Midweek look at news and notes from around Ohio State and the nation… getting ready for what’s been predicted to be a very wet weekend.
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Buckeye 411
- Injury Updates- We found out Monday that Warren Ball has had surgery on his foot and will be redshirting this season, but Tuesday brought good news to the Scarlet and Gray. According to Coach Meyer, Nate Williams passed the agility and mobility tests that the program had for him, and will more than likely see some action on Saturday against Miami. While this will be more limited than he’d surely like, I’m confident that this gradual move to get him ready for the rest of the season will pay huge benefits. It remains to be seen, though, if this plan gets adjusted in the weather situation… sloppy conditions might lead to a re-injury, and Ohio State will work to avoid that.
- ‘Bloody‘ Buckeyes- Tuesday’s practice was the most challenging of the week, but players interviewed afterwards said that it was mostly mentally taxing. From the sound of it, they emerged with flying colors, and will not be “full go” for the rest of the week.
- Explosive- That was how Carlos Hyde described this year’s offense, and it also sounded as if Philly Brown has become a significant playmaker in the team’s eyes. Braxton also talked about Jake Stoneburner’s move to receiver creating a number of opportunities for the team, given his skill set.
- Stormy Saturday? While Isaac will be on the minds (and raincoats) of tailgaters at the ‘Shoe, one Buckeye who will be glad to be in the weather is newly reinstated Storm Klein. While his role with the team is still to be determined, Coach Meyer said that it was the conversations with both the Klein family and the family of the alleged victim that made him decide to allow the senior to return to the team.
- Earning Their (Loss Of) Stripes- Three more freshman became “Buckeyes” on Tuesday, including Armani Reeves and walkons Craig Cataline and Craig Fada.
- As If There Were Any Doubt- After a 12 year study, the four letter network finally announced why they give OSU so much coverage… eyeballs. Whether it’s
creatingcovering controversy and scandal or blowing really bright sunshine up the derrieres of Buckeye fans during All Access, the number don’t lie: Columbus is the highest rated college football market in the country. They tie for that spot with Birmingham Alabama, although the latter only has ‘Bama football, “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo“, QVC, and episodes of “Cops” on their cable packages. They had more channels, but they cut them loose. (see… ’cause they oversign a lot in Alabama… nevermind.) - Rocketman- While Ohio and the nation mourn the loss of Neil Armstrong, a great idea popped up on reddit regarding a way to honor the hero during an upcoming OSU game. Huge h/t to Mark Titus, who pointed us in this direction- the idea being that Armstrong, an Ohio native and a Purdue grad should be remembered during the OSU/Purdue game in the ‘Shoe this season. What do you think??
- Consider Yourself Warned. You’re getting ready for the Miami University game this week, and need your breakdown of the matchups to watch for between the Buckeyes and the RedHawks. You want in-depth coverage and previews that will get you even more ready than you already are. Get ready for something amazing on Thursday… the analysis that this team deserves. What if there’s just a touch of greatness yet to come… how cool would that be? #BuckeyeVoltron
Commentary:
I agree with Urban Meyer.
Sure, this may not be a surprise to anyone who’s reading this with their scarlet and gray glasses on, but give me a minute to clarify. Monday, Jerry Emig informed Ohio State writers who were at the Meyer Press Conference that they would not be allowed to tweet during the event. This created some interesting dynamics (people who watched the livestream at home were under no similar restrictions), and suddenly the national media was criticizing OSU for overstepping their boundaries in these types of situations. Tuesday revealed a switch in policy (similar, it seems, to the “twitter ban” that wasn’t) for future events, and all was right in the world.
Or is it? From my understanding, the initial caveat regarding this type of communication was to ensure that these conferences would be more dialogical- that people would be listening and responding and reacting in real time, rather than trying to type out snippets that might also be taken out of context. Yet another difference between the Meyer and Tressel administration… the latter was known for the ability to talk for minutes without saying much of anything, while the former wants to be able to give answers directly and quickly.
From a teaching perspective, I also think that this was a wise move. How often do we step out of actual conversations because our smartphone dings letting us know that a potential conversation is available? How frequently do we find ourselves developing our “sound bite” responses in a discussion rather than actually hearing what the other person is saying?
But, the University missed their opportunity to make this a richer conversation. Ah well. Be sure to follow us on twitter, will ‘ya?
Across The NCAA
- Fail To The Victors, Part The First- Well, this is a thing:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rfbRCx9jXA?rel=0]
Really looking forward to seeing Yost’s review of this during an upcoming Fan Film Breakdown, you guys.
- Fail To The Victors, Part The Second- Remember all the moral outrage that trickled down from Canada’s Alabama over the past week or so when Bri’onte Dunn was acquitted via the justice system, and Storm Klein plead to a lesser charge and was reinstated to the team. “That’s just like Ohio State… bunch of thugs who’ll do anything to win football games.” Well, you may have noticed that those same Michigan Men were a bit quiet the past few days… this is due to Fitzgerald Toussaint being named the starter on the depth chart for the Alabama Game, and his pleading guilty to the charge of “driving while visibly impaired” rather than the DUI that had been at the heart of his ‘suspension’ (read: still practicing with the team). I’m sure that the fact that the Mich1gAAn running back corps is banged up, and will be facing a top five team has nothing to do with this valuable life lesson.
- Fat, Drunk, And Tuba Is No Way To Go Through Life, Son. Presented without other commentary:
- Oh, Barkley- Look, I like Matt Barkley, except for his choice of schools to matriculate at. However, I’d be remiss in pointing out that he’s had a heck of a couple of days. First, he gets involved in a minor vehicular incident where he clipped a cyclist (I’m sure you heard about that on SportsCenter), and then someone took down his beautiful mugshot near the UCLA campus. Haters gonna hate, and all that.
And Finally
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