Tag: Ohio Sate Football

Best photos of Ohio State football’s win over Rutgers

Check out some of the best photos of Ohio State’s win over Rutgers Saturday afternoon. #GoBucks

It seems like we keep pointing to an ugly win for Ohio State after a first half in which the offense can’t quite find a groove, but I guess that’s just the way this team is this year. The Buckeyes used a second half surge to get by Rutgers, 35-16, in Piscataway, New Jersey.

The victory keeps Ohio State undefeated at 9-0 and on track for a chance at playing for some astronomical goals. There’s still a couple of games to go before what could be a massive clash with Michigan, but we’re here to appreciate what the Buckeyes accomplished on the road.

In fact, we like to share some of the best photos of all the action on the gridiron for Ohio State each week and it’s time for us to do that again after this Big Ten matchup.

Here are some high-resolution photos of Ohio State’s win over Rutgers on Saturday.

All Ohio State football freshmen early enrollees for 2023

Here’s a look at all of Ohio State football’s early enrollees already on campus from the 2023 recruiting class. #GoBucks

What used to be a rarity in college football has turned into almost the norm. Kids want to get a jump on their college careers these days, so rather than waiting until the fall to arrive on campus, many enroll early in January to get into the conditioning and offseason programs and gain whatever advantage they can.

The Ohio State football program has had numerous early enrollees over the last few years. That hasn’t changed this January. Eleven of the 20 players that committed during the early signing period along with one preferred walk-on arrived on campus on Monday to start the college portion of their lives.

We thought you might be interested in the OSU players who are already on campus, so we have each of them for you here in a listicle format.

Ryan Day one of 17 coaches on Dodd Trophy preseason watch list

Let’s hope Ohio State has the type of season that keeps Day in the running for this all season long. We know the off-the-field stuff will be there.

It’s no secret that Ryan Day has taken the college football world by storm. Heck, he’s yet to lose a Big Ten or regular-season game in two-plus seasons as the head of the Ohio State program. His only two losses have come in the College Football Playoff.

And though everyone used a get out of jail free card early on by using the “yeah, but he’s too new” excuse, Day is starting to get recognition. The latest comes by way of the 2021 Preseason Dodd Trophy Watch List where Day is one of 17 coaches appearing.

The list was made using a selection process that considered each program’s graduation rate, commitment to service and charity in the community, projected success for the 2021 season, and academic progress for student-athletes.

“The Dodd Trophy is the most coveted coach of the year award because it looks beyond just the results on the field and measures the overall impact these coaches have had on their players, universities and communities,” chairman Jim Terry said in a statement.

The other coaches on the watch list include:

  1. Tom Allen, Indiana
  2. Mack Brown, North Carolina
  3. Matt Campbell, Iowa State
  4. Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina
  5. Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
  6. Ryan Day, Ohio State
  7. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
  8. Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
  9. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
  10. James Frankin, Penn State
  11. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
  12. Jimmy Lake, Washington
  13. Dan Mullen, Florida
  14. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
  15. Nick Saban, Alabama
  16. Kirby Smart, Georgia
  17. Dabo Swinney, Clemson

“These coaches are coming off one of the most unprecedented and trying seasons in the history of college football, but found a way to persevere in the face of adversity.” Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and President Gary Stokan said. “They have consistently found success no matter the circumstances and we look forward to seeing how they lead their teams as we return to a sense of normalcy this season.”

Ohio State is expected to once again be one of the best teams in the country with Ryan Day steering the ship. If he has more success on the field and continues to be there for noble causes like mental health and the well-being of his student-athletes, there’s a real good chance Day could nab this award.

That all comes later though. For now, it’s at least a nod in Day’s direction that he has been included on the preseason watch list.

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What Ryan Day said about the matchup with Clemson in the Sugar Bowl

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with the media on a Zoom call Sunday to discuss the matchup with Clemson in the Sugar Bowl.

Sunday, Ryan Day and Ohio State found out they will be playing in the Sugar Bowl as a part of the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes opponent? None other than the Clemson Tigers who ended OSU’s run in the Fiesta Bowl last season in highly controversial and highly dramatic fashion as a part of last year’s playoff run.

The game will take place in New Orleans on New Year’s night and will be another shot at redemption for an Ohio State program that many people feel shouldn’t even be part of all the fun because of only playing six games. It’s an interesting backdrop because Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney himself said he would have a problem including the Buckeyes when asked about it a week ago.

But enough of that (for now). Day met with the media on Sunday and we’ve got the transcripts of his comments in their entirety. Needless to say, he understands the challenge but is fired up to have another shot at Clemson.

NEXT … Ryan Day’s comments about playing Clemson in the Sugar Bowl

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Big Ten releases COVID-19 medical protocols

The Big Ten released its full schedule for football this fall, but it also made available the COVID-19 medical protocols to be used.

In case you missed it, the Big Ten released the complete — albeit flexible and tentative — 2020 football schedule for this fall. It’s a step in the right direction for planning on playing during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there’s still a lot of work to do.

Part of that is coming up with medical protocols that involve, testing, contract tracing, quarantining, and more.

To that end, the conference also released its medical protocols to navigate the chance at playing sports in the fall while also keeping student-athletes healthy and safe.

Here are some of the highlights of those protocols. It’s a lot of information, but we’ve attached the complete protocols that will be used if and when fall sports get off the ground.

Next … The Big Ten COVID-19 medical protocols

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Belk Bowl changes sponsorship, now known as Duke’s Mayo Bowl. No really.

The Belk Bowl, which has a tie in with the Big Ten, has a new sponsor and will be known as the Duke’s Mayo Bowl going forward.

There are obviously more important things going on in the world, but we’re here to bring you one news nugget that involves the ever-changing landscape of sponsorships and the naming of bowl games. It’s hard enough to keep up with the tie-ins and eligibility, but keeping up with the revolving door of name changes is not only challenging but often comical.

On that note, we have one such name change to pass along to you, and it involves a bowl that does have a tie in with the Big Ten. The artist — er bowl formerly known as the Belk Bowl will now be named the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Yummy.

The bowl will continue to take place in Charlotte and will matchup teams from the ACC vs. either an SEC or Big Ten squad. The contract has an “expiration date” through 2025 season.

Here’s to hoping this name change and sponsorship deal with Duke’s Mayonnaise doesn’t “spread” those trying to keep track of all the bowls too thin.

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How Ohio State players reacted on Twitter to the loss in the Fiesta Bowl

Many Ohio State football players took to Twitter to either thank everyone for the magical ride, or to tee up momentum for next year.

Is it too early still?

Many Ohio State fans are still licking their wounds after the bizarre, chaotic, heart-pumping affair in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl Saturday night. The dust is beginning to settle, but the loss still hurts and feels much like a missed opportunity.

I’ve been around long enough to experience painful losses, and this one should have been in the win column. It stings more than getting wiped off the map 31-0 like what happened in 2016. Never in covering OSU football have I ever left a game as disappointed and surprised a game wasn’t won that what I experienced from the press box Saturday.

But I digress …

But there’s some good that can come of that, and it’s in the way of adding fuel and momentum to what will take place in 2020. In fact, many of the current players took to Twitter to let their thought be known about the next run Ohio State is looking to make next year. Others that are moving on from the program simply expressed grattitude.

Here’s a look at some of the best Twitter responses in-line from a sampling of players.

Justin Fields:

Running back J.K. Dobbins:

Defensive tackle Taron Vincent:

Star wide-receiver, sophomore Chris Olave:

Freshman wide-receiver Garrett Wilson:

Linebacker Baron Browning:

Wide-receiver Binjimen Victor:

Wide-receiver Austin Mack:

Offensive lineman Branden Bowen:

Cornerback Jeff Okudah:

Safety Jordan Fuller:

I’m sure there are others, and there’s no doubt other teams that do this, but it’s just another bit of evidence on how tight this team was and will likely remain as time goes by. The 2019 Buckeyes may not have won a national title, but it very well could — maybe should — have.

It’ll still be remembered as the years go by.

 

Ohio State may have lost in Glendale, but 2020 looks awfully bright

Ohio State lost a Fiesta Bowl classic on Saturday night and exits a championship run prematurely. Never fear, next year is looking great.

Ohio State football fans are still reeling from one whale of an entertaining game in the Fiesta Bowl last Saturday. As expected, it was a close-knit affair that could have gone either way, save for a slew of breaks going in the wrong direction.

As good as this Buckeye team was — and I’ll be pushing up daises before I don’t believe it was the best team in 2019 — it sure feels like the season ended prematurely. It was clear Ohio State was the better ball club on the night of December 28, it just made to many key mistakes and had almost every single break go against it. But, that’s part of the game and you have to try and overcome.

Now we look ahead to the 2020 season, and there’s no reason to be more optimistic than a mosquito at a moon-bathing convention. So let’s dive in.

First, the offense. The key piece is returning, and he’s a good one. Quarterback Justin Fields will be back with a year of seasoning, and an offseason to heal up on that gimpy knee. I still wonder if the injury he sustained wasn’t more serious than what was led on, but either way, he should have time to get that right again.

He’ll be protected by an offensive line that somewhat surprisingly has most of itself intact for next year. Gone is the gold-speculator’s find in graduate transfer and left guard Jonah Jackson, but center Josh Myers, left tackle Thayer Munford, and right guard Wyatt Davis are all seemingly headed back to mash defensive lines for another year.

Nicholas Petit-Frere has big-game experience and should be able to take over for the departed Brandon Bowen at right tackle, and a talented yet still developing Enokk Vimahi is the odds on favorite to nail down the vacant left guard spot. That’s a solid and much more proven corps to work with than what the coaching staff thought it had coming into this season.

At the skill positions, wide-receivers Binjimen Victor and K.J. Hill are gone, but it’s still a deep group that will get even deeper with the arrival of the best wide-receiving class in program history — and best in the country. J.K. Dobbins departure will hurt, but Master Teague is the next man up that should shine as the featured back next season.

On defense, the line will again be a very, very good one. Zach Harrison is about to become a star at the end spot. And while the unit loses Chase Young, BB Landers and DaVon Hamilton, guys like Tyreke Smith, Tommy Togiai, Tyler Friday, Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Haskell Garrett are going to keep the level of play high.

The Back seven is probably the biggest concern, but there is reason to believe that OSU can re-load. Linebacker Malik Harrison is gone to graduation, but the team will still have the services of Tuf Borland, Baron Browning, Pete Werner and others.  We’re still waiting to see who takes Jeff Hafley’s spot in developing the secondary, but Amir Reip, Sevyn Banks, Cameron Brown, Josh Proctor and gang will have to step up if all four DBs are indeed gone because of graduation and early departure.

And we can’t forget about special teams. Punter Drue Chrisman and kicker Blake Haubeil both have another year to flip bottles, boom punts, and split the uprights.

So yeah, the loss stings but there’s a lot to like about the team coming back in 2020. It should be another year of a dynamic offense, with some question marks in the back-end of the defense, but there is no reason to believe this team can’t make another run at a Big Ten Championship and spot in next year’s College Football Playoff.

Heck, maybe it’ll get another shot at Clemson.