Welcome back to the Grumpy Old Buckeye, the column where no matter how good things are, I find some stuff to gripe about. Every week I point out the things from the game that make me want to walk out onto my lawn in my bathrobe and yell at people about it. This week we’re talking Ohio State vs. Minnesota…
Much was made of the kickoff rule change this offseason. That change now enables a returner to signal a fair catch and receive the ball at the 25-yard line. The thought, by most, was that this would do away with Urban Meyer’s kickoff strategy altogether. Previously, Meyer would align his cover unit on one side of the field and…
While it is always important for new stars to emerge for college football teams, it is also imperative for established players to take a step forward and become better than they were the year before. As the saying goes, if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. For the Buckeyes, there are a number of players…
If you couldn’t tell from any previous writings I’ve done, I love special teams in football. I love kickers. I love punters. There you go. It’s out there. As a fan of the Buckeyes since birth, I’ve been lucky to see two coaches who valued the kicking game. That’s not to imply that Earle Bruce didn’t, but my memories of that at…
There is no such thing as a timid cornerback. At least not for long. They’re like albino animals born in the wild. They don’t blend in very well to their surroundings and are soon exposed to predators who would mean them harm. At Ohio State, a Buckeye cornerback must possess supreme confidence. They have to know…
Blake Haubeil was one of the top high school placekickers in the nation in 2015 and 2016. Now he’s a freshman at Ohio State competing with redshirt junior Sean Neurnberger for a starting spot. As a fan, any time you have a freshman competing to be a starter, you might want to take notice. You also might want to get a little…
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the most-talented team in the Big Ten, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t question marks. No team is perfect. In fact, it’s overcoming their flaws that makes great teams unforgettable. Did the 2002 Buckeye offense have any business winning a national title? No. Did the 2014 defense…
Back in February, I gave you five (or so) predictions for Ohio State’s 2017 early enrollees, so I thought it would be a good idea to do the same for the rest of the freshmen now that they are all on campus. I’m going to use the same topics that I did in February. I could say it was for clarity’s sake, but in reality it’s…
