There is good and bad in every game.
Some games have more good than bad, and some games have more bad than good.
And some games live up to almost every bit of hope you could have dared to imagine.
This feature is about acknowledging both the bad and good, or whichever stood out to us most.
Borrowing from Ohio State’s practice of handing out Buckeye leaves for good plays, we will do the same. But unlike OSU, we are also going to include some peeves. To access more games offering big prizes, you may explore gaming platforms like บาคาร่า.
If a peeve was a sticker, it would have a picture on it of a wolverine with a smirk. And there’s no way you want too many of those on your helmet.
So we — staff, contributors, and hangers-on — are handing out some leaves and peeves following Ohio State’s 48-7 win at Nebraska
Tony Gerdeman
I feel like handing out a few Buckeye leaves this week because giving just one guy the recognition would seem selfish on my part. The first one goes to Josh Alabi for stepping in for Branden Bowen at right tackle even though he spends most of his time practicing at left tackle. He was never an issue for the Buckeyes.
I’ll also hand out a pair of leaves to JK Dobbins and Master Teague who are proving to be a dynamite pairing. The best part is that instead of feeding ON each other like Mike Weber and Dobbins did last year, they seem to have figured this whole thing out really, really well.
And also a special final Buckeye leaf to the entire team for their lack of penalties in this game. Just two on the night in a hostile environment. That’s a focused team in complete control.
Tom Orr
My Buckeye leaf goes to fifth-year senior offensive lineman Josh Alabi. Alabi stepped in seamlessly for Branden Bowen at right tackle. As the Buckeyes’ third tackle, Alabi’s value goes well beyond the snaps he sees in any given game. His true value is what you saw on Saturday. He gives the Ohio State offensive line a starting offensive linemen who can step in and play either side. Most teams don’t have that, but the Buckeyes are fortunate that they do.
Caroline Rice
My Buckeye Leaf goes to Jeff Okudah. First career interception last week and two interceptions against Nebraska this week. The first interception where he picked off Adrian Martinez came on Nebraska’s opening drive and that set the tone of the Buckeye defense for the rest of the game. The last time the Buckeyes had a player with multiple interceptions in one game came from Marshon Lattimore in 2016, but I think this is just the beginning for Jeff Okudah.
Michael Meihls
That certainly was not what most of us were expecting, was it? Last night was just flat out, pure dominance, no bologna performance from the Buckeyes. Well done! My leaf this week goes to head coach Ryan Day. Not only did Coach have the team prepared and ready for the challenge in Lincoln, but he had the Buckeye nuts to keep his starters in the game long enough to get good game reps against top competition. Last year, the knock on Alabama was they weren’t battle tested, and that’s one of the reasons people believe they didn’t win the championship. Day, being willing to play his starters longer, took the gamble of injuries and bet on development helping in the long run. It was risky, but the reward will pay off.
I have no peeve this week. There are things to clean up, sure, but that was the game we expect from the Buckeyes.
Jared Ilovar
Leaves to coach Greg Studrawa and every single Buckeye lineman.
This offseason there was a vocal section of the fan base that wanted Studrawa gone. Studrawa has produced a crew of linemen who, despite losing four starters, are already playing as good as any line in recent years. He has produced an offensive line that can lose their right tackle and not miss a step. He has produced an offensive line so good that it motivated Orlando Pace to actually open twitter.
We talk about QBs, RBs, and play-callers all day, but it all starts up front.
Chip Minnich
Leaves for the dominant Ohio State defense. For a game that I predicted over the summer was going to be a loss for the Buckeyes, Ohio State came out and decisively shut down a talented Nebraska offense. The defensive line continually harassed Adrian Martinez, the linebackers negated the Nebraska running game, and the secondary was truly opportunistic with the takeaways.
Adam Borland
Let’s be honest, when you’re up 48-0 in the third quarter, on the road, against a team that many picked to win their division, we could hand out leaves to just about every roster player on OSU. So many players played well that every staff member could dish out a leaf to a different person without anyone questioning the pick.
With that said, I have a peeve. It’s completely cheating Tony’s peeve system, as it doesn’t single out anything specifically from the game, team, officiating, etc. However, it’s a peeve that I’m sure many of us share.
Preseason football rankings are dumb. Clemson has not looked like the best team in the country this season. Yet, because a group of “experts” saw them win last year and are infatuated with flowing, blond hair, the Tigers are above the Buckeyes. The point is mostly moot, as the top teams typically rise to the top and earn a playoff shot. But, for the love of everything holy, they need to let the kids play three or four weeks and THEN determine who’s good and who’s not.
Leaves to the Buckeyes, peeves to the preseason ranking system.
Brandon Zimmerman
My Buckeye leaf goes to the Buckeye defensive line. The Buckeyes are legit national title contenders and it starts with how dominant the defensive line is. Last night was no exception. The Buckeye defensive line dominated that game and made Adrian Martinez very uncomfortable from the beginning.
So many non-Buckeye friends texted with how impressed they were with the Buckeyes last night. Every one of them mentioned the defensive line as the reason why. Just imagine how great they will be when Tyreke Smith and Jonathon Cooper are fully healthy and at full game speed…