Want to see what happens when a linebacker decides to test all 360 pounds of Dawand Jones?
#PancakeBlocksOfTheWeek
— Joe Moore Award (@JoeMooreAward) October 27, 2021
Featuring: @AyeeMarcus_ @Pitt_FB @illini_doug @IlliniFootball @dawandj79 @OhioStateFB @HawaiiFootball pic.twitter.com/nLyPq1Dsjc
Buddy had to know he made a gigantic mistake.
Word of the Day: Infelicitous.
THIS IS FUN. WE'RE HAVING FUN. I've always loved when people or coaches at any say stuff like "winning isn't important, it's about having fun!"
Sure, having fun is certainly the end goal, but you know what's a hell of a lot more fun than losing? Winning. And you know what's more fun than winning? Winning by a lot.
And folks, I'm happy to say that Buckeye football is fun again. And not just for the fans.
I watched through my binoculars from the press box as Ryan Day gathered the team near midfield before the last few reps of pregame warmups. Day always does this. He always looks a little fired up. This time, he took it to another level. He was jumping around, bobbing his head, screaming — and the players were loving every second of it.
ABC caught the moment, briefly, on camera. It was a nice snapshot of Day’s intensity on a game day. He’s a bit understated during the week but as fiery as they come on the field. It was also a snapshot of a team that’s having a lot of fun right now, and this was before it ran over Indiana to the tune of a 47-point margin on the road.
“Fun” is not a word I would’ve used to describe anything that was happening with Ohio State in the first three weeks of the season.
...
Youth and inexperience alone do not explain away the loss to Oregon or the general clunky nature of the first few weeks. Coaching played a part, too, and a staff that wasn’t putting players in the best positions to succeed seems to be doing a better job of that now. But we probably did not give enough credit to just how inexperienced Ohio State was at key spots. Week to week, you see players gaining confidence almost across the board, which leads to explosive outputs, which leads to having a whole lot of fun.
And I plan on having a healthy bit of fun on Saturday night, too.
FRESHMAN JITTERS. TreVeyon Henderson was the highest-rated running back to sign with Ohio State in over a decade, was billed as a generational talent before he even got to campus and as Tony Alford now admits, was probably talented enough to start his in his first collegiate football game.
But none of that changes the fact that he was still a 17-year-old freshman with a little bit of self-doubt and a lot of jitters.
TreVeyon Henderson (@TreVeyonH4) doubted himself entering his debut.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 28, 2021
"I was like, 'Can I really do this? Can I go in and make the plays they need me to make?'"
Nearly two months later, the @OhioStateFB freshman RB is @B1Gfootball's TD leader.
@AutoOwnersIns pic.twitter.com/I8jnNCMpKI
"I didn't really realize I had that many yards" is one of the most genuinely humble things I've ever heard. Dude didn't know or care about his stats; he was just a talented freshman who was running. And running. And running.
It's hilarious that two months ago he was doubting whether or not he was even ready to play, and now folks are already tossing his name around in the "best Ohio State freshman ever" category.
Sports, man.
“A LOT OF MOVING PARTS.” I think it's fair to say James Franklin's head is not all the way in it this week with all the speculation about his future (or lack thereof at Penn State). I mean, the dude referred to Ohio State as "Illinois" multiple times in his press conference and called Ohio Stadium "The Big House."
Wednesday, he got a chance to speak about that speculation again. And he certainly said a lot of words!
You'll surely see a lot of snippets from James Franklin's response to @Ben_Jones88's question tonight, in which the Penn State coach says, in part, that he's fiercely loyal to PSU/staff/players "but there's a lot of moving parts with all of these things." Here's the full Q&A: pic.twitter.com/mzaUYYaGrc
— Greg Pickel (@GregPickel) October 27, 2021
For what it's worth, I probably do believe he wants to be at Penn State and is trying to figure out the best way for that to happen.
However, despite how nuanced this answer was in context, you still never really want your head coach to be saying anything that includes phrases like "there's a lot of moving parts" or "challenging situations" when talking about his future with your team, especially when your team is about to play its most difficult game of the season after consecutive losses. Really, even having to utter a response that long is a red flag.
Basically, what I'm saying is, Ohio State's going to win by 45 on Saturday night.
CIAO! Ryan Day's such a stellar quarterbacks coach, he's exporting his former players to other countries now as former Ohio State walk-on Danny Vanatsky is headed to Italy to play professionally.
Im thrilled to announce that I have signed to play professional American football for the Modena Vipers in Modena, Italy. Thank you to @Coach_Gis , Coach Francesco, and the board for giving me this opportunity. Lets get to work! pic.twitter.com/bYkGEdPc4b
— dan (@Danny_Vanatsky) October 26, 2021
For what it's worth, I am willing to be the Eleven Warriors Italy correspondent and follow him wherever he goes. I do believe that's the content you want, and I will stop at nothing to get it for you.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Somebody Else" by The 1975.
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. Cleveland Guardians roller derby team sues Cleveland Guardians baseball team to block name its change... Crypto investors are bidding to touch a 1,784-pound tungsten cube once a year... A sex cult leader facing a life sentence regrets nothing... The new "testicle bath" birth control device... Scammers are using fake job ads to steal people's identities... Why are NFL players so obsessed with The Dark Knight?...
