This is the third in a series of 100 daily posts, a Countdown to College Football. (Sort of.)
The difficult thing about having a series that runs for 100 days in a row is coming up with 100 different intros. Fortunately, since Tom Orr and I are doing this thing together, that only means 50 a piece. And I’m pretty sure I can get away with running the same intro twice, which cuts my total number of intros down to 25, which is still a whole hell of a lot.
I’ll probably have to wait a while before re-running this one, however, because it has turned out pretty good so far.
The end of Big Ten preseason football media days is now 98 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
#98 Dre’Mont Jones
Larry Johnson and Urban Meyer made offerings to the football gods in order to get defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones to return for a fourth season this year, and for good reason.
Jones has only started for two years, but that’s twice as many years as some of the Buckeyes on this list.
As a redshirt freshman in 2016, Jones finished sixth on the Buckeye defense with 52 tackles. His 43 tackles in B1G play were the same number as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Jabrill Peppers. Jones was one of the most active defensive tackles in the nation.
Last year, Jones’ numbers dipped, but he was still a key part of an Ohio State front four that was one of the nation’s best. Now, in likely his final year, Dre’Mont Jones will finally be granted some snaps on third down, which should lead to the kind of numbers you’d expect from a player on this list.
Best Games This Fall
#98 Northwestern at Purdue
Scoff now, but when it is the middle of June and you realize that this game is taking place on the Thursday of the opening week of the season, you’ll have a bunch more appreciation for it at that time.
The winner of this game will be one step closer to challenging Wisconsin for the Big Ten West crown. By the way, the Big Ten West crown is deep fried, so it’s not the most comfortable thing to wear. It is the most delicious accolade in college football, however.
What We Can’t Wait To See
#98 The September Heisman
This summer, as long as the NCAA isn’t a bunch of jerks, we are going to see the greatest September Heisman of all time. Yes, the G.O.A.T. September Heisman.
Who am I talking about? Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson, of course.
Patterson transferred to Michigan from Ole Miss and has applied for a waiver to be eligible immediately because he feels he was misled by Ole Miss as to the extent of their cheating and impending NCAA doom. Ole Miss is fighting the waiver, citing the case of Freeze vs. Common Sense as Exhibit A.
I fully expect Patterson to be eligible, and as I already said, he is going to be the September Heisman G.O.A.T.
How do I know this? Because “G.O.A.T. September Heisman” is an anagram of “Big Shea Patterson Meme.”
Matchup To Watch
#98 Juwan Johnson, PSU WR vs. Kendall Sheffield, OSU CB
This is looking like one of the best matchups this season, and if this was a countdown in order from “worst” to best, this would be much closer to the top.
Juwan Johnson (6-4 226) caught 54 passes for 701 yards and a touchdown as a sophomore last season for Penn State. His size makes him a difficult matchup for any cornerback. The Nittany Lions had four players with at least 54 receptions last season, and Johnson is the only one of the four who returns in 2018. Expect quarterback Trace McSorley to look for him early and often.
Kendall Sheffield (6-0 193), meanwhile, is probably Ohio State’s top cornerback and should find himself matched up with Johnson a number of times when the Buckeyes head to Happy Valley. Sheffield certainly has the speed to stay with Johnson, but he’ll need the strength and physicality to get the job done as well.
