In Saturday’s win over Oregon State, the Buckeye defense allowed 31 points and 392 yards of total offense. Last year, Ohio State’s defense gave up at least 31 points three times, losing two of those games. And five times the defense gave up over 392 yards of total offense. In other words, what happened to the Buckeyes defensively…
COLUMBUS — Following Ohio State’s blustery 77-31 victory over Oregon State on Saturday, the Buckeyes’ acting head coach Ryan Day spoke with the media, as did co-defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. Several players also spoke, including quarterback Dwayne Haskins, running back Mike Weber, receivers Parris Campbell…
Well well well…It’s time for football again on the Banks of the Olentangy. Like most of you, I am always relieved to end the long offseason and get back into the four best months of the year: college football season. But some years seem to have a longer off-season than others. This year definitely falls into that category.
Despite the rules essentially being the same for decades upon decades, football is constantly changing. As offenses advance in creativity, defenses must find ways to cope and keep up. The spread offense in all of its various forms continues to change things and force defenses to devise ways to stop all of the spread’s variances.
There’s an old football adage that the biggest jump a football player will make happens between his freshman and sophomore seasons. This has also born a similar saying that the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores. When you ask a coach about the biggest gains from one season to the next, he will…
It is sometimes forgotten that unlike most college students, the summer is not a time off for college football players. Even while still taking classes at this time, the summer is one of the most important times for football players to develop and prepare for their upcoming season. It is essential for players to be in the weight…
Ohio State must replace two-year starter Damon Webb at free safety this season, and they may be doing it with junior Jordan Fuller, who was the starter at strong safety last year. That may solve one problem, but it opens up another. Five Buckeyes spent time this spring trying to fill Fuller’s open strong safety spot, but…
In his first year as a starter last year, safety Jordan Fuller finished second on the Buckeyes in tackles (70), and his 57 solo tackles were sixth-most in the Big Ten. Not bad for a sophomore. Fuller proved himself on the field last season, replacing All-American Malik Hooker in admirable fashion. Hooker’s season was impossible to…
When Chris Ash brought his Quarters defense to Ohio State, it also brought a change in basic philosophies. There was no more matching up strong sides and weak sides. Now it was about the boundary and the field. The Sam linebacker now defends the field — or wide side, and the Will covers the boundary — or short side.
Is Alex Grinch a competitive chef? Probably not, but his path to the Ohio State football program sure does share some similarities with culinary competitors. There is a cooking competition show on the Food Network called “Chopped” that asks chefs to make the best dishes they can with odd components. In a given round…
