Congratulations to IMG Academy's Marko Jurkovic on his commitment to Ohio State. I've never been to Lincoln, Nebraska, but I assume Columbus is a lot cooler. And wow, will Ohio State have some hogs in its stable for years to come. (That's how you build a football team I'm told... by wrangling the big hogs.)
Today's NSFW ANTI-WORK #BANGERS:
- Mike Jones' classic — and new Cardale anthem — "Mr. Jones." The over/under of how many times I play this song Saturday in Indianapolis is set at 412. (Take the over.)
- Scared Straight was too wild in 1999.
- Lmaaaao, why didn't the Owl run away?
KANSAS YET TO INTERVIEW WARINNER? After Bruce Feldman reported Wednesday night Ed Warinner interviewed "via phone, this week" for the Kansas job, there was another report yesterday Kansas offered him the job.
But Bill Rabinowitz of The Columbus Dispatch says not only has Kansas not offered the job, but Warinner has yet to interview:
Despite reports that Ohio State offensive-line coach Ed Warinner has accepted the head coaching job at Kansas, a well-placed source said that Warinner has not even interviewed for the job yet.
[...]
Reached for comment, Warinner texted, "All my focus is on Wisconsin, period."
So, who you got, Feldman or Rabinowitz? (I am backing the first reporter to report Ed Warinner is not leaving Ohio State.)
And, I understand Warinner's connections, but he can do better than Kansas. Seriously, Nebraska just hired a 61 year-old who hasn't lost less than four games since 2003. And Ed "Six Quarts of Blood Per Stone" Warinner is getting exiled to KANSAS? Not on my watch.
BADGERS DEFENSE WARY OF BUCKEYES OFFENSE. Wisconsin's defense is No. 2 in total defense and No. 11 in F/+. That is to say, while you might know about Melvin Gordon: Bucky's defense ain't slouchin' either. But that doesn't mean they're taking the Buckeyes lightly.
From The Associated Press' Genaro C. Armas, via WDTN:
“Every play with their skill is a home-run shot, so if you’re not perfect with everything, then it’s a big chance of a big play,” [Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave] Aranda said. “This year, toward the end of the season, they’ve shown some big-play capability.”
[...]
Aranda was preparing for perhaps more misdirection than what Ohio State has so far shown. Maybe more two tight-end sets to provide maximum protection for Jones, which would put the impetus on taking 1-on-1 shots down the field.
[...]
"The first thing that strikes you is his size,” Aranda said about Jones. “One of their top plays is the quarterback sweep, and he’s awfully good at it. … He lowers his shoulder, runs over guys, runs around guys."
*in my Bane/Cardale Jones voice* Oh! will there will be vertical shots down the field...
BUCKEYE DEFENSE ON THE DEFENSIVE AGAIN. This exchange was too good not to pass along:
From Jon Spencer of The Coshocton Tribune:
Fickell knows it. So the last thing he wants right now is someone throwing history in his face. It happened Monday when a reporter wondered if last year's 34-24 Big Ten title game loss to Michigan State — in which the Buckeyes yielded 438 yards and a clinching 26-yard touchdown run up the gut by Langford — screamed "Remember the Alamo!"
[...]
"Hmm, with five minutes to go in the third quarter, do you know how many yards rushing they had?" Fickell said.
The reporter started to bring up Langford's back-breaking TD, but Fickell cut him off.
"I'm asking you a question," he said. "Do you know how many yards rushing they had? Fifteen. Most of these (players) aren't old enough or have taken enough history classes to remember the Alamo."
I understand Fickell's defensiveness... but, uh... there's not a living soul among us who actually remembers the Alamo (outside of Cardale Jones, who may be immoral). Also, I was publicly educated in Marion, Ohio, and I knew about the Alamo. Assuming every Ohio State player holds a high school degree, I'd hope they'd at least be familiar with the reference.
But I digress. Yes, Ohio State's defense is again under the ire of the fanbase. While its pass defense has improved leaps and bounds, there are questions about the sturdiness of the rush defense.
For answers, let's turn to senior defensive tackle Mike Bennett:
"People aren't going to understand this, but I think our defense is a complete defense," defensive tackle Michael Bennett said. "The only thing that kills us is these mental mistakes. We haven't gotten grinded down by passes or by the run. People have gotten some big plays on us, but that's simple mental lapses."
This is why I should be a coach at Ohio State, because I would walk into the room (smoking a cigarette to look cool for my young players, of course) and then I'd say, "Hey, quit doing the mental mistakes, guys." And then that'd be fixed. (Urban, I'm still available to pep/coach your team up Saturday night. "An extra set of eyes never hurts," as the Shawnee used to say.)
WISCONSIN'S SECOND MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER. Everybody knows about Melvin Gordon, but did you know: Wisconsin has other players on its team? I didn't believe it either... but it looks like it's true.
From Badger Nation's Brian Becker's look at the seven most important Wisconsin Badgers against Ohio State; here's his look at the No. 2 most important Badger (you can guess No. 1):
2, Marcus Trotter MLB: Trotter continues to play solid football over the last two weeks, registering a combined 22 tackles and 2.5 TFLs. With quarterback Cardale Jones set to make his first career start, the Buckeyes will likely be a run-first team. Ohio State has had success on the ground this year, averaging 257.4 yards a game, but Barrett accounted for 78.2 of the teams 257.4 yards rushing average. Without Barrett as a rushing threat, Ohio State is averaging 179.2 yards a game, which would rank Ohio State sixth in the Big Ten in rushing average. Jones is still a threat as a dual-threat quarterback, as he has rushed for 334 yards on 43 carries (7.7 yards a carry) and one rushing touchdown in his career, but doesn’t appear to be the same kind of threat as his two predecessors.
Trotter has been able to use his instincts and football IQ to help slow down opposing rushing attacks, as the Badgers rank third in the Big Ten in rush defense (103.8 yards a game). Wisconsin has given up over 100 yards its last three games but is only allowing three yards a carry on average, which ranks second in the Big Ten.
Ezekiel Elliott leads Ohio State in rushing with 1,182 on 197 carries (six yards a carry) and 10 touchdowns. Elliot is a shifty back and he will be difficult to take down at times. Missed tackles have popped up the last few weeks, including Trotter missing one against Minnesota’s David Cobb that went for a 40-yard touchdown, but the Badgers, and Trotter, have played solid defense by trusting their instincts and winning one-on-one battles.
A Wisconsin linebacker with instincts and football IQ? Wow, I would not have guessed that one because Wisconsin totally hasn't been the same team with different names since 2000.
Going B1G in Indy
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packages for Saturday's Big Ten Championship
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HAIL MARY TIME. The first time I ever learned about the Hail Mary was during the waning minutes of the 1994 Colorado-Michigan game.
I thought Colorado was cooked, but my dad said, "Not so fast, my idiot son. There's a play called 'the Hail Mary.' It is cool and good, and it is used in situations like this."
UCF demonstrated it again last night against ECU. This play won the Knights a share of a title for some conference called the AAC (whatever the hell that is):
Watch closely for this:
No. 39 was unbuckling his helmet while the ball was still in the air. What the what???? pic.twitter.com/tB2fxncy3t
— Ryan Greene (@ryanmgreene) December 5, 2014
And this:
@steakNstiffarms this was my favorite part haha #6 trying to celebrate https://t.co/M9KGwNgVFM
— Andrew Clifford (@AKClifford12) December 5, 2014
And, what the hell, since it's Friday: here's Michigan losing in heartbreaking fashion over 20 years ago (I need to die):
THOSE WMDs. Come party with 11W Friday night in downtown Indy... Sony's PowerPoints are hilariously bad... Don't hurt 'em Kyrie... Emmanuel Mudiay's future in China unclear... In my day, we called 28 lbs. of meth a party... Why we call our partners "babe."
