Tag: Ohio State

Showdown; It’s the Longhorns and the Buckeyes

August 29, 2025

The last meeting between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes was during the semifinal round of the 2024 college football playoffs in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Ohio State beat Texas and went on to beat Notre Dame in the National Championship game.

Texas finished their season at 13-3, and Ohio State 14-2, but all that is old news. This is a new year, a new season, and neither team is exactly the same.

(1) Texas at (3) Ohio State 
Saturday, August 30th at 12 noon

Ohio State Buckeyes

The 2025 Ohio State team features two 1st Team All-Americans, sophomore wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith, and junior free safety, Caleb Downs. Junior wide receiver, Carnell Tate, and senior linebacker, Sonny Styles earned 2nd Team honors.

I suppose we should address the elephant in the room first. Quarterback, Julian Sayin, originally signed with Alabama, but he transferred to OSU in January of 2024. They say he’s a true sophomore with four years of eligibility, which at the end of the day, means he’s young, he lacks experience, and he’s unproven. Big question mark at the quarterback position.

I know Coach Day would love to coddle Sayin and allow him to gain experience slowly while at the same time building his confidence, but I don’t see how that’s going to be possible with two All-Americans at the wide receiver position.

How about All-Big Ten tight end, Max Klare? Klare came to Ohio State from Purdue, and he’s a tall guy at 6’5″ with good hands. The point that I’m making is that the Buckeyes have guys who can catch the ball, and at some point, the pressure is going to be on Sayin to deliver.

Perhaps, I’d feel a little differently if TreVeyon Henderson was in the backfield, but sophomore, James Peoples, is another young guy who’s still unproven. If Ohio State can’t run the ball, Sayin will get thrown to the wolves, but who knows, maybe he can handle it.

On the o-line, the Buckeyes look good from guard to guard. Right now, their tackles are questionable, but in general, I don’t see the offensive line as a weakness.

Defensively, second team All-American, Sonny Styles is a converted linebacker from the safety position, but he is the center of that defense. He’s big, 6’5″ and 245 pounds, and he’s athletic and fast. Junior, Arvell Reese, lines up next to Styles. Reese is another big guy, 6’4″ and 245 pounds, and they expect him to have a monster season this year. The backup senior, C.J. Hicks, I think is getting reps at defensive end. That’s a good move to improve the overall speed of the defense.

In the defensive backfield, Ohio State figures to be strong at the corners with Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Mathews Jr. Safety, Caleb Downs, well, they say he could be the number 1 defensive player in America!

Their defensive line is a question mark.

Texas Longhorns

The 2025 Texas Longhorns feature two All-Americans on offense, quarterback, Arch Manning (1st team), and tight end, Jack Endries (2nd team).

Arch Manning is a sophomore, but this will be his first year starting for the Longhorns. Manning’s teammates and coaches seem to think he’s going to step right in and do an amazing job. There’s even talks about Manning entering the NFL draft after next season, so even though he’s unproven just like Sayin is for Ohio State, the situation in Texas seems to be a little different than that in Columbus.

Senior right guard, DJ Campbell, is the only returning starter on the o-line, but there’s continuity between Manning and his entire line.

It looks like returning junior, Quintrevion Wisner, will start at running back. Last season, Wisner rushed for over 1,000 yards. You see, this is what I was talking about with Julian Sayin. Sayin doesn’t have a retuning thousand-yard rusher lining up behind him. Not only can Wisner run the rock, but he provides an extra layer of support that can take some of the pressure of Manning to have to push the ball downfield. It makes for a more relaxing situation.

At wide receiver, it’s going to be returning starter, Deandre Moore Jr., Ryan Wingo (in my Dale Gribble voice), and Stanford transfer, Emmett Mosley.

Defensively, Texas is going to be tough. All-American junior, Anthony Hill Jr., is arguably the best linebacker in the country. He has All-American teammate, Colin Simmons, lining up in front of him at defensive end, but the Longhorns have several guys on the defensive line who can get after the quarterback and stuff the run.

Texas has a pair of All-Americans in the defensive backfield, cornerback, Malik Muhammad, and safety, Michael Taaffee. On the other side at cornerback, it’s going to be the returning senior, Jaylon Guilbeau.

Conclusion and Predictions 

I've been an Ohio State fan since the days of Eddie George and Orlando Pace, so I don't want personal feelings to get in the way here.  

When I look at these two teams, I see two completely different teams than we saw at the end of last season.  I think Texas lost 14 guys, and I think Ohio State lost 12.  So, it's really about who was more effective at reloading and filling gaps.

All things considered, it kills me to say this, but on paper, I feel like Texas is the better team.  I'm not taking anything away from Julian Sayin, but Arch Manning has the luxury of having a 1,000-yard rusher behind him.  That alone, gives Texas the edge offensively.
  
Yes, the Buckeyes have absolute beasts at wide receiver, but what good are they if Sayin is running for his life from a relentless Longhorn pass rush? 

Okay, the Buckeyes have a young quarterback, things can't be all that bad, right?  Well, we shall see.  Will James Peoples be able to run the ball against that Longhorn defensive front with Anthony Hill Jr. behind it?  

Ohio State is home, and it's hard to beat Ohio State in Columbus, but if anyone can do it, it's Texas.  It's the first game of the season for both teams, and both teams need to establish their own 2025 brand.  
I don't know, this is a tough one, but I just can't go against the Buckeyes at home until they've given me a reason to.

My Pick Straight Up: Ohio State

My Pick Versus the Point Spread: Ohio State -1.5

Looks Like Hoosier Hype After Buckeye Blowout 38-15

November 23, 2024

Week thirteen of the NCAA college football season is almost in the books, and this Big Ten Conference matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers, two nationally ranked teams, has been on our radar all week.

The undefeated Hoosiers traveled to Columbus today to take on the 9-1 Buckeyes, and as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. It was, without a doubt, a reality check for Indiana today. Ohio State needed this win after their October 12th loss to new conference bully, Oregon.

After Indiana’s defense forced Ohio State to punt on their first possession, the Hoosier offense took the field and put a fabulous drive together. They drove downfield, and Indiana running back, Ty Son Lawton, punched it in from the two-yard-line to give Indiana a 7-0 lead.

Ohio State was on the ropes early, and they didn’t score their first points until 7:21 in the second quarter. After that, it was all Ohio State.

Indiana set up for a punt with 1:41 left to play in the second quarter, and the snap bounced right off the punter’s hands. A short field with time winding down before the half was exactly the break the Buckeyes needed, and running back, TreVeyon Henderson, ran it in for Ohio State’s second touchdown.

Ohio State finally had some breathing room, and they were finally in the lead, but it was only by seven. It was still anyone’s game at that point.

Could Indiana shake off the mistake, and regroup during halftime, or would that punt muff be the defining moment of this game?

That was the question.

Well, Indiana’s first drive of the third quarter stalled, and they were forced to punt.

Ohio State returned the punt for a touchdown. It was now 21-7, and the Buckeyes clearly held on to that momentum gained at the end of the second quarter.

As a matter of fact, Ohio State scored twenty-four second half points, and the final score was 38-15. This was Indian’s first loss of the season, and both teams are now 10-1 overall.

The Buckeye defense held Indiana to just 151 total offensive yards. 83 of those were on the ground, and 68 were through the air.

Ohio State quarterback, Will Howard, completed 22 of 26 passes for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wide receiver, Emeka Egbuka, had 9 catches for 68 yards and 1 touchdown, and running back, TreVeyon Henderson, registered 68 yards on 9 carries. Henderson averaged 7.6 yards per touch and he finished the day with 1 touchdown.

Next week, it’s Ohio State and Michigan!

Showdown in Ohio

2023 College Football

The 5th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes are home this weekend for their second game of the 2023 season. According to Ohio State, this game against Youngstown State is a tune-up game, and it’s no secret that OSU will be heavily favored. It is what it is.

I don’t however, think the Penguins plan on laying down.

Youngstown is coming off an impressive victory against Valparaiso, a game in which they came out of the locker room after halftime and exploded for 28 unanswered points. Special teams played very well, and Youngstown has a stud at tailback in Tyshon King. King rushed for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns on 11 carries.

In order for the Penguins to have a chance against Ohio State, they will need a better start than they had last week, and they’ll definitely need to protect the football. If the Penguins start turning the ball over, it’s going to be a long afternoon.

It’s only the second week of the season, but Youngstown State would want nothing more than a victory over Ohio State in Columbus. There’s a little in-state rivalry going on here with bragging rights on the line, but in the bigger picture, there’s a lot more at stake than bragging rights.

Ohio State’s win over Indiana this past weekend wasn’t impressive as far as the score was concerned, but make no mistake, the Buckeyes dominated that game on both sides of the ball.

I expect Coach Day to make a quarterback switch at some point, especially if the game gets out of hand in Ohio State’s favor, but I’d like to see McCord stay in the game. This will be a great week for him to find his rhythm and get in flow with the rest of his offense.

My prediction for this weekend is that Ohio State will win by at least 28 points, but you never know. Look what Duke did last week against Clemson!

In addition, you can expect the Penguins to be really really fired up for this game-treating it as if it’s their Super Bowl, and that type of intensity, well, you can’t dismiss it.

It’s the Ohio State Buckeyes against the Youngstown State Penguins, Saturday, September 9th at 12 o’clock.

Big 10 Football

It’s not often that I reminisce about my glory-days of college football, but yeah, I played college football for the Pioneers of William Paterson University, and I’ve been an Ohio State Buckeye fan since 1995.

Basically, my love for football is probably the only thing that can pull me out of this wonderful astrological rabbit hole I often find myself in. And, it’s that time of year already, so let’s get into the briefing.

Photo by Jean-Daniel Francoeur on Pexels.com

Ohio State, Rutgers, and Minnesota opened up with conference wins this past weekend. The Buckeyes stole a victory on the road against Indiana, Rutgers was impressive in their 24-7 win over Northwestern, and Minnesota barely squeaked past the Cornhuskers in their 13-10 win-but hey, a wins a win.

The 5’9″ 227 pound senior tailback, Miyan Williams, stood out in Ohio State’s win over the Hoosiers on Saturday, September 2nd. His 3.6 yards-per-carry-average was decent, but then again, he only touched the ball 7 times, however, his two touchdowns accounted for 12 of Ohio State’s final 23 points.

Buckeye QB, Kyle McCord, completed 20 of 33 passes and threw for 239 yards. Not bad.

Oh, and I do have to admit. Indiana did force a fumble late in the second quarter with that hit on McCord. Perhaps, that could’ve changed the momentum the game. Instead of going into the locker room trailing 10-3, the Hoosiers would’ve only been down by 4 against the 3rd ranked team in the nation. That’s definitely something to be proud of and build off of for the second half, but..

Next week, Saturday, September 9th, Ohio State will host Youngstown State at 12 o’clock noon.

Final Scores:

Penn State 38 West Virginia 15

Wisconsin 38 Buffalo 17

Michigan 30 East Carolina 3

Maryland 38 Towson 6

Michigan State 31 Central Michigan 7

Illinois 30 Toledo 28

Iowa 24 Utah State 14

Purdue 35 Freson State 39

Muck Fichigan

I’ve been a Buckeye fan since the days of Andy Katzenmoyer wearing the “four-five” with pride and dignity. Happy Birthday Big Kat. I’ve been a Buckeye fan since the days of coach Copper, Eddie George, David Boston, Orlando Pace, Joe Germaine, and Na’il Diggs. Long story short, I just didn’t feel like reporting Ohio State’s recent loss to Michigan.

Michigan has only won three out of the last eleven games against the Buckeyes since 2011, but the Wolverines just silenced those asking, “What have you done for me lately,” by winning the last two. Last week, both teams came into the game undefeated, so once again, the stage was set. It was a traditionally typical Big Ten showdown, 11-0 vs, 11-0, number one in the conference versus number two, and both teams ranked nationally.

The world was watching, and Buckeye fans were feeling confident as Ryan Day and company headed into the locker room leading by three. OSU Quarterback, CJ Stroud, connected with WR Emeka Egbuka on a short completion, and the Buckeyes were on the board first. A couple of field goals were kicked, and Ohio State was up 10-3 to start the second.

Michigan said, “Hell no, we ain’t going out like this,” and Wolverine Quarterback, J.J. McCarthy completed a pass to his 6’3′ senior wideout, Cornelius Johnson. Johnson ran with it for 60 yards and scored Michigan’s first touchdown.

The game was tied at 10.

Ohio state kicked a field goal with 5:41 left in the second quarter.

13-10 Ohio State.

On the next drive, J.J. McCarthy connected with Cornelius Johnson once again, and this time, the result was an 80-yard touchdown pass. Michigan was leading 17-13, but Ohio State answered the call with a touchdown pass of their own. It was Stroud to Marvin Harrison Jr., and the Buckeyes took the momentum back before the half ended.

20-17 Ohio State.

Little did we know, that was just about it for Ohio State. I don’t even think they came back out for the second half. Michigan scored 28 second half points, and ended up winning the game 45-23.

Michigan running back, Donovan Edwards had one hell of a day; 216 yards on 22 carries and 2 touchdowns! J.J. McCarthy threw for over 200 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Like I said, I wasn’t in the mood to write about this Buckeye loss, but I was motivated by the chance Purdue has tonight to be a spoiler. Tonight, at 8 PM, it’s another Big Ten showdown between the Boilermakers and the Wolverines!

Upset Alert!

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!

Buckeyes Name Starter For Opener

The 3-way quarterback competition in Columbus has finally come to an end. The Ohio State Buckeyes picked Red-Shirt Freshman, CJ Stroud as their starting quarterback. As far as a depth chart is concerned, it appears as if Kyle McCord will be Stroud’s immediate backup with Jack Miller as the team’s third option.

We look forward to seeing the 6’3″ 220 pound Stroud in action as he leads the Buckeye offense in their opener against Minnesota on Thursday, September 2nd.

Why Not Me?

I wrote that article about Ohio State on August 11th. If you scroll the internet you’ll see all the similar articles that came out a day or two later.

It’s clear when it comes to sports journalism, I’m the cutting edge and the source.

I just can’t figure how and why people with less ability, people who are less knowledgeable, and people with less love and passion for the game of football are getting paid to write, and I’m not.

A full-time job with a reputable magazine, news paper publication, or university; why not me? I’m qualified. I’m educated. I’m a professional with the skills and ability.

Why not me?

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 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!