Hi, I’m new here. Could anyone show me around?
Chase Brown, your usual Eleven Warriors Skull Session scribe, had a well-earned day off on Monday so I’m filling in to make my Skull Session debut. Hopefully, I can live up to the standard he’s set. But if not, never fret: Chase and your regularly scheduled programming will be back tomorrow – 5 a.m. sharp.
Until then, let’s have some fun and dive into the Wide World of Ohio State Sports, shall we?
MAKING THE GRADE. In case you missed it, Jim Tressel dropped gems left, right and center on Chris Holtmann’s More Than Coach Speak podcast last week.
Reflecting on his legendary 10-year run as head coach of the Ohio State football program, Tressel touched on everything from the most memorable highlights from his career in Columbus, several lowlights that still plague him to this day and even his infamous split from the team in 2011.
Along the way, Tressel went into detail about some of the intricacies of his managerial style, including an amusing anecdote about the daily grading system he implemented on the practice field. Tressel said he surveyed his Buckeyes extensively and that the most common complaint was a lack of communication between players and the coaching staff. As a result, Tressel came up with a way to make sure every player knew exactly where they stood on a daily basis.
“We ended up grading our players every day. We gave them a grade every day, because it was always, ‘Well, I thought I was doing well, but I’m not getting that many minutes,’” Tressel said.
Here’s a look at all five grades the Buckeyes could earn under Tressel, with commentary on each from the man himself.
- NC (National Champion)
“If you got an NC grade for that day, that meant you performed like a national champion. And if you do that, we do that, we got a chance. … And each day in practice, there weren’t very many NCs. There were a few.”
- BT (Big Ten)
“Second-best grade was a BT. The BT grade was Big Ten. You performed like a Big Ten champion. And if you do that, you’ll play a lot. If we do that, we’ll have a chance to win the Big Ten. But guess what, we’re gonna have to play better than that to win the national championship. So, you just need to know it’s a good grade, but it’s not the grade.”
- A (Average)
“Third grade was an A, which was average. A, you were here, you did what you were supposed to do. If you play like that, you’ll probably play a little. If we play like that, we’ll probably win half our games. So just so you know, that’s your evaluation.”
- L (Losing)
“The fourth one was an L, which meant you had a losing performance. And it didn’t mean we were calling you a loser. We always talked about the difference between the performer and the performance. Your performance was a losing one, meaning you won’t get in the game and we won’t win.”
- MB (Maize and Blue)
“And the fifth one was called MB, and MB meant maize and blue. You were so bad that you helped those guys. I mean, that’s how bad you were. They got better. That might’ve been a guy that missed class that day or was late for something or had six missed assignments in practice. You might as well just go help them.”
Following back-to-back wins over Ohio State, Michigan doesn’t need much more help in the rivalry. Whether Ryan Day uses Tressel’s grading scale or not, there’s no doubt that the fewer MB-level performances in practice, the better for the Buckeyes as they try to turn things around against their archrival in 2023.
NO C.J., NO PROBLEM? Outstanding quarterback play wasn’t exactly the talk of this past spring for Ohio State.
Kyle McCord and Devin Brown duked it out to largely mixed results as the pair competed to replace C.J. Stroud under center. Both showed flashes of potential and big-time playmaking ability in practice sessions, but neither one did so consistently enough to leave the coaching staff or media raving thereafter. While McCord remains the frontrunner to become QB1 by the start of the season, he didn’t slam the door shut on Brown entirely, which means the starting job is still up for grabs this preseason.
But Day’s track record at quarterback development has earned him plenty of leeway with fans and pundits when it comes to replacing his two-time Heisman Trophy finalist. Namely, former Alabama quarterback and ESPN analyst Greg McElroy – who knows a thing or two about winning a national championship – isn’t concerned about whoever ends up as Stroud’s successor.
“Now the big question about Ohio State, and I told Ryan this… I’m not worried about the quarterback position. I’m not,” said McElroy while breaking down his preseason top 25 for ESPN last week. “I know a lot of people are sitting here and talking about how are they going to replace C.J. Stroud? Like, I’m curious. I’m curious who it’s gonna be. Do I think it’s gonna be Kyle McCord? Yeah. Is there a possibility that Devin Brown works his way into the mix? Sure. That’s absolutely a possibility. But I’ve come to the realization, and I hope that you guys do too, that with some schools, I’m just not gonna worry about the quarterback spot.
“I mean, when was the last time the quarterback spot at Ohio State was a legitimate liability? Because I don’t remember a time. I can’t remember a time in which the quarterback spot at Ohio State was a real problem. And I don’t think it’s going to be a problem this year, either.”
McElroy said Day “does a phenomenal job” and loves “how easy (he) makes it on his quarterback.” McElroy knows no QB is guaranteed success just by showing up on gameday, but said the cast of characters surrounding McCord or Brown at the offensive skill positions will aid in their transition tremendously.
“I think that most people could go out, throw the ball left-handed to Marvin Harrison, and you’re probably completing 60 percent of your passes. That’s how good that guy is,” McElroy said. “But it doesn’t stop there. Hey, let’s just double him. Let’s not let him beat us; let’s double him. Well perfect. You want to double him? Emeka, boom, let’s work. Julian Fleming, boom, let’s work. Hey, Cade Stover, boom, let’s work. I mean, it’s like the rich are so rich in this particular world. It doesn’t matter who you take away. You wanna double all the receivers? You drop eight? Fine. TreVeyon, let’s eat. It’s like one guy after another.”
You don’t have to take McElroy’s word for it, either. Here’s a reminder of what Ohio State’s past three quarterbacks accomplished in their first year as a starter with Day as either quarterbacks coach or HC.
| OSU QB | YEAR (RECORD) | COMP | PASS YDs | PASS TD/INT | RUSH YDs/TD | HEISMAN FINISH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwayne Haskins | 2018 (13-1) | 70% | 4,831 | 50/8 | 108/4 | THIRD |
| Justin Fields | 2019 (13-1) | 67.2% | 3,273 | 41/3 | 484/10 | THIRD |
| C.J. Stroud | 2021 (11-2) | 71.9% | 4,435 | 44/6 | -20/0 | FOURTH |
CLASS OF THE B1G. It may be harsh and it may be bleak, but it’s reality nonetheless: Michigan has ruled the roost in the Big Ten for two years running.
Two wins over Ohio State, two conference championships and two trips to the College Football Playoff – albeit both of them ending in Wolverine defeat – in as many years. Even college football analyst Joel Klatt, who tends to look favorably upon the Buckeyes, recently declared Michigan “the class of the Big Ten currently” on The Herd with Colin Cowherd.
However, Klatt didn’t view the result of the 2022 rivalry game as an inevitability. In fact, Klatt believes the Buckeyes would’ve won that contest more often than not had it been played several times over.
“This is what is so fascinating is that I would classify both of those last two wins for Michigan as upsets. I don’t think that Michigan beats that Ohio State team six out of 10. I think they might beat them three or four out of 10,” Klatt said. “I’m not saying it’s drastically a difference, but you saw in the game against Georgia with Ohio State, the talent level is very clear, there’s some things that happened in that game. I’m not taking anything away, because, Michigan they did have an identity and they beat Ohio State thoroughly. What am I trying to say though is that I don’t think that would be the case if they did it a third time.”
Klatt added that in terms of style of play, the Wolverines appear to be deliberately constructed as a foil for Ohio State, and said they’ll likely be favored to beat the Buckeyes again in 2023 – before the season gets started, anyway.
“They have a team that is likely going to be favored to win the Big Ten East, is gonna be ranked higher than Ohio State to start the year and they’ve beat them their last two games. So your initial premise, there’s not an argument,” Klatt said. “You can’t push back against that. Who’s the class of the Big Ten currently, today as we speak? It’s Michigan. And that’s even with the talent that Ohio State has accumulated over the last few years. Michigan does have the clear identity, and it’s an identity, by the way, that is specifically to beat Ohio State. They target them and they specifically look at them and they’re like, ‘What we do gives you trouble.’ And that’s what’s so fascinating about it.”
All of that may be true, but preseason projections and offseason pontifications have little bearing on what will happen once the ball is kicked off in Ann Arbor on Nov. 25, and Ohio State will undoubtedly be plotting its revenge up until then.
SCARLET AND RED, WHITE & BLUE. Cotie McMahon was a flat-out baller for the Buckeyes as a true freshman in 2022-23.
That hasn’t changed in international competition, where McMahon has been an integral part of a 2-0 start for Team USA in the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup. The Americans drubbed Germany in a 100-46 rout at Jorge Garbajosa Arena in Madrid, Spain, and McMahon contributed 10 points, 5 rebounds and a block to the victory.
Another day, another W for Team USA
— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) July 16, 2023
and @cotiemcmahon23 who added 10 points, 5 rebounds, and a block in route to victory over Germany.
Tune in Tuesday as Team USA takes on Chinese Taipei at 12:15 PM ET.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/tJl1J8YoLA
McMahon was even more productive the day before as she led Team USA with 15 points in an 85-66 win against Mali to kick off its run in Group B of the tournament.
After a day off on Monday, McMahon and Team USA return to action Tuesday with a 12:15 p.m. matchup on the books against Chinese Taipei to conclude group play. You can stream the contest on YouTube right here.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Oh! Tengo Suerte" by Masayoshi Takanaka
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