Week Four: Ohio State vs. UAB—Quick-Hit Preview, History Lesson And Prediction

By HD Handshoe — BlockONation.com Founder

Ohio State/UAB—A Few Opening Thoughts...

No. 16 Ohio State may on the verge of starting 4-0 this season—thanks mostly to the exceptional play of sophomore quarterback and Heisman Trophy contender, Braxton Miller—but last weeks shaky defensive performance against California has coach Urban Meyer shaking his head.

The Buckeyes gave up several big plays of 15 or more yards—including an 82-yard-touchdown-run, the longest by an opponent in Ohio Stadium history—to Cal in their come-from-behind, 35-28 win.

"That is the most alarming thing," Meyer said on Monday. "I've watched Ohio State's defense for a long time, and I can't remember a defense I've been around that's given up this many (big plays). We've got to stop or we'll lose a game."

The cure that ails you for the Buckeyes, at least for this week, comes in the form of the 0-2 UAB Blazers.

UAB fell on the road to the old ball coach and No. 7 South Carolina last week, 49-6. With the odds makers having Ohio State listed as 36-point favorites, surely coach Meyer will expect a similar, and perhaps even more dominating, result for his Buckeyes against the Blazers this weekend.

Here are where Ohio State and UAB currently rank and compare statistically on offense to date:



The Buckeyes are 66th in total defense and 36th in scoring defense, allowing 18 points per game.

UAB is 104th in total defense and 120th in scoring defense, allowing 44 points per game.

You can get an expanded game preview via ESPN by clicking here.


Ohio State—UAB History Lesson And Trends

• Ohio State is 60-7 in Ohio Stadium since the 2002 season.

• This is the first-ever meeting between Ohio State and UAB.

• Urban Meyer coached teams are 37-4 in the month of September.

• Ohio State is 20-1 in first-ever meetings with an opponent in Ohio Stadium.

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

• Ohio State's defense has allowed only 10 100-yard rushers in their last 52 games.

• Ohio State has held 69 opponents to 21 points or less since the start of the 2005 season.

• Ohio State is 44-7 overall vs. non-conference opponents since the start of the 2002 season.

• Ohio State has won 60 consecutive regular season non-conference home games vs. unranked opponents.

• Ohio State is seeking win No. 400 in Ohio Stadium. Their overall W/L/T record in The Shoe is 399-109-20 (1922-2012).

• UAB is 3-33 all-time vs. teams from a BCS conference.

• UAB is 3-19 overall vs. ranked opponents and 0-19 vs. ranked opponents from a BCS conference.

Final Thoughts and Score Prediction

The biggest offensive threat for the Blazers is QB Jonathan Perry who is averaging nearly 270 passing yards per game, but has also been picked off once and sacked five times in UAB's two games.

The Buckeye defense must play better against the pass and overall honestly, and I believe they will. If I'm wrong and they don't, a few players, and eventually a coach or two, could be out of a job.

UAB's defense is ripe for the picking here. They can't stop the run, and that is Ohio State's biggest strength, and they are dead last in scoring defense in the FBS.

This feels like the perfect time for the Buckeyes to hang half-a-hundred and then some offensively, and to get their defense back on track before league play begins in East Lansing next week.

Ohio State 66
UAB 9

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

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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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Urban Meyer Interview With BTN's Gerry DiNardo (Part I)

As you may have read a couple days ago here on BlockONation.com, Coach Meyer gave a tour of his new office and sat for an interview with BTN's Gerry DiNardo.

The tour was aired (and posted here) on the 16^th.

Here is part I of the interview.

Meyer's comments on Fickell might surprise you a bit -- but then again, given the 2011 season -- maybe not.



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Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer: BTN Interview and Office Tour

During the 2011 regular season, the Big Ten Network aired a show titled, Step Into My Office, where the coach at each Big Ten school gave the Network a tour of his actual office and then sat for somewhat of an informal interview.

The BTN's Mike Hall visited with then-head coach Luke Fickell for a segment that aired during the season.

With the hiring of Urban Meyer at Ohio State -- Meyer officially took over on January 3^rd, 2012 -- the network recently aired a special segment along those same lines on their Big Ten Football Report where Meyer offered a tour and sat for an impromptu interview (the full interview will air on Jan. 17^th) with BTN's Gerry DiNardo.

Buckeye fans that may have missed it can watch below.





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Big Ten Unveils New Logo, Division Names

So, the Big Ten unveiled its' new logo today that will go into effect starting in 2011 when Nebraska moves in from the Big 12.



Notice how easy it can go from B1G Ten to B16 Ten, leaving the door open for future expansion without another major logo overhaul?

The new divisions will be called Legends and Leaders.


Legends Division

Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Mich St, Minn, Northwestern


Leaders Division

Ohio State, Penn St, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue


A few fans who really are not happy with the changes (the logo and especially the division names) have had a reaction similar to this:




Trophy Names

The Stagg-Paterno Trophy will go to the Big Ten title game winner.

The Grange-Griffen Trophy will go to the title game MVP.

There are 18 new trophies total, and you can view all of them over on the Big Ten Network's website.

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So, what does everyone else think?

The trophy names are actually pretty cool, and the logo is OK, but I'm not sure the division names are all that great...

Then again, I do like that they didn't just cop-out and call them East-West, or North-South.

However, if they truly wanted the division names to reflect on the history of the conference and the teams of yesteryear that used to be good, along with the future of the conference and the teams that are good now and going forward, then the LEGENDS Division should have been Michigan, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, & Purdue and the LEADERS Division should have been Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State, Iowa, Michigan State, & Northwestern.



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Ohio State-TTUN: Big Ten Network Video Preview of THE GAME

Ohio State-Indiana Week Five Preview: Free History Lesson Included

Final Score of the game was Ohio State 33, Indiana 14.

OSU missed two FG's, and IU scored a touchdown on the last play of the game after calling a timeout with seconds left, so it realistically should have been 39-7.

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By HD Handshoe
Founder—BlockONation


In the words of Eminem's song Slim Shady, "Will the real Indiana (and Michigan for that matter) please stand up?

The untested Michigan Wolverines are now 4-0 while the surprising Indiana Hoosiers are 3-1, their only loss coming to the Wolverines, but more on that in a bit.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are 3-1, and probably should be 4-0, but we won't dwell on the past mistakes that led to the loss against USC, but rather, we will look ahead.

Ohio State won easily vs. Illinois as I predicted. I specifically said I was not expecting another shutout, but definitely a win. My prediction was 38-13. The actual final score was 30-0.

Meh, close enough.

This Buckeye "D" is much better than I imagined, and I already thought they were very good.

This week, Ohio State will play their first true road game of the season (the Toledo Rockets were the home team in Cleveland two weeks ago) as they will travel to Bloomington, Indiana, to take on the Hoosiers.

Last week, Indiana nearly pulled out a win vs. Michigan in the Big House.

Unfortunately for them, the officials gave the game away on a terrible call when there clearly appeared to be a simultaneous catch and possession by an IU receiver and a UM defensive back, but the officials ruled it an interception.

After a home cooked booth review, the call was upheld (how convenient) and UM escaped with a shady 36-33 "win".

IU coach Bill Lynch was livid, and rightfully so.



While I don't mean to totally disrespect Indiana, they really aren't a good football program (their three wins were all pretty close over FCS or small FBS foes Eastern Kentucky, Western Michigan, and Akron), the closeness of this game shows me the Wolverines are vastly overrated, and that Ohio State "should" win over IU by a minimum of three to four scores this week.

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10/03/2009—Game Five—7PM
TV: Big Ten Network

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Here is the recent and all-time history between OSU and IU.

• Ohio State leads the all-time head-to-head series (65-12-5)

• Ohio State is 17-2-1 vs. IU last 20 meetings (dating back to 1985).

• Last Ohio State loss at IU was in 1988 by a score of 41-7 (That year, IU was 8-3-1 and OSU was 4-6-1).

• Since 1991, Ohio State is 16-0 vs. IU.

• Tressel is 6-0 vs. IU, outscoring them 222-57, or an average game score of 37-10.

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A third straight shutout win could become a reality, but either way, I fully expect the Buckeyes to win, and win big.

Maybe Indiana will prove me wrong.

Maybe they are far better than I believe they are, and they actually keep it close against the Bucks—Or even pull off the huge upset win...?

NAH...I'm not a crackhead.

Final score prediction:

Ohio State 44
Indiana 16


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