How's it going, sports fans? Unfortunately, today is the only day this week devoid of college football or NFL games, but at least there's plenty of football news to cover.
Since yesterday was Monday, Ohio State's depth chart was released, and unsurprisingly, there were few changes. JT Moore is listed as a starter at defensive end ahead of Michael Bennett, who's been dealing with a groin injury, and Nathan Williams, who the coaches are still trying to be careful with, even though he received a good amount of playing time against Miami (OH).
Jordan Hall remains off the two-deep and will probably not return this week. However, he could possibly practice.
In Urban Meyer's weekly press conference, what stuck out most to me was that he declined to acknowledge Devin Smith's now-famous TD catch. Considering how much of a ham Smith was in ESPN's All-Access series, I can only assume his attempts to get the coach's attention were similar to this NSFW-ish scene from Bridesmaids.
GOOD LUCKEYE. Lisa Byington of the Big Ten Network met up with Urban before his debut as Ohio State's head coach. He still carries around a buckeye, a so-called lucky charm1 that he likes to keep in his possession.
For someone who grew up loving Ohio State football, it was a day filled with moving moments. One of those moments caught the eye of Athletic Director Gene Smith, who noticed that Urban shook hands with the each player after the team's walk to the stadium. As Smith put it, "It's a personal and emotional thing for him that makes it different."
While the same could be said for his predecessors, it says a lot about the reverence people have for Ohio State, a program that can attract coaches who appreciate every aspect of a Scarlet and Gray gameday.
CALL ME. Byington also spoke to Urban about Tom Herman, and on matters of offensive philosophy, the two are apparently simpatico. The Plain Dealer's Doug Lesmerises tackled a similar topic in his article about how the two coaches collaborated for what was ultimately a successful first game for the offense.
The up-tempo offense, which put together 86 plays versus the RedHawks, resulted in the two having to consult each other just as quickly. According to Urban:
"So the conversation is, 'Give me the personnel grouping and the play,' and then I'm really the only one talking to Tom, saying, 'Run the counter, run the power, run the three-level pass, take the shot,' those type of things. So that is the communication, but it's really fast. It's as fast as I've ever been a part of."
Just like the players, he and Herman had to practice in order to develop that rapport. And it seemed to work. They made alterations to the play-calling after a fruitless first quarter and from then on, the offense more or less cruised.
FB/TE coach Tim Hinton praised the effort, saying, "It's a pattern in what you call, and I thought Tom did a phenomenal job of it."
Probably not the buckeye Urban had in his pocketPOWER BALL. Although they are often subject to change, power rankings can tell us how teams are doing on a weekly basis. With the first game in the books, both Dave Carey of CBS Sports and BTN's Tom Dienhart believe Michigan State is the top dog in the Big Ten.
The Spartans were the only conference team to defeat a ranked opponent, so the #1 spot is warranted for now, but they still have glaring weaknesses in their passing game, especially with their green2 wide receiver group.
After that, the two sites mostly disagreed about which team deserved to be ranked where. Dienhart was slightly more impressed than Carey with the Buckeyes, placing them at #2 as opposed to #3. Hopefully the defense will live up to his "simply dominating" description.
At the bottom, Dienhart opted for Indiana because even with an undefeated record, they are Indiana. Carey went with Penn State, the only other conference team besides Michigan to lose their opener. While they lost to Ohio, a better team than many people realize3, Penn State's upcoming schedule probably won't do them any favors.
INJURY REPORT. As young as the season is, it's already over for a couple of notable players. Starting Michigan cornerback Blake Countess, who hurt his knee in the first quarter on Saturday, was diagnosed with a torn ACL. It's a blow to a Wolverine defense that struggled early and often against Alabama.
Bruce "Sources" Feldman reported that Florida State's Brandon Jenkins, a senior defensive end, is also out for the rest of the season due to a foot injury. That's a big loss for a team that some believe is a national title contender. Nevertheless, the Seminoles' DL, whose 40 sacks last season ranked as eighth best in the country, should still be tough.
It remains to be seen whether Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead or Illinois QB Nathan Scheelhaase will play this week. Both are listed as "questionable", though their injuries do not seem serious. Burkhead sprained, but did not tear, his MCL while Scheelhaase is battling a mysterious ankle injury.
BEAMER UP. Because the NFL season hasn't started just yet, Monday night belonged to college football last night. Virginia Tech, ranked #16 in the AP poll, hosted Georgia Tech in a Tech-heavy ACC matchup.
The Hokies held a 14-10 lead until 44 seconds were left on the clock. That's when Georgia Tech QB Tevin Washington hit Deon Hill for a 10-yard TD pass. Down by three, Virginia Tech QB Logan Thomas marched his team down the field, setting up a 41-yard, game-tying field goal from Cody Journell, who had missed a 38-yard attempt earlier in the fourth quarter.
In overtime, Washington threw the ball up for grabs on 3rd and 6; the Hokies picked it off and Journell made a 17-yard field goal for the win. Virginia Tech should now be on their way to their standard 11-3 season.
LINKING AT YOU. B1G Players of the Week... Denard 4 Heisman... S-E-C!... Houston OC Mike Nesbitt resigned after Saturday's loss... Dog pictures from the 1940s...Philm Fotos... The first day of school according to TV... The Breaking Bad finale in GIF form.
