So you're telling me Urban Meyer slept his postseason opponents with one Top 50 NFL Draft-eligible player? I don't know whether to be offended or even more impressed.
In five years, when Mike Bennett and Doran Grant are still industrious members of their respective teams, there's going to be a lot of NFL teams kicking themselves. (Seriously, Bengals, "Rutgers TE" over Jeff Heuerman? I'm going to side with John Elway and Peyton Manning on this one.)
The final three rounds of the NFL Draft started today at noon. (The world's only good baseball team, Ohio State's, will try to even its series against Illinois at 3:05 p.m. E.T.)
ICYMI: I missed the men's lacrosse team's upset of Maryland on Thursday night (and that's my bad), but the No. 20 women's team upset previously undefeated No. 20 Maryland in the B1G Tournament semifinals, 11-10, last night.
They'll face Penn State on Sunday for the championship. The Year of Wario rolls on.
LUKE FICKELL'S FAVORITE PLAY. When Noah Spence went down, Steve Miller was the next man up. Miller didn't end up as a Top-10 pick this (like some expected of Spence this time last year), but he was more than adequate in his service.
He also starred in Luke Fickell's favorite play from the 2014 campaign.
Here's Fickell talking at Ohio State's coaching clinic, from Doug Lesmerises of cleveland.com:
Fickell loved the pick because he loved the way Miller played, making his final year at Ohio State his best year. But he also loved it because once Miller grabbed the ball, Bennett made a block, then Doran Grant made a block then Curtis Grant made a block.
And the pick turned into six points and and a 13-point Ohio State lead over Alabama.
"To me that's the difference in the game, that's the difference in our team," Fickell said in his presentation to coaches about the OSU defense. "That was the thing we saw different the entire season. The guys truly believed, they truly believed, and it was sold by our seniors."
Hmmm. I think — just in case, you know, anybody here forgot what it looked like — that we should play the video for the record:
I would pay $50 for video of the angriest Alabama fan in the immediate aftermath of that play. Because I promise you, 90% of Alabama fans did not fear death until this play.
BIG BEAR NOT DISTRACTED BY BIG DREAMS. Unless gangrene takes both his legs — and even then, I'm not sure I'd bet against him — Joey Bosa will be a highly-rated draft product next year. Don't expect it to go to his head.
From Tony Gerdeman of TheOzone.net:
Bosa is clearly going to have a decision to make about the NFL Draft after this coming season, and he knows it. He also knows that worrying about the draft is not going to do him or his team any good any time soon.
"That’s not on his mind right now," [defensive line coach Larry] Johnson said this spring. "I’m telling you, Joey Bosa wants to be a great player, and he knows to do that he’s got to start here. It starts every day in practice. He’s not looking to the NFL, he knows he’s got to get it done here."
Bosa spent this spring working on his pass rush moves, trying to add more refined parts to his game. He also spent the offseason in self-examination, not looking at all of the plays that he made, but rather looking at all of the plays that he could have made, but didn't. Players don't do that if they think they have nothing left to prove.
Make no mistake: The only decision Joey Bosa has about next year's draft is if he's going to accept the NFL's invite to its green room.
I don't put much, if any, stock in the "Maybe he'll want to play with his younger brother" angle either. You know what's cooler than playing with your brother for a couple of months? Millions of guaranteed dollars. You know what's not cool? Getting your knee blown out in Oklahoma in the third week of the season.
Plus, it's not like we communicate via the Pony Express anymore.
#PHENOMENALSWAG. I don't run enough or generate enough money to ever actually own something like this, but I know silky regalia when I see it:
Ohio State running pants TEARS. ACTUAL TEARS. #67DaysUntilMyBirthday #67DaysToFindABoyfriend pic.twitter.com/L6au9SIm3M
— Joanie Garcia (@JoanieGarcia) May 1, 2015
Price tag? I assume no less than $1,000,000.
PSA: PUNCTUATION IS CRUCIAL. As my position here proves: Grammar ain't no thang. But sometimes... you have to make a bear bare minimal effort:
Punctuation saves lives @marion_ohio pic.twitter.com/f88nxP1Huk
— Jeff Cowles (@jeffcowles) May 1, 2015
It's the "praising hands" and "100" emojis are what take it to another level.
THOSE WMDs. #Powell2016... Brett Favre's 1991 Draft party looks wild... An oral history of Redman's notorious Cribs episode... Man suing MillerCoors for pretending Blue Moon is a craft beer... Reminder: It's pretty much always a good thing to trade back in the draft.
