Ohio State's Devin Smith TD Catch vs Michigan State

Courtesy of elevenwarriors.com

The (Le'Veon) Bell Tolls For The Spartans, Not The Buckeyes

Ohio State hits the road to East Lansing, Michigan, to begin Big Ten competition versus the Michigan State Spartans. Speaking for myself, I am approaching this upcoming contest with mixed emotions.  

Yes, I am happy that Ohio State is entering into this game with a perfect record at this point in the season, but does anyone truly know how good this Ohio State team is as they enter into Big Ten play?

Another question came to mind as I approach this game. Will Ohio State be able to slow down Michigan State’s Le’Veon Bell, who is the focal point of the Spartan offense?

And come to think of it – Le’Veon Bell is a native Ohioan, hailing from Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Why is Le’Veon Bell carrying the ball for the Spartans, instead of the Buckeyes? How did Bell get away from Ohio State? What about the other Ohio players on Michigan State’s roster? How did Ohio State miss out on them?

Out of curiosity, I looked up Le’Veon Bell, via rivals.com. Looking at Bell’s college choices, Michigan State was the only Big Ten school to offer him a scholarship. Former Ohio State running backs coach Dick Tressel was involved in Le’Veon Bell’s recruitment by Ohio State, but no scholarship was ever formally extended.

Besides Le’Veon Bell, there are a number of other Ohioans on Michigan State’s roster that Ohio State did not recruit. For example, Michigan State cornerback Johnny Adams hails from Akron Buchtel. While Adams was offered by other Big Ten teams besides Michigan State, Ohio State was not one of them. Johnny Adams will probably be selected in the early rounds of next spring’s NFL Draft.

Does anyone remember the recruiting saga of Steve Gardiner? Gardiner played at Dublin Coffman, was recruited by Luke Fickell late in the recruiting process, but selected Michigan State over Ohio State back in 2008.

What about Denicos Allen? Allen is the actual starter at the Sam linebacker spot for Michigan State, whereas Steve Gardiner is a backup at this position for the Spartans. Allen hails from Hamilton, Ohio, and was recruited by several Big Ten schools besides Michigan State. Again, Ohio State was not one of them.

Ohio State fans would acknowledge offensive line depth is a concern for this year’s team. It is entirely possible that offensive line depth is going to be a concern for a few seasons, due to former offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Jim Bollman’s sporadic offers over these past few seasons. Contrast that Michigan State, who have three native Ohioans starting along their offensive line, with left tackle Dan France (North Royalton, Ohio), center Travis Jackson (Columbus DeSales), and right tackle Skyler Burkland (Sunbury Big Walnut). Helping with the depth for the Spartans are Ohioans Henry Clark, Donavan Clark, Nate Klatt, and Michael Dennis. Essentially all of these players had interest in Ohio State, but that interest was not reciprocated by the Buckeyes, especially Jim Bollman.

Am I excited about Ohio State’s recruiting under Coach Meyer? Absolutely. The only concern I have is if too much focus is being extended on areas far from Ohio. Coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans has shown a tremendous willingness to come in and sign Ohio players if the Buckeyes do not provide them an opportunity.

Buckeyes Should Pack Special Teams, Defensive Plays For Spartans

Dear Coach Meyer: I realize you are quite busy preparing your team for its very first road game of the season, heading up to East Lansing, Michigan to take on the Michigan State Spartans. And I also realize that you have never faced the Michigan State Spartans as a head coach, through all of your years at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, and now Ohio State.

Complicating this trip for you is the fact that your last trip to East Lansing, albeit as an assistant for Notre Dame, did not end well. And many Ohio State fans with an understanding of history would have to admit that there have been some dubious endings to games versus the Spartans in their home stadium.

While it is easy to focus upon the negatives, I believe it is also important to focus upon Ohio State’s most recent visits to East Lansing against the Spartans. Here are a few pieces of advice or reminders you may wish to follow as you prepare the Buckeyes for this important Big Ten opener against Michigan State:

●Focus Upon The Return Game – I actually feel foolish for mentioning this to you, as I realize that, like your predecessor, you place a tremendous amount of importance upon special teams. But do you know what happened recently when Ohio State played at Michigan State in terms of returns?

In 2004, Ohio State was facing a transition year, losing starting quarterback Craig Krenzel to graduation. Coach Tressel tabbed Justin Zwick as the starter for the beginning of the season, but Zwick suffered a shoulder separation injury in a gruesome October loss at Iowa, opening the door for Troy Smith to become the starter.

Oh yeah, I’m sorry. You’re right, I am starting to stray from the point.

Well, with Smith maturing into the starting quarterback position, Ohio State needed someone else on the team to serve as a spark to get Ohio State back on a winning track.

Enter Ted Ginn, Jr. Ginn had begun making plays as a true freshman, but the game at Michigan State truly seemed to show off his abilities. Check out this punt return that played a big part in Ohio State’s 2004 victory over Michigan State, 32-19.

Just to show that this was not a one-time thing, Ohio State returned to Michigan State in 2006. By this time, Troy Smith had developed into the leader of a potent Ohio State offense, featuring not only Ginn, but also Anthony Gonzalez, Brian Robiskie, Antonio Pittman, and Chris Wells. Click on this link to see how Ginn scored on an even more impressive punt return in this game than his 2004 return was, as well as how dominant Ohio State was over Michigan State in the 38-7 victory.

●Rely Upon Your Defensive Front For A Big Play – Again, I understand that one cannot expect a punt return for a touchdown in every contest. I do believe a strong defensive unit can come up with a big play or plays to make a difference.

The very last time Ohio State visited East Lansing to play the Spartans was during the 2008 season. Coach Tressel had decided to bench Todd Boeckman, so true freshman Terrelle Pryor was extremely raw in his understanding of Ohio State’s offense.

Fortunately for Ohio State, Pryor’s athleticism running the ball, a touchdown pass to Brian Robiskie, and the running of Chris Wells helped to stake Ohio State to a big lead. The exclamation points of this victory were the fumble recoveries for touchdowns by Thaddeus Gibson and Jermale Hines, as Ohio State routed Michigan State in East Lansing, 45-7. Click on this link to see for yourself.

Safe travels to you and the team up to East Lansing. I look forward to seeing if this year’s team will use any of the means and methods that helped Ohio State win against Michigan State in recent contests staged in East Lansing.

Coach Meyer post-game UAB press conference

"It is obvious we need to get better or we will not win next week..."

Absolutely.

[Buckeye Extra] ~ Rear-view mirror: Sept. 22, 1990

Good morning.  Only a few short hours away from kickoff of Ohio State/UAB.

I saw this on The Columbus Dispatch's Buckeye Extra edition.  It caught my eye because I remember watching this game on TV at my rented college house at Miami University, with my roommates.  I also recall we were having a multi-keg party at the time, despite the raining deluge.  Enjoy.

Rear-view mirror: Sept. 22, 1990

Will Ohio State Use A "Coach" Guiton Game Plan Against UAB?

The UAB Blazers will make their debut in Ohio Stadium when they take on the 16th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.  UAB enters into this game winless, losing to South Carolina last week 49-6.

Before Ohio State enters into conference play in its first road contest of the season versus Michigan State on September 29th, there are many areas Ohio State will look to improve upon with this contest against the Blazers.  Braxton Miller is leading the team in rushing, which prompts concern among the fan base about how many hits Miller can sustain over the course of the season.  Ohio State's traditionally stout defense gave up over five hundred yards of offense in the last game versus California - is it the scheme?  Poor tackling?  Combination of those factors?

This UAB game comes at a perfect time for Ohio State to try to fix and improve all of those questions and challenges.  While they are all important, another important area should also be kept in mind for this game.

As mentioned up above, Michigan State and Big Ten play are on the horizon.  While Ohio State is ineligible to compete for the conference championship, the opportunity to win the Leaders Division, as well as impacting the conference standings, are very much on the minds of the coaching staff.

Along those lines, I am advocating the strong use of backup players throughout this game versus UAB, once the contest has been decided.  Yes, Ohio State needs to figure things out, both offensively and defensively.  UAB represents an opportunity to figure those items out.

What I am proposing is once the game has been decided, and I am speculating by either the third quarter or by the end of the third quarter, is liberally playing as many backups as possible in this game.  Once Ohio State has a lead of three or four touchdowns, it would make complete sense to me to get as many backups into the game for much needed experience.

Allow me to put it to you this way - Braxton Miller is the focal point of Ohio State's offense.  How comfortable would Ohio State fans feel going into East Lansing on September 29th, or even at home with Nebraska on October 6th, with Kenny Guiton having had minimal playing time?  Wouldn't you breathe easier if Guiton played at least a full quarter, maybe even closer to a half, even if it was against UAB?

Taking it further, why not give true freshman quarterback Cardale Jones some meaningful snaps if possible?  Again, my logic is that Jones is the third-string quarterback, and recently had his “black stripe” removed, meaning he is officially a Buckeye in the eyes of the coaching staff.  If Braxton Miller were to be injured, thrusting Kenny Guiton into the starting role, Cardale Jones would be next on deck.  Why not give Jones some playing time against UAB?

Looking at the rest of the team, below are some other areas where the backups could or should be considered for playing time:

RB – Bri’onte Dunn and Rod Smith were available for California, but did not carry the ball.  Why not work on improving the running game with these players, lessening the load on Jordan Hall.  Adam Homan is the backup fullback; why not give Zach Boren a rest in the second half, if possible?

OL – Players such as Antonio Underwood, Tommy Brown, Chase Faris, and Darryl Baldwin need to be ready to go, in case any of the current starters go down with injuries.

LB – Connor Crowell, David Perkins, Joshua Perry, Camren Williams, Luke Roberts, and Jamal Marcus have all earned playing time, primarily on special teams.  Why not give them much needed game-time experience at linebacker?

And I could go onto other positions such as the wide receiver or defensive back groups as well.  Will the coaching staff use “Coach”Guiton’s game plan and use the backups a lot against UAB?  We shall see this coming Saturday afternoon.

UAB's Coach John Peterson & "A Sort Of Homecoming"

"And you know it's time to go

Through the sleet and driving snow

Across the fields of mourning

Light in the distance"

~ "A Sort Of Homecoming", U2

On November 28, 2011, The Ohio State University formally announced the hiring of Urban Meyer as its head football coach, following the tumultuous 2011 season. Even before this decision was publicly announced, I wonder if those song lyrics by U2 ever ran through the mind of John Peterson.

John Peterson had served on the Ohio State football coaching staff under Coach Jim Tressel and Coach Luke Fickell, coaching the tight ends as well as serving as the recruiting coordinator for Ohio State. In addition, Coach Peterson played at guard on the offensive line for Ohio State, playing from 1987-1990.

With every new coaching hire, there is always turnover. Even though John Peterson had crossed paths with Urban Meyer previously, when Peterson was a player and Meyer a graduate assistant in 1987, Peterson had to know his time with his alma mater as a position coach was limited.

Any new coaching staff will reflect the philosophies and mindset of the new head coach. Peterson, who had executed the limited but effective recruiting coordinator philosophies of Jim Tressel, did not reflect the aggressive recruiting mindset of Urban Meyer, and was out at Ohio State.

Peterson has since resurfaced at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, or UAB, Ohio State’s next opponent. Even though Peterson was a capable recruiting coordinator for the Buckeyes, Peterson’s listed responsibilities are limited to coaching the offensive line for the Blazers.

Whenever a new coaching staff arrives at a program rich with tradition as Ohio State, it is understandable for the fans to be salivating at the new developments of the program that the fans hold so dearly. "I never understood why they did it THAT way… Why didn’t we try it this way before?!?...I told you things would have been better if we had done this a long time ago…". Those are usually the types of remarks or statements made when an energetic new staff arrives on the scene.

While I certainly understand and respect those notions, and I am excited about the upcoming recruiting classes on the horizon for Ohio State, I also believe a few words of thanks and appreciation can be made towards a coach who coordinated the efforts for eight seasons. Were Coach Peterson’s recruiting classes perfect? Not by a long shot. But I do believe some reminiscing about some of the players brought in during that time period is worth a quick look back ~

2005: Players such as Alex Boone, Jim Cordle, Brian Hartline, Malcolm Jenkins, James Laurinaitis, Brian Robiskie, Anderson Russell, Austin Spitler, and Doug Worthington were signed. All of those players are either in the NFL or have spent time in the NFL. Out of eighteen players signed, fifteen contributed as starters or had meaningful playing time at Ohio State, an 83% success rate.

2006: Jake Ballard, Bryant Browning, Chimdi Chekwa, Kurt Coleman, Thaddeus Gibson, Larry Grant, Ross Homan, Robert Rose, and Chris "Beanie" Wells were signed in this class. All are either in the NFL, or have spent time in the NFL. Robert Rose is presently playing for the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Out of twenty players signed, sixteen either signed or had meaningful playing time, an 80% success rate.

2007: Daniel "Boom" Herron, Cameron Heyward, Jermale Hines, Brian Rolle, Brandon Saine, and Dane Sanzenbacher are among the players signed in this class. All are either in the NFL presently, or have spent time in the NFL. Twelve of fifteen players starting or contributing, translating to another 80% success rate.

And I am not even including 2008, 2009, 2010, or 2011, as there are current players on this year’s team, as well as for the forseeable future, who are or will be contributing for the Buckeyes on the gridiron.

Yes, I am excited about the dynamic recruiting of the present, and the forseeable future. I also believe it is important to reflect upon the relatively recent past, and recall some other words from "A Sort Of Homecoming", as they could pertain to Coach Peterson…

"For tonight, at last
I am coming home
I am coming home…"