FIVE THINGS:
Ohio State sent it's seniors out on a winning note in a drenched Ohio Stadium as the Buckeyes whitewashed Illinois, 52-14, clenching the B1G East a trip to the conference title game in the process.
The complete talent mismatch saw the Buckeyes outgain the Illini 543-105 while emptying the bench for the bulk of a second half played in monsoon conditions.
J.T. Barrett made the most of his final performance in the Shoe tallying 174 total yards and three touchdowns despite watching most of the second half from the sidelines while the rest of the seniors also turned in solid days highlighted by Jamarco Jones, Billy Price and Chris Worley.
The win improved Ohio State to 9-2 on the season and moved it to 21-2 in the month of November under Urban Meyer.
Speaking of November, the Buckeyes will once again round out the month taking on Michigan, this time in Ann Arbor. Currently owning fourth place in the B1G East, the Wolverines saw their freshman quarterback Brandon Peters leave yesterday's loss at Wisconsin with a head injury, casting uncertainty as to exactly who will be under center next Saturday when Ohio State invades Michigan Stadium.
Hey look, I get it. I want to talk Michigan too. But for now, humor me and take a glance at Five Things from yesterday's heel-stomping of Illinois.
WIDE (IS) RIGHT
Entering the season without a legit middle linebacker, Chris Worley slid over from and outside linebacker spot he so admirably filled last year and gave it a go in the middle for the the majority of Ohio State's first nine games.
With redshirt freshman Tuf Borland starting to find his way at the mike spot, and in the midst of having to take on Michigan State last weekend without the services of Dante Booker and Jerome Baker, Worley moved back outside to the will linebacker spot against the Spartans, turning in a strong performance.
Yesterday, Worley again found himself on the outside, this time at the sam linebacker spot, and again he thrived posting five stops including a TFL and a QB pressure.
He went to work early coming off the edge and bringing down Kendrick Foster from the back side for a 1-yard gain on 3rd-and-2 to force a punt on the Illini's opening possession.
On the next possession Worley snuffed out a first down tunnel screen with an athletic play for no gain leading to a punt, and on the ensuing possession it was more of the same as he stayed home on a throwback screen, blowing up what was almost a big gainer for a 3-yard loss.
Finally, shortly before the half, Worley knifed through the Illini front forcing a first down incompletion and eventually another punt.
Props to Worley for stepping up to man the mike spot while the staff prepped a young guy but the reality is Chris is an outside linebacker, whether it be will or sam, and needs to stay there.
SPEAKING OF MIKE..
How about Mike Weber?
A week after blitzing Michigan State with nine carries for 162 yards and two touchdowns, both of the home run variety including a 47-yarder and an 82-yarder, Weber went right back to work against Illinois posting 11 carries for 108 yards and two scores, one of which went for 43 yards.
Finally looking healthy, and frankly faster than ever, Weber has 20 rushes for 270 yards and four touchdowns over the last two games, good for 13.5 yards per carry.
Last year the knock on a healthy Weber was the lack of big play ability and/or breakaway speed but the last two weeks the kid has outran the defense for long touchdowns on three separate occasions.
Maybe he just never had a chance to find that third-gear last year since it seemed he was too often brought down by shoestring tackles as he entered the second level. Now, however, he is showing burst to and through the hole and if he gets an angle on the safeties, it's curtains.
I just wanted to give Weber some love since I pegged him for 1,400 yards entering the season.
Naw, while that is true, I really wanted to single Weber out because it's great to see him having fun now that he's fully healthy and more so because even while everyone was drooling over J.K. Dobbins (and rightfully so), Weber never pissed and moaned. Quite the opposite, he was a great teammate who kept doing his job even if he was being asked to do less than last year when he ran for more than 1,000 yards as a redshirt freshman.
SCALPED
Yes, calling Illinois' offense a dumpster fire is an insult to a perfectly raging dumpster fire but man did Ohio State's defense suffocate the Illini attack.
On the way to a 38-0 lead at the half, the Buckeye defense allowed just one first down on 23 plays spanning seven possessions.
The Illini managed just 43 yards in the opening half including only nine passing yards on 11 attempts and averaged a mere 1.9 yards per play.
As you probably guessed, Lovie Smith's crew also failed to convert a third down in the first half going 0-for-7.
Worley's play stood out, as noted, but it was largely a collective effort as guys like Sam Hubbard and Jalyn Holmes did work up front and Damon Webb deserves a call out for his work on the back end of the defense.
Even with Greg Schiano emptying the bench in the second half, Illinois still tallied a weak 105 total yards (16 passing, 89 rushing) and five first downs while going 1-for-12 on third down.
HOLDING IT DOWN
Coming off a junior season in which he had a team-best 97.6% pass blocking rate and allowed just two quarterback pressures over the final five games, good enough to earn second-team All-B1G honors, I thought left tackle Jamarco Jones might finally get the notoriety he deserves in 2017.
Instead, his relative anonymity continues as fellow linemate, center Billy Price, has enjoyed most of the spotlight spent on the often-ignored offensive line.
I would never suggest Price hasn't earned any spotlight or award talk sent his way – he's had a hell of a season and is a no-doubt NFL center – but I would argue Jones is having a standout season himself, and doing it a position that is tougher, physically, to play.
Jones turned in another solid performance yesterday and entering week 11, his pass blocking efficiency stood at 99.1% as he yielded only one sack, hit and pressure in 321 snaps.
Just wanted to throw some props at what I see as Ohio State's most important offensive player not named J.T. Barrett.
ALL CLASS
The older I get, the more I appreciate the collective success of an Ohio State senior class.
While the full story can't yet be written on the 2017 edition, getting that final sendoff from the Buckeye faithful in the Shoe always triggers reflection.
It was great to see names like Jamarco Jones, Chris Worley, Tyquan Lewis, Billy Price, J.T. Barrett and others take that singular jog from the tunnel to the awaiting arms of family and Urban Meyer.
Ten Things We Learned from OSU’s 52-14 Win Over Illinois
Let’s just get this out of the way, there is nothing that can be learned from a game against this Illinois team one week before the Buckeyes play Michigan.
But since we kind of always have to learn something after a game, we will soldier on because that’s just what we do.
So what did we learn from Ohio State’s 52-14 win over Illinois?
1. It’s Michigan Week.
…and Ohio State’s linebacker corps is playing at its best right now. With Tuf Borland in the middle, Jerome Baker at the Will, and Chris Worley back at the same Sam linebacker spot he played so well a year ago, it feels like the Buckeyes have finally gotten all of the puzzle pieces in the proper spots. And with Michigan’s tight ends, it’s really not a moment too soon. The linebackers need to be comfortable in order to perform at the level they’ll be needed on Saturday, and this would appear to be where they are all best suited.
2. It’s Michigan Week.
…and Mike Weber is looking good. In his last two games, Weber has rushed for 270 yards on just 20 carries. That’s 13.5 yards per rush. The recruitment of Mike Weber was Urban Meyer’s first win over Jim Harbaugh, and on Saturday Weber will attempt to be one of the reasons for Meyer’s latest win over Harbaugh.
3. It’s Michigan Week.
…and J.K. Dobbins isn’t bad either. Dobbins only rushed for 51 yards on 12 carries yesterday against Illinois, but the combination that he has formed with Mike Weber will give the Michigan defense a lot to deal with. Ohio State has rushed for more than 300 yards twice this season, and both times were in their last two games. Business is picking up for the Buckeyes, and now they even lead the Big Ten in rushing at 252.6 yards per game, and their 6.0 yard-per-carry average is nearly a yard more than the next best team.
4. It’s Michigan Week.
…and we don’t know what’s up with Jordan Fuller. Starting strong safety Jordan Fuller didn’t play on Saturday and nobody really knows why. If it was something serious, it seems that Urban Meyer would have said something about it. An OSU spokesperson was not aware of anything serious. If I’m taking a guess here, I’m assuming that there was some kind of tweak that they didn’t want to worsen in a bad-weather game in a contest that he wasn’t even needed in.
5. It’s Michigan Week.
…and Michigan doesn’t know what they’re doing at quarterback. Starter Brandon Peters left the game on a cart due to a head injury on Saturday. Former starter John O’Korn came in and Michigan’s last hopes went out the window. Original starter Wilton Speight has been cleared to practice, but he has not taken part in any contact yet. Will he be cleared for contact this week? If he is, will he play? Don’t expect any kind of information to come from Jim Harbaugh, however, as mystery is a bit of an advantage, and they’re going to need every advantage they can muster. By the way, the Wolverines haven’t thrown for 200 yards in a game in their last seven contests. The only time they have passed for 200 yards in conference play was in their first Big Ten game against Purdue way back when. (It was September 23.)
6. It’s Michigan Week.
…and the Ohio State offensive line is picking up steam. Along with the Ohio State running game dominating of late, the OSU quarterbacks have only been sacked twice in the last three games, and one of those was against Dwayne Haskins on Saturday. Right guard Demetrius Knox has been able to step in for the injured Branden Bowen and all five guys up front are now operating as one. Based on his play this season, it is difficult to imagine this offensive line without Knox in the lineup next year.
7. It’s Michigan Week.
…and the hidden yards are going to be important. Ohio State punts very well. Michigan does not. Every advantage in this game is a necessity, and Michigan punter Brad Robbins has not yet developed the necessary pin-them-deep skills that OSU punter Drue Chrisman is already succeeding with. Michigan may be more effective in the kickoff return game, which will make OSU’s coverage even more important. With a struggling Wolverine offense, the Buckeyes will want to make them travel as far as possible on every single drive. They just have to stay in their lanes and tackle.
8. It’s Michigan Week.
…and J.T. Barrett is looking to become the first Ohio State quarterback in history to go 4-0 as a starter over Michigan. That’s the kind of cement that can make a legacy stand forever.
9. It’s Michigan Week.
…and Parris Campbell is healthy and full speed. He may no longer be involved in kickoffs, but he will be involved in stretching Michigan’s defense east and west, which will soften it north and south. Even when Campbell isn’t touching the ball, he will be affecting the play. And when he does touch it, don’t be surprised when he does something big with it.
10. It’s Michigan Week.
…and that’s all that ever really needs to be said.
Bowl projections: Ohio State makes a move as College Football Playoff holds
by Jerry Palm
After two weeks chock full of games between ranked opponents, it feels like college football had a bye week. The only remotely interesting game among the top contenders, on paper anyway, was Michigan at Wisconsin. That game was every bit the grind you would expect with the Badgers picking up a 24-10 win that enhances their strength of schedule.
Iowa's upset loss to Purdue hurts Wisconsin even though the Badgers played both teams. The Hawkeyes had a chance to jump back into the college football rankings this week, replacing Michigan, but that certainly will not happen now. Wisconsin's only win over a ranked opponent remains Northwestern.
The only other game among the top teams that turned out to be interesting was Virginia at Miami. The Hurricanes put it away late, but the Cavs had a 14-point lead in the third quarter of that game. Miami scored the last 30 points of the game for a 44-28 win.
2018 College Football Playoff
| DATE | GAME / LOC. | TIME / TV | MATCHUP | PREDICTION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jan. 8
|
National Championship
Atlanta |
8 p.m.
ESPN | Title game | Semifinal winners |
Jan. 1
|
Rose Bowl
Pasadena, Calif. |
5 p.m.
ESPN | Semifinal | |
Jan. 1
|
Sugar Bowl
New Orleans |
8:45 p.m.
ESPN | Semifinal |
(1) Alabama vs. (4) Wisconsin
|
Selection committee bowl games
| DATE | GAME / LOC. | TIME / TV | MATCHUP | PREDICTION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jan. 1
|
Peach
Atlanta |
12:30 p.m.
ESPN |
At-large vs. At-large
| Auburn vs. UCF |
Dec. 30
|
Fiesta
Glendale, Ariz. |
4 p.m.
ESPN |
At-large vs. At-large
| USC vs. Ohio State |
Dec. 30
|
Orange
Miami |
8 p.m.
ESPN |
ACC vs. Big Ten/SEC/ND
| Miami vs. Georgia |
Dec. 29
|
Cotton
Arlington, Texas |
8:30 p.m.
ESPN |
At-large vs. At-large
| Penn State vs. Notre Dame |
The only change to the New Year's Six projections is Ohio State replacing TCU, a move made solely because the CFP Selection Committee likes Ohio State better, and the only way for TCU to change that is to win the Big 12.
Several teams clinched spots in their respective conference championship games this week. Memphis, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Florida Atlantic, Boise State, Fresno State and USC all locked up spots on Saturday. In the Big 12, a TCU win clinches a spot in the title game for the Horned Frogs next week. In the Pac-12, Washington State can clinch the North if it wins the Apple Cup, or Stanford will take it. The SEC West will be decided by the Iron Bowl. Both places in the MAC are up for grabs with Akron and Toledo in control.
We are getting close to the point of not needing any five-win teams in bowl games this season. There are currently 70 eligible teams for 78 spots. Eighteen teams enter this week with five wins, and there are four games between two of those teams, so that will put us at 74 at a minimum. There are also three teams with four wins and two games to play, two of which will play each other on the final weekend (Louisiana-Monroe at Florida State). The odds of fewer than four of the remaining 13 teams failing to win a sixth game are not great, and in fact, my current projection has one eligible team too many (sorry, UNLV). It looks like it is going to take a couple of upsets to open the door for a five-win team.
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