Apologies on the brevity of yesterday's Skull Session (and today's). It's the worst timing, but I'm moving the ol' girlfriend down to Boone, North Carolina, to get her settled into graduate school at HOT HOT HOT Appalachian State.
That drive from Columbus is a monster. Please believe I'm flying back to Columbus on Saturday. I might even get around to checking my email by then too, but I wouldn't count on that because I'm an atrocious emailer. (Holler at me instead on KakaoTalk, South Korea's hottest social media app.)
NSFW ANTI-WORK #BANGERS are moved to Monday for top-secret reasons.
In the meantime: Please weep for my DVR space.
HUNTING THAT KILLSHOT. Ohio State is going for the triple-kill on the Heisman finalist field on Monday night — that'd have to be a first, right? — and it's no surprise the man who took the trophy home will present the toughest challenge of the three.
From Ryan Ginn of BuckeyeSports.com:
“What [Mariota] does really well is he extends plays with his legs, but he’ll look from one side of the field to the other,” Perry said. “With a lot of college quarterbacks, you don’t see that as much. Some guys are just primary read, maybe secondary, and then they’re pulling the ball down and trying to go. But he’s going through all his reads and going through all his checks.
“He’ll take whatever you give him. He’s kind of an opportunist in that way, where he’s not going to force anything. He’s taking the throws and he knows where his outlet is at all times.”
According to [Mariota's high school coach], [Mariota has] been that way since high school. His football acumen came naturally, but it was also developed over the years of practice in which he spent more time observing than throwing while he waited for his turn in the spotlight.
I predicted Doran Grant would hold Amari Cooper in check "for the most part," and I think Doran did just that.
As for attacking Mariota... I'm glad I'm not in charge of that one. Obviously, giving time in the pocket to a surgeon like Mariota is a no-go, but blitzing him can be problematic as well.
I have read, however, Mariota has small hands, which makes him prone to fumbling. (He had two in the loss to Arizona, for what it's worth.)
FROM SCANDAL TO GLORY. Remember when we were sad because some 18-22 year-olds made some bad decisions, their coach tried to cover it up, and the NCAA whacked our favorite program? OREGON KNOWS THOSE FEELS TOO.
From Dan Wolken of USA Today:
Though it was determined that both programs committed major violations, they have rebounded quickly, getting to the national championship game fewer than three years after being penalized by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.
What that says about the NCAA and Emmert's big push to beef up rules enforcement, however, iasn't so clear-cut. On one hand, an argument could be made that the NCAA process was so ineffective that Oregon and Ohio State could recover from major scandals in practically no time, sending exactly the opposite message from what Emmert's 2011 push intended.
On the other, it's also possible the system worked exactly the way it was supposed to given that the bulk of the punishment landed on former head coaches Jim Tressel and Chip Kelly, who are no longer in college football.
The fact Jim Tressel, one of the sport's ultimate good guys, is still affected by a show clause is a travesty that's almost as indefensibly stupid as Danny Sheridan saying Urban Meyer isn't a top 25 college football coach. Almost.
BULLETS BUILT TO STOP THE DUCKS? Judging from this article from Tony Gerdeman of TheOzone.net, it looks like the defense is high on its chances:
"I think so," said sophomore safety Vonn Bell. "They like to get out in perimeter space. They think we don’t have speed too, but we do. We just have to execute our keys. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before. It’s more tempo. We see our offense every day, so you know they got speed. There’s speed everywhere on our offense. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before."
[...]
"This is a very fast defense," [Michael] Bennett explained. "We fly to the ball and we’ve got a lot of depth. I think we fit well against Oregon. If you want to try and stretch us, good luck because we’ve got the speed on the D-line, at linebacker and everywhere else. I think that is a difficult approach to take with us."
[...]
"At every position, we have guys who are very good players," said Perry. "We have personnel who can do some really special things. That’s something that excites us when we have a challenge like this. We know that with the scheme that we have and the personnel that we have, we can be successful."
Oregon will get some points on Monday night, which is fine, because Ohio State's defense doesn't have to be perfect for Ohio State to win. That's not a bad bit of business for a unit that's peaking at the right time.
I just don't see how Oregon stops Ohio State's rushing attack (I'll take the over [165] on EZ-E's yards), so all Ohio State needs from its defense are some redzone stops and timely turnovers. (Not getting put into jams by OSU's offense would go a long way too.)
DANGEROUS DEVIN. I will give Devin Smith this: He's turned me into a fervent believer this year, and replacing what he brings to the passing game will be tough.
From Austin Ward of ESPN.com:
The go-ahead touchdown against Michigan State in 2012 covered all the bases. A cornerback frozen at the line of scrimmage. A burst of lightning quickness to get past him. Amazing concentration to track the football at top speed -- and afterburners that would make it almost impossible to track him down after that as he breezed to the finish line of a 63-yard journey.
“We needed a big play, because that game was up and down. It was kind of hard to score and they were stopping us; we were stopping them,” Devin Smith said. “It was a battle, and I had to come through when coach [Urban] Meyer said he needed me. You know, once I started running, I kind of pulled away from him.
“I just feel like a lot of [defensive backs] that we play against really can’t hold up with me when I run. I think the speed threatens them a lot.”
Smith disappeared down the stretch last year but has balled outrageous in Ohio State's biggest games this year. That's a testament his coaching and his determination. (Although, that applies to pretty much every Zone-6 member. Take a bow, Zach Smith.)
But like I was saying: It will be interesting to see where Ohio State gets its deep-threat production from next year, because Smith is ELITE at what he does:
Ohio State WR Devin Smith has 20 catches of at least 40 yards over the last 3 seasons, most in FBS #UOvsOSU pic.twitter.com/KthPJq7Mw7
— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) January 9, 2015
I assume Jalin Marshall would be the prime candidate for that role. Some might say Marshall lacks the ball-skills of Devin Smith, but that's okay. Sophomore Devin Smith didn't have the same ball-skills as senior Devin Smith either.
EDDIE'S STILL GOT IT, Y'ALL. YOU COME AT THE KING YOU BEST NOT MISS.
As pointed out by BTN's Taylor Rooks:
Little known fact: I have abs like Ezekiel Elliott and Eddie George... but tacos are too delicious to ever let them be great in public.
THOSE WMDs. I look forward to seeing Jimmy Haslam ushered into a jail cell... Corey Linsley gets his props... That line will do just fine on Monday night, King Dolodale... Torrance Gibson's season highlights are quite impressive... *sigh* Robert Swift never put it together.
