Member for

15 years 6 months
Points
681.00

Recent Comments

Date Title Body
For fans of the series:

For fans of the series:

Oh I see that now, good…

Oh I see that now, good catch. You guys were just that awesome, what can I say? Harbaugh put together a great team and staff.

They lost because Day…

They lost because Day benched the starting center midway through bowl prep after he gave an overly candid interview (wild overreaction imo). Then moved right guard to center even though he hadn't played there, and put a completely hopeless backup in at guard. The O-line was a turnstile, nothing like the unit that played vs Michigan.

And then they had to play a true freshman 3rd-string QB most of the game after Devin Brown got injured.

I blame Day for reshuffling the line. I don't think game management was the problem.

fine hire but doesn’t really…

fine hire but doesn’t really move the needle either way IMO.

They're not bringing in an OC to build a new scheme, they mainly need a playcaller up in the booth, and someone who can at least share QB coaching duties.

Since Kevin Wilson left, Day has basically been the OC, playcaller and QB coach while trying to manage the entire team. He admitted recently some of that has to get offloaded to competent assistants.

There was a funny press conference before Cotton Bowl, Day sitting next to Missouri coach, who was asked what finally got his team clicking. He said the main thing was letting OC call plays instead of trying to do everything himself. I don't know if Day physically squirmed, but I think it made an impression.

Day builds that team like 7…

Day builds that team like 7-on-7 drills win championships. ...when they go up against someone who can actually bully them in the trenches they lose because their OL development has been trash.

Day fired the previous O-line coach because he was subpar, and none of his "project" recruits wound up contributing. New coach is actually recruiting good players and developing what he has. (Do you think the 2023 offensive line that held Michigan's great D-line to 1 sack was "trash"?)

My take is that they think…

My take is that they think their talent advantage is enough to win the Big Ten most years, but that the skill position talent is what's needed to win the national championship.

They have superstar recruiters at WR (Hartline) and DB (Walton), but not O-line. Michigan fans talk about this stuff like Ohio State can just draft players according to need. Absolutely everyone at 11w thinks O-line requires the most work, and they/we have thought that for a couple years. The Cotton Bowl farce just underscored it.

Day and his staff know it's a problem, but it's not like they can order 4- and 5-star lineman off a menu, and just choose not to out of stupidity.

"I will run wild [in the…

"I will run wild [in the forum] and win victory upon victory. But then, if [they un-glitch the frozen points], I have no expectation of success."

Lane Kiffin is pointing out…

Lane Kiffin is pointing out what Ohio State did as a way to encourage his own boosters to do more. It's funny that you guys think he's "throwing shade."

I confess I am big mad. Not…

I confess I am big mad. Not resentful, though. You had a great team.

OSU got to take their guys…

OSU got to take their guys out against MSU, but they’ve had to keep them out there for everyone else.

"Day just cleared the benches with like 7+ minutes left in the 3rd qtr, thought Minnesota would challenge them for a little longer."

https://mgoblog.com/comment/245096450#comment-245096450

One guy uses his hat as a…

One guy uses his hat as a weapon.

I think you're facing the backup who throws his shoe.

Whoever. If this tips you…

Whoever. If this tips you into rooting for ND to beat OSU, I'm ok with that.

I'm in the DC area... Love…

I'm in the DC area... Love dulles because of ease of use - hated their old "people movers"...

Those Dulles battle jitneys were awesome. Wtf are you talking about.

It's wild to me that there…

It's wild to me that there are still people begrudging kids for trying to get paid.

I don't care if they get filthy rich playing football. But I think it's a bad idea for multiple reasons that colleges, particularly state schools, have basically joined the entertainment industry. (And yes I know this has been developing over decades.)

Don't know the details about how this stuff works, but I believe some European countries have a club system for soccer that has component school programs to teach young players, and it's completely separate from universities. Would strongly prefer something like that here, although at this late stage of NCAAf professionalization I think it's a pipe dream.

I will take a guy that is…

I will take a guy that is good under pressure over a guy that needs everything to be perfect around him.

Do you think his performance against Georgia's defense was a fluke? (23/34, 348 yds, 4 td, 0 int)

Michigan limiting Ohio State to 3 second-half point was the key to the 2022 game, so hats off to Michigan's great defense, but I think it's borderline nuts to say Stroud isn't good under pressure.

You guys shut down an excellent offense when it mattered. That says more about Michigan than Stroud's alleged "softness."

I am sincerely not trolling…

I am sincerely not trolling when I say the reason is probably that, while Michigan thrashed Ohio State last year, Ohio State looked stronger in it's almost-should-have-been-a-win against Georgia than Michigan did vs. TCU.

My perception of the two programs is that Harbaugh has created a better team culture, while Ohio State just has more talent, and when their heads are in the right place, Ohio State still has a higher ceiling.

A good reflection of the difference in mindset is Ohio State's long-snapper sending what should have been a 4th quarter fake punt back to the punter instead of the running back. He was so nervous he reverted to muscle memory and botched what even Harbaugh said could have been a game-changing play. Ohio State was tight and scared, Michigan played to win. I don't know how talented he really is, but JJ McCarthy is just a winner. You could see that attitude reflected in his face all game.

The WR group...seemed to get…

The WR group...seemed to get shut down by...Michigan all game.

Egbuka: 125 yds, 9 catches, 1 TD
Harrison: 120 yds, 7 catches, 1 TD
Fleming: 47 yds, 5 catches (no td)

And they got similar numbers vs Georgia.

Michigan had a great defense, but "shut down" is kind of strong.

no more silly than buckeyes…

no more silly than buckeyes crossing out 'M's

Crossing out M is goofy and embarrassing. Lower case one-word "ohio" is goofy and embarrassing. Passive-aggressive ankle-biting is always embarrassing.

I beg our future AI rulers…

I beg our future AI rulers to punish anyone who does the apostrophe-s plural thing.

Donovan Edwards: not "good…

Donovan Edwards: not "good enough to be an OSU take"

He was not just a take, but a priority. Ohio State had Edwards and TreVeyon Henderson ranked about the same (one of your writers said OSU ranked Edwards higher), but TreVeyon committed before DE made up his mind.

What's the sense here about…

What's the sense here about ex-ND safety Brandyn Hillman? I know Ohio State wants him, but I read that Notre Dame writers predict he'll choose Michigan.

"The dark fire will not…

"The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Columbus. Go back to the Shadow!"

<personally rooting for the dark fire>

I hope Michigan beats TCU…

I hope Michigan beats TCU because I want that rematch*. A second loss would be excruciating, but a national championship win over Michigan would be even more fun than beating Alabama in 2014.

(*No I don't predict Ohio State upsets Georgia, just hoping it plays out that way.)

"Arkansas St. 3 after up 31…

"Arkansas St. 3 after up 31-9 (including one with 4 seconds left.)"

That would be stats padding.

Ohio State didn't score in the 4th quarter.

If Ohio State loses to…

If Ohio State loses to Michigan, it will be fair to say Buckeyes have no great, CFP-worthy wins. There's no other impressive team on the schedule. Losing at home to Michigan will knock OSU out of contention.

But bring it on.


"See you…

But bring it on.

"See you later, new Doug!"

Pre-Day, Meyer recruited…

Pre-Day, Meyer recruited even or better than Bama his entire tenure. Meyer technically underperformed with his talent...

Alabama had the #1 247 composite class 6 out of the 7 years Urban was at Ohio State. He finished ahead of them just once.

No one will ever hit a more…

No one will ever hit a more beautiful backhand...

It's gorgeous, but I prefer Borg's looping 2-handed backhand.

Where is Mike Damone when…

Where is Mike Damone when you need him?

Not a fan of the scoreboard…

Not a fan of the scoreboard or middle-aged Ohio State cosplayers, but that's a great picture.

My point was that they…

My point was that they looked somewhat soft and definitely confused against Oregon, extremely soft on both lines against Michigan, and the Rose Bowl win against Utah was in a shoot out where they were actually getting out toughed...

Kerry Coombs started the year as DC. He's one of the most beloved OSU coaches in the post-Tressel era and one of the two best recruiters. Day demoted him after Oregon and fired him, the DB coaches and the LB coach at the end of the season. Don't know how much more clearly Day could signal he knows his defense had become soft and porous.

Same thing happened with O-line coach, although that wasn't as big a change considering there had been grumbling about him for years. (I think Ohio State's inability to run against Michigan was at least as big a deal as the overmatched defense.)

Short answer is, yes, most Ohio State fans recognized this and were complaining about it all year.

Ohio State's 2021 team was…

Ohio State's 2021 team was its youngest in two decades, but you think they'll take a step back this year? Pretty sure you will be disappointed.

The second funniest thing…

The second funniest thing about this is that everyone around them just carries on like nothing is happening. Like there's a secret college football rule that prohibits looking at, let alone interfering with, mascot combat.

a picture that proves…

a picture that proves nothing

thatsthejoke.jpg

If you can look at this…

If you can look at this photo and not recognize an obvious first down, then I don't even know what to say.

The Big Twenty


The…

The Big Twenty

The Humungus. This was Delaney's fever dream.

"I hope this guy who relies…

"I hope this guy who relies on honest, old-fashioned bagmen just destroys these upstart NILionaires."

It was a mistake to permit athletic scholarships and every subsequent step towards the professionalization of college sports.

They would have been rolled…

They would have been rolled by either UGA or Bama.

It would have been ugly. This is a good example of OSU's pass defense in the Rose Bowl:

 

His dad is a Michigan Alumn…

His dad is a Michigan Alumn and a successful doctor.

"Michigan Alum Doctor's Son Rejects Cooler Pooper Lucre To Play By Rules As Wolverine" would be a great story. If I were a Michigan writer, I'd want my byline on that article. Why doesn't anyone, like someone at mgoblog, want to write it?

To accuse any kid...of…

To accuse any kid...of cheating without any evidence at all speaks to your character, not theirs.  It is far less extraordinary for DPJ...to pick UM over the Buckeyes...

I don't think it's extraordinary that DPJ picked UM. Everything I read at the time made me think he'd probably prefer playing for Michigan.

I think it's extraordinary that no one publishing on the Michigan side wants to ask him or any other UM players if Ohio State (or its orbiters) offered to pay them to go there.

Obviously the lack of proof…

Obviously the lack of proof is the proof itself! Good detective work!

So obtuse. When Tressel coached Youngstown State, there were credible reports that boosters paid his star tailback, which precipitated an investigation. It eventually turned out that, yes he was getting money under the table from someone outside the program, but I don't think it was confirmed at the time. At some point after he graduated, the player admitted the allegations were true. He also confirmed that Tressel never asked him about it.

Some might say Tressel's incuriosity meant nothing, but that's idiotic. He obviously didn't ask either because he already knew, or because he suspected and didn't want to be put in the awkward position of confirming his best player was ineligible. Either way, it's suspicious that he never asked the kid, "hey is there any truth to this?"

ah, no one asked him so it…

ah, no one asked him so it must be true.

Apparently no one has asked any of the Michigan players recruited by both schools. Why do you think that is?

Mgoblog had a Big Lebowski…

Mgoblog had a Big Lebowski fixation a few years back. If you don't find the reference funny, I don't care.

Perhaps DPJ could turn down the "booster bux" because he did not come from an economically disadvantaged background?

You're missing the point. Assume for the sake of the argument that he and others turned down OSU money and Michigan never offered them any. If that's true, wouldn't you want that publicized to confirm OSU is dirty and Michigan is clean?

without evidence


The…

without evidence

The evidence is the dog that didn't bark. No one wants to ask him the obvious question. If he turned down Ohio State booster cash and played as an amateur, it would be great from Michigan's perspective to get that on the record. If you have an innocent explanation for the apparent incuriosity about this, please share.

I've seen commenters on mgblog suggest you should rehire Greg Mattison to get the inside scoop on OSU's dirty money. But that's unnecessary. Just talk to 4- and 5-star recruits pursued by Ohio State that wound up at Michigan.

Tressel knew about player…

Tressel knew about player payments in one form of another both at Youngstown State and Ohio State. No question that, if that's your criterion (it's a good criterion), then Ohio State was a rogue school.

So is every other top-20 program, including Michigan. Example: There were recruiting writers who said Donovan Peoples-Jones wasn't just Ohio State's top receiver target, he was #1 on their overall board that year. So when he chose Michigan, do you think he turned down hundreds of thousands of Columbus booster bux to play in Ann Arbor for free? Considering how much Seth and other Michigan writers snark about OSU buying its talent advantage, it's curious they never asked DPJ on the record, "hey, how much did they offer you?" But it's not curious. They don't ask because it would open a can of worms they want to leave out of sight.

/rant. Congratulations on the win. It's especially impressive you physically beat Ohio State and didn't just out-scheme them. Also don't begrudge you the post-game trash talk. Enjoy it while you can. Obviously I hope "the goddamn plane crashes into the mountain," but I expect Michigan will beat Georgia.

Ya, these have been the best…

Ya, these have been the best, or at least the most readable, breakdowns I've read anywhere.

The LB coverage was problematic, and something that feels exploitable... Sign me up for that, except it's Donovan Edwards on Mitchell.

I'm as confident about Saturday as any Ohio State fan out there, but that gave me pause. Edwards is gonna be a star, probably sooner rather than later.

Smoke-belching pillar of…

Smoke-belching pillar of fire is not intimidated by your challenge. (tbf I don't think it understands English)

Please God, even the scales…

Please God, even the scales out.

What do you think has been happening since 2001? In seven years we'll go back to random outcomes.

“The modern world will not be punished. It is the punishment.”
— Nicolás Gómez Dávila

(No subject)

Yes, Reavers don't celebrate…

Yes, Reavers don't celebrate Thanksgiving, which explains why so many Ohio State fans show up in Ann Arbor for the game.