few holes for the running backs. On the other side of the ball, the defense isn’t getting in the kind of pressure we’ve come to expect from the Buckeye front four.

Thanks to great field position and some questionable calls against Nebraska, Master Teague was able to scamper for a TD before the half. Heading into the locker room, the Buckeyes lead 24-14.

Here’s hoping the rust and opening game jitters are gone and the Buckeyes come out with some adjustments and a sense of urgency.

 

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Ohio State vs. Nebraska 2020 football Preview And Prediction

Ohio State will welcome Nebraska to Columbus for the opener of the Big Ten college football season. We’ve got your preview and prediction.

Records

Ohio State (0-0), Nebraska (0-0)

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Saturday, October 24
Game Time: Noon ET
Network: FOX
Venue: Ohio Stadium – Capacity – 104,944 (no fans permitted due to COVID-19 restrictions)
All-Time Series: Ohio State leads 7-1
Last Meeting: Ohio State defeated Nebraska 48-7 in 2019

Ohio State football is back Buckeye fans! The long wait is finally over as Ryan Day and company have their eyes set on a college football crown. But before we dream of beating the Tigers and Crimson Tides of the college football world, focus has to remain steadfast on the opponent at hand… hello Cornhuskers.

The Big Ten did Nebraska no favors when handing out new schedules for a revamped 2020 season. Was it punishment for being so vocal against conference leadership and their handling of football in a pandemic? We can speculate, but the bottom line is – we’re ready to play some football!

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Next … The game plan

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NFL injuries highlight the reality of football for college players

Injuries occur in football and it’s no different when looking at a college program like Ohio State. There are a lot of examples to look at.

Last season we saw Ohio State running back Master Teague go down with an injury. We have seen the injuries to Justin Fields that made everyone hold their breath as well. The reality is football is a dangerous sport and injuries do occur. Players opting out to focus on the draft garners a lot of heat from fans, but as we are seeing, serious injuries happen.

Watching Dak Prescott go down in the Dallas Cowboys game and get carted off after a contract battle was eerily similar to Earl Thomas’ situation in Seattle. One thing we forget on game day is that this is a business and at any point and time a player’s career could hang in the balance.

Players sometime come back and do great things, sometimes players return and are not the same as they were before, and sometimes their career is over. Look no further than former Buckeye Ryan Shazier. In the blink of an eye his career was over. The concern switched from football to whether Shazier would walk again.

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When a player opts out of a season, whether it is for COVID-19 or to prepare for the draft, fans need to understand they are looking out for the business side of football. Teague returning and playing to the same level is the best-case scenario. What happens if he didn’t make it back? What happens If Teague isn’t the same player? I am using him as an example to point out the reality of this sport.

We should take time to remember these young men on Saturdays and Sundays are risking their bodies for sport and business. Injuries will happen as long as football, or really any sport, is played. Players making the best decision for themselves should not be overlooked just because we are fans and want our teams to win.

There. I’ve gotten that off my chest and I feel much better.

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Ohio State running back coach Tony Alford and running backs provide preseason practice update

Ohio State assistant coach Tony Alford along with running backs Master Teague and Trey Sermon provided practice updates Tuesday. Watch here.

The Ohio State football coaches and players have been making the rounds with Zoom call appearances for media members over the last couple of weeks and it was time to hit the running backs Tuesday.

Buckeye running backs coach Tony Alford jumped on a media session and brought presumptive 1A and 1B backs on the depth chart, Trey Sermon and Master Teague along with him. It was great to hear how Teague was progressing post-injury, and to hear from the Oklahoma graduate transfer for the first time.

In case you missed any of the interviews, we’ve got it all for you thanks to the Ohio State Buckeyes Twitter account and OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

Click on the below and listen to several updates about where things stand with the running backs room, how Sermon has acclimated himself to the program, what Teague is looking forward to this fall, and much more.

 

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Ohio State football has first open practice in the ‘Shoe

The Ohio State football team held its first open practice Saturday in the ‘Shoe. Here are some observations we can pass along.

The Ohio State football team was on the field, in the ‘Shoe on a Saturday! Ok, so it wasn’t a game, yet, but the Buckeyes did have their first open practice and some good signs came out of it. According to Dan Hope, Master Teague and Marcus Crowley were full participants, very nice to see.

There was some mention that C.J Stroud was practicing as the number two quarterback, but honestly, I would not put a lot of stock into it. However, another positive sign was seeing Haskell Garrett on the field after he was the victim of a gunshot wound just a few weeks ago.

The offensive line looks to be Thayer Munford at left tackle, Harry Miller at left guard, Josh Meyers at center, Wyatt Davis at Right Guard, and Nicholas Petit-Frere at right tackle. With two of them underclassmen, the complete line practicing is a really good thing. Paris Johnson could make a play for right tackle, but with the three spots locked down, it will be fine.

Justin Fields got some work in and looked good throwing the ball. Two of the biggest questions will be who gets the bulk of the carries between Master Teague and Trey Sermon (the coaches have said it’ll likely be 50/50), and what the wide-receiving corps rotation will look like.

It wasn’t Ohio State football we all were expecting to see at this point in 2020, but it’s much better than what we thought about a month ago. The Buckeyes have a few weeks before their first game, and until then we have open practices to enjoy. So far college football has been wild, and it is about to get wilder and more fun once Ohio State enters the fray.

 

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Ohio State can’t go wrong with Master Teague or Trey Sermon

The Buckeyes have a decision they don’t have to make at running back. Trey Sermon and Master Teague are a wealth of riches for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson says Master Teague and Trey Sermon will have a 50/50 split at running back, but either way, the Buckeyes are in a great spot. When Teague went down with his Achilles injury there were some question of whether he be ready for 2020. Demario McCall, Marcus Crowley, and the rest were possibly going to fight it out for the starting spot. Then transfers happened and that all changed.

Before the conversation picked up steam, Sermon’s name popped up in the transfer portal, and the next thing anyone knew, he was headed to Columbus. Then, Master Teague went Master Teague on everyone and worked so hard to get ahead of schedule with his rehab. And the Buckeyes, so to speak, were off to the races.

Everyone was excited to see what the entire running back corps would look like in spring ball, then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Surely we would see more at the end of summer, but that was not to be either. So Buckeye Nation waited with bated breath to see if there would even be a season. The Big Ten finally decided there would in fact be a season, and practices ramped up significantly.

And now here we are with Teague and Sermon.

Both offer things a little different, and both it sounds like both could play huge roles on offense. Teague is more of the traditional style running back. He is compact, has great vision, pass blocks, and has a lower center of gravity. Sermon is more of the pass-catching, upright style running back we tend to see in the Big 12.

Teague has the experience in this offense, so he might have a leg up. However, Sermon has looked so good it would be hard keeping him off the field, so perhaps 50/50 is indeed closer to the truth. It sounds like we’re going to see a rotation to best utilize both backs’ skill sets according to the situation.

There are injury concerns for both, but if one has to sit out, the Buckeyes won’t lose a ton in the running game. Having both available creates an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses. Add what they can do running the ball in combination with a passing game that’s going to be lights out, and it’s pick your poison.

So while we start full-contact practice on Wednesday, keep an eye on the running backs. We know there will probably not be a clear-cut starter right away, or perhaps all season, and that is totally okay. Sermon and Teague are a wealth of riches any coach would love to have.

 

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Trey Sermon, Master Teague expected to get equal carries this fall

According to Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, running backs Trey Sermon and Master Teague are likely to split carries in 2020.

It’s been the question on everyone’s mind when it comes to the running back situation at Ohio State this fall. Master Teague was expected to be the starter in waiting with the departure of J.K. Dobbins to the NFL, but then he suffered an Achilles injury during the spring that put that in doubt.

In order to plug what seemed to be a hole in the roster, Ryan Day and company went out and convinced Oklahoma graduate transfer Trey Sermon to back the U-Haul up to the banks of the Olentangy with plans to be the guy in the backfield for the Buckeye offense in 2020.

However, based on recent reports, Teague has recovered from his injury and is all ready to go, especially with the longer timing of a late October start date. So now, there appears to be a two-man competition for the starting tailback spot.

So, how does the coaching staff assess the running back situation? Offensive Coordinator Kevin Wilson met with reporters on a Zoom call on Friday and spent some time discussing the status of the position as he sees it.

“I think it’ll be a 50-50 ballpark as we start,” said Wilson. “We’ve got five guys who are getting a lot of work, the bulk of it being split between Master and Trey with the ones and then Steele (Chambers) and the other guys are managing our second team right now.”

Ohio State fans likely know what Teague brings to the table. He’s got some straight-line burst to him but is a big, tough runner that can get yards between the tackles as well. What OSU fans may not be entirely familiar with is the skill set of Sermon and what role he will play.

“Trey has come in and he’s very smart, looks very good, catches it well, understands what we have,” said Wilson. “I haven’t seen him with pads in the hard practice environment or the game environment, you feel comfortable there.”

All of this is obviously a very fluid situation thought. There’s still a month until the start of the season, and with the pandemic, development, and situations that will present themselves in-game, things could change. Still, if what Wilson projects to be the case comes to pass, think more along the lines of 2018 when Dobbins and Mike Weber split carries rather than a feature back like what we saw last year with Dobbins.

The offense is projected to be a very dynamic one, and having two guys that can provide two different looks is not a bad thing at this point.

 

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Ohio State football depth has a month to get lined up

With about a month before the season kicks off, the Buckeyes start there is some work to do for depth before the first game.

With a little over a month before the season kicks off for a reinvigorated Ohio State football team, it’s time to start the march toward the first official game. There is some work to do and in that month, and the Buckeyes have some things to figure out.

A good place to start is with who will show up and who will opt-out. With Wyatt Davis reportedly wanting to come back, the next big question is what cornerback Shaun Wade will do.

However, beyond those two key players, there are some outlying questions surrounding the Buckeyes for 2020. I think we can all guess who the starting quarterback is, what the scheme on both sides will look like, and who is coaching. However, it gets murky in some spots. With a shortened preparation time, replacing some of the losses from last year will be paramount.

Next … Starting with the defense

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Master Teague, C.J. Walker on Ohio State student advisory committee

Master Teague and C.J. Walker have been selected to be a part of a 22-person Student Advisory Committee at Ohio State.

Ohio State football running back Master Teague and Buckeye hoops standout C.J. Walker are a part of 22 OSU student-athletes chosen to be on the Ohio State Student-Advisory Committee for 2020-2021.

“These leaders serve as the voice of our student-athletes,” Gene Smith, Ohio State Senior Vice President & Wolfe Foundation Endowed Athletics Director, said. “Their feedback is extremely important to our department, university and college athletics.”

The student panel was nominated by head coaches and sports administrators and according to a release from the school, will be responsible for 1) Providing advice and guidance to athletic administrators; 2) Soliciting student-athlete response to proposed NCAA legislation; 3) Suggesting potential NCAA legislation; 4) Creating a vehicle for student-athlete representation on campus-wide or conference-wide committees; and 5) Acting as a liaison between student-athletes, faculty, administrators and staff.

The complete list of group members are:

Mackenzie Allessie, Field Hockey
Aziza Ayoub, Women’s Track and Field
Channing Chasten, Men’s Soccer
Elexis Edwards, Women’s Gymnastics
Lindsay Epstein, Women’s Lacrosse
Brandon Fisher, Men’s Lacrosse
Jack Good, Men’s Cross Country
Mia Grunze, Women’s Volleyball
Meghan Kammerdeiner, Women’s Soccer
Cannon Kingsley, Men’s Tennis
Grace Libben, Rowing
Emma Maltais, Women’s Ice Hockey
Myles Marshall, Men’s Track and Field
Parker Mikesch, Men’s Volleyball
Austin Pooley, Men’s Ice Hockey
Spencer Sansom, Softball
Jacy Sheldon, Women’s Basketball
Griffin Smith, Baseball
Kalee Soehnlen, Women’s Cross Country
Zach Steiner, Wrestling
Master Teague III, Football
C.J. Walker, Men’s Basketball

 

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