News that Ohio State would regulate the Mirror Lake Jump on Tuesday made many revelers furious. The students' simple, brilliant response: jump on Monday instead.
In protest of the university's regulation of a non-sanctioned event, a number of people decided to hold a Monday jump. University police blocked all entrances to Mirror Lake and were set to arrest anyone who tried to access it. Picture and video evidence shows how well that worked. Thousands of students defied the university to make it happen.
The university's heavy-handed involvement will have a greater effect or the Tuesday jump, when the usual throng of people will cavort in Mirror Lake. The university will add extra security, more Rent-a-Fences, and wristbands, measures Monday's crowd proved useless. These regulations make the jump less safe and expose the university to increased liability.
To the university's decision-makers: if you want to stop the jump so badly, fill the lake with concrete. Otherwise, get out of the way, cowards. The students can do this with you or without you, and they'd prefer to do it without you.
INDIANA BULLETS. The first press conference of Michigan week was yesterday. Our recap is here, the full transcript is here. Some notable things:
- Urban Meyer thought Ohio State's play in snowy conditions was impressive, and the team was improving every week.
- Braxton Miller is having more fun in 2013 because he's more developed as a passer and he trusts his personnel, which he did not last year.
- Meyer doesn't believe Miller is an NFL-ready quarterback, but he has the skill set and capacity to make it.
- Judging by "production points", Ryan Shazier played the best Meyer had ever seen.
- Shazier's improvement is attributable to him cutting down on overrunning plays and showing good instincts on inside plays. Meyer compared him to Brandon Spikes.
- Meyer slipped by mentioning Michigan by name. When it was called to his attention, he apologized.
- Meyer realized how big the OSU-Michigan game as a grad assistant by driving past Lincoln and Morrill Towers and seeing a "Muck Fichigan" bedsheet hanging off them.
- Meyer diplomatically refused to comment on Michigan's offense, saying that he had not studied footage of it and he would discuss it with Luke Fickell and Everett Withers on Tuesday.
- Doran Grant was held out for precautionary reasons on Saturday, though Meyer did not say why. He's fine now.
- Meyer was pleased with the gameplan against Indiana, and credited Fickell for the defensive performance.
THE JOY OF RODRIGUEZ. Michigan could take some tips on beating a top 5 team from Arizona, which dominated No. 5 Oregon on Saturday. In the interest of trolling. here's video of the game and aftermath to show them what it looks and feels like. Pay special attention to the locker room celebration at the 4:30 mark:
In 2009, some of the infiltrating Ohio State fans brought a sign reading "HEY COACH RODRIGUEZ, WE LOVE YOU." Considering how he's done compared to 2012-2013 Brady Hoke, Michigan fans ought to bring the same sign in case Rodriguez wants to be a Michigan Man again.
Only one game matters now. TERRY 3:16 SAYS WE'RE NOT LEAVING TUSCALOOSA. For weeks, months, and years people have been rumoring Nick Saban leaving for other jobs, like the Cowboys or Browns or Texas Longhorns. No matter how many times he's said he isn't leaving, people still say he'll go. Terry Saban, Nick's wife, put an end to that speculation:
Recent media reports have suggested Saban may be interested in coaching at Texas if that job comes available. Some reports said Terry Saban had been house hunting in Austin. Asked if the report was accurate, Terry Saban called them "rumors with absolutely no foundation."
"We're staying," she said. "We're not going anywhere."
It's consistent with Nick Saban's statement that he's too old to uproot for a different job. Miss Terry, as she is commonly called, is irked that Alabama fans don't appreciate how good they have it but accepts Tuscaloosa's football culture:
"You come to a crossroads and the expectations get so great, people get spoiled by success and there gets to be a lack of appreciation," Terry Saban said in an interview last week. "We're kind of there now."
[...]
"We can't change expectations or change lack of appreciation. We have to change our mind-set. We have decided: this is where we are going to end our career."
The rest of the article is a fine portrait of the Sabans' 40-year marriage. The spin for those with delusions of luring Saban to their school: complacency disgusts Saban to the core, so this must be a smokescreen for him to leave! The Saban rumor mill will never, ever cease to churn.
EXCESSIVE CELEBRATION. Illinois's big win over Purdue snapped a 20 game Big Ten losing streak. Deprived of bad news, one Illinois football coach decided to create his own with felony gun charges:
Authorities say University of Illinois football staff member and former player Matt Sinclair has been charged after allegedly pointing an unloaded handgun at a vehicle carrying other staff members.
Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz says Sinclair was arraigned Monday on two felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon. He was arrested Saturday after Illinois' game at Purdue.
Rietz says someone called police to report a driver pointing a gun out of a truck on Interstate 74 in eastern Illinois. Police say Sinclair said he pointed the gun as a joke.
All the best jokes are told with guns pointed at another person. Just imagine how joking he'd have been if Illinois had lost.
FAST FOOD CONFERENCES. Duke's athletic director Kevin White had a nonsensical unusual analogy for different basketball conferences:
The Big Ten “clearly became McDonald’s in our industry, and anyone that would argue with that doesn’t know what they’re talking about,” White said. “I think unfortunately there was a time 3-4 years ago where, I don’t know who we were. We weren’t Whataburger, but we were between Whataburger and Wendy’s. We had fallen into that position. And I think the SEC was clearly Burger King.
“And I think we’re kind of snuggling back up into the Burger King position with the grant of rights [the ACC’s 15 schools signed one in April] everybody’s renewed solidarity and our new market position.
Huh? He must be talking about total sales, because being compared to McDonalds in terms of quality is a deadly insult. The Big Ten is more like a Five Guys, since there are a billion different toppings/play styles and no matter the combination, the end result is uniformly good. Perhaps Burger King is a good comparison for the ACC, since each has oodles of franchises and is coasting on its past reputation.
Mike Krzyzewski thinks college basketball should have a commissioner, so maybe something Durham's water makes people come up with loopy basketball ideas.
YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN. Any final thoughts on Michigan, Christian Bryant?
#NORESPECT pic.twitter.com/HkF0ZdexOf
— Christian Bryant™ (@2CBryant) November 25, 2013
Alright then!
LINKS AHOY. Bill O'Brien: leaving OSU out of title game "makes no sense"...The many recruits who will attend The Game... OSU head cheerleading coach fired after harassment scandal... Brutus Buckeye in onion form is rather sinister... Rutgers' star basketball recruit is two years older than he claims and its new AD is in even more hot water... Notable award snubs: Teddy Bridgewater, Chris Borland, Texas Tech TE Jace Amaro... Some details about Youngstown Boys... This doesn't make you look any saner, Paterno truthers... A brilliant, failed high school onside kick.... What happens when you hire the interim coach?... How to save football... Mike Polk goes off on the Browns, has a point... The man who befriended Klansmen... Owl wings' fluid dynamics have real world noise reduction applications... Gene Keady inducted to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame... Appreciating the Maui Invitational... Protect ya neck... Martha Stewart and malt liquor, a match made in heaven.. Wait, Braxton Miller is a Heisman candidate?
