If Buffalo wide receiver Jovany Ruiz wants to impress me, he'll tape two 45-pound plates to his chest on the next round:
Some people have Ham-Strings. Jovany Ruiz has Ham-Ropes! pic.twitter.com/PNBO1RROfs
— UB Football Strength (@UBFballStrength) June 25, 2018
ICYMI:
- Film Study: How the Buckeyes train their quarterbacks, from the ground up, to throw the deep ball.
- Auburn transfer QB Jarrett Stidham's "advice" for LSU transfer QB Joe Burrow: "People down south love their football … There's no cupcakes in our league."
- Kelsey Mitchell and Kyle Snyder named Ohio State Athletes of the Year.
- Better Know a Buckeye: Three-star freshman defensive end Alex Williams.
- Single-game football tickets go on sale Friday.
- Have a tailgate recipe the world needs to know about? Submit it to the Official 11W Tailgate Cookbook. The author of the highest-voted recipe receives a $50 gift certificate to Eleven Warriors Dry Goods.
Word of the Day: Cartouche.
RISK OF A FLIP. Here's something I didn't realize: Every Ohio State quarterback originally committed to another school. Dwan Mathis (Michigan State), Matthew Baldwin (Colorado State), Tate Martell (Washington and Texas A&M), and Dwayne Haskins (Maryland).
As a Buckeye fan, I like that my team can roll on 99% of enemies in America and take their quarterback commit. But it's not the most optimal strategy, given the importance of the position.
From Doug Lesmerises of cleveland.com:
When the Buckeyes snag their studs at other positions, from defensive end Chase Young to cornerback Jeffrey Okudah, from running back J.K. Dobbins to defensive tackle Taron Vicent, they're identifying top talent and beating other top colleges for it.
At quarterback? The Buckeyes have been hesitating while looking at the quarterback menu, then stealing signal callers off the plates of other diners.
Sorry Mark Dantonio, that Dwan Mathis looks pretty tasty. We're taking it.
It hasn't bitten the Buckeyes so far, but it's no way to operate when recruiting the most important position on the field. All's well that end's well, and Mathis is a solid four-star prospect (ranked No. 251 in the country) from Michigan who really wanted to be a Buckeye.
In Meyer's defense, it's not like he goes into every year looking to flip a quarterback. With the importance of the position and the rarity of competent collegiate quarterbacks, it makes sense to be as thorough in QB recruiting as possible.
Meyer also lost four-star QB Emory Jones to Florida last year after he had been committed for over a year. It's the nature of the circus. Plus it's not like the local team has a bunch of scrubs at quarterback.
DECADE OF DOMINANCE. Ohio State has ran roughshod over Michigan in the last 10 years. This much is known. It's still somewhat surprising to see how much the Buckeyes have dominated the Big Ten.
From mydaytondailynews.com:
In the last 10 years, Ohio State has lost 11 Big Ten games.
That’s half as many as the next-best team, Wisconsin, and it is even more remarkable considering it spans a coaching change and includes a lost season under interim coach Luke Fickell.
In the same span, Michigan has lost 40 conference games.
The Wolverines are eighth in the league in winning percentage since 2008 when Rich Rodriguez replaced Lloyd Carr as head coach.
Crazy when you consider Ohio State should have beaten Michigan and Nebraska in 2011. At least we'll always have that frozen rope to Devin Smith against Bert, who somehow lost three games with future Super Bowl MVP Russell Wilson behind center. Hard to believe his head coaching career stalled.
YOUNG HOLGO TO BOWLING GREEN. 2019 three-star quarterback Logan Holgorsen, son of West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen, flipped from North Texas to Bowling Green yesterday.
From espn.com:
Holgorsen had committed to North Texas in October, and the decision to choose the Mean Green over Bowling Green at the time was in part because of his relationship with North Texas head coach Seth Littrell, who coached running backs at Texas Tech with Logan's father.
Looks like Seth should have done a better job coaching running backs at Texas Tech!
Jokes aside, Holgorsen going from North Texas to Bowling Green may make him the first person to move to the West Lafayette of Ohio and upgrade his scenery.
WHAT'S DONE IN DARKNESS. Sexual assaults by team doctors at Michigan State and Ohio State have put new scrutiny on an entire profession.
From dispatch.com:
The scandals involving former Michigan State team doctor Larry Nassar, who was also a physician for USA Gymnastics, and Richard Strauss, a former Ohio State doctor, reveal how the trust and intimacy granted to team physicians can also provide cover for sexual predators.
“It’s almost this god figure that people don’t want to question,” said Dani Moffit, who leads a master’s program in athletic training at Idaho State University and researches sexual harassment in college sports. “They are thought to be these people who are not going to make mistakes.”
Groups that represent team doctors say it’s hardly the only profession shaken by sex scandals, and they largely blame the recent cases on a couple bad seeds. Still, the fallout has left some doctors and colleges scrutinizing their practices.
Unfortunately pedophiles go where the vulnerable kids are. Obviously these sickos make up a tiny slice of the profession; however, this new wave of scrutiny is justified. I'm just mad it's coming after Richard Strauss croaked. That demon deserved his day in court, even if it would have paled in comparison to the one he got in the afterlife.
MAN NAMED JIMBO NOT A FAN OF CLUBS OR HIPPITY HOP. Jimbo Fisher, who will be a disaster at Texas A&M (just wait on it) wants you to know how much he does not like how Kevin Sumlin handled his program.
From Dave Campbell's Texas Football, via sportsday.dallasnews.com:
"It's like a damn nightclub in here," Fisher told the magazine, which is on newsstands now. "This ain't gonna be my office." According to the story, Sumlin's old office had dark carpet and black walls, which doesn't seem to be a vibe Fisher enjoys.
Since Fisher was hired to a $75 million deal, the richest contract ever given to a college football coach, his disdain for certain aspects of Sumlin's program has been apparent.
In the spring, Fisher immediately got rid of the music at practice (which was predominantly rap). He made those practices tougher and made the tight end a point of emphasis.
Fisher is right about the black walls. If I come into your house and your walls are painted black, I assume you wear clown paint to bed and there are no less than three dead bodies in a freezer out back.
We'll see how removing music from practice works for the Aggies, whose paychecks to Fisher will clear regardless of results this season.
THOSE WMDs. Rowdy swimmers kept Akron police at bay during old canal days... Scientist fatally shot while camping with family... The meteorite hunter who became a fugitive... Saudi Arabia moves forward with plan to turn Qatar into an island.
