Ohio State will be led by a record number of captains in 2017 with nine players selected to lead the Scarlet and Gray on and off the gridiron. The corps of leaders, all voted on by their teammates, features five on defense, including four defensive linemen, and four on offense, led by the first three-time captain in program history.
Ohio State fans have heard all spring and summer long about the improvements that Buckeye quarterback J.T. Barrett has made. Many refuse to believe that such a thing can happen and are worried that they will once again be subjected to quarterback play that only results in an All-Big Ten quarterback and a Silver Football trophy.
One of the topics discussed in this week’s Accost the Field concerned J.T. Barrett the ball carrier. Namely, would we see him carrying the ball as much as he has in the past. Barrett carried the ball 205 times last season, which was 23 more times than leading rusher Mike Weber. He had four games of at least 20 carries, compared…
Junior linebacker Jerome Baker has spoken openly about the issues he had last season as a brand new starter on the Ohio State defense. He did the best he could, but he could have done so much better. Fortunately for both him and the Buckeye defense, Baker is an elite athlete, so he could make up for his mistakes with…
Once Tim Beck decided entirely on his own to leave Ohio State for Texas, Urban Meyer had to find the next-best quarterbacks coach in the country to replace him. His search ultimately brought him to Ryan Day, who he once employed as a graduate assistant back in his Florida Gator days. When Day got to Ohio State, he…
There is a reason why Urban Meyer doesn’t like to redshirt players. The way he sees it, if a player is any good, they’ll never get that fifth year back that they were saving. And if they aren’t any good, do you really want them hanging around for all five years? Despite the low tolerance for redshirting, it happens every single…
There were plenty of stories written this spring about Chris Worley’s transition from outside linebacker to middle linebacker for Ohio State. Even back then, he had picked up the position quickly and everything that came with it. There were really no concerns from anyone, other than Urban Meyer wondering if Worley could…
The Buckeyes seem to bring a distinctive motto or mantra into each season under Urban Meyer. We have seen The Chase and The Grind. There was a Land of Wolves around for a while, and probably one or two others that have been forgotten by time. There is no such trademark to 2017, but there is certainly a message.
More often than not, based on talent, coaching, and schedule, Ohio State will have the capability of winning a national title in any given year. Whether everything breaks properly (no pun intended) for that to happen is another story, however. Those championship possibilities are certainly the case this season as well…
Woody Hayes used to say that when it comes to running backs, you need a pair and a spare. While Urban Meyer is the kind of coach who will take as many running backs as he can get, for the most part, it has been the quarterback in his offenses that have been the second option when it comes to running the ball. Only once…
