Monday Skull Session

By D.J. Byrnes on September 21, 2015 at 4:59 am
Joey Bosa
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It was bound to happen. 

As Joey Bosa mentioned on Twitter in the aftermath of Ohio State's less than rousing victory over Northern Illinois: Ohio State was 2-1 this time last year. 

Although at this time last year Cardale Jones was only known for a bad tweet; 4/5ths of the Slobs were unblooded, and Ohio State was replacing its two best defenders. Such is the weight of expectations on defending champs with a bevy of returning starters.

But I understand a team is an organic product that isn't going to fire at 100 percent every time like it's a robot. Besides, Urban Meyer has proven throughout his career that his teams will be peaking during the money time.

The offense is too talented to not figure it out, though I think a constant QB rotation is a disservice to both players. The good news is Ohio State is 3-0 and has time to get the alchemy right before Michigan State rolls into town on its high horse. 

#JustMyTake

ICYMI:

MIKE HART IN LINE FOR FIFTH OSU LOSS. It's onto Western Michigan — always nice to educate that state in the game of football.

P.J. Fleck and his "Row the Boat" mantra will get the headlines, but it looks like an old friend of the program is returning for Columbus for a fifth L.

From FearTheHat.wordpress.com:

He also has some continuity when it comes to his own coaching staff. One of the Broncos most recent additions, former Michigan running back Mike Hart, is in his second year.

However, all this has yet to pay off in the win column for Western Michigan’s head man. To be fair, the team he took over in 2013 had gone 4-8 the year before. Since then, the Broncos have a record of 10-18, including a 1-11 inaugural season and a 1-2 start this year.

It was certainly expected that they would drop their opener to Michigan State, a game in which they looked more than respectable. But what followed was what Fleck called a “royal whupping” at the hands of Georgia Southern. Spurned by that 43-17 loss, they then went on to crush FCS team Murray State 52-20. (For comparison’s sake, consider Northern Illinois beat the Racers 57-26.)

Writers love Fleck, as they're known to do when any coach gives great access and is amicable. I'm not sure I buy 100 percent into the hype. 

Counterpoint: 

I was really hoping Joe Flaco's younger brother was named Todd.

SECONDARY PLAYING WELL, BUT. The good news about Ohio State's floundering offense is that the Silver Bullets look good enough to win a championship. (I'm a Browns fan — if these teams want strangled by precision field control and field goals... so be it.)

Is it Urban's best secondary? He said in the post-game interview it's playing at a "very high level," but Urban's had some ridiculous secondaries.

From cleveland.com:

Eli Apple, Gareon Conley, Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell are playing at a high level right now. All four starters in the secondary have at least one interception through three games. But Meyer's best ever? That's tough to match.

Just doing some quick digging, Meyer's 2009 secondary at Florida was loaded. It had corners Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins — Haden was a first-round pick in 2010, Jenkins was a second-round pick in 2012. Then there were safeties Ahmad Black and Major Wright — Black was a fifth-round pick in 2011, and Wright was a third-round pick in 2010.

So no, this isn't the best secondary Meyer has had. This current group has a long way to go before they're compared to that Florida group. But that's not the point.

Teams are going to figure out soon Gareon Conley's not to be trifled with, and the sky is the limit for that unit as long as they keep grinding. It might not be Urban Meyer's best secondary, but that doesn't mean it won't be by the end of the year.

DARRON LEE: EATER OF HEARTS. Michigan fans know the feeling: One minute you're cloying to false hope of a come-from-behind victory, and then the next minute Darron Lee is taunting your mangled corpse from the end zone.

It turns out Lee's physical attributes aren't his only otherworldly attributes. 

From TheOzone.net:

“Just really keying on their splits,” Lee recounted the play. “We saw it a bunch of times in the first half. No. 10, he was pretty close to his number two receiver. I just knew what was coming and just made a play.”

This was a play Northern Illinois likes and one that Lee said he saw on film. Having seen it in person early in the game, Lee knew he could make the play and told those on the bench just that.

“He called it on the sidelines and maybe called his shot a little bit,” co-defensive coordinator and linebacker coach Luke Fickell said of Lee. “He said, ‘I’m picking one of them things off if they run that again.’ I said, ‘Just do your job. Don’t try to be a hero. Do your job. Set the edge. Eliminate the things and Vonn will come running down hill.’ The rest is history.”

Remember when people thought Luke Fickell was bad and were begging him to get fired? But then it turned out that Luke Fickell was actually good?

Makes you think, for sure.

BOSS CONFERENCE. Rutgers lost to Penn State on Saturday. I don't care about that, but interim coach Norries Wilson is now my second favorite coach in America:

It's good to have you back, college football.

THOSE WMDs. Holy guacamole... R.I.P. to this defender... The (Fake) Meat Revolution... Man facing $8.7M Ohioan embezzlement case hid on Appalachian Trail... Mobster Whitey Bulger secretly worked for the F.B.I. Or was it the other way around?

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Ohio State Blows Out Indiana, 38-15, for Second Top-Five Win of Season

Josh Fryar

Prognosticating: Indiana

Dry Goods Contest
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