Ohio State 37, Penn State 17. I suggest that the Penn State faithful go to Staples and purchase a different brand of white out for the next home affair. WOW, what a clinic by the #1 ranked Bucks!

And, as usual, the offensive playmakers showed up in fine fashion: Boeckman 3TD’s and Big Ten Offensive POW, Beanie got 133 (yawn), 6 different receivers caught passes, 3 different receivers caught TD’s (Robiskie, Hartline and Ballard), and the TE’s caught 8 balls (Nicol 6 and Ballard 2).

Oh, and the D only gave up 1 TD…again! And they scored one thanks to Malcolm Jenkins, so they only gave up a net 3 in my book. Not bad considering the effects of the white out and the Nittany Lion loudspeaker!

Enough with the usual story lines, the O LINE deserves some LOVE!! These guys are getting it done in fine fashion. When you go into State College in prime time and deliver gaudy stats: 253 pass yards, 200 rush yards, 37:52 TOP, and how about 12 of 16 on 3rd downs!! PSU dcor Tom Bradley is still searching for the nearest mental institution.

The all-Ohio bread O line (I know Rory Nicol is from Beaver, PA, but I am giving him a mulligan since he racked up 6 catches at State College and also out of proximity of Beaver to Ohio.) is slicing up defenses across the Big Ten and put a whammy on Penn State.

It seems that bookend tackles Alex Boone (Lakewood St. Ed’s) and Kirk Barton (Massillon Perry) get most of the attention because they are 3rd and 4th year starters respectively, and Kirk probably leads the way since he is a vocal, and I stress vocal, captain. Not only are these guys huge, but they are pretty agile and good athletes.

Did anyone see Alex Boone; all 6-8, and 313 lbs leapfrog over Brian Hartline in the end zone after Hartline found the end zone on the flanker screen?? And that was after Boone leveled a PSU defensive back with a mere forearm shiver. Left guard Steve Rehring (6-8, 345 / Lakota West) was also leading the way on that screen and continues to improve at the LG position.

Pass Pro vs. Penn State: The best way to examine if the pass protection was solid is to check Boeckman’s jersey after the game, and there was nary a grass stain. The EQ guys might even be able to save a few bucks on Tide and not wash it for the next road game at ….well, up north. That might be good tactic the more I think about it…if his jersey stinks, the D line for the team up north will avoid him! Sorry…jumping ahead…can’t go there yet. For the most part, Todd had plenty of time to throw and subsequently shredded the Penn State defense for 253 yards and 3 TD’s…and they were not all dinks!

And then there is center Jim Cordle from Lancaster. In his 1st year as a starter, this guy really impresses me. He broke his right hand about 3 weeks ago, or at least that is when the media found out. As the story goes, Jim just simply started snapping left handed in practice and seemed to “figure it out” in just a day or two.

Now, I’ve been around football for a long time, and know centers quite well, and that doesn’t just happen easily!!! It’s probably similar to Greg Oden shooting free throws left handed after surgery on his right hand. Or imagine Todd Boeckman turning around and throwing left handed because he injured his right arm…can’t imagine that one.

Jim Cordle was the leader of the cavalry on the front line of the trenches. Not only did he snap perfectly left handed, but he signaled out defenses and line calls with his fingers and right hand, all while not being able to hear himself breathe…oh, and all the while, he had to look between his legs to make sure he could see when Boeckman signaled him to snap the ball and beat the :25 clock. No sweat for the Golden Gale alum. Just another day at the office!

Can’t forget RG Ben Person (Xenia) and TE Jake Ballard (Springboro) for their efforts as well. Ben continues to show he is agile on his pulls and Jake caught another TD on a great catch in the corner of the end zone.

Kudos so far to Coach Jim Bollman (O line coach) and John Peterson (TE’s coach) for a job well done. I am sure they would be the first to admit the guys are playing well, but they are far from satisfied. I would bet that as sure as Coach Tressel will don the gray vest on Saturday, that Jim and John will be breaking down the film and finding plenty of flaws to fix. It’s never perfect for a coach!

Almost forgot to mention fullbacks Dionte Johnson and Tyler Whaley. They are not on the o-line, but might as well be lumped in that group since they simply act as guards lined up in the backfield. Their job is to take on linebackers and love it, and they could probably not tell you what brand of ball Ohio State uses, because their eyes have not seen a football since “little Jimmy Tressel” (as JoePa kindly referred to him last week) left Youngstown State.

Note to Buckeye fans: give the O LINE some LOVE. These blue-collar guys deserve it. They wont ask for it, OK maybe Barton will, but they do deserve it!

Popularity: 31% [?]

I can hear all the “told you so’s” from a mile away. Can you just hear your friends saying “I told you back in August they would be #1.” Maybe there were a few of you, but not too many. The good news is that the Bucks are #1 in early October, and Buckeye Nation is happy! The early January debacle vs Florida seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it?

Bucks #1 in 1st BCS:
The Bucks have risen from #14 to #1 in just a matter of weeks. Who would’ve thunk? Actually, with a great defense returning, it was just a matter of the offense getting into gear versus a fairly light early schedule, mix in a few upsets for the ages, and the Bucks find themselves in familiar territory. Are the stars in alignment, or is it just me? Appalachian State beats Michigan, and Wal Mart makes another million selling App State gear, and Jim Harbaugh (“I guarantee we will be Ohio State (circa 1986)” leads 40 point dog Stanford over the mighty Trojans. Next thing will be that Notre Dame is 1-7..oh, that is actually happening. Is NBC still covering those games, or am I the only one that does not care since Brady Quinn left for Cleveland?

Should South Florida be #1?
The South Florida Bulls (I add the nickname because most of you would not know it unless you live in Florida.) should get consideration for #1 at this point because they beat Auburn at Auburn and they beat West Virginia. Those are two huge wins to this point and worthy of some serious recognition. They have to play at Rutgers this Thursday night, so they will have to continue to earn their keep. If they beat Rutgers, they will put heavy pressure on that #1 spot, even if Ohio State beats MSU.

Bucks light schedule early…heavy late:
The Bucks have not had their biggest test yet. They will come in late October and November…and that is when they should come! If the Bucks can take care of business over the last 5 games, they will CLEARLY and DECISIVELY be #1. If they drop 1 game, then the rat race will start for who is the best 1 loss team, and that will get very dicey. If that happens, the sports talk shows will be in heaven….and the “OUT with the BCS” talk will start again.

How screwed up are the rankings?
How can USC drop off the face of the earth to #14. That is not right. And let me tell you, Florida has 2 losses and would be a favorite vs most of the top ten teams. LSU loses to Kentucky, and only drops to #5 in the BCS. I think they are pretty good, but to only drop to #5 is not right. They might be in the best position of anybody since they lost in early October, and come November, no one will remember that they lost.

Bucks Gameplan:
Just win the remaining games and the rest will take care of itself. Just remember great DEFENSE wins championships, and the BUCKS have a great defense. They are only giving up 6.6 ppg. If they can continue that trend, all will be well in Buckeye Nation!

Advantage Buckeyes:
The Bucks are young in a lot of areas, but they have more experience than anybody in college football at being #1. They spent the entire 2006 season at #1 except for early January…and I wont go there! But the key is that they have been there, and know what it is like to have the bulls-eye on their backs every week. I say advantage Bucks. None of the other #1’s this year have been able to stay there, but I believe the Bucks can hold it. It will NOT be easy, especially with an 8:00 Saturday night tilt at Penn State looming large for next week. Does anyone remember the “WHITE OUT” 2 years ago?? I do. And I also remember MSU ruining a perfectly good season in Ohio Stadium just a few short years ago!

Put on your seatbelts for the crazy BCS ride!
The BCS ride is just beginning, so put on your seatbelts. It’s been a crazy year of upsets, and I am sure they will continue. This could be the year that everyone loses 1 game (sorry Hawaii, you don’t count even if you don’t lose!) and all heck breaks loose…yes, Buckeye fans, the Bucks could drop one, but I hope not!

Popularity: 25% [?]

OK, finally a chance to vent on my perception of recruiting. Yes, I’ve been there. I’ve personally witnessed the recruiting visits to Ohio State, Boston College, and North Carolina. And yes, I would have very much enjoyed visiting San Diego State (what 18 year old would not want to do that?), but my Mom vetoed that one. I’m still bitter about that, but that is another story!

I chose Ohio State. It was the right decision for me, and I think things worked out OK for me. I lettered 4 years (6 if you count baseball), and I started for 3 seasons. And most importantly, I got my degree and a few scholar athlete awards to go with it. I truly enjoyed my scholastic experience as much as my athletic endeavors at Ohio State.

I was one of the statistics that fall in the left column of not being part of the attrition that can be college football. I believe that only 12 members of my recruiting class of 1986 (approximately 26 members) that played their entire career at Ohio State and graduated. That number could have grown if some of the fellas came back to get their degree, but I’m guessing that number is small.

Recruit Retention!

My point is this. The recruiting hype drives me nuts! I get excited too, but it’s not about signing day or how many TD’s this kid scored in high school, it’s about whether or not he stays. The attrition rate is high, and it is real. The real challenge to today’s coaches at Ohio State and other schools, is RETAINING these student athletes (or athlete student in some cases…another blog down the line!).

Attrition!!

The reality is that kids drop out or transfer for many reasons. They find out that they cant compete, so they transfer to a smaller school so they can play; or they get caught up in High Street (or whatever they do now to party!) and lose focus on the task at hand, and they disappear from the team; or they don’t get it done in the classroom, and they are not eligible; and of course there are the NFL early jumpers (cant blame them, I’d take the $ and run if it were me…and don’t tell me you would not either! I’m sick of hearing the quotes of he should stay in school! You can always come back and get your degree, but you cant always make 7 figures.) Once again, I digress. I’m sure I can come up with other reasons why recruits don’t end up playing 4 to 5 years, or why they don’t get their degrees, but I think you get the point.

Back to the RETENTION ISSUE, just like I focus on TENANT RETENTION for the Landlords that I represent. Keeping these student athletes in school and on the field is the REAL challenge. I commend the Buckeye coaching staff for the job they do. It’s not easy, but Jim Tressel and his staff are in the business of grooming quality young men, as well as quality football players. This is not hype. This is real. Some of the kids probably think it is quirky, but to does it makes a huge difference. They walk out of the Woody Hayes for the last time with a deep respect for Ohio State, for the football program, for their coaches, for the Ohio State tradition, etc.

Overcooked MEDIA Hype

I blame the media for overhyping some of the prospects that come to Ohio State (and other schools for that matter). I’m a member of the media, and I know its true! Overhyping causes unrealistic expectations that don’t fit.

Take Justin Zwick for that matter. He had a ton of hype out of high school. He came from a passing offense, where they featured the QB, and he had gaudy stats. The media blew that way out of proportion and made him the 2nd coming at Ohio State all because his stats were atypical. He did not deserve that albatross. He did not ask for this, but the media TAGGED him like a cow. How could he possibly live up to all that hype?

I do commend Justin for slugging it out, and for having a fine career at Ohio State when he played. He got stuck behind a Heisman winner, what are you supposed to do? If I was competing against Troy (time warp), I have a feeling I would have been riding the pine. I’m confident in my abilities, but I was not Houdini in the backfield!

Under the RADAR

And how about the guys that fly under the radar….like Troy Smith. Does anyone remember a lot of hype for Troy. I don’t. We all know that Glenville sends a bunch of great athletes to Ohio State, but could anybody have guessed we had a heisman winner on our hands, and a QB that would dominate Michigan for 3 consecutive years. Come on Troy, do you have any idea how good you played vs Michigan?? And to do it 3 years in a row…unreal!

If I recall, Eddie George did not carry a lot of hype. I know Bill Conley worked very hard on getting Eddie to come to Ohio State, but Bill might have been the only one who believed that Eddie had a bright future.

TOO Much Hype?

In the final analysis, the hype over recruiting drives me nuts. I cant get that excited over it, but I do understand that it represents the passion that people in Ohio have in regard to Ohio State Football. People are passionate in the Buckeye Nation, and that is a great thing. I will choose to wait for the next few years to evaluate the merits of each recruiting class, and not get too caught up in what I think they will do in the very near future.

Popularity: 25% [?]

A graduate of St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, Greg was a co captain of the 1990 Ohio State Football Buckeyes, a 4 year letterman, and a 3 year starter at quarterback. He also lettered his final two years in baseball and was a member of the 1991 Big Ten Champion Baseball Buckeyes.

Greg still remains the only quarterback in Ohio State history to throw for 2,000 yards in three consecutive seasons, and he is remembered for leading memorable comebacks versus LSU in 1988, Minnesota 1989 (31 points), and Iowa 1990. The Minnesota comeback still ranks as the 2nd greatest in college football history!

Greg is proud of his scholar athlete honors as well. He was a HONDA National Scholar Athlete in 1989 and 1990, and a National Football Foundation / College Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete post graduate scholarship winner in 1990.

After receiving his BA from Ohio State in 1991 (English & Military History), Greg played professionally for the Ohio Glory of the World Football League, and Cleveland Thunderbolts of the Arena Football League, and was drafted in the 62nd round of the 1991 baseball draft by the Detroit Tigers.

Greg is currently a commercial realtor with Crawford Hoying Smith Real Estate Services (CHS) in Dublin. CHS is a full service real estate firm focusing on commercial and investment real estate in Central Ohio.

Greg can also be seen providing color commentary on CSN (Columbus Sports Network) covering the Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League, and on ONN (Ohio News Network) covering state high school football playoffs and championships.

Football is still very much a part of Greg’s life, as he is the Offensive Coordinator at Pickerington North High School. He also trains Quarterbacks and Receivers in the football off season. Former and current students include Brady Quinn (ND), Jake Kastan (Bexley HS and Tufts University), and Connor Dietz (2006 Div 1 State Champs Hilliard Davidson).

Greg and his wife Jen reside in Bexley.

Popularity: 17% [?]