Buckeyes Begin Fickell Era With Win Over Zips

QB Joe Bauserman passed for 3 TD's and rushed for 1 in OSU's 42-0 win over Akron

By:  Coop


With a season full of sanctions, suspensions, and controversy, the Ohio State Buckeyes were ready to put the past behind them and move on with a new coach, and a new quarterback.


They looked liked they moved on, everyone looked good today.  The passing game, the rushing game, and the defense.  The Buckeyes beat the Akron Zips 42-0, here is how.


Luke Fickell decided to start Senior Quarterback, Joe Bauserman, today.  He sure looked good.  OSU's first score of the season was a 15 yard touchdown run by Bauserman, it was 7-0.


7-0 was the score at the end of the 1st, so the Zips looked like they were playing a game with the Bucks.


Ohio State would try and change that later on though.  With 5:45 to go in the 2nd Bauserman connected with Jake Stoneburner for a 28 yard score, 14-0 was the score.  Four minutes later it happened again!  Bauserman found Stoneburner in the endzone for an 11 yard score, 21-0.  That would be the score at the half.


In the 3rd quarter, Joe and Jake connected for their 3rd touchdown of the game.  This time it was just a 2 yard TD pass, but none the less OSU was up 28-0.  Jake Stoneburner becomes the first tight end in Ohio State history to score 3 touchdowns in a game.  He sure looked good today.  I have a feeling he and Joe Bauserman are going to be very good friends by the time the season is over.


In the 4th quarter Buckeye fans got a good taste of freshman QB, Braxton Miller.  He looked very good, almost as good as Bauserman.  Early on in the 4th B Millz found Devin Smith in the endzone for 14 yard score, 35-0 the score.


With about 6 minutes left, the new #2, Rod Smith, ran into the endzone for a touchdown, 42-0 the score, and that's how she finished.


The starting QB, Joe Bauserman looked very good as he went 12/16, good for 163 yards, and 3 TD's.  He also rushed for 32 yards and had a touchdown in that category as well.


Braxton Miller looked very impressive as he was 8/12, good for 130 yards, and he had 1 TD.  He also rushed for 30 yards.


Carlos Hyde was the Bucks, as he ran for 94 yards.  Rod Smith added 73.


Verlon Reed had 3 receptions, good for 66 yards, as he was OSU's best receiver, yardage-wise today.


The Buckeyes are now 1-0 and will host Toledo next week.  Toledo is better than Akron for sure, but still it will be a MAC vs. Big Ten match-up.  Should be another easy win for OSU.  Next week's game is set for noon ET and you can catch in on the Big Ten Network.

Luke Fickell Introduced as Buckeye Head Coach

By:  Coop


Luke Fickell was promoted to the positioned of Head Coach back on May 30, but today, June 13, he took part in his first press conference. To watch the full press conference click here.


Fickell is the 23rd Head Coach in the history of the Ohio State Buckeyes, and only the 5th in the last 60 years.


“We look forward to refocusing the football program on doing what we do best – representing this extraordinary University and its values on the field, in the classroom, and in life,” Director of Athletics Gene Smith said.  "We have full confidence in his ability to lead our football program."


While there are talks that this will be a one-and-done season for Luke as a head coach, if the Buckeyes have a successful season this year, he could be a coach for much longer.  After the 2011 season, the school is expected to search for a new head coach.


As an OSU fan, I think Fickell was a great choice for the head coach position.  He played at Ohio State, and has had a lifelong dream of coaching the Buckeyes.  He knows that excellence is all we will accept here, and another important thing, he understands the importance of beating Michigan.


Good luck to Luke Fickell.

Ohio State's Amazing Season Ends, Kentucky Advances To Elite 8

Ohio State's Jon Diebler reacts
after the final buzzer in the Bucks
loss to Kentucky

NEWARK, N.J. -- Brandon Knight did it again.

Knight knocked down a jumper with 5 seconds remaining as the fourth-seeded Wildcats stunned top-seeded Ohio State 62-60 on Friday in the East regional semifinals.

Senior center Josh Harrellson held his own against Ohio State super freshmanJared Sullinger, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Wildcats (28-8) advanced to play North Carolina on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four.

Knight, who knocked down a game-winner in Kentucky's second-round win over Princeton, shrugged off another sluggish performance to drill the biggest shot of his career.

Kentucky coach John Calipari opted not to call timeout after Ohio State's John Diebler hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 60 with 21 seconds remaining, and Knight delivered a silky 15-foot jumper.

Ohio State rushed down the floor, but William Buford's 3-pointer clanked off the rim and the rebound was tapped out of harm's way.

The Wildcats, who struggled to win close games earlier in the season, rushed onto the floor as the buzzer sounded. DeAndre Liggins, like Harrellson a leftover from Billy Gillispie's days at Kentucky, hopped atop a table and pounded his chest as Knight stood at halfcourt and soaked in the moment.

UK's Brandon Knight reacts after making his game-winning
shot against Ohio State.

The victory proved sweet vindication for the two holdovers, who were mostly spectators last season as Calipari revitalized the program behind a star-studded freshmen class led by John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.

Harrellson and Liggins took this year's group of youngsters under their wing and delivered the kind of savvy veteran presence the Wildcats could have used last season, which ended with a loss to an experienced West Virginia squad in the East regional final.

Liggins finished with 15 points for the Wildcats, who beat Ohio State for the first time in the NCAA tournament behind a suffocating defense that limited the Buckeyes to 32 percent shooting.

Sullinger led Ohio State (34-3) with 21 points and 16 rebounds, but the Buckeyes fell in the regional semifinals for a second straight season. Sullinger said in the aftermath he expects to return for his sophomore year, if only to wash out the taste of a bitter end to an otherwise spectacular season.

Ohio State rolled through the regular season but like the last two top overall seeds entering the NCAA tournament, the Buckeyes are going home early.

The win gives Kentucky a chance to avenge a loss to the Tar Heels earlier in the season. The Wildcats fell 75-73 in Chapel Hill in December, a game in which they gave away several chances to win.

Those days seem long gone. Kentucky has won nine straight and developed the kind of grit Calipari knew would come if he stayed patient with his freshmen-laden roster.

The Wildcats succeeded where so many teams have failed this season against the Buckeyes, dominating them on the defensive end.

Kentucky swarmed the 3-point line, limiting the sharpshooting Buckeyes -- who'd made 28 3-pointers in easy victories over Texas-San Antonio and George Mason -- to just 6 of 16 3-pointers.

Ohio State wasn't any better inside the arc, shooting just 33 percent from the field as everyone besides Sullinger struggled to find room against Kentucky's myriad of defensive looks.

"I think, honestly, some of the shots we missed we were making all year," said Diebler, who finished with 16 points. "You have to give them credit, I thought they did a good job channeling shots with their length, but we've faced length all year. They just didn't go in."

The first NCAA meeting between the two schools in 24 years had a Final Four feel. There were 19 lead changes, with no team leading by more than three points over the final 17 minutes.

It's a situation where the Wildcats had faltered early in the season. At one point they were 0-6 in games decided by five points or less.

Those days seem like a long time ago. Kentucky made all the big plays when it mattered as Ohio State blinked in the face of the Wildcats' unrelenting pressure.

Kentucky's withstood a skittish opening 9 minutes to forge a 30-30 tie at the break thanks largely to some inspired play by Harrellson. The little-used reserve a year ago has blossomed into a blue collar cult hero as a senior, and his leadership kept Kentucky in it after Terrence Jones and Knight battled jitters and early foul trouble.

Harrellson took Sullinger off the dribble for one basket and screamed after dunking off a pick-and-roll for another. Later in the half he drew the ire of Ohio State coach Thad Matta after beaning Sullinger with a fastball while falling out of bounds.

The Wildcats also did something few teams have been able to do this year: bottle up Ohio State's 3-point shooters. The Buckeyes came in averaging nearly 8 made 3-pointers a game, knocking down 28 in their first two tournament games combined.

Ohio State only made two in the first half, both by Diebler, as the Wildcats extended the defense to prevent open looks.

It set the stage for a chippy second half that ended with another highlight-reel shot by the precocious Knight.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

What The Games Mean This Weekend

By:  Cooper Ledford

Kentucky vs. Florida (SAT, 4 PM ET, CBS)- The Wildcats are a very weak team on the road, but at home, they look like last year's team, as they look like the best team in the country no matter who they are playing.  UK has not lost at the Comfy Confines of Rupp Arena, but Florida is a good team.  Last time the Gators and Wildcats met up, UK lost by 2.  This time, I expect them to win the game for only 1 reason-it's a home game.

Cincinnati vs. Connecticut (SUN, NOON ET, ESPNU)- The Bearcats looked very good in their last game @ Georgetown, and now they play another good team in the Huskies.  The Huskies will be favored to win, but this is a home game for the 'Cats.  If UC can beat G'Town on the road, I think they could beat UCONN at home.  But, this is Big East Basketball, and nothing is for sure in that league.  If the Bearcats win, look for them to be ranked in the next polls.

Xavier @ Dayton (SUN, 1 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN2)- The Musketeers and Flyers will meet up, Sunday, as the A-10's most heated rivalry continues.  Dayton is having a down season, while Xavier is having a great season, but, as I just said, this is a rivalry game.  Dayton will have the fans behind them, and will be playing better than usual, as they would love to take down the top team in the A-10, the Xavier Musketeers.  But, Xavier has won other tough road games, like @ Richmond, and have played, and beaten, better teams than Dayton.  XU has already beaten UD once this year, back in January, as they won 81-76.  That was a close game at the Cintas Center.  So, by reading this paragraph, it sounds like Dayton might win, well yeah, they might, but I am picking the Muskies in a close game, like 5 or less.  That is just because they are an overall better team.

Ohio State vs. Indiana (SUN, 4 PM ET, CBS)- The Buckeyes are coming off of a nice win over Illinois, and are looking like they are back on track--well, if they ever really went off the track-- and should beat Indiana Sunday.  Indiana is not a very good team, as they are 10th place in the Big Ten, and have won only 12 games this season.  The Hoosiers could upset the Bucks, but I highly doubt that.  This is a home game for Ohio State, and they are a much better team than than Indiana, so they should definitely take down the Hoosiers.

OSU Rebounds From 1st Loss, Beats MSU

William Buford had 23 points
in OSU's win over Michigan State.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio State did its best to forget its only loss.
Michigan State served notice that, as is annually the case, it may just be a force to be reckoned with in the postseason.
William Buford scored 23 points and Aaron Craft had a hand in two critical plays down the stretch to lead the No. 2 Buckeyes to a 71-61 win over the Spartans on Tuesday night.
It was a hard-fought struggle for Ohio State (25-1, 12-1 Big Ten), playing for the first time since having their unbeaten season ended with a 61-57 loss at Wisconsin on Saturday.
''One loss doesn't make or break a season,'' said freshman center Jared Sullinger, who came in averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds and was limited to 11 and 2. ''We just wanted to come out and get the win.''
Jon Diebler and David Lighty each had 12 points. Craft, a freshman substitute point guard, had seven points, four assists, four steals and three rebounds - and a hustle play that was the talk of both head coaches.
Kalin Lucas led the Spartans (14-11, 6-7) with 14 points, while Adreian Payne and Draymond Green each had 10. They've lost six of their last eight but fought hard throughout.
''I wouldn't count us dead yet,'' an emotional coach Tom Izzo said. ''This is a pretty good team if we can regroup down the stretch and get three guys to play together instead of just two.''
As he left the postgame interview room, he repeated, ''We ain't dead yet.''
The Buckeyes finished the game on an 18-10 run to pull away on a night when nothing came easily for either team.
The game turned on two quick defensive stops.
With the Buckeyes hanging on to a 45-44 second-half lead, Buford stepped in front of a bad pass by Lucas and went coast to coast for the basket. The next time down the floor, Craft forced Lucas to give the ball up in the backcourt, leading to two free throws by Diebler. After the Spartans scored a second-chance bucket, Diebler flipped in a line-drive 3 from the top of the key for a 52-46 lead.
A capacity crowd of 18,809 roared its approval.
Diebler hit two 3-pointers to move into a tie for second with Michigan State's Shawn Respert, one back of Big Ten career 3-point leader Pete Lisicky of Penn State, with 332.
Asked the turning point of the game, Matta pointed to the defensive pressure.
''It was some of the defensive plays we made,'' he said. ''Will had a steal and Aaron had a steal. ... We weren't defending as well as we need to and those gave us the lead.''
Now on top, the Buckeyes relied on Buford.
After Michigan State had cut it to 53-51, Buford hit consecutive jumpers - the first a 3 from the left wing and the second a stop-and-pop jumper from 15 feet to make it 58-51.
''Every shot I take I think it's going to go down,'' the junior said.
Craft came up with a big effort play soon after.
As the ball was going out of bounds under the Michigan State basket, center Garrick Sherman turned and fired it down the court. For an instant no one reacted. But then Craft sped the length of the floor, corralled the ball and hit a twisting reverse layup while being fouled. He completed the three-point play.
Craft also figured in another pivotal play. With the Buckeyes on top 66-59, he had a steal and was fouled by Green at the other end with 1:42 left. Green was then assessed a technical foul. Craft stepped to the line and hit three of the four shots to swell the lead to 69-59, the biggest of the game for either team to that point.
Izzo twice referred to Craft's big plays during his postgame remarks.
Of Green's technical, he said, ''He blew up at himself. It was probably deserved. I don't have any problems with that. I have more problems with us not chasing down a loose ball.''
Near the end, Ohio State fans taunted the Spartans - who have made it to the Final Four in six of the last 12 seasons - with a cheer of ''N-I-T! N-I-T!''
The Buckeyes were 23 of 29 at the free-throw line to the Spartans' 5 of 6, another aspect of the game that rankled Izzo.
''It just seemed like they walked to the line every freakin' time,'' he said.

OSU opener set for a Thursday Night Game

By: Cooper Ledford SWO SPORTS FOUNDER & CEO

The Ohio State Buckeye's season will start on Thursday, September 2, 2010. Ohio State will be hosting Marshall.

The starting time has not been announced, as well as the television plans.

"This change to a Thursday night opener offers a number of positives for Ohio State," Ohio State associate vice-president and director of athletics Gene Smith explained. "Summer quarter classes end the week before, so there will be minimal campus impact on students, faculty and staff that day.

"Along with providing maximum national exposure for our Rose Bowl champions, this unique starting date and time allows our team and fans to escape the heat of the day, and breaks up a string of four consecutive Saturday home games to start the season.

"It will allow fans to enjoy other events throughout the Labor Day weekend. We see it as a treat for Buckeye fans and an exciting way to open the 2010 campaign."

Ohio State's last mid-week regular season home game was in 1997, in a season-opening 24-10 win over Wyoming that was played on a Thursday evening.

Which game will be better, Sugar or Rose Bowl?

By: Cooper Ledford

Some people have asked me, which game will be interesting, the Sugar Bowl (Cincinnati vs. Florida) or the Rose Bowl (Oregon vs. Ohio State)?

My answer to that is the Rose Bowl. Oregon and Ohio State is a great match-up. Oregon has a high-powered offense that can score a lot of points, while the Buckeye's defense is one of the best in the nation, and is ranked first in passing defense and second in rush defense (Texas is first). Oregon loves to run the football, but they will have a hard time against the OSU defensive line.

Cincinnati does not have much of a defense, while the Gators have a great offense, and by offense I mean Tim Tebow. I don't think the Bearcats D is good enough to stop #15 and the Gators. The Bearcats do have a good offense, but I don't think it is good enough to beat Florida.

Now I am going to do a thing where I say who has the advantage on each side of the ball. I will start with the Rose Bowl match-up.

OFFENSE- Oregon has the advantage in offense, Masoli, James, and Blount can all run the ball very well. Masoli also has a great arm and has some great receivers to help him out. Ohio State's offense is still okay, Terrelle Pryor is similar to Masoli, and Dan Herron and Brandon Saine also can be dangerous running backs.

DEFENSE- Ohio State has the advantage in defense. OSU has had three shut-outs this season (Toledo, Illinois, and New Mexico State) and hold opponents to about 12.0 points per game. The most points they have gave up this year is 27, to Navy (31-27 Ohio State won). Oregon does score a lot of points, but with a great run defense, with Cameron Hayward, Thaddeous Gibson etc., they will not be able to do much on the ground. OSU also has a great secondary, with Chekwa, Worthington, and Coleman, Oregon will have a hard time through the air as well.

SPECIAL TEAMS- Both teams are equal on special teams, Ohio State will not have their main punt and kickoff return man, Ray Small. Oregon is okay on punt and kickoffs as well. Ohio State has two great kickers, Devin Barclay and Aaron Pettrey. It is unsure who will be the primary kicker in the game.

Now for the Sugar Bowl (these will be breif)

OFFENSE- Florida, one word, Tebow!

DEFENSE- Without a doubt, Florida has the better defense.

SPECIAL TEAMS- Cincinnati has a better special teams, Jake Rodgers is a great kicker, while Mardy Gilyard can take back both punts and kickoffs.