Skull Session: TreVeyon Henderson is ‘good to go’ for Maryland, Craig Young change positions again and Mitch Rossi back

by



[ad_1]

Ryan Day met the media yesterday and while it was heartwarming to hear the confirmation that TreVeyon Henderson is okay whether it’s a straight end or a full end or a full end or whatever. ‘Either way, former accompanist Mitch Rossi kind of stole the show. As you will recall, Rossi, a tight winger on the roster, electrified Buckeye Nation with a touchdown in the backfield against Rutgers.

Here’s Rossi with CJ Barnett and it looks like he’s planning to bring the back position back to the forefront.

“The full-back has been phased out … I want to be part of the revolution.” That’s what we’re here for, Mitch.

But hey, Rutgers is in the rearview mirror as Day and company turn to Maryland. Unfortunately for the Terps, they will be without electric wide receiver Dontay Demus Jr. after a nasty left knee injury suffered against Iowa required surgery.

The guy had already amassed over 500 yards receiving in just over four games. Hopefully the youngster achieves a quick and full recovery allowing him to wreak havoc on the Terps next year.

CRAIG YOUNG, SWISS ARMY KNIFE. Even without Demus, the Terps still bring an explosive offense to Columbus on Saturday. Behind quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland is 13th in passing offense with 317 yards per game and 24th in total offense with 469 yards per game.

Obviously, keeping Tagovailoa in check will be key and the Ohio State high school has made strides as guys like Denzel Burke, Ronnie Hickman and Cameron Martinez have become legitimate playmakers for the Buckeyes. With this trio, and others, escalating, Ohio State has improved to No. 43 in the nation in yards per authorized pass attempt and its seven interceptions rank 10th in the nation.

Of course, slowing down the pass without getting nicked to the ground requires flexibility in both schemes, which include more of Cover 2, and player attributes. As such, Day spoke yesterday of former linebacker and now former bullet point Craig Young returning to safety to give the Buckeyes extra depth and versatility.

“I think Ronnie did a really good job. He’s obviously been very, very productive, and we’re sending Craig into a little different role there, and so he’s sort of finding his way into this new role. I’m trying to find a way for us to bring them both onto the pitch because they’re both very talented.

At 6-foot-3 and 222 pounds, Young has the size to withstand the run as well as the speed and quickness to be a cover factor. It will be interesting to see if Young actually plays a bigger role for the Buckeyes as the conference continues.

HOOPS! HERE IT IS. The Big Ten yesterday announced rush hours and network assignments for much of the Ohio State’s 2021-22 men’s basketball season. I know we all have football fever, but it’s crazy to think Chris Holtmann’s side are playing their first exhibition game in less than a month (November 1 vs. Indianapolis) and are only 34 days away. of the opening game against Akron.

It looks like a pivotal year for Holtmann as he begins his fifth season at the helm. In the previous four seasons, the Buckeyes have finished second to the Big Ten in the first year, followed by an 8th place finish the second year and a 5th place finish the last two seasons in a super-competitive conference.

Holtmann has done a good job attracting talent with EJ Liddell headlining and after going 2-3 in the NCAA tournament in the first four seasons reaching second weekend for the first time seems to be a must for its program. I’m sure everyone involved is motivated to wash away the taste of last season’s disappointing loss to No. 15 seed Oral Roberts in the first round after reaching the Big Ten tournament final.

It should be a fun ride watching Liddell do his thing, Meechie Johnson maybe take a huge leap, Zed Key explode his fingers and Malaki Branham may be probably bursting out as a real freshman, among other intrigues.

Highlights of the non-conference slate include:

  • Thursday, November 18: Gavitt Games game with Xavier in Cincinnati at 6:30 p.m. ET

  • Monday November 22 and Wednesday November 24: Ft. Myers Tip-Off Classic vs. Seton Hall and Cal or Florida in Game 2

  • Tuesday November 30: Home meeting against Duke in the ACC / B1G Challenge

  • Wednesday, Dec. 8: Weekdays warning at 9 p.m. ET – crosscheck grades – Towson lolol

  • Saturday, December 18: Ohio State faces Kentucky at 5 p.m. ET in Las Vegas for the CBS Sports Classic

The conference will be loaded again, so I’m not going to crush the host of big games.

85 METERS IN THE SOUTHERN CENTER. Steven Godfrey at Secret Base set the stage and examined the significance of Ezekiel Elliott’s grueling 85-yard run against Alabama in the 2015 Sugar Bowl in a short that’s worth 11 minutes of your time. I actually just watched the condensed version of this game last week and two totally random and unimportant things struck me next to all the things that were so important about this game. Firstly, Corey Smith was a sacred shooter. Second, Evan Spencer had a catch in the first quarter that was even more spectacular than his touchdown pass to Mike Thomas. Anyway, look at this. And remember, it’s never too late to score the best-selling jersey in 11W history yourself. Where and a loved one.

LOU HOLTZTH OUT HERE FLYING IN DAYLIGHT. So, I freely admit that I assumed Lou Holtz invented the Play Like A Champion mantra and by extension, the cool sign that hangs above the Notre Dame locker room corridor leading to the pitch.

It turns out that while Holtz claims to have brought back the mantra after reading about it in a Notre Dame football history book that no one can locate, it seems the roots go back most neatly to Bud Wilkinson of Oklahoma using a similar sign an exact slogan, dating back to the late 1940s.

ESPN.com’s Dave Wilson wrote an excellent column on the tagline and history of signs that you should check out even if you don’t care about Notre Dame more than I do.

Interestingly enough, Oklahoma and Notre Dame were both too dumb (or maybe just not greedy enough – you know OSU would move on to legally own that shit in the blink of an eye) to score the point. and at the end of last month, a group titled by Holtz, former Irish quarterback Rick Mirer and wide receiver Derrick Mayes are the proud owners.

Holtz claims that the use and possible invention of Oklahoma was new to him.

“You just mentioned the first time I knew Oklahoma said they had this sign,” he told ESPN.com last week. “I never knew Oklahoma even had the sign. And if they had it in the 40s, ours was in the 30s, I’ll tell you, because it was an old book. So, yes, I’m not worried about that. [trademark] now, and we’ll move on … Now how they’ve played the last couple of weeks? Oklahoma must hit this sign twice. ”

Lol okay, Lou. And how are you going to zinc Oklahoma when the success of this program has eclipsed that of Notre Dame for too years to be counted?

There’s a lot more to the long story than what’s captured here – it’s definitely worth reading – including how the lady who painted the panel for Holtz held the trademark rights for a while.

Whichever way you slice it up, the lore of Play Like A Champion is largely tied to Notre Dame, but former Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer eloquently explained what fans of Sooner feel about it.

“I really don’t care, you know? We know the truth.”

25 YEARS AGO YESTERDAY. I’m a horrible person willing to admit that the current version of Lee Corso is one of the many reasons I can’t watch College Gameday anymore but the dude is a legend and 25 years ago yesterday his most famous schtick was born on the banks of the Olentangy. Greet.

SONG OF THE DAY. Phish and Neil Young, by the river. Live Help, 1998.

Pebbles and marbles. The president of the University of Michigan, Mark Schlissel, will resign in 2023 … Alan Kalter’s Best Moments – RIP, sir … SweetWater 420 Fest has unveiled a solid lineup for 2022, headlining the Oysterhead and Trey Anastasio Band … Crappy leadership costs the Columbus Zoo accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums … that Skull session influenced by Blood Oath Covenant # 5.



[ad_2]

Source link