Quick note before we begin: I made a dumb joke yesterday about getting married in the Muni Lot while making "my soon-to-be" wife wear matching Cardale Jones Browns jerseys. That woman was completely fictional; I am not engaged nor have I ever woken up and thought about spending money on a ring. Thank you for the well wishes, but they're unnecessary.
ICYMI: Fill the void of Buckeye football in your life with these Lord of Whispers' photos from Day 2 of practice in Louisiana.
BENNETT TO HONOR KARAGEORGE IN THE SUGAR BOWL. Michael Bennett rocked No. 53 in the Big Ten championship game (and then he rocked Melvin Gordon and Wisconsin). That look will continue against Alabama:
Michael Bennett said he plans on wearing No. 53 in the Sugar Bowl.
— Ryan Ginn (@RyanGinnBSB) December 29, 2014
Going to miss Michael Bennett. That fella turned it on in the second half of the season, and he's always been a top representation of the university. He will be missed.
GOD BLESS ALABAMA. Yesterday I awoke to find people in my Twitter mentions talking about a perturbed Alabama fan and my needing of a security detail.
YouTuber hoss1407 dropped the Alabama rendition of "Hit 'Em Up" on my head before I even had time to climb out of bed. (I normally try to put off getting owned on the internet until the afternoon, but alas.)
All I ask of hoss1407 — after Alabama loses to Ohio State by 10+ — is for hoss1407 to apologize to my three cats, who were furious yesterday after I looped this Vine no less than 1,500 times while cackling like cracked-out clown:
But yes, all that beef aside (hoss1407 didn't understand when I told him to meet me in Temecula), Alabama is now my favorite state.
Via our Kyle Jones:
That looks like the worst party ever.
T.J. YELDON CARRYING A KNOCK. Here's something I did not know: T.J. Yeldon is not 100%:
T.J. Yeldon says he is "not sure" if his hamstring will be 100 percent on Thursday, but adds that he will play no matter what.
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) December 29, 2014
*strokes beard* Makes you think, for sure.
ALABAMA'S VONN BELL. Because Alabama and Ohio State are both elite teams, they're composed of players the other team wanted real bad. Ohio State's Vonn Bell is often a Buckeye cited as a former prospect once cherished by Nick Saban.
Alabama's (by way of Maryland) Cyrus Jones, a cornerback, was one of the first recruits Urban Meyer contacted after taking the reins of Ohio State. Ironically, Urban wanted him to be the talisman of his new offense.
From Ari Wasserman of cleveland.com, who had the full look:
NEW ORLEANS – The day after Urban Meyer took the Ohio State job he called a speedster from Maryland and tried to sell him on being the first transcendent talent in the Buckeyes' new up-tempo spread offense.
Meyer told that prospect that he could do exactly what Percy Harvin did for him at Florida, that the Buckeyes were headed to the top but first needed an H-Back to take over games.
[...]
"I once almost committed there," Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones, a former four-star athlete from Baltimore Gilman School, said of Ohio State. "The sales pitch was basically about me being an explosive guy on offense and getting me the ball in different ways."
Gotta wonder if Stefon Diggs, who was sidelined due to a lacerated kidney, doesn't look at Ohio State's come-up and ask "what if?"
Instead he's catching passes from Caleb Rowe and C.J. Brown instead of Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett, or Cardale Jones.
Still, I can respect a man who stayed home in effort to build something.
KIFFIN BREAKS SILENCE. Apparently Alabama's coordinators don't meet with the media outside of preseason and bowl obligations. Because of that (and the fact he's no longer burdened with head coaching responsibilities) Kiffin has been able to stay in his lane and orchestrate the offense. To his credit, he's ran numbers out the back door.
From Marq Burnett of AnnistonStar.com:
He has coached the Tide to its most prolific offensive season in school history (490.5 yards a game).
“It’s been refreshing to me because I do love the aspect of the in-game adjustments,” Kiffin said. “You put a play in because of a coverage they’re putting in and then the play works and you get to see the players celebrate.”
Kiffin is more than happy to leave the head coaching duties to Nick Saban. He’s also thankful Saban tapped him to lead the Tide’s offense. During his brief time between being fired from Southern California and taking the job at Alabama, Kiffin said it was “very unusual” for him because as a coach he had been programmed to go to work every day. When the phone didn’t ring initially, Kiffin called it a “very humbling” time.
I used to hate Lane Kiffin, but much like fungus on a tree, he's somehow grown on me... I guess simply by not being a dumb idiot like he was at Tennessee and USC. I'm not alone:
I'll be honest, for all the drama that's surrounded him, Kiffin is hard to not like as you listen to him talk. Seems humbled and happy.
— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) December 29, 2014
I'm sure all it will take is Lane Kiffin prophesying a touchdown against Ohio State (and folks, I'm not so sure Alabama will create a touchdown) for the ichor of hatred flows freely through my veins.
But given Kiffin's performance in Tuscaloosa, could he transcend back into the upper echelons of the sport?
Sports Illustrated polled 11 athletic directors on the Kiff's current prospects:
The poll of athletic directors didn’t go so well for Kiffin, at least not for the immediate future. Nine of the 11 athletic directors said they wouldn’t consider him right now. Four of the athletic directors indicated that Kiffin needs more time as Saban’s assistant, citing reasons like his maturity, personality and penchant for losing as a head coach. A sampling of some of the reactions:
[...]
AD 2: “As a head coach, he had mediocre success at brand name programs. (Truly only one good collegiate season). Too many integrity/character question marks.”
AD 3: “Not a chance. I suspect that he will still be a successful head coach, but the deficiencies and the record to date are real. A single year with Nick is not enough to convince me that he has figured it out. I would take the chance if I were a mid-major willing to rent him for a couple of years.”
Remember when Lane Kiffin was coach of the Oakland Raiders? That was a thing that happened.
NICK SABAN: ORACLE. I do not want to know what Nick Saban had to be granted such scouting talents from the Devil himself.
Joey Bosa laughing that Alabama offered him a scholly before he even started a high school game: "Saban can tell the future or something."
— Brian Hamilton (@BrianHamiltonSI) December 29, 2014
I'm kidding of course... Nick Saban is the Prince of Darkness. Besides, I saw Bosa during the summer before his senior year of high school, and even I could tell he looked like he could contribute to a D1 team.
I bet that dude was one buff thirteen year-old.
CHAD LINDSAY ISN'T SNITCHING (HOPEFULLY). Tip of the cap to Chad Lindsay, the former Alabama center/OSU graduate transfer whose body wouldn't cooperate during a brief stint in Columbus.
From Bill Landis of cleveland.com:
NEW ORLEANS — Alabama offensive tackle Austin Shepherd tried to get it out of Chad Lindsay, but it seems Lindsay still has some allegiance to the Buckeyes.
Lindsay transferred from Alabama to Ohio State with a chance to be the Buckeyes' starting center last spring. His career as a Buckeye was short lived, though, and Lindsay announced he was ending his football career due to injury and left the team in September.
[...]
"I talked to Chad," Shepherd said Monday. "I tried to tell him to spill his beans, but he wouldn't. He just told me they're a really good defense, one of the best he's played against. He hasn't really told us much."
I want to believe Chad Lindsay isn't snitching, but I'm not sure I believe it. His ties are stronger to Tuscaloosa than Columbus, after all.
The article mentions Lindsay was in Tuscaloosa recently. If I were a bag man, I'd offer him $10,000 to share what he knows and run any pertinent result up the grapevine. (No, I do not want to think about this anymore either. Let's move on.)
DRE'MONT JONES IS A HEAVY ROLLER AND OTHER ALL-STAR NOTES. High school all-star games are coming up, and 2015 commit Dre'Mont Jones appears to be a man possessed at yesterday's Army game practice.
24/7's Barton Simmons ranked his top player at each position after one practice, and it's only one practice, but this was good to see:
OL - Chidi Valentine-Okeke
DL - Dre'Mont Jones
LB - Ben Humphreys
RB - Michael Weber
DB - Dechaun Holiday
WR - Derek Dillon
QB - Brady White
Scout.com reported Jim Harbaugh already reached out to the family of 2015 running back (and former Michigan and current Ohio State commit) Mike Weber, and judging from this Vine, it's easy to see why:
Weber, however, seems rock-solid in his commitment to Ohio State:
I realized people would talk and be so sure about themselves and have no idea what's going on it's cracks me up
— Mike Weber (@mikeweber25) December 30, 2014
Here's fellow highly-touted 2015 commit Mathew Burrell letting Michigan know the score:
Sorry, Michigan. You done goofed and fumbled this diamond. (Think of it like the time you guys took Kyle 0-3 Kalis off Ohio State's hands, but the exact opposite both in talent and result.)
SHANNON SCOTT "ALMOST LITERALLY OFF THE CHART." Hard to believe but true: Ohio State is playing basketball and — good lord Shannon Scott came out of the gate hot.
From Alex Cook of That Blog Up North on Big Ten teams' individual creativity:
Wouldn't know D'Angelo Russell was a freshman either.
(And this concludes basketball coverage until Ohio State's playoff campaign is over and the Buckeye withdrawals kick against my intestines.)
A&M SHITLORD SENT PACKING. I typed about Texas A&M graduate assistant Mike Richardson pulling a lightweight Woody Hayes yesterday against West Virginia. I predicted he might not survive halftime, and I was right:
A&M: Sumlin was made aware of student-assistant Mike Richardson conking two WVU players. Told him to stay in locker room for 2nd half.
— Jeff Rosen (@jeff_rosen88) December 29, 2014
Sumlin sends Student Assistant Mike Richardson home for taking shots at WVA players on sideline. "Nothing we condone". @abc13houston
— Bob Slovak (@BobSlovak13) December 30, 2014
I assume the Agg Swagg CEO will bounce back from this debacle... but his customers are furious with him.
I just don't understand what would possess you to do something like that during what you know is a nationally televised game. That's a classic case of "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong."
GOOD TRY, GOOD EFFORT FLORIDA STATE. We're at the point where we need to travel to the Montana cabin of some retired renegade cop like Rustin Cohle to entice him to perform ONE LAST MISSION to settle the score with this backwater crime family.
From Deadspin's Diana Moskowitz:
On Christmas Eve, while most of America was indulging in Christmas carols, bad bowl games, and General Tso's chicken, Tallahassee police released information on two investigationsinvolving Florida State athletes. That seemed to all but ensure that nobody would actually read them, so I'm revisiting those cases today—because who doesn't want to hear about the time an FSU player admitted to picking up a crack-smoking prostitute with fake teeth and screwing her in the apartment he shared with his girlfriend?
The first case—the one without a prostitute—involves freshman running back Dalvin Cook. Police said they are investigating an aggravated assault by two men who are "alleged to have brandished a firearm at a neighbor" on July 17. Cook is an associate in the case, which is still under investigation.
Police also released 20 pages of documents in a closed investigation involving former defensive tackle Demonte McAllister. Officers were called to Lexington Woods Apartments the morning of July 21, 2011, because a woman was "knocking on doors screaming that she had been raped," the reports said. When officers arrived, they found a woman "walking towards the police cars with her breast exposed stating that she had been raped and beaten up." She pointed to the apartment where she said it happened and said the suspect, later identified as McAllister, was still there. An officer knocked on the door and rang the doorbell repeatedly, but nobody answered.
Dalvin Cook (the freshman running back, who you might be surprised is good enough to earn police protection) was the only Florida State associate I liked. I think 2014 Florida State is the most dislikable team I remember in my lifetime.
If Ohio State knocks Alabama and Florida State this year on top of what it's already done... I will forever be convinced this team was touched by something divine. NOBODY WILL EVER TAKE THAT FROM ME EITHER.
HARBAUGH IS NIGH. I am over "Harbaugh to Michigan" because he's coached Michigan in my mind for the last week and a half. But, he'll be announced as Michigan's next coach today at 12:00 p.m, and I'd be remiss with out mentioning it.
From Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated, who must hangout with Urban Meyer 24/7:
NEW ORLEANS -- Forty stories above downtown New Orleans, the sound of clinking glasses and spirited conversation filled the Ohio State hospitality suite on Saturday night. As the clock ticked toward 10 p.m., Urban Meyer worked his way to the exit to prepare for the next morning’s 6 a.m. staff meeting. Just before leaving, Meyer was told that Jim Harbaugh’s chances to become the next head coach at Michigan had moved from probable to inevitable. Meyer’s eyes popped, his eyebrows arched and he mouthed one of his favorite sayings: “Wow.”
Meyer nodded his head from side to side as he digested the information, deciding if he wanted to say anything about the arrival of a new rival. “I don’t know him,” Meyer said. “Obviously I’ve seen what he’s done and he seems like a heck of a coach.” He mentioned how the hire would be good for the Big Ten and silently pondered commenting on the myriad possibilities.
Harbaugh’s coming hire at Michigan resonates on many different levels, but the most immediate significance for Ohio State is that it finally has a worthy foil in Ann Arbor, and in the Big Ten. Consider this the start of a wonderfully acrimonious, deliciously contemptuous and unwaveringly intense rivalry. The power of Harbaugh can be summed up by the fact that he’s hijacking the news cycle during the same week that Meyer is readying to play his old nemesis, Alabama’s Nick Saban, in an inaugural College Football Playoff semifinal on Thursday night.
I also enjoyed this collection of Harbaugh/Woody/Bo stories from Jeff Snook of TheOzone.net:
Here’s a sampling: Harbaugh recalled the time Woody wanted to offer his father, Jack Harbaugh, then a Michigan assistant, a job. He actually wanted to steal a coach from Bo’s staff.
“When Bo found out, he basically hid my dad away and shielded him so Woody couldn’t talk to him about the details of the job,” he said. “I think Bo gave him a small raise to stay. Later, they both were at a banquet in Bowling Green and Woody walked right by my dad without saying a word. Someone went to introduce them as if they didn’t know each other. Woody just said, ‘I am sorry … Who did you say this was?’
“Jack Harbaugh,” the man said.
“Sorry, never heard of him!” Woody exclaimed.
But because hatin' is my lifestyle, I'll leave you with these two tweets:
LOL RT @jefftoms: @BuckeyeEdge I figured you may enjoy this. It is from 2007. My how 7 years have changed things. pic.twitter.com/X2OQwAmJH8
— Earn Your Leaves (@BuckeyeEdge) December 29, 2014
Jim Harbaugh spotted with his new team. pic.twitter.com/srwYYOJ0wO
— Taylor Stepp (@taylorstepp) December 30, 2014
Wake-ups until the Sugar Bowl: Two.
THOSE WMDs. In North Dakota, a tale of oil, corruption, and death on tribal lands... Of course Bob Stoops brought up last year's victory over Alabama after getting shellacked 40-6 by Clemson in the Citrus Bowl... Former Ohio State and Auburn commit Ben Edwards commits to Stanford... Your guide to the Marcus Mariota-Jameis Winston showdown... Kyle Orton: Up in smoke.
