Don't look now, but it's only a month until The Game.
ICYMI:
- Tim's profile of Adolphus Washington, a former basketball star/DE turned defensive tackle.
- Zeke's Streak: Like the offense, Zeke gets #busy in the second half.
- Video: Black Saturday highlight reel.
#BOSAEFFECT. Joey Bosa has been tabbed for greatness before even stepping foot in Columbus. Three years in, and he's college football's best player.
From ProFootballFocus.com's deep dive into Bosa's mauling of Rutgers:
He has the highest grade among edge defenders in the nation against the run, and a grade that almost matches his pass-rushing figure. This is an area of his game that appears to have improved even more from a year ago, but a look at the tape shows him again killing blockers in a variety of different ways. He is too strong to be left to backs and tight ends and too quick and skilled to be left to lone linemen.
[...]
In short, the only way teams can prevent Bosa from wreaking havoc against their run game or quarterback is to double team him, or somehow assign extra help to his assigned blocker. Left one on one, Bosa will defeat the man tasked with blocking him more often than not.
Bosa may have had a slow start to the year, but don’t be fooled by his sack total. He has been a one-man mountain slide, steaming through offensive lines and laying waste to whatever was in his path for more than a year now. He is a complete defender, able to rush the passer and destroy the run with equal dexterity. He is physically gifted, but also shows extremely advanced technique and an exceptional grasp of fundamentals. This is a man who has a good case to be known as the best player in college football, and will be coming to a field near you in the NFL sooner rather than later — possibly as the first overall pick of the draft.
Bosa looked like Bane his junior year in high school, but what sets him apart is the dedication to his technique. He's effectively an NFL player, which is as ridiculous as his stats:
Bosa continues to lead Buckeyes' dominant defensive line pic.twitter.com/eqiTbvme2s
— CFB Film Room (@CFBFilmRoom) October 27, 2015
Somebody on Twitter mentioned a scenario that made me want to choke myself: Bosa as a Baltimore Raven. That's definitely going down, isn't it? I'm already pissed about it.
DON'T MESS WITH OSU'S LEGAL EAGLES. The "Michigan Man brings bootleg shit into Columbus and takes an L" is a story so old it could've been told by Aesop.
Yet this lede from BizJournals.com still puts a tingle in my spine:
A Michigan man has pleaded guilty to felony charges of selling knockoff T-shirts celebrating Ohio State University’s football national championship in January.
We covered Michael Gene Quatrine's indictment back in May. This wasn't his first counterfeit rodeo, but he got caught by the wrong bull this time around.
The university called Michael Gene Quatrine’s plea to fourth-degree felony trademark counterfeiting an important defense of the popular “Undisputed Champs: 2014 National Champions” mark controlled by the school and apparel partner Nike Inc.
“It’s a win,” said Rick Van Brimmer, Ohio State’s assistant vice president of business advancement and trademark and affinity management. “It is rare that we would get to the level to be able to prosecute under the felony statute, so this is a win for the university in addressing what is a growing counterfeiting problem.”
[...]
“These guys come into town, they set up near legitimate retailers (who are) there every day, all year, paying taxes – so these are problematic to us,” Van Brimmer told me.
Quatrine is due to be sentenced in early December. There was no bargain struck for leniency. He could get three years in the pokey or, more likely, he could be off with probation.
Somehow — let's call it a hunch — I doubt this is the end of the line for a desperado like Quatrine:
No joke. During arrest he said "I can't make it for this court date, I have to be in Arizona for the Super Bowl." https://t.co/TfPnacGxfq
— Evan Weese (@EvanWeeseBiz1st) October 27, 2015
FIRST DRIVE STRUGGLES? One area where J.T. Barrett's first start was similar to most of Cardale Jones' was that his first drive wasn't storybook. Barrett fumbled, but to his credit, it was after moving Ohio State 60 yards down the field.
It was an improvement on the last three games. From BuckeyeSports.com's #greatread on the offense's tepid starts to games:
| OPPONENT | START | PLAYS | YARDS | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIRGINIA TECH | OSU 36 | 8 | 64 | TOUCHDOWN |
| HAWAI'I | OSU 36 | 8 | 39 | TURNOVER ON DOWNS |
| NORTHERN ILLINOIS | OSU 35 | 3 | -5 | INTERCEPTION |
| WESTERN MICHIGAN | OSU 35 | 3 | 65 | TOUCHDOWN |
| INDIANA | OSU 25 | 3 | -5 | PUNT |
| MARYLAND | OSU 20 | 3 | 8 | PUNT |
| PENN STATE | OSU 22 | 3 | -1 | PUNT |
| RUTGERS | OSU 20 | 7 | 60 | FUMBLE |
As I've said: I'd rather start slow than finish slow. As mentioned in the article, defense's opening salvos include the kitchen sink when facing Ohio State. Plus, Urban Meyer is a proven adjuster and Ohio State's can score points in a hurry.
Just something on which to keep an eye moving forward.
LANE AND TUTTLE GETTING A FACELIFT? It looks like an intersection featuring a campus-area bar we all know and love — The Varsity Club — could be getting a facelift in the near future.
From Dispatch.com:
A developer wants to build the 54-unit apartment building with stores on the first floor at the northeast corner of Lane and Tuttle Park Place, across the street from the Varsity Club.
On one level, Varsity Club owner Joe Mollica said he is worried about how that might affect parking in the area. On another, he wonders about the fabric of Lane Avenue, its feel and its rhythm.
“Lane Avenue is going to change whether I want it to or not,” said Mollica, who has owned the bar since 1974. “What kind of mass confusion are we trying to do there?”
It will be interesting to see how Varsity Club stands the test of time. Sounds like North Campus could be making a comeback.
VILLAIN DROPS A GOOD TAKE. Evan Turner turned 27 on Monday, and it appears he's grown wise in his old age:
Evan Turner doesn't love birthdays: "Not to be too hipster about it, but if you're going to be nice to me one day a year, my life sucks."
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) October 27, 2015
Few things worse than somebody over the age of 21 making a big deal about their own birthday, let alone talking nonsense like a "birthday week." I turn 29 in a little over a month, and that's going to be akin to placement on death row. I'd sim past the sentencing if it were an option.
Is surviving 365 days as an adult in 2015 America an accomplishment? I say no, unless you're literally the oldest person in the world. If not, then who cares? Not me.
Leave the birthday stuff to the kids. Things are better that way. Props to Evan Turner for having the constitution to speak against Big Birthday.
THOSE WMDs. How LeBron James is wielding his power in Cleveland... Russia to exhume murdered Tsar's father to resolve riddle of royal children... The most haunted road in America... Adele, Apple Music, and the Weeknd robbed Drake of his first No. 1.
