No. 8 Ohio State—Indiana: History Lesson, Trends and Prediction

By HD Handshoe — BlockONation.com Founder

This week, No. 8 Ohio State (6-0, 2-0) heads to Bloomington to take on the Indiana Hoosiers (2-3, 0-2) in a Leaders Division matchup.

Ohio State at Indiana
BTN - 8PM
      

Ohio State—Indiana History Lesson And Trends

• Ohio State is 68-12-5 all-time vs. Indiana.

• Ohio State has won 17 straight games against Indiana.

• Ohio State is 24-2-1 all-time in Bloomington vs. Indiana.

• Ohio State is 2nd in the Big Ten with 16 quarterback sacks.

• Urban Meyer coached teams are 67-14 when ranked in the Top 25.

• The last time Ohio State or Indiana won by less than 10 points was 1993.

• Ohio State is one of only 16 unbeaten FBS teams and one of only four at 6-0.

• Ohio State's defense has only allowed 11 100-yard rushers in their last 55 games.

• Ohio State's defense has held opponents to 10 points or less 37 times since 2006.

• Ohio State has held 71 opponents to 21 points or less since the start of the 2005 season.

• Indiana is 39-85 overall since 2002.

• Indiana last defeated Ohio State in 1988.

• Indiana has lost 22 of its last 23 Big Ten conference games.

Final Thoughts and Score Prediction

The Hoosiers surprisingly played very well last week at home vs. Michigan State, but the Spartans rallied from a 10-point, 3rd quarter deficit for a 31-27 win.

The fact that Ohio State and Michigan State battled to a 17-16 Buckeye win gives me reason to ever-so-briefly suspect that Indiana could play the Buckeyes similarly.

The series history, however, carries far more weight with me than the transitive property—and let's face it, Indiana is the worst team in the Big Ten by far. One could even make a case for Indiana and a MAC team like the Ohio Bobcats to swap conference allegiances.

The last time the teams played in Bloomington, Memorial Stadium looked like The Horseshoe, West, overrun with Buckeye fans. The "home" crowd will once again come away pleased with a Buckeye victory.

Ohio State 45
Indiana 13

"To be a champion, you have to believe in yourself when no one else will" - Sugar Ray Robinson

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Can Urban Meyer And Ohio State Debunk The Big Ten Stereotype?

By Tim Bielik — BlockONation.com Featured Contributor

No conference has undergone as much scrutiny and criticism in the past few years as the Big Ten has.

And most of it has been deserved.

The Big Ten has a reputation for being a slow, plodding conference full of conservative coaches who don't pull in big-time athletes.

Ohio State, one of the few Big Ten schools that can pull in those kinds of athletes, is largely to blame for the stereotype of the Big Ten after back-to-back national championship game losses. Ironically enough, the coach who dealt OSU its first title game loss is now standing on the Buckeyes' sideline: Urban Meyer.

The typical Urban Meyer team that we saw at Florida was almost the antithesis of Big Ten squad, full of speedsters and a very aggressive, opportunistic mentality on both sides of the ball.

The Buckeyes do have the ability to be that kind of team, even within a year or two, simply because of Meyer's national reputation and the reputation of the program itself. And he has the right quarterback to help him as well, in one Braxton Miller.

The sophomore is the prototypical dual-threat quarterback. He has already put together a strong start to his sophomore season—one that has generated early Heisman talks. With his ability to run and his potential as a passer, Miller has already shown that he's a perfect fit for Meyer's spread offense.

It's early, but thus far coach and quarterback seem to be an ideal match. They will have possibly two years together and will set their sights on winning conference titles and possibly a national championship.

But the biggest thing that might change in the Big Ten is that other teams in the conference will need to play catchup with the Buckeyes. Ohio State could be embarking on a run of conference dominance similar to that enjoyed at the end of the Jim Tressel era, when the Buckeyes won five straight Big Ten titles (the 2010 title was vacated, of course).

If they can win a national championship or two, that will force the other top teams in the conference like Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and Wisconsin to really step up their recruiting efforts and make sure they can compete with Ohio State.

First things first though, OSU has to be able to win a Big Ten championship, which they still have to wait a year for due to NCAA sanctions.

But in a way, it's better for Meyer and Miller to have that year because the first three games showed that—while they're good—they're not great...yet.

The mental lapses the defense had all last year have already created a few red flags, and the offense, though they are putting up nice numbers, struggles from a lack of consistency and too few playmakers.

Luckily, those are things that can be corrected and fixed in a year or two, probably sooner if you bring in the right players.

Meyer can do that.

And for the offense to continue to improve, Miller will need to continue to be the guy until he gets a stable of playmakers outside of the three he has right now: Corey Brown, Jake Stoneburner and Devin Smith.

There are no burners in the backfield, yet. But they are coming.

Meyer is already sending a message that his SEC way of doing things—in terms of what types of players he wants and what style he is going to coach—is coming to the Big Ten; other teams will either rise up to the challenge or sink to the back of the pack.

It's the foundation for a new era, and the Big Ten may never be the same again.

Urban Meyer and Braxton Miller won't let it.

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Top 25 Recap: Ohio State, Others (Excluding USC, Virginia Tech) Survive Upset Bids

By HD Handshoe — BlockONation.com Founder

Braxton Miller had the best game of his Buckeye career as the No. 12 Buckeyes (3-0) were fortunate enough to avoid the upset bug Saturday.

After leading 20-7 at the half, the OSU defense gave up a ton of yards and 21 second-half points, in what is one of their worst performances in years.

With the score tied at 28, Miller found a wide-open Devin Smith for a 72-yard-touchdown to put the Buckeyes up 35-28.

On their ensuing drive, Cal QB Zach Maynard overthrew his intended receiver and cornerback Christian Bryant intercepted the pass with under a minute and a half left to seal the win.

Miller finished the day 16 of 30 for 249 yards and four touchdown passes with one interception and had 12 carries for 75 yards and one rushing touchdown. The defense MUST improve, but as long as Miller is healthy, he is a Heisman front-runner and the Buckeyes will have a great chance to win every game.

The Top 10

No. 1 Alabama has no trouble steamrolling Arkansas 52-0. No. 2 USC did not fare so well—dropping their fourth straight to the Stanford Cardinal.

No. 3 LSU and No. 4 Oregon both cruised to 63-14 wins over Idaho and Tennessee Tech, respectively. No. 5 Florida State shutout Wake Forest, 52-0.

No. 7 Georgia blasted Florida Atlantic by a final of 56-20.

No. 8 South Carolina routed UAB (Ohio State's week four opponent), 49-6.

No. 9 West Virginia coasted to a 42-12 win over James Madison.

No. 20 Notre Dame suffocated No. 10 Michigan State in East Lansing, 20-3.

11-25 Notable Games

No. 14 Virginia Tech did what they pretty much always do every year and laid an egg vs. an inferior opponent, losing 35-17 to previously winless Pittsburgh.

No. 23 Tennessee led No. 18 Florida at the half, but the Gator defense was too much for the Vols in the second half and Florida remained undefeated with a 37-20 victory.

No. 19 Louisville held a 39-14 lead over UNC early in the fourth quarter, but had to withstand a late charge by the Tarheels and held on for a 39-34 win.

What these Top 25 results mean for Ohio State

USC will likely drop down to the 13-15 range and Michigan State might stay in the top 25, or drop out altogether. The teams that beat each of them, Stanford and Notre Dame, could both jump up near the top 10.

It looks like the best case for Ohio State is they move up to No. 10 ahead of USC and MSU. The worst case is they move up to No. 11. I don't think ND jumps OSU, but the voters could definitely and deservedly reward Stanford with a top 10 slot.

It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win. And while many of the experts and our own fans will be down on the Buckeyes after this, I, for one, believe winning a close game like this can be very beneficial as the season plays out.

— HD

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Week One: Ohio State vs. Miami (OH) — Outlook, History Lesson And Prediction

By HD Handshoe — BlockONation.com Founder

Ohio State/Miami-Ohio—A Few Opening Thoughts...

Unfortunately, I'm a little bit pressed for time this week, so this isn't going to be quite as lengthy as it might have otherwise been and I do apologize for that.

I could just go with what one of my Twitter followers, Brian Murphy, posted and be done with it — after all, he may have been on to something when he posted this:

@blockonation Should be easy! Outlook: bad for Miami, History Lesson: #OhioState will always win, Prediction: Redhawk destruction. #GoBucks

— Brian Murphy (@BruFlea33) August 29, 2012

As spot-on as that tweet is likely to be, let's still go ahead and give both teams a quick look-see prior to the week one kickoff just for the heck of it, shall we?

Team Overview / Players of Note

Miami-OH

When it comes to Miami-OH, basically all you need to know is that in 2011, the Redhawks were 14th in passing nationally, but just 120th in rushing. That likely won't change in 2012 with huge question marks on the O-line and in the backfield.

While Zac Dysert and Nick Harwell form arguably one of the country's top QB/WR combos, the Buckeyes must bring pressure against Miami's unreliable front line and get to Dysert. He was sacked 46 times last season, second most in the nation.

If he has time, Dysert has big-game potential. Last season, he threw for 3,513 yards and 23 touchdowns. Only Oklahoma's Landry Jones and USC's Matt Barkley have more career passing yards among active FBS signal-callers.

Harwell led the team with nine touchdown receptions. Nationally, he was fifth in the FBS with 1,425 yards receiving and ranked fourth with an average of 129.5 yards per game.

As a team, Miami combined for just 886 rushing yards — that translates to less than 75 yards per game. To qualify how bad that is, Buckeye QB Braxton Miller rushed for over 700 himself and Ohio State rushed for 2,485 as a team.

Despite it still being a work-in-progress for the Buckeyes, defensively, Miami is very likely to have major issues all game long against Ohio State and Urban Meyer's spread offense. The discrepancy in talent between these two teams at every position on the field, other than at QB and WR, i.e. Dysert and Harwell, will be glaringly evident.

Ohio State

As mentioned, the new offense and the players have come a long way since the spring, but coach Meyer and his staff aren't where they want to be yet. All apologies to Redhawk fans, but that's why teams like Ohio State schedule a couple early season games against teams such as Miami-OH — to works out the kinks.

Last year, Ohio State's offense was literally painful to watch at times, more often than not, however, Braxton Miller, (pictured at right), did show us some flashes of his future potential. That future may be upon us, now.

Miller passed for 1,159 yards and 13 touchdowns and ran for another 715 yards and seven scores last season. It's not inconceivable to believe that Braxton could come close to doubling that production under Meyer this year.

Am I really suggesting a 2,000/1,200 passing/rushing campaign for Miller as a possibility? You bet I am.

While a huge season for Miller seems likely, the Buckeyes will also have to rely on several other players to step up if the team goal of going 12-0 is to be accomplished.

In the backfield, that duty falls on starter Carlos Hyde and reserves Bri'onte Dunn and Rod Smith, as well as Jordan Hall (when he returns from off-season foot surgery). Heading into the season, Hyde seems to be the best of the bunch and while you never want to go away from the hot hand, Meyer may choose to rotate them during games to limit fatigue.

The word on the street is that Corey "Philly" Brown is going to be the guy this year for the Buckeyes at WR. He's had a few decent games but so far, he hasn't lived up to expectations. Hopefully the word is right.

Former TE Jake Stoneburner joins Brown and Devin Smith as the (three-wide) first team receivers. While Brown and Smith can both stretch defenses down the field, the 6'6 Stoneburner should make for a promising target on short and intermediate routes, particularly in the redzone.

With an average per man of 6'5 1/2", 304 pounds, this offensive line is the true definition of big uglies and should be more than serviceable despite having to replace several key guys from a year ago. Starters Corey Linsley, Jack Mewhort, Andrew Norwell, Reid Fragel and Marcus Hall each have previous game experience.

Last, but far from least, The Silver Bullets are poised to be one of the nation's top defenses in 2012.

While headlined by senior DE John Simon, (pictured at left), there are top-tier, potential future NFL draft picks at practically every position.

Joining Simon in the front four will be Johnathan Hankins, Garrett Goebel and Michael Bennett. Coach Meyer has been very vocal about how good his front four is. He should be excited about the DL reserves as well: Steve Miller, Noah Spence, Adolphus Washington, Tommy Schutt, Joel Hale, Chris Carter and JT Moore.

Ohio State always has been known for having great linebackers. Etienne Sabino leads the corp, but Ryan Shazier and Curtis Grant aren't far behind. What they lack in experience, they make for in tenacity and raw ability. I personally cannot wait to watch this unit more than any other come Saturday.

Expect the defensive backfield to be very solid with Bradley Roby, Christian Bryant, C.J. Barnett and Travis Howard all returning as starters. Doran Grant, Orhian Johnson, Corey Brown and Adam Griffin are all very capables backups as well.

Ohio State—Miami-OH History Lesson And Trends

• Ohio State is 110-8-4 all-time in home season openers.

• Ohio State is 21-1-1 in their 1st game under a new head coach.

• Ohio State is 4-0 all-time vs. Miami-OH (1904, 1911, 2000, 2005).

• Ohio State is 57-7 in Ohio Stadium since the start of the 2002 season.

• Ohio State is 16-0 vs. MAC teams since 2000, winning by an average of 25 ppg.

• Urban Meyer is the 24th head coach in Ohio State football history (1890-2012).

• Ohio State has won 33 consecutive home openers - Last loss was to PSU in 1978 .

• Ohio State's defense has allowed just nine 100-yard rushers in their last 49 games.

• Ohio State's defense has held opponent to fewer than 10 points 31 times since 2006.

• Ohio State has held 67 opponents to 21 points or less since the start of the 2005 season.

• Ohio State has won 57 consecutive regular season non-conference home games vs. unranked opponents.

• Ohio State is 179-48-15 all-time vs. in-state opponents, with their last loss coming against Oberlin in 1921.

Final Thoughts and Score Prediction

Until we actually see this new Buckeye offense in real game situations, we can only speculate about how good (or bad?) the season is going to play out. I'm an eternal optimist, and Meyer is a proven winner, especially when he has the right pieces in place.

He has many, if not all, of those pieces he requires to be successful here with Ohio State and I'm sure he plans on making a lasting impression on Buckeye Nation and to the entire nation in his first game as head coach.

There's ZERO percent chance that Ohio State loses on Saturday — I repeat, ZERO.

God love him, but this isn't your Jim Tressel-led Buckeyes anymore. Urban isn't afraid of hurting the Redhawks and their fans feelings on Saturday. He's a go for the jugular, stomp on their throats, kind of guy.

Sorry Miami, but that makes this weeks score prediction pretty much a no-brainer.

Ohio State 48
Miami-OH 7


"To be a champion, you have to believe in yourself when no one else will" - Sugar Ray Robinson

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Ohio State Buckeyes—Official 2012 Two-Deep Football Depth Chart Just Released Today

By HD Handshoe — BlockONation.com Founder

I really don't need to say much here, other than there aren't many surprises—maybe just a couple off from what I expected.

So as YOU look it over, does anyone stand out to you who did, or did not, make the two-deep?



Post a comment here or send an @ reply on Twitter (link below).

— HD

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Ohio State's Post-Camp Two-Deep Depth Chart Projections

By HD Handshoe — BlockONation.com Founder

I would expect coach Meyer's official Buckeye depth chart to be released by early to mid-week, but why wait until then to quench our thirst?



There's nothing wrong with throwing out our best (somewhat?) edumacated guess as to how the chips will fall this week, so here goes nothing.

(Note: These projections exclude any currently injured or suspended player(s) and are subject to change upon their respective return(s) to the team.)

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Quarterback

1st team: Braxton Miller
2nd team: Kenny Guiton

Running Back

1st team: Carlos Hyde

2nd team: Rod Smith or Bri'onte Dunn

Fullback

1st team: Zach Boren

2nd team: Adam Homan

Wide Receivers (3-wide)

1st team: Philly Brown, Jake Stoneburner, Devin Smith

2nd team: Evan Spencer, Michael Thomas, Tyrone Williams or Verlon Reed

Tight End

1st team: Nick Vannett

2nd team: Jeff Heuerman

Offensive Line

1st team: Reid Fragel or Taylor Decker, Marcus Hall, Corey Linsley, Andrew Norwell, Jack Mewhort

2nd team: Taylor Decker or Reid Fragel, Antonio Underwood, Jacoby Boren, Tommy Brown, Daryl Baldwin

Defensive Line

1st team: John Simon, Jonathan Hankins, Garrett Goebel, Michael Bennett

2nd team: Steve Miller, JT Moore, Chris Carter, Noah Spence

Linebackers

1st team: Etienne Sabino, Curtis Grant, Ryan Shazier

2nd team: Stewart Smith, Luke Roberts or David Perkins, Connor Crowell or Jamal Marcus

Cornerback

1st team: Bradley Roby, Travis Howard or Doran Grant

2nd team: Doran Grant or Travis Howard, Adam Griffin

Safety

1st team: Christian Bryant, CJ Barnett

2nd team: Orhian Johnson, Devan Bogard

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It's very likely that there will be a few swings and misses in my projections, but I feel pretty confident with most of them, and if nothing else, it provides us all with a topic of debate for the next few days.

— HD

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Leadership From Players Main Key To Success For Ohio State in 2012

By Nick Weaver — BlockONation.com Featured Contributor

Nobody wants to see mugshots of any Buckeye football player, Unfortunately, this article contains a couple, so if you're squeamish, you better look away.

Once again, offseason scandal has plagued the Buckeyes this summer — thankfully on a much smaller scale this time around compared to the Tatgate scandal that led to Jim Tressel's dismissal, a horrifically disappointing 2011 season, and the eventual one-year postseason and bowl ban given to the program by the NCAA.

Only three players thus far have decided to break the law “allegedly”. The latest was senior linebacker Storm Klein, who was potentially in the mix for a starting position this upcoming season, before being charged with domestic violence and assault.

Preceding Klein on the Buckeye blotter were TE, Jake Stoneburner and OL, Jack Mewhort. While Klein decided to rough up his child's mother, Stoneburner and Mewhort publicly urinated during memorial weekend, and then ran from the police.

Klein was dismissed from the team by Meyer on July 8th. Stoneburner and Mewhort lost their scholarships for the summer, and despite the charges being dismissed against them, at last check, they remain suspended indefinitely — for the time being anyway.

I mentioned these incidents to lay a foundation so I could pose a question that has been bothering me since last season when we fell apart late in games.

Where is the player leadership on this team, especially from the upperclassmen?

I know they vote on captains each year, but I didn't see the captains gain control of the team late in games last year, or during this offseason either.

Sure, it's only three players with relatively minor charges compared to last year, and extremely minuscule compared to what happened at Penn State, but exercise your brain and think.

Who was the leader last year on the field? Miller goes down vs. Nebraska and the team completely fell apart.

Was it Fickel? He gets the blame because he was the head coach, but there has to be upperclassmen leadership on the field and in the locker room. Anyone that has played sports knows exactly what I am talking about.

I give props to John Simon because he is a beast and led the defense on the field making a lot of heroic plays, however, I can’t name anyone from the offensive side of the ball that I can say was a clear leader.

Boom Herron gets partial credit for the last two games of the year, but it just wasn’t near enough in my eyes.

The 2012 season will be upon us in no time, and who is going to lead the team this year on (and off) the field and in the locker room?

Urban Meyer will have them ready to play each game — that's a given — but so did Fickell for the most part last year.

Then again, in many games, we looked like we never arrived at the stadium until late in the game.

The Silver Bullets need a leader to emerge with only 48 days until the season kicks off and “Urban Warfare” begins!

Even though I question who will lead come September 1st, I will have my jersey and Buckeye beads on, ready to ride or die, and cheer our Buckeyes to victory!

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Big Expectations — Buckeye Playmakers That Must Thrive For Ohio State in 2012

By Tim Bielik — BlockONation.com Featured Contributor

It's no secret that Ohio State's 2011 offense was utterly abysmal almost any way you look at it: scoring, rushing or passing.

The archaic offense that the Buckeyes ran last season is gone and now Urban Meyer's "power spread" offense has arrived, meaning that the days of boring, stagnant offenses are pretty much over.

Ohio State certainly has the potential to have a successful offense based on the young athletes they have been able to bring into Columbus in recent recruiting seasons.

Among the players that will need to step up this year are Corey Brown, Evan Spencer and Devin Smith (pictured, top right).

Each of those three receivers had their moments throughout last season — and in the case of Brown, two years. They are speedier receivers that work best in space and with shorter routes instead of going deep every single time.

Brown has to become much more consistent as far as catching the ball is concerned, with several crucial drops at bad times. Smith and Spencer were both young and needed a little bit of seasoning, which this offseason can help provide this team.

Jake Stoneburner will be an important part of the offense from the TE position, although he might not be in as good of shape as he would normally be because he cannot workout with the team until fall camps due to his arrest.

He presents a major mismatch when it comes to the passing game but always seemed to be underused in the past several seasons.

This year, he will be used as much as possible, especially considering the success Meyer and offensive coordinator Tom Herman have had developing Aaron Hernandez and — in Herman's case — James Casey at Rice.

As far as running backs go, OSU potentially has a solid one-two punch with Jordan Hall and Carlos Hyde (pictured at left), if and when Hall returns healthy from a recent off-the-field injury and subsequent surgery that is expected to sideline him for at least 10 weeks.

Hall is a shifty back who can catch the ball out of the backfield and make some screen plays as well as running up the middle. His game is multi-dimensional, which allows him to do a little bit of everything.

Hyde is the typical power back that will likely be used in red-zone packages, particularly the inside zone read plays that the OSU offense will be built around. His role may be that of a faster LeGarrette Blount, in that he has underrated speed to go with his size.

Hall and Hyde will make a strong tandem as far as running backs go, as they have had a year to gain experience and they each have some decent chemistry with sophomore QB Braxton Miller.

The players are certainly there for Ohio State. The only question is whether or not they will be able to make big things happen this season in a more athlete-friendly offense.

OSU has good athletes committed to their 2013 recruiting class, but this current group of veterans and incoming freshamn will have a chance to do some big things this year.

Spoiler Alert (sarcasm off) — The forseeable future is extremely bright at Ohio State.

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Ranking The Top 5 Buckeyes That Must Step Up For Ohio State In 2012

By Tim Bielik— BlockONation.com Featured Contributor

With the 2012 season just a few months away, Ohio State has a roster full of plenty of talent, though most of it is unproven at this point.

They do seem to have new life under Urban Meyer and a chance to be a really good football team with a modernized offense.

The question for this team is whether or not their young players are ready to step into the spotlight and make the types of plays that they need to win at this level.

Here are the five Buckeyes who need to step up the most this season.

5. Corey "Philly" Brown, WR

For Ohio State's new offense to work this season, they are going to need some help from the wide receiver position.

The passing game was absolutely unwatchable for most of last season, as there was poor blocking from the offensive line as well as the receivers not being able to get open.

Junior Corey Brown needs to be a guy who steps up and makes the big plays this season.

He came in as a freshman in 2010 and hasn't quite lived up to the lofty praise gifted to him after high school.

Now he looks like he is in an offense that is more suited to his skills. Because of that, this is without a doubt his make-or-break season.

4. Jack Mewhort, LT

New offensive line coach Ed Warriner led a massive reshuffling of the Ohio State front line by moving junior Jack Mewhort over from guard to left tackle after the spring.

Mewhort has the size and athleticism to make the transition over to left tackle pretty well.

He will have a huge job ahead of him to help keep Braxton Miller upright.

His status for the early part of the season is somewhat in doubt after he was suspended because of his arrest on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing official business.

He should be good to go the rest of the season, but Mewhort has a huge job ahead of him when he comes back.

3. Curtis Grant, LB

At the beginning of spring football, Urban Meyer singled out former blue-chip linebacker Curtis Grant as not only the starting MLB on the defense, but gave him the keys to the defense without ever starting a game.

Grant's performance, in Meyer's words, will either make or break the Ohio State defense.

He has the potential to do that and more because of the size and instincts he came into college with.

Grant has a great front four in front of him led by John Simon and Johnathan Hankins, along with a stud OLB in Ryan Shazier to make life easier for him.

But Grant will need to be strong right from the start.

2. Jake Stoneburner, TE

Jake Stoneburner for the longest time has been a tremendous mismatch that Jim Tressel and his former offensive coaching staff failed to utilize properly.

That won't be the case under Meyer and offensive coordinator Tom Herman, who have a history of getting big seasons out of their tight ends.

Stoneburner poses an amazing mismatch from the TE position and Meyer will find a way to get him the ball as much as possible.

The question is if Stoneburner is finally ready to accept the challenge and be the big playmaker this offense needs in order to succeed.

1. Braxton Miller, QB

The player who has the most expectations upon him this season is an extremely obvious one.

Braxton Miller needs to grow quite a bit this season after showing plenty of flashes last year since most of the offense's successes are dependent on his dual-threat ability.

He will have to prove he can make the big throws while at the same time continue to run as well as he did last season.

He looked much better throwing the football in the spring game back in April, completing 24-of-31 passes for 258 yards.

If he can build off of that and become a much better passer, Ohio State's offense will make a dramatic leap in 2012.

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Urban Meyer's 5 Biggest Challenges at Ohio State for 2012

By Tyler Waddell — BlockONation.com Featured Contributor

Urban Meyer has dominated his opponents at every school he's coached; the two-time national champion carries a 104-23 record (81.9 percent) heading into his first season with Ohio State, which is second behind Boise State's Chris Petersen as the current leader in winning percentage.

However, his debut in the Big Ten isn't guaranteed to be a walk in the park. The Buckeyes are coming off their first losing season in 23 years, one in which the offense was stagnant and the defense underachieved.

Although the NCAA-imposed postseason ban alleviates any major pressures to win, the Ohio State football program is used to winning and expects Meyer to get it right back to the top as the best team in the conference.

With an almost entirely new coaching staff, offensive playbook and way of life, Meyer and the "most talented team in the Big Ten" are striving for improvement every day and look to stay extremely competitive in the Leaders division.

But for he and his team to continue doing so, he'll have to get past these challenges that lay ahead.

It seems as if it's a perfect "us against the world" type of situation, where Ohio State and the football program just can't do anything right for the moment.

On May 4, highly-touted linebacker recruit Alex Anzalone de-commited from the Buckeyes after a ridiculous run-in with a superfan, who just happened to be a sex offender in the state of Kentucky.

This of course made national news and put an unwanted spotlight on the school and coach Urban Meyer, who had been on a recruiting tear up until then. No player has committed to Ohio State since the incident.

Just two weeks later, athletic director Gene Smith released a report that showed the university had 46 secondary violations committed through 21 different sports that included assistant football coach Mike Vrabel using smokeless tobacco on the sideline and head coach Urban Meyer wishing luck to a recruit during a non-contact period.

"It's nothing that troubles me," Smith said, according to SI.com. "It's normal operating business. It's nothing that troubles me. I've seen all the cases, we know all the cases. You look at them, and they're inadvertent mistakes."

A bit silly if you ask me, but it definitely added another target to the program's back in the eyes of the media and rival fans.

And most recently, tight end Jake Stoneburner and left tackle Jack Mewhort were arrested last weekend for obstructing official business. The two were then suspended indefinitely by the university, which could potentially be a huge blow for the developing offense.

With all this occurring within a month's time, I can only imagine Meyer's frustration. The Buckeyes need to throw everything behind them and move forward, tip-toeing into the regular season and staying quiet up until they are again bowl eligible.

Anything else would be undesired attention.

After racing to an incredibly fast start for the 2013 recruiting class by receiving verbal commitments from 13 prospective athletes, Urban Meyer is now either taking it slow or is in a rut.

On April 30, 3-star linebacker Lewis Neal de-committed from Ohio State after being offered a scholarship by LSU (which he has not accepted).

And then of course was the infamous Alex Anzalone case, as the 4-star linebacker re-opened his recruiting market just a few short days later.

247Sports.com currently has Meyer's 2013 class No. 10 overall, even though his last commitment came from 5-star defensive lineman on April 23.

Michigan ranks No. 1 with 19 total verbals—five more than second-place Alabama.

Although national signing day isn't until February, Meyer needs to continue building around his strong class by grabbing another high-profile receiver, offensive lineman, linebacker and more.

Which I expect he will do at his own pace.

With the hiring of Urban Meyer comes the offense that won him two national championships at Florida. His spread-option scheme revolves around playmakers, like Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin and Aaron Hernandez.

Braxton Miller, Jordan Hall and Jake Stoneburner are expected to be those guys in 2012.

However, any time there's a huge transition with the offensive playbook, every skill player needs to dedicate himself to learn it and live it.

In this particular change, the quarterback gets a lot of attention. Miller is still developing as a passer and a decision-maker, but has vastly improved since the beginning of spring workouts and has proven to be a leader.

It's the guys around him that are extremely critical to the offense's overall performance, and this is where Meyer is a little concerned.

Devin Smith, Evan Spencer, Corey "Philly" Brown, Hall and Stoneburner—all Jim Tressel or Luke Fickell recruits—are expected to fill these roles to start the season. Every single one of them will need to play in sync with Miller to find an early rhythm and sustain it, while continuing to develop and get better.

It is up to Meyer and the coaching staff to get them where they need to be by Week 1.

Due to the improper benefits scandal led by former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor in 2010, the Buckeyes are facing a one-year bowl ban that will even hold them back from a potential Big Ten title appearance.

This could be the season that nobody cares about, where every regular season matchup becomes meaningless because of the end result—or lack of.

But that's not the case.

“It is still my goal to hire excellent coaches, recruit great student-athletes who want to be a part of this program and to win on and off the field," said Meyer after the NCAA released the news, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Players said the Buckeyes could follow the example of Southern California, which received a tighter NCAA sanction with a two-year ban. It went 10-2 last season and are projected to be the No. 1 team to beat in 2012.

Meyer will need to maintain a high-spirited locker room throughout the regular season and continue encouraging his players—especially the seniors—to leave everything on the field and play to the best of their ability on every down.

And to look forward to November 24.

The most important—and probably most challenging—portion of Urban Meyer's to-do list for 2012 is to beat arch-rival Michigan.

And with the postseason ban in place, the mood is set just right.

The Wolverines will make a visit to Columbus on November 24 where they will play a very hungry Buckeyes team that will likely take the matchup like it's the national championship.

105,000-plus fans will gather around the 'shoe and form a January-like atmosphere, giving Ohio State the right inspiration to hand Michigan its ninth loss against the Silver Bullets over the last decade.

A victory here would allow the Buckeyes to carry an incredible amount of momentum heading into the 2013 season, where they are expected to make a title run.

It won't be easy, but a win against Michigan in his first year as OSU's head coach would be huge for Meyer.

And it could possibly start a new version of the Ten Year War.

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@Tyler_Waddell

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Around The Block: BlockONation's Buckeye Bits, Volume 3 — June 3, 2012

Hello once again Buckeye football fans. I have a plethora of bits to share with you today — unfortunately, not all of them good — but nevertheless, the bits are the bits — and away we go.

— The biggest bit of news today involves the arrest of Ohio State senior TE, Jake Stoneburner, for obstructing official business, whatever the heck that means exactly. Details are still sketchy, but it appears Stoneburner may have been intoxicated and was arrested after briefly fleeing from police. It was later revealed that junior O-lineman Jack Mewhort and a third man were also arrested with Stoneburner. Most likely, Stoneburner and Mewhort, both of whom are facing misdemeanor charges, will each probably get slaps on the wrist barring any further-damning revelations, but surely this will not sit well with head coach Urban Meyer.

— Ohio State had hoped to land 5-star LB recruit Jaylon Smith, brother of Ohio State RB Roderick Smith, but earlier today, Smith somewhat surprisingly opted against joining his brother in Columbus, and instead gave his verbal commitment to Notre Dame. While Smith would have made a nice addition to the 2013 class, Ohio State, as always, has plenty of talent and depth at linebacker, and that may have been a factor in Smith's decision.

— Ohio State recently nixed a proposed 2020-2021 home-and-home series with the Georgia Bulldogs, purportedly because of future scheduling conflicts regarding their Pac-12/B1G scheduling deal that is in the works. Also, it can't be ignored that schools in the-now 12-team B1G may soon be playing nine conference games instead of just eight.

— ESPN B1G blogger Adam Rittenberg discussed some keys to the Buckeyes' 2012 season and what to expect from Ohio State this fall.

— 2013 Buckeye verbal and dual-sport star, Jalin Marshall became the 2012 DI Ohio high school state champion in the long jump Saturday. Marshall plays QB for Middletown HS, but early speculation points to him playing WR when he arrives in Columbus next year. With his speed and jumping ability, it certainly would make sense.

As Lee Hudnell of The Buckeye Times recently reported, Athlon Sports has released its' 2012 preseason rankings, and they have Ohio State ranked at No. 6, while college football guru Phil Steele has Ohio State ranked at No. 11. Obviously, the combination of Ohio State's talent and Urban Meyer's coaching prowess has led to some lofty expectations. For what it's worth, I think both are right — kind of. Phil Steele has the preseason ranking dead-on, and Athlon's ranking is closer to where the Buckeyes could find themselves in the final rankings at seasons end.

— And finally, if you're into recruiting and interested in keeping tabs on who the Buckeyes are targeting in 2013, look no further. And since you asked (or not, but just go with it), you can also glimpse even further into the future and track the recruits Ohio State is targeting for 2014 as well, thanks to the great work by our good friends over at ScarletBuckeye.

See you next time, around the Block — HD

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