OSU v. Oregon (The Rose Bowl)

It’s been 13 years since the OSU Buckeyes have been in the Rose Bowl — The granddaddy of them all.  The last time was a classic with the Buckeyes pulling it out in the final seconds in defeating Arizona State 20-17.

I expect this year’s match with the Oregon Ducks to be another classic.  (By the way this is a rematch of the 1958 Rose Bowl in which OSU won 10-7).  Both teams have explosive running games and dynamic quarterbacks.  Jeremiah Masoli of Oregon is a tremendous player and the key to the Duck offense.  He will face a caliber of defense that he has not seen this season in the Silver Bullets of Ohio State.  The Duck receivers think they can throw the ball against Buckeye secondary — I hope they try it, that’s an underrated group and I believe they will be sorry for it. 

Ohio State has also had plenty of practice against the type of offense that Oregon runs, so I although they are explosive, I think the Buckeye defense will handle itself just fine.

Offensively, it’s time for the Terrelle Pryor coming out party.  This game could springboard his junior season for OSU or it can be perhaps a fatal setback to his career.  We’ll see how he handles it.

I think Ohio State will able to run the ball with the duo of Brandon Saine and Boom Herron as well as Pryor, but I feel like Pryor will have to throw the ball effectively for OSU to win.  That could be a problem, but I expect some unconventional things from the OSU offense — I know that has not been a trait this season, but it’s just a hunch.  We’ll see some things that we haven’t this year. 

In the end, I think OSU wins it, just like last time, in a thriller and Pryor will be the hero, much like Joe Germaine was on New Year’s Day 1997. 

Happy New Year and Go Bucks!!!

It must be about winning and style points

You have heard all the old saying, “it doesn’t matter if you win or lose it’s how you play the game.”  Vince Lombardi, the legendary football coach, who piloted the Green Bay Packers to wins in the first two Super Bowls said “winning isn’t everything it’s the only thing.”

Well apparently that isn’t good enough for fans of the Cincinnati Bengals.  The Bengals beat the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday to win the AFC North Division title.  Now the Bengals and titles of any kind are anything but synonomous.  I mean, the Orange and Black have exactly three playoff appearances (counting this season) since 1990 and they have that many winning seasons.

Bengals fans are going nuts right?  They are jubiliant, they have what they want, a championship caliber team right?  Sorry, Coach Lombardi, winning is not the only thing — you have to look good doing it.  I do not understand.  Granted the game yesterday was not a thing a beauty, but at the end of the day, the Bengals had more points than the Chiefs and had more wins than anyone else in the division.  They are one of only 12 teams who will play for the right to go to the Super Bowl.  Yet, the message boards and the post-game call-in shows were filled with fans who were complaining about the way they played.  THEY WON THE GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!  THEY ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some fans were happy like me, that we get to follow the Bengals after the regular season is over.  Think about how many years the Bengals have been talking about who they are going to draft at this point of the season, about possibly who the new coach is going to be, what free agents could we possibly lure to come and help us out.  Pardon me, but I’ll take what happpened this year over the past any day.

Enjoy the ride Bengals fans and realize what you’ve got — a championship football team.  Let next year worry about next year, hopefully we’ll be talking about the same thing again.

Who Dey!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who says you can’t home again?

I had the pleasure of going back home of sorts earlier this week.  For the third straight year I was invited back to my high school to announce a basketball game as a guest play-by-play announcer.

It was the second time that I was able to make it back to Piketon High School and broadcast the Redstreaks on radio again.  Boy was it fun.  And it was much appreciated too.

It seems more and more today being appreciated for a job well done is a rarity.  It was appreciated and I heard a lot of good comments and very kind words and to that I say thank you and you’re welcome. 

Regardless of the outcome of the game (which Piketon did win) it was the most fun that I had in quite some time.

Who says you can’t home again?  Not me.  Thanks to all those at Piketon High School that made it happen and thanks for welcoming me back home. 

Once a Redstreak, always a Redstreak.  Good luck this year to Piketon in defending the SVC Championship and hopefully they will have another run to the state tournament.

A life cut short

Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Chris Henry died from his injuries sustained in an accident yesterday.  A 26-year old star-crossed player had his life cut short, which is another reminder of how fragile our existence is.

Henry was a tremendous talent who had a myriad of problems during his time with the Bengals.  The real tragic part of the story is that he had turned the corner in his life.  He was a father, he was engaged, he had cleaned his life up and now he is gone.

As it turned out, I attended his final game as a pro.  He suffered a broken arm in the Baltimore Ravens game, November 8, which turned out to be  the final play in his career and of his life. 

Football becomes secondary today for all of us who are fans and also for the Cincinnati Bengals, who have had a ton of adversity to deal with this year.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and those who were close to him.

The story on Bengals.com is linked. http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Reports-Henry-passes-away/612572f9-1819-49ed-a509-e503e8973908

Roger, Let’s Go Across The Board

Note to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell  (not that he’ll read this).  On the fines, let’s go all the way across the board.

You fine Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Chad Ochocinco for his various antics (the latest the Sombrero on the sidelines) and that’s fine, I’ve got no problem with that.  I do have a problem with ” we are fining him because it is pre-meditated.”

What about the various sack dances?  You can’t tell me those aren’t meditated.  You may say, well they don’t take away from the game, how does a guy putting on a sombrero on the sidelines take away or interrupt the game?   Just asking?  If the TV cameras hadn’t shown it you wouldn’t known he would have even done it. 

How about the guy jumping up and going into convulsions as he signals the first down he made for his team?  No fine there.  Why not?  Just asking?

How about consistency?  I’m all for what Paul Brown said “act like you’ve been there before” in regards to scoring a touchdown and don’t want to sound like I’m defending Ochocinco, because I’m not.  I just don’t see what he does as being different than a sack dance and a first down gyration dance, but yet Chad draws the fine and the others do not.

Hey, Roger, let’s go across the board and end all of the silliness.  Celebrating is one thing, football is an emotional game and I don’t want to take that away from it, but showboating is something else entirely, if you want that to cease and desist and go across the board.

OSU v. The Team Up North

It’s Michigan Week.  It’s hard to believe that we’ve have the end of the college football as far as Ohio State is concerned.  Of course, there is the Rose Bowl to think about.  But first things first.  It’s time for the THE GAME.  Ohio State vs. Michigan.

This is the game that you prepare for 364 days out of the year and the 365th day you take care of business, which is what the Buckeyes have done since Jim Tressel’s arrival in the Capital city.

Michigan is the team that makes me actually root for Notre Dame one time a year.  If they make a bowl, they make me want the Big Ten to go 6-1. 

Some will say that the game has lost some its luster the last two years because of Michigan’s current struggles, they brought that on themselves.  They had a perfectly successful coach, who until Tressel showed up, had his way with the Buckeyes, in the person of Lloyd Carr.  All the Michigan blowhards wanted him gone and now they have Rich Rodriguez.  How’s that working out for ya? 

But I digress, the game is important for both teams.  The Buckeyes want to complete the Novemeber to Remember and do not want to do anything to knock the bloom off the Rose (Bowl).  A top ten ranking and outright Big Ten Championship is on the line for OSU as well.  Michigan can become bowl eligible with a win.  And besides, it’s only the biggest rivalry in college football — enough said. 

OSU throttled the Maize and Blue last year, 42-7, and although the Wolverines have a very good offense, they employ the sieve defense, which should play right into OSU’s hands. 

 The Buckeyes are playing great football right now, but in the words of former coach Earle Bruce “You can’t judge them as great unless they played great against Michigan.”  There would be a damper on the season if the Buckeyes were to come up on the short end.

In this recent run of success against Michigan, the Buckeyes have been able to run the football and they must be able to do so this time in order to win. 

The defense should be able to handle the impressive freshman quarterback Tate Forcier and I just don’t think the Wolverines defense can stop the Buckeyes.

Regardless of the outcome — California Here We Come!!!!

Crank up Hang On Sloopy, The Buckeye Battle Cry and Carmen, Ohio and watch the Buckeyes deliver another blow to the Team Up North.  Go Bucks and as always, BEAT MICHIGAN.

OSU v. Iowa

It’s Rose Bowl or bust for the winner of this week’s Ohio State/Iowa match-up in the Horseshoe.

Ohio State has rebounded nicely from the upset at Purdue and is in position for another Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1997 classic against Arizona State.

Ohio State has a big plus in that this game is at home, it’s the final game for the seniors and Iowa is missing its very talented quarterback, Ricky Stanzi, who was injured in last week’s loss to Northwestern.

All of those factors should spell victory for Ohio State and you know head coach Jim Tressel has preached all week about how good Iowa is, even without Stanzi and they are.

The Hawkeye defense is tough, but so was Penn State’s and the Buckeyes performed very well against that D in their home park.

The spread is 17 points, I’m not sure the Buckeyes will cover that, but I think OSU’s defense combined with a seemingly improving Terrelle Pryor, the Buckeyes should win the game and book passage to Pasadena.

Ohio State will surely get back into the Top 10 with a win over Iowa.  The Hawks want to salvage their season and they also feel a trip to Pasadena is an awfully nice consolation prize. 

There is a lot to play for— Iowa also must hope that OSU is looking ahead to the Michigan game — which I don’t think will be the case.   The Hawkeyes will have to play a freshman in the Horsehoe with the Big Ten Title at stake — in the past, that’s not been a receipe for victory and I don’t believe it will be this time either.

Go Bucks!

OSU v PSU

Ohio State versus Penn State.  Two names, two programs with a lot of tradition.  Tradition of winning.  The two storied programs collide this week in a put-up or shut-up game in the Big Ten.  The winner remains a player for the Big Ten title, the loser can make plans for the Outback Bowl at best.

Penn State is one of the most difficult places to play in all of college football.  The Buckeyes have been a mixed bag there in the past.  They’ve had success, they’ve had coloassal failures.  They’ve landed somewhere in between.  This year has an interesting game story with the return of Terrelle Pryor to Pennsylvania.  This time as the enemy.

Pryor wants desperately to make up for last year.  He was orchestrating a potential game-winning drive in a knockdown, drag-out low-scoring game, when he fumbled the ball trying to do more than he needed to.  As a result, Penn State recovered, scored, and won the game.

The pressure will be on Pryor and we see this week if he is maturing or if he still needs to be “babied.” 

I loved the wrinkles Ohio State showed in its offense last week against New Mexico State.  Being cute won’t get it done this week,  it all comes down to running the ball in this game.  The team who does it wins. 

Both defenses are off the charts good and offensively, veterans Darryl Clark at quarterback and Evan Royster at running back would appear to give the Nittany Lions the edge.   But don’t count OSU out.  Pryor is very dangerous and Devier Posey is devloping into the next star wideout in Columbus.  Jordan Hall, Boom Herron, Brandon Saine and Co. must be heard from in this game for the Buckeyes to have a chance.

Ohio State has a chance with Penn State this week and Iowa next week to become a member of the top 10 once again nationally.  They are touting this as a November to remember.  As Buckeye fans, let’s hope we can remember it for all the good things that could transpire and not that it turns out to be a disaster. 

 

OSU vs. New Mexico State

The Buckeyes step out of conference this week to take on the Aggies of New Mexico State.  OSU is a 44-point favorite.  I don’t like those huge spreads, because they are hard to cover and for some reason that makes a difference in the polls and the national perception.  Although, Ohio State is clearly out the national title picture this season.

Although Ohio State may not cover the spread, they should have an easy time with the Aggies, who, in a word, struggle.  The Buckeyes should get a chance to work on their running game and it looks like Brandon Saine may play despite having suffering a mild concussion last week.   It was good to see youngster Jordan Hall gets some more carries and the Scarlet & Gray may have found something in Jermil Martin.  Although, I must remember it was Minnesota they were playing.

The coaching staff should get a chance to get extended looks at some people on both sides of the ball.  I think the chances of the Buckeyes looking past New Mexico State is virtually nil after learning a very tough lesson two weeks ago in West Lafayette.

An interesting side note to this game is Trevor Walls, the Waverly, OH product.  I announced games for the Waverly Tigers when Walls was a freshman and even though he didn’t play much, the talk that he was going to be very good and you could see it.  And he was very good for the Tigers. 

I’m sure a contingent of Waverly folks will make their way up Route 23 and root Trevor on.  The reports are he may play — he may not — I watched a little bit of their game last week and he was in the line-up.  Good luck to him in the rest of his college career, but I think he and his fellow mates are going to be in for a long day.  Walls may get up close and personal with the likes of Thaddueus Gibson, Nathan Williams, Doug Worthington and Co. 

OSU does win in rout in preparation for what hopes to be a November to remember with Penn State, Iowa and the team from up north on the horizon.

OSU v Minnesota

Ohio State’s season is at a crossroads after last week’s disappointing loss to Purdue.  They can move forward and go after another Big Ten title or they can continue to spiral downward to a lesser bowl and have to hear more about how the University of Cincinnati has passed them by as the top team in the state.

The problems are fixable, but the supporting cast must help Terrelle Pryor.  He is on an island, he feels like and has probably been told that he has to make the plays for the Buckeyes to be successful, which is what led to his turnovers against the Boilermakers.

Granted, he must play better and be more consistent, but he didn’t get a lot of help last week.

Turning the page to Minnesota, in year’s past a person would feel sorry for the Gophers because they have to play OSU after a loss.  That was not a recipe for success.  The jury is still out as to whether that will be the case this year.

This is why OSU’s season is at a crossroads –they have figure out a way to put Minnesota away early and for the offense to get some confidence. 

The defense was not at fault last week, but having had to play the majority of the game on the field for the past several weeks it finally caught up with the Bucks versus Purdue.

It’s homecoming and Ohio State should start on a new win streak.  There is still a lot to play for, another Big Ten Championship is still possible and its start on Saturday.

Pryor and head coach Jim Tressel will answer the critics and I expect the Buckeyes to respond from the sucker punch from last week, which is what happens when you get caught flat-footed.

I think it is lesson learned for Ohio State and we begin to see what they are made of or not.

Minnesota has a solid offense and beat Purdue by 15 points when those teams met head-to-head.  Defensively, the Gophers are not particularly strong, but yet neither was Purdue. 

It’s a Noon kick on ESPN.