We made it.
It’s the last Monday morning column of 2021.
As Ohio State prepares to take on Utah in the Rose Bowl at the end of the week, here’s a look at what I’m thinking about before I head out to Pasadena, California.
What was 2021 like for Ohio State football?
It was one of transition and change. In many ways, it was what 2019 should have been.
After head coach Urban Meyer passed the whistle to head coach Ryan Day in the locker room of the 2019 Rose Bowl, officially ending his regime as head coach, the “Meyer effect” wasn’t all gone.
Justin Fields committed to Day’s program in early January 2019 after transferring from Georgia and was seen days later at a basketball game, flanked on either side by Dwayne Haskins and Meyer. With Fields behind center, Day now had two years to find that successor. Sure, Fields showcased Day’s offense at points: a highly-accurate, elusive quarterback that used his arm more than he used his feet.
But 2021 was really the first opportunity to see a quarterback built by a perceived quarterback whisperer in a quarterback room that did not have one member that had ever thrown a collegiate pass.
And if there was any offense to set that individual up for success, it was this one: utilizing two of the best wide receivers in the country — Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave — along with a senior tight end (Jeremy Ruckert) and an offensive line with two members — Nicholas Petit-Frere and Thayer Munford — seemingly on a path to All-American seasons.
Day just needed a quarterback who could fill in the gaps, find his role quickly and grow from there.
C.J. Stroud was that quarterback.
The mistakes showed early, from the three interceptions to the four sacks in the first three games, but the touchdowns and the accuracy only increased from there, taking a staggering jump after he returned from his one-week absence resting his throwing shoulder.
Stroud was the quarterback Ohio State needed at the right time: the highly-accurate and elusive passer that used his arm more than his feet.
Was he perfect? No, but he was a redshirt freshman.
There were moments where we could have tucked and ran, instead forcing into too tight of a window or sailing the ball over the head of a receiver and retorting he was a “quarterback” not a “running back.”
He’s a kid. He’s got room to grow.
And in a year that brought Ohio State its first loss to Michigan since 2011, one that represented transition and change, none represented that more than Stroud: blooming into the best quarterback in the Big Ten and one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
Was it good enough? No. Not for Ohio State and its expectations for the program.
But a trip to New York City as a Heisman finalist is not a bad place for a quarterback to start.
What about the defense?
It was one of transition and change too. But more so, one of holes: both literally and figuratively.
It started with the massive hole on the left side of the defense, one that Oregon running back C.J. Verdell hit time and time again for score after score in the second week of the season, a game that caused Day and the rest of the coaching staff to completely rethink and, eventually, reconfigure its hierarchy for defensive play calling and scheme.
As the games continued, it was the holes in the middle of the zone defense, the soft spot of a 4-2-5 that opponents attacked over and over again. It’s those spots sophomore Cody Simon tried to explain every defense had, but that it was its job to limit the amount of success opposing offenses had. But with a recurring cast of characters in the middle of the defense — including two linebackers entering the transfer portal midseason with one basically entering the portal in the middle of the Akron game — it was an area Ohio State never really found stability in.
And then the holes in the run defense opened up again in the Michigan game: seeing what happens when a defense, without any pressure from the middle of the line, faced one of the top rushing offenses in the country.
They were issues that never really went away. At its best, it was issues that were masked by big plays — turnovers, sacks, etc. — or the No. 1 scoring offense in the country.
It was a year filled with transition and change, whether it was from Kerry Coombs to Matt Barnes calling the defense or from a 3-3-5 look to a 4-2-5 defensive look.
But it’s also a year that’s caused further transition and change heading into 2022, leading to the hiring of former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who will try and put his own stamp on the situation starting Jan. 2.
It could look completely different in 2022, with a whole new cast of characters.
But it’s all because of the transition and change and holes Ohio State’s defense showed in 2021.
Will transition and change continue into 2022?
Defensively, absolutely.
When I talked to a few defensive players ahead of their trip to Pasadena, they weren’t sure how drastic the switch to Knowles’ 4-2-5 look would be. But the wrinkles have already begun, bringing in Arizona State transfer DeaMonte Trayanum to switch from running back to linebacker on Christmas Day.
Knowles is known for his eccentricity and creativity on and off the field, and that is already starting to show its face a bit on the program. However, it’s something that has changed the trajectories of multiple defenses across the country, including a transformation of a bottom-feeder Big 12 defense into one of the best units in the country.
Offensively, it’s more about changing the face of the offense.
Instead of being about the guys around an nonentity at quarterback, 2022 will be about Stroud behind center: the reigning Heisman finalist looking for that second trip to New York City, playing with a vengeance after being the first quarterback to lose to Michigan donning the scarlet and gray in 10 years.
The pieces around Stroud will be different, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba headlining a wide receiver room filled with top-end recruiting talent like Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming and Marvin Harrison Jr., who have not been able to make much of a difference at the college level yet.
However, with the leader of the offense being the same, and with some of the same pieces back, there’s not going to be as many questions there.
How was 2021 for Ohio State basketball?
It was a roller coaster.
There were plenty of highs: road wins against Illinois and Iowa to end the 2020-21 regular season, an overtime win against Purdue and a one-point win against Michigan in the 2021 Big Ten tournament, a five-point win at home against No. 1-ranked Duke.
But the lows were heartbreaking: the four-game losing streak to end the 2020-21 regular season with three games decided by five points or less, the three-point overtime loss to Illinois in the Big Ten tournament championship and, most importantly, the three-point bludgeoning by Oral Roberts in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, one that has followed Ohio State to each of its road games to start its 2021-22 season.
It’s truly a group that’s seen everything. But it’s also a group that saw the development of E.J. Liddell, turning into a legitimate first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Player of the Year candidate. It’s a team that’s turned its size issues at forward into a physical behemoth named Zed Key who, at 6-foot-8, is still bullying big men multiple inches taller than him in the post.
Yes, there are still issues. But in a calendar year, Ohio State has given itself a chance, assuming it has a healthy roster, to make a run both deep into the Big Ten tournament and in March if everything goes as planned.
Will that continue into 2022?
There’s no reason why it shouldn’t.
The equation is there for success moving forward: the blend of physicality in the post along with players to force opposing defenses to focus on stopping players in the perimeter, opening driving lanes and other ways to score.
There’s experience and youth turning more and more mature as each game continues.
There’s mistakes — turnovers, allowing offensive rebounds and second-chance points — but they are mistakes that still keep Ohio State in games.
Ohio State has seen it all early on in the 2021-22 season, from a loss to a true road game to Xavier, to a buzzer-beating Seton Hall win, a buzzer-beating Florida loss to a court-storming home win against No. 1 Duke.
The Buckeyes have seemingly played up to each opponent it's faced and down to every other opponent.
It will be interesting to see if Liddell and Co. can use that heading into Big Ten play, but it’s the right recipe for success, especially if Holtmann can bring back Seth Towns and Justice Sueing — both sidelined with injuries — back for the stretch run before tournament play.
This team seems to be building to peak in late February, early March. And it seems like something that could work.
Who’s Scarlet and Gray Report’s 2021 Ohio State football MVP?
To me, this is an easy one.
It’s C.J. Stroud.
When Ohio State was at its best in 2021, Stroud looked like he was going to win the Heisman Trophy, whether it was completing 17 straight passes against Michigan State — a school record — throwing 10 consecutive touchdown passes without an interception against Rutgers and Maryland or throwing 11 straight touchdown passes without an interception against Purdue and Michigan State.
Yes, he was given a very full tool box to use, with Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and TreVeyon Henderson. But Wilson said it himself: they wouldn’t be anything without the quarterback making the reads or throwing the ball.
As the year continued, Stroud became more and more cool, calm and collected in and around the pocket, finding tighter and tighter windows to throw, making throws he knows only his tandem of three receivers can catch, making Herculean catches the norm in 2021.
Every week, Stroud seemed to set a new expectation of how important and how accurate an Ohio State quarterback can be to an Ohio State offense.
Really, that’s head coach Ryan Day’s dream isn’t it?
And Day now has another year to expand what Stroud can do for his offense in 2022.
Who’s Scarlet and Gray Report’s 2021 Ohio State basketball MVP?
This one goes to Chris Holtmann. And it’s not for what you would expect.
After an embarrassing end to the 2020-21 season, the Ohio State head coach knew what lay ahead. The gauntlet of a non-conference schedule, one that was just setting the precedent moving forward, one that it was building up to.
A true road Gavitt Games matchup with Xavier, a Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchup with Duke, a Fort Myers Tip Off against ranked Seton Hall and Florida teams. That’s a challenge.
And Ohio State didn’t come away unscathed. It lost to the Musketeers and to the Gators in the Tip Off final. But the other two created moments: a buzzer-beating win against the Pirates, a court-storm after a five-point win against the No. 1 Blue Devils.
Every time Holtmann talked about the schedule, it was with this weight in his voice, talking about how much it challenged his team, how much it had already been through, how many ways Ohio State had already won and lost.
With that, Ohio State is extremely prepared for Big Ten play.
And in their first two examples of that, the Buckeyes showed that preparation, looking composed and confident on the road at Penn State and at home against Wisconsin, dominating at times in both games.
If Ohio State makes a run, it’s because it has an idea of what it takes to win those levels of games early on in the season. All of that has to do with schedule building from Holtmann and his staff.
A personal reflection
I’ll try to make this short. But this year has been wild for me.
I started the year in Wixom, Michigan — 30 minutes from Detroit and 30 minutes from Ann Arbor. I was covering high school sports in metro Detroit and loving my job, doing the same thing I do here: telling the stories of athletes, most of which never make it to the level of Ohio State.
But when I got a text about this opportunity in August, it really was something I could not pass up on.
This year has been a whirlwind from the very first game I covered in 2021: the loss to Oregon. I’ve been there for everything, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows trying to give you all the perspective that you deserve, to answer the questions you guys want answered, to tell the stories you all want to read.
Heading into 2022, I’m really excited to continue that for you guys. Thank you so much for your trust and your participation in building this thing up to where it is now. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us in the next calendar year.
With that, let’s do some 2022 predictions, shall we?
Here’s a few short ones:
This time, I’ll give you 10.
Here are my 10 favorite songs this year, not in any particular order.
“The Shining But Tropical” by Wild Pink
“I Don’t Live Here Anymore” by The War on Drugs feat. Lucius
“Hard Drive” by Cassandra Jenkins
“Stop Making This Hurt” by Bleachers
“Sunglasses” by Black Country New Road
“Empire Builder” by Typhoon
“Last Train Home” by John Mayer
“good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo
“All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift
“2021 (January 5th, to be exact)” by Goose
See you on the board.
It’s the last Monday morning column of 2021.
As Ohio State prepares to take on Utah in the Rose Bowl at the end of the week, here’s a look at what I’m thinking about before I head out to Pasadena, California.
What was 2021 like for Ohio State football?
It was one of transition and change. In many ways, it was what 2019 should have been.
After head coach Urban Meyer passed the whistle to head coach Ryan Day in the locker room of the 2019 Rose Bowl, officially ending his regime as head coach, the “Meyer effect” wasn’t all gone.
Justin Fields committed to Day’s program in early January 2019 after transferring from Georgia and was seen days later at a basketball game, flanked on either side by Dwayne Haskins and Meyer. With Fields behind center, Day now had two years to find that successor. Sure, Fields showcased Day’s offense at points: a highly-accurate, elusive quarterback that used his arm more than he used his feet.
But 2021 was really the first opportunity to see a quarterback built by a perceived quarterback whisperer in a quarterback room that did not have one member that had ever thrown a collegiate pass.
And if there was any offense to set that individual up for success, it was this one: utilizing two of the best wide receivers in the country — Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave — along with a senior tight end (Jeremy Ruckert) and an offensive line with two members — Nicholas Petit-Frere and Thayer Munford — seemingly on a path to All-American seasons.
Day just needed a quarterback who could fill in the gaps, find his role quickly and grow from there.
C.J. Stroud was that quarterback.
The mistakes showed early, from the three interceptions to the four sacks in the first three games, but the touchdowns and the accuracy only increased from there, taking a staggering jump after he returned from his one-week absence resting his throwing shoulder.
Stroud was the quarterback Ohio State needed at the right time: the highly-accurate and elusive passer that used his arm more than his feet.
Was he perfect? No, but he was a redshirt freshman.
There were moments where we could have tucked and ran, instead forcing into too tight of a window or sailing the ball over the head of a receiver and retorting he was a “quarterback” not a “running back.”
He’s a kid. He’s got room to grow.
And in a year that brought Ohio State its first loss to Michigan since 2011, one that represented transition and change, none represented that more than Stroud: blooming into the best quarterback in the Big Ten and one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
Was it good enough? No. Not for Ohio State and its expectations for the program.
But a trip to New York City as a Heisman finalist is not a bad place for a quarterback to start.
What about the defense?
It was one of transition and change too. But more so, one of holes: both literally and figuratively.
It started with the massive hole on the left side of the defense, one that Oregon running back C.J. Verdell hit time and time again for score after score in the second week of the season, a game that caused Day and the rest of the coaching staff to completely rethink and, eventually, reconfigure its hierarchy for defensive play calling and scheme.
As the games continued, it was the holes in the middle of the zone defense, the soft spot of a 4-2-5 that opponents attacked over and over again. It’s those spots sophomore Cody Simon tried to explain every defense had, but that it was its job to limit the amount of success opposing offenses had. But with a recurring cast of characters in the middle of the defense — including two linebackers entering the transfer portal midseason with one basically entering the portal in the middle of the Akron game — it was an area Ohio State never really found stability in.
And then the holes in the run defense opened up again in the Michigan game: seeing what happens when a defense, without any pressure from the middle of the line, faced one of the top rushing offenses in the country.
They were issues that never really went away. At its best, it was issues that were masked by big plays — turnovers, sacks, etc. — or the No. 1 scoring offense in the country.
It was a year filled with transition and change, whether it was from Kerry Coombs to Matt Barnes calling the defense or from a 3-3-5 look to a 4-2-5 defensive look.
But it’s also a year that’s caused further transition and change heading into 2022, leading to the hiring of former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who will try and put his own stamp on the situation starting Jan. 2.
It could look completely different in 2022, with a whole new cast of characters.
But it’s all because of the transition and change and holes Ohio State’s defense showed in 2021.
Will transition and change continue into 2022?
Defensively, absolutely.
When I talked to a few defensive players ahead of their trip to Pasadena, they weren’t sure how drastic the switch to Knowles’ 4-2-5 look would be. But the wrinkles have already begun, bringing in Arizona State transfer DeaMonte Trayanum to switch from running back to linebacker on Christmas Day.
Knowles is known for his eccentricity and creativity on and off the field, and that is already starting to show its face a bit on the program. However, it’s something that has changed the trajectories of multiple defenses across the country, including a transformation of a bottom-feeder Big 12 defense into one of the best units in the country.
Offensively, it’s more about changing the face of the offense.
Instead of being about the guys around an nonentity at quarterback, 2022 will be about Stroud behind center: the reigning Heisman finalist looking for that second trip to New York City, playing with a vengeance after being the first quarterback to lose to Michigan donning the scarlet and gray in 10 years.
The pieces around Stroud will be different, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba headlining a wide receiver room filled with top-end recruiting talent like Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming and Marvin Harrison Jr., who have not been able to make much of a difference at the college level yet.
However, with the leader of the offense being the same, and with some of the same pieces back, there’s not going to be as many questions there.
How was 2021 for Ohio State basketball?
It was a roller coaster.
There were plenty of highs: road wins against Illinois and Iowa to end the 2020-21 regular season, an overtime win against Purdue and a one-point win against Michigan in the 2021 Big Ten tournament, a five-point win at home against No. 1-ranked Duke.
But the lows were heartbreaking: the four-game losing streak to end the 2020-21 regular season with three games decided by five points or less, the three-point overtime loss to Illinois in the Big Ten tournament championship and, most importantly, the three-point bludgeoning by Oral Roberts in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, one that has followed Ohio State to each of its road games to start its 2021-22 season.
It’s truly a group that’s seen everything. But it’s also a group that saw the development of E.J. Liddell, turning into a legitimate first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Player of the Year candidate. It’s a team that’s turned its size issues at forward into a physical behemoth named Zed Key who, at 6-foot-8, is still bullying big men multiple inches taller than him in the post.
Yes, there are still issues. But in a calendar year, Ohio State has given itself a chance, assuming it has a healthy roster, to make a run both deep into the Big Ten tournament and in March if everything goes as planned.
Will that continue into 2022?
There’s no reason why it shouldn’t.
The equation is there for success moving forward: the blend of physicality in the post along with players to force opposing defenses to focus on stopping players in the perimeter, opening driving lanes and other ways to score.
There’s experience and youth turning more and more mature as each game continues.
There’s mistakes — turnovers, allowing offensive rebounds and second-chance points — but they are mistakes that still keep Ohio State in games.
Ohio State has seen it all early on in the 2021-22 season, from a loss to a true road game to Xavier, to a buzzer-beating Seton Hall win, a buzzer-beating Florida loss to a court-storming home win against No. 1 Duke.
The Buckeyes have seemingly played up to each opponent it's faced and down to every other opponent.
It will be interesting to see if Liddell and Co. can use that heading into Big Ten play, but it’s the right recipe for success, especially if Holtmann can bring back Seth Towns and Justice Sueing — both sidelined with injuries — back for the stretch run before tournament play.
This team seems to be building to peak in late February, early March. And it seems like something that could work.
Who’s Scarlet and Gray Report’s 2021 Ohio State football MVP?
To me, this is an easy one.
It’s C.J. Stroud.
When Ohio State was at its best in 2021, Stroud looked like he was going to win the Heisman Trophy, whether it was completing 17 straight passes against Michigan State — a school record — throwing 10 consecutive touchdown passes without an interception against Rutgers and Maryland or throwing 11 straight touchdown passes without an interception against Purdue and Michigan State.
Yes, he was given a very full tool box to use, with Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and TreVeyon Henderson. But Wilson said it himself: they wouldn’t be anything without the quarterback making the reads or throwing the ball.
As the year continued, Stroud became more and more cool, calm and collected in and around the pocket, finding tighter and tighter windows to throw, making throws he knows only his tandem of three receivers can catch, making Herculean catches the norm in 2021.
Every week, Stroud seemed to set a new expectation of how important and how accurate an Ohio State quarterback can be to an Ohio State offense.
Really, that’s head coach Ryan Day’s dream isn’t it?
And Day now has another year to expand what Stroud can do for his offense in 2022.
Who’s Scarlet and Gray Report’s 2021 Ohio State basketball MVP?
This one goes to Chris Holtmann. And it’s not for what you would expect.
After an embarrassing end to the 2020-21 season, the Ohio State head coach knew what lay ahead. The gauntlet of a non-conference schedule, one that was just setting the precedent moving forward, one that it was building up to.
A true road Gavitt Games matchup with Xavier, a Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchup with Duke, a Fort Myers Tip Off against ranked Seton Hall and Florida teams. That’s a challenge.
And Ohio State didn’t come away unscathed. It lost to the Musketeers and to the Gators in the Tip Off final. But the other two created moments: a buzzer-beating win against the Pirates, a court-storm after a five-point win against the No. 1 Blue Devils.
Every time Holtmann talked about the schedule, it was with this weight in his voice, talking about how much it challenged his team, how much it had already been through, how many ways Ohio State had already won and lost.
With that, Ohio State is extremely prepared for Big Ten play.
And in their first two examples of that, the Buckeyes showed that preparation, looking composed and confident on the road at Penn State and at home against Wisconsin, dominating at times in both games.
If Ohio State makes a run, it’s because it has an idea of what it takes to win those levels of games early on in the season. All of that has to do with schedule building from Holtmann and his staff.
A personal reflection
I’ll try to make this short. But this year has been wild for me.
I started the year in Wixom, Michigan — 30 minutes from Detroit and 30 minutes from Ann Arbor. I was covering high school sports in metro Detroit and loving my job, doing the same thing I do here: telling the stories of athletes, most of which never make it to the level of Ohio State.
But when I got a text about this opportunity in August, it really was something I could not pass up on.
This year has been a whirlwind from the very first game I covered in 2021: the loss to Oregon. I’ve been there for everything, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows trying to give you all the perspective that you deserve, to answer the questions you guys want answered, to tell the stories you all want to read.
Heading into 2022, I’m really excited to continue that for you guys. Thank you so much for your trust and your participation in building this thing up to where it is now. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us in the next calendar year.
With that, let’s do some 2022 predictions, shall we?
Here’s a few short ones:
- C.J. Stroud will be back in New York City for the Heisman Trophy Ceremony.
- Stroud will not be the only player from Ohio State on that trip (cough, cough TreVeyon Henderson)
- Ohio State’s defense will improve both in scoring and total defense
- Julian Fleming will become Ohio State’s full-fledged No. 2 wide receiver behind Jaxon Smith-Njgba
- CJ Hicks will be the first member of Ohio State’s 2022 class to see significant playing time, but will later be joined by Alex “Sonny” Styles, Tegra Tshabola and Caden Curry
- Devin Brown, Avery Henry, George Fitzpatrick, Dallan Hayden, Kaleb Brown and Ryan Turner will all redshirt their first seasons at Ohio State
- Ryan Day will see a major contract boost before the season starts
- Ohio State will not finish the 2022 season undefeated — the Buckeyes will finish the regular season 11-1 with the one loss being either at home against Notre Dame or Michigan, or on the road against Penn State
This time, I’ll give you 10.
Here are my 10 favorite songs this year, not in any particular order.
“The Shining But Tropical” by Wild Pink
“I Don’t Live Here Anymore” by The War on Drugs feat. Lucius
“Hard Drive” by Cassandra Jenkins
“Stop Making This Hurt” by Bleachers
“Sunglasses” by Black Country New Road
“Empire Builder” by Typhoon
“Last Train Home” by John Mayer
“good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo
“All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift
“2021 (January 5th, to be exact)” by Goose
See you on the board.
