- Saturday, September 7, 2013

- Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

- San Diego State at Ohio State

- 3:30 p.m. ET

- TV: ABC (Regional) -

The Aztecs of San Diego State visit the Horseshoe for Week Two of the 2013 season, as Ohio State (1-0) shoots for its 14th consecutive win to begin the Urban Meyer era in Columbus. The Buckeyes will be closer to full strength than they were in last week’s opener, as several suspended or injured players will be back to bolster the Scarlet and Gray.

SDSU (0-1) dropped their opener to Eastern Illinois last week, 40-19, in a game Aztec fans surely had circled as a “W” prior to the season. That unexpectedly poor performance has some in Buckeye country suggesting the Aztecs must have been looking past the opener, and couldn’t possibly be as bad as they looked, losing at home to EIU by three touchdowns. The prevailing view, however, seems to be that...well...yes they could.

Meyer will be expecting a more consistent performance out of his Buckeyes than the one they delivered last week. The Bucks executed nearly flawlessly in the first quarter while building a 23-0 lead, but then appeared to lose some focus and made some mental and physical mistakes, allowing Buffalo to climb back into the game at 23-13, and again at 30-20. Meyer and offensive coordinator Tom Herman kept the majority of their playbook under wraps while still managing to put 40 points on the scoreboard, but their 10-point second half left their fans (and some poll voters) unsatisfied.

Read more...

For weeks I’ve been dying to ask an Ohio State fan - any Ohio State fan - one burning question:

Why are you excited about this season?

For good reason, lovers of college football always get a little twitchy this time of year. The game they love emerges out of the ether like a monarch butterfly after an eight-month chrysalis stage. It’s fun and exciting and I get that.

But that only goes so far. Usually to the end of the first weekend.

So why would an OSU fan’s excitement last longer than that?

To be sure, the Buckeyes are talented, and that always warrants some excitement. Indeed, lack of talent is a big reason most sports fans have a hard time getting riled up for the start of a new season. When your team of choice isn’t capable of winning more than a third of its contests, there’s no sports Viagra out there to - ahem - supplement your excitement.

Read more...

The Buckeyes bolted to a 23-0 first quarter lead, and then battled a Buffalo Bulls’ comeback and the oppressive heat on the way to a 40-20 win in their season opener Saturday at the Horseshoe. Braxton Miller threw touchdown passes on the first two OSU possessions, and senior tailback Jordan Hall rushed for two long TD’s on his way to a career-best 159-yard day.

The Buckeyes apparently found the answer to the slow starts that plagued them last year. But two big OSU turnovers let Buffalo back into the game in the second quarter. “First quarter was script,” said Urban Meyer in his postgame remarks. ”You can’t play much better than our guys did. We're pushing the ball down the field, guys making plays.”

Read more...

- Saturday, August 31, 2013

- 12:00 p.m. ET

- Buffalo at Ohio State

- Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

- TV: ESPN2 

Urban Meyer and his Ohio State Buckeyes will put their 12-game winning streak on the line when they kick off the 2013 season Saturday, hosting the Bulls of the University of Buffalo at the Horseshoe. It’s customary to look ahead rather than back at this time of year, but that zero in the loss column was the consolation prize for Meyer and the Buckeyes a year ago, and the winning streak is the nation’s longest coming into the new season..

The Buckeyes are a 34.5-point favorite to dispose of the Bulls, a 4-8 team a year ago, although they have improved steadily under 4th-year head coach Jeff Quinn. Without presuming to look past the Bulls in what will be a real live football game, we can still acknowledge that the opponents this Saturday might as well be the Cows. Because this day is about the unveiling of Urban Meyer’s OSU 2.0  

Almost, anyway. Starting running back Carlos Hyde won’t be on hand, nor will his first backup Rod Smith.  All-Big Ten cornerback Bradley Roby will be sitting this one out as well, as all three are suspended for one misdeed or another, (Hyde for three games)  None of that should matter too much this week. Running back is probably the team’s deepest position group. In fact, everywhere you look there is a talented young player ready to make a name in Scarlet and Gray.

Read more...