Jim Cordle Moves Outside but Expects More Movement

Jim Cordle Moves Outside but Expects More Movement

Jim Cordle moves to the tackle position this spring as Michigan transfer Justin Boren takes over at the left guard position and Bryant Browning switches from right tackle to right guard. This could be a temporary position for Cordle as right tackle JB Shugarts is still recovering from shoulder surgery this spring and could take the position during fall camp. And the coaches are looking to rotate the offensive line often in the spring to find the best line-up possible for the fall.

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FB Spring Profile: Cordle Looks to Lead Young O-Line

Versatility is a great attribute for any person to have. And for senior offensive lineman Jim Cordle, it is the key this spring.
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FB Audio/Video: Bollman, Linemen Meet with the Media Sunday

Coach Jim Bollman and offensive linemen Bryant Browning and Jim Cordle met with the media after Sunday's practice at Ohio Stadium
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Ohio State Basketball: Where One and Done Happens

BJ Mullens, or Jim Cordle… one of the two celebrates a dunk against Purdue.

Everyone knew this was coming, but now it just came from the horse’s mouth.  BJ Mullens has become the third freshmen center in the past three years to forgo his sophomore season and pursue a career in professional basketball.  He follows the [...]
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Buckeyes top Boilermakers in OT

BJ Mullens, or Jim Cordle… one of the two celebrates a dunk against Purdue.
The last minute of regulation was a primer on how not to close out a lead in the last minute of regulation, but the ensuing overtime period proved to ultimately be the difference in the Buckeyes’ 80-72 victory over the 13th ranked [...]
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It’s game day at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

GLENDALE, Ariz. — University of Phoenix Stadium is just as cavernous as it looks on TV, and it will serve as an appropriate setting as two college football giants clash tonight in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Fox, 8 p.m.). 

Media members received a police escort from our resort to the stadium, which was pretty cool until we hit traffic in downtown Phoenix and the cops didn’t help much. It was pretty funny to see the reactions from fans, who thought the buses carried Ohio State and Texas players rather than out-of-shape reporters. Sorry to disappoint.

I didn’t get much of a chance to walk around, but the parking lots around the stadium are already buzzing with fans of both teams. The highlight was seeing a massive one-piece Jim Cordle jersey worn by four young women, presumably Cordle’s friends or family members. If Cordle and his fellow linemen look that big on the field tonight, Texas could be in trouble. 

No. 3 Texas enters its first Fiesta Bowl at 11-1, looking to restate its case as a national title contender after getting snubbed from the championship game last month. The Longhorns were a play away from reaching Miami and should be keyed up for this one. No. 10 Ohio State also has plenty to prove after flopping in the last two BCS title games. The Buckeyes are no strangers to Arizona, having won the Fiesta Bowl in 2003, 2004 and 2006. Their last trip inside this stadium ended in defeat, however, as they fell to Florida in the 2007 championship game. 

On the health front, Texas has no reported injuries. Ohio State likely will be without third-string running back Brandon Saine, and reserve offensive tackle J.B. Shugarts won’t play much if at all. Buckeyes starting wide receiver Brian Hartline might miss a series or two after reportedly committing a team rules violation last week.

Tonight’s officiating crew is from the Big East Conference. 

Here are three keys for each team heading into tonight’s matchup. 

TEXAS

• Get Colt McCoy on the move to establish an early offensive rhythm. Ohio State’s defensive line has improved in the second half of the season, but the Buckeyes haven’t seen a quarterback as dangerous as McCoy. If he performs anything like he did during the regular season, Texas shouldn’t have trouble putting up points.
• Clog the middle and force Terrelle Pryor to win the game. The pre-game talk has centered on Longhorns All-American defensive end Brian Orakpo, but defensive tackle Roy Miller could be a more important player tonight. Ohio State wants to establish the power run game with Chris “Beanie” Wells. It’s up to Miller and his linemates to slow him down.
• Guard against the big play. Ohio State has been too reliant on big plays this season, but Pryor and his receivers are capable of stretching the field at any time. Texas’ secondary is vulnerable, but if the Longhorns keep the wide receivers in front of them, they should be OK.

OHIO STATE

• Establish Wells and the run game right away. Wells needs to have a huge night for Ohio State to keep pace with Texas. Though the junior thrives in big games, Texas defends the run well and Ohio State’s offensive line has underperformed for most of the season. If Wells can wear down the Texas defensive front, Pryor will have opportunities to get creative.
• Don’t be afraid to test the Texas secondary. If there’s a weakness for the Longhorns, it’s the back four, and while the Buckeyes want to run the ball, they can’t shy away from passing on first down. There’s been some buzz about using Pryor and fellow quarterback Todd Boeckman on the field together. Sounds like a good idea for an offense that gets stale at times.
• Defensive stars have to make plays. Linebacker James Laurinaitis and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins will graduate as two of the most decorated Ohio State defenders in team history. As they take the field for their final collegiate game, both men must be major factors in trying to disrupt McCoy and the Longhorns offense.

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Ohio State’s Wells, 6 teammates pondering NFL

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Standout tailback Chris “Beanie” Wells has a tough decision to make.

 

If his coach were making the call on whether he should stick around for his senior season at Ohio State or jump to the NFL a year early, Wells would take the money and run.

“If it were me, it wouldn’t be tough,” coach Jim Tressel said of Wells’ impending decision. “In my opinion, he ought to be one of the first five guys picked.”

 

Wells wasn’t available for the Buckeyes’ Fiesta Bowl media day on Tuesday. There were reports that he drove a brother — he has 10 siblings — to the doctor’s office.

 

Tressel confirmed that Wells is contemplating whether to come back for one more season at Ohio State. The coach said Tuesday that he told Wells to not even bother filling out the evaluation forms for the NFL, since the league knows what it will be getting based on the 2,700 yards Wells has gained the past two seasons with the Buckeyes.

 

Wells, who has 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns in 7 1/2 games this season, is one of seven Ohio State juniors who are considering making the early jump into the NFL draft. The other six have all filed requests with the NFL to check where they might be taken in the draft.

 

The others are wide receiver Brian Hartline, defensive backs Kurt Coleman, Anderson Russell and Donald Washington, tight end Jake Ballard and offensive lineman Jim Cordle.

“There’s a curiosity,” Coleman said. “I feel like I’ve been along with such great people that they helped me raise my game to the next level. I just want to see what the next level thinks about me.”

 

A year ago, 13 Buckeyes sent paperwork to the NFL requesting an assessment of the player’s draft prospects. All 13 stayed except for defensive lineman Vernon Gholston, who was taken in the first round by the New York Jets.

 

Cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, one of the returning players, said the easiest decision is to come back and play another year with your friends. But he conceded that finances and health could change things for Wells and the rest.

 

“If this was a pressure-free world and no one was pushing millions in his (Wells’) face, then it would be a no-brainer for him to stay here,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.”

 

For his part, Russell said he was in no hurry to make up his mind.

 

“I talked with my parents about it,” he said. “They just told me they were going to support me no matter what happens, but I haven’t thought about it at all.”

 

Both players professed that they were focused only on the Fiesta Bowl game against Texas on Jan. 5 in Glendale, Ariz. Yet in the wake of lopsided losses in Bowl Championship Series title games the last two years, several players later said that Ohio State’s juniors each year were distracted by the impending decision and that it hurt the Buckeyes on the field.

 

Wells has been asked several times this season about whether he intends to return for his senior season, and each time he has said he hasn’t given it much thought.

 

He injured a foot in the Buckeyes’ opener against Youngstown State and then missed the second half of that game and the next three games.

 

Wearing a special, heavier shoe for added reinforcement, he has come back to average 123 yards per game while scoring a total of eight touchdowns. As a sophomore, he rushed for 1,609 yards and 15 scores.

 

Tressel said Wells is about 85 percent healthy now and hopes to be 100 percent by the bowl game.

 

Wells did have to deal with one minor problem on Monday as the Buckeyes got into their first full week of bowl preparation. He and starting fullback Brandon Smith apparently did not have clearance from Ohio State for their appearance on “Fox & Friends.”

 

“I guess we didn’t properly fill out some paperwork or such, didn’t talk to the right people,” said Smith.

 

The players appeared on the program to talk about the religious-themed bracelets the Buckeyes wear.

 

As a penalty, Smith and Wells faced team sanctions that included running throughout a lengthy workout on Monday.

 

“It was a lot. It was a whole practice worth,” Smith said with a grin. “We got a lot of sympathy from our teammates.”

 

And from their coach. Tressel added, “Beanie looked a little sore this morning in practice.”

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OSU Heads To Fiesta As Underdog

COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the fifth time in seven years, Ohio State prepares for a trip to Arizona.   But for the first time since 2002, OSU heads to the Fiesta Bowl as a hefty underdog.

Texas stands as a 9.5-point favorite over OSU Monday, Jan. 5. 

"This might be their finest team ever," OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel said Tuesday. "We’re playing one of the top teams in the nation and a class program."

A couple of notes from Coach Tressel Tuesday:

- Freshman Nathan Williams had a hearing Tuesday to face shoplifting charges from an incident last week in Beavercreek. Tressel said Williams will not be suspended but will face significant team penalties (including practice and personal time penalties). His participation in Glendale depends on his performance under that punishment.

- This past weekend was a huge recruiting weekend for the Buckeyes as current players welcomed in high-school seniors.

- Practice will be lighter in nature through the week, picking up in intensity this weekend.

- Beanie Wells and Brandon Smith missed a class last week and were punished with increased running drills Monday. Both will play in the Fiesta Bowl. Tressel said he expects Wells to be 100 percent health-wise.

- Six juniors filled out paperwork with the NFL to explore next year’s draft. Donald Washington, Brian Hartline, Kurt Coleman, Jake Ballard, Jim Cordle and Anderson Russell turned in paperwork. Beanie Wells did not need to turn in the forms, Tressel said.

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Dave’s IMO: Sneak Peek at 2009 for Ohio State Football

David Thurman (4:46 pm)

Is it too early begin thinking about the 2009 Buckeye football team, just a week removed from “The Game”? Of course not!

At least if you are an obsessed Ohio State fan like me, and you are probably are if you’re reading this column! So let’s take a look at a projected roster and a way-too-early prediction on next season’s record:

QB: Terrelle Pryor starts and with a month of bowl game practices and a full spring to work on mechanics, he might become a true superstar. Behind him is a talented but unproven commodity in Joe Bauserman.

HB: Dan Herron looks ready to be a big-time player, and with Jaamal Berry and Carlos Hyde on the way, this may be tailback by committee. There’s no Beanie (who will definitely go pro) but this group might cause big problems for defensive coordinators.

FB: Lots of youngsters like Martin, Boren, and Homan will throw their names into the hat, and Brandon Saine may play some at fullback as well, providing a pass threat out of the backfield. Truth is, though, I see a lot of ace formation in 2008.

WR: Brian Hartline (complaining aside) is an excellent big-play receiver who can catch the tough passes, too, and hopefully he will return for his senior year. Dan Sazenbacher is quickly becoming a fan favorite with his hands of glue and his willingness to take the big hit.

Beyond those two, Ray Small might finally shine if he can get his act together off the field, and DeVier Posey got some helpful experience this year and has the tools to be special. Plus, don’t discount Lamaar “Flash” Thomas, Jake Stoneburner, or the four incoming freshmen. Once again, this is a good if not great group.  

TE: I love Jake Ballard, and like most Buckeye fans think he has been underutilized. However, behind him there is no experience and either Nic DiLillo, who redshirted this season, or incoming freshman Reid Fragel, will have to step up quickly, at least to block!

OL: Possibly the biggest question for 2009 is can a line that loses three senior starters get better? I think the answer may be yes.

Obviously, Alex Boone will be missed, though he never maximized his immense talent. I’m not sure that Steve Rehring or Ben Person will be, since they often whiffed on blocks and had trouble remembering the snap count.

Here’s who I am betting on when we open up next year against Navy: J.B. Shugarts (LT); Jim Cordle (LG); Mike Brewster (C); Justin Boren (RG); Bryant Browning (RT). Personally, I would prefer Browning at guard, and if Mike Adams comes on, that might happen.

Beyond those six, only Conner Smith has much experience, and if Marcus Hall commits, he might see some immediate playing time.

In my opinion, the line will be about equal to this year, unless a new coach is hired to teach better fundamentals and put a fire under the big guys.

Overall, I think the offense scores more points due to the progression of Pryor, and the fact that the play calling almost has to get more creative without Beanie.

DL: The weakest link in 2008, the line did get better as the year went on, and I look for more improvement in 2009. At end, Gibson is ready to become dominant, and Nathan Williams might be special, too, if he can gain a little bit more strength to go along with his quickness and tenacity.

Lawrence Wilson will probably return, and he is solid, and Solomon Thomas is making strides. The player that really causes me consternation is Rob Rose, who I thought would be a superstar.

He’s not, and probably never will be, but the light may go on for him in his senior season. This could be a really good group.

At tackle, we still need some big, mean run-stoppers but have a good group returning in Cameron Heyward (could 2009 be his year?), Dexter Larimore and Todd Denlinger. I am also excited to see Garrett Goebel get his first snaps next year.

Of course, I am not discounting the possibility of Melvin Fellows or Johnny Simon making a big splash. Regardless, the line will be improved from this year’s version and that is a good thing.

LB: Saying goodbye to James Laurinaitis and buddy Marcus Freeman is tough, because they made a lot of tackles in their career, and provided plenty of highlights. But the cupboard is not bare. Ross Homan was finally healthy in ‘08, played well, and could move to the middle.

Austin Spitler has waited his chance, and is a good run stuffer, but may lack the speed to play every down. Of course some Florida seed is waiting in the wings, in the person of Etienne Sabino and Brian Rolle.

Both are hard hitters, and I project Sabino as a sure starter and future star. Beyond those four, are two guys who can play outside linebacker or nickel back in Tyler Moeller and Jermale Hines.

I love Hines, who is listed as a safety, and was also impressed in Moeller in the last two games of the season. Of course, all of these guys know there will be a fight with potential superstars Dorian Bell and Storm Klein among four incoming linebackers in the class of ‘09.

Plus, don’t forget Andrew Sweat, who was too good to redshirt this season, as the real Linebacker U keeps churning them out! Personally, I think this group will give up a few more big plays than the past couple of years due to inexperience, but may be better in coverage and against the spread, due to increased speed.

I hope Heacock doesn’t put Homan and Spitler on the field together, however, or the speed factor goes out the window. My early prediction is Sabino, Homan, and Moeller in the opener.

DB: There is a lot to like about this group, but the loss of Malcolm Jenkins is a tough pill to swallow. He ranks up there with Shawn Springs and Antwon Winfield in my book, and will be missed.

The starters seems obvious; rapidly improving Chimdi Chekwa and Donald Washington at cornerback, and ready-for-prime-timer Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russell at safety.

Washington worries me a little, since he seemed to digress after his off-the-field problems which sent him to the doghouse, but he has plenty of talent and experience (supposedly he he is contemplating going pro which would be a big mistake).

Losing 2007 recruits Eugene Clifford and James Scott thins the ranks at corner, where healthy Andre Amos would help, but some believe he may leave school.

At nickel, the aforementioned Hines us a hitting machine, and I love his nasty attitude. Further depth will come from Aaron Gant, and there is plenty of room for redshirts like Travis Howard and Orhian Johnson to get into the rotation, but they may be quickly passed by the boatload of talent Tressel has recruited this year.

A guy like C.J. Barnett may see the field immediately due to lack of numbers here. On paper this is the strength of the ‘09 defense if everyone returns, and should make passing a dangerous proposition for the opposition.

So, the defense should be about equal to this year’s squad if some leaders emerge from the senior class to fill the shoes of Jenkins and Laurinaitis.

What about special teams? A Tressel led team never considers this an afterthought, and with departure of Trapasso and Pretorius some might be concerned, but not me.

I think Pettrey is a superior kick to Pretorius right now, and feel confident that either Jon Thoma or Ben Buchanan can be a solid punter. Long-snapper Jake McQuaide did a nice job this year and he has two years of eligibilty left.

As for returns, I think we may have two special players in Ray Small and Lamaar Thomas, and once again, if Small doesn’t get in his own way, he might put some real fear into opposing punters in ‘09.

Well, that’s a look position by position but what about the final record? My way-to-early prediction is 11-1 in the regular season with a loss coming to USC (home) or Penn State (away).

We could easily lose another one, as upsets happen with young teams, but I am optimistic, at least for now, with months to go before I start worrying!

What do you think? Let us know, as we all gaze into the looking glass wearing our Scarlet and Gray-colored glasses!

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Buckeyes make it 5 straight over TTUN

The Seniors have had some ups and downs this season. That said, they are now the first class to play part to beat Michigan 5 consecutive times… a feat heretofore unaccomplished.  Further, they left no doubt by turning 4 unanswered touchdowns to blast Michigan en route to the 3rd biggest margin of victory for the Buckeyes in the series’ history.  The 35 point difference in the 42-7 victory surpasses the 1934 result for third all-time (behind 38pts in 1935 (38-0) and 36pts in 1968 (50-14)).  While Michigan State did us no favor in helping secure the Buckeyes the automatic bid from the Big Ten to the Rose Bowl, the Buckeyes may be in a good position for an at-large berth in the BCS.

The game didn’t exactly play out like I had anticipated a Buckeye rout being.  Indeed, Ohio State’s offense had been unable to sustain drives in the first half.  Beanie kicked off the scoring with a 59 yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter on a 1 play drive.  On Ohio State’s next drive, Beanie converted a 3rd and 1 and Jake Ballard caught a ball on 3rd and 4 to give the Buckeyes a new set of downs.  After Ballard’s catch, and with the Buckeyes behind down and distance at 2nd and 12, Pryor found Brian Hartline deep for a 53 yard touchdown pass.  Two Michigan drives later, Brandon Minor and company had thrashed through our defense on a 14 play 65 yard drive to cut the margin to a single touchdown.  That’s how it stood at intermission with Michigan receiving the ball.  The Wolverines, 20.5 point dogs entering the game, couldn’t feasibly ask for more going to intermission against a team that outmatched them badly at every position.  Even better yet, they would be getting the ball to start the second half.

Fortunately, the second half is where the rout kicked into full gear.  Though the Wolverines’ first drive of the second half moved the chains 4 times, the offense stalled and a Zoltan Mesko punt eventually pinned the Buckeyes within their own 10.  The Buckeyes wasted no time in getting out of the shadow of their own end zone.  A pitch left to Beanie moved the Buckeyes 42 yards to near midfield.  The next play, a Boom Herron scamper, principally behind Alex Boone, put the Buckeyes in the end zone.  The two big plays were shade of Beanie and Pittman in 2006.  A Nathan Williams’ penalty was pivotal on Michigan’s next drive.  Though the roughing the kicker penalty extended Michigan’s drive, it appears that Nathan Williams actually succeeded in roughing up the punter.  Hell, if you’re going to get the penalty, it’s best to do some damage… in for a penny, in for a pound.  After exchanging punts, Michigan’s next drive ended with a low, line drive punt from Mesko that was returned 80 yards by the recently reinstated Ray Small to the Michigan 8 yard line.  Terrelle Pryor found Brian Robiskie in the end zone on the first play from scrimmage for a 28-7 lead.  After a 4 and out and short punt, Dane Sanzenbacher’s 35 yard catch and Boom Herron’s 19 yard touchdown run eventually pushed the lead to 35-7.  Michigan fumbled the kickoff return, allowing The Todd some playing time.  The Todd wasted little time, finding Brian Hartline in the end zone, setting up the final margin at 42-7.

The regular season fell short of expectations, but the Buckeyes did finish out strong.  The 42-7 demolition of Michigan gives the graduating redshirt seniors like Marcus Freeman and Nader Abdallah 5 gold pants over the Wolvereenies and a share of a Big Ten title, their 4th straight.  It also guarantees the Buckeyes their 4th straight 10 win season.  Empirically, this senior class will go down as one of the most successful in program history.

Offense

Terrelle Pryor clearly didn’t have his best game, and this was most evident in the first half.  Pryor began the game with a nice 3rd down conversion, but threw a very errant pass to Stevie Brown that was almost returned for six.  As it was, the Buckeye defense held and KC Lopata missed a field goal.  Curiously enough, I think that very same exchange is from the game script last week for the Wolvereenies against Northwestern.

Pryor struggled with making pre-snap reads.  On one 3rd down play in particular, Pryor failed to even acknowledge a defender who was lined up on the line of scrimmage pre-snap.  As it unfolded, said defender — name escapes me — came from Pryor’s blindside unimpeded and sacked Pryor.  3 of Ohio State’s 8 first half drives ended in Pryor sacks by Brandon Graham, Brandon Harrison and Tim Jamison respectively.  The first drive was Pryor’s interception and the last of those 8 drives was a QB sneak to take the Bucks into the intermission.  2 of the remaining drives were touchdown scores.  Naturally, the number of sacks Pryor took this game — a staggering total of 8, 3 by Tim Jamison — showed up in Pryor’s rushing total for the game.  He finished with -7 rushing yards total for the game.

Elsewhere, Pryor struggled with putting the right amount of air on his passes.  With the way that the Buckeyes’ pass protection held up and with how open our receivers were getting against a not-so-good secondary, it was clear that Todd Boeckman would’ve thrived in this year’s Ohio State-Michigan matchup where he struggled so mightily last year.  More than a few passes looked like wounded ducks; more than a few where misthrown, costing the Buckeyes a deep gain and probable touchdown.  The Buckeyes have the benefit of playing in a January bowl game this year and I’m hopeful that this can get ironed out before then.

Beanie and Boom Herron played a leading role in opening things up for the Buckeyes offense this game.  Indeed, with Headcase Pryor on display as opposed to Road Game Warrior Pryor, their performance was necessary.  Beanie ran for 134 yards on just 15 carries, having been sidelined early in the second half for an undisclosed injury probably related to being upended on a rushing play in the first half.  That said, his 134 yards was good enough to make him just the sixth Buckeye to have back-to-back 1000 yard rushing seasons in the program’s history.  Further, it’s his 3rd straight Michigan game where he had a long touchdown scamper, no doubt etching his place in Buckeye lore as one of the all-time great Wolverine killers.  Beanie also passed Keith Byars for 4th all-time in Buckeye rushing on the touchdown play in question.  Boom may have just announced himself and his intentions to be the next great Buckeye back this game as well, shades of Beanie in 2006.  Boom finished the game with two touchdowns and 80 yards on 8 carries.  Should Beanie go pro after this season, the Buckeye ground game looks to be just fine.  Elsewhere, the rout got so bad that the Buckeyes put in Marcus Williams, a walk-on from Ironton, OH, at the end of the game.  He is, by my account, the Buckeyes’ 5th string tailback and proof positive that the Buckeye staff really did their best to empty their bench and spread around some playing time.

Pryor didn’t exactly have the greatest day passing (5/13, 120 yards, 2 TDs 1 INT), but I thought the receiver corp — to a man — played outstanding this game.  Jake Ballard’s drop of what should’ve been a touchdown that was, by the grace of God, not ruled an interception is the only chink in what was otherwise a stellar performance all around.  Brian Hartline led all performers with 2 catches for 71 yards.  Both of his catches were touchdowns.  Brian Robiskie got on the scoreboard in 10 minutes into the third quarter, finishing with 2 catches and 54 yards.  Dane Sanzenbacher (2/49) had two memorable grabs, his first good for a first down and his second coming on the play that Pryor miraculously kept alive.  It eventually resulted in Boom Herron’s second touchdown run.  Jake Ballard had one grab, which set up a first down and, two plays later, Hartline was in the end zone.  Maurice Wells rounds out the performance of the receivers, catching a screen from The Todd for no gain in garbage time.

I’d be remiss without mentioning the offensive line, but their performance was streaky.  Bryant Browning didn’t help things any.  Michael Brewster didn’t have a much better game than he had against Illinois.  They were facing the strength of Michigan’s defense and were eaten up on some plays.  Beanie’s touchdown run came from some good blocking, but even better playcalling to catch Michigan overloading on Alex Boone.  Boone, to his credit, was the best player on the line today.  Jim Cordle was responsible in large part for Beanie and Boom’s big gains on the Buckeyes’ first drive of the second half.  Fortunately, the Buckeyes have a month and a half to smooth out whatever needs fixin’ on their unit.  I don’t know who we’ll get in a bowl game (likely candidates include: Alabama, Florida, Georgia Tech, Georgia, among others…), but whoever it is will probably eat up our offensive line if they don’t improve over the break.

Defense

There are lots of superlative to spread around for this defense.  Minus one drive, and the early stretches of the second half, the Buckeye defense absolutely dominated the Wolverines offense.  Granted, the Wolverines offense isn’t very good… at all… but a domination is always nice.  Michigan’s first 5 drives were 3 and outs.  It didn’t get too much better as Michigan finished an absolutely obscene 1-17… let me repeat that: 1-17 on 3rd down conversions this game.  Yes, that’s a 3rd down conversion rate of ~6%.  Michigan finished with 198 yards of total offense, though most of it came in the second and third quarters.  Michigan had only 28 first quarter yards and 17 fourth quarter yards.  That’s domination, holmes.  Michigan did thrive in the second and third quarters, largely because of two factors.  First, Nick Sheridan, for a stretch, made the Buckeyes pay for selling out on the screen.   Sheridan’s pump fakes drew the defense to the screen, opening up the deep option for some big gains.  Second, Brandon Minor pounded the Buckeyes for a period, finishing with over 77 yards on 14 carries and Michigan’s lone touchdown.  Curiously enough, I don’t remember Minor’s number being called after Michigan’s second drive of the second half.  In lieu of the punishing Minor, Rodriguez went with freshman Michael Shaw.  I was more than happy he did, but still don’t know why he did.  If it was an injury to Minor, I don’t remember seeing it.

Most of my remarks will be glowing accordingly.  The defensive line shined today.  The trio of Heyward, Abdallah and Worthington rocked Michigan’s offensive line, creating all sorts of havoc for Nick Sheridan.  The trio finished with 17 tackles and 4 TFLs.  Heyward (6 tackles, 1 solo) tallied the lone sack of the group.  Abdallah (5 tackles, 1 solo) had two TFLs on the game.  It seems like this group — and Abdallah in particular — have really put it together in recent weeks.  The coming out party seems to have been the Purdue game.  Granted, this unit did wear out in the final minutes against Penn State, but they seem to be playing at a much better level than they were to begin the season.  Abdallah, of course, gets to take 5 gold pants with him as he finishes his Buckeye career.  Nathan Williams also almost had a safety in the 4th quarter.

James Laurinaitis had your usual ho-hum 10+ tackle day, finishing with 12 tackles (4 solo).  It was just another day at the office for the former Butkus and Nagurski Award winner.  He also had one sack on the day, good for a 4 yard loss.  Marcus Freeman joined Laurinaitis in the party, contributing 7 assisted tackles.  Further, he also registered 2.5 TFLs and had a fumble recovery on the Odoms special teams boner in the first quarter.  Both Laurinaitis and Freeman were everywhere today.  With only so much tackles to go around, Ross Homan was the odd man out.  He only had 2 tackles on the day.

The secondary is crucial to stopping a spread offense team.  Often times, they find themselves isolated, in space, and being responsible for a play from the offense going for no gain, or for 40 yards.  They were up to the task today, though.  Kurt Coleman led all players in the secondary (and was 2nd on the team for the day) with 10 tackles (5 solo).  1.5 of those were TFLs good for a loss of -7 yards.  Malcolm Jenkins contributed 5 tackles (1 solo).  His one pass break-up, pictured to the right, was a necessary one.  It came on a 3rd and 7 on the Wolverines’ 2nd drive of the 3rd quarter.  Jenkins was actually beat on this play (zone coverage that Mathews outran) and had to make up ground to prevent what would’ve been a big gain, a certain first down and probable touchdown.  A lot of the tackles were taken up by the front 7, but a few other notables got in on the action.  With Jermale Hines sidelined this game, Tyler Moeller saw plenty of action at the “star” position, viz, nickelback.  He had 3 assisted tackles, with one of those being a TFL.  Donald Washington and Anderson Russell both had 3 tackles.  Shaun Lane had two tackles and forced a fumble on special teams.  Chimdi Chekwa had 2 solo tackles.  Again, kudos all around.

Miscellany

• The Buckeyes win 5 straight in this series for the first time ever.  The longest consecutive win streak for either side is Michigan’s 9 consecutive victories (1901-09).  I think we can pull that off.
• I’m not a fan at all of either team, anywhere, allowing its players to go to midfield and jaw and shove the opposing team.  As Gabby noted, it wasn’t that ridiculous this game, but it did get a little bit nasty in Louisville.  These things are tinderboxes, so why risk getting a player suspended?
• On a similar note, the chippiness this game was something I haven’t seen since 1997.  Laurinaitis got into it with Michigan’s center in the second half.  Malcolm Jenkins threw down a guy on Michigan’s first drive.  Again: this was really, really tense.
• The margin of victory for Ohio State was third best in series’ history.  There was a point in the game when The Todd was in there where I thought we could set the record.
• The pushing and shoving by one of those Michigan players (Charles Stewart) and the coaching staff was an absolutely strange sight to see.  Just surreal, I don’t recall ever seeing that before.
• The attendance was 4th largest in Ohio Stadium history.

• This senior class has won 43 games and lost only 7.  The 43 victories is tied for most over a 4 year stretch.  A victory in the Bowl Game would make them, empirically, the best senior class in program history.
• The tone for this game was set in a place where I wouldn’t have thought to predict it: special teams.  Every hit on special teams for Michigan’s hapless return team seemed to be bone-jarring.  Further, Nathan Williams’ roughing the punter penalty seemed to do damage to Michigan’s best offensive player.  It may have been responsible for the usually outstanding Mesko’s low, line-drive punt to Ray Small, which set up the 80 yard return.
• Bucknuts has pictures… lotsandlotsa pictures.  A lot of them are from the Senior Day festivities and are worth looking at.

• William Gholston, cousin of Vernon Gholston, was apparently in attendance.  I’m still trying to gather information about what other recruits were in attendance.
• It’s fun to pick on Michigan now, but I still think Rodriguez will get Michigan back to some kind of national prominence.  I’ve been saying that all along, though I definitely won’t go so far as to EEEEEE BARWIS and predict offenses consecutive national championships and offenses that score 50pts a game.  That said, this game showed to me how really behind the curve Michigan is.  They’re further behind the curve than I could’ve imagined.  They’ll get better next year — they almost have to by default — but there’s still a long way to go.  As we saw today, getting the right quarterback for Michigan, and one that they’re expecting to get, is necessary.  But it’s going to be hard.  Michigan fans are expecting that Michigan’s lore will get them a better recruit at the position, that is: a Pat White without the noodle arm.  Yet, a Pat White w/o the noodle arm might be hard to get as he might be wanting a more conventional offense so he can end up in the NFL… and might end up going to a place like Ohio State and becoming the first freshman quarterback to beat Michigan in the program’s history.  I’m sure when Rodriguez finally gets that quarterback, he’ll work wonders with him.  That said, it’s going to be a hard get for Michigan on the recruiting trail.
• JB Shugarts saw the field at right tackle.  Andrew Sweat also saw some action at linebacker.
• The nature of the blowout allowed the seniors to go out on top with token gestures.  Laurinaitis led the team in tackles, Boone was the best lineman on the day, Todd got a touchdown pass, and Robiskie had a touchdown grab.  The only thing missing in terms of the symbolic-ness was a Maurice Wells touchdown.
• Yes, this is a rebuilding year for Michigan, but at least this game went a long way in telling those 1991 and 1993 games to suck it.  Welcome to the 1990s, Michigan.

Fun w/ Pictures: How Firm Thy Friendship…

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