Good news for Dubgate V-attendees who enjoy massed-produced American beer:
In addition to Yeungling & craft beer we will have Bud Light with a born-on date of 9/27/14. Yes, that morning. IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN BORN YET
— The Eleven Dubgate (@11Wgate) September 17, 2014
Have you made plans to attend Dubgate V and help us kick down syndrome's ass? If you're not planning on shivving me, you totally should (attend, not shiv me).
- Can we all just assume Noah Spence, as long as he keeps his nose clean, will be back with the team this year?
J.T. BARRETT LEARNING ON THE FLY. For a redshirt-freshman thrust into a starting role two weeks before the season, I think J.T. Barrett has performed admirably. There have been mistakes, but J.T. appears to be every part the quarterback Ohio State fans thought they were getting when J.T. was plucked out of Texas as Urban Meyer's first quarterback recruit.
From Austin Ward of ESPN:
“I think for the first three games of this season, a lot of it has to do with just learning on the fly,” Barrett said. “I feel like I’m progressing each week.
“That’s just game reps. That’s one thing Braxton [Miller] told me. At first, everything is going to be flying around and you aren’t going to be sure about everything, but as you go, things start slowing down. That’s game experience, and there’s only one way to get it. Being in a game really helps.”
And here's offensive coordinator Tom Herman on Barrett's improvements against Kent State:
“I think what he got out of it was confidence, experience, the fact that he’s seeing plays over and over and over again versus different defenses, versus different blitzes, versus different coverages,” Herman said. “It allows him, not overusing the word, to get the experience necessary to not be surprised when things happen when certain plays are called.
“I thought we accomplished that.”
I still feel a bit queasy when I think about what Pat Narduzzi is cooking up in his kitchen for young J.T., but I think it's clear Barrett will provide a cool-hand at quarterback as long as the offensive line can protect him.
VERLON REED STILL BALLIN'. I mentioned the exploits of Verlon Reed — former Ohio State wide receiver turned Findlay quarterback — last week.
But since we're in the lull of a bye-week — and because it's harder than you'd think to find quality Ohio State coverage outside stuff published on ElevenWarriors.com) — here's The Toledo Blade's Dave Briggs on the former Ohio Sate wideout:
“I didn’t know what Findlay was,” Verlon Reed said this week. “Or where it was.”
Fair take here, Verlon. I know Findlay only because it spawned the odious Ben Roethlisberger, and because Marion Harding's black football players, before playing the Findlay Trojans, had to be warned to keep their cool because the racial slurs were coming.
But back to ol' Verlon:
Drawn to the rebuilding Oilers by a promise he could play his high school position, Reed helped lead Findlay to its best season in more than a decade last year and is delivering a better encore. Through two games, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound senior from Columbus has completed 38 of 63 passes for 505 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 220 yards and five scores.
I am cherishing every moment,” Reed said. “To be able to lead a team at a university like this and be that guy that everyone looks up to and is called upon to step up and make plays, it’s an honor.”
It's an interesting path, leaving Ohio State to lead a D2 program at a position in which you have no professional prospect, but it appears Reed doesn't regret his decision:
Reed recovered but was a nonfactor the next season under new coach Urban Meyer. Though Reed prefers not to discuss his time at Ohio State, Findlay coach Rob Keys said, “Verlon and coach Meyer didn’t see eye to eye too much.”
Said Reed: “I moved on from it pretty quickly because I don’t like to harp on the past. I’m one of the type of guys that just goes with the flow and tries to make the best of the moment.”
Well, given Urban Meyer's history at Ohio State, Verlon Reed's exodus was all but written into the stars upon Meyer's hiring.
#FSUTWITTER: STILL THE WORST. College football has some of the best sports fans in the world, but it also has the worst.
With news Jameis Winston will miss the first half against Clemson (reason: idiocy), you knew it was only a matter of time before people started harassing college students who tweeted about their star quarterback acting like an asshole IN THE MIDDLE OF CAMPUS:
Here's what I'm talking about. Get a grip, people. pic.twitter.com/sptIXUXs7K
— Kami Mattioli (@kmattio) September 17, 2014
At least #FSUTwitter can take solace in the fact their idiocy, much like their quarterback's, is highly predictable.
Please note, Jameis' suspension is not due to cuss words. It's an accrued penalty.
MICHIGAN FACULTY/STAFF GET DISCOUNT TO COMPANY STORE. When do we reach the point where Michigan football is just giving away tickets or paying homeless people to attend their games?
Well this is quite the deal pic.twitter.com/31cz51IF30
— Michael Proppe (@mikeproppe) September 16, 2014
Better act quick, Michigan faculty! Look how quick Utah-Michigan tickets are moving:
Good news, UM fans. You can't buy 99 tix in one row for the Utah game! (But you can buy 8 consecutive rows of 12+.) pic.twitter.com/tdP1INC0To
— Tony Gerdeman (@GerdOzone) September 17, 2014
Michigan is likely going to lose to Utah this weekend, and that's going to be awesome. But it could be bittersweet if the Wolverines are dumped at home by the Utes; it will likely mark the end of Brady Hoke's illustrious Michigan tenure. Even worse for fans of Michigan's mediocrity, it could also lead to Dave Brandon's axing.
Regardless, I hope Michigan fans enjoy those 42 Big Ten titles; all of which were won before the advent of high-definition television (half were won before 1954). But hey, on the bright side for Michigan fans, maybe the Wolverines will still be offering $42-ticket packages in 2024 when Texas and UM square off in front of 20,000 deluded Michiganders jingling their Suburu keys.
VANDERBILT SWAGGER-JACKS SAMMY SILV? Sammy Silverman is the best football graphics designer in the game, and a huge recruiting tool for Ohio State.
But last I checked, Sammy isn't moonlighting for Vanderbilt:
Ohio State or Vanderbilt. A thin line between replication and inspiration? Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/AnKQEG15NP
— In The Trenches (@inthetrenches30) September 17, 2014
I touched on Derek Mason's tenure yesterday, but what the seven hells is going at Vanderbilt?
If you're in the creative business and you have to steal... you might be in the wrong line of work. But if you're going to steal... why steal work from the renowned? (My 2015 New Year's Resolution: Stop being shocked so many people with well-paying jobs are idiots.)
THOSE WMDs. A peak into my future...Watch scientists gut a rare colossal squid... More baffling is people choose to listen to U2... Stunning submissions in this year's World Photography Awards... The Crumbling and Abandoned Remains of Italy’s Once-Grand Discotheques... Now, that's a truck-stick.
