97 Days To Football*

This is the fourth in a series of 100 daily posts, a Countdown to College Football. (Sort of.) 

We are four days in on our 100-day journey and now college football is closer than it has been at any other point this year.

You can almost taste it. It tastes like burnt ends and aluminum beer.

It tastes like America.

The end of Big Ten preseason football media days is now 97 days away, which means the countdown to the start of college football season* is now down to double digits. In case you missed yesterday’s edition, each day until then, we’ll count down the 100 greatest Buckeyes of The Ozone era (1996-present).

We’ll also preview one of the 100 most exciting games on this fall’s college football schedule, and one of the 100 things we’re most looking forward to this fall.

Plus, we’ll preview one of this season’s 100 biggest personnel matchups.

Greatest Buckeyes Of The Ozone Era

#97 Nate Salley

Nate Salley was part of Ohio State’s ridiculous 2002 recruiting class that also featured Bobby Carpenter, Maurice Clarett, Mike D’Andrea, A.J. Hawk, Santonio Holmes, Mike Kudla, Nick Mangold, Derek Morris (I know!), Quinn Pitcock, Troy Smith, and several others.

Salley attended St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, which is where the Bosa brothers received their schooling as well.

As a true freshman, Salley was listed at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, dabbling at corner for the Buckeyes. Soon after that, however, he was moved to safety, where he immediately excelled. As a sophomore, he finished tied for fourth on the team with 77 tackles. As a senior, he was still listed at 6-foot-3, but was now tipping the scales at 220 pounds.

Salley was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes from 2003-2005, and was named a First-Team All-Big Ten selection in 2005. That was also the year he was elected as a captain by his teammates. He also played 10 games for the Ohio State basketball team in 2002-2003.

Best Games This Fall

#97 Mississippi State at Kansas State

This bizarrely (embarrassingly?) intriguing matchup features the Kansas State of the Big XII hosting the Kansas State of the SEC. It’s a week two tilt that features new Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead, who spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Penn State.

Three years ago, Moorhead was the head coach at Fordham.

Kansas State, meanwhile, definitely does not have a new head coach, as Bill Snyder returns for his [still calculating] season. It may not be the prettiest game you’ll ever see, but there is a bit of a double-rainbow factor here as you’ll get an opportunity to see an SEC team play on the road out of conference for a change.

What We Can’t Wait To See

#97 The Martellicorn

Kyle Morgan wrote last winter about “The Unicorn Formation,” which is the much-desired formation with Buckeye running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber on the field together at the same time.

While I can’t wait to see that, there is also a bit of a twist that I’m looking forward to as well. That twist, as you can probably tell by the name above, is the Unicorn Formation with Tate Martell at quarterback.

The Martellicorn brings all of the elements of triple-option football that you love, but now it finally has a cool name that you don’t have to be embarrassed to get tattooed on your face.

Matchup To Watch

#97 Michael Onwenu, Michigan OG vs. DT Dre’Mont Jones

If you like physical, contrasting matchups, then this one is for you. Michael Onwenu started most of Michigan’s games at right guard last season as a sophomore. He should be there once again in November, and Dre’Mont Jones will be waiting.

Or maybe it will be Onwenu waiting. Either way, I can’t wait.

Onwenu is listed at 6-foot-3 and 350 pounds. He certainly possesses the physicality and the size to create a one-man wall, but he has also spent time dropping weight and becoming more nimble. It’s that nimbleness that will also be needed against Dre’Mont Jones, who had arguably the best spring of any Buckeye defender this year.

Jones is playing for an NFL contract this season and there will be all kinds of eyeballs on him when the Buckeyes host the Wolverines in Ohio Stadium.

This will be a fun one. Don’t expect it to be pretty, though.