Recap: Ohio State 6, Miami 24

Hall tried to give the Buckeyes life

After an ugly win over a Toledo team that Boise State handled easily, Buckeye Nation was concerned over the quarterback controversy, where Joe Bauserman was solid in that he didn't turn the ball over, but couldn't throw an accurate deep ball to save his life. So, when Braxton Miller went in last night, and did well in the running game, he also fumbled and had an interception (It was a tipped ball, to be fair). A lot of frustration came in the game last night, due to the total of 35 yards passing, and just horrid play calling from Bollman. It's interesting that everyone was upset with Tressel's play calling when he was here (myself included), but with the real offensive coordinator calling the plays, we see that Tressel was actually a genius. Perhaps that's a bit exaggerated, but there is no doubt in my mind that Tressel is a better play caller then most think.

Lamar Miller was man among boys out there in Coral Gables, as he rushed for 184 yards on 26 carries. Jordan Hall and Carlos Hyde did their part in trying to get the Buckeye offense rolling, combining for 141 yards on 26 carries. Had Hall not gone down on one of his punt returns with serious cramping, and if our passing game had at least 100 yards, this might be a very different game. Jacory Harris threw two first-quarter touchdown passes to Allen Hurns, helping the Hurricanes top the #19 Ohio State Buckeyes, who are in danger of being knocked out of the Top 25 for the first time since November 28th, 2004. 

Quarterback Conundrum

Yeah..

Well that wasn’t what we were looking for in the second game of the campaign! Toledo gave the Buckeyes everything they could handle in a 27-22 showdown at the show this past Saturday. Missed opportunities, untimely fumbles and a shaky defense were the culprits that almost finished the OSU season before it could even get to the Big Ten portion of the schedule. Joe Bauserman was the only quarterback that saw action which left many in buckeye nation a little perturbed. Why did Fickell choose to stay with the wily.. err... veteran.. err... old quarterback when he had the Ferrari parked on the sideline? Was it the right move? Could Braxton have done a better job at guiding the offense to a more desirable outcome?

I think it is painfully obvious that our new coach knows that his job is on the line after this season and he will do anything in his power to win games. Unfortunately, his job status may be getting the way of giving our new star quarterback valuable game reps.

3 Suspended Buckeyes Reinstated, Ready For Miami

Jordan Hall, Travis Howard and Corey "Pittsburgh" Brown are back in action starting against Miami, after being suspended for the first two games of the 2011 season for taking a total of 200 dollars each at a fundraiser event from a booster. With the return of starter's Hall and Howard, the Buckeyes will get more depth and speed to compete with the Hurricanes on Saturday. From the release:

"The reinstatement staff determined the nature and scope of the violations, particularly the provision of cash benefits a booster, merited a two game suspension. When a school discovers an NCAA rules violation has occurred, it must declare the student-athlete ineligible and may request the student-athlete's elighibility be resinstated. The NCAA staff reviews each student-athlete's reinstatement request indivdually based on it's own merits and set of specific facts."

ITS's BlogPoll Ballot: Week 3

Week 2 of college football has passed, and perhaps has led to more questions than answers in the big picture for the race towards the championship. Alabama had an impressive win over Penn State, Michigan turned some heads with a last second win vs. Notre Dame, and South Carolina got a big win on the road, as they looked impressive on both sides of the ball. With that, let's take a look at this week's ballot.

3 weeks and a cloud of dust

The college football season always seems to fly by and this year is no exception. Can you believe that we are already a fourth of the way through this thing?!

Velcro..how long can he last?

Without any actual game played between teams within the conference yet, what have we learned about our Big Ten brethren so far? Denard Robinson’s life insurance premiums are skyrocketing every week. DickRod is relying on the Nardster (I thought it was pretty catchy) for most of his offensive production thus far. That is all well and good until he actually runs into a real defense. I am not disputing that Robinson is a great talent but he can’t possibly keep up this ridiculous pace. If his head is still attached to his body by the time the Buckeyes see him, I’ll be shocked. Michigan quarterbacks thrive after they transfer away from Ann Arbor. Steven Threet and Heisman candidate Ryan Mallet are playing some good football for their respective teams. I remember how bad and literally incompetent these two looked in their limited snaps for the Wolverines. I guess we found out what the real problem was.

Week Three Big Ten Wrap-Up

BIG TEN! WOOOOOO!

We've decided to add how the Big Ten did over the weekend to our weekly schedule.

Just like the commercial says, "Big Dreams. Big Ten." As a whole the conference did win, and came through beating the teams they should have beat... for the most part. There weren't many surprises, but we did learn a few things about the teams we love, and love to hate.

Michigan vs. UMass: The Fightin' Velcros got a little scare in this game, and found themselves down 17-7 early. The Michigan Defense couldn't stop UMass' FCS attack to save their lives. Velcro once again accounted for 110% of the Wolverine's offense, and didn't get the rest that I think he needs before heading in to the Big Ten season. Rodriguez stayed true to form in riding his horse in to the ground for the win. In his defense, he had to this week. What did we learn? The defense is as bad or worse than we thought and the Offense is all Velcro all the time. Also, did you here this guy doesn't tie his shoes? It's getting about as old as the "Tom Zbikowski is a boxer which means he's tough" meme from 2005. Up Next: Bowling Green.

In all fairness, this was a game against Delaware, not UM. Close enough..