The Ohio State-TUN hype trailer is here

The creative minds for the Ohio State Buckeyes have done it once again. The hype trailer has been released for this weekend’s game against that team up north.

Just shy of two minutes, it’s definitely worth your time to watch the whole thing.

When asked by a reporter whether he would guarantee a win over Ohio State, a la Jim Harbaugh circa 1986, Michigan running back Karan Higdon responded yes. Higdon showed extreme confidence in his team, stating “I believe firmly in my brothers, and this team, and this coaching staff, and as a captain, I’ll take that stand. Why not?”

Higdon has reason to be confident, as the senior out of Sarasota, Florida, has racked up over 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Wolverines this season. This Saturday, he will be matched up against an Ohio State team that ranks 63rd in the FBS in rushing defense. The Buckeye run D hasn’t exactly been trending in the right direction either, allowing two 75-yard rushing touchdowns against Maryland this past weekend.

That didn’t stop OSU running back Mike Weber from clapping back at Higdon on Twitter, however, using a popular Spongebob meme to mock Higdon’s guarantee — showing the Buckeyes aren’t lacking any confidence themselves. The Tweet came the same day as another from Weber, wherein he posted a picture of the celebration in the end zone following his game-sealing TD in last year’s rendition of The Game. While the product on the field has not been the prettiest at times, at least Ohio State’s trash talk game is still A1.

“This is The Game. It’s not any ordinary game, even though we say it is. The truth behind it is that it’s the game of the year. This is like our playoff game.”

- DreMont Jones via Ohio State Athletics

Last week I wrote about what it would take for Ohio State to make the playoffs. The Buckeyes still likely don’t control their own destiny, probably needing Oklahoma and maybe Washington State to lose, but a win over the No. 4 Wolverines would certainly put them in the conversation — depending on the score.

In order for Ohio State to get that win, however, they must actually treat this game like it is a playoff game. That is, they must put in a significantly better effort than they have in all of their other regular season games.

As previously mentioned, this defense has not been good, and unfortunately for the Buckeyes, this is not the Michigan offense of old. Led by Shea Patterson, the Wolverines have dominated the top defenses in the Big Ten, hanging 42 on Penn State and 38 on Wisconsin. Guys like Jones will have to step up big time, as the D-line will have to shoulder most of the responsibility of slowing down the run game and getting to the quarterback.

“This is an outstanding day for Buckeye Basketball and Buckeye Nation. Our staff did a tremendous job working tirelessly to recruit these young men and our current players were terrific as well in welcoming them to our basketball family.”

- Chris Holtmann via OSU Athletics

Calling the job Holtmann has done in turning around the Ohio State men’s basketball program impressive would be an extreme understatement, as his now 23rd-ranked Buckeyes knocked off Samford 68-50 on Tuesday night. The 5-0 start was not the most important news of the day, however, as the OSU head coach announced the signing of three top-50 recruits for the 2019 class — Alonzo Gaffney, E.J. Liddell and D.J. Carton.

Carton, the highest rated of the three recruits according to 247Sports, is the 25th-ranked player in the country and second at his position. The 6-foot-1 point guard is the top player in his home state of Iowa. Gaffney, a four-star recruit at small forward, is the second-highest rated player out of New Hampshire. Liddell, another four-star recruit, is a power forward — the number one recruit out of Illinois.

After having the 27th overall class a year ago, Holtmann’s 2019 class currently ranks eighth in the country and the best in the Big Ten. Who says Ohio State isn't a basketball school?

Around Campus

Men’s Hockey

Ohio State senior goalie Sean Romeo was named the Big Ten Third Star of the Week. Romeo earned the honor after posting a 32-save shutout over Wisconsin on Friday in the Buckeyes’ 4-0 victory over the Badgers — his third straight shutout performance. Romeo is the first goalie in program history to post three consecutive shutouts as a starter.

Swimming

Both the men and women’s swimming and diving team showed out this weekend, earning both diving titles and two swimming titles as part of the Ohio State Invitational. On the diving side, Jacob Siler and Lara Tarvit took home the gold. For swimming, it was Jason Mathews winning the 200 Breast and Ruslan Gaziev winning the 100 Free.

Men's Lacrosse

Ohio State head coach Nick Myers will serve as the coach of the 2020 US Lacrosse U19 team. Myers will look to lead the unit to its ninth consecutive world title at the Federation of of International Lacrosse World Championship in Ireland. It will be the second time Myers serves as the team’s head coach, leading the US to gold in 2016.

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