The bye week blues bit us again last night, friends.
Greg Schiano injured a bicyclist during a Thursday morning collision near Ohio State's campus. Schiano was uninjured, but the 26-year-old cyclist remains in stable condition at Wexner Medical Center.
Of course people jammed their worldviews (I hate bicyclists! Share the road!) into a situation where details remain murky. This is why we invented the internet.
This week's NSFW ANTI-WORK #BANGERS:
- Tony Soprano's greatest moments.
- Alfie Solomons selects the jewels.
- Katt Williams: Attacked by a tiger in a zoo.
BASIC DEFENSE. The nation got a wakeup call Saturday night to what Urban Meyer has been cooking over the summer. Though the defense lost Joey Bosa, Eli Apple, Darron Lee, Vonn Bell, Joshua Perry, Adolphus Washington, and Tyvis Powell... it some how got even more intimidating!?
How did Meyer (and Schiano and Luke Fickell) do it? Through a basic defense comprised of blue-chip talent.
From sbnation.com:
[The press quarters defense] comprises the vast majority of the Buckeyes’ calls and has enough adjustments to work against a wide variety of offenses. The goal is to allow the defense to get a numbers advantage against either the run game or the drop-back passing game.
In particular, the Ohio State system is geared to get linebackers to the point of attack on any run play, with stress deferred to the cornerbacks and strong safety. As soon as the offense’s blockers show it’s a run play, OSU’s strong-side linebacker or boundary safety attacks in a hurry, which leads to an eight-man front, with a ninth (the field safety) ready to support.
/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7146195/tOSU%20Basic%20D.jpg "the basic defense")
[...]
When you have a big, strong, fast defense that can run, it pays to let it play basic defense and just go out-execute people.
During the call-in show yesterday, Meyer refused to name an MVP through three games, but the first unit he singled out was the secondary. Given their results (and how much stress is put on them), it's clear to see why.
RELATED: There's a new, basic shirt in the Dry Goods.
If this stuff interests you, check out the article in full. It offers an additional look at how Schiano mixes things up with man-free coverage.
IT'S AUSTRALIAN FOR BALLER. If you're an Ohio State player who saw the field in Norman, Oklahoma, there's a high chance you balled outrageous.
But there's one name and one play I feel hasn't gotten enough props. Cam Johnston's 68-yard, first quarter punt.
From dispatch.com:
His first punt permanently changed the game’s momentum. Oklahoma had driven to the Ohio State 10 on its opening possession before missing a field goal. The Buckeyes went three-and-out, and it looked like Oklahoma would get good field position to start its next drive.
Instead, Johnston boomed a 68-yard punt and the Sooners started on their 11. When Ohio State forced a three-and-out, Oklahoma punter Austin Seibert managed only a 39-yard punt. The Buckeyes went 55 yards for a touchdown and cruised from then on.
“You practice for that all week,” Johnston said Wednesday. “It’s good to go out there and do what you’ve been practicing.”
As someone who hit puberty during the iron reign of Jim Tressel, I appreciate the punter. But Johnston may be the favorite of my lifetime, because let's face it, Australians are silky.
Plus, it's psychologically devastating routinely getting pinned deep into its own territory. You're all jacked up about getting the ball before BANG, now you're worried about the first play of the possession resulting in a safety... again.
NOAH BROWN'S TIME IS NOW. I awoke Sunday morning, slightly hungover, to over 50,000 emails congratulating me for being the first person to say Noah Brown would be good, which is a thing I did.
But as much as I love taking credit for the hard work and sweat of other men, it's time for me to put the spotlight back where it belongs.
From campusrush.com:
Allison Brown recounted her son's four touchdowns in Ohio State's 45–24 victory over Oklahoma on Saturday night this way: The first catch made her excited. The second one put her in shock. She got so excited talking about the third touchdown that she forgot to mention her reaction on the fourth. By the end of the night, she had 300 texts, some from people whom she hadn't heard from in two decades. "I almost started to cry," she says. "And my oldest son, Kenny Little, was with me and he said, 'Mom, don't you dare cry!"
[...]
Absent from the reaction of the Buckeyes coaches and players was anything that resembled surprise. That's because they'd seen Brown snare catches with one hand, emasculate defensive backs with his strength and lay out his body for the ball so many times in practice. This type of performance against Oklahoma resonated more as an expectation than an anomaly. "Today, you saw glimpses of Noah Brown when he was 100%," says Ryan Stamper, Ohio State's director of player development. "He just catches everything."
[...]
He lined up in the backfield and at receiver for Pope John, and even punted once when Carlson was in a pinch. With the opposite sideline yelling, "Watch the fake!" Brown boomed the ball more than 40 yards despite never punting in practice. "The ball exploded off his leg," [Pope coach Brian] Carlson says with a laugh.
(Good news, y'all: Looks like we found our replacement punter for when Cam Johnston rolls to the NFL. Apologies to Drue Chrisman, of course.)
I knew Noah's touchdown hug was a big deal, but it didn't hit me how big until last night while sitting in a Dairy Queen off I-75. A table of little old ladies were sitting next to me, and discussed that catch for about 15 minutes.
I'd try to rehash the quotes, but I can't do it justice. Also, the Happy Hour was lit.
LONG WAY TO TAKE AN L, BOYS. Ohio State doesn't play Penn State for another month, but it looks like their caravans are booked for a burning:
Penn State has sold out the RV lots for the Ohio State game. According to a spokesperson RV capacity is over 1,000
— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) September 22, 2016
Can't imagine the traffic boondoggle that will be unleashed in the RV lots after OSU smokes PSU like a Virginia Slim it stole out of its mom's purse.
THOSE WMDs. New study suggests pigeons can understand words... I let Facebook algorithms ruin my life for weeks... Behold, the cursed last bites of Minnesota... Worldwide brain mapping project sparks excitement and concern... Dispatches from the rap wars.
