Mr. B stays positive after the New Mexico State scrimmage. And he asks: Do we have a signature win this year? Questions are answered, rumors are unveiled, games are analyzed and trash is sorted through in an all-new Bucket of Bullets.
HEY – this is your play-by-play guy, Mr. Bucknuts here! Trying to inject some real excitement into this New Mexico State coverage and into this column!!! I feel just like Paul Keels!
Ohio State favored by 44? Well, New Messico got favored by 850,000! Dollars, that is!! Just for showing up! NMS gave up 128 points the last two times they played Big Ten opponents so we are feeling pretty good here in the booth…
And here we go!
This could be the best New Mexican team in the nation (hey – they did beat University of New Mexico, you know). And the first two series – whew – nothing much to say other than the New Mess offense actually looked better than the Bucks, and New Mexico State are the worst offensive team, in the nation! Terrelle throws a pitch-and-pray (successful- yes!), then he puts up a fair catch ball (boo- we didn’t get it) and then a neat pick-six for them that they – oooh - dropped (part of the $850,000 contract?). Offense. The answer is “no”! Aw-fense. Aw-fense! The chant goes up!
Oh, yeah, our defense played great. But we’re used to that…
And that’s the first quarter, 0-0 in a real frog-strangler.
Second quarter? Here we go! Enough already. By contract terms, we get to score on the first play. Pryor’s legs? Fantastic! His arm(s)? Fans are calling for an arms embargo.
And here comes the trickeration! Pettrey kicks off to himself while no one is looking. First down, Bucks! A good call for us on a pass play and a couple of good throws. See – Pryor is back! I’m telling you. We score fast then get an interception that three of our guys fight over. But Saine gives it right back! Wait – then they give it back to us!!!
Is this a great game, or what?!?
Quick – we go off-tackle for nothing, then two really bad passes and a bad FG attempt. Give it back to them already, guys! NMS loses yardage on all three plays! And here we go again! Broken plays? Yes! Designed plays? Yechhh. They go nowhere.
OMG – Pettrey is out! Are you friggin’ kidding me?!?
OK, sure we score on some trick plays and some crap but Pettrey is out. Not hurt on the one play he is supposed to roll around on. No, on a cheap clip shot that no one saw.
I dunno. That’s halftime already. Do you guys feel any better? What’s going on out there – any psychics in the crowd?
Those of you that believe in psycho kinesis - raise my hand.
Its halftime and we lead by 28. The contract stands firm.
And – oh, yeah – the defense still looks great (yawn).
The second half? As you identified psychics had predicted – it’s a crap fest with lots of earnest effort and some exertion and not much to write about. So, I won’t. I will say this about some of the things we learned from the game:
1)We found out why Joe Bauserman is not much of a #2 to #1 Terrelle Pryor. Now, let me hear those boo birds demanding “Pryor to receiver”. Anyone?
2)New Mexico State was as bad as advertised. At times, it didn’t seem they even tried. They showed up, they got paid, and they left.
3)Division I football? 22 total passing yards and 40 total rushing yards. And that was against mostly two-and-three-deep guys the second half.
4)We had 24 first downs. They had – holy crap – two…
5)Well, it did move us up to #6 in the nation in total defense…
6)On the positive side, we found out that DeVier Posey is left handed and that we finally have a guy that can pass running to his left.
7)We found out that you need a good back-up place-kicker and despite a couple off-the-mark, Devin Barclay, looked pretty good. Pretty good, I guess. Yes, and we all knew about this 26-year old former Columbus Crew soccer player, right?
8)We found out that we could cover a 45-point spread!
And we found out that New Mexico State is about on par with Delaware State, the touring club that Michigan beat 63-3 a couple weeks ago. Yes, that was sandwiched in-between four losses that Michigan played against real college football teams. I suppose these televised workouts help team morale and practicing new plays. But will they help in crunch time?
That starts next Saturday – 3:30 PM – in Happy Valley. See you there!
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In the “Are You Kidding Me?” game of the week…Featuring the “Are You Kidding Me?” team of the year: Iowa, which is starting to feel a little like the 2002 Buckeyes. The Hawkeye offense looked TERRIBLE and the Hawkeye defense played ATROCIOUSLY and Iowa turned the ball over SIX TIMES and Indiana had two touchdowns OVER-RULED. Yet – the Hoosiers were about to go in to be up three touchdowns deep into the third quarter when an attempted pass ricocheted around in the backfield and was turned around for a 90-yard pick six. Then, Rick “Pick” Stanzi – who had thrown FOUR INTERCEPTIONS IN THE THIRD QUARTER tossed two short passes that both broke for the distance. 160 yards in touchdowns later and IOWA WINS! IOWA WINS!
Now, that’s an exciting game…
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In other games of note…
The Hokies get pokied…for the third time so far this season. Just like Ole Miss and Cal, there are certain not-ready-for-prime-time teams this year, whose publicity departments got ahead of their coaching staff.
Northwestern?...The Wildcats were up 13-10 against Penn State at halftime and then lost 34-13. This is the same Northwestern team that came back from being down last week to Indiana 28-3 and won. And if Northwestern with its wide-open offense can’t score against the Nits, what will we do next week with our wide-closed and predictable attack? As to the ‘Cats – they still need one win to qualify for a bowl, which would make just the second time in that program’s storied history that they have gone to back-to-back bowl games.
And Oregon…OK, so they rolled up more than 600 yards (!) in blowing out Southern Cal. And – OK- they looked like the best team in the nation in doing it. Who did these guys actually lose to? That’s right – Boise State! First game of the year.
Hey – here’s an idea. Maybe the national champion should be the best team at the end of the year! What a concept. Discuss amongst yourselves…
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Do we have any signature wins?...Really – that’s a legitimate question. We beat Navy by four and we beat a bad Toledo team and a bottom-tier Indiana team – both by a lot. The other wins? Well, we stuck it to a struggling Illinois team, then an awful Minnesota team and a worse New Mexico State team back-to-back. So – I guess the slop-fest win over Wisconsin IS our signature win!
Which means: we need wins over very-beatable Penn State and Iowa teams to have a signature season. Plus, if we – God forbid – lose to Michigan, that would be a signature loss.
And a season that no one would want to sign off on…
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The Boarding House…here we come again with warning labels and explanations!
Where five stories are blowing up and rumors are flying!
The Bucknuts beat boys bring you what they hear and see and are loathe to write about as facts. The House is a place for rumors and gossip and innuendo. We don’t treat it is if it’s “inside information”, like some people do. Yet – you guys love to hear the good stuff. To do that, we have to:
1)Disclaim that we don’t know if any of it is true
2)Not attribute it to any particular source
3)Not attribute it to any particular reporter!
We hope it’s interesting and it’s all fairly entertaining and some of it might even turn out to be actually, well…true! So, forewarned is forearmed. Don’t write me and tell me that we shouldn’t publish rumors. We already know that!
* New O-Coordinator?...The emphasis seems to be on new “O” coaches. But the odds of the assumed favorite to help might be “O”, as in “zero”, if we are ascribing the chances that Darrell Hazell is that guy. Maybe, maybe not. But we are hearing from multiple sources that Coach Hazell is being pursued by MAC schools as a head coach candidate. We will update you when these rumors become clarified…
* Here’s the official version…The Dispatch reported that “Ohio State quarterbacks coach Nick Siciliano said he talked with backup quarterback Joe Bauserman on Sunday, a day after starter Terrelle Pryor wasn't pulled from the 26-18 loss to Purdue despite turning the ball over four times. “We had a good conversation, just about where everything was at, and he understood what we were thinking and why we did what we did," Siciliano said. "Joe understands what his role is, and he's been great about everything and comes to work every day."
Here’s the unofficial version according to those that know Joe: It never happened. There was no conversation, no understanding, no anything. Why the coaches (or maybe the Dispatch) need to come up with this cover is for another inquiry and for another day…
* Way post-season…We have been asked this over the past few years and enough time has gone by that we can say what we heard “back then”…When John Kerr missed the 2006 national championship game against Florida, it was for testing positive for steroids. Tressel said – at the time - that he was injured. Our sources also reported that, then. Kerr had been suspended for the entire 2004 season due to steroids. As you might recall, John played at Indiana in 2002 (freshman defensive player of the year in the Big Ten), sat out at OSU as a transfer in 2003 and also sat out in '04. That’s the rest of the story.
* Adjusting the Cam…Despite the fact that he is possibly the first strong side defensive end off the board in this years draft, Cam Heyward would return to college if he had to make the decision right now. He smells a national title next year and does not have financial pressure. Our folks say that Thaddeus Gibson will return but it is not because he wants to. The draft is loaded with players that will push him down the board even if he gets a first round grade. That is what Gibson is hearing from unofficial sources. If he gets a certified first round grade, our source says he will lean be going pro. He is looking more like a second rounder, at best, right now.
* More speculation on Ironhead Jr… Talking about Cam Heyward or any of the juniors jumping to the pay-for-play league after this season - it is a realistic possibility that it could happen as we say off and on. Yet another reason (other than the traditional and obvious ones…) is that it looks like a strong probability that the 2010 NFL season will be played without a salary cap. So, there is a good chance that a draftee could make a lot of money coming out in this draft, regardless of where he is drafted (although the "by whom" certainly matters). Combine this with the likelihood of either a rookie salary cap like the NBA or a total lockout in 2011, and there is a specific incentive for juniors to come out this year.
As reminiscence, I remember Ironhead Sr., Cam’s dad, talking to a reporter when Craig Heyward was running wild in the NFL. The reporter asked where Ironhead got his size and he mused, “Must be from my Mom. She goes about four bills”…
The Bucknuts Boarding House is the place where rumors (and stories) live and die. Stop by again next Thursday to see what’s cooking!
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From "third degree" to "thirty-second degree"...Jim Tressel has chafed at the fan reaction this year that he is too doctrinaire, too set in his ways and unwilling to bend to help the team and the team chances. He has responded by being, well...doctrinaire, unbending and critical of the criticism.
I love the guy and love what he's done. But if he wants to accelerate his progress (and the team's) from awfully good to really great, he has to up his game. By that, I mean he has to show willingness to change and improve.
What needs to be done, in this humble scrivener's well-intended opinion? It seems obvious: Ohio State hasn’t had a cutting edge offensive line since JT got here and hasn’t had a 21st-century offense other than the Troy Story years. And how do I propose to solve all issues with one bold and imaginative and very do-able stroke?
Hire Glen Mason.
Glen seemed the “other choice" when Andy Geiger took the bold initiative to hire Jim Tressel himself. What did (and does) Mason bring to this particular party? He is a great offensive line coach, and imaginative offensive mind, a terrific recruiter, he admires Jim Tressel and he bleeds scarlet and gray. He doesn’t need to be a head coach (been there, done that) and he would be a charming guy to have around without being a threat to the "Tressel Way".
He - ironically- could lead the way from the ungainly progress we see in the program now to true gains that would elevate JT to the pantheon of historical coaching greatness.
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Analyze this…I mentioned on Thursday that the Cincinnati schedule (undeniably tougher than Boise State or TCU’s, at least) is still not exactly the SEC of the Mid-East, if you know what I mean. Before Saturday, their combined opposition was 21-29. Left to go?
Connecticut, West Virginia, Illinois and Pittsburgh. Gosh, Cincinnati could end up 12-0 or maybe 9-3 or, well…you get the idea.
Cincy has – obviously – the most legitimate schedule of the three. And could you imagine that they come down to Pitt – at Pitt – for all the marbles? I have seen that before when a mediocre West Virginia team spit the bit in the same situation…
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Sweethearts of the radio…We still have a lot of fun on the weekly special editions of The Bucknuts Radio Hour. We tape these on Monday morning, splice in a bunch of whimsical music, add guest stars (recruits and coaches and players and – last week – we had on the New Mexico State head coach!). It gives us a chance to catch you up on stories and game reviews, game previews and just the news.
Even more entertaining (if – yes – that’s possible…) is Dave Biddle’s fabulously new and obviously unscripted live radio show right after the game.
We replay the show in its entirety for you whose hunger and thirst for all things Buckeye never slakes! Click here to see what we mean…
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A-Mays-ing hypocrisy…A few games back, Kurt Coleman was left on the field too long and – looking for someone to hit – he came in late and clobbered a ball carrier. It didn’t seem malicious, just late. For that – the Buckeye captain was suspended a game and made to feel a little bullying humiliation.
Check this out: Taylor Mays – the big talking and big-hitting safety from USC has always been known to be a “little late” and a “little bit of a showman”. This obvious vicious and unnecessary hit two weeks ago defines the reality of the Kurt Coleman theory.
Oh, by the way – there were no repercussions, no suspensions or no big deal made of the Taylor Mays play. Must be good to be a Trojan and above all that…
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Pryor experience and a new calm outlook…The only advantage to getting older (other than my wines age well, too…) is that I remember every situation that seemed overwhelming and how I over-reacted to it at the time. I then reflect on just how “whelming” it all turned out, in those situations that I simply let naturally unfold. As Meat Loaf was fond of saying, “Everything works if you let it”.
And that’s my quarterback thought of the week. Think about it with me: Ron Powlus turned out to be a bust and Ben Roethlisberger was “all that and a bag of chips”. And Troy Smith or Art Schlichter or Joe Germaine, to name a few more? Each came on in their own time and their own way – the great quarterbacks, that is. Anyone remember (not so long ago…) when Jimmy Clausen was thought to be a huge bust? Now, he’s in the final group as a Heisman candidate. And how about Mitch Mustain – going to transfer from Arkansas and lead USC to championships? He is now third string and playing behind a true freshman.
Then there is an elite group of Vince Young and Brady Quinn and Chris Rix and Chris Leak and Chris Simms – all stunk up the joint their first year or and all turned out to be pretty serviceable college quarterbacks – with a few national titles sprinkled in!
Maybe it’s a combination of maturing, experience, and playing to your own skill set. There was a story at Texas when Vince Young was struggling. One of the coaches took him aside after having his butt beat against Missouri and Oklahoma. He told Vince: “The guy who played against Oklahoma and Missouri is not the guy we recruited. You're not having enough fun. You're not being you.” He had been benched as a soph when against Missouri, he went 3-9 and threw two INT’s.
The player Pryor was most often compared to as a recruit was Texas' Vince Young. Both are big, fast runners who arrived at college with raw passing skills. To some extent, their career paths have been similar. Both were the top-rated quarterbacks in their class. Though Young, unlike Pryor, took a redshirt year, he, like Pryor, struggled through much of his first season-and-a-half as starter.
If you want to successfully start a good argument of “Vince Young or Terrelle Pryor at your next party (or end one, more likely), try some of these numbers on:
In Vince Young’s first year as a starter (red-shirt freshman)
If you extend Terrelle’s numbers to a full second year season, it seems that he will far exceed Vince’s numbers. And – interestingly – if either of them actually “regressed”, it probably was Vince!
Now, let’s speculate – here is what Vince did in his third year as a red-shirt junior (his last year):
3036 yards passing, 1050 yards rushing, 26 TD’s passing, 12 TD’s rushing, 10 INT’s, 212/325 and a 164 rating.
Oh, yeah, and they also won the national championship.
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The undefeated Bucknuts team…Yes, that’s right – our Bucknuts boys are exceeding expectations again this year. With a refined combination of outstanding recruiting that has overcome questionable coaching, the Bucknuts Pee-Wee squad finished an as-predicted 8-0 this season. Quarterback passer ratings? Somewhere between Vince Young and Terrelle. And what do these boys have to say for themselves?
(click here if video does not play in your browser.)
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Its official: Michigan is a mess – investigation to follow…DickRod and his staff has done nothing to distinguish themselves yet in Ann Arbor, alienating players and alumni and fans alike. Now, it is so bad that, well…the NCAA is investigating.
In a story first reported in The Detroit News, the headlines were: NCAA tells U-M it believes major violations might have occurred
Uh oh.
As the official dribbling of the details went: “The NCAA on Monday notified the University of Michigan it has reasonable cause to believe major violations might have occurred in the operation of its storied football program.”
But what remained unclear was whether the NCAA had uncovered new or more evidence of major violations or whether it's merely pursuing the original allegations, from some current and former Michigan players; that NCAA rules regarding practice time were violated. NCAA investigators have been working since early September in cooperation with independent investigators appointed by the university to determine the veracity of the allegations.
Once the NCAA either cooperates with a university or opens an investigation on its own, any allegations uncovered are investigated -- even well beyond the scope of the original information that gave rise to the probe. Now that the NCAA has formally informed Michigan of its intent to pursue the matter, the NCAA investigators also will pursue any other allegations that surface.
David Price, vice president of enforcement for the NCAA, who issued the notice of inquiry, also informed the university he's heading the investigation, along with Thomas Hosty, NCAA director of enforcement, and Jackie Thurnes, associate director of enforcement
But a spokeswoman did say any notice of inquiry means that the NCAA has uncovered "reasonable cause to believe that major violations have occurred."
There is always speculation (more on that in Thursday’s Boarding House) that Michigan is actually fanning the flames here as an early “setting of the table” attempt to bring in a new coach. Brian Kelly from Cincinnati? Or Les Miles - their “original” first choice and a Michigan Man.
Stay tuned. Rodriguez warned us all about some new offense he was about to unveil. Now maybe we understand what he meant…
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Local sideline hotties…Readers complained about the incessant obsession we all have with the national “sideline hotties”, that are hired for the exact reasons we are obsessed with them! I took that criticism to heart (har har) and decided to change my evil and lascivious ways.
So.
I am now presenting the “local sideline hotties” rather than the national hotties. That’s what you meant, wasn’t it?
The occasional commentary (and some of the pictures) came from the disorienting site named – go figure – sidelinehotties.com…
Let’s face it, when you start your media career as a beauty pageant contestant, earning the title of “hottest sports anchor” in your hometown is pretty easy to do. Which may be why Kristen Berset moved from Florida to Baltimore, where she’s currently the local sports gal for WBFF in Baltimore, MD.
A very hot girl with a bubbly personality. What else do you need in your basketball team’s sideline reporter? How about an Ivy League education? Yup. Rebecca’s a graduate of Princeton University.
More on this investigation as reader comments allow.
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The road less taken or the psycho path…Carlsberg and Bucknuts got together to create a new sports drink for you sports nuts (and for some squirrel nuts). The experiment seems to be a great success! See which one you identify with…
As you can tell from the first video, we believe in truth-in-advertising here at Bucknuts. But, really, you don’t have to be quite so upfront about it. In this case, you can probably tell what’s in-store for you there.
And in the age old parable of man-bites-dog, you have to admire this girl for being well-suited for her hobby! Dis-aster? No – just got a little behind on this fishing expedition!
Feel free to post any of your fishy observations below.
And as for the Mr. Bucknuts garbage dump – I mean, mailbag – has been having technical issues. The fine folks at Yahoo totally wiped out my inbox and all e-mail that came in from a four day period. So, it is not my usual lazy manner and rude responses you are missing – I just lost a ton of e-mail. I apologize in absentia and in advance and hope to be re-stored soon…
