The 55th annual Big 33 Football Classic took place Saturday in Hershey and despite being outgunned and undersized, Team Ohio escaped in overtime, 24-21, to claim a record fourth-straight victory in the series.
With Pennsylvania holding a commanding 21-7 lead going into the fourth quarter, Ohio, behind three final stanza interceptions (and another in overtime), rallied to score the game's final 17 points, with winning three coming on a 39-yard field goal from Gahanna's Tyler Grassman.
Though Brady Hoke withheld his recruits and Ohio State's Noah Spence did not participate, several Buckeyes were part of Team Ohio (PDF), including DeSales' Warren Ball, Ginn Academy's Devan Bogard and Steubenville's Najee Murray. Upper Arlington's Frank Epitropoulos made the roster, but did not play due to an injury.
With their coach in attendance, the soon-to-be Buckeyes showed some flashes as well as signs they could use the coaching they'll receive in Columbus. With the Ohio defensive line checking in at an average of 245 pounds and going against a pass-happy offense that featured a line rolling 300s, Ohio defensive backs were often forced to provide coverage for five or more seconds. This led to Bogard and Murray getting thrown at, often with some success. Murray showed up big on the offensive side of the ball, hauling in an 85-yard touchdown reception from Michigan State-bound Tyler O'Connor (Lima Central Catholic) in the third quarter.
Pitt-bound Russell Shell, widely regarded as the top offensive talent in the state of Pennsylvania, looked great early before Pennsylvania went to the pass-heavy offense which ultimately led to their defeat.
Ball had a decent outing, looking particularly good catching balls out of the backfield.
The Big 33 as an event has lost a bit of its luster lately as coaches withhold stars from participating, leading to watered-down rosters, but for football in June? I'll take it.
HOOD CONCLUDES DUKE VISIT. After visiting Columbus two weeks ago, Mississippi State transfer and former prep All-American visited Duke over the weekend. The Herald Sun's Steve Wiseman reports Hood's visit "went well" and that he is expected to choose between Duke and Ohio State "within a week."
While Hood grew up a Duke fan and is thought to be leaning towards the Blue Devils, he was not offered by Duke out of high school. Ohio State also presents a chance for Hood to play with his former AAU teammate and fellow Mississippian LaQuinton Ross.
Wherever he ends up, Hood must sit out a season leaving three years of eligibility beginning in 2013.
Warren Ball at the Big 33 Classic in Hershey, PA.Photo courtesy of @spreadHDGFX.
EDUCATION! The Lawrence Journal-World (creators of Django for you techies) conducted an analysis of Big 12 athletics and the results will shock you.
Evidently, athletes tend to "cluster" in certain academic fields:
An in-depth Journal-World study of Big 12 athletics, including the incoming and outgoing teams this year, found widespread clustering — defined by researchers as 25 percent of a team sharing one major — in men’s basketball and football programs.
Some of the more significant cases of clustering found in the study include:
- Baylor football team: 51 percent of players major in general studies, compared with just 1 percent of all other undergraduates.
- Texas A&M: 37 percent of the men’s basketball players and football players major in agricultural leadership and development, compared with less than 1 percent of nonathletes.
- Iowa State: Seven of 11 men’s basketball players majored in liberal studies.
Agricultural leadership. Which means what, exactly?
Representatives from Texas A&M declined an interview request, but did provide an email statement.
“There are a number of agriculture majors who are doing well in their respective fields and careers. The variety of these degree paths provide many options for our students, as well as our student athletes,” said John Thornton, interim director of athletics, in the statement. “It is not the specific degree that makes the student, but it is what the student does with that degree.”
There's some truth to that, but pretending top-flight athletes are in college to get an education is growing laborious.
See also: North Carolina, which now sees its basketball team entangled in an academic fraud mess.
CRUISING FOR A GREAT CAUSE. You may have seen the spot on the sidebar, but we're proud to announce our support for the 2013 Buckeye Cruise for Cancer. The Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research is obviously very close to our hearts, being the primary beneficiary of our Eat Too, Brutus efforts, so when the folks behind the Cruise came to us seeking help in getting the word out, we jumped at the chance.
While I've never been on the Cruise, I know several people that have and the stories they return with are enough to make even the most spoiled Buckeye fan envious. This year, the Cruise will feature former Buckeye greats such as Kurt Coleman, Hopalong Cassady, Bobby Carpenter, Tom Cousineau, Mike Doss, Dustin Fox, Archie Griffin, Raymont Harris, A.J. Hawk, James Laurinaitis, Scoonie Penn, Robert Smith, Dane Sanzenbacher and more. Who knows, Urban Meyer might even surprise guests again.
GEORGE DOHRMANN IS LOOKING INTO THIS. The feds are coming down on Ohio State for... wait for it... samples that were improperly sent from one OSU lab to another. Federal policies prohibit samples from being analyzed elsewhere:
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services warned Ohio State in a June 11 letter the deficiencies limit the lab's ability to render accurate services and protect the health and safety of clients.
The university says the samples were artificial and meant to test lab procedures and no patients were affected.
ETC: Dan Werner: father, coach... Dabo Swinney claims Big 12 talk is hurting Clemson's recruiting efforts... LSU's SEC Championship rings remind us they were indeed #2... I still don't know what to make of the squawking Brit at the U.S. Open trophy ceremony... This Babe Ruth signed ball looks legit... Burritos in space... You can't unsee this.
