Buckeyes Pleased in Happy Valley- Win over Penn State 38-25

   Justin Fields threw four touchdowns and 318 yards as the Ohio State Buckeyes grabbed a not as close as the score indicated 38-25 triumph over the Penn State Nittany Lions in State College.

Master Teague rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown while Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson each finished the evening with over 100 yards receiving with Olave catching two of Fields four touchdown passes in the win.

Tommy Togai sacked Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford three times in the win as Ohio State moved to 2-0 in the shortened season.

Ohio State is scheduled to host Rutgers next Saturday at the Horseshoe...

Olentangy Offerings

1)  I still cannot get past the play at the end of the half that gave Penn State three points.

Give Jordan Stout full credit for nailing a fifty yarder, but should he have had the opportunity?

Justin Fields had to kill two seconds and by replay, he killed nearly four.

The blame has to go to the Penn State clock keeper, who either fell asleep at the switch or didn't bother to start the clock on time.

Fortunately, those three points didn't make a difference.

2) Justin Fields continued his excellent play and the difference in his poise in the pocket in one year is staggering.

Fields is reading defenses so much better than last season and he is getting the ball out faster as well.

I don't watch very many Clemson games, but I cannot imagine Trevor Lawrence is vastly better than Justin Fields, should Fields maintain this level of play.

Should that occur, I would not be surprised to see Justin Fields push Trevor Lawrence as the top pick in the 2021 draft.

That is an assumption that either would want to play for the New York Jets, which is far from a sure thing when you consider what a dumpster fire that the Jets organization is, but that's a story for another day.

3) Some of the credit for the improvement for Fields has to go to the offensive line.

Penn State did sack Fields twice and the second hit was a tremendous shot that I winced (and so did Ryan Day) when Fields took the blow, but usually, Fields had plenty of time in the pocket and when you see an offensive line playing well early in the season- it's an excellent sign.

4) I wondered about the running game last week against Nebraska, but Master Teague stepped up and reminded me a little of a smaller Carlos Hyde.

Low to the ground and difficult to grab, Teague may not be what J.K. Dobbins was as a breakaway threat, but Teague is still a physical back that is able to get the tough yards.

5) The defensive line was dominant in this game, giving Sean Clifford little time in the pocket and forcing Clifford to be on the move for whatever Penn State could get in the passing game.

Clifford threw for three scores (two in garbage time), but he took a beating for them.

Tommy Togai's three sacks are the flashiest numbers, but Jonathan Cooper and Haskell Garrett had excellent games also with Togai and Garrett punishing the interior of the Penn State line.

6) Give Penn State receiver Jahan Dotson credit for an excellent evening with back-to-back spectacular catches including a touchdown.

Considering Dotson was being covered by All-American candidate Shaun Wade on both plays and most of the evening, Dotson's play was the highlight of the Nittany Lions evening.

Dotson is a junior out of Nazareth Pa. and he can go ahead and declare for the 2021 draft if this is an indication of his play for 2020.

7) As good as Dotson's game was, Ohio State controlled Penn State's All-American tight end Pat Freiermith and didn't allow him to be the main target of Sean Clifford.

Tuf Borland drew the assignment of shadowing Friermuth and allowed him three catches with a long of nineteen yards.

Excellent job by Borland and the Buckeyes to take away Penn State's most dependable threat.

8) Ohio State did miss two field goals, but the first from Blake Haubeil seems to have been from a groin injury suffered in pre-game warmups.

Walk-on Dominic DiMaccio finished the game with a field goal and three extra points, but also missed a short field goal attempt.

No word on the long-term status of Haubeil, which is certainly something to watch.

9) Beautiful pass with touch from Justin Fields to Chris Olave in the third quarter to match a Penn State touchdown drive to start the second half.

Fields looked hard to the right and then turned on the opposite side of the field for Olave, who grabbed the pass and tumbled into the end zone.

10) Chris Olave may be the highlight receiver and the deep threat, but in the two wins, this offense has flowed through Garrett Wilson.

Wilson finished with eleven catches for one hundred eleven yards and it is clear that Justin Fields looks at Wilson as his most reliable target.

Wilson is a matchup nightmare since moving inside, where his catch total will be higher than on the outside at the cost of yards.

Wilson will have his chance to return outside next year when Chris Olave leaves, but he is adding to his versatility when his draft year rolls around.

11) While I am still concerned about the cornerbacks as they gain experience, Marcus Hooker broke out with a game that seemed to have him around the football constantly.

Hooker grabbed an interception in fourth quarter action, but Hooker had a tremendous game and I remember his older brother Malik suddenly had the lights turn on in a similar manner in his Ohio State tenure.

Perhaps it's about to happen for a second time from the Hooker family.

12)  So with Rutgers next week and then at Maryland the following, Ohio State has likely faced their toughest test for a while against Penn State.

Indiana will be the opponent after Rutgers and Maryland and that might be a challenge after their one-point win over these Nittany Lions.

I take games very lightly in these crazy days and I don't fully believe that games are going to play until I see the teams take the field, but that's the next few opponents.

13) I have to admit- I missed the Whiteout a little.

Only a little, but the spirit that makes college football so great is evident on nights like Penn State's Whiteout.

Hopefully, it'll be a full house when the Buckeyes return in 2022 to Happy Valley.

No Celebrating in Fiesta- Ohio State season concludes

There were bad calls, there were worse calls, and there were wasted opportunities, but when you take all of these factors and add them up, the end result is a bitter defeat for the Ohio State Buckeyes in a 29-23 loss to the Clemson Tigers in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.

There is plenty of controversy and one play, in particular, has already cemented itself in Buckeye infamy, but there will be far more than one play that cost Ohio State this game
even when the scoreboard says differently.

Ohio State was led in defeat by J.K Dobbins, who rushed for 174 yards and a touchdown, despite playing the second half with an injured ankle and Justin Fields, who threw for over 300 yards and a touchdown, but threw two interceptions including one in the end zone at the end of the game as the Buckeyes attempted to pull the game out.
Ohio State finishes the season at 13-1 and a Big Ten championship.
Next up for the Buckeyes will be in September as they start a new season against Bowling Green.

Olentangy Offerings

1) It wouldn't be fair to blame the poor officiating as the entire reason for the defeat of Ohio State.
There were many factors, but here is the top reason and above all- Three trips inside the Clemson eleven yard line and in each case, Ohio State settled for Blake Haubeil field goals.
J.K. Dobbins, for all of his courage and brilliance on this night, was a key party to these problems with one dropped pass in the end zone that was initially called a touchdown and was rightfully overturned and another that would have likely seen Dobbins score easily.
Score touchdowns on two of those possessions and some of the bad calls are irrelevant.
Score a touchdown on even one of those and the late drive that saw miscommunication between Justin Fields and Chris Olave end with a Clemson interception in the end zone could have been a conservative drive at that point as a Blake Haubeil field goal could have won the game.
For all that could be complained about with the officiating, the three red-zone failures are the number one reason for this loss.

2) Another play overlooked came in the first half when J.K. Dobbins broke into the open for the second of his long first-half runs.
Dobbins scored on the first, but on the second long jaunt, Dobbins was brought down at the eight-yard line.
Instead of Ohio State putting seven points up, they would settle for three.

3) J.K. Dobbins was the star of this game and another underrated reason for the defeat could be a late first-half ankle injury.
Dobbins passed Eddie George in this game to set the one season rushing record at Ohio State, so some history was made.
I give Dobbins so much credit for playing through the pain when it is very likely that he will declare for the NFL Draft shortly.
It would have been easy and some could say prudent for Dobbins to pack it in for the evening, but Dobbins gutted it out and played well despite the pain.
Still, the breakaway speed for Dobbins was understandably lacking in the second half and that was missing for the Buckeye offense.

4) Chase Young managed some hurries on Clemson passer Trevor Lawrence but didn't sack him.
Young finished his final three games (Michigan, Wisconsin, and Clemson) without a sack and he was battling double teams throughout each game, but could it be that the two-game suspension late in the season cost him sharpness and that he never returned to true elite form?
It's interesting to consider.

5) The game-ending interception was a mistake on Chris Olave's part and give Olave credit for taking the blame in the locker room.
Olave thought Justin Fields was scrambling around to make a play and Olave cut his route off to help Fields.
The problem was that Fields was not scrambling and he threw to where Olave was supposed to be and hit Clemson's Nolan Turner for the play that ended the season.

6) Now to the two calls that affected the game most and we will start with the second quarter targeting call on a blitzing Shaun Wade that cost the Buckeyes their second-best defensive back for the rest of the game and gave Clemson a first down rather than force another Tiger punt.
That was huge as that meant a 16-0 lead and the football with only a few minutes remaining in the half.
At worst, Clemson might have had one possession and let's say they score a touchdown there for a 16-7 lead.
Instead, Ohio State loses Wade, Clemson scores a touchdown on the drive rather than punt, and after a stop by Clemson, they score again for a 16-14 OSU lead at the break.
All of that as a result of a call that was not initially made on the field and one that the on-field officials did not ask to be reviewed- Yes, there was helmet contact, but let's look at physics here.
Trevor Lawrence is 6'6. Shaun Wade is 6'0.
Lawrence feels the rush and sees Wade coming in, but he doesn't have a receiver to dump the ball off to and he braces himself for the oncoming hit with a small dip as he prepares to absorb the shot.
As Wade prepares for the hit that was intended to hit Lawrence across the chest as he is supposed to, Lawrence, as noted above, dips down and the helmets do hit each other.
By the strictest (and I mean strictest) interpretation, it could be called targeting, but the referees don't call it.
Lawrence remains on the field briefly and while Lawrence is down, the officials are buzzed to say the play is being looked at and then the resulting penalty is called.
Lawrence misses one play, returns and shortly leads Clemson to their first score.
The hit was legit, but the officials see Clemson's star prone on the field and lead to a conclusion.
The game immediately swings.

7) Score when Shaun Wade leaves: 16-0 Ohio State and about to have the ball back.
Points scored after Shaun Wade leaves: 29-7.
It's a huge change in momentum of course, but it also changes what Ohio State could do with its defense without Wade.
It was without Wade that saw the few struggles that the defense had this season when he was injured and suddenly against the best team that they played on a very marginal call, Wade was gone.

8) I wrote about the targeting rule a few years ago, when it cost Joey Bosa his final game and even though the rule has been improved since then, it still needs more fine-tuning.
I still think intent needs to be added into the rule and I also still think that the player that is taking the hit and his movements needs to be considered as well.
The hit on Trevor Lawrence wasn't much different than the types that running backs take on every carry.
Want to keep the 15-yard penalty? Fine, but change the rules to two infractions before an ejection if the intent was not to make helmet to helmet contact.
If you are concerned that players won't take avoiding it seriously, change the rules to a ejection if a player has committed a certain amount of targeting penalties over a stated period of games.
It still needs work.

9) And the touchdown taken off the scoreboard was simply an awful call.
Justin Ross clearly catches the football, takes either three or four steps before Jeffrey Okudah strips the ball away and Jordan Fuller grabs the bouncing football and winds his way through traffic for a 29-yard touchdown and what would have given the Buckeyes the lead back at that time as well as made the difference in the final score.
This ridiculous "not a football move" is an ill-defined regulation that both the NCAA and NFL use needs to go away from the rulebook.
If you are shown to have possession of the football for two steps or more, that is a catch and therefore eligible to be a fumble.
How many games are being decided by these additions to rulebooks that aren't needed?
Ohio State certainly caused its own demise with the notes listed above, but they certainly deserved the luxury of a fair game being called.
I'm not buying the "ESPN" conspiracy theory that the network wanted "their" teams (ESPN owns pieces of both the ACC and SEC networks) to play each other, but it's certainly reasonable to look at the penalties and say the mistakes and importance called against Ohio State far outnumbered those of Clemson.


10)  One thing that did affect both teams was slippery grass and both teams ripped off big yardage on plays created by players slipping on the grass.
Wasn't the reason behind domed stadiums to create the fair playing conditions for the athletes and not allow the condition of the field to affect the result?
There is no reason for an indoor surface to have those problems and to have that enter into play for the most important game of the season needs to be addressed in the future.
If you want to have a game of this importance, the players deserve better.

11)  This didn't play into the result, but just as players need to play in big games to get used to playing in them, coaches need to gain experience as well.
Ryan Day made two decisions that I wonder about in the 4th quarter.
Up one after their fourth-quarter score with eleven minutes to go, Day kicks the extra point rather than try for two and if successful, go up by three points.
I get that by kicking the XP if you allow a Clemson score and two-pointer (which they did), a touchdown wins it and if you try for two and fail, a touchdown only ties it.
But you really let the critics in, if you would have lost on a field goal.

12) The other was with just over three minutes to go, Ohio State has a 4th and 4 on the Clemson 36 and Day decides to punt.
Drue Christman's punt is what Ohio State was looking for and is downed at the six, but what if Day goes for it?
Yes, a field goal beats you and you are giving them solid field position, but if you get it, at minimum, you are looking at a 49-yard field goal (assuming you don't lose yardage) and likely force Clemson to use timeouts.
I'm not saying that they should have gone for it, as I see a case for both sides, but it is something to consider.

13) However, if you are going to hit Ryan Day for not going for it on the next to last drive, you have to give credit for the 4th and one play call that saw Justin Fields throw to Chris Olave and take the lead.
That call took some courage and credit to Day for making it.

14) It's a disappointing loss because the game was there to be won.
The blown fumble is infuriating, but not the only reason for the loss.
Ohio State could have done one of many things that had nothing to do with officiating and won this game.
That's why it hurts, but Ohio State erased the 31-0 loss that happened the last time they played and proved that the best of the Big Ten can play with the Clemson Tigers and re-established themselves as one of the three-five best programs in the country.
I'm not huge on moral wins, but there was something proved- the National Championship was within reach and that is far more than many thought entering the season with a first-time head coach and picked to finish behind Michigan in the conference.
I thought they'd win the division and maybe the conference, but I thought that they would lose one game as they adjusted to Ryan Day and maybe even two with a bounce the wrong way, so they exceeded my expectations for the season.

15) There will be some top-notch players lost to the NFL and although players like Chase Young, J.K. Dobbins, Jeffrey Okudah, and Shaun Wade could return, I'd be shocked if they decided to stay.
Still, Ohio State will have one of the two pre-season Heisman favorites (Justin Fields and Clemson's Trevor Lawrence) and could have the best wide receiver corps in team history on offense.
The defense will lose some key members, especially in the secondary, but they should be more than fine, but Jeff Hatley's departure to take the head coaching job at Boston College means his replacement as the co-defensive coordinator with Greg Mattison will be a key hire for Ryan Day.
I'd suspect Ohio State will be in the top three in the pre-season rankings, maybe even first depending on losses on teams such as Clemson, Alabama, etc. so this isn't an aberration- it's more of the norm.
As disappointing as this loss is, I'm not disappointed in the season.
Perhaps a loss in this game next year, I could be.

Back later with the Browns finale, Showtime's boxing card from Atlanta and I'm still catching up on the inbox.
Look for all of those in the next day or two.

Buckeyes cancel Revenge Tour- Wallop Michigan 62-39!

Jim Harbaugh brought what was said to be Michigan's best team in years if not ever to Columbus and was favored to defeat Ohio State even in their own "Horseshoe".

What seemed like a cast of thousands ranging from Urban Meyer to Dwayne Haskins to Chris Olave and more ranging all the way to Brutus Buckeye slammed the Wolverines without mercy until the kneeldowns inside the Michigan 10  at game's end as the Buckeyes crushed the hope of the blue with a record performance of 62 scored points in a 62-39 victory!
Dwayne Haskins fired five touchdowns, two of those to Chris Olave, Olave also blocked a punt that was scooped and scored by Sevyn Banks and Parris Campbell scored on a rush of 78 yards and caught a touchdown pass as well to pace what seemed to be even more than 62 points scored.

The victory gives the Big Ten Eastern Division title to the now 11-1 (8-1 Big Ten) Buckeyes and a trip to Indianapolis for the second year in a row to play the West champions, with a new defender of the West as its Pat Fitzgerald's Northwestern Wildcats winning the title for the first time.

Olentangy Offerings

1) Honestly, NO ONE saw this coming.
Now, when I was asked about the game this week, I thought it was a pick 'em game and that home field for Ohio State made it that way with home field being worth three points to the oddsmakers.
Still, I picked Ohio State because I thought that Ohio Stadium would be a help after two weeks on the road and because when Urban Meyer's teams (at Florida and Ohio State) are thought to be the underdog, that's when Meyer has performed best.

2) Of all the boxes to check as when you evaluate the reasons for this win- number one goes to the work of the offensive line.
Against Chase Winovich and Rashan Gary, the often-maligned offensive line came through with its best game of the season as the vaunted Wolverine defense came up empty in rushing Dwayne Haskins as they finished the game without sacking Haskins and rarely putting pressure on Haskins to rush his passes.

3) Dwayne Haskins threw short, medium, deep with accuracy against the nation's top-rated defenses (by the numbers anyway) and it seemed like no matter where he wanted to throw, he hit his man.
19 of 30 seemed to be worse than I would have thought as it seemed that Haskins completed more passes than that.
Still, the coolness of Haskins set the tone to keep the Buckeyes at an emotional peak without being so hyped that they are making mistakes by being out of control.

4) Parris Campbell is the game breaker that might make an NFL team very happy as one of those "Swiss Army Knife" type players that is the rage when describing a versatile player.
Campbell doesn't get caught from behind and when he took a short pitch around the tackle and sprinted 78 yards for a score, mere seconds after Michigan cut the lead to 16 and had mild hopes of a comeback- that was the pin that popped the Wolverine balloon.
Campbell might not be a day one pick and we'll see if he is a day two, but he is going to be a player that can make a real impact if used properly in special situations.

5) Freshman Chris Olave has been a player that has been discussed by Urban Meyer, the coaching staff and some media as a player that is sitting on a breakout.
That breakout came on Saturday with not only the game's first touchdown and another later in the game, but in the second half when Olave burst through the Michigan punting unit to reject the boot of Will Hart, sending the ball careening toward Sevyn Banks who cruised into the end zone for six OSU points.
Olave's talents as a receiver have been often noted, but plays such as his block have been characteristic of the Buckeye receiver this season on special teams with Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon often making big plays with the coverage units.

6) There really was just one time that I wondered about this game- the DeMario McCall muff of a kickoff after a Michigan score with under a minute to play in the half.
Michigan quickly scored and went for two points afterward for the tie, which failed.
Michigan had cut the lead from 21-6 to 21-19 within seconds.
They would never be that close again.

7) Michigan runner Karan Higdon had promised a victory but wasn't a factor in finishing with 78 yards rushing.
Now some of those numbers could be waved off as Michigan needing to throw the football for most of the second half, if not the game, but other than one run of 24 yards, Higdon was unable to make a real impact.

8) Now, even in defeat, I have to say Michigan has two excellent pass catchers in Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Both of these sophomores are going to be top notch players next year (they already are) and I'm not looking forward to watching the Buckeyes corners cover them next year in Ann Arbor.

9) One of the main points made by so many this week for a Michigan win was the defense and its coordinator Don Brown.
Brown had been seemingly crowned as the best defensive mind since Buddy Ryan, with his unit allowing only 13 points a game and 238 yards of offenses, but his team and Michigan's recruiting learned very quickly that the difference between these two teams is speed.
Ohio State was simply faster and no matter what one thinks of Brown, it's that speed that overmatched his defense.

10) Urban Meyer is now 7-0 vs Michigan.
Add to that Jim Tressel's 8-1 and the loss by the 6-6 team by interim coach Luke Fickel in 2011 and the Buckeyes have lost two times (with one being a flukey year in 2011 and still almost won before losing 40-34 in Ann Arbor) since 2001.
15-2 is the greatest run in the modern history of this series.
I don't take this for granted, things don't last forever, but this game had the feeling going into it for Michigan supporters that "if we don't get them this year, when will we"?
They didn't and I'm not sure that malaise is not beginning to set into their program.
A loss in Ann Arbor next year might truly signal a resignation of "We just aren't at that level anymore".

11) The difference between the Buckeyes since Urban Meyer's arrival-Speed.
As mentioned above Ohio State was simply faster than Michigan and when Meyer's Florida Gators ran past Jim Tressel's Buckeyes for a national title- Urban Meter noticed and remembered that needed upgrading in recruiting.
That is typical of almost every Buckeye recruit and slow turtles may not apply.

12) What a game by the Buckeye linebackers, who have been wondered about all season under Bill Davis.
Malik Harrison and Tuf Borland seemed to be in on every play, made plays upon impact and weren't dragged for extra yardage- the type of linebacker that I complain about often with the Browns.

13) I made a statement a week or two ago that if the Buckeyes beat Michigan and won in the Big 10 title game, I would not complain if they didn't get into to the playoff.
I won't, if the 4th team is Oklahoma, I'll live with it.
Some one-loss team has to sit out, Oklahoma's loss to Texas is certainly more excusable than the Buckeyes loss to a 6-6 Purdue team and against Oklahoma, OK.
However, if Georgia upsets Alabama and the SEC gets two teams in again, I think this sets the stage for the needed move to a eight-team playoff.
No one can argue against undefeated Alabama, Clemson, and Notre Dame getting in, but IF both Oklahoma AND Ohio State miss out for two SEC teams for the second year in a row- the snowball for eight begins to roll.

14) So, what do we know about Northwestern?
The Wildcats might have completed the strangest path to a major conference title game ever.
8-4 Northwestern won each of their eight games in conference, went winless out of conference and one of those losses came to an eventual likely 4-8 (they play at South Carolina next weekend) Akron team at home in Ryan Field!
Northwestern started 1-3, but have won seven of their last eight and their only loss was by ten points to undefeated Notre Dame.
The numbers and the visuals favor Ohio State, but I am a big fan of Pat Fitzgerald, he knows Northwestern will have very few chances to win the Big Ten and the Wildcats will be well prepared.
Don't take them lightly.

15) What a win.
Every time OSU wins this game, my weekend is a good one, but this one is really special because for one of the few times over the streak, I wondered about this one.
I just want to hear from Desmond Howard, noted Wolverine, COUGH, impartial football observer, who picks Michigan to win this game every year and every year proclaims Michigan is back.
Wonder what that homer, ERR impartial football observer has to say?

See you from Indianapolis and later tonight with Browns and Boxing Challenge!