Our Honor Defend

The wait for Ohio State’s rabid fanbase is now over.  The Men of the Scarlet and Gray take the field for the 121st season, starting this campaign as the #2 ranked team in the country and hosting the Marshall Thundering Herd.

It is the first trip for the Thundering Herd back to Columbus since a nailbiter in 2004, where Mike Nugent was given the task of booming a long field goal to win the game at the buzzer.  It is also the first trip, and first game, for new head coach Doc Holliday.  Holliday has been all over the college football map, but prominently taking an assistant job with new hire Urban Meyer at the University of Florida.  There, he did irresponsible things in 2006 that will not be belabored any further.  After leaving Gainesville for an assistant job at WVU, his alma mater, he moves down state to take the head coaching job from Mark Snyder, a former Ohio State assistant coach under Tressel.

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The Buckeyes are still working on wrapping up their 2011 class, though the collection of talent they have now ranks among the region, and nation’s, best.  Tonight, talented, rising junior Warren Ball, a tailback from Columbus’ St. Francis DeSales HS (see: Adam Griffin) committed to Ohio State as part of the 2012 class, joining Olentangy prospect Josh Perry.

His recruitment ends before it truly started, but that is not to say that Ball couldn’t be big time in his class if he so desired.  He had been hearing from programs across the country in his sophomore year.  He is already hovering around the 6’0 200lb area and could actually get faster as he grows into his body.  He has a desirable combination of speed and power and can only get better.  Bucknuts lists strong interest from places like Wisconsin, Michigan, LSU, Michigan State and Oregon.  That is only a sample of schools that were interested in the lifelong Buckeye fan.  Ultimately, Ball went with the dream school and ended all speculation early.  He will join a backfield in 2012 that should be getting obscenely loaded with talent.

Importantly, Ball gets it done in the classroom as well.  He carries a 4.0.

Film is available after the jump.

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The divisions are out, and yes, Michigan and Ohio State have been separated in the new divisional format. The Big Ten has announced that much of the rumors about the new Big Ten were borne out in the final product. Rather than go with the Illinois-Indiana divide (as I would have done), the Big Ten sent Michigan and Michigan State west and Wisconsin and Illinois east. The two divisions, as outlined and even labeled on the Big Ten Network, are as follows:

• X Division: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
• O Division: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nerdwestern

Aware of the sensitivity regarding the split, especially of Ohio State and Michigan, the Big Ten announced there would be a protective cross-over game in a manner similar to the SEC’s guaranteed inter-divisional matchups (Auburn-Georgia, Alabama-Tennessee, LSU-Florida) and so on. These are:

• Illinois-Nerdwestern
• Indiana-Michigan State
• Ohio State-Michigan
• Penn State-Nebraska
• Purdue-Iowa
• Wisconsin-Minnesota

Off the bat, Ohio State and Michigan fans were assured that The Game will keep its usual spot at the end of the schedule. Several thoughts follow.

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‘Twas the night before this college football, and all throughout this blog.  Vico was feverishly better knowing Adam Griffin in order to, well, finish this series.  Seriously, you try finding a perfect rhyme for blog.  Adam Griffin comes to Ohio State well after signing day had concluded and most had thought this class was finalized.  Asking about potentially walking on to the team, Tressel and company later informed him that they had an available scholarship that he was welcome to have.  It was a very brief recruitment and it will be recapped in usual fashion in this 18th, and final, installment of the third edition of this now 19-part series titled Better Know A Buckeye.  Yes, that is a bit of a misprint.  Somewhere along the way, I had started counting 19 when Adam Griffin came into the fold and forgetting that Carlos Hyde was better known as part of last year’s class.  I know what you’re saying: that’s really bad form for someone entrusted with very sensitive data on a daily basis.  But, well… shush.

Height: 5’7
Weight: 178lbs
40: 4.5
High School: St. Francis DeSales HS; Columbus, Ohio

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We are firmly in the final countdown before the kickoff to Ohio State’s 121st season of organized football. While Buckeye fans are making final preparations for their tailgating plans or stocking up on beer and dip to watch the game at home, I have to do some serious eleventh hour homework on the 2010 recruiting class. My bad.

This 17th installment of this now 19-part series in its third edition titled Better Know A Buckeye covers Christian Bryant.  Bryant is a defensive back coming out of the storied Glenville program out of Cleveland.  The Tarblooders have sent one of their own to Ohio State on scholarship every year since 2002.  Sometimes Ted Ginn Sr’s program sends more than one to Columbus.  Last year gave us Marcus Hall and Jonathan Newsome.  This year, Bryant alone fortifies the I-71 pipeline.  He is better known in usual fashion in this feature.

Height: 5’9
Weight: 178lbs
40: 4.46
Bench Max: 225
Bench Reps: 7
Shuttle: 4.18
Vertical: 34 inches
GPA: 3.25
High School: Glenville HS; Cleveland, OH

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