Ohio State Wins With Explosive Second Half

I saw Ohio State was ranked 4th coming into their game with Minnesota, but with college football teams only playing a little more than half of the games scheduled last season, I didn’t know what to expect. Who’s for real? Who’s as good as advertised?

Lots of questions. On top of that, you have Ohio State on the road with a young quarterback leading the way.

Ohio State’s ground game was barely talked about this offseason, probably for two reasons; one, every one seemed overly concerned about the quarterback situation, and two, the man responsible for carrying the load was a red-shirt freshman.

We quickly learned about Miyan Williams though, and the rare combination of bulk and speed he possesses. The young running back scored the Buckeye’s first touchdown. It was a 72-yard run around the right end; impressive for the 5’8″ 225 pounder.

CJ Stroud started of well, 5of 7, but his play declined in the second quarter. After throwing an interception, Minnesota punched it in on a third and goal to take the lead 14-10. Ohio State got the ball back with a few minutes left in the third, and suddenly, Stroud was faced with adversity. We knew it wasn’t going to take long, and we knew Minnesota wouldn’t take it easy on him.

The Gophers defense hung tough, and Ohio State went three and out. Minnesota came back from a ten-point deficit. They were losing 10-0, and in what seemed like a blink of an eye, they were leading 14-10 and driving for a third score as time was winding down in the second quarter.

The Buckeye defense held, and the half ended.

Minnesota running back, Mohamed Ibrahim, rushed 114 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries IN THE FIRST HALF!

The second half belonged to Ohio State as they outscored Minnesota 35-17 and won the game 45-21. CJ Stroud’s play picked up also in the second half. He threw his first touchdown of the season on the first drive of the third quarter; a deep cross to WR, Chris Olave.

That’s how you want to come out of the locker room.

The Buckeye defense came up big on several drives including the strip sack that was actually a fumble and then scooped and scored by defensive lineman Haskell Garrett.

Before the night was over, Stroud threw for 294 yards and four touchdowns. WR, Chris Olave, had 4 catches for 117 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Minnesota was competitive as expected, and they hung around, but Ohio State came up with the big plays both offensively and defensively when they needed them the most.

Big Ten Showdown

Tonight at 8 o’clock the Ohio State Buckeyes will meet the Minnesota Golden Gophers. It’s the first game of the season for both teams. The Buckeyes represent the Big10 East and the Gophers the West. Minnesota has been competitive, and I expect them to throw whatever they can at CJ Stroud (OSU QB). There hasn’t been much talk about Ohio State’s ground game, so I’d like to see what that’s all about; I’d also like to see how Minnesota game plans for that tough defensive front of Ohio State. Ohio State is on the road tonight.

Alright Everyone! Enjoy the game!

What Are Those Buckeyes Up To?

Ryan Day and the rest of the Ohio State coaching staff are working extra hard to prepare this 2021 Buckeye football team. In an interview, Day has used words like competition and camaraderie, which is a good sign. It means the team, with all the offseason changes and newcomers are coming together as a unit, and peaking at the right time we all hope. Well, us Buckeye fans anyway. Coach Day has also talked about physical and mental preparation and toughness.

He encourages his team to visualize, and visualization is no doubt important. You prepare for something, you visualize yourself doing it, and then you go out and execute. This season, coach Day will expect his team to prepare, visualize, and execute for the entire season-a 12-game season that ends in Ann Arbor on November 27th with a rivalry game against the Michigan Wolverines.

Ohio State didn’t play Michigan last season, and they didn’t play twelve games either. With all the real world issues going on that cut into my beloved football season, the Buckeyes only played five regular season games before meeting Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship.

In the regular season finale, OSU beat Michigan State 52-12. They beat Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship game 22-10, and those two wins basically set the stage for the Sugar Bowl showdown against #2 Clemson. The Buckeyes won 49-28.

Ohio State’s 2020 season ended on January 11th with a 52-24 loss to Alabama in the 2021 CFP National Championship game.

Winning is now an expectation at Ohio State so you can bet Coach Day and company are preparing with their eyes on the prize….and Michigan too. Like I said, there has been some changes and newcomers this offseason, but things seem to be coming together.

There’s a 3-way competition going on at the quarterback position, but it looks like redshirt freshman CJ Stroud is the frontrunner. Kyle McCord and Jack Miller are battling for playing time. Stroud’s redshirt should prove to be worth it now as the 6’3″ 220 pound Quarterback has four years to play!

Whoever gets the starting job at QB will definitely have help from the wide receiver position. Senior Chris Olave provides leadership, experience, and clutch-play-making ability, and junior Garrett Wilson can be just as good. Both are up for preseason awards. Senior TE Jeremy Ruckert is big, fast, and a real threat in the seams. He’s 6″5″ 250 and a preseason candidate for the Mackey Award.

Center Harry Miller anchors an impressive offensive line. Miller and OT Thayer Munford, a 6’6″ 320 pound senior, will provide plenty of push for a productive ground game.

Three names come up often when you start talking defense are Sevyn Banks, Haskell Garrett, and Zach Harrison.

Junior DE Zach Harrison is 6’6″ 272. That’s a big man! Outland Trophy candidate, Haskell Garrett, is next to him at tackle. CB Sevyn Banks is a senior and a leader on defense. He has the speed, and at 6’1″, he has the height to compete with those big receivers we often see. Banks is up for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Thorpe Award.

The 2021 Ohio State Buckeye Football season opener is on Thursday, September 2nd. They’re on the road travelling to Minnesota to play the Golden Gophers. Kickoff is at 8:00 PM.

I’m looking forward to a full 12-game season, and I know every other Ohio State fan is as well!

Founder Leaves After Discovering Truth

Hot off the press was an online story just published by The Blaze dot com about Rashard Turner, founder of the BLM chapter of St. Paul Minnesota.

Turner founded the St. Paul chapter in 2015, but he resigned almost two years later when, as an insider, he realized BLM had little concern about rebuilding black families or improving the quality of education for students in Minneapolis.