2019 could be the year of Josh Myers on the Ohio State offensive line

“When Demetrius Knox suffered a season-ending foot injury in the Michigan game, redshirt freshman Wyatt Davis took his spot in the starting lineup in the Big Ten championship game, but Studrawa said after the 45-24 victory over Northwestern he was ready to put Myers in the game if Davis struggled early.”

— Marcus Hartman of the Dayton Daily News on Josh Myers being one of the go-to guys on the offensive line in 2019

A redshirt freshman, Josh Myers was nearly summoned into the spotlight for the eventual Rose Bowl winning Ohio State Buckeyes. When Demetrius Knox went down against Michigan, personnel changes had to be made. With the regular season concluding—and the Bucks still vying for a spot in the College Football Playoff—the Big Ten Championship contest with Northwestern could’ve easily been an upset, if the line play wasn’t top flight.

Myers may not have started against the Wildcats, but if he needed to be summoned, he was going in. According to The Dayton Daily News’ Marcus Hartman, offensive line coach Greg Studrawa would have had no issues putting in the Miamisburg, Ohio, native if Wyatt Davis struggled in the conference title game. While Davis didn’t struggled, it’s good to know that there were guys ready to go into the game if needed.

Looking at the box score from the B1G Championship, you couldn’t tell the offensive line had an injury to a starter; quarterback Dwayne Haskins had 499 passing yards and five touchdowns, and the running duo of Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins combined for 119 yards on the ground. I will admit: Haskins got sacked five times. But that can be attributed to NU’s defense being one of the best in the Big Ten.

Next season, Myers may be in a starting role somewhere, as guys move onto the NFL Draft. If he does run with the first team offense against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 30, then it’s for good reason: he’s ready. And with Haskins and Weber moving on from OSU, they’ll need guys on the frontline that know what they are doing.

Speaking of the offensive line...

“Over the course of his first three seasons with the Buckeyes, Studrawa coached the two Rimington Trophy winners, who each also won the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year award and were both unanimous All-Americans”

— Patrick Murphy of Bucknuts (247sports) on offensive line coach Greg Studrawa reportedly staying on staff

Coaching changes have been aplenty since Urban Meyer stepped down and Ryan Day took over the football program. Greg Schiano and Billy Davis are just a couple of the coaches to depart from Columbus; on the other hand, an influx of former Ann Arbor nomads made their way to the Buckeye State, as Al Washington and Greg Mattison departed the Jim Harbaugh regime for Ohio State.

However, there will be some continuity on the offensive line, as it appears that Strudrawa will be staying for another season at OSU.

Some thought Strudrawa may have been on his way out—and even a candidate to take over the Bowling Green program. But, that never materialized.

With Day going into his first season with a new QB at the starting spot, having someone like Stud on the O-line may be necessary. In three seasons, the likes of Pat Elflein and Billy Price have been crowned Rimington Award winners. If Studrawa wasn’t there to coach the group, those two probably don’t win the award, and the Buckeyes may not have been as effective up front.

“Unlike its victory against Indiana Thursday, Ohio State came out riding the momentum of its previous win and used that to establish control for a majority of the game. Michigan State never had a lead larger than two, and only held the lead for 3:34 as opposed to the Buckeyes, who were ahead for 34:14.”

— The Lantern’s Brian Nelson on OSU women’s basketball securing a win against No. 17 Michigan State

It’s been a tough season for the Ohio State women’s basketball team. With Kelsey Mitchell gone to the WNBA, they’ve had to find a new way to score points and win games. While the 2018-19 squad is currently below .500, they got ever so closer to breaking even on Monday night.

Behind senior guard Carly Santoro, the Buckeyes secured their second win against a top 25 program on the season, toppling No. 17 Michigan State, 65-55. Not only did Santoro compile a season-high 25 points, but she crossed the 1,000 career point milestone before halftime.

Currently at 6-8, coach Kevin McGuff can use this win to turn things around and make a push as conference play heats up. The next two games for OSU are on the road, with Penn State on Thursday night and Michigan on Sunday afternoon. Wins in both those games would bring Ohio State to .500, and 4-3 in the Big Ten.

If you have BTN+, you can catch Thursday’s game against the Nittany Lions. Sunday’s game against the Wolverines is tentatively slated for BTN.

“You hear all those undrafted success stories... I mean I was in Seattle, so I had a bunch of examples right in front of me,” says Tyvis Powell, an undrafted safety who has played for five different teams in two years since spending his rookie season with the Seahawks. “I was like, I’m going to be the next one to do that. Things just haven’t worked out that way, but the good thing is that I keep getting opportunities.”

— Natalie Weiner of SB Nation, with a piece on the life of a practice squad player in the NFL

The long and winding road of an NFL practice player. In a feature piece by SB Nation’s own Natalie Weiner, she takes a look at the trials and tribulations these professionals face when trying to make it in the NFL.

One of the players that got written about was Tyvis Powell, a member of the Buckeyes’ national championship team from 2014-15. After his OSU days, Powell went undrafted and signed with the Seattle Seahawks in 2016. Since then, he’s bounced around the league. Powell had stops in Cleveland, San Francisco, Indianapolis and New York over the past few seasons—and shows just how often one has to pack up and move.

It’s not a glorious life on the practice squad, but you’re a step away from making it big. All you need is a chance.

If you have the time, the piece is definitely worth reading.

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