Buckeyes Preview 11/3/17: Ohio State @ Iowa Hawkeyes

By Jason Disantis, @JasonInCLE



The Ohio State Buckeyes are coming off one of the greatest comebacks in college football history. After winning in the final minutes against then No. 2 Penn State, the Buckeyes travel to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes.

The biggest question for the Buckeyes heading into this weekend is whether or not they have recouped from the emotionally draining comeback against Penn State. After allowing a touchdown on the opening kick-off and getting down by as much as 18, Ohio State spent the rest of the afternoon chasing points until the final minutes when they took the lead and finished off the Nittany Lions.

Buckeye wide-out Johnnie Dixon who is coming off of a two touchdown performance last week against Penn State was asked about refocusing after the epic comeback:

“We’re elite warriors,” Dixon said. “Once that assignment is over we lock in to the next one.”

Add to the comeback win the Buckeyes (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten) coming in at No. 6 in the first official Playoff rankings and there has been a lot to talk about around Columbus this week. “We’re in the hunt for a lot of big things right now,” coach Urban Meyer said. “But the target is Iowa on the road at 3:30.”

Although an 18-point favorite, Meyer is preparing his team for one of the most physical games they’ll play this weekend.

“They’re just tough. They’re like their coach,” Meyer said. “Their coach is a tough guy. They’re like the state of Iowa. They’re tough people. I love Iowa. I never met too many people or players that just don’t have the characteristics of toughness and I’m going to hit you as hard as I can.”

And by the quotes from Buckeye players this week, you can tell Meyer got that message across to his team very clearly.

“They’re a tough team,” safety Jordan Fuller said. “They get after you. A downhill running team, they take shots, they have it all.”

If Iowa is going to keep this game close they will have to control the ball the best they can to keep the high-powered Buckeye offense off the field. That starts with Hawkeye running back Akrum Wadley.

Wadley leads Iowa with 643 yards on the ground and 268 through the air on 19 receptions. He has eight total touchdowns on the year. But with the Hawkeyes starting two freshman at tackle against what many believe to be the best defensive front in the country it could be a long day for Wadley and first-year starter at quarterback, Nate Stanley.

Hawkeye coach Kirk Ferentz is aware of the battle his team is about to walk into. They Buckeyes are playing their best ball of the year and that is a lot for any team to handle.

“I do know this: If we are going to have a chance to win, we are going to have to be there in the fourth quarter and that’s going to be easier said than done. We are going to have to really fight our tails off to get there.”



What: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Iowa Hawkeyes
When: Saturday November 4, 2017 at 3:30 PM ET
Where: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
Watch: ESPN
Spread: OSU -18.5
Over/Under: 52.5
Money Line: OSU -920, Iowa +695

Spread Offense 9/21/17: College Football Week 4 Preview

By Pat Luhta, @PLuhta

Week 3 is in the books and we definitely learned a lot about some teams, and my top 10 ballot shows those lessons.


WEEK 4 TOP TEN

10. Ohio State (last week: NR)
9. Michigan (last week: 8)
8. Washington (last week: 7)
7. Oklahoma State (last week: 10)
6. Georgia (last week: 6)
5. USC (last week: 2 )
4. Oklahoma (last week 4)
3. Penn State (last week: 3)
2. Alabama (last week: 1)
1. Clemson (last week: 5)

There is a new #1, and the defending champs rightfully deserve the top spot. I had my reservations about Clemson this season, figuring that a young, inexperienced QB would haunt them with Auburn followed by Louisville in weeks 2 and 3 since it usually takes a few weeks to really get comfortable in there. But after shutting down Auburn in week 2, Clemson went to Louisville on Saturday night and absolutely destroyed the Cardinals. That defensive front is no joke and their offense hasn't missed a beat from last season. They are the defending champs and what's scary is that they are better this season than they were last season.

USC dropped from 2 to 5 because once again, you just can't trust this team. They went from struggling against Western Michigan to blowing the doors off of Stanford(who just lost to San Diego State so that win doesn't look so great now) to needing OT to beat a Texas team that had 51 points put up on them by Maryland in week 1. If they continue to be this Jekyll and Hyde team then eventually it'll show up at the worst time and they will lose.

Oklahoma State might have a very good defense, which is not good for opposing teams considering they always have one of the top offenses in the country. They are putting up a lot of points and not giving up many, they could be the best team in the Big 12 when it's all said and done.

WEEK 4 HEISMAN WATCH

5. Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
4. Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
3. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
2. Sam Darnold, QB, USC
1. Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

We also have a new current leader for the Heisman trophy, Baker Mayfield has been excellent this season which includes a win at Ohio State in which he ripped their secondary to shreds. Coming right behind him is Sam Darnold, who had another great game and the team needed everything from him in order to remain undefeated.

Lamar Jackson slides from 1st to 3rd now after a less than stellar performance (to say the least) against Clemson. Jackson was bottled up for the most part as the Clemson defense made him look very human last Saturday night. He only completed 50% of his passes and had 3.4 yards a carry when running the ball, he did have 3 TD passes but 2 of those came when the game was way out of reach (Clemson won 47-21.) Still plenty of time for Jackson to climb back to the top, but a blowout loss like this is definitely a setback for the reigning Heisman trophy winner.


WEEK 4 PREVIEW


#16 TCU at #6 Oklahoma State - 3:30 PM

Oklahoma State has been rolling this season, putting up points in bunches while showing that they can also get stops on defense. QB Mason Rudolph has been leading this team and they are now looking down the road to a Big 12 title and possible playoff berth with the way they have been playing. Their first test comes to Stillwater this Saturday as QB Kenny Hill and the TCU Horned Frogs also look to remain undefeated and pull off a big upset here. TCU looks like a "surprise" team this season, as they were not ranked at the beginning but after 3 straight wins everyone seems to be buying in. Oklahoma State will put up points, but if TCU can slow them down a bit along with being able to break OKSU's defense then they have a chance to pull off the upset. That will be a tough task though, Oklahoma State will be ready and it will take a mistake free game in order for the Horned Frogs to come away with a win.

Prediction: Oklahoma State 44-21


#17 Mississippi State at #11 Georgia - 7:00 PM

The team with the best offense and defense in the SEC currently is, shockingly enough, the Mississippi State Bulldogs. MSU put everyone on notice with a 37-7 thrashing of LSU last Saturday, and now has another big test in front of them. With a top ranked defense though and a QB in Nick Fitzgerald leading the team, MSU looks like they will be ready for any and all comers. Georgia will again start freshman QB Jake Fromm as QB Jacob Eason is just getting back to practice, so look for UGA to utilize their run game and generate their offense from there. Georgia's defensive line will also be the key here, DL Trenton Thompson is one of the best in the country and the Georgia line will look to rattle MSU's Fitzgerald and shut down a team that is currently averaging over 40 points per game. The battle of the Bulldogs and the battle of undefeated teams, should be a stellar game between the hedges.

Prediction: Georgia 27-23


#4 Penn State at Iowa - 7:30 PM

Penn State is another team that has just been rolling so far and looks to be in the playoff mix all season. RB Saquon Barkley has been leading the way for the Nittany Lions, leading the team in both rushing and receiving, and is definitely a Heisman candidate. QB Trace McSorley also brings a lot of talent to the table and is more than just a game manager, while the defense has been excellent so far this season. But do not let the fact that Iowa is unranked fool you, this team is pretty talented and has upset on their mind. Iowa QB Nate Stanley has already thrown 10 touchdowns in their first 3 games while only being intercepted once, and distributes the ball well with 6 different players catching touchdown passes. The biggest factor may end up being the home crowd, where Iowa is always a hostile environment. Ask Ohio State, ask Michigan, ask plenty of other top schools and they can tell you how humbling of an experience that Kinnick Stadium can be. A big crowd on a Saturday night could swing momentum real quick, and Penn State will need to jump out to a lead and control the game in order to take that crowd out of it.

Prediction: Penn State 30-17

TV Weekend 12.4 -12.5

By @nevaRWilliams

The 18th Annual Mark Twain Prize For American Humor: Eddie Murphy (FRI, TV One, 8pm)
Undateable Live (FRI NBC, 8pm)
Last Man Standing (FRI, ABC, 8pm)
The Amazing Race (FRI, CBS, 8pm)
MasterChef (FRI, FOX, 8pm)
Reign (FRI, The CW, 8pm)
New Japan Pro Wrestling (FRI, AXS TV, 8pm)
Truth Be Told (FRI, NBC, 8:30pm)
Dr. Ken (FRI, ABC, 8:30pm)

Grimm (FRI, NBC, 9pm)
Shark Tank (FRI, ABC, 9pm)
Hawaii Five-0 (FRI, CBS, 9pm)
World's Funniest (FRI, FOX, 9pm)
New Japan Pro Wrestling (FRI, AXS, TV, 9pm)

Blue Bloods (FRI, CBS, 10pm)
The Knick (FRI, Cinemax, 10pm)
Z Nation (FRI, SyFy, 10pm)
Satisfaction (FRI, USA, 10pm)

------

It's A Wonderful Life (SAT, NBC, 8pm)
Da Vinci's Demons (SAT, STARZ, 8pm)

Ash vs Evil Dead (SAT, STARZ, 9pm)
Doctor Who (SAT, BBC America, 9pm)

Saturday Night Live: Ryan Gosling, Leon Bridges (SAT, NBC, 11:30pm)

======

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois (FRI, ESPN 2, 8pm)

AAC Championship: Houston vs. Temple (SAT, ABC, 12pm)
Texas vs. Baylor (SAT, ESPN, 12pm)
Conference USA Championship: Southern Mississippi vs. Western Kentucky (SAT, ESPN 2, 12pm)

SEC Championship: Florida vs. Alabama (SAT, CBS, 4pm)
SWAC Championship: Alcorn State vs. Grambling State (SAT, ESPNU, 4pm)
West Virginia @ Kansas State (SAT, FOX Sports 1, 4:30pm)

Mountain West Championship: Air Force vs. San Diego State (SAT, ESPN 2, 7:30pm)
PAC 12 Championship: Stanford vs. USC (SAT, ESPN, 7:45pm)

ACC Championship: Clemson vs. North Carolina (SAT, ABC, 8pm)
Big Ten Championship: Iowa vs. Michigan State (SAT, FOX, 8pm)

NBA
Nets @ Knicks (FRI, ESPN, 7pm)
Cavaliers @ Pelicans (FRI, ESPN/FOX Sports Ohio, 9:30pm)

Cavaliers @ Heat (SAT, FOX Sports Ohio/NBA TV, 8pm)

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Indiana State @ Butler (SAT, FOX Sports 1, 12pm)
Temple @ Wisconsin (SAT, CBS, 12:30pm)
Syracuse @ Georgetown (SAT, FOX, 1pm)
Arizona @ Gonzaga (SAT, ESPN, 3:15pm)
Harvard @ Kansas (SAT, ESPN 2, 3:15pm)
Virginia Military Institute @ Ohio State (SAT, Big Ten, 4:30pm)
Buffalo @ Duke (SAT, ESPN 2, 5:15pm)
WOMENS:Notre Dame @ Connecticut (SAT, ESPN, 5:15pm)
Western Kentucky @ Xavier (SAT, FOX Sports 1, 8:30pm)
Texas A&M @ Arizona State (SAT, ESPN 2, 10:30pm)

NHL
Panthers @ Blue Jackets (FRI, FOX Sports Cincinnati, 7pm)

Predators @ Red Wings (SAT, NHL Network, 7pm)
Bruins @ Canucks (SAT, NHL Network, 11:30pm)

GOLF
2015 Re/Max World Long Drive Championship (SAT, NBC, 5pm)

MMA & BOXING
Bellator MMA Live: 147 (FRI, Spike, 9pm)

SOCCER
Chelsea FC vs. AFC Bournemouth (SAT, NBC, 12:30pm)

Around the B1G with K8, 8.29.14: Big Ten Season Preview

Around the B1G with K8
By Cleveland Kate (@ClvlndK8)

With all the changes in the Big Ten this off-season, let’s start with a look at the new divisions and the 7 teams in each one. Frankly, I like the “East” and “West” names much better than “Legends” and “Leaders.” I never really understood the point of those names and trying to remember who was in each division was a pain in the neck.

Big Ten – East
Ohio State
Penn State
Indiana
Maryland
Michigan State
Michigan
Rutgers

Big Ten – West
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Illinois
Iowa
Purdue
Northwestern
Minnesota

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, here are some tidbits worth knowing about the teams…

Minnesota – Jeff Jones, running back recruit, is still awaiting an eligibility decision from the NCAA. His SAT scores and GPA were not good enough to gain him admission and a football scholarship. He had an option to go to JUCO for two years, improve academically, and then transfer. He’s declined that option and Coach Jeff Kill and the Gopher staff is working hard on his behalf to get the NCAA to grant him eligibility. In the meantime, David Cobb and Berkley Edwards will do just fine.

Rutgers – If nothing else, joining the B1G has done wonders for ticket sales… their home opener sold out and the 30,927 season tickets sold is a new record. It’s too soon to tell if they’ll be able to compete with the “Big boys” on the field, but fans are definitely excited.

Michigan State – Ranked #8 to start the season, and the favorite to win the B1G again this year, the Spartans have 15 starters returning.

Penn State – Christian Hackenberg is one of the best QBs in the conference, perhaps all of college football. While they are struggling with depth issues, they have still put together a solid team and watching Hackenberg should be fun even if their record isn’t great.

Iowa - As a result of the season-ending injury to starting fullback Adam Cox, the Hawkeyes will move freshman linebacker Aaron Mends over to the FB position. Mends was a 3-star recruit at linebacker but he did play quite a bit of running back in high school, so Coach Kirk Ferentz is hopeful this will fil the need created by Cox’s injury.

Michigan – It’s clear the Coach Brady Hoke is on the hot seat and even he seems to know that. Back in January he fired Offensive Coordinator Al Borges, as if it’s his fault that the offense struggled, and hired Doug Nussmeier. While Nuss may have a national championship on his resume, it won’t be enough to beat the Buckeyes. Just saying.

Purdue - Yeah, not really a good team and nobody worries about them on the schedule… the biggest question being can we score over 50 on them or not… But this year they’ve hired a new head coach, are paying him big money, and expect to start seeing results. It may take a few years to see a difference in the win column, but don’t be surprised at the changes Coach Darrell Hazell brings. He held assistant coaching positions at Oberlin, Eastern Illinois, Penn, Western Michigan, Army, West Virginia, and Rutgers. Hazell then served as the wide receivers coach at Ohio State under Jim Tressel from 2004 to 2010. In December 2010, Kent State hired him as its head coach, where he was named 2012 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year by the conference's coaches. And now he’s off to Purdue.

Ohio State – Yeah, I saved this one for last. Ranked #5, that could quickly change depending on how the QB situation plays out. While the injury to QB Braxton Miller is devastating for him on a personal level, most believe – myself included – that freshman J.T. Barrett might be just fine taking over the job. He’s an Urban Meyer Guy and, if his high school You Tube videos are for real, should be able to hold his own this season. While I’m not sure we can get back to the top of the B1G, there’s no reason to write the Buckeyes off just yet…

So that’s what I have for this week. Stop back next week for my list of “happenings” in the B1G, stuff I think you should know, and general Buckeye positivity….

Respectfully Submitted,
Cleveland Kate