Tag: Ohio State

Ohio State 42, Michigan 13

That was uglier than expected. And frankly, it was uglier than it should have been. For all the talk of Jim Harbaugh being a master motivator, most of the team laid an egg on Saturday. I suggested on Twitter that maybe Michigan should have hired Brady Hoke as a special consultant for Ohio State week. Obviously, that was a tongue-in-cheek comment, but Hoke took worse teams and went 1-3 against the Buckeyes, including a couple close losses and some exciting performances from Devin Gardner. We knew that Ohio State would run tempo, which would be a problem for Michigan’s defense, which was already missing two starting linemen and a key backup. The immediately concerning thing was that Ohio State was making plays early in the game. An unblocked inside linebacker facing a quarterback in the hole is a win for the defense – and normally a dream come true for a linebacker – but Joe Bolden whiffed and J.T. Barrett scored a touchdown. If you can’t make that play when you’re fresh, then it’s going to be a long day against a team that runs tempo.

Hit the jump for the rest of the game recap.

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Preview: Michigan vs. Ohio State

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Rush Offense vs. Ohio State Rush Defense
Michigan is tied for #82 nationally with 161 yards/game on the ground, and they are #77 with 4.23 yards/carry. The Wolverines have a wacky rotation at running back, which has seen leading rusher De’Veon Smith (621 yards, 4.3 yards/carry, 6 TDs) get the bulk of the carries, two 5-star recruits sit on the bench, an injured Drake Johnson grab a carry here or there, and the backup fullback become a steady contributor. Seven players have rushed for 140+ yards this year, including quarterback Jake Rudock and wide receiver Jehu Chesson. The Wolverines are #72 in Adjusted Line Yards and #63 in Power Success Rate. The past two weeks have seen way too many false starts, illegal snaps, and other penalties. Ohio State allows 133 yards/game and is #33 in the country in that category. They are #18 in yardage against/carry at 3.41. In their 4-3 defense, sophomore middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan leads the team with 105 tackles while strongside linebacker Josh Perry is second with 88. Junior defensive end Joey Bosa’s sack numbers are down this year, but he has still made 15 tackles for loss, good enough for #22 nationally. As a team, the Buckeyes are #40 in tackles for loss. The numbers aren’t great, but talent-wise, Ohio State’s front will be as good as or better than any other team Michigan has faced this year. The Wolverines will struggle, but they will likely attempt to get the ball in the hands of two-way player Jabrill Peppers (11 carries, 43 yards, 2 TDs) for a little spark.
Advantage: Ohio State

Hit the jump for the rest of the preview.

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On Michael Weber

As most diehard Michigan fans know by now, Detroit (MI) Cass Tech running back Michael Weber signed his National Letter of Intent to Ohio State on Wednesday after an intense battle between the Buckeyes and Wolverines. Of course, his position coach and lead recruiter, Stan Drayton, publicly accepted the running backs coach job for the Chicago Bears the very next day. This has prompted a bit of an uproar in recruiting circles and from Cass Tech head coach Thomas Wilcher, a former Wolverine himself who went on the radio to vent about Urban Meyer’s disrespect toward Weber and Cass Tech.

The key point is that Weber was on the verge of choosing the Wolverines, and his relationship with Drayton was one of the things that sold him on Ohio State. The final nail in Michigan’s coffin was that they had accepted a commitment from Florida running back Karan Higdon, which was announced at 8:00 a.m., approximately 2.5 hours before Weber himself announced. Weber thought he was going to be the only running back in Michigan’s class. But if he had been made aware of Drayton’s impending departure, he almost certainly would have chosen Michigan.

The practice of coaches leaving immediately after National Signing Day without informing recruits is sneaky and slimy and dirty. It’s dishonest to recruit17- and 18-year-old kids – or even grownups – into a situation where the recruiter knows the dynamic will change 24 hours after the binding agreement is signed. Texas’s defensive line coach did it, UCLA’s defensive coordinator did it, and there have probably been more instances this season of which I’m unaware. Coaches spend as much time with these kids as anyone over the next four years and often make promises of helping them reach the next level. It’s one thing to take a promotion after a year or two or three, because the flow of life is inevitable. It’s quite another to voluntarily leave the next day.

Weber’s choices now include accepting his fate and sticking with Ohio State, where head coach Urban Meyer – who almost assuredly knew of Drayton’s future – obviously isn’t a straight shooter. Weber could also transfer schools, which would force him to sit out the 2015 season, accept a redshirt, and have four seasons to play four seasons at his chosen destination. The third most prominent option would be to fight the National Letter of Intent’s validity, legally proving that Ohio State knowingly misled him into his current situation. California defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes successfully pulled the third option a couple years ago, which got him away from Notre Dame and to UCLA, where he played as a true freshman in 2013.

For what it’s worth, I have heard through the grapevine that Weber wants out of his Ohio State deal, which is understandable considering the distrust he probably has for Meyer. Michigan and Wisconsin are both potential landing spots, as both recruited him hard, and with new staffs in place, everyone is almost 100% secure for the next year, at least. A Detroit-area lawyer has offered his services pro bono to Weber, who has a good case but might not want the headache of going through the legal process. It would be a difficult choice for a high school kid whether to prolong the recruiting shenanigans (Weber got tired of recruiting and does not bask in the attention) or start on the path to four years with an ethically questionable coach.

From Michigan’s end, Weber said on National Signing Day that he thought he was the only running back being recruited by the Wolverines. Perhaps there is some distrust there, or perhaps he simply thought Jim Harbaugh would wait for Weber’s decision before accepting another running back. Either way, it is a bit naive to think that Michigan – which did not take a running back in 2014 – would risk going a second straight year without a running back signee. If Weber had been given or accepted good advice, he should have reserved his spot with Michigan before Higdon even had a chance to flip. Programs can’t gamble like that if they want to find success consistently.

Michigan did something similar to Ohio State back in 2006 when offensive coordinator Terry Malone left for the New Orleans Saints a day after National Signing Day. Of the signees that year, Malone appears to have been the lead recruiter only for Obi Ezeh. While the situation is somewhat similar, Ezeh was a fullback/linebacker who ended up playing defense, and Michigan promoted special teams coach Mike Debord from within to take over offensive coordinator duties. Those facts are somewhat beside the point, but the negative repercussions seem pretty minimal.

As for Weber’s future, Ohio State has junior Ezekiel Elliott, sophomore Curtis Samuel, and redshirt junior Warren Ball ahead of him; they also have the nation’s #1 running back, Kareem Walker, committed in the 2016 class. They hired Nebraska offensive coordinator Tim Beck to replace Tom Herman, but Beck helped launch the careers of Ameer Abdullah and Rex Burkhead, so that’s a positive if Weber ever earns the starting gig. Wisconsin’s new head coach, Paul Chryst, is known for a power running game and has sophomore Corey Clement taking over the starting role; they also have a highly touted running back for 2016 in the form of Antonio Williams. Michigan has a top-heavy backfield scheduled for 2015, with three juniors and a redshirt sophomore vying for the starting gig but no 2016 commits in the fold. Regardless of where Weber ends up or when, there’s going to be competition.

My guess is that Weber stays at Ohio State, where he would join rising sophomore cornerback Damon Webb and fellow 2015 signee Joshua Alabi, both of whom also went to Cass Tech. The allure of playing for the defending national champions and being “the next Ezekiel Elliott” is significant. The leading rumor right now for Drayton’s replacement appears to be Notre Dame’s Tony Alford.

If nothing else, this gives Weber an early introduction into the cold, cruel world of “business decisions.”

Quick Thoughts on the National Championship Game

This is my only positive thought about Oregon at this point.

In case you didn’t watch, Ohio State beat Oregon in the national championship game, 42-20. Oregon jumped out to a 7-0 lead, and then things were bad after that.

• For having a mobile quarterback themselves, Oregon did a terrible job of hemming in Cardale Jones. Their outside linebackers and defensive ends kept flying 10 yards upfield, which allowed Jones to step up in the pocket and/or escape contain. Maybe it was their goal to speed rush and try to rattle Jones, but the Ducks never adjusted.
• Ezekiel Elliott is a man. He had 220 or more yards in the final three games of the year, including 36 carries for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns against Oregon. He’s not the most elusive guy around, but he has a good combination of speed and power.
• On the plus side, Urban Meyer went 9-4 following his first national championship at Florida. Unfortunately, he then went 13-1 following his second. Ohio State does not appear poised for a drop-off, because many of their best players (Ezekiel Elliott, Jalin Marshall, Darron Lee, Joey Bosa, J.T. Barrett) are too young to declare for the NFL Draft. However, there could be some turnover with the quarterback position (Braxton Miller to another school, Cardale Jones thinking about the draft) and some early entrants. But the Buckeyes recruit well and will most likely reload.
• The Big Ten has had a bad rap for getting pushed around in recent years, but the Buckeyes demolished Oregon up front. Aside from the pressure put on Oregon QB Marcus Mariota and the inability to create seams up front, the defining moment was when Jones scrambled up the middle and ran right through the tackle – I mean the nose tackle – of the Ducks, Alex Balducci.
• The Ducks flat-out laid an egg. They racked up penalties, made immature choices, had a poor game plan, dropped passes, etc. This was my concern when I pointed out that Meyer was 8-2 in bowl games and 2-0 in national championships, while Helfrich was in just his second year. Meyer’s team was mentally and physically prepared to win the game, while Oregon was not.

Michigan-centric preview of National Championship Game: Ohio State vs. Oregon

Marcus Mariota

Whenever I watch a college or pro football game, I always have Michigan in the back of my mind. I was rooting for the Cardinals over the Panthers in last week’s playoffs because the Cardinals have Larry Foote, Kenny Demens, etc. Obviously, I was disappointed. This past Saturday night, I was rooting for the New England Patriots because of Tom Brady; Fitzgerald Toussaint just doesn’t have the same place in my heart.

So here’s a look at Ohio State vs. Oregon (8:30 p.m. EST on ESPN) from a Michigan fan’s point of view:

OHIO STATE PLAYERS FROM MICHIGAN
CB Damon Webb

OHIO STATE PLAYERS RECRUITED BY MICHIGAN
CB Eli Apple, OT Darryl Baldwin, TE Marcus Baugh, DT Michael Bennett, LB Kyle Berger, LB Devan Bogard, LB Dante Booker, DE Joey Bosa, CB Cam Burrows, CB Gareon Conley*, OT Taylor Decker, OT Kyle Dodson, RB Bri’onte Dunn, LB Curtis Grant, OG Joel Hale, TE Jeff Heuerman, DT Michael Hill, S Malik Hooker, DE Sam Hubbard, QB Cardale Jones, OT Jamarco Jones, OG Demetrius Knox, CB Marshon Lattimore, OT Evan Lisle, QB Braxton Miller, DE Steve Miller, OG Billy Price, CB Armani Reeves, DE Chris Rock#, DT Tommy Schutt, WR Devin Smith, S Erick Smith, DE Noah Spence, S Ron Tanner, OT Kyle Trout, TE Nick Vannett, DT Adolphus Washington, CB Damon Webb, LB Camren Williams

Hit the jump for some further info on tonight’s game.

OREGON PLAYERS FROM MICHIGAN
OT Jake Fisher*, CB Dior Mathis

OREGON PLAYERS RECRUITED BY MICHIGAN
WR Devon Allen, DT Arik Armstead, TE Evan Baylis, WR Jaylen Brown, TE Pharaoh Brown*, WR Darren Carrington, OT Jake Fisher*, OG Cameron Hunt, S Mattrell McGraw, WR Dwayne Stanford, LB Jimmie Swain, OT Andre Yruretagoyena

WHOM YOU SHOULD ROOT FOR
Michigan. Duh.

WHOM YOU SHOULD ROOT AGAINST
Ohio State. Yes, it would be good for the conference to win a national championship, but I did not grow up as a fan of the conference. I grew up loving Michigan and hating Ohio State, and you don’t root for good things to happen to people you hate.

RELEVANT STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Rushing offense: Ohio State #10, Oregon #18
Passing offense: Oregon #11, Ohio State #52
Scoring offense: Oregon #2, Ohio State #5
Rushing defense: Ohio State #34, Oregon #51
Passing defense: Ohio State #16, Oregon #111
Scoring defense: Ohio State #26, Oregon #27

STORY LINES TO IMPACT THE GAME

• Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota won the Heisman this year with some ridiculous statistics. He was 280/408 (68.6%) for 4,121 yards, 40 touchdowns, and just 3 interceptions. He is also Oregon’s #2 rusher with 125 carries for 731 yards (5.9 yards/carry) and 15 touchdowns.
• Mariota’s top target from the past two games is suspended for the national championship. Darren Carrington (14 catches, 291 yards, 3 touchdowns) was a huge big-play threat and Oregon’s second-leading receiver this year.
• Oregon has also lost #3 receiver Devon Allen (41 catches, 684 yards, 7 touchdowns) and top tight end Pharaoh Brown (25 catches, 420 yards, 6 touchdowns), both to injury. 
• Ohio State is down to their second (or third) string quarterback after Braxton Miller hurt his shoulder in August and then J.T. Barrett broke his ankle against Michigan in the regular season finale. Cardale Jones led the team to a 59-0 win over Wisconsin and a 42-35 win over Alabama since Barrett’s injury.
• Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is 2-0 in national championship games and 8-2 in bowls altogether.
• Oregon coach Mark Helfrich has not coached in a national championship game but he is 2-0 in bowl games.

PREDICTION
I’m really up in the air on this one. On the one hand, it seems crazy that Ohio State could win a championship with their third-stringer at the most important position on the field. On the other hand, Oregon has its own problems (numerous injuries at wide receiver) and a coach in his first national championship game and just his second year as a head man. It pains me to say this, but I’m picking based on Urban Meyer’s past history as a big-game head coach:
Ohio State 41, Oregon 38

*One-time Michigan commit
#Played at Michigan for a year