The Peach Bowl is one day away.
Tomorrow. Just one day away. Are you feelin’ it now?
one day closer #gobucks pic.twitter.com/16UA1GlVkN
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 29, 2022
Let's have a good Friday, shall we?
TRAILERS TO GET YOU HYPED. There's nothing quite like a football game trailer to ready a person for their team's upcoming matchup. Quite frankly, nobody makes trailers better than Ohio State's media team. And, folks, those professionals and severely underpaid student interns released another masterpiece on Thursday.
All Ohio State needs is an opportunity. It's time for the Buckeyes to shock the world. pic.twitter.com/lnFHiK6Pgi
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 29, 2022
Just b-e-a-utiful.
And if – for a reason I'm not sure I would comprehend – that trailer was not enough to have your juices flowing, I found the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl's video fantastic, too. Not quite as good as the men and women representing the scarlet and gray, but still good!
. @OhioStateFB vs. @GeorgiaFootball#CFAPeachBowl | #GoBucks #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/NZp0Cnx23T
— Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (@CFAPeachBowl) December 28, 2022
And then, of course, to round out a trio of top-notch trailers for the Peach Bowl, I have to link back to this knock-your-socks-off trailer from Buckeye Productions that was included in one of my Skull Sessions from a few weeks ago.
Was this trailer overkill? Maybe. But I don't care. I'll do whatever it takes to prepare you for what will go down on Saturday. Bring on the Bulldogs. Ohio Against the World.
HE'S AN ARTIST. C.J. Stroud is a phenomenal football player with a golden arm (or platinum arm or palladium arm). He throws the ball a country mile and does it with incredible accuracy and precision. But did you know that he's also a talented artist?
To borrow from one of my favorite literature and movie franchises, "Harry Potter," more specifically, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," C.J. Stroud is like the Bulgarian seeker Viktor Krum. As Ron Weasley describes him:
"There's no one like Viktor Krum! He's like a bird the way he rides the wind! He's more than an athlete! He's an artist."
Stroud displayed his world-class artistry when he drew Brutus on Thursday at Peach Bowl Media Days. I was told officials in France plan to place it in the Louvre. Here – take a look for yourself – you'll see what I mean.
How is C.J. Strouds drawing of Brutus? pic.twitter.com/SVghLipZv0
— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) December 29, 2022
I kid when I say Stroud possesses world-class artistry, as it is entirely possible my 1-year-old nephew could draw the same image of Ohio State's mascot. However, I admire Stroud's enthusiasm for completing the drawing. He showed it off with a smile as if he had created the next Mona Lisa.
Speaking of Mona Lisa, have you all seen “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” yet? It's a fun flick, especially if you are a murder mystery nut like me. Watch it.
FUTURE REPORTER PARIS JOHNSON JR. While I poke fun at Stroud for his drawing skills, I will not do the same for Paris Johnson Jr.'s writing skills. The Ohio State left tackle wrote a letter to Buckeye Nation in The Players' Tribune on Thursday. He titled it "Dear Buckeyes."
It is very, very good.
Check out my letter to Buckeye Nation with The @PlayersTribune !https://t.co/TGEPezlVC3
— Paris Johnson Jr. (@ParisJohnsonJr) December 29, 2022
For those who don't know, Johnson graduated from Ohio State following the fall semester with a degree in journalism. He is a phenomenal writer, and his journalistic work in college can be read in the school's newspaper, The Lantern, all the way back to his freshman year through this fall.
While his articles in The Lantern are undoubtedly praiseworthy, I feel confident that this is his best work to date. With that in mind, I had to share it with the lovely Ohio State fans who take the time to read the Skull Sessions daily. Go share the same love for his article for The Players Tribune!
I believe a few pull quotes are worth talking about here. I could really talk about it all, but to keep it short, I will choose only a few to share at the moment:
There’s a lot of great programs, and a lot of great cultures in college football. But there’s college football, and then there’s Ohio State. It’s two different things.
Ohio State's players always talk about The Brotherhood and what it means to them. The Brotherhood is essentially what Johnson's whole article is about – what it means to be a Buckeye, what he will never forget about playing for Ohio State and how special the last three years in Columbus have been for him.
I love that.
The letter's conclusion to his letter also fires me up for Saturday. It reads:
I want to win a national championship so badly. Not just for myself, not just for my teammates, not just for my classmates and professors and coaches and trainers. But really for this entire community. I didn’t grow up with the posters on my wall. I didn’t have an appreciation for big-time college football as a kid, and what this place really means. I literally thought we’d won 42 natties. (To this day, Coach Hinton likes to remind me, “Paris, 42? Really?”)
This was not supposed to happen. But I thank God that my path led me to Columbus, because this university and this community is about a lot more than wins and losses and banners on the wall. It’s really a feeling. It’s a brotherhood and an unbreakable bond, and I’m not just talking about football.
No matter what happens down in Georgia, just know that we’ll be ready to run through that wall for you one more time.
This is FAMILY. Forever.
Thank God that I’m a Buckeye.
Sincerely,
Paris
Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!
That's too good.
“No matter what happens down in Georgia, just know that we’ll be ready to run through that wall for you one more time.”
Let's ride, Buckeye Nation. It's time for Georgia to fall.
EMBRACING ADVERSITY. Cade Stover has been a leader in several ways for Ohio State since its loss to Michigan on Nov. 26. A first-time captain in 2022, the one known as Farmer Gronk has placed it upon himself to carry a mental and physical load for the Buckeyes, pacing the team with his work ethic and his words.
Stover would be the first to admit he didn't perform well against the Wolverines. In a matter of accountability – not unfair criticism – he would be one of the first to tell you his teammates didn't have their best performances, either. That created adversity for the Buckeyes, Stover says.
While on Big Ten Network's broadcast from Peach Bowl Media Days, the fourth-year Buckeye explained why facing adversity was a good thing for Ohio State.
The #CFAPeachBowl is @OhioStateFB's second chance on the season. @cstov8 is helping the Buckeyes embrace adversity and the underdog mindset. pic.twitter.com/Tz34uXeRNT
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 29, 2022
I love this mentality. Who wants to read a book or watch a show or movie without any adversity? The Buckeyes have faced it. Now, it's time for them to write a happy ending.
SONG OF THE DAY. “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes.
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