Ohio State senior tight end Luke Farrell was named Friday to the John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List. The Mackey Award is handed out annually to the top tight end in the nation.
Every year following Ohio State spring football we recap what happened position by position. Who stepped up, who stepped back, what got fixed, and what didn’t? With 12 of the 15 spring practices cancelled due to the pandemic, however, essentially nothing happened, nothing got fixed, nobody stepped up, and no questions got answered.
Ohio State spring football is now two practices in, and we’re getting little more insight into what to expect from the 2020 OSU tight ends and linebackers.
Just last year, for instance, Michigan was the betting favorite and came into the contest with the best statistical defense in the nation. That is, until Urban Meyer looked like Red Beaulieu with a stolen playbook. Jim Harbaugh and Don Brown (collective Coach Kleins in this Waterboy comparison) had no answer for a Buckeye team that put up 62 points and won by 23.
And like that, the Buckeye victory train keeps on rolling. Even with their big brains, the Wildcats of Northwestern had no answers for Ohio State last Saturday Friday night. The Buckeyes scored more and gave up less than I projected, making me feel like a Negative Nelly for yet another week, despite picking them to win by nearly five touchdowns.
Back when I was younger and far less wise, I predicted that Justin Fields would throw the ball over 30 times in a single contest. It seemed like an astute projection, based on observation of the perceived weakness of the opponent’s defense. As it turns out, the Buckeyes could not have cared less how good Michigan State’s run defense was and proceeded…
