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If this game day trailer/hyper video doesn’t make you emotional, then you are a monster, and I want nothing to do with you!
Me two minutes and 26 seconds ago: I am a grown adult human. I enjoy college football, but there are more important things going on in the world.
— Land-Grant Holy Land (@Landgrant33) October 22, 2020
Me now: <weeping uncontrollably> Yes, you can’t count Buckeye Nation out! We will be there in spirit for you, Coach. I LOVE FOOTBALL! https://t.co/rXdet8zX6s
From around Land-Grant Holy Land...
YOU GET CONTENT! YOU GET CONTENT! EVERYBODY GETS CONTEEEEEEEEENT!
Ohio State commits get a bump in updated 2022 rankings
Caleb Houser, LGHL
Ohio State’s Perfect Season - CFP game vs. Oklahoma
Gene Ross, LGHL
SB Nation’s Big Ten preseason awards
Also Gene Ross, LGHL
The Big Ten returns with Nebraska-Ohio State, the Little Brown Jug, and more
Brett Ludwiczak, LGHL
Ohio State’s offensive line taking shape, Thayer Munford ready for dominant senior season
Yep, Brett Ludwiczak, LGHL again
And it’s still Gene Ross, LGHL
Stick to Sports podcast: The AP Poll is stupid, how we got through the (extra long) offseason, more
Tia Johnston, LGHL (and me)
Ohio State 2020 Virtual Season: The College Football Playoff
George Eisner, LGHL
There’s too damn many of these things for me to write something insightful or pithy about each one, but the LGHL team has been killing it in terms of content this week, so make sure to check it all out and get yourself prepared for a season unlike anything we’ve seen before.
From around the gridiron...
Ryan Day meets with the media one more time.
In his final media availability before his No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes open up their season against the visiting Nebraska Cornhuskers, OSU head coach Ryan Day answered a barrage of friendly fire questions about his team and program. The topics ranged from how the team is dealing with the intense COVID-19 protocols to individual player updates.
One of the biggest headline making nuggets centered on the two true-freshmen quarterbacks. If I had to bet, I would say that Gunnar Hoak will be listed as the backup on tomorrow’s depth chart, and that C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller will be listed as co-third stringers; which is the smart way to handle it for now. No need to cause any drama before it’s necessary.
About the brewing quarterback competition, Day said that it is still ongoing, but that he needed both of them to understand that at this level, there is no margin for error, they no longer have the luxury of having a bad play or game. It sounds like they’ve both got some maturing to do, but fortunately, they have a great mentor to learn behind in Justin Fields.
Day also addressed senior defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson. With the interior d-line being one of the thinnest spots on the Buckeye roster, the head coach said that the former Auburn player turned JuCo star will need to eat up a lot of snaps to keep this line intact.
Ok, let’s hit a few more of the storylines from the media session:
On Greg Mattison being in the press box and Kerry Coombs being on the field:
— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) October 22, 2020
“I think between he and Kerry, the communication will be good.”
-Said he feels having Coombs down on the field will be good for the younger players.
-Said they will evaluate after the game
With the young defensive backs that Ohio State expects to play this year, Kerry Coombs will start the season on the sidelines, while his co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison will be up in the booth. I know that they have rotated these types of assignments in years past, but it would seem like a dereliction of duty if Day allowed Coombs to be upstairs at any point this season. You want his intensity on that field, you neeeed his intensity on that field.
Day says Thayer Munford didn't have much of an offseason due to his back injury before the 2019 season.
— BuckeyeScoop (@BuckeyeScoop) October 22, 2020
This offseason, Day says Munford has had a full offseason to get himself strong and healthy, and thinks fans will see a whole new Munford this year.
If the extended offseason has allowed Thayer Munford’s back to properly heal, that is a huge boon for the Buckeyes. We already expect them to have one of the best offensive lines in the country, but if Munford is close to his pre-injury self, it might be damn near impossible for opposing defenses to get into the OSU backfield.
Day cont.:
— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) October 22, 2020
-On Marcus Williamson: “He’s developed in a big way. He’s matured in a big way.”
-That concludes Day’s availability.
It is now pretty clear that Marcus Williamson will be the starting slot corner for the Buckeyes with Shaun Wade moving to the outside. I think that we will still see some flexibility from Wade in terms of where he lines up throughout the season though. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up shadowing the opposing offense’s best receiver, whether that’s on the outside or in the slot. But, to know that Williamson is ready to take on the challenge is huge for the reformed defensive backfield.
Day says they've asked player families to help them by keeping their distance after the game, and not spending time at their apartments.
— BuckeyeScoop (@BuckeyeScoop) October 22, 2020
The team will be staying at a hotel on Friday night to help isolate them, but it's not at the Blackwell like in a normal year.
With so much recent Twitter discussion about parental affection, this kind of hits a little harder, but we’ve already heard Gee Scott Sr. talk about how he will fly from Washington for every game, but he won’t get up close and personal with his son in order to make sure that he doesn’t involuntarily transmit the coronavirus to the Buckeye wide receiver. It really sucks that those decisions have to be made, but I applaud the program and the parents for taking this seriously.
Reloaded Buckeyes defense ready to fire opening shots
Tim May, Lettermen Row
Ohio State’s defensive coaching staff in sync ahead of new year
Patrick Murphy, 247Sports
These two pieces do a great job of highlighting what has changed and what is the same for the Buckeye defense this season. There’s a lot of new faces on the field, and there’s one returning coach on staff, but the foundation and legacy of a dominant D is still very much in place for the Buckeyes this season.
I think I’m gonna go with Josh on this one.
Buckeyes. Huskers.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 22, 2020
It's @RIP_JEP and @AFRO_THUNDER80's alma maters squaring up in Week 1, so you know we had to assign them a friendly wager.
Who do you think will have more on their plate? pic.twitter.com/ERusySNjeq
How college football’s artificial crowd noise DJs are juicing up empty stadiums (paywall)
Nicole Auerbach, The Athletic
Ever since the NHL and NBA debuted in empty stadiums, I have been curious how the eerily accurate canned crowd noise works. This piece from Buckeye Nation’s favorite national reporter does a good job of explaining what is the same and different in football stadiums across the country this season.
Around the hardwood...
Exclusive: Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann speaks about health of team, start of preseason
Coach Holtmann has done remarkable things with the OSU men’s basketball team in his first three years in Columbus. However, this past offseason has easily presented the most difficult of challenges, and I’m not even talking about the pandemic. From losing Kaleb Wesson and Andre Wesson, three freshman transferring out, and a number of players transferring in, there has been a lot of turbulence around the Buckeyes’ roster.
So, when you combine that with all of the issues involved with trying to prepare for a season during social distancing and lockdowns, if Holtmann can have his team ready to go in a month, it will be his biggest achievement as Ohio State’s coach yet.
Somewhere Alexis Chassen is trying to figure out how to frame this entire video.
Aaron Craft's all-time TBT highlights look EXACTLY like you'd expect @CarmensCrew pic.twitter.com/YftusSdpFL
— TBT (@thetournament) October 22, 2020
From everywhere else...
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
I am really glad the The Pride of the Buckeyes are going to continue to ind a way to be a part of the game day experience. The marching band’s social media accounts have been posting videos of them practicing, so we knew that they would be doing some sort of performances, but we didn’t know much.
When I wrote about them making things feel semi-normal a week or so ago, I said that I wasn’t sure what their involvement would be, but I did assume that they would be in the stadium, as we have seen countless other college bands do so far this season. However, that was not meant to be, so instead, I will firing up Ohio State’s Scarlet Saturday website before the game and at halftime to see this week’s TBDBITL performances.
And now for something completely different...
Netflix Releases the Teaser Trailer for Upcoming Movie Musical “The Prom”
I know that there are very few of you reading this that are likely interested in Broadway musicals being adapted to A-list films, but this is my column, so I’m going to talk about this on anyway!
“The Prom” only ran on Broadway for about 10 months in 2018-19, but it was one of the funniest, sweetest shows that I have ever seen. It had me alternating between uncontrollably laughing and inconsolably crying throughout the show. It is now being released as a feature film starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, Keegan Michael-Key, Kerry Washington, Andrew Rannells, and more on Netflix on Dec. 11.
Many in the theatre community were disappointed that none of the original Broadway cast were included in the film, but nonetheless, when I watched this trailer, and heard the songs, I still became an emotional mess. So, between this and the OSU hype video, it’s been a bit of a day for me.
After some unexpected start and stops, I am back to posting a column every single day from preseason camp until whenever Ohio State’s football season ends. Some days they will be longer and in depth, some days they will be short and sweet. Let me know what you think of this one, and what you’d like to see me discuss in the comments or on Twitter. Go Bucks!