Everyone Knows It's Windy- OSU dodges Northwestern

     On a day that the windy weather was the biggest story of the afternoon, the Ohio State Buckeyes struggled through the breeze and slid by the Northwestern Wildcats 21-7 in Evanston, Illinois.

Miyan Williams was the offensive standout with two rushing touchdowns and 111 yards on the green.

Ohio State improves to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big Ten and will host Indiana in Columbus next Saturday.

Olentangy Offerings

1) This was one of those crazy days of weather that occasionally show up in autumn and with winds of a consistent thirty miles per hour with gusts every few seconds of up to fifty MPH, it was next to impossible to score moving into the wind.

2) Of the 28 points scored, only seven were scored into the wind- the final touchdown of the day in the fourth quarter by Ohio State, and that was set up not by a pass but by...

3) A run by C.J. Stroud of forty-four yards to take the ball down to the Northwestern five.

Stroud is noted for not running, which Ryan Day says is due to Day, not Stroud.

On a day that Stroud threw for only seventy-six yards and without a touchdown pass, it was his running that slammed the door on the Wildcat's upset bid.

4) Miyan Williams took a while to get started on a day that the Buckeyes leaned on Williams in the absence of TreVeyon Henderson but he finished strongly.

Williams rushed for only twenty-eight yards on his first thirteen carries and eighty-three yards on his final thirteen rushes.

5) Ohio State did finish with 207 rushing yards and they were wearing Northwestern down but in the third quarter with Williams starting to get rolling, Ryan Day suddenly decided to start throwing the ball including a long incomplete pass on a third and two.

The running game has been erratic this year to a degree but often just as it gets the kinks out, Ohio State decides to throw more often.

Confusing.

6) Northwestern finished with 206 rushing yards and Ohio State allowed the Wildcats to run on them without a throwing threat at all.

The Wildcats finished with only one fewer yard than Ohio State and it does concern me considering the Michigan offense is very similar in scheme to Northwestern with improved talent.

7) Jim Knowles has been receiving criticism after the game with the Wildcat's running success.

I say otherwise.

Ohio State stopped Northwestern on multiple fourth-down tries throughout the game and allowed just seven points in awful conditions.

8) While I understand the concern about the run defense, I can't pass that concern onto Jim Knowles considering the job that he has done this season.

Ohio State had every chance to allow Northwestern to pull an upset with just one big play and the defense wouldn't allow it.

Tough to be mad about that.

9) The late touchdown that Ohio State scored allowed them to continue a string of scoring twenty or more for seventy games in a row and breaking the NCAA record of sixty-nine held by Oklahoma from 2016-21.

Whoopee.

10) This should be the final time for the Buckeyes to visit Ryan Field and it's not soon enough for me.

I like old stadiums with their quirks and charms even more than the next guy but as I used to say about Hagerstown Municipal Stadium, there is a difference between old and charming and a dump. 

Ryan Field is an embarrassment to the conference and its schools and the sooner Northwestern's new facility is ready to open will be better for the university and the conference.

Boxing Challenge

    The biggest fight of the weekend is easily in the boxing hotbed of Abu Dhabi with the one light heavyweight title not held by Artur Beterbiev at stake along with a sizable future paycheck as well as WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol faces former WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto Ramirez in a showdown of two undefeated fighters.

Bivol enters the fight after upsetting Canelo Alvarez earlier this year. Ramirez has been pounding former contenders that are a bit past their best days such as Sullivan Barrera and Yunieski Gonzalez.

This could be each man's toughest test as a pro as Bivol is facing a larger man in Ramirez and Ramirez has never faced a versatile fighter such as Bivol.

Bivol has stated that his goal is a fight with Artur Beterbiev for all four titles in the division and there is always a rematch with Canelo whenever Canelo wants it. 

Ramirez might be in a different pickle should he win as a Canelo fight could be difficult to make if Canelo doesn't want to deal with his former promoter and Ramirez's current- Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions, and a Beterbiev fight could be a tough sell as Beterbiev's promoter, Top Rank, once promoted Ramirez and the parting wasn't amiable.

I lean toward Bivol as he can do more things while Ramirez has been scoring knockouts late. he isn't a big puncher and I'm not sure that he can hit Bivol enough to grind him down.

The co-feature will fill the vacant IBF junior lightweight title as Shavkat Rakhimov faces Zelfa Barrett.

Rakhimov fought for this title in February 2021 but settled for a majority draw against Joseph Diaz, who had given up the title on the scales before the fight.

Barrett holds a win over Kiko Martinez but hasn't proven himself above the European level and I have doubts that he will hold up under the pressure of Rakhimov.

Showtime returns to Minneapolis for another minor title defense of super middleweight David Morrell, who defends against undefeated Aidos Yerbossnuly.

Both men have defeated Lennox Allen, Morrell winning by unanimous decision in 2020 and Yerbossnuly stopping Allen in ten rounds in 2021, and have extensive amateur backgrounds.

The winner will stay in the super middleweight picture among the various interims and minor titles under the unified champion of the division, Canelo Alvarez.

Former WBA and IBF junior middleweight champion Jeison Rosario attempts to bounce back from back-to-back knockout losses (Jermell Charlo and Erickson Lubin) against late replacement Brian Mendoza in a ten-round middleweight fight.

Mendoza is 18-2 but has fought no one in Rosario's class and I'd say this would be a mismatch if there wasn't the ever-present question of Rosario's chin, which has caused him to be stopped in all three of his career defeats.

The final fight is on the Showtime YouTube channel as two long-time contenders in their division that never won a world title will attempt to continue their careers as Andre Dirrell meets Yunieski Gonzalez in a light heavyweight ten-rounder.

Dirrell hasn't fought since last July and that is his only fight since December 2019 while Gonzalez was pounded by Gilberto Ramirez last December in his most recent bout.

These two are aging (Dirrell 39, Gonzalez 37) and don't seem to have much remaining in their careers but sometimes, fighters like these two can produce a very entertaining fight.

Boxing Challenge

WBA Light Heavyweight Title. 12 Rds 

Dmitry Bivol vs Gilberto Ramirez

Ramon Malpica and TRS: Bivol Unanimous Decision

Vince Samano: Ramirez KO 11

Vacant IBF Junior Lightweight Title. 12 Rds

Shavkat Rakhimov vs Zelfa Barrett

All: Rakhimov Unanimous Decision

Super Middleweights. 12 Rds

David Morrell vs Aldos Yerbossynuly

R.L and TRS: Morrell Unanimous Decision

V.S: Morrell KO 9

Middleweights.10 Rds

Jeison Rosario vs Brian Mendoza

R.L: Rosario KO 9

TRS: Rosario Unanimous Decision

V.S.: Mendoza Unanimousous Decision

Light Heavyweights. 10 Rds

Andre Dirrell vs Yunieski Gonzalez

All; Gonzalez Unanimous Decision

PPM

 The football weekend leads off with the Tennessee-Georgia game, which will be the game of the year to this point in college football.

Last Week: 7-6 

Overall: 90-50

College

Ohio State over Northwestern 62-10

TCU over Texas Tech 44-35

Bowling Green over Western Michigan 21-20

Oregon State over Washington 31-24

Middle Tennessee State over Louisiana Tech 33-23

Arkansas over Liberty 37-34

Georgia Southern over South Alabama 29-28

Boise State over BYU 27-21

Houston over SMU 39-28

Wake Forest over N.C.State 31-21

Games of the Week

Georgia over Tennessee 36-31

Alabama over LSU 30-21

Kansas State over Texas 46-41

NFL
Ravens over Saints 31-21

Chargers over Falcons 24-17

Games of the Week

Chiefs over Titans 35-17

Bills over Jets 41-21

Cleaning out the Inbox: Passings

   Time to pay our tributes to people of note that have recently passed away.

Goodbye to Eder Jofre at the age of 86.

Arguably the greatest bantamweight of all time, a member of the boxing Hall of Fame, and certainly the greatest Brazilian boxer ever, Jofre would lose only twice in his eighty-four fight career, both to another Hall of Famer in Fighting Harada of Japan.

Jofre won the bantamweight title in 1960 and defended the championship nine times before losing a split decision to Harada in 1965 to drop the title.

Harada would win the rematch via unanimous decision and Jofre would retire for three years before returning as a featherweight in 1969 and winning fourteen fights in a row before defeating Jose Legra to win the WBC featherweight title by majority decision in 1973.

Jofre's victory at 37 is a still-active record for the oldest fighter to win the featherweight title

Jofre would defend the title via fourth-round knockout of former bantamweight champion Vincente Saldivar but would be stripped for not fighting number one contender Alfredo Marcano.

Jofre would return against lesser lights in 1975 and 76 winning all seven but in an unimpressive manner.

Goodbye to Bruce Sutter at the age of 69.

A member of the baseball hall of fame and one of the elite closers of the 70s and 80s, Sutter was an undistinguished minor-league reliever in the spring of 1973 when he was shown a grip and taught one pitch- the split-fingered fastball that turned a low-level minor leaguer with little hope into an eventual  Cooperstown inductee.

Sutter would save between 21 and 45 games for the Cubs and Cardinals from 1978-84, leading the National League five times, winning the Cy Young award in 1979, and winning a World Series with the 1982 Cardinals before signing a huge contract with the Atlanta Braves in 1985.

Sutter injured his arm after joining the Braves and struggled through three dismal seasons before retiring in 1989.

Goodbye to Charley Trippi at the age of 100.

A member of both the college and pro football hall of fame, Trippi was the oldest living member of both halls at his passing.

Trippi, at various times in his career, played quarterback, running back, receiver, defensive back, punter, and returned kicks as the most versatile player of his era.

Trippi led the then-Chicago Cardinals to their most recent NFL title in 1947 and had the highest number of total offensive yards when he retired in 1955.

Trippi remains the only player in the pro football hall to notch over 1,000 career yards in rushing, receiving, and passing.

Goodbye to Alvin Maxson at the age of 70.

Maxson finished second in the 1974 Rookie of the year voting after rushing for 714 yards with the New Orleans Saints after being selected by the Saints in the eighth round from SMU.

Maxson never repeated his success and in the remaining four years of his career, Maxson would rush for a combined 556 yards with the Saints and four other teams.

Goodbye to Vince Dooley at the age of 90.

Dooley, the legendary coach of the Georgia Bulldogs from 1964-1988, won 201 games in Athens against only 77 losses (and ten ties) during his era, during almost all was during the Alabama tenure of Bear Bryant.

Dooley won six SEC titles and took his Bulldog teams to twenty bowl appearances with the 1980 National Championship-winning Dawgs as his coaching peak.

After winning the 1980 title, Dooley was offered the job at conference rival and alma mater Auburn but turned the offer down to stay with UGA.

Dooley would step down as coach after the 1988 season to concentrate on his role as athletic director after serving in double duty since 1979 and would stay as AD until 2004.

Goodbye to Ray Guy at the age of 72.

Guy is the only punter to ever be picked in the first round of the NFL Draft (1973 Raiders), the only punter in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and is the namesake of the award for the best punter in college football.

Guy was named to the All-Pro team on eight occasions, the Pro Bowl seven times, and was the punter on the three Super Bowl champions in Raider franchise history.

Known for the hang time on his punts that allowed his punt coverage unit to force fair catches, Houston coach Bum Phillips once accused the Raiders of using helium to pump the footballs that Guy used because "they hang so high and no one else can reach those heights".

Guy also punted a ball into the gondola (hanging scoreboard) during a Pro Bowl in the days when the Louisiana Superdome hosted the after-season all-star game. 

Guy was a good enough pitcher at Southern Mississippi that he was drafted four times by various teams in the MLB draft.

Hitting the Hall!

      It had been quite a few years since I had visited the inside of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and it had certainly been before the constant renovations that have been going on for years (And still are) on the building, the neighboring Fawcett Stadium, and the surrounding area.

So when I had the opportunity to make the trip for work reasons, I didn't mind being able to make the tour for the first time in a while.

For the record, I was there for work but due to privacy concerns, I will be writing about the trip as if I was alone from here out.

The first time that I visited the Pro Football Hall was in 1976 and at the age of eight, it was about the grandest place that I had ever seen.

Keep in mind, I didn't visit Cooperstown until 2013 and I've never been to the basketball hall in Springfield, Connecticut at all, so that first visit was as big as it could get to me!

I know the HOF has been through three full renovations since then on the main building and that's not even adding the full upgrade to the entire facility that continues to roll on today.

That first visit was as close to the original Hall as I could see, as at that time only one addition had been tacked onto the original building when in 1970 the building moved from two "rooms" to three.

The next renovation would be in 1978 and that would be the version of the building that I would take Ryan for his first trip in Canton before the next overhaul in the early 90s.

Now, the building only shows signs of what it once looked like on the far end where the original Rotunda still remains the same on the exterior although it has been renovated on the interior and the remainder of the building is a dazzling modern blend of chrome and steel.

The Hall currently has a beautiful walk up to the entrance that reminds one more of a government building in Washington than one devoted to the history of professional football.

Once inside, there are plenty of docents around to answer questions or move around the facility, which is extremely helpful for the casual fan or the non-fan that is along for the ride with someone that cares more.

The rotunda that once was the centerpiece of the building is still intact on the outside but the inside has been modernized and unless you are paying attention to the different levels as you look around, you would almost never realize it!

The rest of the facility has been modernized and is far flashier with a massive gift shop that in the present-day may not have been a big deal but made me think of what a big deal it was on my first two trips to the hall in a time that you were mostly relegated to items from your local team and whoever was dominant at the time, I remember that first time being thrilled to see so many times from all the teams!

I remember being almost in a daze as I was so thrilled to be able to find any item from the team that I wanted (at that time, Denver) that I was barely able to keep things together!

Being that I had seen most of the museum on my last visit a few years back, I really only wanted to see one item/display in particular and as we wound down a video presentation, I felt like most of the building had been covered and I hadn't found the one thing I wanted to see.

Former Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars general manager Carl Peterson donated the USFL Championship Trophy to the Hall in 2018 (Which shows you the last time I walked through the building other than a gift shop stop) after holding possession of the trophy since 1985 when the Baltimore Stars won the trophy over the Oakland Invaders 28-24 in the league's final game.

The trophy was the one thing I wanted to see most and I was concerned that perhaps it was part of the Hall's collection but wasn't on display as I hadn't seen it anywhere.

I would find it and get my picture "with it" and it was all due to a piece of cake and former Chargers wide receiver Charlie Joiner.

 

As the video ended and filing out of the theatre began, two employees each had their own table with a massive cake to celebrate the birthday of Charlie Joiner.

After being given a slice, I realized that there was nowhere to eat the cake as you aren't allowed to take it through the museum and yet I'm holding this on a flimsy paper plate.

I remembered reading on the HOF website that they had a small "snack bar" someplace and I decided to try to find that, figuring there would be tables located there.

I did see some signs for certain locations and a snack bar was listed, so as I followed the signs it became clear that the snack bar was located in a tucked-away area with lower foot traffic.

I entered an area and could see the snack bar on the other end of the open space and as I moved towards it, just before reaching the door, on my left, was the USFL trophy inside a case with a few other league items (Believe it or not, I owned the shirt inside the case, although I wasn't at that game).

After I found a place to dispose of the cake ( I took a small bite), I was able to take a few pictures of the trophy with the best one at the top of the page and the worst one of me above.

I was pleased that I was able to find the trophy, especially when it appeared that I might not see it at all.

I'm not sure if I'll ever return to the Hall again, although there is one scenario that I am considering that could see me do some research behind the scenes, but I enjoyed it more in hindsight through the eyes of a child than I do as a middle-aged man.

Still, if you care even a little about pro football, you need to make the trip to Canton at least once. 

Boxing Challenge; Teraji knocks out Kyoguchi, unifies titles.

  Early Tuesday morning on the East Coast, a terrific card from Saitama, Japan rewarded those who either got up from bed early or stayed up all night with three excellent fights in the boxing challenge.

In the main event, Kenshiro Teraji knocked out Hiroto Kyoguchi in the seventh round to unify the WBA and WBC light flyweight titles.

Teraji is listed as the same height and only a half-inch longer in reach but the WBC champion seemed taller and rangier than his WBA counterpart and when Teraji used that size from the outside, he couldn't miss Kyoguchi with the jab or right hand.

What often makes good fights is when one fighter ignores his advantages and decides to fight and when Teraji made that decision, the fight was quite entertaining with Kyoguchi having more than his share of moments.

Round five may have a claim for the round of the year as Teraji knocked down Kyoguchi and appeared to be on the edge of a stoppage before appearing to punch himself out a bit before Kyoguchi landed a big right hand that had Teraji on the run and when the bell rang to end the round, Kyoguchi looked to be the fighter in better shape.

Teraji calmly boxed in the sixth and came out for the seventh with a second wind, dominating the round and knocking down Kyoguchi late in the round with the referee ending the fight without a count.

I had Teraji ahead 58-55 at the time of the stoppage as Teraji cemented himself as the best light flyweight in the world for the time being and he may have a chance to add another title in the division next year.

Teraji's opponent would be WBO champion Jonathan Gonzalez, who held off a strong early attack from Shokichi Iwata to retain his belt via unanimous decision.

Iwata came forward for the entire fight but was in only his tenth pro fight and when the longer reach of Gonzalez began to make the difference in the middle rounds, Iwata didn't have very much to answer with other than aggression.

Gonzalez has been knocked out in all three of his defeats but against Kenshiro Teraji, he will be hard-pressed to avoid the power of the Japanese star.

I scored Gonzalez a winner at 116-112 which was the same as two judges with a dissenter at 117-111 for Gonzalez.

Junto Nakatani vacated his WBO flyweight title to move to 115 pounds earlier in the week and he earned a unanimous decision over former WBA and IBF mini-flyweight/strawweight champion Francisco Rodriguez in a rough and tumble matchup.

Rodriguez played the role of the wily veteran heel with clutching, grabbing, and other borderline tactics that would cost him one point in the seventh round.

Nakatani will be better for the experience but he still deserved the decision as he landed the better punches.

Nakatani's win on the cards were 99-90, 98-91, and 97-92 with my score the same as the middle ledger.

Nakatani could be facing the winner of the WBA-WBO junior bantamweight unification between Joshua Franco and Kazuto Ioka, a fight that would be huge in Japan, should Ioka emerge as the winner.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 181 Pts (4) 

Ramon Malpica: 154 Pts (0)

Vince Samano: 148 Pts (3) 

Browns end losing streak, Rout Bengals 32-13

   The Cleveland Browns season was on the line Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Lose and any slim chance of salvaging a disappointing season over the second half almost disappears.

Win and then moving into a week off keeps the Browns with a small layer of hope.

So naturally, the Browns played their best game of the season and trounced the Cincinnati Bengals 32-13 in Cleveland to improve their record to 3-5 and end a four-game losing streak.

Amari Cooper caught five passes for 131 yards and a touchdown and Nick Chubb scored twice along with rushing for 101 yards to lead the offense with Jacoby Brissett throwing for 278 yards and a score.

Cleveland's two games following the off week are on the road at Miami and Buffalo.

Brownie Bits

1) Just when you think the wheels are flying off, the Browns stepped forward and played their best all-around game of the season.

Other than the Amari Cooper pass that was intercepted, I can't think of anything that was wince-inducing.

2) And even with the Cooper play, I wouldn't have an issue with the play call as Michael Woods was wide open downfield.

The issue was that Cooper should have just run because his arm was hit during the throw, which caused the ball to be well underthrown and intercepted by the Bengals' Vonn Bell.

3) When Cleveland scored their first touchdown and attempted the extra point from Cade York, the Bengals were called for twelve men on the field with Kevin Stefanski deciding to take the penalty and go for two.

Risky, yes but I understood it and what I really liked was...

4) Stefanski then used the Browns' strength to get the two points.

Rather than getting cute as many coaches do, Stefanski used the offensive line to their strength, brought in Michael Dunn and Drew Forbes as tight ends, and just knocked the Bengals off the ball as Nick Chubb crashed into the end zone for two points.

5) The best part of the Chubb score was the block from James Hudson on Bengal linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither that was so debilitating that it reminded me a bit of the classic MNF block by the Bears William "The Refrigerator" Perry on the Packers George Cumby.

6) This version of Jacoby Brissett is what the Browns hoped that they would receive from Brissett more often.

It's simplistic sounding but hitting the open man, not forcing any passes, and avoiding the big mistake goes a long way when you are a running team.

Brissett did lose the ball on a sack but didn't throw any interceptions.

7) Myles Garrett looked like Myles Garrett against the Bengals with a sack and a half and hit Joe Burrow with what seemed to be every other dropback.

Garrett has the talent to rank among the best pass rushes in the game and I wouldn't say that he disappoints anyone but he only occasionally has the type of game that shows the dominance that he is capable of from week to week.

7) The Bengals hadn't allowed a touchdown in the second half all season.

They allowed three consecutive touchdowns to start the second half against the Browns.

Go Figure.

8) Joe Burrow has been to a Super Bowl and, to date, has never defeated the Cleveland Browns.

Go Figure-Part Two.

9) The key in the momentum game?

How about with forty seconds in the first half, Evan McPherson misses a field goal from forty-seven with the Bengals and the Browns aren't satisfied with their 8-0 lead, so they are aggressive and move the ball enough to allow Cade York a fifty-five-yard field goal attempt.

York drills it to end the half and while 11-0 isn't a huge lead you could feel the difference going into the half.

10) Jacoby Brissett took a huge shot from Trey Hendrickson and with the clock running, Brissett painfully scrambled up and kept the drive rolling, a drive that resulted in the above field goal.

Say what you will about Brissett's talent but don't doubt his toughness.

11) So this gives the Browns hope at 3-5 entering the bye and I know I've said they had to be no worse than 5-6 going into the DeShaun Watson era to have a slim chance.

But they are only two games behind Baltimore and one down from Cincinnati and the Browns' 2-1 division record will help in a potential tiebreaker with the Bengals, who have lost all three divisional games.

12) After the bye, Cleveland will play the erratic 5-3 Dolphins in Miami and while I'd lean towards the home team, I don't think that the Browns have no hope of winning.

That's more than I can say about the following week as the Browns travel to Buffalo against who may be the best team in football in the 6-1 Bills.

The final game is Tampa Bay at home and that looked tougher before the season than it does currently with Tampa also at 3-5 and filled with drama from the various off-the-field issues with Tom Brady.

Winning two of those games is possible and that would give them hope.