It's game day. It's finally freakin' game day and I could not be more excited than I was waking up for work at 5:30 AM this morning, DeVier Posey jersey in hand, knowing that when I got out I would be headed straight to the sports bar to catch the Bucks take on the Thundering Herd. I know the last thing you want to read about is something not associated to OSU or Marshall so we'll try to put in as much Buckeye-centric info as possible to this edition of Skull Session.
As you all know, the Nike Pro Combat Uniforms came out yesterday and most of the national feedback seemed to be that the new unis were, well, "ugly". I am personally a big fan of the Boise State jerseys (especially the helmets), but am not a fan of the OSU digs as I feel they are kind of bland and the red helmet makes me nauseous. As long as we beat Michigan I really don't care what we're wearing though, but as long as I'm judging the other teams' pro combat gear, I'm going to go ahead and give NIKE a D+ grade for the job they did overall.
Remember Duron Carter? Well the former Buckeye and current Coffeyville star had 53 yards and a touchdown in his first game playing for the community college, while wearing jersey #3. I guess DC is off to a good start down in Kansas, but it is still yet to be seen if he will end up back in Columbus. His current "top five" consists of the Buckeyes, USC, Florida, Oklahoma, and Oregon. In addition to Duron, former convenience store robber and Tennesse wide out, Nu'Keese Richardson, apparently has switched to cornerback for Coffeyville. He notched two interceptions in the opener and I'm sure he's bound for USC sometime in the near future. Richardson's teammate at Tennessee and former Glenville star, DB Mike Edwards, also plays for Coffeyville.
Interesting tidbit that two former Michigan quarterbacks are starting for other big time Division I programs this season. The obvious one everyone knows is Ryan Mallett at Arkansas, who may contend for a Heisman Trophy. The other is Steven Threet, who won the starting job at Arizona State. Threet was so bad at Michigan two years ago that I don't even know how ASU even allowed him on their team, but with a squad as bad as UM's two years ago, I guess it's not fair to judge.
If you're interested in future Buckeyes who are still trying their trade at the high school level, here is a good breakdown of what some prospects did last weekend. For those of you who don't like links, some highlights come from DE Ken Hayes (who apparently has become the next Cameron Heyward), QB Braxton Miller (rushed for 212 yards and 3 scores), WR Devin Smith (7 catches for 144 yards), WR Evan Spencer (2 receiving and 1 rushing TD), and TE Nick Vannett (1 receiving TD). Miller definitely has some work on his passing, but if you want to see one of the most impressive higlight videos of a high schooler dominating the running game, check this out.
Brandon Castel of The OZone comes in with some late Marshall game notes that are quite interesting for tonight. The good news is that Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence appear "a go" after fully participating in the final practices. Jim Tressel said Travis Howard and Pittsburgh Brown will definitely see time against Marshall, but it's good to know Chim and Devon will be 100% for Miami and will get some game-action this week. Also of note is that the safety battle between CJ Barnett and Orhian Johnson will continue into the season. JT said Barnett will likely start tonight, but Johnson will see plenty of snaps now that he's recovered from injury. Finally, on the o-line, it appears Andrew Norwell will be in the rotation with the second group. Jim Bollman loves to get his second unit in for a first quarter series so look for big #78 in there and watch what the freshman does. Norwell may be the future left tackle, so his progress will be interesting to follow.
Finally, division alignment is a hot topic. Just a quick thought on the Big Ten's choice for divisions, I think East/West would have just been the way to go. You get three powers on each side, keep rivalries, and NOBODY would have had a problem with this. I understand they want an OSU-UM championship game, and trust me I'm happy they're keeping "The Game" at the end of the season (for now), but how often is that really going to happen. Both teams have to win their divisions (likely 8-0 or 7-1, 6-2 at WORST) for a rematch to occur and I think it's still a little unfair if OSU wins in Ann Arbor one week and then a week later loses to UM on neutral field (or vice versa). Winning in Lucas Oil really means Michigan is better than OSU when the Bucks beat them in their house the week before? Speaking of dumb, I won't comment more than this, but what the heck is BYU thinking going indie? You may be a school founded on religion, but other than that, you're not even close to being even Charlie Weis's Notre Dame.
