Ohio State's Secondary Rated #1 Overall In Big Ten

Roby is ready for a break-out year

The Ohio State secondary was rated as the best overall secondary in the Big Ten according to Tom Dienhart of the B1G Network. Dienhart goes one step further, continuing his praise for Ohio State's secondary unit by calling it "one of the best secondaries in the nation."

Here's how he looks at the secondary:

"1. Ohio State - All four starters are back for what should be one of the best secondaries in the nation. Cornerback Bradley Roby was a freshman sensation in 2011. His next stop: stardom. Travis Howard forms the other half of this strong corner tandem. 

Christian Bryant (strong) and C.J. Barnett (free) are a stout duo at safety. Barnett is one of best safeties in the Big Ten. In fact, he may be the top safety, flashing instincts, tackling ability and coverage skills."

The rest of the top 5 include Michigan State, Nebraska, Michigan and Illinois. He ranks the rest of the B1G, but here are the explanations for the top 5.

"2. Michigan State - Losing star safety Trenton Robinson hurts, but this still shapes up as a strong secondary. Johnny Adams rates as one of the top corners in the Big Ten—and the nation. He’s a legit Thorpe Award candidate and likely first-round draft choice. Darqueze Dennard is the ying to Adams yan, a corner with size and coverage skills who often is tested with Adams on the other side. 

Strong safety Isaiah Lewis came into his own as a premier talent with All-Big Ten ability last season. Kurtis Drummond is penciled in at Robinson’s strong safety slot. Coaches like his potential."

"3. Nebraska - The Cornhuskers are strong at safety even with the loss of Austin Cassidy. Strong safety Daimion Stafford should be one of the stars of the secondary and maybe the best player on the defense. He’s a big hitter who covers a lot of ground. Free safety P.J. Smith is a veteran who knows the defense and rarely is out of position. There is talent at cornerback but little experience. Standout Alfonzo Dennard is gone, which hurts. Mohammed Seisay arrived from a junior college in the spring and looks like a potential star as the No. 1 corner. Andrew Green and Ciante Evans—among others–also figure in at corner. Former running back Braylon Heard could an asset as a nickel or dime back."

Ohio State To Play 3 Night Games In October

Miller gets a shot at Nebraska in prime time

The Big Ten and its TV partners released their prime time schedule today.

Ohio State joins Nebraska with three night games this season.

The Buckeyes will play three of their October games at night with the Oct. 6 Homecoming game against Nebraska at 8 p.m., the Oct. 13 game at Indiana at 8 p.m. and the Oct. 27 game at Penn State at 6 p.m. (see full schedule below; exact TV assignments will be firmed up in the fall).

The Nebraska game will be Ohio State’s Homecoming and it will be the Cornhusker’s first visit to Ohio Stadium since playing games in consecutive years at Ohio Stadium in 1955 and 1956.

Ohio State is 34-18 all-time in night games (those starting after 5 p.m. local time) with a 7-3 record in Ohio Stadium, an 18-8 mark on the road and a 9-7 record at neutral sites.

This means OSU’s remaining nine games should all be afternoon starts (typically noon or 3:30 p.m.). The September games should be set sometime before July 1. The rest of the season is typically decided on a six- to 12-day basis.

After the jump, you can see the Big Ten’s prime time football schedule for 2012

2013 4-Star Quarterback JT Barrett Commits To Ohio State

Barrett is a huge grab for Ohio State

The good news has just gotten better. As the Ohio State recruiting machine continues to roll on, the country’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback, JT Barrett, has committed to Ohio State, giving Urban Meyer his 10th commitment in the 2013 class.

Barrett visited Ohio State near the end of March and came away with a great feeling about the Buckeyes. 

He announced soon after that, that Ohio State, LSU, Texas Tech and Nebraska were his top choices at that time and he would make another trip back to Ohio State, most likely in the summer. Now, it seems the Buckeyes have earned the commit from Barrett.

Barrett’s list of scholarship offers included Ohio State, Nebraska, LSU, Texas Tech, Arizona, Illinois, Ole Miss, Baylor, Kansas State and Mississippi State before he selected the Buckeyes.

The 6'2", 205-pound Barrett completed 102 of 171 passes for 1,605 yards during his junior season. He connected for 14 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Barrett also rushed for 1,521 yards and nine touchdowns. Barrett also led his team to the fourth round of the playoffs as a sophomore and is one of the up and coming prospects in the 2013 class.

JT Barrett runs a 4.60 40, is a legit 6'2" and 205-pounds. Quicker than fast. Moves with a powerful quickness about him.

Barrett can be considered a true dual-threat QB prospect. A program can design a QB-run game (Urban/Tebow) with him. He has very good, quick and reactive feet.

Barrett is a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings. He is the country’s No. 1 dual threat quarterback, the No. 38 overall prospect and the No. 7 prospect in the state of Texas.

Barrett’s decision is a huge one for the Buckeyes. With Braxton Miller just a sophomore, Cardale Jones a freshman, and Barrett headed to Ohio State, the quarterback position looks great for years to come. Of course, super athlete Jalin Marshall is headed to OSU. Marshall loves playing quarterback, but has the potential to be the Buckeyes' version of Percy Harvin. That's the role he will most likely take.

Monday's Buckeye Bits

It's time again..

Good morning Buckeye fans, and welcome to a new week. National Signing Day is almost upon us, which is next Wednesday, and coaches are looking to make those final pushes towards the best recruits in the country. Meanwhile, basketball is still being played as the inching towards March continues rolling on. The NFL has it's conference champions, and the Super Bowl match up is set.

With all that being said, it's time to get started with our Monday Buckeye Bits!

Joe Paterno Leaves A Legend. As you may know already, legendary and former Penn State coach Joe Paterno passed away on Saturday. He was 85, and died due to a battle with lung cancer. A great coach, his final season of coaching was cut short when he was fired for the recent situation at Penn State. Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer commented on JoePa's death, saying "I was a coach that really admired him and followed him," Meyer said. "Any chance I had to visit with him, I'd wear him out with questions. I was always trying to learn from him.". This is not only a great loss for the Penn State community, but for College football itself. We wish the best for the Paterno family in their time of need.

Thursday's Buckeye Bits

Happy Thursday, everybody.  It is one day closer to the weekend and, more importantly, one day closer to Buckeye football.

David Perkins is a Buckeye.  The Class of 2012 added more firepower on Wednesday as the Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes got another commit, this time a four-star linebacker/running back from South Bend (Ind.) Washington.  Perkins was originally committed to the Fighting Irish, but changed his mind during the season before picking Ohio State.  Perkins was a key member of the Washington team that went to the 4A state finals for the first time in nearly 40 years.

The Fall Continues for the Hoosiers.  This time, Indiana lost on the road to Nebraska 70-69, despite leading 63-52 with about six minutes remaining.  I can’t say I feel bad for the Hoosiers, especially considering some of the recent comments by Tom Crean.  Crean went on a rant on his weekly radio show, making statements seemingly aimed at the Ohio State coaching staff, as well as the players.

“We don’t have a team of guys that are out wearing their Beats headphones as they’re warming up,” Crean said, “Our guys are out there working with them.”

I really do not understand that quote from Crean. Are you saying that your team is working before the game, the other team is just fooling around, and you still got manhandled by a closer-than-it-looked 17 points? Do the B1G a favor, Tom Crean, and just keep your mouth closed. It’s better for you, it’s better for your school, and it’s better for us, so we don’t have to hear you.

A Long Way To Go

Miller showed he can compete

I don’t know if I would feel better today about a complete blowout in Lincoln, NE or the way things really went down on Saturday night. On one hand, the offense looked fairly competent during the first half giving me hope for the future. On the other hand, coping with complete melt-downs like the one witnessed in the 4th quarter are a really tough pill to swallow.

Braxton Miller finally showed glimpses of what may be in store for OSU during the first 30 minutes on Saturday night. He looked more comfortable in the pocket and appeared to know when to scramble to pick up crucial first downs. His throws were much better than in previous weeks and it really looked like the rout was on when the Bucks pushed the lead to 27-6 early in the third quarter. Then Braxton showed that he is still 18 years old and gave Nebraska a cheap touchdown with a fumble deep in Buckeye territory. Things would go downhill quickly from there. The offense completely abandoned the things that were working for most of the game and the defense also began to show signs of panic.

Live From Lincoln: Being At The Ohio State-Nebraska Game

Too bad we couldn't pull out the win

First of all I have to say it was great to see so many in Scarlet and Gray make the trip west! It would have even been greater had we pulled out the W. Saturday was the first time I had ever been inside Memorial Stadium after living in Nebraska for the last 5 years. Only for my Buckeyes would I do that!

The game started out great, seats were pretty good, nice enough people (except for the drunk guys a few rows back). I was not to optimistic about the Buckeye team I had watched against Michigan state, I did not know who was going to show up and who was not going to. I was surprised to see as the first half went on that it looked like we had practiced, spent time on film and had some emotion to begin the game.

Recap: Ohio State 27, Nebraska 34

Carlos Hyde's 67-yard run.

When Ohio State (3-3, 0-2) built a 27-6 lead over the favored, 14th ranked Cornhuskers, Buckeye fans across the nation watching could believe that they had finally turned it around and were ready to start competing. The Cornhuskers were on their heels for the majority of this game, at least, until true freshman Braxton Miller gained 3 yards on a 2nd down play.

That play is significant because Miller hurt his ankle to the point in which he could not return in this game, but even previous before that, the ghost of Maurice Clarrett seemed to come to the Huskers side, as Lavonte David stripped the ball right out of Braxton Miller's hands on a medium gain run. After that, the Cornhuskers rolled on offense.

Perhaps the reason is when Braxton got hurt, that left the game in Joe Bauserman's hands. Bauserman came in when Ohio State was then clinging to a 27-13 lead, and went 1/10 (10% completion percentage) for 13 yards and 1 pick. Every incompletion sailed high over every intended target, even some wide open ones. On the flip side, Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead just dominated in the second half, as the defense for OSU must have been super tired after not getting any long breaks from touchdowns while Bauserman was in. Martinez went 16/22 passing for 191 yards and Burkhead ran for 119 yards on 26 carries. Carlos Hyde led the Buckeyes in rushing with 104 on only 13 carries. Before Braxton Miller was injured, he was doing very well throwing the ball, and of course running. He went 5/8 (62.5% completion percentage), and rushed for 95 yards on 10 carries.

Preview: Ohio State vs. #14 Nebraska

Huskers look to add first B1G statement

The Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-1, 0-1) and the Ohio State Buckeyes (3-2, 0-1) back in the summer of 2011 were hoping that this would be a game to really tell where the programs were, and what the class of the Big Ten will look like in the future. That explains the 8 PM EST start on ABC as OSU heads to Lincoln for the first time ever in it's storied history. The current head-to-head match up leaves Ohio State up 2-0, but the Cornhuskers have one of their best shots, in what will be many more games ahead.

Bo Pelini will be coaching the 14th ranked Huskers facing his old school, but it's not the first time he's coached against the Buckeyes. Anyone remember that monstrous defense in the 2007-2008 BCS championship game? It was LSU, and the defensive coordinator was none other than Bo Pelini himself. On the other side, Luke Fickell comes into this game with much scrutiny, even if some of the fault is not his. Ohio State comes off a 10-7 loss that was an offensive embarrassing to everyone in the country. Pelini and his offense could only muster 17 points against the B1G favorites Wisconsin in their blow-out loss at Camp Randall, 48-17.

Enemy Blogger Interview: Nebraska

The Enemy Blogger Interview is back this week, after not being able to reach a willing MSU blog. Perhaps, in the end it's better we didn't. This week, as the Buckeyes travel to Lincoln to face off against the Huskers, the guys from Corn Nation were nice enough to answer our questions, and in return we have done so for them. So, on to the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Give us a little bit of background on your website, Corn Nation.

Jon Johnston: Corn Nation appeared on the Internet in 2006 after all of the good names for Nebraska sites were taken. The following Q&A is actually answered by different authors from our site, each of which is a sentient being, this being contrary to the popular opinion that I suffer from a multiple-personality disorder.

1. Both teams are coming off disappointing losses, to Wisconsin and Michigan State. How do the Cornhuskers come into this game at home vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes, who aren't what they were in years past?

Ricky Smith: That’s the million dollar question in Husker Nation. My hunch is they won’t pout and they’ll move on. They have to. Hopefully, coming back home will help them. That is, of course, they play well. If things get rocky and the fans start booing, all bets are off. It could go downhill quickly. I get the impression that this is an emotionally fragile team right now.

Aaron: This feels a lot like the Texas game from last year. Big time opponent coming into Lincoln with their backs against the wall. We wasted that opportunity. I think Nebraska gets back to the basics against Ohio State and plays fairly conservative. The coaches have taken a lot of heat this week for throwing the ball as much as they did against Wisconsin.

Mike: What a lot of Husker fans lost sight of was that Nebraska was actually playing pretty well the first 20 minutes against Wisconsin.  Then the turnovers began and the defense disappeared. I think the Huskers bounce back and try to pound away at Ohio State.

Jon Johnston: The team has taken a lot of crap this week - how the rest of the season plays out depends on how they respond in this game. I would think that we’d come out and see right away what our offensive line can do with a power running game against Ohio State. See how strong we are, see how the Buckeyes respond. Hate to say it, but given the Buckeye’s offensive woes, we shouldn’t have to score a ton of points to win this game.

2. Who are the #1 play makers on offense (not counting Taylor Martinez) and defense for Nebraska?

RS: It starts and ends with Rex Burkhead with offense. The sooner Tim Beck (OC) realizes this, the better off the offense will be. This year is all about time of possession and ball control.  As for defense, Lavonte David’s (LB) play is critical. He seems to be the only one with any type of presence out on the field.

Aaron: Ameer Abdullah leads the nation in yards per kick off (35.13ypk). Nebraska had great field position quite often during the Wisconsin game but couldn’t capitalize on it. The defense seems to really be lacking play makers right now, but the focus is always on Jared Crick, David and Alfonzo Dennard. On offense, true freshman Jamal Turner leads the team in receiving.

Mike: Look for tight end Kyler Reed and freshman receiver Kenny Bell as well in the passing game for the Huskers. On defense, keep an eye out for safety Daimion Stafford, who’s a big hitter.

Jon: The #1 playmaker on the defense will be the cornerback that finally earns a stable starting position alongside Dennard. Seriously - the defensive secondary has been horrid this year, and we’re not sure if it’s because of a change in the secondary coaching or because the players are inexperienced. If that gets fixed, Nebraska’s defense will be on the mend.

Hopes And Fears: Nebraska

Eerily similar to Camp Randall

Tough week and a tough loss!

But it is now time to focus on our next opponent, the Big Ten newcomer, Nebraska. Nebraska didn't have a great showing against Wisconsin in their conference opener, but I chalk that up to a big stage, a big time crowd and 3 INT by their quarterback, Taylor Martinez. The Nebraska defense didn't show up as well as I thought it would either.

The big fear of mine leading into this week is that Ohio State will not take a step forward with the returning members of the team, but allow them and the lack of their presence so far, to slow us down. It so far hasn't been a consistent season and I hate to say it, but we've missed Terrelle Pryor. The rust these players bring to the table will add to a machine already needing oil.

Playing Nebraska at home will be interesting. Not because of the stadium size, but because of a new fan base, a fan base also coming off a loss but one that is just as passionate about their team, as we are about ours. There will be a lot of red in the stands on Saturday in Lincoln!

My hope is, we come out and play a good game. We may not win, but I hope we are not flat footed or distracted. Lacking intensity is something I thought I wouldn't say about a Luke Fickell led football team but that so far has been the case. To beat Nebraska, we will have to break that trend.

Postmortem

Sigh

That's all folks. The curtain has dropped, the seas have un-parted and the fat lady has belted her last note. That last "game" against the Spartans effectively ended the 2011 campaign before it even had a chance to get going. The Miami game a couple weeks back was a tough pill to swallow but many, yours truly included thought that the Big Ten season would offer a new beginning of sorts and allow Ohio St. to play meaningful football this season. That ship sailed in my head after the first 3 offensive series last Saturday. This team is bad. Not average or mediocre... bad. It pains me more than anyone else to type those words but it's time to face reality.

There will still be some good games against inferior opponents in the coming weeks but anyone with a pulse in the Big Ten has to be smacking their chops in anticipation of their game with OSU. I guess "bad" isn't a fair term to bestow on the whole team. I thought that the defense played their collective tails off (per usual) and kept the team in the game all afternoon. They let Cousins get off some decent throws and there were some missed tackles but when the D is on the field that long, the Baltimore Ravens would've given up some yardage. With an offense that pathetic there is no room for error. For OSU to have won that game, the defense would've had to been the unit to put it in the end zone. IS there any other conclusion to be drawn from that contest? Let's take a look at the 3 most glaring problems even though one could write a book on all that is wrong with OSU these days. The quarterback play is just awful right now. Joe Bauserman should never, and I mean never, pick up a football ever again.

MSU Game/Other Thoughts

Vintage, nice

Wow, what an awful game to watch. To start off, I am happy that the game mercifully came to an end. I am happy that the Buckeyes were not shutout for the first time since 1993 and for the first time at home since the early 1980s. I am happy that the Buckeyes bend don’t break defense made some very big plays to keep the team and our anemic offense in the game up until the very end. I am also very happy that the suspended players (those who are still part of the team, and those not named Herron or Posey) will be back this week. I am also happy that Ben Buchanan’s leg did not fall off. He was a very busy young man.

I am also sort of happy that one excuse (if excuses are allowed) of this offense pathetic play is that they are young. A good number of our skill players were either in high school this time last year or were red shirted and haven’t played a big time game like this in a long time. That is really all I am happy for from that game yesterday, because our Buckeyes looked bad. We looked so bad, I am not sure if an NCAA bowl ban will even effect this team, because I am not sure I can figure out 3 more wins for this team.

ITS's BlogPoll Ballot: Week 6

Out of the weekends played so far in College football, I have to say that this is weekend by far, was the one that really showed me who's here to compete for a championship and who's here to "Shock the World". Surprisngly, that quote doesn't just refer to Ohio State. LSU got off with a BYE, but Alabama, Wisconsin, Clemson, and Arkansas are the huge winners of this weekend. Texas A&M, South Carolina, and some others had some tough losses, that will be hard to overlook late this season. Let's get on to the rankings, and be sure to leave your thoughts and comments to keep in mind for next week's rankings!

The Road Ahead: A Breakdown of The 2011 Ohio State Schedule

Buckeyes know it's time to get rolling.

Ed. Note: First posted at Off Tackle Empire.


When Ohio State fans took in the excellent, 12-1, Sugar Bowl Champions season, they had no idea what they were in for during the spring and heading into the summer. The worst nightmare possible, Jim Tressel stepping down, was coupled with Terrelle Pryor leaving a year early, and the notice of allegations from the NCAA. With the official doomsday coming in August, this summer has been a gloomy one for Ohio State.

So what of the rest of the Scarlet and gray-clad Buckeyes?  Without Treselball, the offense (and defense) have been left to the assistant coach Luke Fickell. Now a head coach of a talent-laden Buckeye squad, the questions arise. Who will start at Quarterback? What's the offensive gameplan? Is Fickell even prepared to take a job like this? Buckeye fans across the country are skeptic at best to see how the 2011 Ohio State football team will fare. Let's take a look at the schedule and break each game down, and see what the road ahead looks like.

Akron and Toledo Will Be Noon Kickoffs

Brutus is already ready for next season

A short break from all the downer news for Buckeye fans, a little look into the future of this fall. When the Buckeyes take the field for the first game, there will surely be many unanswered questions, but now we know the time for those questions.

Ohio State's season opener against Akron on Sept. 3 and the Sept. 10 game against Toledo both will kick off at noon, the Big Ten announced today. ESPN or ESPN2 will carry the Akron game, and the Big Ten Network will broadcast the game with Toledo.

Five of Ohio State’s 2011 games now have start times. Start times previously announced were:

Sept. 17 at Miami (Fla.) – 7:30 or 8 p.m. on ABC or ESPN;

Oct. 8 at Nebraska – 8 p.m. on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2; and

Oct. 29 against. Wisconsin – 8 p.m. on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

As of right now, there seems to be no other indication that the other times for games will be released. Usually for the rest of the games, 12 days before kickoff those game times will be announced.

In Case You Missed It

Pryor will try to avenge the loss in prime time.

Due to my internet betraying me and Blogger going down a day after I got it back, here's a recap of the big story over the end of the week. Normal posting will now continue.

It was announced that Ohio State will have 2 games in prime time. Miami and Wisconsin are the games that are in prime time as of right now. Kickoff in Miami will be at 7:30 or 8 p.m. on Sept. 17. The game will be broadcast on either ABC or ESPN.

The teams played in Columbus last season, with the Buckeyes winning 36-24. The 2011 match-up will be Ohio State's first trip to play the Hurricanes in Miami. 

Meanwhile, the Badger game will be carried by ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 in Columbus. Pryor and co. will be in tow as they try and avenge their loss to Wisconsin way back in October.

This is the third prime time game for the Buckeyes, as it is added to the Ohio State-Nebraska game, which will be a dandy in Lincoln. The Tat Five and Tressel will be returning in that game, so you know the build up to that point will be incredibly large.

Traveling to Lincoln, Part 2

The more you know

Part 2- The Historic Haymarket and Downtown area...places to feed your face!

If you are a foodie, then visiting the Historic Haymarket District after the Buckeyes beat the Husker's is a must!

Packed with lots of local flavor, the Haymarket is an area of downtown Lincoln that reminds me of Columbus's Arena District, without the arena. The arena is coming, mind you, we're just 10 years behind everyone!

Here are some of my recommendations for eateries if you are planning on coming out to see the Tat Five and Coach Tressel's return the college football!

The N Zone- Would be an interesting place to watch the game if you come to Lincoln without a ticket and can't find one outside the gates.

Brewsky's - typical bar food, very good selection and not too pricey.

Buzzard Billy's- Cajun food with an awesome atmosphere and should be a great game day stop!

Lazlo's - My favorite place to eat in the Haymarket. Great beers brewed right in the building along with great ribs and steaks....can't get much better than that!

Traveling to Lincoln?

It's that good

Ed. Note: As part of welcoming Nebraska to the Big Ten, Katie is giving Buckeye (and non-buckeye) fans some good advice, if you're headed down to Lincoln for games.

This fall we have a rare opportunity as Buckeye fans. We have the chance to visit a NEW conference opponent, a NEW (to us) Stadium and to interact with a new fan base.

Are you planning on making the trip out to Lincoln to see the Tat 5 and Coach Tressel make their return to the field? To see Bo Pelini chomp his gum and yell at brother Carl?

In the next few posts I will show you a few of the places, as an Ohio native I want to make sure my fellow Buckeye's don't miss out on!

Air Travel: Both Omaha and Lincoln have airports but you will most likely find better deals for flying into Omaha than into Lincoln (air travel volume in Lincoln isn't that high so Omaha prices tend to be cheaper). But you will have to get a rental car to travel from Omaha to Lincoln. Southwest Airlines flies our of Port Columbus and also Omaha...a great way to go, with no baggage fees!

Lincoln is a very small airport and I would suggest flying in here if you are looking for quick in and out visit. Many hotels have shuttles from the airport, and if you are close enough downtown, you could walk to the game, and also have plenty of food options within walking distance as well.

Is Nebraska In For A Rough Start?

Bo knows it won't be easy

Nebraska fans are nice people. Some of the nicest you will find around the college football landscape. They say they clap for the other team after the game, they talk with other fans tailgating (not taunting or harassing...just talking), they say they don't hate anyone (except Colorado...a little bit)... I don't know if they know just what will be waiting on them in Madison, WI when they go on the road to play their first league game as a member of the Big Ten Conference. I've never been to a game in Madison, but it doesn't seem like too welcoming of a place on TV. Especially if you get down 21-0...but then again, there are not many places that are friendly to you then! Not only Madison, but as they make their stops over the course of the first two years of their Big Ten schedule, it could be an eye-opening experience. But we need a nice team in the Big Ten, we already have the smart kids of Northwestern holding down that role. I'm not saying fans in the Big Ten are viscous but it will be a new experience for everyone in Nebraska, because in the Big Ten, we do hate teams and other schools, some of them, A LOT!

Imagine the pain Nebraska will feel when we face them!