Chip.Minnich
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Minnich’s Musings about The Game
Chip.Minnich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes lose to TTTUN 30-24 at Michigan Stadium
A picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, a singular tweet does the trick for me.
Three years in a row, Ohio State has lost to That Team Up North. Making matters worse, the Wolverines were led by assistant coach Sherrone Moore, who was filling in for the suspended Jim Harbaugh.
Where does this loss rank on the pain scale for me, as a lifelong Ohio State fan? It is up there - not as bad as the 13-9 loss at home in 1996, when Ohio State was undefeated and lost at home to a team that finished the year 8-4, ruining their national championship dreams, but this is close.
Below are some thoughts that I have about this loss, and as always, I am looking for comments and ideas about what can be done ~
It goes beyond making a change at special teams coordinator, in case you are wondering. In the postgame show on Fox, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer noted how controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the line needs to be regained, and that is where the transfer portal comes in for Ohio State. Yes, they have some talented players arriving via recruiting, but high school linemen need time to get stronger, and Ohio State has no time to waste. Find about four linemen, two on either side of the ball, who can be plugged in and become immediate contributors.
Not unless someone wants to foot the bill for the $46 million buyout that his contract would require. The last time I checked, Ohio State was looking forward to its new university president taking office in January 2024, and Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith is going to be retiring in June 2024. Throw in the fact that the 2024 recruiting class is only a few weeks from signing with Ohio State, and you would have a perfect recipe for disaster.
It almost worked out for the Buckeyes, but when the Wolverines were slowly burning clock, running the ball, with about five minutes remaining, I was screaming to use a timeout. Eventually, Ohio State was able to force a field goal attempt that gave the Wolverines the 30-24 lead with only about a minute remaining. Kyle McCord nearly pulled it off, but it would have been better if the Buckeyes were not so rushed in the final seconds of the game. Speaking of Kyle McCord...
McCord needed to play mistake-free, and could not have started off worse. The forced pass to Marvin Harrison, Jr. that resulted in an interception, leading to That Team Up North’s first touchdown, could not have put Ohio State in a worse position. Ohio State trailed early, and psychologically the offense appeared to slump after that big mistake. McCord played much better in the second half, until the last pass that was intercepted, but the poor play of the first half helped to dig a hole for the Buckeyes that they never seemed able to get out of for the entire game.
I understand Ohio State head coach Ryan Day’s logic of trying for the points at the end of the first half, but I would have gone for it on 4th and 3 late in the first half. At worst, TTUN would get the ball with under thirty seconds in the first half. At best, Ohio State would have gained a first down, possibly a touchdown, and would have still been in closer yardage for a possible field goal attempt. Late in the game, those three missed points loomed very large.
The aforementioned interceptions, missed field goal, etc., were the type of killer mistakes Ohio State fans, such as myself, were resigned to seeing during John Cooper’s tenure. Fair or not, overly harsh perhaps, but the reality is Ryan Day is going to feel the heat from Ohio State boosters and fans this entire offseason because of this loss, no matter what happens in the bowl game (more on that below). How Ryan Day responds to this painful loss is going to be worth watching as the preparations for this game begin - in 1969, Woody Hayes immediately went to work after losing 24-12 to the Wolverines; I suspect Day will be doing something comparable.
The officiating was terrible, but I am quite confident that any Wolverines fan would be quick to point out that they were outraged with the fumbled reception recovered by Ohio State that put the Buckeyes in excellent field position with only about thirty seconds to go. The good teams are able to overcome bad calls, and Ohio State was not able to do that, in the biggest game of the year.
Where does Ohio State go from here, for the remainder of the 2023 season? More than likely a trip to The Orange Bowl or another comparable bowl game. For Ohio State fans clinging to College Football Playoff hopes, it is not beyond the realm of possibility, as it happened last season, but tremendously unlikely, given the current college football landscape.
A bowl game that is not part of the College Football Playoff rotation this season would likely mean Ohio State players such as Marvin Harrison, Jr., TreVeyon Henderson, and other projected NFL players would likely sit out that game, to protect themselves from potential injury. The same thing happened after the 2021 season.
In other words, the painful ending for the 2023 season could be a preview of what the 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes may look like. It is not the way any Ohio State fan wanted to think about before this game kicked off in Ann Arbor, but it is realistically about where the program is right now.
Other than the ending, how was the rest of the play, Mrs. Lincoln?
Continue reading...
Chip.Minnich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes lose to TTTUN 30-24 at Michigan Stadium
A picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, a singular tweet does the trick for me.
Three years in a row, Ohio State has lost to That Team Up North. Making matters worse, the Wolverines were led by assistant coach Sherrone Moore, who was filling in for the suspended Jim Harbaugh.
Where does this loss rank on the pain scale for me, as a lifelong Ohio State fan? It is up there - not as bad as the 13-9 loss at home in 1996, when Ohio State was undefeated and lost at home to a team that finished the year 8-4, ruining their national championship dreams, but this is close.
Below are some thoughts that I have about this loss, and as always, I am looking for comments and ideas about what can be done ~
Ryan Day needs to make changes in personnel
It goes beyond making a change at special teams coordinator, in case you are wondering. In the postgame show on Fox, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer noted how controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the line needs to be regained, and that is where the transfer portal comes in for Ohio State. Yes, they have some talented players arriving via recruiting, but high school linemen need time to get stronger, and Ohio State has no time to waste. Find about four linemen, two on either side of the ball, who can be plugged in and become immediate contributors.
Ryan Day is not going anywhere
Not unless someone wants to foot the bill for the $46 million buyout that his contract would require. The last time I checked, Ohio State was looking forward to its new university president taking office in January 2024, and Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith is going to be retiring in June 2024. Throw in the fact that the 2024 recruiting class is only a few weeks from signing with Ohio State, and you would have a perfect recipe for disaster.
Ryan Day waited way too long to use his timeouts in the second half
It almost worked out for the Buckeyes, but when the Wolverines were slowly burning clock, running the ball, with about five minutes remaining, I was screaming to use a timeout. Eventually, Ohio State was able to force a field goal attempt that gave the Wolverines the 30-24 lead with only about a minute remaining. Kyle McCord nearly pulled it off, but it would have been better if the Buckeyes were not so rushed in the final seconds of the game. Speaking of Kyle McCord...
Kyle McCord’s overall play
McCord needed to play mistake-free, and could not have started off worse. The forced pass to Marvin Harrison, Jr. that resulted in an interception, leading to That Team Up North’s first touchdown, could not have put Ohio State in a worse position. Ohio State trailed early, and psychologically the offense appeared to slump after that big mistake. McCord played much better in the second half, until the last pass that was intercepted, but the poor play of the first half helped to dig a hole for the Buckeyes that they never seemed able to get out of for the entire game.
The field goal attempt at the end of the first half
I understand Ohio State head coach Ryan Day’s logic of trying for the points at the end of the first half, but I would have gone for it on 4th and 3 late in the first half. At worst, TTUN would get the ball with under thirty seconds in the first half. At best, Ohio State would have gained a first down, possibly a touchdown, and would have still been in closer yardage for a possible field goal attempt. Late in the game, those three missed points loomed very large.
We are now in “Cooper Country”
The aforementioned interceptions, missed field goal, etc., were the type of killer mistakes Ohio State fans, such as myself, were resigned to seeing during John Cooper’s tenure. Fair or not, overly harsh perhaps, but the reality is Ryan Day is going to feel the heat from Ohio State boosters and fans this entire offseason because of this loss, no matter what happens in the bowl game (more on that below). How Ryan Day responds to this painful loss is going to be worth watching as the preparations for this game begin - in 1969, Woody Hayes immediately went to work after losing 24-12 to the Wolverines; I suspect Day will be doing something comparable.
The officiating was terrible, but I am quite confident that any Wolverines fan would be quick to point out that they were outraged with the fumbled reception recovered by Ohio State that put the Buckeyes in excellent field position with only about thirty seconds to go. The good teams are able to overcome bad calls, and Ohio State was not able to do that, in the biggest game of the year.
Where does Ohio State go from here, for the remainder of the 2023 season? More than likely a trip to The Orange Bowl or another comparable bowl game. For Ohio State fans clinging to College Football Playoff hopes, it is not beyond the realm of possibility, as it happened last season, but tremendously unlikely, given the current college football landscape.
A bowl game that is not part of the College Football Playoff rotation this season would likely mean Ohio State players such as Marvin Harrison, Jr., TreVeyon Henderson, and other projected NFL players would likely sit out that game, to protect themselves from potential injury. The same thing happened after the 2021 season.
In other words, the painful ending for the 2023 season could be a preview of what the 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes may look like. It is not the way any Ohio State fan wanted to think about before this game kicked off in Ann Arbor, but it is realistically about where the program is right now.
Other than the ending, how was the rest of the play, Mrs. Lincoln?
Continue reading...