JANUARY 30TH, 2018.
Dear Journal —
It is Day 8, and the Tennessee Titans have yet to confirm the hiring of Kerry Coombs. I cannot be sure how deep this conspiracy goes; only that it includes Pete Thamel, Urban Meyer, his wife, Shelley, Marshon Lattimore, Eli Apple, a professionally done photoshop of Coombs at the Senior Bowl talking to Mike Vrabel while wearing Titan blue, and an unnamed source of The Tennessean, a tabloid with communist sympathies.
Food and morale are low. Hardened disciples leave our camp every day, and we fear CIA informants run rampant through our ranks. Yet our work is too important to abandon, and the fight goes on.
May God deliver us an 11th hour clemency so we may vanquish the Illuminati's latest conspiracy back to the pits of Hell that spawned it.
ICYMI:
- Urban Meyer to the departing Kerry Coombs: "I want to wish him the very best."
- The top 10 most Coombs moments of his Ohio State career.
- Film Study: Appreciating Coombs, the coach.
- J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber striving to become first running back duo to each post 700 yards in a season since 1998.
- The Hurry Up: Reading the tea leaves about Dayton Dunbar three-star RB Tavion Thomas decommitting from Oklahoma ahead of Ohio State visit.
- Reserve your (or your business’) spot next to the life-size statue of Woody Hayes coming to Newcomerstown!
Word of the Day: Ophidian.
BUCKEYES TAKING IT TO THE HOOP. No. 17 Ohio State hosts Indiana tonight in what should be a fun contest unless the local team loses. Action tips off at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
Tony Carr reversed a surefire overtime loss with a back-breaking buzzer beater the last time the Buckeyes played, but it didn't break their spirits. Unlike years past, the locker room remained positive despite a loss.
From James Grega of Eleven Warriors:
In years past, the Ohio State locker room would have had a different vibe to it following a loss, senior guard Kam Williams said Monday ahead of the Buckeyes' upcoming game against Indiana. This year, though, the Buckeyes have a more open forum to discuss how and why the Nittany Lions were able to get the best of them Thursday night.
"Everybody has a voice on the team. As soon as we got back and Coach (Holtmann) got done talking, everybody was chiming in reasons why we lost," Williams said. "It wasn't because of the last shot, it was stretches leading up to that point. We knew that already, but just to hear everybody chime in is something we definitely didn't have before.
"Before, it was like a closed locker room. Everybody was to themselves," he continued. "This year, we have a lot of older guys, and the younger guys step up and voice themselves too and that's always good."
Remember Chris Holtmann's job instilling his culture to a team of another man's recruits next time you hear a millionaire coach whining about "getting his guys in here." Culture starts at the top. It's been true before I was born and will be true when my heart mercifully gives out on me at the ripe age of 36.
A NEW CHAPTER IN AN OLD RIVALRY. When Indiana hired Archie Miller from Dayton, a lot of Buckeye fans thought their program had lost a Chosen One to a conference rival.
On the 56th day of January, let's look at the conference standings:
Whether Miller and Holtmann like it or not, they'll be compared throughout their careers due to the circumstances of their hirings. As will the trajectory of Musa Jallow, a Bloomington product that reclassified to join Holtmann's Buckeyes after failing to earn an offer from Miller.
From dispatch.com:
“I’ve always watched (Indiana), but I was never a ride-or-die Hoosier like most of my friends were,” Jallow said. “I went to my first men’s basketball game as a recruit. It was just the way I was raised. That’s just how it was.”
One win won’t make the difference in a head-to-head battle for the same recruit, Holtmann said on Monday. The bigger overall selling point is program trajectory, and that’s something the Buckeyes are seeking to continue to grow after taking their first Big Ten loss in their previous game, against Penn State on Thursday.
“There will be some crossover there (with Indiana), I’m sure,” Holtmann said. “I’m sure there will be plenty of recruiting battles in the years to come.”
There's already a fervent minority of Hoosiers fans sounding the alarm that Indiana duffed its hiring. Would be hilarious if that turned out to be true, because we all would've been satisfied if Gene Smith had hired Miller.
In 15 years when Smith is retired, I hope he reveals the details of the search to replace Thad Matta and if he would've made Miller his No. 1 target had he been available.
#BRAND IS STRONG. Larry Johnson put retirement rumors to rest earlier this month and is still producing NFL talent. While Sam Hubbard and Nick Bosa get the hype, it's depth that separates his unit from the rest.
Jalyn Holmes and Tyquan Lewis showcased at the Senior Bowl when they combined for three sacks.
From landof10.com:
“We just put the Ohio State brand on film,” Lewis said. “We were showing what Coach [Larry] Johnson helped us be and how we developed at Ohio State.”
Johnson has built the Ohio State defensive line into a juggernaut. Joey Bosa went No. 3 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, and Sam Hubbard is a possible first-round pick this year after spending most of his first year on campus at linebacker and tight end. Nick Bosa is already being talked about as a virtual lock to be a top-5 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Similar whispers are already starting for Chase Young, who had a brilliant freshman campaign.
But the true brilliance of the Ohio State defensive line is its depth. Lewis and Holmes are equally viable NFL products who put together huge games against some of the best of their peers.
Tyquan Lewis is a known entity, but I can't wait to see how fans who only watch the NFL react when Jalyn Holmes gets drafted in the third round. They're going to look up his stats at Ohio State and the hot magma of their will erupt from their ears.
HOLTMANN ON BTN. Chris Holtmann's team has performed this year, yet Holtmann was gracious with his time even before his team lit up the win column.
He joined BTN yesterday and talked Keita Bates-Diop's explosion, when he knew Andrew Dakich could contribute (Xavier scrimmage), and most unheralded player (Jae'Sean Tate).
Final Four or bust, baby! I've been looking at the NCAA's plans for their big tournament at the end of the season. It appears to be a legit thing that's actually happening, and I can't wait. Just hoping the wheels to the Cadillac don't blow out on the highway to Vegas.
PENN STATE DOING PENN STATE THINGS. Penn State is one of the worst places to travel in the Big Ten because it's a state institution in a town with zero ambition. It leads to things like the football team doing game-day walkthroughs in a hotel parking lot.
Wrestling is no exception, either. With the wrestling programs slated for a historic showdown this weekend in Happy Valley, standing room tickets are going for $80 and normal tickets $500 because Penn State refuses to change venues for a match.
Buckeye coach Tom Ryan is not happy.
From news-herald.com:
It’s not. Before battling it out for a NCAA title in what’s expected to be a close team race in March at Quicken Loans Arena, the nation’s top two ranked teams — Ohio State and Penn State — grapple for regular-season supremacy Feb. 3 at PSU’s Rec Hall. The facility seats 6,502.
[...]
“It’s hard for me to not surmise (this decision) was calculated,” he said. “Take a step back, and use common sense. In my humble opinion, common sense wasn’t used. We could have had 15,000 fans for what could be the great college wrestling dual of all time. I believe competitive advantage was the reason.
“I understand competition at its deepest level. For me personally, I try to do things that look at every angle of it. I feel like an event like this should be showcased for everyone — their fans, our supporters, and wrestling fans in general.”
For comparison, Ohio State moved its Iowa dual last weekend to the Schottstein Center due to increased interest in Kyle Snyder's last match.
Penn State, on the other hand, only allotted 75 tickets to Ohio State, which it says is the normal amount.
For more wrestling coverage (and solid life insight in general) be sure to follow 11W's venerable wrestling reporter Andy Vance on Twitter.
THOSE WMDs. The group chats where people pump and dump cryptocurrencies... Corrupt gun unit sergeant was "golden boy" in Baltimore Police department, officers testify at trial... Goodyear hid evidence of "the worst tire ever" linked to nine deaths... The pin chaser in charge.
