I Tell Ya' Herbie

    Time for our weekly thoughts on the college football world- I Tell Ya' Herbie.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            Penn State was viewed by many as a potential playoff winner entering the season.

Between most of their lineup returning and a schedule that featured Oregon coming to State College, and a non-conference schedule that was softer than sherbet, the Nittany Lions ' chances seemed solid.

Even their two overtime defeat to Oregon didn't hurt, but their shocking loss to winless UCLA may have forced Penn State into run-the-table mode, even to make the playoffs, and would include a road win at Ohio State.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             Penn State fans would be more than willing to move on without James Franklin, but it's unlikely to happen.

Why?

Well, if Penn State could find a school that wanted Franklin, Penn State would receive a buyout of between two and four million dollars from that school.

However, if Penn State fired Franklin for any reason (outside of breaking rules, etc.), it would reportedly cost them between $50 million and $54 million.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            Another coach under fire is Texas head man Steve Sarkisian.

Sarkisian's loss to Ohio State on the road could be excused, but not their defeat to a struggling Florida Gators team.

Sarkisian is essentially James Franklin South.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             This week is an opportunity for Indiana to take the next step in its sprint to national prominence.

While Curt Cignetti has done one of the best turnarounds of a downtrodden program in years, the Hoosiers still lack a big scalp on their mantle.

Indiana travels to Oregon on Saturday, and should they win that game, Indiana can knock down another hurdle.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             3-2 Iowa will battle 2-3 Wisconsin in Madison in my favorite game ot the season that doesn't involve a team that I support.

That game is always fun with Ryan (Wisconsin) meeting Jeff (Iowa) in a battle of smack talk, rooting, screaming, and predicting doom; that was always a great time.

I'm hoping to spend my Saturday night on a video chat with the two of them, watching the game.

It's not quite the same as the three of us watching together, but it's something to add to the memory book.

                             

                             

  

I Tell Ya' Herbie

    Here's our latest scoop from the college football bowl that we call I Tell Ya' Herbie.

I Tell Ya' Herbie: 

                             Another Power Four job is open before the end of September, as Oklahoma State removed long-time coach Mike Gundy after a loss to Tulsa.

Gundy was in his twenty-first season, and despite his status, the time was right for the Cowboys, who had won only four of their last fifteen games after a loss to the in-state Golden Hurricane.

The Cowboys were expected to be a power in the Big 12 after the defections of Texas and Oklahoma, but those plans have gone up in smoke over the last two seasons.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             The firing of Mike Gundy leaves four jobs available for the 2026 season- UCLA, Stanford, Virginia Tech, and Oklahoma State, and there could be three times that by season's end.

What job could be next? The SEC has two contenders with Billy Napier at Florida and Sam Pittman at Arkansas.

Napier and the Gators have a rugged schedule while Pittman's Hogs have the harder place to win.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:   

                              The SEC is going to a nine game conference schedule for next year (good thing) but the schedule will undergo changes so each team plays everyone at least every four years (good thing, but) .

The conference has assigned each team three regular game opponents that they will play every year but even so there are some lost rivalries and some questionable selections for "rivals" for some teams.

Ole Miss gets Oklahoma rather than Arkansas, Florida loses their rivalries with LSU (Florida plays Kentucky), who loses theirs with Alabama, and Texas A&M plays Missouri rather than Oklahoma.

The league has stated that they will reevaluate the system before the 2029 or 2030 season.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             Indiana's run in 2024 was a cute story that ended with the Hoosiers making the CFB playoff bur their impressive thumping of unbeaten Illinois, who some thought could be this year's Indiana, could be a sign that they could be a candidate to return.

Curt Cignetti could be a candidate for bigger jobs should he desire them after the job that he's done in a short time in Bloomington.

Indiana travels to 3-1 Iowa this Saturday.

I Tell Ya' Herbie

  It's time for another week of takes from the world of college football, which we like to call I Tell Ya' Herbie.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             I mentioned Brent Pry being in trouble at Virginia Tech last week, and the Hokies were in desperate need of a home win against Old Dominion.

Instead, the Sun Belt's Monarchs led 28-0 at the half and cruised to a 45-26 win in Blacksburg.

Pry was fired on Sunday and replaced by offensive coordinator Phillip Montgomery, who had served as the head coach at Tulsa for eight seasons.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             Another head coach got the axe as UCLA canned DeShaun Foster after the Bruins were crushed 35-10 at home by New Mexico.

Virginia Tech's 0-3 start at least came to two SEC teams (South Carolina and Vanderbilt) while UCLA lost to Utah, UNLV, and New Mexico, two of the three at home.

To be fair to Foster, he was dealt a bad hand as he was hired late in the off-season when Chip Kelly decided he'd rather be an OC than a head coach (should have been a red flag for the program), and it was just as the Bruins entered the Big 10.

Still, UCLA didn't have a choice with a 0-3 record with the Big Ten schedule looming that could be a disaster under interim coach Tim Skipper.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             It's only been two seasons since Oregon and Washington joined the Big Ten, and kudos to both schools for continuing their interstate rivalries with Oregon State and Washington State.

However, the difference between the schools has become apparent as Washington State was crushed by Texas State last week, 59-10, and Oregon State has dropped its first three games.

It's sad to see, but I only see the gap growing, and it's not out of the question that we could see either or both series discontinued due to uncompetitive games.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            There aren't many games between ranked teams this week but the most surprising one has to be ninth-ranked Illinois visiting nineteenth-rated Indiana.

Two teams that perennially resided in the lower third of the league have been revitalized by newer coaches (Bret Bielema at Illinois and Curt Cignetti at Indiana), and I'm not sure which of the two jobs is the tougher place to win.

Illinois would occasionally jump up once a decade or so, and Indiana hasn't won a conference title in my lifetime, so that seems to indicate that Illinois might be the slightly easier of the two, and this is certainly the most important meeting of the two that I can remember.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            Two teams that could be the eventual participants in the Big 12 title game meet in Salt Lake City as unbeaten teams: Texas Tech and Utah duel in the mountains.

And while it's nice to see the Big 12 receive some attention, as the game is the "Big Noon" game on Fox, I think it's ridiculous that the game starts at 10:00 Mountain Time for local fans.

I'm sure that the Utah fans will be loud, but something tells me that it might not be as raucous as it could have been with a later start, and that benefits the Red Raiders.

Ohio State derails Indiana 38-15

     Will Howard completed his first fourteen passes and threw for two touchdowns and Caleb Downs returned a punt seventy-nine yards for a touchdown to lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to a 38-15 win over the previously unbeaten Indiana Hoosiers in Columbus.

Ohio State's defense was dominant in the victory holding the Hoosier offense to barely over 150 yards of total offense.

10-1 Ohio State will host Michigan next week with a trip to the Big Ten title game and a rematch vs Oregon at stake.

Olentangy Offerings

1) Indiana's first possession was concerning as they ground out seventy yards on eleven plays for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Indiana wouldn't move the ball more than thirty yards again until their final possession when the game was decided.

2) The Ohio State defense was dominant after the first drive, turning the potent Hoosier offense into another inept attack but the running numbers are deceiving as the total is lowered by a twenty-three-yard loss on punter James Evans and quarterback Kurtis Rourke's losses of thirty-three yards.

3) One of the problems with last season's Buckeyes was special teams and this season's team used two big plays to turn this game around from those units.

One was during a brief rain mist, a snap to punter James Evans slipped through his hands, and while Evans recovered, Ohio State would take over at the Indiana seven and would take the lead shortly after.

4) And then there was Caleb Downs, who had been a standout returning punts for Alabama and was sent out to return a punt after the initial Indiana possession of the second half.

Sending out Downs was a tip that Ryan Day wanted to make something happen and it did as Downs took the punt on a hop and dashed seventy-nine yards for a touchdown.

5) When Ohio State was able to recruit Downs to transfer from Alabama, one of the skills mentioned was his punt returning, which the Tide used on occasion.

Downs is one of those special players that could be used in any capacity (PSST, including on offense), and don't be surprised if you don't see more of him in playmaking situations over the next few weeks.

6) The Ohio State pass rush cruised through the Indiana offensive line with five sacks and stayed in the face of Kurtis Rourke throughout the games.

Ohio State's pass rush was just short in the loss to Oregon often just missing sacks of Dillon Gabriel, it's an encouraging sign that the sacks are starting to come home.

7) The player of the game has to go to Cody Simon, who seemed to be everywhere with two and a half sacks, four solo tackles, and multiple assisted tackles with a forced fumble.

Simon was unblockable throughout the contest and continued to be the dominant player in the front seven.

8) Will Howard did throw one interception to go with his two touchdowns but it wasn't his fault as Jelani Thurman juggled the ball and Indiana plucked the ball from the air.

Howard avoided mistakes and didn't allow Indiana the one thing that they needed to win- Ohio State turnovers.

9) Give Curt Cignetti all the credit for getting Indiana to a place that it's never been but he gave Ohio State bulletin board material with his famous quote "Purdue sucks and so do Michigan and Ohio State" at a basketball game after his hiring.

Considering the difference between the two programs, it was far from smart.

10) And consider it a message when Ryan Day slammed in a final score when the Buckeyes could have kneeled out the clock.

Message sent- Ohio State is going to finish the job and know your place until you've made your space.

11) It's Michigan week- payback time.

I Tell Ya' Herbie

  Back again with another column of thoughts on the college football world, a little thing we call I Tell Ya' Herbie.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            The season isn't over but my choice for coach of the year (and it could change) might be Kenny Dillingham of Arizona State.

Arizona State was predicted to be one of the cellar-dwellers in the Big 12 and the Sun Devils are 8-2 entering a home game against BYU that a win could clinch a Big 12 title game slot for the winner.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            If it's not Dillingham for coach of the year, the default winner could be first year coach Curt Cignetti at undefeated (just imagine saying that in November!) Indiana, who travel to Columbus to battle Ohio State.

I do think that it's fair to question Indiana's opponents (they haven't beaten a ranked team in their ten wins) and they didn't dazzle in beating a five and five Michigan team by five points last week but even projecting the Hoosiers to lose in Columbus, they will be heavily favored to beat rival and last place Purdue to finish 11-1.

I Tell Ya' Herbie: 

                             I'm not sure it's the best game of the week but it might have a case for the biggest if certain things come into play as unbeaten Army meets once-beaten Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium.

Army has beaten each of their nine foes by eleven points or more and a win here may move the Cadets closer to Boise State for the Group of Five automatic bid.

Notre Dame still has just one loss, that inexplicable loss to a 6-5 Northern Illinois in September, and with a win over Army, would have only a road trip to mediocre USC in the way of a CFP home game.

The Fighting Irish are fifteen-point favorites in the Bronx.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            I was surprised to see Florida Atlantic fire Tom Herman midway through his second season.

The Owls are 2-8 overall, 0-6 in the AAC, and were only 6-16 under Herman but Florida Atlantic isn't an easy place to recruit and play in a tougher conference than they did in their successful run under Lane Kiffin.

Herman must have wanted to get back into coaching badly to accept the FAU job for another reason.

Florida Atlantic places stipulations in coaches' contracts that if they are terminated and want to receive their full buyout, they must report to a mundane athletic department job away from the football program.

Herman's buyout is 4.1 million but the contract clause states that should Herman decide not to report to the job, Herman would paid a much smaller sum.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             The ACC will go down to the wire with several possible scenarios.

SMU (6-0) holds their destiny in their hands needing wins over two 5-5 teams (Virginia and Cal) to clinch the league title.

Clemson is in the clubhouse at 7-1 and Miami is 5-1 with games against 4-6 Wake Forest and at 7-3 Syracuse, which could be a difficult game.

If Miami wins out and SMU splits their games, the league would have three teams at 7-1 for two title game slots.

If SMU and Miami win out, SMU is in but there will be a tiebreaker needed between Clemson and Miami at 7-1 and without a head to head option, I'm not sure which would earn the title game ticket.

 

                            

                            

                            

I Tell Ya' Herbie

     It's that time of the week as we list a few notes from the world of college football- I Tell Ya' Herbie.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             Is it time to consider that Miami could finish 12-0 entering the ACC title game?

Maybe, Miami finishes with home games against Duke and Wake Forest and road trips to Georgia Tech and Syracuse, which all seem winnable.

But the Canes are walking a fine line over the last three weeks, defeating Virginia Tech when a Hokies Hail Mary touchdown was overturned, rallied from twenty points down in the fourth quarter to stun a mediocre California team, and outscored Louisville in whoever scores last wins the battle.

Are they a team of destiny? Or are they a team pressing their luck and are on borrowed time?

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             The story of the year to this point has to be the Indiana Hoosiers under first-year coach Curt Cignetti, who was hired away from James Madison.

Indiana is now 8-0 and visits Michigan State this Saturday before two games that could be the biggest games for the program in over a half-century (Indiana won the league in 1967 for their only Rose Bowl appearance) home against Michigan and at Ohio State.

However, before we get TOO excited about Indiana, remember this- Indiana has beaten one team with a winning record (5-3 Nebraska) and only one other team (4-4 Washington) is at .500.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             The ACC game of the week last week came early as one-loss Syracuse traveled to undefeated Pittsburgh.

The story wasn't that Pitt trounced Syracuse 41-13 it was the performance of Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord, the former Ohio State Buckeye, who threw five interceptions and three were returned for Pittsburgh touchdowns.

Some had mentioned before the game that the quarterback Ohio State had jettisoned (McCord) had better statistics than the player they brought in (Will Howard).

No one was mentioning that at the end of this game.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            One thing that conferences mentioned after their expansion was the elimination of divisions to have the "best two teams" play in the conference title game.

What they didn't place into consideration for this decision was how difficult tiebreakers were going to be for bloated conferences and ties between multiple teams without a natural tiebreaker.

It's going to be a real problem for leagues, perhaps as soon as this year and it may take a few years before a move is made but I believe eventually the leagues will return to divisions of some type.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            The shocker last week was unbeaten Liberty suffering their first loss to winless Kennesaw State, which was Kennesaw's first win in Division I.

The loss stunned the Flames, who then lost again Wednesday to Jacksonville State and a team that was attempting to make an argument for being the entry from the Group of Five in the CFP will now be fortunate to make the Conference USA title game.          

I tell Ya Herbie

       The conference championships are upon us and the coaching silly season arrives with it, so it's time for a few looks at college football with another edition of I Tell Ya' Herbie.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            The strangest entry to a championship has to be Boise State and UNLV in the Mountain West title game.

Entering the final week, Boise State, San Jose State, and Air Force all trailed first place UNLV by one game with UNLV playing San Jose State and Boise State against Air Force.

San Jose State upset UNLV and Boise defeated Air Force for a three-way tie for the two title game slots.

Boise State had beaten San Jose State, and San Jose State had beaten UNLV, but the Rebels and Broncos didn't play this season, so there wasn't a best record tiebreaker and the conference decided on a computer rating which rated Boise State and UNLV as the best two.

SO San Jose State beat the first-place team, forced their way into a tie for first, and won't be in the title game as the team they beat and has the same record will play for the title.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             The rumors are running wild about Jim Harbaugh's future in the NFL and while it makes sense for Harbaugh to leave Michigan before the tides pull him out to sea, the two jobs filled with interim options for now might not be the best fit for Captain Khaki.

The Raiders really like Antonio Pierce and the Panthers and owner David Tepper might not want to give Harbaugh the type of control he may want, although Harbaugh and Tepper may very well deserve each other, they may not want to work together.

The sleeper team? The Los Angeles Chargers, who might be moving on Brandon Staley at the end of the year,  happen to have an outstanding young quarterback, and Harbaugh has connections to the area.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            Indiana announced the hiring of their new coach, Curt Cignetti, formerly of James Madison after letting Tom Allen go after seven seasons.

Cignetti was successful at James Madison but he may be taking the most difficult job in the Big Ten and yes, that includes Northwestern.

Indiana is a basketball school in a state that doesn't produce a ton of in-state talent and shares the state with Purdue and Notre Dame for what talent is available.

Going to be a difficult process for Cignetti in Bloomington.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            The conference title games throughout Friday and Saturday gives you all the college football that one could wish for but I wish one of the Group of Five conferences would consider a Thursday game to kickoff the championship weekend.

The MAC would seem to be the perfect fit as during the final month of the season, the conference already plays most of its games in mid-week as part of their "MACtion" series.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            My picks for the teams in the final year of the four game playoff?

Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, and Texas. 

 

Buckeye defense shuts down Indiana 23-3

  The Ohio State offense may not have been at its best in their season and Big Ten opener in Bloomington vs. the Indiana Hoosiers but their defense was top-notch as Ohio State grabbed a 23-3 win over the Hoosiers.

Miyan Williams rushed for both Ohio State touchdowns on runs of seven and three yards and Jaylen Fielding kicked three field goals to lead the Buckeyes.

Ohio State returns home for their next two games, both non-conference against Youngstown State and Western Kentucky.

Olentangy Offerings

1)  Indiana coach Tom Allen just made me wonder just what the game plan was for a team that had six months to come up with something and did nothing with it.

Allen coached this game like you would playing a far superior opponent, running the clock down on each play, milking the clock, running an offense with zero movement, and praying the better team shoots itself in the foot a few times.

May want to polish the resume a bit in your downtime, Tom.

2) Kyle McCord was okay, not great or awful- okay.

McCord finished the game twenty of thirty-three for two hundred thirty-nine yards and an interception.

3) Other than the interception, which was a bad throw across his body but somewhat excusable being a fourth down play, McCord's play didn't hurt the team and his play in the second half improved a great deal.

4) McCord did have two bad breaks that would have helped his stats and the scoreboard.

One was a catch by Marvin Harrison Jr. that would have been a score but was barely out of bounds and another by Carnell Tate around the two-yard line that should have been a score.

Add those two as touchdowns and things look much brighter.

5) I was disappointed that after Ryan Day's statement, both Kyle McCord and Devin Brown were going to see action.

 Brown played one series late in the first half and Ohio State finished with a three-and-out, another late in the game, so I wish Brown would have received a few more possessions.

6) Ohio State seems to like Chip Trayanum much more than it previously seemed as he was on the field more than expected.

Trayanum was used at halfback and on the two Miyan Williams touchdown runs, it was Trayanum still on the field as a fullback.

It's an unusual thing for Ohio State to use the fullback as a part of the offense, so I thought that was an interesting look.

7) The defense was very strong but I'll wait and see how they look in South Bend against Notre Dame in three weeks before getting too excited mainly because Indiana was running an almost Navy-style offense.

8) Indiana finished with only 153 offensive yards and neither passing nor rushing cracked one hundred.

9) I think Sonny Styles is going to be a special player for Ohio State and he might be one that ends his career as an all-time Ohio State great.

Mark it down.

10) Jaylen Fielding was three for three in his first Ohio State kicking appearance.

11) Was this a perfect opener?

Not at all but it was good enough for a Big Ten road opener- BUT while it was okay for an opener, Ohio State cannot look this way in a few weeks.

12) Ohio State has now defeated Indiana twenty-eight games in a row.

Indiana has not defeated Ohio State since 1988 and only a 1990 tie stands out as a Hoosier non-defeay during that run. 

Buckeyes crush Indiana 54-7

    Through a driving rainstorm in Bloomington, Indiana, the Ohio State Buckeyes pounded the Indiana Hoosiers 54-7 and reasserted themselves in the eyes of the Hoosiers after giving OSU a semi-close run in the year of the Covid.

Ohio State led 44-7 at the half and eased in the second half or this could have gotten extremely ugly for Indiana.

C.J. Stroud threw four touchdown passes and completed 21 of 28 to lead Ohio State while TreVeyon Henderson scored on two of his nine carries.

Jeremy Ruckert caught two touchdown passes while Jaxon Smith-Nijba caught six passes for ninety-nine yards to lead the receivers.

Ohio State improved to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the Big 10 and will host Penn State in Columbus next Saturday night in a game that would have been much bigger had the Nittany Lions not lost to lowly Illinois at home Saturday.

Olentangy Offerings

1)  Being honest, I didn't watch much of the second half of this game as it was against the beginning of the Jamel Herring-Shakur Stevenson fight, but C.J. Stroud continues to grow by the game and looks more and more poised in the pocket.

2) Stroud is also learning when to run and when not to run.

Stroud ran only three times, which may have more to do with Indiana's pass rush, which sacked Stroud once, but he is learning when to move when to throw the ball away, and when to tuck the ball down and get whatever yardage he can.

In other words, learning the game.

3) Ohio State only had to use TreVeyon Henderson on nine carries with two of those runs going for touchdowns.

The advantage to having huge first-half performances is that it allows Ryan Day to reduce the number of hits on Henderson or any other running back, give other backs chances to see the field, and limit the odds of Henderson taking an awkward hit and injuring arguably the most important player.

4) Indiana wasn't the team they expected to be before the season and playing without Michael Penix hasn't helped them either but the Indiana offense was especially inept against the often-criticized OSU defense.

5) As humorous as I found Penn State's home loss to Illinois, there is no question that it has taken the shine off the Nittany Lions prime time visit to Columbus.

Had Penn State pulled that game out, the Buckeyes could have boosted their resume' quite a bit with a win over a top ten team.

I'm cutting this review a bit short since it's two days old but I did want to have the game on the site for posterity.

If I have time, I'm hoping to watch and review the first game for the Cavaliers trip as they visit the Denver Nuggets.

Ohio State outscores Indiana 42-35

  The Ohio State Buckeyes had little problems moving the football and scoring points against the undefeated upstart Indiana Hoosiers, but they did have problems stopping Indiana from moving the ball through the air as Michael Penix's 491 yards and five touchdowns clearly show.

Still, even as Indiana closed to within seven points late in the game, I never felt overly concerned about the outcome in the Buckeyes 42-35 win.

Justin Fields threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns but threw three interceptions as well in the victory.

Master Teague ran for 169 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to lead a ground game that finished with 307 yards as a team.

Ohio State improves to 4-0 with the win and will travel in their next two games- next week to Illinois and the following week to East Lansing against Michigan State.

Olentangy Offerings

1)  You have to be concerned with a pass defense that allowed almost 500 yards and five touchdowns.

Far too many times, the safeties were caught out of the position and allowed their man to get behind them and even Shaun Wade, who you expect not to be vulnerable, has been victimized as well.

The next two games are softer, but the work is going to have to be done in practice to shore this up.

2) However, put the yardage (at least) in perspective.

The amount is severely inflated because the Hoosiers threw the football fifty-one times because they were behind or even (for a little bit in the first half) for the entire game.

Common sense says that a trailing team throughout will have to put the ball in air, so the yardage is somewhat of a non-factor, but the number of big plays (three players caught four or more passes that averaged between twenty one and thirty one yards) will make you remember this when Ohio State faces a explosive offensive team next time.

3) Another reason for all the passing- Indiana could not run the football.

At all.

Sixteen rushes for negative one yard.

4) While the national narrative is that Ohio State barely survived this furious comeback, it didn't feel that way in real time.

It was more of a grinding comeback and even at the end with Ohio State eating time off the clock with a touchdown lead, I wasn't filled with concern.

Perhaps I should have been, but I didn't.

5) In the end, the difference was a fourth quarter interception returned for a touchdown by Shaun Wade with under a minute to play in the third quarter.

Ohio State led by 21 after that play and in the final period, the Buckeyes played the clock on offense more than the Hoosiers.

That's not an excuse, it's a fact.

6) Ohio State may have slammed the door with five minutes to go but with the kicking game in shambles with the injury to Blake Haubeil, Ryan Day decided to go for the first down on a fourth and one from the Indiana seven.

Justin Fields rolled out under pressure,but launched a pass to Luke Farrell that sailed high.

However, for as much as I dislike the targeting rule, Fields was clearly hit helmet to helmet and yet no flag fluttered to the turf.

Indiana took possession and even thought they would not score on that or their final possession, the close game narrative shouldn't have gotten to that point as OSU would have had a 1st and goal from short yardage with the clock rolling.

7) Justin Fields threw three interceptions and the most concerning portion of that is the sudden appearance of Fields deciding to throw the ball up and try to make a play happen.

The first interception wasn't the case, that was the Hoosier defender watching Fields and knowing where the ball was headed, but the second was a ball that shouldn't have been thrown and was picked off after several tips, and the third was the worrisome play.

Fields should have just kept the ball and instead tossed up one of those goofy looking throws that you just know is going to wind up in the other guys's hands.

8) BUT on that interception, the play was made by freshman wide receiver Julian Fleming, who never stopped running after the ball and as Indiana's Jamar Johnson (who had intercepted Fields first and third picks) moved deep into Buckeye territory, Fleming jumped into the play, punched the football away from Johnson with Thayer Munford falling on the football to regain possession for Ohio State.

9) Master Teague may not have the breakaway speed that results in those 75 yard touchdown runs like Ezekiel Elliott or J.K. Dobbins did for the Buckeyes, but he runs hard, doesn't take plays off and I'll take those six, seven, and eight yards chunks every time.

Teague finished with two scores and 169 yards with the types of runs that accumulate totals and wear down defenses.

10)  Ohio State did start quickly with a two play, seventy-five drive that saw Justin Fields hit Garrett Wilson for a sixty-five yard pass before a ten yard version for the touchdown put six on the board.

Wilson finished the game with seven catches, one hundred sixty-nine yards and two touchdowns and continues to make a smooth transition to an inside receiver role.

Wilson has finished all four games with over one hundred yards and should he repeat that feat next week vs Illinois, he will tie the Buckeye record held by Cris Carter.

11) While I wasn't quite as impressed with Indiana as many were, I still have to give credit to the Hoosiers for not throwing in the towel when it would have been easy to do so.

I really like Tom Allen, who seems to building Indiana into a solid resident of the Big Ten's third tier for now, which means that they would be good for six to eight wins a year and a smaller bowl bid most seasons.

What I like Allen is the positive attitude that doesn't seem like it's a Tony Robbins course like some people in the Big Ten that trademark a phrase and beat you over the head with it.

12) This game might be good for the Buckeyes and could keep them motivated with games at weak sisters Illinois and Michigan State before the meeting with Michigan.

Unless a stunner of an upset happens, Ohio State appears to be headed for a Big Ten title game against Northwestern and they'll need experience handling a test before then.

This game against Indiana should keep them humble.

I Tell Ya' Herbie

    It's been a while since I've written an "I Tell Ya' Herbie", which I started last year as a weekly look at college football that tries to hit notes that don't involve the Ohio State Buckeyes.

I haven't been excited about college football as much since half of the game was on hiatus from their decision on how to deal with Covid-19.

Still, the time is right with all the conferences playing now, so I'll be doing "Herbie" weekly or until things shut down again.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            I think most fans (that aren't fans of Penn State) had to be happy for Indiana's one-point win over Penn State in overtime on the two-point conversion shown above, but I also have to say that in real-time, Michael Penix's dive for the pylon looked like a score.

However, on the replay and in photos, Penix looks to this eye to be an eyelash short.

It's always nice (except when it's your team taking the hit) to see the bottom dwellers of a league KO a blue blood and Indiana has always been one of the weak sisters in the league.

Tom Allen seems to be the type of coach that can succeed at Indiana, a school that doesn't have silly expectations and a fanbase that would be satisfied with a minor bowl bid every season.

I Tell Ya' Herbie: 

                            I'm not saying that group of five unbeaten's Cincinnati and BYU can be competitive with Clemson, Alabama, or Ohio State, but I will say this- If the Big 12 champion comes out with two losses, I would rather see one of those two teams earn a spot in the playoff than a one-loss runner up from any other conference.

The Bearcats would seem to have the edge as far as their total schedule being tougher, but should BYU run the table, they might have the best victory as they will have to play Boise State on the road at the home of the blue turf.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             Going into this season, I figured the Texas Longhorns would be improved and I figured even if they weren't substantially improved that Tom Herman would have one more year to stem the tide in Austin.

Now I'm not so sure.

Texas has played some exciting games, but have lost to TCU and Oklahoma and should have lost to Texas Tech.

The Longhorns face undefeated Oklahoma State in Stillwater this Saturday in a game that could be Herman's last chance to deliver a signature victory and perhaps cool off a seat that has become increasingly hot this season.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            More from Austin as the Longhorns lost 2022 quarterback commitment Quinn Ewers after Ewers decided to re-open his recruitment.

Ewers isn't only the top rated quarterback in that class, he is rated by some as the top overall player period in that class.

I'm not a recruiting guru by any standards, but it is usually a good indicator of a coaches status when highly rated recruits start changing commitments.

Keep an eye on more Texas commitments as the Tom Herman future watch continues.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            I was always a bit dubious of Maryland's hire of Mike Locksley and the answer usually came back with "Locksley knows and will be able to recruit the DMV".

Some also answered that his time with Nick Saban would help him learn after a disastrous tenure at New Mexico that saw the Lobos struggle on the field (2-26) and off as well.

Well, Maryland has won one game (over Rutgers) since winning their first two games in 2019 and a 43-3 embarrassment against Northwestern in their opener hasn't shown growth in the program.

Maryland does have some hope with a good recruiting showing for 2021 with several top-notch area players in the fold, which was a main reason for Locksley in getting the Terrapins job.

Should Maryland fail around this season and heaven forbid lose to Rutgers, the one school that they cannot afford to lose to, will Locksley be able to retain those players?

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            What's the game that I'm looking forward to seeing that I don't have a rooting interest in?

November 17th in the Sun Belt between Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina in the battle between the traditional heavyweight Mountaineers and the upstart Chanticleers that should decide the conference champion.

Not only are both teams entertaining, but should Coastal Carolina enter that game undefeated (Appalachian State has a road loss to Marshall), they could have be a dark horse for the Group of Five slot in the New Years Day Bowls, should Cincinnati suffer a loss or by an upset earn a spot in the playoff.

Buckeyes take the bloom off Hoosiers 51-10

The Ohio State ground game chewed up and spit out the Indian Hoosiers to the tune of 306 yards, 190 of them by J.K. Dobbins as the Buckeyes grabbed their Big Ten opener 51-10 in front of Hep's Rock in Bloomington.

Justin Fields threw for three touchdowns with J.K. Dobbins running for one and catching a Fields pass for another for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes improve to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten.
Ohio State will host Miami, Ohio next Saturday.

Olentangy Offerings

1) The Buckeye ground game never allowed the Hoosiers a chance to settle in and make this one close.
J.K. Dobbins showed some of the running ability that made him such an impact back as a freshman,
averaging almost nine yards a carry with a touchdown run of 26 yards.
Against this level of competition this season, Dobbins is breaking tackles as he runs between the tackles and seems a cut above his sophomore season.

2) However, the back that I really like is sophomore Master Teague, who isn't afraid to put his shoulder down and run over someone and yet his speed is more than enough to avoid tacklers as well.
Teague ran ten times over one hundred yards and ripped off a forty-yard touchdown run.
If Dobbins goes pro next season, Teague is going to be more than replacement level at running back.

3) Justin Fields impresses me more each week as he shows the discipline to not run.
Fields has seen many opportunities to put the ball down and run and yet he doesn't, which makes me think that he's been coached well enough and is smart enough to not take chances of injury in games that are decided.

4) Ohio State locked everything down in the final quarter, being happy to just run the clock out and avoid injury which is why they didn't score any added points.
Content to allow things to play out can be the smart decision over the long season.

5) Of all the plays in the victory, the play of the day was the final touchdown as Damon Arnette grabbed a Peyton Ramsey pass and took it 96 yards for the score.
Arnette broke up passes earlier in the drive and showed the ability to be a high draft pick next season.
Consistency has always been the issue with Arnette, never his talent.

6) Chris Olave continues to be a breakout level player on several levels.
Olave caught a 37-yard pass from Justin Fields for a score and blocked a punt that bounced through the end zone for a safety,
Combine that with Olave's return ability and you have someone with the skills to influence the game in several manners.

7) The Buckeyes did receive some bad news when Tyreke Smith left the game after the first half.
Smith was getting his first career start after a terrific game against Cincinnati and spent the second half in street clothes.
No word on how much time Smith could miss.

8) One takeaway from the defense was this- when teams can only score using gimmick plays, you could have a very good defense.
The only Indiana touchdown was scored on a 49-yard option pass from Donovan Hale to Peyton Hendershot and the other threats were snuffed out.
When teams have to go to that measure to be able to score, that shows that opponents have begun to believe that they are going to have severe issues scoring straight up.

9) One mild surprise to me has been the naming of Chris Chugunov over Gunnar Hoak.
I would have figured the depth chart would be the other way around, but Chugunov's system familiarity is the likely edge for him over Hoak.
I still think in the event of a Justin Fields injury, it would be Hoak getting the nod.

10)  When the worst thing that you can say about a game is that you got caught by an option pass once and your kicker (Blake Haubeil) missed a field goal, it is a solid outing.
Granted it's Indiana, who has defeated Ohio State twice in MY lifetime, but still, it's the type of performance that you like to see against teams like this for the future, but the competition will be tougher as we progress- but I'm hopeful.

Buckeyes drop Indiana 49-26

It might not look like the score was all that close on the scoreboard, but the Indiana Hoosiers managed to hang around enough to keep the Ohio State Buckeyes first-stringers on the field throughout the game but lacked the type of juice to worry Buckeye fan seriously as Ohio State pulled away in the fourth quarter in a 49-26 win in Columbus.

Dwayne Haskins tossed six more touchdown passes and finished with 455 yards on the day, second in Ohio State history with Parris Campbell being the main target with nine catches for 142 yards and two of the Haskins touchdowns.

Ohio State moved to 6-0 (3-0 Big Ten) on the season and clinched bowl eligibility with the triumph.
The Buckeyes will host Minnesota next Saturday.

Olentangy Offerings

1) Dwayne Haskins played the entire game against a weaker opponent ( Indiana entered the game 4-1) and when things such as that happen, there is a chance at a record.
Haskins made a run at the all-time record for passing yards in a game for a Buckeye before settling for second by just three yards.
Most Buckeye fans root for Haskins (or any other Buckeye QB for that matter) to set a new record to erase the name Art "The Gambler" Schlichter from the Ohio State record book.
Schlichter's problems hit the public well after leaving Columbus, but he still carries a bit of a stain and it would be nice to have someone else atop the passing list.

2) Haskins was intercepted twice in the game, but both times the picks weren't bad decision making as Haskins was hit in the act of throwing on each of the two throws.
When you watch those types of plays with the quarterback being popped in the pocket, it almost always results in these floating soft pop flies that again almost always results in some linebacker or safety all alone on the field grabbing an easy interception.
Don't want to see those?
Protect your quarterback better.

3) The worries about the secondary (and the entire back seven for that matter)  continue as the Hoosiers threw for over 300 yards, three touchdown and three big-play passes of over thirty yards.
On paper, there are plenty of four and five-star prospects and they look the part, but the production doesn't arrive on the field.
Most of the back seven seem to lack either the speed or athleticism to make plays and I don't care about their speed numbers in shorts and cleats.
I care about their speed in pads and in gameplay and so far more often than not, it hasn't been there.

4) I was disappointed in the running game in which J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber combined for 152 yards, but did so averaging just over three yards a carry and Dobbins (I think) was stopped on fourth and short.
I expect more from these talented backs and from the offensive line in making holes for them against a weaker opponent with a smaller and depth-challenged defensive line.

5) It's been a long time since I've seen a Buckeye team that tackles this poorly and especially in space.
Way WAY too many broken tackles and guys missing tackles in space that look like guys trying to guard Pete Maravich in 1974!

I'm going to go ahead and stop here for now.
I may come back and add a few points, if I have the time to watch the game closer.
Back tonight with the Browns hosting Baltimore.

15 College Football Games that should be Happening! 6-10

We now move to the middle point of our series of college football games that should be happening, but aren't.
The first part of the series can be found here.

6) West Virginia vs Marshall
This is one that almost made into our top five.
Marshall has only been D-I for twenty years, but being the only other D-I school in the state, they should be playing the flagship school in the Mountaineers.
The Thundering Herd has never beaten WVU in their eight modern meetings and went zero for seven in their series that ran from 2006-20012, but still, it makes sense for this series to be played.
The issue appears to be that Marshall wants the series to alternate between Huntington and Morgantown, while the Mountaineers want two home games for them for every trip to Marshall.
It's too bad that the state capital in Charleston doesn't have a suitable stadium to hold the game or that would be the perfect compromise for the third game.
Those that say there is no rivalry between the schools, well my response to that is-Wait until Marshall wins one ( and they will) and then watch it thrive.

7) Notre Dame vs Michigan
Longtime readers may be surprised since I don't like either of these teams and usually try to avoid this September game like the plague.
However, that game was usually a close affair, exciting and with two schools with deep tradition, this game needs to be played every year.
Like the Notre Dame-Purdue series, this series was one that was stopped by the Irish light affiliation with the ACC, which means that the Irish will play five ACC opponents a year.
Notre Dame being an independent meant they could have a lot of rivals with games with Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Navy, USC, Stanford etc and something had to give with their ACC agreement.
The two teams will play home and home in 2018 and 2019 and hopefully there can be a way to bring this back to every year status.

8) Texas vs Arkansas
This rivalry dating back to the days of the old SWC with Darryl Royal (Texas) and Frank Broyles (Arkansas) battling for SWC titles and occasionally even national championships.
The 1969 "Game of the Century" (Just watched this today on Longhorn Network,- BOOM, TV upgrade today) saw number one Texas nip number two Arkansas 15-14 and is still remembered to this day.
It just wasn't an SWC game in those days of one or two games a week without it involving one of these teams and their encounter usually had a national television audience
The teams have played five times since the Razorbacks left for the SEC (two of those bowl games), but not since 2008 in the regular season and have no future games scheduled.

9) Kentucky vs Indiana
The former battle for the Bourbon Barrel (both schools eliminated the trophy after an alcohol-related death in 1999, although they could have changed the name to Bronze Barrel, I guess) saw the Wildcats and Hoosiers play almost every year (a few gaps in the early 80's) from 1979 to 2005, but haven't played since.
Neighboring states with a big rivalry in basketball along with both usually being among the weaker football programs in their respective conferences make this a series that would be worth renewing.

10) Maryland vs Virginia
The Terrapins and Cavaliers were longtime conference rivals as the two most northern teams in the ACC (until expansion), they were the closest to each other and battled often for the same recruits.
A trophy was never involved between these schools and despite teams having other rivals (Maryland had various rivalries with other ACC schools, depending on who was strong during in a particular era while Virginia played Virginia Tech every year before VT joined the ACC), their conference rival was consistently each other.
The conference changes saw each add a "rival" in conference (Maryland with Penn State, who doesn't look at them as such and Virginia with Virginia Tech) and could use a non-conference rival currently.
The two will play home and home in 2023 and 2024, so maybe there is hope for reviving this rivalry.

Look for the top five sometime soon!

Buckeyes handle Indiana in opener 49-21

For one half,the underdog Indiana Hoosiers had the Ohio State Buckeyes on their heels and in a tough battle.
However,the always important adjustments were made on both sides of the ball and the Buckeyes controlled the second half on their way to a 49-21 win in Bloomington.
The offensive star was true freshman
J.K.Dobbins,who set an Ohio State record for most rushing yards in a debut performance with 181 yards.
J.T.Barrett threw three second half touchdown passes and finished with over three hundred yards passing.
Ohio State (1-0 1-0 Big 10) hosts Oklahoma next Saturday night in Columbus....

Olentangy Offerings

1) OK,the Buckeyes didn't impress in the first half,but give credit to both coordinators,Kevin Wilson and Greg Schiano for developing plans to deal with what Indiana was doing (especially Schiano) and generally dominating the second half.

2) Those adjustments on defense were as simple as not giving the Hoosiers,who were using a speeded up offense, as many checkdowns and short passes.
When the Hoosiers were shown some different looks,they didn't make the proper adjustment to those and the game swung the Buckeyes way for good.

3) On offense,the adjustments were made to use running back J.K.Dobbins more and to allow J.T. Barrett to do what he does best-run and occasionally throw on the run.
Using that strategy,the smaller Hoosiers were outpowered and the Buckeyes slowly pulled away.

4) Indiana's final touchdown late in the third quarter gave them a 21-20 lead and the stadium was smelling a close finish.
To the point of Hoosier fans beginning a chant of "Overrated".
J.T.Barrett then hit Parris Campbell on a short pass that Campbell turned into a 74 yard touchdown to regain the lead.
After the Overrated chant,Ohio State outscored Indiana 29-0,so thanks.

5) Parris Campbell redeemed himself with his long touchdown catch after earlier in the game dropping probably the best pass that J.T. Barrett threw all day..
Campbell is explosive,but his hands still have questions to me...

6) J.T. Barrett's numbers look nice,but the issues with accuracy that have followed his career are still there.
Barrett just doesn't throw the deep ball or even the medium ball well and its been proven that Barrett's passing stats are completely reliant on getting the ball out and allowing his receivers to make plays in space.

7) Mike Weber missed the game with an injury and I wrote in the Buckeye preview that the coaches were pleased with J.K. Dobbins.
Buckeye fans were as well with his record setting evening.
Robbins runs hard and has breakaway speed.
To be honest and it's only from one game-Mike Weber is a very nice back,J.K.Dobbins has the ability to be the next Buckeye great running back.

8) Indiana wide receiver Simmie Cobbs had a huge game (11 for 149 and a score) against Denzel Ward,but Ward won his battles as well.
It seems a little silly to say that Ward played well with the numbers that Cobbs put up,but he broke up some passes and yes,I'd say he played well.

9) Indiana quarterback Richard Lagow played well (especially in the first half),but few teams are going to beat Ohio State throwing the ball 68 times (65 from Lagow).
Inexperienced secondary or not,that isn't happening.but give Indiana credit-they were playing for the win.
I've commented often that big underdogs have two choices to play for the win-throw caution to the wind or play very safe and hope to play perfectly.

10) I thought Indiana lost some momentum in the first half when they replaced Richard Lagow with their running QB Peyton Ramsey.
I hate when teams use their quarterback that way-it just advertises what play calling is going to be coming.
Might as well put a board on :RUNNING QB NOW IN GAME-HE CANNOT PASS!!!

11) I really like Binjimen Victor as the red zone receiver.
Victor caught just one ball,but it was for a score-I think it'll be Victor that becomes the end zone target as the season goes by..

12) Next week against Oklahoma looks like a tough game.
You have to think that the Sooners were watching and Baker Mayfield and company aren't afraid to throw the ball around against the OSU secondary..
The advantage is that this will be new head coach Lincoln Riley's first road game and the Sooners looked to be stronger last year in Norman with the Buckeyes winning anyway.
Ohio State might be able to take advantage of the Sooners defense,which isn't exactly sturdy playing in the porous Big 12,which is the football equivalent of Loyola Marymount basketball under Paul Westhead...

Buckeyes hop Hoosiers 38-17

The Ohio State Buckeyes put together enough to win in an uneven effort in Columbus and defeated the Indiana Hoosiers 38-17 in Big 10 play.
J.T.Barrett led a punishing Buckeye ground game with 137 yards rushing and rushed and threw for a score.
The now 5-0 (2-0 Big Ten) Buckeyes have a tough travel game next week vs 4-1 Wisconsin...

I'm going to pass on a NLDS wrapup because I needed to sleep after this game.
I needed a lot of rest as I finished the Hagerstown Suns season reviews and then watched this game.

Olentangy Offerings

1) This win was nothing special,but even though Indiana was close on the scoreboard,I never felt that this game was in doubt.

2) The Buckeyes only threw for 93 yards,but considering the conditions (quite windy),I can excuse that.
I also think there could be something to be said for the Buckeyes playing things safe against a lesser opponent in order to spring some surprises next week vs a rested Wisconsin team.
One thing is likely-Ohio State will need to throw the ball more against the Badgers defense than they did against Indiana.

3) J.T.Barrett ran the ball more in this game (Clearly),but his deep ball lacked accuracy.
Call it the winds,but Barrett still doesn't have the quick strike passing game that will be needed against better teams.

4) Curtis Samuel didn't see the ball as much as I would have expected.Nine rushes (82 yards and a score) and no receptions.
It could be that Mike Weber was a better fit for the power style of this game,but I hope Samuel regains his place in the offense next week...

5) Key play-Indiana closes to 17-10 near the end of the first half and for the only time all day,you start to wonder about things.
Parris Campbell then rips off a 91 yard kickoff return to set up a Mike Weber score.
Special teams will be even bigger against better teams..

6) Second half key play-Nick Bosa stuffing Kevin Wilson at the OSU six on fourth and one,snuffed out any chance of the Hoosiers getting back into this one.
Nick Bosa is going to be a stud...

7) Ohio State remains the only team in the nation to not allow a rushing touchdown this season.
That is likely to change next week in Madison...

8) I really like linebacker Jerome Baker and his eleven tackles weren't bad either.
Baker reminds me a lot of Darron Lee and might be a better pro prospect...

9) I usually laugh at Indiana as a weak sister with the Purdues,Rutgers,etc,but I'm seeing good things under Kevin Wilson.
Don't get me wrong,I don't expect we'll ever see the day of the Hoosiers as a title threat,but Kevin Wilson has them on the right track and I can see them eventually being a minor bowl contender every year,if they keep the faith and the course...

10) I'm not sure how much coverage that I will have of the Wisconsin game.
As many of you know,my son is getting married next Saturday and I'll be watching that game in a sports bar.
That might be fun,but it doesn't match well in keeping my usual notes for game recaps....

Buckeyes scared in Bloomington 34-27

The top ranked Ohio State Buckeyes were outplayed for a half and every time that they picked up the pace,the Indiana Hoosiers had an answer.
What Ohio State had that the Hoosiers didn't was Ezekiel Elliott and his 274 yards combined with three long touchdown runs and a batted away pass in the end zone on the last play of the game allowed OSU to escape Bloomington with a 34-27 win.
Cardale Jones threw for 274 yards and a score,while Jalin Marshall caught six passes for 110 yards for the now 5-0 Buckeyes.
Ohio State returns home next Saturday to host Maryland on the Terrapins first visit to the Horseshoe...

Olenthangy Offerings

1) What a game from Ezekiel Elliott!
Elliott almost singlehandedly won this with his 274 rushing yards (tying Keith Byars for second most in a game by a Buckeye) and three touchdown runs of 55,65 and 75 yards.
Elliott's game might have re-entered him in the Heisman race and more importantly kept the Buckeyes in the national title race....

2) I feel a little iffy on Cardale Jones,even though he threw just one interceptiona,although it wasn't a good pass that was picked off.
It was pretty clear to me that Urban Meyer was afraid to let him throw the football in the latter part of the game and allowed Indiana to crawl back into the game.
It reminded me of how the Buckeyes did the same thing to J.T.Barrett against Penn State last season and allowed an inferior team to hang in there due to an overly conservative offense...

3) Jalen Marshall did have some nice receiving numbers,but fumbled the ball twice.
When you look at Marshall's similar issues against Indiana last year,perhaps he should skip the Indiana game next season.
In all seriousness,Marshall holds the ball away from his ball and doesn't take care of the football.
Marshall brings so much to the game with his explosiveness,it's too bad that you always have to worry about the security of the football...

4) Ohio State did take a sizable chunk of the Indiana offense away with injuries to Hoosier quarterback Nate Sudfeld and running back Jordan Howard.
Indiana couldn't throw the ball with backup passer Zander Diamont and had to result to trick plays to move the ball through the air.

5) The Buckeyes lost another wideout with the loss of Corey Smith to a leg injury that looked especially gruesome.
Smith had just started to become more of a force at wide receiver and his loss will be felt.

6) Classless fans in Bloomington,who decided to pick a time with a player down on the field with a potentially season ending injury to chant "F Ohio State"...

7) I wonder where Braxton Miller went in this offense?
Miller had one reception and a rushing play and the creativity that was used to get the ball in his hands against Virginia Tech has disappeared.
A little Miller might be the ticket to loosen defenses that will focus more and more on Ezekiel Elliott.

8) Raekwon McMillan finished with 14 tackles and Adolphus Washington with 10 more,no matter the issues on this day-the run defense up the middle was not one of them...

9) The last time that Indiana defeated Ohio State?
1988,when my son was one year old and still in diapers and I was just 20 years old.
Indiana won the 87 and 88 games and before that?
Ohio State had not lost to the Hoosiers in 36 years,so in the last 63 years (almost my father's lifetime),the Hoosiers have defeated the Buckeyes twice.
Losses to Indiana will not be tolerated....

10) I'm hoping that this is one of these dodged bullets that occasionally happens,but the game that that I found myself reflecting on as the game progressed was the 2002 title team and their win on the road against an average Purdue team that somehow pulled out a win on a similarly bad weather day on the road.

11) However,that team had an offensive identity-a run first team led by Maurice Clarett that used the pass as an way to keep the defense honest.
Considering the issues at quarterback and the injuries at wide receiver,perhaps this team should ponder a similar plan.

Sloppy Buckeyes slide by Indiana 42-27,Clinch Big 10 East!

The Indiana Hoosiers hung tough with the Ohio State Buckeyes for three quarters before Jalin Marshall atoned for a bad week in Minnesota with four straight touchdowns to lift Ohio State to a 42-27 win over the Hoosiers at the Horseshoe.
Marshall grabbed three touchdown passes from J.T. Barrett and returned a punt for a score to lead the Buckeye rally.
Barrett finished with 302 yards and four touchdowns,although he was intercepted twice.
The Buckeyes improve to 10-1 with the victory and 7-0 in the Big Ten East as the Buckeyes clinched the division title and representative to the Big 10 title game in Indianapolis.
Next Saturday,Ohio State hosts michigan in what is likely to be Brady Hoke's swan song as coach.

Olentangy Offerings

1) Jalin Marshall played Harvey Dent over these last two games,as against Minnesota,he fumbled twice,but he was the dominant player/
The punt return cracked the game,but the one handed catch pictured and two shovel passes caught killed the Hoosiers.
Just hold onto the ball,Jalen and special things happen.

2) J.T,Barrett got two TD passes that were closer to runs,but he got an interception that he didn't deserve either deep in Indiana territory as a good pass was deflected into Indiana hands.
Barrett wasn't terrific,but 400 yards of total offense sure is Ok with me..

3) Ezekiel Elliott scored the first touchdown on a 65 yard run,but only carried 12 times after that.
Sometimes Tom Herman forgets about the running game and against the undersized Hoosiers,pounding the ball more might have blown this one open sooner.

4) Give punter Cameron Johnston a game ball with three of his five punts dying inside the 20.
Great job punting with one ball literally causing a divot in the ground at the one yard line.
Johnston punts in the NFL one day-bank on it..

5) The run defense continues to have problems as Tevin Coleman rushed for 228 yards  and three scores including a 90 yard run.
Look out against Wisconsin and Melvin Gordon,although the West rep will be the winner of the Wisconsin-Minnesota game....

Shorter than usual,but I wanted to get this finished before the Browns start.I may do an editors note version tomorrow...