In the Hive

Good morning Hivers! It appears that Columbus has finally decided that winter should begin, but fear not I’m here to warm your hearts the way only my finely honed prose can. It’s a pretty slow time from a football perspective, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t spend a good chunk of this post talking about recruiting. With National Signing Day 2012 now firmly in our rear-view it’s time to wrap up this year’s class and start looking toward the next one. It’s in this spirit that I bring you once again, the best weekly, Thursday-morning column on OHD, the Thursday Morning Hive!

Stefon Diggs…The Saga Continues
I have to confess, I really let myself down here. There were a thousand puns that I could have used to subtitle this section: “Diggin’ on You” “Digging in” “Can you Diggs It?” But I didn’t. I have let you all down and I apologize. I can only take solace in the fact that I dropped what has to be the first TLC reference in the history of OHD. Well, anyways. Moving on…. It’s getting closer and closer to D-Day for Stefon Diggs, and as was possibly first reported  right here in the Thursday Morning Hive, Ohio State is among the finalists for the 5* (rivals) wide receiver.

If you would, indulge me for a moment. Imagine you just had a *really* good day. I’m talking an Ice-Cube level, didn’t have to use your AK, messed around and got a triple-double type day. Then, imagine that as you’re walking up the driveway to your front door, you find a $50 bill on the ground. Had you not found that $50, it still would’ve been a great day, but now it’s an all-timer. Now imagine that Ohio State’s 2012 recruiting class was that good day, landing Diggs would be the equivalent of finding that fresh $50 on the ground…The icing on the cake, if you will.

According to scout.com The 6’0” wide receiver:

lines up all over the field for his Good Counsel team, but he does most of his damage from a running back position. He has feet that would make a sewing machine envious, capable of making the quickest of cuts in traffic. He has excellent vision and good top end speed. When spread outside at receiver, he shows enough ability to be there full time if that’s where he’s needed. [Diggs is] A natural with the ball in his hands

Source: Scott Kennedy Scout.com

Diggs has narrowed down his list of finalists to Florida, Auburn, Maryland and the Buckeyes. Beyond that, nobody knows for sure. Solid reports of a “lean” one way or another have been hard to come by. Equally as ambiguous is when the announcement will come. Originally, it was supposed to be Friday night at 10:00 on local Maryland television. However, last night Diggs tweeted that the announcement would come Thursday. So which will it be? We’ll find out soon enough.

When the announcement does come down, if it’s a Buckeye hat that he dons, Diggs will have a shot at early playing time and Ohio State will have an exclamation point to put on its 2012 class. Should Diggs (foolishly) choose to attend another school, then Ohio State still had an excellent recruiting class and Buckeye fans need only wait a year for Jalin Marshall to fill the “Percy Harvin” role.

Rivals Releases 2013 top 100
If you have suffered through the first 400 words of this article, I’m going to assume that recruiting interests you. If that’s the case, boy does Rivals have something for you. The scouting organization released its first 2013 “Rivals 100” list of the top 100 prospects in the nation. Ohio State’s two commits both made the list with Trotwood Madison DB Cameron Burrows checking in at #7 and Middletown QB Jalin Marshall at #41.

You can check out the  entire list here: Rivals 100

Buckeye Wrestling Season Hitting the Home Stretch
In the seven days since my last posting, the Ohio State wrestling team has been busy. In fact, in the last week, the team has wrestled its way through the entire state of Michigan. A pair of 24-13 victories against the Michigan Wolverines (featuring a Luke Fickell coaching cameo) and the Michigan State Spartans have the young Buckeye grapplers riding a wave of momentum into the final stretch of the season.

The conference dual meet schedule is officially over, and only one event remains before the Big Ten championship—the prestigious Cliff Keen National duals in Stillwater, Oklahoma. This week’s contest is a regional qualifier with the winner advancing to face the three other regional champions in the finals next week.  According to the official release:

The Buckeyes received the No. 3 seed in the six-team regional and will wrestle No. 6 seed Boise State in the first round at 1 p.m. Sunday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Host Oklahoma State earned the No. 1 seed, while Nebraska is the No. 2 seed. Wyoming received the fourth seed, with Chattanooga named the fifth seed.

The No. 1 Cowboys and No. 2 Huskers will receive a first-round bye. The winner between the Buckeyes and Broncos will face the Huskers, while the Cowboys and Mocs’ winner will wrestle the No. 1 Cowboys.

That means that should the Buckeyes get by the Broncos, the team will get the chance to avenge last month’s 16-18 loss to Nebraska. Oklahoma State is the prohibitive favorite in the region, but don’t expect this young Buckeye squad to go down without a fight. Should the Buckeyes win the region and advance to the finals, it would be an incredible confidence boost for the team as it heads into tournament time.

Man, I don’t even Know
Finally, I leave you with what is likely the strangest thing that I’ve ever seen. EDSBS posted it, and I’m not quite sure what it is, but enjoy.

In the Hive

After helping to crush the idea of a ‘plus-one’ game in the BCS in the past, the Big Ten conference has finally realized that the fans hate the BCS and want a playoff.  In a story that was reported in the Chicago Tribune, and numerous other media outlets, the Big Ten is now floating an idea for a four team playoff.  While this sounds very similar to the ‘plus-one’ idea that was developed by the SEC, that idea would have taken the top two teams after the bowls and have them play for the National Title.  In the Big Ten’s model the semifinals would be played on the campus of the top 2 teams and the winners of those games would meet in a championship game whose location would be open for cities to bid on, like the Super Bowl.

While it is nice to see the Big Ten taking a step toward a playoff like the fans have wanted for years, this plan is not the answer.  A four team playoff does  not solve the major problems of the BCS, that it relies too much on the subjective voting of humans with all of their biases and it eliminates 80% of the teams in the country before the season starts thanks to preseason polls and the inability for those teams to climb high enough.  Making things even worse, the top seeds hosting the first round means that you give a huge advantage to those two teams in what should be too close, well matched games.  While the home sites for the semifinal games will obviously guarantee sellouts, those would happen anyway.  I am happy to see that the Big Ten is finally starting to realize that a playoff is needed, anything short of a 16 team playoff with all the conference champions automatically getting in will be no more than a mediocre solution in my opinion.

Another Honor for Prahalis

Most basketball players need two good games in a week to earn player of the week honors, Samantha Prahalis needed only one.  Prahalis scored a career high34 points as Ohio State beat Wisconsin on Monday night to earn Big Ten Player of the Week.  Prahalis shot 12 of 18 in that game, 4 of 5 from three point range, and added 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 rebounds.  This is the seventh time Prahalis has received this honor during her career and her third this season, she most recently won it on January 23rd of this year.

Samantha Prahalis also had a few other pieces of good news this week.  She is now only 30 assists away from breaking the record for most assists in Big Ten history.  She was also named to the mid-season Wooden Award watch list, meaning that she is still in the running for the Heisman of college basketball.  Prahalis and fellow guard Tayler Hill were also added to the State Farm Wade Trophy watch list.

Some Good News for Men’s Hockey

While the men’s hockey team continues their free fall, loosing two to Michigan State this weekend, they did get a bit of good news.  Defenseman Sean Duddy was named as one of the 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.  The award honors players who excel not only in their sport but also in the classroom and community while demonstrating excellent character.  This is a huge honor as it shows that Duddy is one of the student-athletes that is exemplifying why we have college athletics.

Big News for Women’s Hockey

The men’s hockey team wasn’t the only set of icers to have a player worth mentioning.  Women’s hockey senior Laura McIntosh broke the Ohio State career points record with 3 points in an upset of #9 Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday, the Buckeyes dropped the Friday night game.

OSU Signing Day war room. What? No Jaegerbombs in front of VraBRO?

Just like a bunch of guys sitting around a bar, weighing in with their opinions on the 2012 National Signing Day, several websites from what we’re calling the Buckeye Blogger Network will be sharing their thoughts today on what transpired yesterday in high schools and on antiquated fax machines throughout Ohio and all over the country. You can find our thoughts on three basic signing day questions after the jump. You can check out opinions on the same questions from The Buckeye Battle Cry, The Buckeye Blog, Buckeye House Call, Men of the Scarlet and Gray, and The Silver Bullet. Think of it as an extended round table discussion that includes multiple blogs. Did we just blow your mind? #DogsAndCatsLivingTogether #MassHysteria

Even if Urban Meyer doesn’t add another player to the 2012 recruiting class, by any objective measure you’d have to say that what he has done in his two months at Ohio State is nothing short of amazing. Meyer’s inaugural OSU class brings in just about everything you could ask for, except maybe a game breaking talent on the offensive edge (so far – Davonte Neal and Stefon Diggs are still out there). Vico laid out the particulars on the newest Buckeyes yesterday. We all look forward to the 2012 edition of his Better Know a Buckeye series—his award-winning ongoing narrative about the guys who will wear the scarlet and gray. What’s that? It’s not? Well it SHOULD be award-winning, dammit. The man does a fine job telling you about Ohio State’s recruits, where they are expected to fit in and what the chronology of their recruitment looked like. On to our thoughts:

Who are you most excited to see in the Scarlet and Gray?

We’re excited about several of these guys. But if we have to narrow it down (and apparently we do) we’re going with Noah Spence, but we’re also intrigued by Bri’onte Dunn and Michael Thomas. Spence is one of the nation’s premier pass rushers from the 2012 class. Ohio State fans and coaches alike lamented the lack of sacks from the 2011 season. The lack of pressure from the defensive front in 2011 exposed holes in the linebacking corps and defensive backfield. The simple arithmetic of allowing quarterbacks fewer seconds to make their reads and deliver an accurate pass will reap benefits for every level of the defense. It will be interesting and exciting to see if Spence can have an immediate impact in that area, and whether he can provide help for the returning Nathan Williams. Thomas is an interesting young receiver in a position of need. Several former and present Buckeyes have been promising big things from Thomas on Twitter and he certainly appears to be the class at his position of the incoming freshmen (so far, at least). Dunn is completely different from what Meyer’s offenses have had to work with in the past from the tailback position. If Meyer’s offense can get the ball to Dunn in space, he has the ability to become an immediate impact player, despite the presence of Carlos Hyde and Jordan Hall in front of him.

Who makes an immediate impact from the 2012 class?

Oh, just Taylor Decker signing stuff on National Signing Day, that's all. (h/t Marcus Hartman)

If you’re a regular visitor to our site, you know that we’ve been on a NEED MOAR TACKLES crusade for quite some time, and we think that Taylor Decker and Kyle Dodson could immediately step into the two-deep and perhaps push for extended playing time in their first year. Meyer was effusive in his praise for the two incoming twin tackles. If you combine their talent with the fact that the position has been criminally under-recruited by the previous regime, it becomes obvious that they have a chance to be important players very early in their OSU careers. Other potential first-year contributors include Spence, linebacker Camren Williams and defensive tackle Tommy Schutt. Like offensive tackle, linebacker is a position the Buckeyes find thin at the moment. Ryan Shazier contributed significantly as a freshman and it’s conceivable that a guy like Williams could be this year’s Shazier. Likewise, Schutt could be this year’s Michael Bennett.

Who do you wish that OSU hadn’t “missed” on?

It’s hard to really say that Urban missed on anyone, given the class he put together in the last two months. It seems more appropriate to say that Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Notre Dame are the ones who “missed,” in light of some of the flipping that occurred. You could lament that he wasn’t able to sway Kyle Kalis back from the dark side in light of our NEED MOAR TACKLES problem. But that might only have served to cast doubt on whether Urban was really human. You might shoot for the stars and say it would have been awesome to have landed Dorial Green-Beckham or Jameis Winston. Green-Beckham would have been ridiculous in Urban’s offense. Instead, he’ll merely be “diculous” in Missouri’s. In the end, we’re going to take the easy way out and say we wish we hadn’t “missed out” on signing Stefon Diggs on National Signing Day, although he could still end up in scarlet and gray later. Diggs would fit the lone remaining hole in the recruiting class that Meyer touched on in his press conference yesterday—the need for game breaking speed from the skill positions. We’re still hopeful that Diggs can join this class when he announces on Feb. 10, but as of this moment, we’re not sure if there is any room. It should be pointed out that Meyer and his assistants alluded yesterday to being at 81 scholarship players, which would leave one remaining slot in light of the NCAA reducing the scholarship number by three per year over the next three years. It is unclear how the coaches arrived at this number given what news has been officially released to date, but presumably there is more information to come regarding Jaamal Berry and perhaps at least one other player. We won’t speculate about attrition among upperclassmen, but the next week and a half should be interesting as we lead up to the announcements of some recruits who remain undecided—at least officially.

Don’t miss our Buckeye Blogger bros and their take on these three questions:

The Buckeye Battle Cry - Three Questions from Ohio State’s 2012 Signing Day 

The Buckeye Blog - It’s a Great Day for Ohio State: Thoughts on Signing Day

Buckeye House Call - National Signing Day – The New Beginning

Men of the Scarlet and Gray - National Signing Day: The Aftermath

The Silver Bullet - Family Feud: Three Questions from Ohio State’s 2012 Signing Day

Tayler Hill being a boss. Because she can.

In 2011, Northwestern beat Ohio State twice, adding to the team’s rocky 24-10 finish.

That was last season.

Though the score remained within a few points for most of the game, the Buckeyes (16-1, 3-1) were able to pull away for the 10 point finish over the Wildcats (11-6, 1-3). Turnovers were costly for Northwestern, as Ohio State scored 3o of its 82 points off 17 of them. Tayler Hill lead the team with 24 points, followed by Samantha Prahalis with 20.

OSU’s Ashley Adams and Northwestern’s Morgan Jones got things rolling with back-to-back jumpers in the first two minutes. The game stayed close until Danielle Diamant nailed a three to put the Lady Cats up 13-7. But after a six point run by Prahalis, the Buckeyes tied it up 13-13. Neither team came within three points of each other until the 9:30 mark when Emilee Harmon made a two-point layup from an offensive rebound by Prahalis to make the game 27-22. After a few missed shots and a Northwestern turnover, Prahalis furthered the lead 30-22.

The party didn’t last long though. Northwestern went on a 9-0 run, led by Tailor Jones with seven of the nine points. Then it was Ohio State’s turn to answer. Adams knocked in two following a Morgan Jones turnover to put the Buckeyes back on top 31-30. The turnovers and missed shots continued for the Wildcats as the Buckeyes were able to pull away 38-31 and led 38-35 at the half.

Hill opened the second half with a layup assisted by Adams, but the Buckeyes failed to get a basket from three offensive rebounds. Northwestern went on a 5-0 run to tie the game 40-40 and scored another five to pull ahead 45-41. The game continued to remain close until about the 8 minute mark when Hill nailed a three pointer. Hill was on fire the rest of the way, scoring 15 of the final 27 points for OSU. The Wildcats never fully recovered and played sloppy the rest of the way. Northwestern continued to turn the ball over and ended the game with a few costly fouls.

The No. 11 Buckeyes travel to East Lansing to face Michigan State Sunday. Game time is at 4 and will be broadcast on ESPN2. Also, if you were in any way bored or disappointed with my recap (I hope that’s not the case, but hey, can’t please everybody), do not fear because Charles will be making his return.

In the Hive

Good morning and welcome again to the Thursday Morning Hive. If you’ll remember last week’s edition, we were fresh off of a major announcement detailing a partnership between two of the nations premiere athletic conferences—The Big 10 and the Pac 12. It was a ground-breaking agreement and an absolutely huge story. Today’s hive, well it doesn’t have a story of quite that magnitude, but it does feature video evidence of ESPN’s Holly Rowe throwing an elbow that would make the Macho Man himself proud. So without further ado, here are your “Five(ish) For the Hive.”

Familiar Faces, New Places Volume One
This week we learned that several familiar names will be assuming new roles within the Ohio State football program. The first name that I’ll touch on is Senior-to-be Reid Fragel. Fragel, as most of you know, spent his first three years at Ohio State as a Tight End. While not a prolific pass catcher as a tight-end (and who was under Jim Bollman?), Fragel was a tenacious blocker with fantastic size. These are qualities that will suit him well as he transitions to his new position: Offensive Tackle.

For those who have followed Fragel since high-school, the announcement is likely surprising, but not altogether unexpected. As Vico said in his profile of Fragel way back in 2009, “Practically speaking, Reid doesn’t want to be an H-back.  He doesn’t want to line up in the backfield, or flexed out wide of the offensive line.  He doesn’t like finesse; he likes pancakes.  He wants to be on the line, as a traditional tight end, putting people into the ground.” At 6’8” and 280 lbs, Fragel is a little bit on the light side, but he should have enough size to play tackle. Ideally, he would pack on another 20 pounds in the offseason, but his athleticism should help compensate if he doesn’t add the bulk.

For selfish reasons, I’m a big fan of Fragel’s. He happens to be the one and only current Buckeye following the @NotJimBollman Twitter account, and I can’t wait to see what he does next season. As you might have read once or twice on this particular blog, the Buckeyes need MOAR TACKLES, especially with the graduations of Mike Adams and J.B. Shugarts. With offensive line depth as it is, Fragel should have a legitimate shot at starting next season.

Familiar Faces, New Places Volume Two
Aside from Ryan Shazier, Destroyer of Worlds, the linebacker play for Ohio State was a bit of a disappointment last season. This led some to wonder if linebackers coach Mike Vrabel would be retained once Urban Meyer took over. Well, as we all know by now, Vrabel was retained. However, he won’t be coaching the linebackers. Instead, Vrabel will coach the Defensive line. Luke Fickell will now be responsible for the linebackers (in addition to his duties as co-defensive coordinator.

As accomplished a linebacker as Vrabel was in the NFL, he may actually be better suited to coach the Defensive Line. In addition to being a defensive lineman in college, Vrabel was an outside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme for most of his NFL career. In the 3-4, outside linebackers are often DE/LB hybrids that are tasked with rushing the passer as often as they drop back into coverage.

The trends in recruiting since Meyer took over suggests that the defensive line is a priority (four 4* or better d-lineman have signed in the last two months), and Vrabel will be in charge of overseeing their development. One thing is for sure, with Vrabel coaching them, they will play fast and with intensity, otherwise they won’t last.

Buckeye Wrestling Faces Top-15 Test
Fresh off of a dominating 31-9 win against an overmatched Indiana Hoosier Squad, the #6-ranked Ohio State wrestling Buckeyes have a huge match coming up on Friday. The team will be in Lincoln for a top-15 showdown against the #14-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. The match begins at 8:00 P.M. and can be found on the Big 10 Network.

It’s 10:00 A.M….
And Michigan still….you know the rest. As I sat down to write this column last night, it occurred to me that in my month or so writing for OHD, I had aimed very few snarky or insulting remarks in the direction of our friends up north. So, in honor of the throngs of maze-and-blue-clad miscreants claiming that their beloved Wolverines are “back,” I give you four reasons why they are not:

• We’ve seen this one before. Remember when Charlie Weis took over for Notre Dame and in his first season led the team to a Fiesta Bowl appearance? The roar was restored and Notre Dame was back! Until the next season when they were mediocre again.
• The schedule set up great for the Wolverines this year. Almost all of the Wolverines’ tough games were at home. Ohio State, Nebraska, and Notre Dame all had to come to the Big House to play. Also, the Wolverines didn’t have to play B1G Champion Wisconsin
• They came in third in the Conference. For all of the talk about Michigan’s comeback season, they didn’t even win their half of the conference—Michigan State did. The Wolverines finished behind both Sparty and Wisconsin, only reaching a BCS bowl because of a rule technicality. If third place in the conference is “back” for Michigan, welcome back boys!
• Next year’s schedule…..yikes. As favorably as this year’s schedule set up for the Wolverines, 2012 is another story. Michigan opens the season with a neutral-site game against Alabama. After watching how the Wolverines’ finesse offense has fared against big-time defenses in the past, Denard Robinson might end this game broken beyond repair. Should they have enough health players remaining, three weeks later they travel to South Bend and play Notre Dame. Then in late October, the schedule picks up again. A home game against little (big) brother, Michigan State is followed by a trip to Lincoln to play Nebraska. The Wolverines close out the season with Iowa on the road and a trip to Columbus to play the Buckeyes. If they somehow manage to navigate next season and make it to a BCS game, then we can talk about the Wolverines being “back.”

Finally…as promised…

I hate to include any video showing Michigan celebrating, but I feel like this video is largely representative of ESPN journalism as a whole. Enjoy.

Urban Meyer is a special teams-minded coach as well, you say?

How foolish was I to “assume away” special teams in my preview post?  Two special teams disasters for Ohio State directly resulted in two touchdowns for the Florida Gators and was ultimately the difference in a 24-17 loss for the Buckeyes.  Its last bowl game for the next two years, the Gator Bowl loss puts Ohio State at 6-7 on the season.  It is Ohio State’s first losing season since 1988 and the first seven loss season for Ohio State since 1897.  That last statistic was a clear best among active streaks in college football, beating out Florida State (1975).

Florida was 6/12 on 3rd down this game in spite of the Buckeyes usually having the advantage on distance for third down.  Again, the Buckeyes’ defense proved to be a maddening defense on 3rd down.  Still, Florida mustered only 263 yards of offense this game, but did not need to move the ball.  It won this game on the heels of a kickoff return for a touchdown and a punt block returned for a touchdown.  For the past three years, Ohio State’s special teams have bordered on appalling.  We would be salvaged through stretches this season, but this result is inexcusable.  With that in mind, the excuse might be that Paul Haynes had jurisdiction over kick coverage and he left for ArKansas, leaving Ohio State understaffed.  Whatever the case, Urban Meyer needs to take that emphasis he put on special teams while at Florida and bring it to Ohio State.  It was an emphasis we often attribute to Jim Tressel’s tenure, but the Buckeyes lost its way.

Beyond that, I’m not sure what I can say about offense or defense, certainly on offense.  Our offensive line got taken to the cleaners during important stretches of this game once the Gators figured out Ohio State’s snap count.  Of course, we never adjusted.  We couldn’t because, at least according to Jim Cordle, our offensive line wouldn’t know how to adapt to a different snap count.  Braxton Miller showed us that he really hasn’t improved this season from Akron to Florida, and that’s coaching.  We know it is.  I guess the only comment to add is that it’s karma that the bowl game Gene Smith’s costly gamble gave to Dan Herron and DeVier Posey saw them each have dumb turnovers.  That JB Shugarts tacked on two false starts, good for 25 total on the career, might be icing on the cake, or par for the course.  I’m not sure which metaphor is appropriate.

Alas, Urban Meyer’s first day as Ohio State head coach begins tomorrow morning.  No one will remember this bowl game; we will all try to forget this season.  We will all be talking about Urban Meyer’s new staff and this recruiting class tomorrow and going forward.

For the last time as a scholarship football player, we pay homage to The Donnie and wish pain and misfortune upon all those who dare cross him.

So, here it is.  The Gator Bowl in Jacksonville this afternoon marks the end of the road.  For Buckeye fans, it is the final chapter in an otherwise terrible story that has afflicted the program through the calendar year.  That it occurs just days into January 2012 does not discount that this game provides closure in a year where the team disappointed us on the field and the program horrified us off of it. For the team itself, it is the final chapter in a four year odyssey of several key members of the football team. Mike Brewster and JB Shugarts, for example, enrolled in January 2008 in the midst of the Buckeyes’ second consecutive BCS Championship Game defeat, vowing to return the program and the maligned head coach to the promised land. Instead, they exit the program without those highest accolades and after the head coach to whom they signed resigned in disgrace. Their departure constitutes the end for them and oddly a new beginning for Ohio State football. In many ways, it resembles the 2009 Fiesta Bowl and the departure of an otherwise senior-heavy roster, though the circumstances are obviously different.

I already mentioned in my preview about what you should know about the Florida Gators and what you should hope to see this game.  I also mentioned just how curious of a game this is.  Manufactured solely for storylines, the Gator Bowl today will conclude a disappointing season for both the Buckeyes and Gators.  It is a bowl game few will remember in a season both sides hope to forget.  With that in mind, it doesn’t appear that there is much to motivate fans for this game and the quality on the field might reflect that.  Still, it’s the senior moment for Mike Adams, Dionte Allen, Dan Bain, Joe Bauserman, Evan Blankenship, Mike Brewster, Bo Delande, Garrett Dornbrook, Nate Ebner, Derek Erwin, The Donnie, Dan Herron, Tony Jackson, Don Matheney, Chris Maxwell, Tyler Moeller, Nate Oliver, DeVier Posey, Chris Roark, Donald Senegal, JB Shugarts, Spencer Smith, Andrew Sweat and Solomon Thomas.  It’s their finale, and we should all hope for a victory for them.  Whether they were part of the problem this season (i.e. the Tat Remaining Four) or not, we are compelled to cheer them as they go.  Our honor defend, we will all fight to the end — in the Gator Bowl — for O. HI. O.

Live blog is below.  See you there.

Win one for the Fickell, who is very much older than he appears in this sophomore year photo from high school.

It’s a bowl game for Ohio State that exists solely for the litany of annoying storylines that will be discussed throughout the broadcast.  It’s against the Florida Gators, who waxed Ohio State in January 2007 en route to the birth of the S-E-C phenomenon whose genesis comes all at Ohio State’s expense.  It’s against the Florida Gators, a squad previously coached by future Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and whose roster is almost entirely recruited by Meyer.  It’s against the Florida Gators, whose recruiting coordinator, strength coach and director of player personnel Meyer has recruited to follow him to Ohio State.  It’s against the Florida Gators, a team from the Southeastern Conference against which Ohio State has never won* in a bowl game*.¹  It’s in the Gator Bowl, which will now be the final game for both Luke Fickell and Woody Hayes as head coaches of The Ohio State University’s football program, though the latter came after a regrettable punch on some Clemson player no one would otherwise remember.  With that in mind, Ohio State places a winning season on the line in an otherwise intolerable bowl game, hoping to end Luke Fickell’s tenure as interim head coach of Ohio State on a high note as Ohio State looks toward the future.

Opposite Ohio State is the Florida Gators, who, did you know, are from the SEC, beat Ohio State within an inch of its program’s life in January 2007 and who was previously coached by Urban Meyer, future head coach of the Buckeyes? Like OMG.  The Gators had a comparably disappointing season as the Buckeyes, although under different circumstances.  Like Luke Fickell, Will Muschamp is a first year head coach, albeit one who left Texas’ job-in-waiting for an actual job.  Like Ohio State, the Gators are 6-6 on the season and 3-5 in conference play.  A mainstay of college football discussion for basically my entire life, the Gators and the Buckeyes alike are putting winning seasons on the line.  Ohio State has not had a losing season since 1988, their only losing season since the 4-5 campaign in 1966 that was thought to spell the inevitable end of the Woody Hayes era.  Though the Gators might be considered a Johnny-come-lately for college football traditionalists, they too are unaccustomed to losing seasons.  The Gators went 6-6 in 1987 and last had a losing season in 1979, a winless 0-10-1 campaign.  So, there is still plenty at stake for the Gators and Buckeyes alike in a bowl game both sides will soon not remember to cap a season both sides would like to forget.  Below, I talk about what you can expect from the Florida Gators.

Florida’s Offense

First, a sidebar reiterating my disappointment that the only — only – redeeming storyline for this game was robbed from us by Charlie Weis when he got on his Rascal and scooted to Lawrence, Kansas to apply his decided schematic advantage to the Jayhawks.  Thus, Ohio State fans were denied the opportunity to talk about the epic showdown of Walrus v. Manatee, pitting Walrusball’s 107th ranked offense against the genius of Charlie Weis’ 101st ranked offense.  Florida’s play calling duties will be handled by running backs coach Brian White for the Gator Bowl.

Ohio State’s disappointment with its defense falls in large part on its inability to stop option, run-first quarterbacks like Denard Robinson and Taylor Martinez in the second half of the Nebrasky game.  It was something on which Jim Heacock and crew hung their hat for the past few years, especially after Rich Rodriguez’ arrival threatened Ohio State in the wake of the 2007 Illinois game and the previous run-in with the Florida Gators.  Though Ohio State fans bemoan the lack of a consistent pass rush (e.g. 67th nationally in sacks, though that’s not the best metric), the Buckeyes have been fairly adroit with team’s passing games, albeit in a conference that can best be described as atrocious at the throwing the ball.  For example, the best passing offense in the conference is Nerdwestern, 34th nationally in passing offense.  We did not play them and we did not play two of the top three passing offenses in the conference.  That other team is Iowa (57th nationally).  With that in mind, Ohio State has (generally) been satisfied with a passing defense that features some timely QB pressures by John Simon and has some quality cornerback play in Brad Roby.  Though struggling against the run, especially against run-first quarterbacks, the Buckeyes have had some success this year forcing 3rd and longs and asking lead-footed dropback quarterbacks to throw under those circumstances.

Enter John Brantley (#12), the senior quarterback for the Florida Gators and leader of the 86th ranked passing offense.  Brantley has struggled this season on the field and remaining on the field, sitting the Louisiana State and Auburn games to injuries.  Though Brantley is a senior and a two year starter for the Gators after losing Tim Tebow to graduation, Brantley has not shown much down the stretch to suggest Ohio State would be fortunate to have him ameliorating their own passing woes.  For example, throwing for 329 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs against Furman is fine and dandy, and he even had some success throwing against #1 and #3 defenses in Alabama and Georgia.  However, those statistics he had could be qualified by the presence of outliers (e.g. 65yd TD to Debose v. Alabama, 72yd pass to Demps v. Georgia).  In addition, his last game, Senior Day v. Florida State, was a disaster.  Therein, Brantley was 9/15 for 104 yards, 0 TDs and 3 INTs.  Brantley isn’t awful, but certainly mediocre.  Applied pressure — should we choose to eschew the 3 man rushes for the love of God — will put Ohio State in great position this game.

John Brantley gives the Gators absolute zero in the running game and Muschamp has ditched the spread in favor of a more conventional pro-style offense.  Therefore, the Gators can help themselves if their 74th ranked rushing offense can get the better of our surprisingly disappointing 55th ranked rushing defense.  If Muschamp wants pro-style and the rushing offenses seen on teams in conference like Alabama and Louisiana State, he will have to wait out the shorter, perimeter guys left behind by Urban Meyer.  The Gators primary rushing threats are Chris Rainey (#1) and Jeff Demps (#28), both seniors.  In addition to both being seniors, both are in the 5’9, 180lb region that has best characterized tailbacks under Urban Meyer.  Rainey is the primary tailback, leading all rushers with 790 yards on the season.  In the four wins to start the season, Rainey was unstoppable.  He totaled 411 yards on 63 carries, averaging 6.5 yards a carry.  In the four losses that followed that start to the season, Rainey totaled only 115 yards on 45 carries, good for only 2.5 yards a carry.  Three of those four games came against the #1, #3, and #11 rushing defenses (Alabama, Louisiana State, and Georgia), though the fourth came against the #99 rushing defense, Auburn.  Jeff Demps is the backup to Rainey, though has 27 starts through his career.  His only start this season came against Vanderbilt, where he had a monster game (23 carries, 158 yards and 2 TDs).  He has 590 rushing yards on the season, though almost all of the rest came in split duty in the first four games for the Gators this season.  He was a non-factor in that brutal stretch this season for the Gators.

I’m not sure Florida’s anemic rushing offense is entirely the responsibility of its offensive line, given the diminutive nature of Florida’s tailback tandem.  Success between the tackles in a pro-style offense is probably not easy with Rainey and Demps.  Still, much like Ohio State’s offensive line, Florida’ unit did not meet expectations.  That said, it has some good pieces.  I very much like what I’ve seen of right guard Jon Halapio (#67).  At 6’3, 324lbs, he reminds me a lot of Justin Boren and is a good lead blocker.  Perhaps some of the problem on Florida’s offensive line is that Halapio is the only one whose size is “conventional” by modern offensive line standards.  That is: everyone else is under 300lbs.  Both bookends are names Ohio State recruitniks have seen on the recruiting trail before: Xavier Nixon (#73) and Matt Patchan (#71).  Nixon has struggled with some of the behemoths in the conference, something he probably won’t see in the Gator Bowl.  Patchan might be the weak link of the unit, struggling with injuries as a redshirt sophomore in his fourth year in the program.  Inside with Halapio is left guard Dan Wenger (#56) and center Jonotthan Harrison (#72).  Wenger, a transfer from Notre Dame who played for Weis, and Harrison have alternated positions during this season. UPDATE: I missed the report yesterday that Patchan is out for the Gator Bowl after reaggravating his back (see, previous point on Patchan’s injury history).  He will likely be replaced by Chaz Green (#75), a redshirt freshman.

For one of the worst passing offenses in college football, the Gators have some weapons in the passing game.  However, some consistency and longevity may not be the receivers’ strength.  In this offense, there are really two receivers Ohio State will need to consider: Andre Debose (#4) and Deonte Thompson (#6).  Debose is the #1 receiver on the team with 423 yards while Thompson has just 19 catches on the season and 237 yards.  To compensate, Weis utilized Rainey a lot on swing passes and Ohio State should expect that for this game.  It is why Rainey, the starting tailback, is the #2 receiver on the team as well.  A true weapon for this team is Jordan Reed (#11), the tight end who spent 2010, his first year in Gainesville, in Florida’s Go-Go Gadget packages that often had three quarterbacks in the huddle.  It’s something I hope Urban Meyer left behind in Gainesville as well because I don’t ever want to see it in Columbus.  With that said, Reed doesn’t have conventional tight end size like Stoneburner, but has 28 catches and 307 yards.  He is important.

Florida’s Defense

If Florida has struggled mightily on offense, it has been saved from almost certain doom in 2011 by having one of the country’s best defenses.  At 10th nationally in total defense, and 9th against the pass, the Gators’ defense has done what it could in spite of receiving little help from its offense (e.g. South Carolina, Florida State games this year).  Though a little weak up the middle and without great linebacker play (e.g. 40th nationally in rushing defense), the Gators will expect to win this game largely on the defensive eleven.

If I recall correctly, the Florida Gators went to a 3-4 in 2010 after losing Charlie Strong to the head coaching job at Louisville.  This year, they are back to a 4-3 and with a terminology and philosophy that largely mirrors what Ohio State does.  For example, the “BUCK” on the defense is Ronald Powell (#7).  Far from just an allusion to Florida’s Gator Bowl opponent, the BUCK is the weakside defensive end with an alignment similar to Ohio State’s LEO, best exemplified by the departed Vernon Gholston, Thaddeus Gibson and the injured Nathan Williams.  Powell has performed well this season, getting All-SEC Second Team honors (which is no small feat) behind an effort that included 8 TFLs and a team-leading 5 sacks.  The other defensive end is Sharrif Floyd (#73); remember him?  He might be the one recruiting loss I begrudge the most, though that has subsided in the wake of Floyd’s own eligibility issues.  It is something of which I’m glad Ohio State fans did not have to concern themselves.  A preseason All-SEC selection, the sophomore Floyd could very well have a breakout game heading into his junior season.  On top of Powell and Matt Elam, he is the player that concerns me the most on defense.  The interior of Florida’s defensive line is weaker than the edges, and it was made weaker by Dominque Easley’s ACL tear vs. Florida State.  That said, the starting unit for this game has size and experience in senior Jaye Howard (#6) and redshirt junior Omar Hunter (#99).  Howard leads all linemen in tackles and tackles for loss, being second on the entire defense in the latter category.

Florida fans bemoan inconsistent linebacker play, much like Ohio State fans this season.  Jelani Jenkins (#3) and Jon Bostic (#52) did not meet preseason expectations, which saw them watchlisted for various college football honors in addition to preseason All-SEC consideration.  Bostic, the middle linebacker, leads the team in tackles with 86 while Jenkins, the weakside linebacker, is third.  Both have registered 6 TFLs a piece, though trail strongside linebacker Lerentee McCray (#34) in that statistic.  McCray is a quality linebacker and I think leads the team in QB hurries with four.  However, he has a nagging shoulder injury that could make him doubtful for extended playing time in this game.  Darrin Kitchens (#49) is the next guy up if McCray can’t go.  Either way, Florida’s SAM is the first linebacker off the field for nickel packages.

I really like Florida’s secondary and think it might be the heart of the defense for the second straight year.  This is especially true for Matt Elam (#22).  The diminutive and outspoken safety can have his emotions get ahead of him at times, but his performance this season speaks for itself.  He is second on the team in tackles (72), first in TFLs (9.0), tied for first in interceptions (2), first in PBUs and first in forced fumbles.  He does a bit of everything, though it was not good enough for postseason All-SEC consideration.  The other safety is Josh Evans (#24).  The New Jersey native did have a career day (11 solo tackles) in a losing effort against South Carolina.  Florida has a some good cornerback play too in the form of sophomore Cody Riggs (#31) and Jaylen Watkins (#14).  Both are sophomores and while Riggs is the name I remember from the recruiting trail, it’s probably Watkins that had the better season.  Pop Saunders (#26) is a bite-sized at 5’8, but comes in for the SAM linebacker in nickel packages.

Florida wins if… Chris Rainey has over 100 yards all-purpose this game.  This glosses over Florida’s special teams play, which has been a game-changer for them in past years.  For example, Chris Rainey had a blocked punt returned for a touchdown in the season opener against Florida Atlantic and is the Gators’ primary punt returner.  However, I want to focus more on Rainey’s all-purpose play on offense and assume away special teams.  I already noted that Rainey is the team’s leading rusher and the second leading receiver on the team.  Weis dialed up many swing passes for him to exploit his natural strengths, which doesn’t include running between tackles.  In the 11 games in which Rainey played this season, the Gators are 6-0 when he had over 100 all purpose yards and 0-5 in games in which he did not.  Take a look at his stat sheet this season to see how this shakes out.  Contrast the Florida Atlantic, Alabama-Birmingham, and Tennessee games with game against the Rammer Jammers (11 carries, 4 yards; 3 receptions, 32 yards) and Florida State (15 carries, 42 yards; 4 receptions, 5 yards), for example.  This will not be a high scoring game; the first team to 20 will win.  Rainey having over 100 all-purpose yards this game (assuming away special teams) is the surest way for the Gators to get to 20.  Ohio State’s job is to make Brantley be the hero, not Rainey.

Ohio State wins if… Ohio State is in plus territory in the turnover margin this game, preferably +2 or more.  You know how Tressel Ball put a privilege on reducing turnovers to zero, even if it meant being hyper-cautious at the expense of offensive efficiency?  Ohio State has that affliction this year with a freshman quarterback, but would probably gladly have that instead of the Gators’ problem.  The Gators are 113th nationally in the turnover margin.  For all its ball-hawking inclinations on the roster, it has forced only 11 turnovers to the 23 turnovers it has conceded.  Those 23 turnovers lost is middle of the pack nationally in that particular statistic, but it does not diminish how costly turnovers are for the Gators.  Turnovers would paralyze the Gators this game if – and this is a big if, obviously — Ohio State could capitalize.  To that end, I want to see Herron have 150 yards rushing this game against a Gators team that is sensitive against the rush.  That number might be asking a lot as a key to victory, but you have seen this team now for 12 games.  If Herron can’t have 150 yards, then he and Miller should preferably combine for 175.  I’d like to see more from Herron than I saw in the season finale in Ann Arbor, where he had only 37 yards on 15 carries.  Miller had a career day passing in the season finale, but his 100 rushing yards did not put Ohio State into that rushing yards territory I would have liked against the Wolvereenies. Sure enough, we lost.  Ohio State has thrived this season when the base plays have worked (e.g. Wisconsin, Nebrasky in the first half) and has struggled when it hasn’t (e.g. Miami, Purdue).

1. Asterisks, first for this, second: this.

Everett Withers' addition means Ohio State will have three coaches on staff with head coaching experience at the D-1 level.

In the wake of yesterday’s rather deflating announcement about a posteason ban in 2012, Urban Meyer and Ohio State football got the football discussion back on track by announcing the addition of Everett Withers to next year’s coaching staff.  In addition, Urban Meyer also announced that Mike Vrabel would be retained as an assistant coach, the last holdover from the current staff.  As such, Meyer has basically formalized next year’s defensive assistant corp with Taver Johnson, Mike Vrabel, Luke Fickell and the new guy, Everett Withers.

Everett Withers has seventeen years of collegiate coaching experience, but it’s probably one year that serves as a huge red flag: 2007.  Then the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, his unit was last in the country in total defense and in the 100s in both rushing and passing defense.  This was Tim Brewster’s first year in the Twin Cities; Withers knew him from their tenures on Mack Brown’s staff at Texas in the late 1990s.  Withers does have other, much more appeasing, credentials from his time at North Carolina.

• His first unit – 2008 – ranked eighth in the country with 20 interceptions, a number that was just one off the UNC single season record.
• His 2009 defense was among the nation’s elite, ranking sixth in total defense, 10th against the run, 13th in scoring and 14th in pass defense.
• His 2010 unit ranked fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 30th nationally. Five players off that unit were taken in the NFL draft, including first-round pick Robert Quinn.
• And this past year the Tar Heels ranked 14th against the run.

Withers’ addition is a formality from what was long rumored, though he was also rumored to be making a late run at the vacant Houston coaching position.  A little more surprising, but not terribly so, is the retention of Mike Vrabel.  To be clear, we all kinda thought he would be retained.  He was out recruiting for Ohio State and the only coaches currently on the staff that are out recruiting are those that are coming back next year (Fickell, Drayton, Johnson, Vrabel).

Nonetheless, I sensed some hesitation on Meyer’s part.  Both have the mutual Belichick connection, which Meyer used in his evaluation of Vrabel.  I think Meyer was unsure of Vrabel’s understanding of some of the nuances that separates the college experience from the pro experience, centering largely on how well Vrabel is a people person.  When Meyer said “One is making sure that you hire a staff that genuinely cares, not agenda-wise or superficially”, I think he was talking to some extent about Vrabel.  It’s why Meyer’s judgment of Vrabel evaluated how well he could recruit in the past few weeks.  It was ultimately enough.  In Meyer’s words:

“I had heard such great things about Mike Vrabel as a player, but the key thing for me was I wanted to talk football with him,” Meyer said. “I wanted to see him recruit, and I wanted to meet his family. I have since spent a lot of time with him, and he has a wonderful family.

“I also spoke to a number of people I know well, who also know Mike very well, including Bill Belichick. Coach Belichick and I had a really good discussion about Mike. While Mike is young, we both agreed that the unique experiences he has had as a player, coupled with the things he has already accomplished as a coach and recruiter for Ohio State, has prepared Mike for this opportunity. I am very pleased he will be on the staff.”

Ohio State is basically done with assistant coaches on defense. Left are important positions still open on offense, most important of them being offensive line coach (for beleaguered Ohio State fans).  The one question to sort out on defense is who coaches defensive lines: Vrabel or Fickell?  It’s very likely Fickell.

Last, and likely least, Meyer confirmed that Stan Drayton would be moving from wide receiver coach to running backs coach, what he had coached at his prior stints before Ohio State, including under Urban Meyer at Florida.

*taps*

Ohio State fans can at least exhale that the resolution of the broader issues with the NCAA finally came.  It started almost a year ago to the day when Ohio State announced the suspension of five players on December 23rd, 2010.  It escalated when we learned that Jim Tressel knew in April 2010 of the ineligibility of the players involved, ultimately leading to his resignation.  The magnitude of the situation increased with Terrelle Pryor spilling the beans on his involvement with Bobby DiGeronimo as a ploy to gain entry into the NFL Supplemental Draft, which put Ohio State in “failure to monitor” territory.  It ends today.  However, the punishment isn’t quite what Gene Smith hinged his reputation and credentials on.  The news item of the day is that Ohio State is banned from postseason play for 2012.  In addition, the NCAA tacked on a loss of 4 scholarships over an added year of probation, also giving Jim Tressel a five year show-cause.

The postseason ban for one year would probably be neither here nor there for me and it is not over the top excessive by any means.  The only surprise is that Gene Smith might have gambled his job on not getting that particular punishment.  He had gone to great lengths to cite precedents for similar violations and how none resulted in a postseason ban.  He banked on his experience with the NCAA and handling infractions.  It may or may not have been a wedge in eventually signing Urban Meyer to a contract at Ohio State, who then has gone on the recruiting trail saying that no bowl ban would be in order for the 2012 signee’s freshman year at Ohio State.  Undaunted, the NCAA added that to the list of punishments.

Again, I don’t think it’s excessive and it’s quite possibly deserved punishment by an objective measure.  What makes this sting is the nature of Smith’s gamble.  Smith gambled that no postseason ban would be forthcoming, meaning that Smith did not preemptively institute one that would have actually affected those who were partially responsible for the entire ordeal.  We know that this season ultimately became a 6-6 Gator Bowl campaign, but instituting a bowl ban when he had knowledge of Pryor’s confessions (early October) would have come at a time when the Buckeyes had just 2 losses on the season (Miami, Michigan State) and whose fans would not have known any better.  Therein, the bowl ban for this season becomes a legit punishment.  Though conceivable the NCAA could have added one for 2012 anyways, I, personally, don’t think they would have if the timing was right.  Therefore, Dan Herron, Mike Adams, Solomon Thomas and DeVier Posey are unaffected by this particular decision, though the junior class of Jake Stoneburner, Zach Boren, Red Fragel Rock and John Simon (among others) are.  It is easy to blame the NCAA for punishing innocent student athletes, but this is standard fare for them and is no particular venom on their end.  This was those five players’ recklessness, Jim Tressel’s negligence, and, here, Gene Smith’s incompetence.  This particular punishment for 2012 was Gene Smith’s lottery he played.  He lost.

Maybe a one year bowl ban shouldn’t hurt as bad as we think it will, but these things matter on the recruiting trail.  Urban Meyer’s pitch to the 2012 recruits still on the board included an assertion that there would be no bowl ban for their true freshman years.  That doesn’t mean he lied to them, though his reputation will take a bit of a hit.  It’s nothing major, and he will definitely recover.  Still, it will be worth watching if any of Urban’s Kids are deterred by the prospect of being bowl ineligible as true freshmen, though a redshirt for any one of them makes the point moot.  Recruits really like those bowl games.  They want to play in them immediately, and this might turn them away.  Still, don’t treat it as automatic that it will turn them away.  USC signed the #1 and #4 recruiting classes nationally (per Rivals.com) in 2010 and 2011 (respectively).  Their reduced spot this year (#23) comes on the verge of severe scholarship reductions.  Meyer will have some added work to do, but I hesitate to call it a killer.  It just sucks.

The NCAA deducted four scholarships over an additional year of probation, though I think Ohio State can serve that punishment standing on its head.  It will cap Ohio State’s recruiting classes to about 22 for the next few years.  That’s fine; Urban Meyer has demonstrated an ability to get value out of limited classes before.  It makes errors in judgment in recruiting a little more costly, but this is far from what USC has to deal with for the next three years with recruiting classes capped at 15 a year.  That’s a killer.

I’m a little surprised Jim Tressel got the full five year show-cause order, though that much is immaterial for Ohio State.  I guess the rest of what follows is a plea to Ohio State fans and Ohio State football to treat 2012 the way it should be: the opportunity to just troll the B1G TEN and the rest of college football without mercy.  Ohio State will be ineligible for the B1G TEN championship as well as postseason play, which likely would have resulted in a much nicer arrangement than the Gator Bowl this year.  So, hell, get pissed.  Get angry.  Turn that rage to the gridiron and unload.  If everything goes according to plan, Ohio State can pull a page from Ric Flair’s playbook: get a pixelated Stagg Trophy and walk around the Midwest declaring itself as the “real” B1G TEN champions.  At least, I would find it amusing.

There is nothing much to do on the NCAA front, but move on and play some football.  In some holistic sense, this is debilitating only if we treat it as such.  The punishment sucks, but isn’t crippling.  Ohio State football needs the right mind set going forward.