Willyville Guy

Here's to hoping that Herman will be the next coach of the Buckeyes. He has Houston undefeated and looking inspired. As for the game, ugh. At least it's great to see a dominant defense in Cbus again.

Don't you dare apologize for going to the VC!

I'm not sure I get the "Whaley got fleeced" crowd either. Didn't we only give up a fourth rounder?

I'd be surprised if they cut BB based solely on a pretty good first game by Williams. Maybe it was a personality thing? I could see Rex -- to a greater extent that almost any other coach -- sending guys packing if he doesn't get the right "vibe." And isn't blue cheese dressing everyone's favorite condiment?

I'm not the biggest Oregon fan but this is hilarious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOEgDbdjj2s

I had a great time at the game, too. It was a beautiful day and I love all the game day rituals -- especially when the alumni band is there to do four script Ohios. As for the game, well, it feels so wrong to feel so bad about a 38-0 win, but the oline and penalties definitely need to be addressed. I love Darron Lee but there was absolutely no reason or excuse for leveling the punter in the end zone like that. Jones was clearly out of rhythm, and I don’t know whom to blame for the mishandled snaps, but for now I’m still okay with switching out the QBs depending on the situation. Gotta trust Urban on that one. On the bright side, good to see Bosa and Marshall out there again. There were plenty of good plays, and the defense delivered a shutout. 38-0 is a friggin’ fantastic result. If the team and coaches make themselves miserable about a win like that, then I’m concerned that Urban will dive himself crazy with anxiety again and bad things will start to happen. One of the best and most likeable parts about this team is how loose they remain when the lights are brightest. I hope it stays that way, for everyone’s sake.

I agree with that. Several people got through only to bounce off Jones, and other times Jones moved well enough when the pocket broke down. Jacoby Boren had a rough outing at center.

I feel pretty good about the win. Surprised to see Jones get the nod as starter; my view is that Barrett is better suited for Urban’s read-option system, which emphasizes recognizing mismatches and designed QB runs. That view was only strengthened when Barrett came in, immediately scrambled for a long gain, and then threw a perfect spiral for a long TD. But it’s tough to argue with Cardale’s results and how hard it is to bring him down. If the Bucks go the distance this season, my guess is that they’ll need both to step up at different times. Happy about the light workload for EZE – if he gets 15 touches per game through November I’ll be happy because come December/January it will be 35 per game. Incredibly happy for Braxton Miller. He has been through so much as a Buckeye – watching Tressel leave, living through Fickell, the Holy Buckeye play against Wisconsin, the undefeated season, obviously the shoulder, graduating, sticking with the program…. just a tough, tough kid with a huge heart. Darron Lee and Raekwon McMillan were just monsters at LB – right on schedule. I also liked Shutt’s game. Washington of course has a huge role to play this year. Brewer looked good and I feel horrible for the kid. He might have been able to score more points, but the two big offensive plays for VT were on misdirection throwbacks, and I doubt they would have hit anymore of those. I’d be surprised if the D bites on anymore of those for the rest of the year after last night. Nice playcalls. The turnovers…. eh. The pick was off a tip drill so I discount that. The muffed punt by EZE was an unusual position for him; once Maclin or Wilson is back that will get cleaned up. I was most disappointed in Dunn, even though the game was over when he fumbled, because I’m concerned that he is already on the outside looking in at RB. Now I think Weber will see action sooner. (Just goes to show that blue chip recruits don’t always work out.) So while I hate to see the turnovers, I didn’t see anything that makes me concerned about anyone major having a bad tendency. The stutter/shake/shimmy move Michael Thomas put on Fuller to burn him for a TD was magnificent – reminded me of our boy Stevie Johnson! And how about his uncle Keyshawn Johnson participating in the post-game Carmen Ohio wearing a No. 3 jersey? Pretty cool. It’s a good thing the OSU athletes ended up with so many highlights, because otherwise the entire country would have spent the day laughing at Eli Apple for getting his ankles broke by a fullback! I’m heading to Cbus next week with the wife and kids to help welcome the team back to the Shoe for the first time since the Michigan game last year. Hard to believe that so much has happened since their last home game. Go Bucks!

All I want is a Super Bowl Champions t-shirt.

Buckeye beat reporter for The Dispatch, Bill Rablinowitz, wrote a book called The Chase about the 2014 championship season. This morning the paper printed the entire chapter about the Michigan State game. I remember how pumped up I was when I heard Darron Lee candidly say "we know what this week's about, and it's on, honestly" immediately after the Illinois game the week before. Great stuff. http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2015/09/05/book-excerpt-msu1.html I will now resume pretending that last year never happened because it's a new season and there is no champion. #thegrind

Have you been watching Scarlet and Gray Days on BTN? Very good stuff. Last week Josh Perry said he was preparing to play some DE in game one. I'd obviously rather see him focus on being the best LB he can be ... but still, the thought of him coming off the edge for one game is interesting. I'm freaking out about next week.

I haven't read through all 25 pages of WTF?! posts but I'm sure several people made the point that this band of misfits is going to need solid leadership this season, and Fred was the man to play that role. It's not clear to me now where the leadership is coming from, and that is a concern given the way Rex has reshaped the roster. I sure hope the FO knows what it's doing....

Meanwhile, it looks like the "other" QB competition relevant to this message board may be heading in the direction of a rotation. I don't like rotating QBs, but I get that it's about earning playing time at tOSU, and both guys have earned it. We'll see how it plays out.... Also, at today's presser Ed Warinner identified a few class of '14 WRs to look out for at VT: Johnnie Dixon, Parris Campbell, and Terry McLaurin. Game week, boys!

Well done piece by E:60 on Elliott. Seems like a great kid and his personal story really resonates. This type of story is part of what makes CFB so compelling. EZE goes hard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weC14YOWioI

I think you’re onto something important. UFM needs to keep this team angry and focused, so I do not discount the psychological/motivational part of this. Another thing could be the pressure he’s under to hold his players accountable and treat everyone equal. We know what “they” say about his time in Florida – showing favoritism, allowing certain players to operate above the rules that applied to the rest of the team, losing control. Hell, some jokers out there blame Meyer for Aaron Hernandez’s actions. We know that’s crap, at least since he’s come home, because he quietly benched Marcus Hall for the 2013 B1G championship following the fight and fingers that broke out during The Game. That showed Meyer has little tolerance for nonsense and is willing to bench his best players in big games for not behaving up to standards. This is an extension of that. He’s a new man now (at least in terms of player discipline) and wants everyone to know it. And finally, I think he’s excited to see and show the depth on this team. I mean, people may have heard by now that Ohio State backups tend to do well when opportunities present themselves (ahem). His smirk during today’s presser leads me to believe that he’s excited to see some of the underclassmen get an opportunity to earn the privilege of playing time. All of this relates to an overarching point. The Woody Hayes Athletic Center is loaded with athletes right now, all of whom are foaming at the mouth to get a chance to make a difference. Meyer is sending a message that the team needs to stay focused, nobody gets special treatment, and if a starter makes a mistake and has to spend some time on the bench there is no guaranty that the he will get back on the field when the punishment is over. Lots of pressure and competition in that building right now.

I heard it's the pot. Allegedly.

@TIM_MAYsports: Joey Bosa, Jalin Marshall to miss Ohio State opener at VaTech, violation of ath dept. policy sources say. Details at http://t.co/N9h8QRD125 @MarcGivlerBG: Receivers Corey Smith and Dontre Wilson also out for Virginia Tech game per a University statement #Buckeyes

Ouch - that would be a lot of talent sitting in Urban's doghouse. Not sure how many more chances Wilson in particular will get. I'm very interested to hear what these kids did and how it will be handled by the team/school/league/NCAA. Not that it matters in the big picture, but I'm surprised the athletic department marketing people signed off on a B1G media-day announcement. There is plenty of PR "downtime" during the summer that may be a better time to announce bad news. Or maybe they think the news will be somewhat lost in the shuffle with all of the activity around media day. The AD never really seems to have a good feel for the media in these situations.

Interesting article in the New York Times yesterday about Saban's interest in the Texas job in 2013. This story captivated college football fans a couple of years ago -- given Saban's history of jumping ship along with Texas's desire and resources to return to prominence. My sense at the time was that there was a lot more smoke than fire, but the Times piece says the move was closer to happening than I thought.

Good to see Urban's uncommon practice of offering early scholarships to specialists pay dividends for a Canisius kid. And good to see the younger Bosa sign on as well.

I have never really understood Corey Smith. He dropped so many balls in the Va. Tech game last year, and never really seemed consistent over the course of the season, but Urban appears to love him and keeps sending him out there. My guess is that Urban will prove me wrong again and Smith will have a great year. Marshall was a beast in the playoffs and earned back a lot of credibility with me. Moving him to the outside opposite Thomas (the real star in that group as far as I can tell) could be a very good thing. Funny thing about the hoopla surrounding Braxton's move to receiver and punt returner -- apparently Urban said that he hasn't even seen the kid catch a ball yet due to NCAA summer rules. I hope the move works out; Braxton has been through so much as a Buckeye, and he has stayed loyal and carried himself with a ton of poise throughout. How firm thy friendship indeed. So many playmakers everywhere we look -- just snap the damn ball already!

Thomas and Smith on the outside Marshall/Wilson in the slot Samuels/Braxton at H Filthy Direct snaps to Miller with EZE and Vannett blocking. No clue who will play QB. All that excitement but now I'm worried about what's going on with these rumors. Kids these days....

I'm hearing it will be receivers. So Braxton's decision to switch to h-back is timely. http://www.si.com/college-football/2015/07/23/braxton-miller-ohio-state-move-wide-receiver

I'm over it.

This is an important point, and it begs the question: are we trolling him hard enough at his new job? I want him to know we're there - watching, pointing, laughing - wherever he goes.