OSU Buckeyes

Lessons learned from Week 11 in the Big Ten:

1. A Wisconsin-Nebraska title game looks very likely: Wisconsin and Nebraska opened the Big Ten season under the lights in Lincoln on Sept. 29. The Badgers and Huskers probably will close out the conference season Dec. 1 in Indianapolis. Wisconsin punched its ticket for the Big Ten title game Saturday by crushing Indiana 62-14. Montee Ball and the Badgers rushed for a team-record 564 yards -- the highest total in Big Ten play since 1975 -- and completed a rough road back to Indy with a very easy final leg. Nebraska and Michigan remain tied atop the Legends division, but the Huskers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker and took a big step toward Lucas Oil Stadium with another come-from-behind victory Saturday against Penn State. Nebraska once again overcame mistakes and turned in a big second half to remain perfect at home this season. If the Huskers take care of Minnesota at home and Iowa on the road, they'll head to Indianapolis, regardless of what Michigan does in its final two games. These two teams provided plenty of excitement in their first meeting, and it looks as though they'll be reuniting in three weeks.

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It was a week off, and the Buckeyes clinched a championship. After Penn State's loss at Nebraska, the Buckeyes are two games up in the Leaders Division with two to play, which means the worst that can happen is a tie for the division title with Wisconsin and/or Penn State, and the Badgers are already assured of playing in the league title game. Anyhow, with a week off, the Buckeyes rested and the coaches went on the road to recruit. Welcome to Across The Field, a regular feature on BuckeyeNation where we point you to noteworthy Buckeyes coverage here and elsewhere. Think something should be included? Send it to espnkendrick@gmail.com.

 

BuckeyeNation Week in Review

• Brad Bournival might have been the hardest working man in BuckeyeNation this week with a the recruiting news buzzing in a busy week.
• ESPN 150 OT Dorian Johnson will have at least two more visits to Columbus before a decision, which is a good sign.
• The 10-0 start does a lot for the coaches' pitches to recruits this week.
• Joey Bosa is poised to come to Ohio State out of one of the country's best high school programs.
• The Buckeyes have a good shot to finish strong, writes Jeremy Crabtree in Fact or Fiction.
• A 2013 ESPN 150 receiver from Florida is quietly in the mix as well.
• Ohio State extended offers in the 2014 class to LB Nyles Morgan, RB Nick Chubb and LB Dillon Bates and another to 2015 RB Damien Harris.
• 2014 QB Drew Barker doesn't have an offer yet, but he received a visit.
• Urban Meyer went to Northeast Ohio early in the week, and to Georgia late in the week, to Atlanta and its suburbs.
• Still no word from WR Thaddeus Snodgrass, who should announce soon.
• The new ESPN 150/300 is out, and the Buckeyes have 11 in the top 300.
• Raekwon McMillan went to Florida for a visit, and he said the Buckeyes still lead.
• Bournival's Offered series continued with Johnson, DT Donovan Munger and OT Jimmy Byrne.
• Byrne is watching the Buckeyes closely, even though he can't watch them in person.
• And in the 2016 class (yes, that's high school freshmen), Ohio State already sees massive potential in the brother of a 2013 pledge.
• On the current team, Etienne Sabino is on track for a return at Wisconsin, and he might not recognize some new parts of the defense.
• Where would the Buckeyes be in the BCS if they were eligible? Probably not in great shape among the remaining unbeatens, writes Brian Fremeau.
• Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde are bringing back memories of Archie Griffin and Pete Johnson.
• Noah Spence had a tough middle of the season, but is coming along.
• The easy win over Illinois gave freshmen some good playing time.
• Austin Ward looked at the five most impressive statistical performances this season:

1. Braxton Miller's show against UCF
2. Ryan Shazier's breakout against Cal
3. John Simon's dominance against Nebraska
4. Carlos Hyde's touchdown party
5. Bradley Roby's tip drill

More Football

• Could Jim Tressel end up at Kentucky? (Dispatch, $)
• And Tressel will attend the Michigan game. (WBNS, Land Grant Holy Land)
• Ten reasons why this year's team should be enjoyed. (Eleven Warriors)
• Going undefeated next year will be a lot tougher, writes Rob Oller. (Dispatch, $)
• Braxton Miller doesn't like talking about himself. (Lantern)

Basketball

• The court wasn't ship shape in Charleston, so the opener is now at home against Albany on Sunday.
• Toledo Whitmer's Nigel Hayes is down to the Buckeyes and Wisconsin.
• The Buckeyes didn't get to play, but the trip still meant something, writes Bob Hunter. (Dispatch, $)
• Ohio State might have trouble finding ways to score, writes Doug Lesmerises. (Plain Dealer)
• Thad Matta thinks he'll be doing a lot more mixing and matching with the lineup this season. (Lantern)
• Jared Sullinger is finding a role in the NBA already.
• The OSU women made a solid comeback against Notre Dame before losing on the Yorktown. (Lantern)

The Gang's All Here

• At the Carrier Classic, the two basketball-playing Crafts honored their brother, who is serving in Afghanistan. (Lantern)

The Carrier Classic men's basketball game between Marquette and Ohio State was called off Friday because of condensation on the court on board the USS Yorktown in Mount Pleasant, S.C. The game was delayed for almost an hour as attempts to dry the court were made, but the condensation kept returning on a chilly night.

There were no announced plans to make up the game. Ohio State, ranked No. 4 by the Associated Press, is set to open its home schedule at 2 p.m. ET Sunday against Albany at Value City Arena.

The Ohio State women were able to play earlier Friday, and No. 7 Notre Dame beat the No. 19 Buckeyes 57-51. Tayler Hill scored 18 to lead the Buckeyes.

Think USC was left reeling after Max Redfield (left) decommitted this week? Not really. The Trojans appear to be zeroing in on Leon McQuay III (right). And then there's the nation’s No. 1 recruit, Robert Nkemdiche, who decommitted Thursday. It's an open market in this week’s #BlueChipBattles .

You can also rank the battles this week in SportsNation.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Counting down the five most impressive statistical performances so far this season for Ohio State as it heads into a bye week before trying to close out a perfect season against Wisconsin and Michigan.

No. 1: Braxton Miller

• When: Sept. 8 against UCF
• What: The expectation had always been that the spread offense would feature the strengths of the sophomore quarterback, but in just the second game in the new system, it pretty much relied on Miller's ability exclusively in a physical, grinding nonconference meeting with UCF. Still working out some kinks and then dealing with multiple injuries at running back, the Buckeyes simply relied on Miller to carry the offense -- and he did that with 155 passing yards and a touchdown to go with 27 rugged carries for 141 yards and 3 touchdowns.
• Impact: There's no shortage of impressive performances to pick from, and trying to narrow it down to the top outing this season is certainly a challenge. But it became clear early on that the Buckeyes would only go as far as Miller could take them with his dual-threat ability, and from the first time he was asked to shoulder the load against UCF and through more recent Big Ten play, he has delivered every time for a team without a loss yet with new coach Urban Meyer.
• How: The accuracy in his throwing arm still leaves a bit to be desired, but Miller clearly has enough ability to keep teams honest and keep them from loading up to stop him from running. Even when they do, Miller's rapid acceleration, elite speed and a competitive streak that drives him to fight for every yard and bounce back from injuries has made him almost impossible to slow down on the ground this season.
• For the season: 184 carries for 1,166 yards and 13 touchdowns; 124-for-218 for 1,753 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and 6 interceptions
• He said it: “[Twenty-seven carries are] too much, that’s 27 hits and he’s blown out right now. We’ve got to be smart. But someone has to run the ball right now, and he’s our best answer. ... Braxton Miller is the best runner on our team." -- Urban Meyer, after the win against UCF

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Counting down the five most impressive statistical performances so far this season for Ohio State as it heads into a bye week before trying to close out a perfect season against Wisconsin and Michigan.

No. 2: Ryan Shazier

• When: Sept. 15 against California
• What: There certainly wasn't anything missing from the first two games of his sophomore season, but it was the third that offered the most clear example of what Shazier was capable of -- or, at least provide a reminder of his playmaking barrage at the end of his freshman season. The Buckeyes were far from perfect defensively in the win over Cal, but Shazier's 13 tackles, 2 takedowns for a loss, a sack and a forced fumble helped the Buckeyes do enough to survive and foreshadowed what was still to come.
• Impact: The big plays Ohio State gave up perhaps added more drama than was necessary and made the final score closer than it needed to be, but the defense also chipped in a couple significant plays along the way. Shazier, in particular, stuffed a Cal drive just before halftime that could have tightened up a two-score game by shooting into the backfield for a third-down sack that forced a punt, preserving Ohio State's advantage.
• How: There might still be room for improvement on the mental side, but physically Shazier has been more than capable of making up for it with an incredible blend of strength and speed to complement a relentless motor that allows him to make plays anywhere between the sidelines. At times he's also had to shoulder more of the load than expected with senior Etienne Sabino out with a broken bone in his leg, middle linebacker Storm Klein dealing with a back injury and a lack of depth that prompted Ohio State to convert fullback Zach Boren over to linebacker. But Shazier has done everything that's been asked of him, and has a stuffed stats sheet to show for it.
• For the season: 98 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, 11 passes defended, 4 sacks, 3 quarterback hurries, 2 forced fumbles and a touchdown
• He said it: “He's an athlete and he's very blessed, he runs around and makes tackles, but he's also out of position at times. ... There's still so much more there. He can even be better." -- Urban Meyer