Right: No full carriage! No publicity stunts! No dice!

On Wednesday, Ohio State Director of Athletics Gene Smith took several jabs at Time Warner, Ohio’s largest cable provider and the last of heavyweights who have not signed on to carry the Big Ten Network.

Then Friday afternoon, Time Warner swung like a girl, open-handed and all.

The cable giant proposed a temporary arrangement to Ohio State’s Smith that would of allowed their Time Warner subscribers to see Ohio State football games on a pay-per-view basis until a long-tern solution was signed by both parties.

Time Warner would of let Ohio State set the price and keep all of the revenue, and the cable company would of also provided free converter boxes for those subscribers who didn’t have one in order to watch pay-per-view packages.

Smith forwarded the proposal to Big Ten Network which then on to FOX, who handles the administration and day-to-day operations of the channel.

The network suits responded by saying this nugget of wisdom as reported by Le Doug at the PD:

Time Warner is well aware that it cannot selectively choose to air a network’s programming in lieu of full carriage. In addition, offering to do so to a customer base it has effectively ignored for the past year in not carrying the network is counter-productive and creates both confusion and false hope.”

Basically, BTN is saying all or nothing. Either air the network or don’t. And with just a hair over seven days remaining until Ohio State’s first game, it appears that Time Warner customers are SOL.

Tags: Buckeye Sports by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Matt’s Morsel of Mental Might

While Gene Smith’s words hit the nail on the head, those of you who have been missing out on the Ohio State’s games that have previously aired on the Big Ten Network, I would assume you have made the switch already.

If not, what are you waiting on!?

I realize there are a select few who may not have the option of going with another cable provider, or having a satellite dish installed. I, for one, have lived in apartment complexes over the years that either forced-fed you Time Warner or structured their leases so that dishes were forbidden.

Last year, I was fortunate enough to have Insight Communications as my cable provider, so I have been able to watch BTN since its inception. This summer, when I moved into an area served by Time Warner, I switched to WOW, which is far cheaper than Time-Warner and they have BTN!

What’s amazing is that Time-Warner has an estimated 600,000 customers in central Ohio alone, and it’s the largest cable provider in the state.

That’s a huge chunk of the market.

With nine days left until Ohio State’s season-opener against Youngstown State, even if there’s an agreement signed today, it’s unlikely Time Warner will be able to broadcast the game in time.

Tags: Buckeye Sports by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Right: Senator Sweater Vest with my wife who acts as a spy to get privileged information.

Roughly 12,000 Buckeye fans made the odyssey to college football’s mecca known as Ohio Stadium to watch a two-and-a-half hour practice. While that’s considerably more than the 5,500 that showed up last year, it’s a far cry from the 28,000 that made the trip to the ‘Shoe in 2006.

One activity that was subtracted from the equation this time around was an autograph session. I think was a good idea.

Two years ago with my then five-year old son, we were nearly trampled to death when the gates opened just after 5:00 p.m., as fans stormed through in hopes of getting whatever they had in tow signed by the likes of Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr.

Waiting on the west side of the stadium, as soon as the gates open we walked in. Unfortunately, as we made it to the main concourse under “A” deck, thousands were running by us in all directions, which at that point I picked up my son and carried him up the ramp to avoid getting run over by a bunch of crazed autograph-seekers.

On Saturday as reported here on BuckeyeBanter.com, I pulled some resources together to give you some perspective on Ohio State’s jersey scrimmage held at the stadium.

Now I never claimed in my recap that I saw anything in person, since my jet pack malfunctioned and I crashed near the dairy barn on Carmack Rd., nearly a mile west of the Les Wexner Football Complex at The Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

But here’s a quote from Coach Tressel prior to Monday night’s practice as reported by Rusty Miller of the Associated Press and seen on bigtennetwork.com:

“We had a supposedly closed scrimmage on Saturday and some of our people brought in little blog sites (that said) ‘We saw this’ and ‘We saw that.’ Our coaches work hard on what we’re trying to prepare and would rather not have their thoughts and ideas and game plans out there kicked around until they get to showcase them.”

This is what I know about Ohio State’s possible offensive football schemes for the upcoming season, and it isn’t much:

Pistol Offense

The Buckeyes have been rumored to be implementing the pistol offense, which was originated by Chris Ault, head coach at Nevada. It is essentially a shotgun variation, or better yet, a cross between a shoutgun and singleback formation where the quarterback lines up three yards behind the center, and the running back lines up four yards directly behind the QB. Three wide receiver sets with a tight end are generally the norm.

The running game is more effective in this formation since the exchange happens closer to the line of scrimmage. It also works well with dual-threat quarterbacks, like Terrelle Pryor, who can throw and run.

The versatility of the formation can be utilized in a variety of ways. Because the quarterback is closer, he can see over the line and make downfield reads. He will also get the ball snapped to him faster, which can alter timing patterns greatly for a preparing defense.

One problem Ohio State had against LSU in the BCS National Championship game was that in the traditional shotgun formation where Todd Boeckman stood seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, it took longer for the plays to develop, which resulted in him getting sacked a season-high five times against the Tigers. One thing the Buckeyes are trying to work on (from what I hear) is a quicker passing game using shorter routes.

The pistol can also effectively use draw plays, counters, and options.

LSU used a version of the pistol last year.

I really have a better idea of what Ohio State won’t use offensively this year:

A-11 Offense

The A-11 offense is an offensive scheme developed by two high school coaches in California. It offers the appearance of having all 11 players in the field eligible to catch the ball, and any six of the eleven players can interchangeably become eligible on any given play with two quarterbacks in shotgun formation.

The base offense consists of a center and two tight ends surrounding the football, three receivers split right, three receivers split left. The number of players on each side of the center can vary, as long as there are at least seven players on the line of scrimmage.

Ohio State will not use this because it’s an illegal formation in NCAA football.

Wishbone Offense

Could you imagine Terrelle Pryor, Beanie Wells, Brandon Saine and Maurcie Wells or Boom Herron in the backfield at the same time, running the triple option made famous by Oklahoma in the 1970s?

I can, but that’s never going to happen.

Single-Wing Offense

This offense, developed by Pop Warner at the University of Pittsburgh back in the 1910s, lost its popularity after World War II, though it could be considered a precursor to today’s shotgun and spread offenses.

Back in the day, the single-wing offense consisted of an unbalanced line of seven, a quarterback, halfback, fullback, and a wingback. Sometimes the direct snap didn’t go to the quarterback, but rather the halfback or fullback. In this old-school offense, the quarterback had to be a good blocker.

While Florida coach Urban Meyer uses some aspects of this offense, I don’t think Ohio State will.

One thing that I can guarantee you is that you will see several new wrinkles to Ohio State’s offense against USC, compare to the rather tame play-calling you will see in the Buckeyes’ first two games against Youngstown State and Ohio.

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Quarterback Joe Bauserman is having fun…


….as James Laurinaitis bears down on Beanie.


This is how Terrrell rolls…


…as Coach Tressel minus the vest looks on.


Quarterack Todd Boeckman eying his target.


And estimated 12,000 fans attended the practice.
All photos by Terry Gilliam – Associated Press
because I was not allowed to bring my camera.

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Right: Ohio State’s Michael Jenkins (right) hauling in the game-winner.
AP Photo

There are exactly 12 days until Ohio State’s first game, and coincidentally, there was a certain No. 12 who scored the game-winning touchdown in what could arguably be the greatest play in the history of Buckeye football.

Thanks to the Big Ten Network, the 2002 Ohio State-Purdue contest was replayed on Sunday afternoon, billed as one of the conference’s “greatest games.”

I’m not so sure about that after viewing it again because there was some ugly football played on that gray, windy day in West Lafayette, Indiana, back on November 9, 2002, but the ending was spectacular.

In the first quarter, a pass thrown by Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel was intercepted by linebacker Niko Koutouvides, giving the Boilermakers great field position at the OSU 23 yard line.

Two straight completions by Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton put the Boilermakers in a first-and-goal situation at the six yard line before the Buckeye defense held firm. After three plays netted two yards, Berin Lacevic connected on a 21-yard field goal with 42 seconds left in the opening stanza to give PU a 3-0 lead.

There was no more scoring until the last play of the second quarter when Ohio State had to rush their field goal-kicking unit out and Mike Nugent drilled a 22-yarder that tied the game at 3-all right before halftime.

During that drive with 19 seconds left, the Buckeyes faced a third-and-9 at the PU 12 yard line when Krenzel scrambled out of the pocket and gained seven yards on the ground. The problem was, Ohio State was out of timeouts and Krenzel didn’t get passed the first down marker, which led to the kicking team having to run out on to the field.

Purdue head coach Joe Tiller argued that the snap came after all zeros were displayed on the game clock, but replays clearly showed that the ball was on its way to the holder before time expired.

Purdue later reclaimed the lead with 7:30 remaining in the fourth quarter when Lacevic hugged the right upright with a 32-yard field goal giving the Boilermakers a 6-3 lead.

Both teams traded punts before Ohio State mounted their game-winning drive with 3:10 left to go in the game. A 22-yard punt return by Chris Gamble gave the Buckeyes the ball at the PU 46 yard line.

On the first play, Kenzel was sacked losing four yards. On second-and-14 at midfield, a poorly thrown ball fell incomplete. On third down, Krenzel hit tight end Ben Hartsock along the far-sideline for a gain of 13 yards just shy of a first down.

On fourth-and-one, Purdue was obviously expecting a running play, but Krenzel dropped back to pass, stepped up to avoid the rush, and lofted a deep pass to wide receiver Michael Jenkins who hauled in the 37-yard touchdown pass over his right shoulder after beating cornerback Antwaun Rogers in man coverage like a drum.

Gamble, who played both flanker and cornerback against Purdue while also returning kicks for Ohio State, sealed the deal when he made a tremendous play on a deep pass from Orton which was thrown into double coverage. Gamble made a diving catch for the pick at the OSU 11 yard line with 45 seconds to go.

Buckeye running back Maurice Clarett, who had nerve damage in his left shoulder that kept him out of the two previous games, started and gained 52 yards on 14 carries. OSU also played without starting wide receiver Chris Vance, who was attending his brother’s funeral.

Krenzel was 13-of-20 passing for 173 yards with one TD and one INT.

Orton and Brandon Kirsch combined to throw for 285 yards on 27-of-39 passing, but Orton was intercepted three times.

Purdue finished with more first downs (17-13) and more total yards (341-267), but also turned the ball over three times to OSU’s one.

Sure, Ohio State had several close calls prior to the Purdue game in 2002, winning 23-19 against Cincinnati at Paul Brown Stadium when Will Allen intercepted a Gino Guidugli pass in the end zone with 26 seconds left.

Five weeks later, Ohio State needed a touchdown pass from Krenzel to Hartsock early in the fourth quarter and an interception by Gamble at the goal line with 7:30 remaining to pull out a 19-14 win over Wisconsin in Madison.

In the Buckeyes’ next game against Penn State, Gamble had a 40-yard interception return for touchdown that gave Ohio State a 10-7 lead early in the third quarter. OSU held on for a 13-7 win in Columbus.

Of course the Saturday following the Purdue contest, Ohio State claimed a 23-16 victory over Illinois in overtime, and Maurice Hall scored on a three-yard run as the Buckeyes survived two late drives which included another game-saving interception by Will Allen to give OSU a 14-9 win over Michigan.

But the pass play from Krenzel to Jenkins, also known as “Holy Buckeye” thanks to Brent Musburger, will forever be etched in my mind as one of the greatest plays of all-time in Ohio State football.

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Tonight, Buckeye fans will be able to get a sneak peak at the 2008 edition of Ohio State’s tackle football team as head coach James Patrick Tressel and his squad will conduct a full-contact practice at Ohio Stadium, which is open to the general public.

Gates open at 6:30 p.m., the players will arrive an hour later, and the practice is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m.

By the way, you can leave your cameras and Sharpies at home because photographs will not be allowed and there’s no autograph session this year.

But you can stick around for roughly two hours watching various drills and possibly a very vanilla scrimmage, since you never know who might be in attendance, so look out for anyone wearing Maize and Blue.

On Saturday morning, Ohio State had their annual jersey scrimmage at the ‘Shoe, which was closed to the public and the media.

Using the modified Stableford scoring system, the offense defeated the defense, 72-52, which means the “O” won the right to wear scarlet-colored jerseys at practice for the remainder of the season, hence, the name, “jersey” scrimmage, which pitted the first-team offense against the first-team defense, the second team “O” vs. the second-team “D,” and so on.

There were no official stats kept or timekeeping involved and the scrimmage lasted 165 plays. In perspective, there were 125 total plays in Ohio State’s season-opener against Youngstown State last year.

Coach Tressel had this to say following the scrimmage courtesy of ohiostatebuckeyes.com:

We got a lot of snaps in and a lot of kids will have a chance to watch film of themselves in the stadium. I thought they played hard. We’re coming off 13-straight practices so they weren’t at top-end speed, but I think they were trying to be and that’s the important part. The hitting was really good, I thought. Now the coaches will have a marathon film-grading session to see where we go from here. There weren’t many turnovers and some guys were making plays. Dane Sanzenbacher jumps out at me … he made some impressive plays out there. Brian Hartline, Boom Herron was probably the leading rusher. Maurice Wells looked very good as well. I thought all the quarterbacks played well. They all looked good. Joe Bauserman made a great play for a touchdown. Defensively, the guys who showed up, looked very sharp. It was good competition all around.”

Those who were held out of the scrimmage due to injuries or a risk of injury were wide receiver Brian Robiskie, along running backs Chris Wells and Brandon Saine.

Coach Tressel had this to say about Chris Wells, as reported by Doug Lesmerises of The Plain Dealer:

I’ve seen Beanie, he’s pretty good. I watch Chris in passing drills, he’s our best pass protector. I watch him in running drills, he’s probably our best runner. So I thought those other guys needed a little bit more.”

Freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor ran for a score while throwing for another, but had an interception on a tipped pass and a fumble.

Senator Sweater Vest had this to say about his highly-touted rookie, as reported by Ken Gordon of The Dispatch:

He didn’t look like a freshman. He has good presence for a young guy. It looks to me like he’s going to be very, very good. He’s got extraordinary ability.”

Also on Saturday, the Associated Press released its’ Top 25 preseason college football poll with the Buckeyes ranked No. 2 getting 21 first-place votes just behind top-ranked Georgia.

Of course, I feel that there should not be any type of poll until the first week of October, but maybe that’s just me.

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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