If Gordon can crawl, I certainly can too.Good morning Buckeye fans and welcome to your Thursday Skull Session. Today is a great day for me, as I make the pilgrimage back to Columbus from the “concrete jungle where dreams are made of” for the first time since the Bucks put a whoopin’ on the Purdue Boilermakers back in October.
I’m going back for the purpose of seeing my brother become the second member of my immediate family to graduate from The Ohio State University (quite a feat for a family from New Jersey), which will be exciting and boring at the same time (have you ever been to commencement ceremony?). I’m really excited to see him get his diploma and all, and am certainly very proud of him, but don’t get me wrong, graduation won’t be the only thing on my mind when I hit the 614.
Always eager to get back to the place I call my second home, I’m really stoked for this trip. Columbus continually churns out new business like it’s a job and I’m very excited to see what new bars, restaurants, and stores have popped in since my last visit to campus. More importantly, I will be participating in tonight’s Senior Crawl, which was one of the most epic nights of my college life just two years ago.
I’ve been having the argument with my girlfriend whether I’m too old to be partaking in festivities, being that we always made fun of the graduated students who made the trek from north to south on High Street, stopping in every bar to have a drink along the way. My personal theory is that I am old enough once kids who were in school while I was are no longer there, meaning the kids who were freshman when I was a senior. Granted, I won’t be participating during my last year of eligibility (just like TP—too soon?) next year, but I think I’m a legit crawler this year, with only a two-year difference.
I’ll let the 11W groupies make the call, and please be honest. Am I too old to be crawling tonight? Too bad, no matter what you choose I’m still going for the kill and will be enjoying myself thoroughly. There is good news for all of you though, as you can try to live vicariously through me right now, by jumping into your Thursday Skull Session.
Life After Pryor. Obviously most of the talk the last few days has been surrounding Terrelle Pryor's departure from OSU. With that talk, also comes discussion of who is replacement will be. While many just want to see anyone, but Joe Bauserman, the majority of fans would like to see true frosh Braxton Miller take the reigns and get a year of experience under his belt. ESPN's new B1G blogger, Brian Bennett, feels the same way, stating that the Bucks should be bold and gamble with the youngster.
I certainly don't think it's a bold move to put Miller out, as he is far more advanced than Pryor was at the same age, just because he's been enrolled through January and has participated in spring ball and off-season workouts. None of the quarterbacks have a ton of in-game experience, so it's not like Miller is losing out much there, and his ability to use his legs as a weapon make him an even more attractive choice. The only knock I have on #5 is less knowledge of the playbook when compared to his elders at the position, which won't bode well considering he's working with a group of subpar wide receivers sans DeVier Posey.
What are your thoughts on the quarterback situation for next season?
Tressel Tribute. For those of you who have been around for a while, you're familiar with Lexco44's work on YouTube. For those of you who haven't welcome to the god of all Ohio State video who recently released this gem in tribute of Jim Tressel's career at Ohio State:
Fantastic work Lexco44. Can't wait until the Terrelle Pryor highlight reel comes out so we can at least fantasize of what this year could have brought had we still had both JT and TP. Plus the infamous speech at the hoops game will ALWAYS give me the chills.
Hoops Schedule Just About Set. It's been all about football lately, but somewhere, somehow basketball does still exist in Columbus, Ohio. The university announced yesterday the majority of the men's basketball team's out of conference schedule, and the slat includes tough road games at Kansas and South Carolina and home contests against Florida and Duke. Other games on the schedule put the Bucks against Wright State, Jackson State, North Florida, VMI, Texas Pan-American, South Carolina-Upstate, Lamar, and Miami-OH in Nationwide Arena. Obviously there are some big cupcakes in there, but the team should be prepared for March after traveling to Phog Allen Fieldhouse and taking on the Gators and Blue Devils before an always tough B1G schedule.
What's the Matta? Speaking of basketball, head coach Thad Matta was available to the media yesterday afternoon and spoke about the aforementioned schedule, as well as the Jim Tressel situation. Here are some quotes from Matta if you're too lazy to click on the link to Bucknuts' story:
On allegations of William Buford and Jon Diebler buying cars from Aaron Kniffin:
“He [Buford] and Jon both bought cars, but everything is legit. If you saw the cars they bought, you wouldn’t think twice."
On the growing issue of violations in college athletics:
“College athletics across the board have become a monster. Trying to make sure you do things the right way and be as thorough as you can in what you’re doing … but we have a job to do and I feel very comfortable with how we have done it to this point and we will continue to do it the same way.”
On Jim Tressel's resignation:
“As I’ve said many times before, Coach has probably been as important to our program as anybody. That dates back to almost eight years ago when I came here and the help he has provided me and our program. I hate to see the way things ended.
“I do know this about him: When we tip off, he will be rooting as hard as he can for us to be successful and that means a lot to me.”
On Jared Sullinger playing with the team this summer rather than Team USA:
“I don’t want to take away from what a guy wants to do personally. In Jared’s case, he understands the importance of who he is and what he means to this basketball team. I think he also knows the things he needs to work on in the off-season, which he is doing very well with.
“Jared is about one thing and one thing only – winning for Ohio State. As we talked about it, we threw it out there and he said, ‘I’d really rather stay here.’ The other thing about Jared is he really loves to play. He will overplay at times. With him here, we can monitor that.”
Wow do I love Thad Matta. For more quotes about DeShaun Thomas and the incoming freshmen, be sure to check out the Bucknuts link above.
Big Ten Bits. Terrelle Pryor was cut loose by OSU and Steve Heiser thinks PSU should follow suit should cut ties with Rob Bolden. B1G fans will be happy this year as they will have more time to tailgate with later kick-off times. Some news on E'Twaun Moore's workouts as well as Purdue basketball's Patrick Baden making the switch to football. Sparty is getting some pre-season props from magazines across the nation. Apparently Michigan is wearing a soccer jersey this season. Rumors are swirling that Russell Wilson is committing to Wisconsin after his official visit to Madison. Finally, Lake The Posts wonders if the OSU downfall can benefit the Wildcats.
