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“The only time Urban ever really got mad at me was when he played Navy that year. He was like, ‘Martin, don’t do that.’ Because it was right before Virginia Tech. It’s a fluky offense right before Virginia Tech.
- Martin Jarmond via Ben Axelrod, Land Of 10
Contrary to popular belief, the head coach at Ohio State doesn’t have much say when it comes to scheduling games for the upcoming seasons. That being said, Urban Meyer made it known to Martin Jarmond (the deputy athletic director alongside Gene Smith) in 2014 how he felt about the schedule. At the time, the Buckeyes opened the season against a Navy team known for their triple-option attack. And the following game was against Virginia Tech. Meyer made it clear that playing a team that solely focused on the triple option and then following it up with a big-time program like the Hokies made things much more difficult on the coaching staff and freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett.
Virginia Tech that season opened with a FCS opponent, which allowed them to sort of look ahead to their second week game against Ohio State. The Hokies took advantage and used some defensive schemes that the Buckeyes hadn’t seen in the previous game. The article linked above also mentions the fact that Meyer’s squad plays another triple-option team this season against Army, but it’s not coming in the first two weeks. There might have been a reason for that.
“[Over/under in wins] Ohio State Buckeyes: 10 wins”
- Tom VanHaaren and Dan Murphy, ESPN
The Big Ten is sure to be highly contested this season, especially at the top tier. Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan are all looking as strong possibilities of winning the Big Ten championship and perhaps competing in the College Football Playoff. But ESPN took a look at some over/unders in terms of how many wins each team would get this season. Coming in at the top spot, Ohio State’s over/under was at 10 wins and the prediction is that they would reach over that mark yet again under Urban Meyer this season. The Nittany Lions mark was set at 9.5 wins, with the prediction that James Franklin would be able to lead them over that. The Wolverines were given nine wins and once again, the over was taken.
The Buckeyes open the season against Indiana and Oklahoma in prime-time games which is quite the way to start a new year. Ohio State will be tested from the start but will also get a chance to make a strong statement early on against tough competition to set the tone for the rest of the season.
“Early-enrolled freshman JK Dobbins wore No. 2 at running back, but Demario McCall said he was taking No. 2 in the fall. According to the roster, McCall is still listed as No. 30 and Dobbins is still listed as No. 2.”
- Ari Wasserman, Cleveland.com
The newest roster for Ohio State has been released and updated, so all of the freshman have their new numbers barring any other changes. The full list can be found in the article above but some notables are defensive end Chase Young taking No. 2, wide receiver Trevon Grimes taking No. 8, wide receiver Elijah Gardiner taking No. 87, wide receiver Jaylen Harris taking No. 15, and offensive guard Wyatt Davis taking No. 52. Some other observations included that JUCO transfer Kendall Sheffield has worn No. 10 all spring, which conflicts with one of the other freshman listed. So one of the two will likely have to switch numbers.
In addition to what’s listed in the above quote, it’s worth mentioning that Eric Glover-Williams is still listed as a safety on the official roster but has mainly played on the offensive side of the ball throughout the spring.
STICK TO SPORTS
- These Doctor Octopus-style robot arms are controlled with your feet.
- Japan apparently has a ‘Pikachu’ train and it’s drawing interesting reviews.
- The full soundtrack from Master of None season 2 is on Spotify.