It's hard for me to imagine the disappointment of some readers when they realize tonight's Hurry-Up wasn't written by Birm, but with the Lord of Whispers incapacitated, the lot of you are stuck with me.
Birm will be back tommorrow night, but don't fret: He's relayed some thoughts to pass along.
BURRELL INJURY UPDATE
The scariest moment of yesterday's Army All-American Bowl was when a teammate was rolled onto OL Matthew Burrell's lower leg. While it was unknown at the time if it was a knee or an ankle injury, Burrell needed help walking off the field.
Thankfully, it appears nothing to be concerned about:
(I was shocked to learn he was okay, because on TV it looked like an ACL tear.)
Burell had a solid week of practice — here he is dominating the No. 2 DT in the country — and before he was injured, he showed all the reasons Ohio State fans are excited about a player who could one day be a pillar along the offensive line.
BUCKEYE GAME BALL: MIKE WEBER
While none of the six future Buckeyes statistically dominated the game like, say, LSU's Derrius Guice, who finished with two catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns (long of 92), my Buckeye game ball would go to Mike Weber.
Torrance Gibson had his ups (throwing a nice ball across his body while on the move) and downs (taking a bad sack), but it was the former Cass Tech strongman that shined most for me.
Weber finished with 48 yards on 10 rushes, but he started the game, which leads me to believe reports Weber was the best RB on the West in practice. Here's my favorite run of his, showing off his power and vision:
Even more impressive when you remember those are two future D-1 players Weber just boom-sticked.
As the announcers noted shortly after the run, that's the reason why Jim Harbaugh, a man who features a diverse run game, is hot after the former Michigan commit.
Weber, however, said before the game he's "pretty solid," to Ohio State, rhetorically asking reporters, "Why would I leave a team that is in it for a national championship?" (For what it's worth: He also appeared in this sweet Ohio State promo cut by the six #Elite15 attendees.)
MISSES & FINAL SPOTS
It wasn't all gravy for Ohio State fans yesterday. The Buckeyes were spurned by former targets in DT Neville Gallimore (Oklahoma) and CB Juwuan Briscoe (Georgia). Although WR Lawrence Cager had previously eliminated the Buckeyes, he surprised many when he chose Miami (FL) over Alabama.
Where does this leave the few coveted spots of the #Elite15? I'm told this class will include one, possibly two DTs. Two names to watch along the interior defensive trench: five-star Terry Beckner Jr. "and/or" four-star Christian Wilkins.
I was also told Ohio State is entertaining the possibility of adding another DB to the class; South Carolina commit Damon Arnette is the footballer to watch there.
Add all this into the fact Ohio State could win its first title since 2002 next week, and there's no reason to think Ohio State's (currently) sixth-ranked 2015 class will finish in the Top 5 once again under Urban Meyer.
