Baver's Buckeye Bag 10/21/14 - OSU vs Penn State

Baver’s Buckeye Bag 10/21/14

Some random thoughts/comments on the Buckeyes after Rutgers & after 6 games:

--It’s a slippery slope with the issue of playing starters in the 4th quarter when you are up 5+ TD’s.  Meyer said backup O-linemen Joel Hale and Marcelys Jones were unable to go, which was why Jacoby Boren was in the game late before he left with an injury.  As for Barrett still quarterbacking a drive in the 4th quarter when the Bucks led 56-17, Meyer said he wanted more reps for his first-year starting QB.  What Meyer didn’t mention was the issue with OSU getting no respect in the polls, which is probably another reason for not cleaning the bench earlier.  (More on the polls in a second.)  If “style points” are part of it, I don’t think it really matters whether the Bucks beat a team like Rutgers by 30 points or by 50.  I still say, “just keep winning” and everything else will take care of itself.  I think the potential harm of leaving your starters in late during blowouts exceeds the potential good.

--It’s somewhat puzzling as to why Dontre Wilson hasn’t broken more plays; I thought Dontre would be taking more would-be moderate gains to the house this year.  From C-deck Saturday, I watched Wilson on a 12-yard run around the right end.  I shook my head, trying to think of a former Buckeye that would have gotten to the edge that quickly, and couldn’t come up with anyone.  But, why can’t Wilson break the big one on running plays, after catches, or on returns?  Someone told me they question Wilson’s top end speed, but I think the guy just makes too many wrong decisions with running lanes, especially on kickoff returns.  Nonetheless, Dontre Wilson is still a guy that needs to be heavenly involved in the Buckeye offense.

--The polls?  There is way too much griping by Buckeye fans.  The schedule is what it is – it’s been laughable so far and the Buckeyes lost at home, at night, to what is now a 3-loss Va Tech team.  How else do you rank teams besides awarding quality wins and punishing bad losses?  The good news is….in the long run, I don’t think it will matter – if the Bucks win out, they will be in the playoff.

--I don’t think Ohio State should look past this Penn State team, but the Michigan State game is now just two and a half weeks away.  How good is this Buckeye team?  We will know on November 8th.  I mentioned that beating Rutgers by 30 or by 50 doesn’t matter much in terms of polls.  It also doesn’t matter much in terms of figuring out “how good you really are.”  We will soon find out.

--This Buckeye team cannot afford to lose another DE.  With the loss of Spence for the season (likely), that left three DE’s that played in games prior to 2014.  One of them, Rashad Frazier, was injured in the Rutgers game.  As of Tuesday morning, the depth of Frazier’s injury had not been disclosed.  This doesn’t matter so much against teams like Rutgers and Maryland, but it will against Michigan State and a possible appearance in the B10 title game, followed by the bowl game.  True frosh Jalyn Holmes looks good, and is going to need to keep progressing with increased playing time likely in his future.

The matchup Saturday against Penn State:

I am in the minority here among Buckeye fans, but I fully expect Penn State to be ready to play Saturday night, and think the game will be close.  Penn State is a well coached team that is coming off a bye, and I’m always leery about giving good coaches an extra week to prepare for Ohio State’s rhythm offense.

Penn State’s rush defense is 1st nationally, giving up only 61 yards per game on the ground.  Their pass defense has been solid as well, ranking 22nd in the country in pass efficiency defense.  This will be freshman QB JT Barrett’s first game in a truly hostile environment, and I expect the PSU defense to take Ohio State’s offense out of their rhythm at times Saturday night.  The Buckeyes will need to take some pressure off JT Barrett, with this being the first truly tough venue/atmosphere he has played in: Ezekiel Elliott could help relieve some of that pressure. 

On the plus side for Ohio State, PSU simply does not have the talent to match up with OSU.  On offense, Penn State is having real problems running the football, which doesn’t bode well against Ohio State’s D-line.  The Penn State O-line will have to play better, and the PSU team as a whole will need to ride some emotion to upset Ohio State.

I think the game will be tight for at least two and a half quarters, with the Buckeyes doing enough late to pull out the “W.”  Prediction: Ohio State 31, Penn State 23.

I Went To See Jackson Browne Friday Night: The Rock Show As Bad High School Reunion by Ricki C.

(Warning to readers: Ricki C. is a rather cranky 62 year-old who at times does not seem to
understand the concept of, or is simply incapable of, relaxing and just having a good time.)

I went to see Jackson Browne last Friday.  It was my lovely wife Debbie’s birthday present from me.  In saying that I do not mean to imply I was dragged kicking & screaming to the show.  I like Jackson Browne.  I certainly like him more than, say, The Eagles, whom I consider Money-Grubbing Hackmeisters of the Highest Order, and who should be shipped out on the Japanese Current at our earliest opportunity.

Unlike The Eagles, Jackson Browne still seems to have some grasp on the concept of integrity in music: he records consistently good – if not great, or certainly not surpassing his 1970’s heyday – new records, and tours diligently to support those releases.  He does not – and here I would cite & impugn Kiss, The Who and, though I hate to say it, The Rolling Stones – just deign to go on tour when he needs cocaine cash or a balloon payment is due on his English Manse.  (Or, in Kiss’ case, when the cheerleaders on their Arena Football League team need hairspray & new outfits.)  (And oh yeah, Fleetwood Mac – who will be appearing Sunday evening at Value City Arena and whom I wouldn’t go out in my backyard to see – also belong in this category.)

With regards to integrity, Jackson is most like Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, in that he consistently insists on putting new material into his shows, even when faced with the sad/humbling fact that large segments of his audience have not bought a new release from him since sometime in the 1990's.  (And man, what would I give to be able to see Bruce Springsteen in a venue like the Palace Theater with a stripped-down six-piece E Street Band, where I could sit down and just soak in the music without standing in “pit queues” for upwards of six hours.  Let’s face facts, folks: I’m old, and I gots the bad knees.)    

My problem with these shows is the audience: they obviously WANT to be there, they dropped upwards of $143 for two tickets – plus dinner, parking and, for many, probably babysitters – but then, once they’re at the show it seems all they want to do is shout requests for songs from literally three and four DECADES ago.  (And when did everybody from my rock & roll generation GET SO OLD?  Jesus, there’s more greying, balding heads & pot-bellies than a southern Republican caucus, and these guys are dressed like shit.  This is why I stopped going to my high-school reunions after the 10-year.)

And I know, I know, I know: THEY’RE the audience, they paid their money, they wanna hear the hits.  But Jesus Christ, do they think Jackson Browne is not gonna at least NOD toward his 1970’s material?  If they ever had any respect for Jackson Browne and his music, and his creativity, and his integrity, why can’t they just for an hour or two SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LET THE MAN PLAY HIS SET THE WAY HE WANTS TO?  Do people think that after 40-plus years in rock & roll that Jackson Browne doesn’t know how to pace a set?  (Best audience exchange of the night: a slurring-drunk woman somewhere to our right kept loudly declaiming, “PLAY ‘YOU MUST BE SOMEBODY’S BABY.’” (sic)  After the third or fourth time, a woman behind us yelled, “Jackson, just play the song so she can pass out and shut up.”  Classic.)

Saving grace of the night: Jackson ended the set with – BIG SURPRISE! – “Running On Empty,” but thankfully came nowhere near playing “The Load Out” & “Stay” medley that wore out its welcome as a set-ender somewhere back around the dawn of the 21st century.  And the almost du rigeur encore of the Browne co-penned “Take It Easy” evolved into a heartfelt rendition of “Our Lady Of The Well” – one of Jackson’s seldom-played gems, just as it did on the For Everyman release.  And the last encore was a great cover of Steve Van Zandt’s “I Am A Patriot.”  Jackson Browne closed political, closed on his own terms and did not close pandering to the aging, whiny, petulant segment of his audience.  Thank you, Mr. Browne, from the bottom of my rock & roll heart, for not playing “Stay.” – Ricki C. / April 18th, 2014.

(Sometime later this week, Colin and/or Ricki will be dealing with how 
Cheap Trick handles the “Greying of Rock & Roll” syndrome.)

So that really happened? The NCP explores uncharted territory in this week's Browns entry.....

As always, follow @nothcoastposse for updates and snark throughout every Browns game.

The Browns Scrap the Steelers in a Blowout, Head into Soft Stretch of Schedule Over .500.

So how do we feel?...

K-Dubs, the Soldier:  Halle-freaking-lullah!  The Browns beat the Steelers … in a 31-10 rout!  I cannot remember a more exciting blowout.  Seriously, when Brian Hoyer hit tight end Jordan Cameron down the middle of the field for a 51-yard touchdown halfway through the second quarter, this game already felt like it was over.  But the game just kept getting better.  Hoyer was nearly flawless in executing a Kyle Shanahan misdirection passing game, as the offense continues to put up big numbers each week.  Even though Hoyer’s completion percentage was below 50 percent (8 for 17), he had a healthy yards-per-attempt average of 12.8 yards.  The defense did tighten up, as well, giving up far fewer points than their previous average of 26.3 points, and shockingly sacked the seemingly unsackable Ben Roethlisberger twice.   The team continues to improve (in most facets of the game) each week, and with a soft patch in schedule coming up with games against Jacksonville (0-6), Oakland (0-5), and Tampa Bay (1-5), the Browns have a legitimate shot at having a 6-2 record going into Cincinnati on November 6th.  They did, however, suffer an injury that could turn the season south really quickly.  Pro-Bowl center Alex Mack broke his leg and is out for the season.  

Big$:  I’m not gonna lie, at about 3pm Sunday a smile started to form on my face and it lasted straight through bed time/passing out that night.  However, come Monday morning, reality sunk in as I pondered three issues I could not ignore.  First, the Steelers are on a steady decline with much of the blame falling on the league passing Polamalu and Labeau by.  The once-feared duo has transformed into a couple of Jani Lanes in a room full of Cobains.  (editor's note: great line Big$.)  Second, the Browns were 3-2 at this time last year, and we know how that ended.  Now before you can say “But Hoyer got hur….”, remember Alex Mack is equally, if not more, important to the offense, and we won’t see him again.  Last but not least a worse version of these Jags defeated a version of these Browns who, when you factor in the loss of Gordon, aren’t much different on paper.  So in conclusion, I thank the Browns for the nine hours of joy last Sunday, and it’s cool to hear the ESPN talking heads take notice, but it’s going to be a few more weeks before I’m really feeling good.

Q) Who would you like to see LeBron James start in place of this week?

Big$:  Now I know the King isn’t the most physical dude on the planet, but with his size and ups I think he would give young Blake Bortles fits by just standing on the D line and jumping up and down with his arms up.  So I’m pegging LBJ to step in for the injured Armonty Bryant this week.

K-Dubs, the Soldier:  For the second week in a row, I wish the Cavs No. 23 would suit up in place of Browns No. 22, Buster Skrine.  Don’t let Skrine’s interception last week fool you.  That was a wounded duck that happened to fall at his feet, which just happened to be out of position anyway.  He continues to get beat so bad on some plays that I swear he must have gotten injured at the snap until I see him rush into the screen as the ball reaches the receiver.  Having a five-time member of the NBA’s All-Defense Team lining up against the Jaguars second-best receiver would put my mind at ease.

Q)  What do you expect this week?

K-Dubs, the Soldier:  It is a weird feeling to say that I now expect wins now, but I expect the Browns to move to 4-2 against the winless Jags this week.  The Browns now have the second-best running attack in the league, and they’ll be up against the 18th-best rushing defense.  The Browns should be able move the ball on the ground - even without Mack -setting up short-yardage situations on third downs against a unit that ranks 30th against the pass.  And, unfortunately for the Jags, the defense is the best part of their team.  Jacksonville’s offense ranks dead last, and it is led by a rookie quarterback in Blake Bortles.  Bortles has shown some promise, but now he has a touchdown to interception ratio of nearly 1 to 2 (4 TDs, 7 Ints).  The Browns, who have only turned the ball over once this year, should be on the positive end of the giveaway-takeaway.  Look for a 27-10 win for the Browns on the road.

Big$:  In stark contrast, I have fully prepared myself for a big letdown.  With the injuries the Browns have sustained across the defensive front I could see the Jags headed towards a Jerome Harrison-esque NFL record type running day (or a Biakabatuka for our Columbus readers).  I don’t know if the Browns really know how to sustain a winning culture at this point.  I hope to be proved wrong, but I see a 24-14 Jaguars victory.

Click Here to Watch Foo Fighters w/ Rick Nielsen on Letterman.

I have a question and I know you have it too. Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame? Gheesh. Now it's just getting silly. Anyway, please enjoy this scorching version of the Cheap Trick classic "Stiff Competition" compliments of Foo Fighters and Rick Nielsen as performed on Late Night with David Letterman. The new Foo's show "Sonic Highways" premiers this week on HBO. I will be watching.  -  Colin G.

Rick Nielsen joins Foo Fighters for a cover of Cheap Trick's "Stiff Competition."

Baver's College Football Picks, Dead Schembechlers Rumors and Colin's Questions.

--- So give those gambling types an update on your picks to date and who you like this week?

I’m 11-7 against the spread with your Q&A picks, hitting 9 of the last 12, and I’m 4-0-1 on the Ohio State picks (which sometimes double as my favorite picks in your Q&A here).  I will go with the Buckeyes, again.  As I mentioned in the Buckeye Bag, I don’t think any Big Ten defense outside of Michigan State can stop this Buckeye offense right now, and I think Urban will want to impress the playoff committee; I like the Bucks laying the 19.5.  Next, I will go against the Noles again; both top 25 opponents they played this year hung tight and I think Notre Dame will as well.  Take the Domers +12.  And I like Oklahoma State getting 9 against TCU.  I can’t see how TCU is in the right mindset after the colossal collapse in the last 10 minutes of last week’s Baylor game.  And this is a well coached OSU Lite team; Gundy is 63-39-4 against the spread since the start of the 2006 season – that’s sick. 

---- Storm clouds are gathering over Tallahassee. Last Sunday the New York Times reported the Feds are investigating the local police for covering up FSU student athlete sexual assaults and this week turns out Jameis Winston signed a bunch of swag for the same guy who paid Gurley. The smoke is getting pretty thick, does a fire break out and ruin Winston's season?

Winston’s rant while standing on a table in the student union, making derogatory statements toward women, was incredibly stupid.  But last I checked, there is no law against being stupid and against free speech.  Yet, he was still suspended for a game.  There have been no rape charges filed against him and there is no concrete evidence that he accepted money for autographs.  You have the grocery store theft that happened during baseball season, in which he took a three-game suspension from the ‘Nole baseball coach.  But based on the evidence in the rape and autograph cases, or lack of which, I don’t know how you suspend him again.  If more evidence comes to light, that obviously changes things.  And don’t get me wrong…the guy is scum of the earth. 

--- Who is still alive for the four team playoff?

You have 12 teams battling for four spots, and Ohio State and Sparty are definitely two of them.  The others (in no particular order) are: Florida St, Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Miss St, Georgia, Oklahoma, Baylor, Oregon and Notre Dame.  I’d be surprised if a team outside of that pool gets in.  Most of the teams in that pool will have two or more losses by the end of conference championship Saturday, and there is a distinct possibility that the winner of the OSU-Sparty game will have only one loss.  We shall see…. it’s wide open and I would bet money that a one-loss OSU or Sparty team gets in.  I wouldn’t have said that a few weeks ago.

---- With all the attention on the blowtorch focused squarely on Brady Hoke's ass, how warm in Bo Pelini's seat these days?

Let’s wait to see what the Huskers do against Northwestern Saturday.  I have a feeling NW may beat them which will firmly put Pelini on the hot seat.

---- Just when it seemed Michigan's season couldn't get worse, it looks like the Dead Schembechlers might be performing this year. This is an ominous sign for Brady Hoke as this usually means a coach is about to get fired (or die). 

I was stubborn…it took me awhile to get on the “Hoke is gone” bandwagon, but I’m on it now.  Hoke needs to pull a small miracle to keep his job.  I think the Shane Morris concussion thing was blown out of proportion, but the bad press is what it is….it’s certainly adding to the other things that will cost Hoke his job, i.e. his atrocious W-L record, UM’s drastically falling attendance numbers, the current donut shortage in Ann Arbor, etc.

Baver's Buckeye Bag 10/15/14 OSU vs Rutgers

Baver’s Buckeye Bag 10/15/14

Click here for previous Baver story.

Some random thoughts/comments on the Buckeyes:

--I did my share of bitching about the Buckeye defense during the Maryland game, but looking at the end result, it was a big improvement over the effort against Cincinnati.  Progress is being made.

-The Virginia Tech & Maryland games saw JT Barrett sacked 11 times (in total).  Barrett was only sacked twice in the other three OSU games (combined).  Rutgers is 3rd nationally in team sacks per game (4.0/gm), so I would think that protecting Barrett is a point of emphasis that the Buckeye coaches are hammering home this week.

--It seems like every Buckeye fan and his brother and sister has wanted to completely shelve Curtis Grant for Raekwon McMillan, but there is something to be said for experience.  McMillan has played a lot over the past two games, but hasn’t lit the world on fire.  It seems to me that the better results out of the Mike position have come when Grant has been in there.  But, McMillan will eventually get there.

--Outside of Michigan State and November weather, it’s hard to see much else on the horizon that can slow down a Buckeye offense that has made huge strides since early September.  The O-line coming together and Barrett’s ability to go through his progressions make it very difficult for a Big Ten defense to slow down this Ohio State offense right now.

--If Joey Bosa can stay healthy, he may very well leave Ohio State as the best DE ever to play here….even if/when he skips his senior year.  It’s sick to think what he would be doing if Noah Spence was on the other end of the D-line.  Offenses have had to spend additional resources keeping Bosa out of the backfield, and Bosa is still blowing up everything.

--This seemed improbable a month ago, but “winning out” likely puts the Buckeyes in the 4-team playoff.  There is no dominant team this year, and the top teams in the SEC, Pac 12 and Big 12 are going to continue to beat one another up.  And if you’ve watched Michigan State much this year, you have probably seen that this is not the Sparty team that Mark Dantonio had a year ago.  If the Buckeyes continue to progress like they have been and stay relatively healthy, I think the worst case scenario is that the November 8th OSU-MSU game in East Lansing will be a toss-up.

The matchup Saturday against Rutgers:

Rutgers is playing pretty good football right now.  They are 5-1, with their only loss being a 3-point loss to Penn State.  QB Gary Nova threw five picks in that loss, but has since put things together, completing 64% of his passes for 845 yards, with a 7-1 TD-INT ratio over his last three games.  Rutgers beat Navy in Annapolis, a place where Navy doesn’t lose often.  Their victory over Washington State on the road to open the season was a nice win for Kyle Flood, who is now in his 3rd year since taking over for Greg Schiano.  And I mentioned above that Rutgers has had good success getting to opposing QB’s this season.

On the down sign, Rutgers lost tailback Paul James (torn ACL) in the Navy game, and that was a big loss.  New starter Desmond Peoples is a big downgrade at TB.  Also, Rutgers has not played a team with Ohio State-type talent in recent memory.  They were in tight games against Penn State and Michigan, but the Buckeye offense has too many weapons for the Rutgers defense to slow down.  As for the Buckeye D, we know it can be flaky at times; so, the Rutgers offense may have some success Saturday.  The one thing, however, that this Buckeye defense has been able to do is make big plays, and I expect them to make more big plays Saturday. 

Ohio State needs to avoid looking ahead.  If the Bucks do look past Rutgers, this is a good enough Scarlet Knight team to possibly hang around Saturday.  If the Buckeyes are focused, they should win this one by 3 TD’s-plus and head to Happy Valley with a 5-1 record.  Prediction: Ohio State 45 Rutgers 20.