The Year of Wario is almost over.
It seems like yesterday we were celebrating Ezekiel Elliott plucking Nick Saban's bean-sized heart out of his chest on national television. Tomorrow Connor Cook will be the protagonist.
Life comes at you fast. Stay frosty like the men's hockey team.
TO RUN THE BALL OHIO STATE MUST THROW. Notre Dame's depleted defense—the Irish lost two starting DBs (on top of already losing their best CB)—is looking green around the gills.
From dispatch.com:
“Inconsistent, I guess, is probably the best word,” VanGorder said. “We’ve played a lot of good football. We’ve had some (other) plays that you just shake your head, both player and coach, when it’s all said and done.”
The Irish have had an extended downtime to straighten some things out, but VanGorder said it’s no quick fix.
“These are young players. You’re constantly pushing on the idea of developing,” he said. “They all develop at a different rate.”
The Irish defense can't last for an extended campaign in the streets. I expect the Slobs to grind their opponents to dust and urns of the ashes to be given to Taylor Decker, Jacoby Boren and Chase Farris postgame.
But I also hope Ohio State opens it up early and takes shots down the field. If that means wheeling Cardale Jones' bazooka into the fray for a few cracks then all the better. New Year's Day is supposed to be a party, and I want 2016 to start year with Braxton Miller standing in the endzone after a 60-yard bomb while holding the scalps of the Irish secondary above his head.
A COLD DAY IN HELL. Randy Moss is a Notre Dame legend somewhere on the darkest timeline. That voodoo apparently wafted from West Virginia to St. Louis.
From mydaytondailynews.com:
Ezekiel Elliott revealed Tuesday his dream school growing up was Notre Dame.
“I don’t know what it was about Notre Dame,” Elliott said. “I just always had a love for Notre Dame, the combination of academics, athletics.”
Intrinsic proof Elliott is capable of maturity.
DID YOU KNOW MEYER GRADUATED WITH A PSYCHOLOGY DEGREE? Jokes about the decomposing horse corpse aside, it's always fun to go back and look at the early work of great artists. It's usually sloppy and sophomoric compared to their later work, but there are always glimpses of the greatness to come.
I believe one of Meyer's greatest strengths is to tap into what he calls "the human element" of the team. It's a skill he's had since his days at Notre Dame (Did you know he coached at Notre Dame once upon a time? It's true).
From 247sports.com:
Meyer’s time at Notre Dame taught him the importance of being flexible as a coach and knowing how to adapt to different personalities.
“He would dig deep into a player’s psyche and kind of figure out, what motivates David Givens versus Bobby Brown versus Malcolm Johnson?” said [Malcolm] Johnson, a former Irish receiver who remains a good friend of Meyer’s. “And he had success with all three of us, but we were three very different individuals. You’ve got to be a good communicator. A very active listener.”
[...]
But Meyer’s passion for football flexed its muscles more than his compassion around his receivers at Notre Dame. He threw clickers at projection screens in meeting rooms. No one was privy to special treatment. But as business-like as Meyer, he built a unit Ridder noticed had a unique camaraderie for a group of wideouts.
“He got them to jell as well as I’ve seen,” [Tim] Ridder said. “I would guess to this day with Malcolm and Bobby and Joey Getherall and (David) Givens…Jay Johnson…he succeeded in whatever he did, because they were as tight-knit as any offensive group I’ve ever seen. A lot of times with wide receivers out on an island you don’t see that. But they seemed to really appreciate him, and as a product, really were as tight-knit a group of people as you’re going to meet.”
Young Charles Xavier out here still assembling X-Men squadrons, folks.
ASH BAGS ANOTHER OHIO STATE WORKER BEE. At this rate, I'm half-expecting Urban Meyer to leave for a semi-retired analyst position with Rutgers after the Fiesta Bowl.
From si.com:
Ohio State quality control assistant Bill Busch is the new defensive backs coach for Rutgers coach Chris Ash, according to a source.
It’s a reuniting of Busch and Ash who worked together this season at Ohio State. This year was Busch’s first as a quality control assistant for the Buckeyes.
Before that, he was Wisconsin’s safeties coach for two seasons. He an assistant at Utah State from 2009–12, first as defensive coordinator for two seasons before becoming the Aggies’ associate head coach, special teams coordinator and safeties coach his final two years.
Ash or Schiano, who would you pick as DC? I've done wonders talking myself into Schiano's hiring, but I'd go with Ash. It will be interesting to see the eventual exchange rate on that de-facto trade.
BIG PROPS TO THE SYNCHRO TEAM. There's a reason why Ohio State is a synchronized swimming school above all else:
THOSE WMDs. Columbus man arrested after bragging about drunk driving on Facebook... Hiroshima... Worst new #brand identities of 2015... The cardiologist who created the paramedic system... Death of woman in tank at Nevada cryotherapy center raises safety questions.
