There are a handful of teams Ohio State football has played and not beaten. It’s a short list, but a list nonetheless.
There aren’t too many college football programs out there that have the upper hand on a blue-blood like Ohio State, but believe it or not, there’s a handful the Buckeyes have never beaten. All of the examples include a small sample size, but it still stings to know certain programs have never experienced a loss to the scarlet and gray.
Can you guess the teams? One probably isn’t much of a surprise since the majority of the meetings have occurred in the last decade. Those resulted in nothing but sour milk for OSU. Others though, may be a surprise to you.
Here’s the shortlist of those programs still thumping their chest over having an unblemished record against Ohio State. Research taken from Winsipedia, CFB Kings, and atr.cfrc.com.
Taylor, 23, grew up in Virginia and received offers from Florida and Virginia Tech before ultimately deciding on the University of Tennessee, where he was listed as a linebacker.
In 13 games played for the Vols in 2019, Taylor lead the team with 46 total tackles – 28 of those solo – 8.5 sacks, four passes defended and a fumble recovery. He tied for second in sacks in the SEC.
Throughout his college career, Taylor managed 118 tackles, 19.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and seven passes defended over 38 games.
Here’s a look at the highlight reel from his senior season.
The Seattle Seahawks are in dire need of help along the defensive line. After selecting linebacker Jordyn Brooks with their first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seahawks addressed this position with their first pick of the second day.
With the No. 16 pick in the second round – No. 48 overall – the Seattle Seahawks snagged Tennessee defensive end, Darrell Taylor. Seattle traded with the Jets to move up for Taylor, giving New York picks No. 59 and 101 in exchange.
Darrell Taylor provides a much-needed boost to one of the weakest pass rush units in the NFL. Last season Seattle was a bottom-3 team with only 28 sacks, and with the fate of free-agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney still in the air, the Seahawks had to make considerable moves.
Adding Taylor brings another piece to a defensive line under reconstruction, as Seattle brought back two former Seahawks in Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa. He’ll also join last year’s first pick L.J. Collier and potential breakout defensive end Rasheem Green.
Taylor led the Tennessee Volunteers with 8.5 sacks, 46 total tackles – 10 of which went for losses – and four pass deflections. He is one of only three Volunteers to ever record four sacks in a single game.
Check out Draft Wire’s exclusive interview with Tennessee edge defender prospect Darrell Taylor
You can never have too many talented pass rushers in today’s NFL, and this year’s draft class features a deep class of promising talents.
Tennessee’s Darrell Taylor is among the most battle-tested prospects in this year’s EDGE class, and he recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his experience at the NFL Scouting Combine, his pass-rushing strategy, and what kind of impact he’ll make at the next level.
JM: What was your experience like at the NFL Scouting Combine?
DT: I had a great experience out there. It gave me a chance to meet with some NFL teams, I actually had nine formal interviews. It was a great experience. I got to be around some of the best talent in all of college football. It was definitely a fun experience.
JM: A stress fracture in your left leg, which you underwent surgery for, unfortunately kept you from competing at the combine. What’s the road to recovery looking like right now?
DT: The road to recovery is looking really good. I’ve been attacking the rehab process. I’m making sure that I’m treating my body well and that everything is happening on schedule. I’m just trying to get back to playing the game the right way.
Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
JM: Did you say that you had nine formal interviews at the combine? Which teams did you meet with?
DT: I had formal meetings with the Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers, just to name a few. Those are the ones that come to mind right now. I enjoyed meeting and chatting with the coaches. Those are some great coaching staffs right there.
JM: Do you have any upcoming private visits or workouts? Or is the injury delaying that process for you right now?
DT: I just went down to Nashville to meet with the Titans. It was a great visit. I’m excited about it. That was literally yesterday (March 5th). I met with everybody on their staff. That was pretty cool. I enjoyed being back in Nashville. I’m not working out for anybody right now though. I’m just focused on my recovery but I had a great meeting with the Titans.
JM: What was the strangest question you were asked at the combine?
DT: I wasn’t really asked any strange questions, to be honest with you. They were just interested in my background and my childhood. They wanted to discuss where I grew up, and what my experiences were like at The University of Tennessee. They wanted to know how I got into football in the first place. I didn’t get anything strange. It was all pretty straight forward.
JM: How would you describe your pass rush arsenal?
DT: My favorite move is the long-arm. I have a bunch of counters that I like to incorporate into my game as well. I’m just trying to play the game at a high level and remain consistent. I’m trying to prove to teams that I can be that consistent pass rusher that they’re looking for. I like to use my speed as well. I’m a big guy but I also have that speed element to my game. I’m also a powerful rusher. I just try to switch it up and be consistent.
Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
JM: How do you switch things up throughout the course of a game to keep an offensive tackle on their toes?
DT: I like to use a lot of speed-to-power. I’ll definitely hit him with some speed and then convert it to power later on. You gotta keep him guessing. I love to use a little inside counter as well. I have to keep switching it up. I can’t let him get used to anything in particular. As long as I’m executing everything to the best of my ability, he has no idea what’s coming next.
JM: Playing in the SEC afforded you the opportunity to play against the best competition college football has to offer on a weekly basis. Who are some of the best offensive tackles you went up against?
DT: The guy from Alabama comes to mind immediately. He wore No. 74 (Jedrick Wills). I played against Andrew Thomas from Georgia. I thought he had a great season this past year. Those were two of the best ones I’ve ever played against. It was definitely a big challenge to go up against those guys.
JM: What’s your favorite way to demoralize your opponent?
DT: I just try to be consistent in what I’m doing, and win on a snap-by-snap basis. I wouldn’t say anything about demoralizing anybody specifically, I’m just trying to play the best game I’m capable of playing. I just try to play physical and dominate every game and every rep.
JM: When a team uses one of their draft picks on Darrell Taylor, what kind of guy are they getting?
DT: They’re getting a great leader that’s gonna establish himself as one of the leaders in that locker room. I’m always gonna work hard and take advantage of my opportunity.
The Houston Texans met formally with former Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Darrell Taylor at the NFL Scouting Combine.
The Houston Texans are seeking to upgrade their pass rush through the draft.
According to Justin Melo of the Draft Wire, the Texans used one of their 45 formal interviews to get a closer look at former Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Darrell Taylor.
What is interesting about the meeting with Taylor is that the Texans already had a meeting with him at the Senior Bowl.
“I like the staff and I think it was a great opportunity for them to get to know me, too,” Taylor said of the Senior Bowl meeting at the NFL Scouting Combine on Feb. 27.
Tennessee EDGE Darrell Taylor had formal meetings at the combine with the #Steelers, #Chiefs and #Texans, among others.
He also spent the day in Nashville yesterday with the #Titans. He met with several members of their staff.#NFLCombine | #NFLDraft
The Texans finished with 31 sacks on the season, tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the sixth-fewest in the NFL. The only other playoff team in the bottom-10 of sacks was Seattle with 28 collected by the Seahawks’ defense, tied with the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons for the second-fewest in the league.
Though the Texans wrapped 29-year-old outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus with a long-term deal and 30-year-old defensive end J.J. Watt is the face of the Texans’ pass rush, they have to collect younger talent and possible replacements.
If the Texans were to take Taylor, he would enjoy playing in defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s scheme.
“That’s what I see myself doing, playing in the 3-4, I’d love to rush the passer regardless, and I’d love to stop the run so I definitely see myself doing those things and becoming a great player,” said Taylor.
The Texans’ first pick of the draft is at No. 57 overall deep in the second round. If the Texans need to upgrade their pass rush, they will have to wait until that time to do so. The dearth of selections the Texans have in the draft puts an extra premium on their picks. If they feel Taylor can upgrade the pass rush, they will need to get him.
Houston Texans defensive end Charles Omenihu endorses the recent hiring of Chris Rumph as outside linebackers coach.
Defensive end Charles Omenihu is in favor of the Houston Texans’ recent hiring of Chris Rumph to be the team’s outside linebackers coach in 2020.
According to a tweet from the former 2019 fifth-round pick from Texas, Rumph attempted to recruit Omenihu in high school at Rowlett (Texas) High School in 2014 when he was the assistant head coach and defensive line coach under Charlie Strong.
While Rumph did end up getting Omenihu to commit to Texas, the defensive line coach was on to a new job in 2015 with the Florida Gators as their defensive line coach, and eventually serving as co-defensive coordinator in his last year of 2017.
Bro I can’t lie to you it’s crazy how things work @CoachRumph was the man that first sought after me in recruiting when I was in HS didn’t get the chance to coach me but he was a BIG reason why I committed and you see how God works he in Houston now !! Congrats bro !
Rumph previously spent the past two seasons as the Tennessee Volunteers’ outside linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator.
Omenihu collected 3.0 sacks, 13 tackles, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and two pass breakups in 14 games played for the Texans. While new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver will continue to coach Omenihu and other defensive linemen, at least Houston brought into the fold a coach that could be well-respected by the players.
We look back on the Gator Bowl game between Indiana and Tennessee and see how it impacted both the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
With the 2019 college football season officially in the books, it’s time to look back on how the Big Ten did in bowl games.
As we go through all the bowls, in no particular order, we will focus on two main things:
1. How did the bowl performance end the 2019 season? Was it a fitting end or a poor performance, etc.
2. What impact, if any, will it have on the 2020 season.
2020 Gator Bowl: Indiana vs Tennessee
The matchup
Indiana came into the game as an underdog. The Hoosiers were a solid team, but facing an improving Tennessee team that had better recruits, better skill athletes, and ended the season on a five-game winning streak. Indiana, meanwhile, did not beat a single team of note during the season, but also avoided bad losses. It was a huge opportunity for the Hoosiers, but they couldn’t take advantage.
What went right
Indiana punched well above its weight class for almost the entirety of this game. The Hoosiers had a brilliant offensive strategy, got precisely the quarterback play it needed, and had the defense hang with Tennessee’s talent all game long. Tom Allen and his team very clearly brought a perfect game plan, which they managed to execute almost to perfection. The longer the game went, the clearer it was that Indiana was the better-coached and better team. But the Hoosiers let Tennessee stick around.
What went wrong
There’s a lot I can point to throughout the game about this, but I’m only going to focus on the mistakes towards the end. In a terrible minute-long span, Indiana played horrible defense, wasn’t at all prepared for an onside kick, and then played terrible defense again. In the blink of an eye, a 13-point lead turned into a one-point deficit.
Indiana fans and the program should be all over Tom Allen for not being prepared for that onside kick. He coached an incredible game and season, but he couldn’t do the little things that were absolutely needed. This tweet sums it up better than I could:
Tom Allen might be great at the football stuff than 99% of people don’t understand, but he appears to be bad at stuff that 99% of people do understand, like basic timeout usage and when to be prepared for an onside kick. 🤷♂️
One of the top offensive linemen prospects in the country is returning to school for his senior season.
Tennessee’s Trey Smith is passing up the 2020 NFL draft to play his senior season for the Volunteers. Smith made the announcement via press conference Thursday.
Widely regarded as a potential top-64 pick in the 2020 draft class, Smith’s decision to return for his senior season will give him a chance to refine his game and boost his draft stock even further. A strong performance in 2020 could see him enter the first-round pick conversation heading into the 2021 NFL draft.
UGA Wire ranks the top Georgia football wins of the decade: #8
In honor of the start of 2020 Wednesday, we decided to put together a list of the Top 10 Georgia football wins from the past decade.
Coming in at No. 10 on our last was the 2013 Georgia Tech game, while the 2014 Clemson game claimed the No. 9 spot.
Now, it’s time to reveal our No. 8 in this list of the top Georgia football games of the decade. Coming in at No. 8 is the 2017 Tennessee game, due to the significance. While this wasn’t the most competitive matchup, it was a fan favorite, which will be remembered for a long time.
Nothing Georgia does will ever hurt the Tennessee fanbase like Hobnail Boot or the 41-0 beatdown on Rocky Top. Neyland Stadium might as well have performed a mandatory evacuation drill as thousands of orange-clad fans dashed to their cars in the middle of this contest, with the Bulldogs in complete control. Never mind the fact it was one of the worst losses in Volunteer football history. Yikes.
Previewing Thursday’s Gator Bowl betting odds and lines between the Tennessee Volunteers and Indiana Hoosiers, with NCAA football betting odds, picks and best bets.
The Indiana Hoosiers (8-4) and Tennessee Volunteers (7-5) meet in Thursday’s Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., at TIAA Bank Field for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff (on ESPN). We analyze the Indiana-Tennessee odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.
Indiana-Tennessee: Three things you need to know
This tilt in Jacksonville features two evenly matched third-tier power-5 teams. Statistically, Indiana carries in the better offense (32.6 PPG, 6.1 YPP), and Tennessee brings the better defense (21.7 PPG, 5.0 YPP). The Hoosiers have become mostly relevant in the blue-chip Big Ten East, and the Volunteers are a former powerhouse with some upswing momentum.
The Vols are getting credit for a win streak – Tennessee comes in having won five in a row – but the credit is perhaps too watered down. The string of foes (South Carolina, UAB, Kentucky, Missouri, Vanderbilt) doesn’t jump off the page, but in a couple of the games UT was statistically dominant without a scoreboard match. An offense that averages 5.8 YPP was over 7.0 in three of those wins. The 5.0-YPP Vols defense was better than that mark in all five wins.
Various computer rankings tab Mississippi State and Kentucky as top-50 teams. Tennessee’s ability to not only hang tough with MSU and UK (as with Indiana hanging with Michigan State and Penn State) but defeat them is compelling when assembling some comps for the Vols and Hoosiers. Tennessee has the more talented roster, but it isn’t yet ready for power-5 primetime. However, they are perhaps a touchdown more ready than the Hoosiers.
Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!
This is an intriguing matchup and should be an entertaining watch. It sets up as a profitable one, too. Back TENNESSEE -1.5 (-110).
The Vols’ pass defense can contain the high-octane Hoosiers just enough. A bigger, more veteran and more talented Tennessee two-deep can provide enough game control and efficiency to prevail and take a six-game win streak into 2020 … and be overvalued in a half-dozen early games.
The cross talents of each team make for a tough read on any sort of projectable game flow. A couple market and analytic signals point to an OVER 52.5, but that market may already be a bit overripe. Line-watch, and look for 50.5 as a trigger.
Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
