Happy Monday everyone.
Grab a cup a coffee and get comfortable. There's a lot to get into.
It still really is a shock.
Ohio State lost to Michigan. Ohio State will not play for a Big Ten title. Ohio State is likely out of a chance at a national title.
This is not normal for this football program.
And head coach Ryan Day, after a pulverizing beatdown by the Wolverines, could not believe it either.
Sitting at a table in the postgame interview room at Michigan Stadium, his eyes were dazed, the reality seeping in with each answer: the reality setting in.
Day had lost for the first time in Big Ten play.
Day was lost.
“There’s not much to say because you don’t plan for this type of thing,” Day said. ”We’ll have to get on the bus, head back to Columbus and figure out what’s next.”
No, Ohio State never plans to lose any games it plays. But the thought of losing never really crossed its mind on the bus ride to Ann Arbor.
Look at the context of this game: The Buckeyes came in as confident as they have ever been, destroying a top-10 Michigan State team at home with the best offense in the country and a defensive front that could stop any running game in the country. The issues of penalties, of offenses taking advantage of soft spots in zone coverage, were seemingly obsolete, gone, evaporated like the memory of Ohio State’s loss to Oregon in Week 2.
Ohio State was one of the two best teams in the country.
Sure, hindsight is 20/20, but Ohio State looked like a team Saturday that felt it could rely on its placement in the overall narrative in the college football landscape along with the control it had over the rivalry to get by a trip to Ann Arbor.
Ohio State knew the stakes. It knew how important the game was.
It seemed like Ohio State was looking ahead because The Game was already a given
And masked behind answers of “this is the biggest rivalry in sports” was a feeling like this game, The Game, was theirs for the taking; that it was not an if the Buckeyes would win, but by how many.
That’s why Ohio State looked so unprepared for Saturday’s game: unable to stop the run — something Michigan had done all season — unable to stop Aidan Hutchinson or David Ojabo on the outside.
And I’m sure these were the thoughts rattling around Day’s brain as he participated in the last tradition of the weekend: the three-and-a-half hour bus ride home.
On the offensive line
Ohio State looked overpowered on its offensive line.
After clean sheets for the past two weekends on the outside against Purdue and Michigan State, Nicholas Petit-Frere allowed six hurries, eight pressures and a sack.
Thayer Munford was horrid on the inside too, later moving outside to tackle, but still allowing seven hurries and seven pressures.
Most of Michigan’s success came on the left side of the line: one tackle that had been previously looking like a first-day draft pick; one converted tackle that had looked like a versatile matchmaker for any pro team.
Is Ohio State in need of traditional guards again?
With one center, all four of the Buckeyes’ options were tackles coming in. Is that versatility vital, or is it presenting too many hiccups in terms of execution and communication for the entire line?
Assuming that Petit-Frere leaves after the season along with Munford, Ohio State is likely set to have more of that traditional look, plugging in Harry Miller, if healthy, and Matthew Jones at those guard positions with Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones on the outside.
Instead of teaching them all of the positions, they can hone in on their own cog in the machine, creating holes in the middle and limiting damage on the outside, instead of teaching positions that could be effective against middle-of-the-road teams, but cowers under the pressure of an elite rush or an elite environment.
That’s what’s going to create consistency.
Let’s look at the defense.
Oh goodness, this is rough.
No defender had a grade higher than 67.5 according to Pro Football Focus, which was recorded by defensive tackle Jerron Cage. No linebacker who played more than 10 snaps — Tommy Eichenberg, Cody Simon and Steele Chambers — recorded a grade higher than 49.2.
And it was for plays like this.
It was for an inability to stop the run at the second level, seeing these massive holes up front, clearly setting the table for where Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum were going to run, but still looking behind the eight-ball.
It wasn’t a defense that had trouble wrapping up players, except for Steele Chambers, who recorded two missed tackles. It was a defense that looked behind, and inadequate to stop one of the better running attacks in the nation.
And a lot of that credit goes to the Michigan offensive line and the running backs too. But it’s inadequacies that Ohio State thought had been fixed a long time ago, showing off that “new and improved” run defense against Kenneth Walker III.
It didn’t work in the long run.
On Jack Miller III
Jack Miller III always seemed like the odd man out in the Ohio State quarterback room.
When Kyle McCord took the starting job in C.J. Stroud’s absence against Akron, Miller was clearly seen as third on the depth chart, seeing much less playing time than the true freshman. Even after his reinstatement, he did not travel with the team to Michigan and didn’t see the field against Michigan State: watching Quinn Ewers take two snaps at the end of the game.
And when Miller announced his transfer on Twitter Sunday night, I think it was something the redshirt freshman realized too.
"I have decided to leave Ohio State and look at opportunities available to me to play the game I love,” he wrote. “I will always love my brothers and my coaches and wish them great success, but for me it is time to get on the field.”
So where does Ohio State’s quarterback room go from here?
Stroud looks to be the starter definitely in 2022. Take this with a grain of salt because this website is incredibly unreliable — just look at Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s projections in 2023 for Christ’s sake — but Stroud is listed as the No. 10 prospect in 2023 according to NFLMockDraftDatabase.
After Stroud, it’s seemingly Ewers’ time to shine, with one season before he’s draft eligible to showcase his talent as Ohio State’s starting quarterback.
While McCord doesn’t seem to have a path to the starting spot, it seems like Ohio State’s quarterback room is sparse enough with the loss of Miller that the freshman would stay for another season. But then again, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him leave either.
No matter what happens, Ohio State has consistency at the position in 2022. It’s 2023 and the years beyond where the questions lie.
Who else is leaving? Where else will Ohio State need to find replacements?
There’s plenty of time to delve into all this, but with the regular season complete and with the only game left being the bowl game, here’s who Ohio State could lose by position and who could fill those roles:
RB: Master Teague III — Evan Pryor
WR: Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson — Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jayden Ballard
TE: Jeremy Ruckert, Mitch Rossi — Gee Scott Jr., Cade Stover (if he doesn’t permanently move back to linebacker) Bennett Christian
OL: Nicholas Petit-Frere, Thayer Munford — Harry Miller, Matthew Jones (both guards, with Paris Johnson and Dawand Jones filling in the tackle spots), Tegra Tshabola
DE: Tyreke Smith, Zach Harrison (maybe) — Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, Javontae Jean-Baptiste
DT: Antwuan Jackson, Haskell Garrett — Jerron Cage, Tyleik Williams, Taron Vincent
LB: Cade Kacherski — Gabe Powers, C.J. Hicks (players who could push for starting time in the room as is)
CB: Cameron Brown, Sevyn Banks, Demario McCall — Lejond Cavazos, Ryan Watts
Slot CB: Marcus Williamson — Craig Young, Cameron Martinez
What’s next for Ohio State?
Well, the immediate focus is on Early Signing Day.
The Buckeyes coaching staff will be working around the clock to secure their 2022 class, which can sign starting Dec. 15.
As is, the Ohio State 2022 class is No. 6 in the country, but has the second-highest average rating behind Georgia with an average star total of 3.94 in each member of the 16-person class, as of now.
Heading into the final stretch before the early signing period, Ohio State will be focused on players like four-star defensive tackle Hero Kanu and four-star defensive end Omari Abor, who would join four-star defensive end Kenyatta Jackson on the line; defensive back Zion Branch, who would join a crowded 2022 defensive back class with Kye Stokes, Ryan Turner and Terrance Brooks; and offensive linemen Carson Hintzman (four-star center) and Earnest Greene (four-star guard), who would round out a class that includes four-star guard Tegra Tshabola and four-star tackle George Fitzpatrick, along with two-star in-state project guard Avery Henry.
However, all eyes will be on Devin Brown: the four-star quarterback from Utah who decommitted from USC after his visit to Ohio State during the Michigan State game.
Eric Lammers will have much more on this during the home stretch, but Ohio State will be busy building for the future moving forward, taking the coaching staff across the country.
One more thing on Devin Brown
After decommitting from USC — apparently wanting to play for Graham Harrell and Clay Helton — he’s been talking with some of the premiere offensive minds around the country, zeroing in on Ole Miss, Texas, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
However, just based on how he’s developed quarterbacks, you’d have to think that USC is back into the picture with Lincoln Riley as its next head coach.
Our recruiting analyst Eric Lammers said it’s really a no-brainer for Brown to see what Riley’s all about.
“Riley’s arrival at USC certainly gives the Brown family reason to reconsider,” he said. “Initially it was all about Graham Harrell being retained. Harrell has the Texas Tech connection, so Riley could keep him on, but regardless, quarterbacks obviously want to play for Riley. It is more likely about what Riley wants to do. If Brown is his target, no doubt they will give him the time of day.”
Without knowing Brown’s current standing with USC, but knowing Riley’s track record with quarterbacks, you’d have to think the Trojans are back into somewhat of the picture with the four-star quarterback.
With another team in the mix and with Ohio State’s quarterback situation, I wouldn’t be surprised if Brown falls out of the mix for the Buckeyes.
Finally, let’s look at THE scenario.
Georgia beats Alabama.
Iowa beats Michigan.
Houston beats Cincinnati.
Baylor beats Oklahoma State.
That would likely leave Georgia and Notre Dame as College Football Playoff teams, with seemingly two spots up for grabs.
Here’s my two cents: I think they leave the Big 12 out just because of the amount of interchange between all three teams in the hunt for the conference title (Oklahoma State, Baylor, Oklahoma). I think the Pac-12 is the same way, unless Oregon blows the doors off Utah after getting blasted.
Here’s my top-four:
But this won’t happen… or will it?
Some basketball thoughts
Song of the Week
Early signing day is fast approaching, my friends. It’s 16 days away.
But for me, that’s enough to use an excuse to share one of my favorite songs by this Savannah, Ga. band: “Three Weeks” by Perpetual Groove.
This song rules, and it’s one I turn to a lot when I’m in need of a pick-me-up.
See you on the board.
Grab a cup a coffee and get comfortable. There's a lot to get into.
It still really is a shock.
Ohio State lost to Michigan. Ohio State will not play for a Big Ten title. Ohio State is likely out of a chance at a national title.
This is not normal for this football program.
And head coach Ryan Day, after a pulverizing beatdown by the Wolverines, could not believe it either.
Sitting at a table in the postgame interview room at Michigan Stadium, his eyes were dazed, the reality seeping in with each answer: the reality setting in.
Day had lost for the first time in Big Ten play.
Day was lost.
“There’s not much to say because you don’t plan for this type of thing,” Day said. ”We’ll have to get on the bus, head back to Columbus and figure out what’s next.”
No, Ohio State never plans to lose any games it plays. But the thought of losing never really crossed its mind on the bus ride to Ann Arbor.
Look at the context of this game: The Buckeyes came in as confident as they have ever been, destroying a top-10 Michigan State team at home with the best offense in the country and a defensive front that could stop any running game in the country. The issues of penalties, of offenses taking advantage of soft spots in zone coverage, were seemingly obsolete, gone, evaporated like the memory of Ohio State’s loss to Oregon in Week 2.
Ohio State was one of the two best teams in the country.
Sure, hindsight is 20/20, but Ohio State looked like a team Saturday that felt it could rely on its placement in the overall narrative in the college football landscape along with the control it had over the rivalry to get by a trip to Ann Arbor.
Ohio State knew the stakes. It knew how important the game was.
It seemed like Ohio State was looking ahead because The Game was already a given
And masked behind answers of “this is the biggest rivalry in sports” was a feeling like this game, The Game, was theirs for the taking; that it was not an if the Buckeyes would win, but by how many.
That’s why Ohio State looked so unprepared for Saturday’s game: unable to stop the run — something Michigan had done all season — unable to stop Aidan Hutchinson or David Ojabo on the outside.
And I’m sure these were the thoughts rattling around Day’s brain as he participated in the last tradition of the weekend: the three-and-a-half hour bus ride home.
On the offensive line
Ohio State looked overpowered on its offensive line.
After clean sheets for the past two weekends on the outside against Purdue and Michigan State, Nicholas Petit-Frere allowed six hurries, eight pressures and a sack.
Thayer Munford was horrid on the inside too, later moving outside to tackle, but still allowing seven hurries and seven pressures.
Most of Michigan’s success came on the left side of the line: one tackle that had been previously looking like a first-day draft pick; one converted tackle that had looked like a versatile matchmaker for any pro team.
Is Ohio State in need of traditional guards again?
With one center, all four of the Buckeyes’ options were tackles coming in. Is that versatility vital, or is it presenting too many hiccups in terms of execution and communication for the entire line?
Assuming that Petit-Frere leaves after the season along with Munford, Ohio State is likely set to have more of that traditional look, plugging in Harry Miller, if healthy, and Matthew Jones at those guard positions with Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones on the outside.
Instead of teaching them all of the positions, they can hone in on their own cog in the machine, creating holes in the middle and limiting damage on the outside, instead of teaching positions that could be effective against middle-of-the-road teams, but cowers under the pressure of an elite rush or an elite environment.
That’s what’s going to create consistency.
Let’s look at the defense.
Oh goodness, this is rough.
No defender had a grade higher than 67.5 according to Pro Football Focus, which was recorded by defensive tackle Jerron Cage. No linebacker who played more than 10 snaps — Tommy Eichenberg, Cody Simon and Steele Chambers — recorded a grade higher than 49.2.
And it was for plays like this.
It was for an inability to stop the run at the second level, seeing these massive holes up front, clearly setting the table for where Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum were going to run, but still looking behind the eight-ball.
It wasn’t a defense that had trouble wrapping up players, except for Steele Chambers, who recorded two missed tackles. It was a defense that looked behind, and inadequate to stop one of the better running attacks in the nation.
And a lot of that credit goes to the Michigan offensive line and the running backs too. But it’s inadequacies that Ohio State thought had been fixed a long time ago, showing off that “new and improved” run defense against Kenneth Walker III.
It didn’t work in the long run.
On Jack Miller III
Jack Miller III always seemed like the odd man out in the Ohio State quarterback room.
When Kyle McCord took the starting job in C.J. Stroud’s absence against Akron, Miller was clearly seen as third on the depth chart, seeing much less playing time than the true freshman. Even after his reinstatement, he did not travel with the team to Michigan and didn’t see the field against Michigan State: watching Quinn Ewers take two snaps at the end of the game.
And when Miller announced his transfer on Twitter Sunday night, I think it was something the redshirt freshman realized too.
"I have decided to leave Ohio State and look at opportunities available to me to play the game I love,” he wrote. “I will always love my brothers and my coaches and wish them great success, but for me it is time to get on the field.”
So where does Ohio State’s quarterback room go from here?
Stroud looks to be the starter definitely in 2022. Take this with a grain of salt because this website is incredibly unreliable — just look at Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s projections in 2023 for Christ’s sake — but Stroud is listed as the No. 10 prospect in 2023 according to NFLMockDraftDatabase.
After Stroud, it’s seemingly Ewers’ time to shine, with one season before he’s draft eligible to showcase his talent as Ohio State’s starting quarterback.
While McCord doesn’t seem to have a path to the starting spot, it seems like Ohio State’s quarterback room is sparse enough with the loss of Miller that the freshman would stay for another season. But then again, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him leave either.
No matter what happens, Ohio State has consistency at the position in 2022. It’s 2023 and the years beyond where the questions lie.
Who else is leaving? Where else will Ohio State need to find replacements?
There’s plenty of time to delve into all this, but with the regular season complete and with the only game left being the bowl game, here’s who Ohio State could lose by position and who could fill those roles:
RB: Master Teague III — Evan Pryor
WR: Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson — Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jayden Ballard
TE: Jeremy Ruckert, Mitch Rossi — Gee Scott Jr., Cade Stover (if he doesn’t permanently move back to linebacker) Bennett Christian
OL: Nicholas Petit-Frere, Thayer Munford — Harry Miller, Matthew Jones (both guards, with Paris Johnson and Dawand Jones filling in the tackle spots), Tegra Tshabola
DE: Tyreke Smith, Zach Harrison (maybe) — Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, Javontae Jean-Baptiste
DT: Antwuan Jackson, Haskell Garrett — Jerron Cage, Tyleik Williams, Taron Vincent
LB: Cade Kacherski — Gabe Powers, C.J. Hicks (players who could push for starting time in the room as is)
CB: Cameron Brown, Sevyn Banks, Demario McCall — Lejond Cavazos, Ryan Watts
Slot CB: Marcus Williamson — Craig Young, Cameron Martinez
What’s next for Ohio State?
Well, the immediate focus is on Early Signing Day.
The Buckeyes coaching staff will be working around the clock to secure their 2022 class, which can sign starting Dec. 15.
As is, the Ohio State 2022 class is No. 6 in the country, but has the second-highest average rating behind Georgia with an average star total of 3.94 in each member of the 16-person class, as of now.
Heading into the final stretch before the early signing period, Ohio State will be focused on players like four-star defensive tackle Hero Kanu and four-star defensive end Omari Abor, who would join four-star defensive end Kenyatta Jackson on the line; defensive back Zion Branch, who would join a crowded 2022 defensive back class with Kye Stokes, Ryan Turner and Terrance Brooks; and offensive linemen Carson Hintzman (four-star center) and Earnest Greene (four-star guard), who would round out a class that includes four-star guard Tegra Tshabola and four-star tackle George Fitzpatrick, along with two-star in-state project guard Avery Henry.
However, all eyes will be on Devin Brown: the four-star quarterback from Utah who decommitted from USC after his visit to Ohio State during the Michigan State game.
Eric Lammers will have much more on this during the home stretch, but Ohio State will be busy building for the future moving forward, taking the coaching staff across the country.
One more thing on Devin Brown
After decommitting from USC — apparently wanting to play for Graham Harrell and Clay Helton — he’s been talking with some of the premiere offensive minds around the country, zeroing in on Ole Miss, Texas, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
However, just based on how he’s developed quarterbacks, you’d have to think that USC is back into the picture with Lincoln Riley as its next head coach.
Our recruiting analyst Eric Lammers said it’s really a no-brainer for Brown to see what Riley’s all about.
“Riley’s arrival at USC certainly gives the Brown family reason to reconsider,” he said. “Initially it was all about Graham Harrell being retained. Harrell has the Texas Tech connection, so Riley could keep him on, but regardless, quarterbacks obviously want to play for Riley. It is more likely about what Riley wants to do. If Brown is his target, no doubt they will give him the time of day.”
Without knowing Brown’s current standing with USC, but knowing Riley’s track record with quarterbacks, you’d have to think the Trojans are back into somewhat of the picture with the four-star quarterback.
With another team in the mix and with Ohio State’s quarterback situation, I wouldn’t be surprised if Brown falls out of the mix for the Buckeyes.
Finally, let’s look at THE scenario.
Georgia beats Alabama.
Iowa beats Michigan.
Houston beats Cincinnati.
Baylor beats Oklahoma State.
That would likely leave Georgia and Notre Dame as College Football Playoff teams, with seemingly two spots up for grabs.
Here’s my two cents: I think they leave the Big 12 out just because of the amount of interchange between all three teams in the hunt for the conference title (Oklahoma State, Baylor, Oklahoma). I think the Pac-12 is the same way, unless Oregon blows the doors off Utah after getting blasted.
Here’s my top-four:
- Georgia
- Notre Dame
- Alabama
- Cincinnati
But this won’t happen… or will it?
Some basketball thoughts
- Ohio State is in some trouble if it can’t get bigger, allowing 16 offensive boards to Florida in the Gators’ buzzer-beating win in the Fort Myers Tip Off tournament. Once Ohio State gets into Big Ten play, that’s going to be this team’s downfall if Zed Key can’t match up with bigs down low and Joey Brunk can’t be the force he was called on to be when he transferred to the Buckeyes.
- Malaki Branham is one of the best passers on Ohio State’s roster. If he can develop some sort of consistency offensively, he’s going to be very special.
- E.J. Liddell is good at basketball, but he shouldn’t turnover the ball so much.
- Ohio State’s not going to win many games if teams are beating it down low and all the Buckeyes can respond with is the 3. It may win them an upset or two, but there’s no consistency in that approach.
- Kyle Young is going to be vital in post play.
- Meechie Johnson Jr. is one hell of a fun watch at guard.
- Duke is going to be a very hard game for this team to win, obviously.
Song of the Week
Early signing day is fast approaching, my friends. It’s 16 days away.
But for me, that’s enough to use an excuse to share one of my favorite songs by this Savannah, Ga. band: “Three Weeks” by Perpetual Groove.
This song rules, and it’s one I turn to a lot when I’m in need of a pick-me-up.
See you on the board.
