Is it really Friday, already? I don't know about you, but I'm still recovering from Wisconsin week. My voice is almost back to normal, and I think I finally ran off the last of the Patron shots I was handed at Drink Too, Brutus, sometime last night. I don't know, however, that I'll ever fully recover from the thought of being 2,500 miles away from the wonder that is City Barbeque pulled pork (Thanks, Eat Too, Brutus!). Despite my own difficulties in shaking off Saturday, I'm hoping the Buckeyes aren't suffering from a hangover when they take on Indiana tomorrow.
Now, before I dive in, I have to ask... did Braxton to Devin not make SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays? As vaguely as I remember watching SportsCenter, I distinctly remember not seeing that in the top ten.
Did I miss something? Please tell me I did. I can't imagine the way that replay would be shoved down our throats had a freshman QB thrown a game winning hail mary to a freshman WR with 20 seconds left, at say... Boise State. I'm almost shocked the Statue of Liberty didn't make SportsCenter's Top 10 again last night, just for good measure.
Just to throw me off of any Worldwide Leader anti-OSU conspiracy theories, Fat Urkel awarded Braxton Miller a helmet sticker. Please excuse me, for a moment, while I run outside to check for flying pigs.
TWEET, AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE. Carlos Hyde made Twitter news following the Illinois game, when he briefly posted a tweet expressing his discontentment with his lack of playing time upon Herron's return. Though his attitude, at least on the interwebs, seems to have taken a turn for the positive since then, it seems that Hyde may get his wish after all this weekend. Fickell had his weekly press conference yesterday and confirmed that Jordan Hall is doubtful for Saturday, and that Jaamal Berry won't be available (I, for one, am shocked). Hyde has moved up to the #2 spot, and Fickell complimented him on his patience and hard work. Hopefully he'll go out there with something to prove.
In other press conference updates, Fickell mentioned there would be four captains tomorrow, but declined to say who, as he wants to keep the focus on the team as a whole. He, in reiterating the importance of Boom Herron to the team all along, talked about keeping Boom's status as a captain for the Wisconsin game a secret intentionally as well. He also mentioned that this didn't come as a surprise to anyone in the locker room, because of the way Herron has acted all year.
DOOM, GLOOM, AND THEN BOOM. In the spring... there was doom. The Ohio State community was dealing with the loss of a legendary head coach, while the dark cloud of an NCAA investigation hovered above.
In early October... gloom, literally and figuratively, as Ohio State suffered an ugly 10-7 blowout by Sparty. It's easy to look back on that game now, thinking how capable this team is of making up that three point differential, given a rematch, but it was not pretty that day.
And now... there's Boom. Fickell has never made a secret of Herron's contribution to the team, even while limited to just behind the scenes. When criticism of Fickell was piling on for not kicking Herron and Posey off the team due to their status as repeat violators, Fickell said, "Those guys are a part of who we are right now; they're a part of what we do. We need each and every one of them, in whatever role they have." Boy, was he right.
The improvements we've seen on the field since the return of Adams, and then Herron, have done nothing short of return the optimism this temporarily deflated fanbase used to be known for. Admit it, you've thought about what's needed for the Buckeyes to make it to the B1G Championship Game. Seeing the turnaround in this team since these guys' return makes me look even more forward to what is to come when Posey takes the field in two weeks.
Word on the street is that Boom has been a much bigger contributor to the team than just the 4.9 yards per carry we've witnessed since his return to the field. It's been discussed recently, what a contributing role both he and Posey have played, in terms of leadership, for this team. Herron and Mike Adams both had emotional moments on Saturday, before and after the victory. The turmoil seems to have gotten them to the point of fully understanding what fans would always hope their team's players get... what it means to be a Buckeye.
Let it out, big guy. You've earned it.
YOU HAVE PLANS THIS WEEKEND? HONEY BADGER DON'T CARE! #1 LSU travels to Tuscaloosa this weekend to take on #2 Alabama. ESPN has had more hits on this game than Drew Basil had on anyone who even thought about getting past him with the ball Saturday night (I was definitely impressed). Regardless, what ESPN is referring to as the "Game of the Century" (until, of course, their next "Game of the Century") should be a good matchup.
For any of you incredibly superstitious SEC haters, who think history might repeat itself, you can tune in tomorrow to see which team will win, and inevitably get creamed in the National Championship Game by another conference. Personally, I don't see that happening, but I've been wrong before. If you'd like a few Les Miles bullet points to get you through the day, here they are:
1. Les Miles takes his lunch pretty seriously.
2. There are few things funnier than this.
3. Yummy?
4. If you've got the time, my favorite Les Miles memory.
THE STUDENT HAS BECOME THE MASTER. With this recently renewed hope that the 2011 Buckeyes could still win a conference championship, there is one thing Fickell can earn that Tressel never did... a Big Ten Coach of the Year Award. Keep in mind, this is not an assumption of the W-L record that is to come for the rest of the season or any sort of fortune telling on the status of Fickell's job for next year. Instead, just some food for thought.
Every time Tressel was snubbed for the B1G Coach of the Year award, it was explained that it is an honor given to the coach who has done more with less. Most years, Tressel had that "more" part nailed, but could never quite prove "with less." Granted, Ohio State should automatically be assumed to have some of the best talent in the country, but still... who in the B1G has been given less than Luke Fickell this year? If Fickell can manage to run the table, and get the lucky break he needs from the Nittany Lions, his spot in the B1G Championship Game would certainly give him the rights to the "more" he would need to accompany his "with less."
FRIDAY FUNDAY. Charles P. Pierce tells you why the NCAA is coming to an end... Our Honor Defend's take on rushing the field against Wisconsin... A Kim Kardashian link you may not mind so much... A look at the last ten No. 1 vs No. 2 regular season matchups... For anyone who's had the pleasure of "team building exercises" at work... How could you get tired of this?
