Ohio kicked the stuffing out of Pennsylvania last night in the Big 33. The score was 50-14. It could have been, should have been, even worse. It was the second largest number of points in the games history, which helped Ohio secure a third straight victory in the series. The level of talent coming out of Pennsylvania has been decreasing slowly but steadily over the years. Nothing shows that more than this legendary high school football all-star game, which Ohio has started to dominate since Ohio's best started playing in the game again. For a couple of years there was a schedule conflict with the Ohio all-star game. Ohio has won of the last nine games.

Players are more important than the game. We are all looking for who stood out. There were a number of Buckeye recruits in the game and they played a major role in this victory.

First, I am going to start with a Cincinnati recruit who was the games MVP. Akise Teague was spectacular in this game. He scored three touchdowns, a 52-yard run, a 20-yard run that was reminiscent of a vintage Barry Sanders, and caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Cardale Jones. Ohio State just couldn't get Teague in. I have a solid source that says grades are why he is not a Buckeye. What no comments

Things are quieting down in Buckeye Nation about the loss of Jim Tressel, and Terrelle Pryor leaving for the NFL. I am sure it will start back up as August 12th approaches but right now people are looking forward. In particular, the press conference with Luke Fickell being introduced as the coach has everyone buzzing. What is an Ohio State team with Luke Fickell as head coach going to look like?

I think it goes without saying that the defense will be even more aggressive. Jim Heacock recently made a statement that there have been differences of opinion between he and Fickell sometimes over the defense. I bet those disagreements were over Fickell wanting to be more aggressive when Heacock was preaching caution. I go back to the 2009 game at USC as a turning point for the Buckeye defense. We saw a more aggressive defense from that point forward. It is also about the time we learned Fickell had been given more input on the defense. That Heacock admits that he and Fickell have had some differences over the way the defense should be run says something about Fickells involvement. That the Buckeye defense will be even more aggressive is not in doubt.

The big question is what is going to happen on offense. I know Fickell wants to be more aggressive. I know he wants to have a more diverse attack. Remember the offense at Ohio State under Cooper while Fickell was here. I can't believe anyone would have a problem with that offense. It was a great mix of run and pass. We saw the Buckeye offense throw the ball to the tight ends. That is the offense Fickell saw in his formative years. My question is, can he run that type of offense this year?
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24 hours ago I was on a high like I have not seen in some time. The Buckeyes finally came in with an offer to super left tackle prospect Kyle Dodson from Cleveland Heights. When this class for started my idea of a great offensive line class was Kalis at right tackle and Dodson at left tackle. Anything else was gravy.

About 6 hours later I was watching offensive line recruiting hit rock bottom. A kid that was always a Buckeye lean committing to Wisconsin on the very day he received what a few months earlier would have been his dream offer. What in the world happened? Think about what has transpired. An Ohio born kid is so underwhelmed by an offer from Ohio State on the very day he received an offer he commits to another school. That tells me he was never excited about the offer. Not one bit. It may be a matter of what he learned during the recruiting process, one the Buckeyes decided to let someone else, everyone else, have the upper hand in. This quote from Dodson speaks volumes, "it just felt right and I think they had the best tools to help me fulfill my lifelong dream of playing in the NFL". Did he learn he was unlikely to get to the NFL through Ohio State based on his own research or did someone from another staff tell him that? The smart money is on the later. We didn't recruit this kid. Somewhere along the line the Buckeye staff decided to let him sit out there and supposedly wait on him to get a test score that would qualify him for enrollment at Ohio State. no comments

To say that Luke Fickell has a difficult road ahead is a bit of an understatement.  There wasn’t a vacancy at Head Coach, Jim Tressel resigned and Luke became the HC by default.  He didn’t get to interview.  He didn’t get to prepare and propose a plan for his vision of the program.  He’s simply being thrust into action and will be evaluated along the way for a scenario that is less than ideal, all the while surrounded by turmoil and the loss of the University figurehead.  He doesn’t get to bring in a staff of his choosing that compliments his strategic vision for the football program.  He gets to use the loyal assistants of Jim Tressel.  While they have an existing working relationship, we know nothing of the dynamic between them now that Fickell is officially their boss.  Are they disgruntled against the program or the NCAA over the events that have transpired?  Are they now working on their resumes in anticipation towards moving on to other programs?  Are some of them in the twilight of their careers and potentially preparing for life after football now that their loyal employer is no longer present?  And if that isn’t difficult enough, Luke has lost the veteran QB who is statistically one of the best offensive weapons to ever put on a Buckeye jersey.  Let’s also not forget that he will be without his starting Left Tackle, starting WR (where we are terribly thin and inexperienced) and starting RB for the first five games.  To add insult to injury, Darrell Hazell, who was instrumental in our offense the last few seasons, has moved on to his own HC job.  And of course Jim Tressel was considered almost universally as the overall brains behind our offense, leaving only Jim Bollman who has slowly been systematically phased out. 

Oh yeah…  More penalties are potentially on the way along with further investigations fueled by media grenades.

No, to say Luke Fickell is in a “less than ideal” situation is a dramatic understatement.  I struggle to find any other situation to compare it to.  So I ask Buckeye Nation and the OSU Athletic Department for leniency.  Evaluate Luke Fickell and more long term factors.  We as fans keep attempting to place a raw number in the mix.  As if there is a universally accepted metric that Fickell must meet.  But no human being can amount to that.  Buckeye Nation must admit that anything short of a National Championship for every season is a disappointment.  So what number is the minimum standard for Fickell?  Basing personnel evaluations on this particular metric isn’t valuable in the long term.  When we hired Tressel, we didn’t hire him primarily based on his Youngstown State record.  If anything, we hired him based on his vision for tOSU football team.  He brought with him the Block “O”.  He brought a vision of giving back to the community.  And he resurrected the commitment to academic excellence.  Our team was going to be winners on the field AND OFF.  Say what you will about Tressel’s transgressions.  But when you break it all down, Tressel was a success.  The community support for him, the player support and the APR rankings say so much more than the NCAA violations.  Violations, I might add, which are considered trivial in nature and violate no state or federal laws.  The point though, was that when we hired one of the greatest coaches in OSU history, we did it for far more reasons than immediate football success.  In fact, “immediate” football success wasn’t entirely on anyone’s mind.  We just so happened to be fortunate with a National Championship in his second season. 

We should evaluate Fickell in much the same way.  Initially, let’s throw out football success.  Let’s consider “OSU” success.  Let’s consider “player” success.  What does Fickell bring off the field?  How is Fickell going to make us proud when the TV cameras aren’t on?  Once we have evaluated those aspects, then we should determine the factors which make a coach successful.  I’ll go ahead and answer that for you.  Number one, and just about any coach will tell you, is recruiting.  Strong recruiting is the foundation of your team.  If you have better players than the other team, you have a better chance at winning.  So recruiting is vastly important.  It is the MOST important as it pertains to “winning”.  Next, I’m going to say staff.  Speak with any self-starter or self-employed businessman.  Ask guys like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Warren Buffett.  All supported by a brilliant cast.  Your staff supporting you is monumentally important.  So who does Luke Want to hire?  Who does he have contacts with?  Who wants to work with him?  What are his policies for career path-ing?  Will he create his own “cradle of coaches”? 

The point is hiring the next head coach is about hiring the man you believe in.  We want to win.  But a winning formula isn’t entirely on the field.  And so we should evaluate Luke accordingly.  Who is Luke Fickell going to be?

Well, immediately, as far as pedigree is concerned (and Duane has already pointed this out) Luke has it all.  You could not be more Buckeye than Luke.  In fact, short of playing for Woody Hayes instead of Cooper, you could argue Luke is the ultimate Buckeye.  He’s from Columbus, OSU grad, OSU player and has coached under Jim Tressel.  So when asking the question “Does Luke Fickell LOVE Ohio State”, the answer is an easy and quite loud YES.  He knows our traditions and he bleeds them to his very core.  So we know he is unquestionably a Buckeye.

As far as the culture around the program, I suspect he would instill much of what he has learned under Jim Tressel.  While the National Media may apply palm to head over that, even now I think we can all admit that Tressel was a good man.  A good man that made a terrible mistake.  One that I’m certain Luke Fickell has learned from.  In fact, I get the impression that Luke will be even more strict.  I suspect he has very literal tolerance for behavior that can damage the program or the team.  Having been a player himself, I doubt he is so sympathetic to those who violate the rules.  And given the circumstances, nobody is going to be too fond of a player that hurts the program.

As far as what we see on the field, I think we can continue to expect solid defense.  He is a defensive player and he has been a defensive coach, if not THE defensive coach, for most of the last ten years.  In which we have enjoyed significant defensive success.  So there is no reason to believe that will cease.  But the offense will be a mystery.  Having coached with Tressel and witnessing an offense whose primary motivation was to “not put the defense in a tough position” and one that believed the punt was the most important play in football, you would think he would be conservative.  But, Fickell also played with some of the finest offenses in OSU history.  He has squared up against the likes of Orlando Pace and Eddie George in practice.  He watched Terry Glenn make amazing grabs.  And I’m sure he really appreciated the easy position those guys put the defense in.  So Luke may not subscribe 100% to a Tressel offense, but maybe a hybrid between the two.  Which could be the secret we’ve been missing.

And the most important question, recruiting.  Luke Fickell has long been recognized as the best recruiter on the staff.  And thus far he has demonstrated that he’ll continue to bring in the top athletes.

So when we watch Luke throughout this interim period, let’s not target some arbitrary number that he must meet and ask that he exceed it.  Let’s evaluate what we are truly looking for.  Let’s not be afraid to ask for him to be exceptional.  But let’s not be so blind that we miss what is truly exceptional along the way.

Back when I first started the blog a friend told me there might be times I would want to recycle some blogs. Maybe throw up a best of blog from the past. I listened but I never thought I would want to do that. I never thought about how much one of my old blogs would be appropriate for the situation. I will tell you why at the end of this reprint of an old blog but first refresh your memory of this blog from early April:


Buckeye Nation has been reveling in the recent string of victories over Michigan. When Rich rodriguez was fired fans held their no comments

What else has happened?

OK, so some articles came out.  One alleges that TP got cars.  Fine, the NCAA has investigated this and are opening a new investigation.  He wasn't given cars.  Just loaned cars.  So that really is a minor offense am I wrong?  If it even is an offense.  Because evidently it has already been cleared in the past.  The only new thing here isn't the act, but its frequency.

TP sold autographed items for money.  Basically the exact same penalty as selling memorabilia.  The Tat 5 penalties only punished the players.  Not the University.  So if the NCAA stuck with the precedent they have already set, then nothing should come down on OSU.

But TP is gone.  So thats really the problem.  TP left without serving his punishment.  And so the NCAA is going to punish OSU for that?  OSU can't stop anyone from leaving the team.  But now we're expecting additional punishment to the team over actions that precedent has already established only warrants penalties to the individual.  An individual no longer non the team.  I need help justifying this...

Now, maybe all our problems surround Tressel...  I can deal with that.  Tressel lied to the NCAA.  He admitted it.  I get that.  But what has "OSU" done that was so wrong?  I can understand the NCAA going after Tressel.  Because Tressel, as far as we know, acted alone.  OSU has already let Tressel go.  What else can OSU do?

So if we are talking an eye for an eye, I could see vacating 5 wins last season, based on what we know.  Because 5 players would have been ineligible.  And to be fair, in light of TP making some extra money that we didn't know about last December, I could see vacating 3 more games.  Which is excessive for one player, but fine.  So vacating 8 games would be fair in my mind.  I can also see being put on probation.  After all, even though OSU did nothing wrong, OSU employed and recruited individuals who violated rules while acting alone.  So OSU should be more mindful of such individuals and that warrants probation.  We'll say 5 years. 

Last, obviously compliance has been negligent.  And OSU should be forced to re-examine, if not completely overhaul, their entire compliance department.  That would mean putting people out of jobs.  That would mean in this economy these negligent individuals would not be able to feed their families.  And because compliance was so negligent, I could see scholarship reductions.  Because obviously they can't even handle the scholarship players we have on roster now. 

But thats it.  We have fired our coach, forced our veteran QB off the team.  4 players, 3 of them key veterans at their positions, are suspended for the first five games.  And then tack on what I've suggested which is vacating 8 wins from last season, 5 years probation and scholarship reductions.  We'll be extreme and say 5 scholarships per year for 3 years.  Oh yeah, and completely overhaul our entire compliance department.

But thats not whats being talked about.  The nation is talking about post season bans.  Some people have mentioned the death penalty.  Why? 

Because OSU fired the coach who didn't report kids selling services and personal property for income?  Because a private individual allowed a player to drive his car? 

And whats worse, everything that is being discussed is for penalties against OSU.  OSU????  You mean the Athletic Department that turned in Tressel?  The Athletic Department that turned in the Tat 5?  All of which happened the minute they found out about it.  The Athletic Department that had nothing to do with any of the violations being discussed?  All the OSU Athletic Department is guilty of is not doing a good job with its compliance and monitoring.  And I would say cleaning out an entire department of employees, firing a coach, losing a star player, 5 years of probation, vacating 8 wins from last season and losing 5 scholarships per year for the next 3 years TOTALLY GETS THAT POINT ACROSS!!!!!!

We didn't have multiple staff members contribute to the deliquency of players.  We didn't have a father auction his child off to us, being the highest bidder, and hide behind plausible deniability.  We didn't acquire condos, or any valuable (or appreciating) property for a player.  We didn't instill a system of recruiting services with the financially backed motivation of steering recruits to our school.  We didn't have an entire season or seasons where we knowingly extended or mandated practices that other universities aren't permitted.  We didn't pay players.  We didn't gamble.  We didn't violate any recuiting rules.  We didn't have a drug ring.  We didn't give a father a new tractor.  We didn't provide prostitutes.  And we didn't even break a single law. 

The only thing OSU is guilty of is a few players sold their personal property for money and services and our coach didn't tell anyone about it.  Thats it.  And evidently that warrants the most severe penalties since SMU was nearly wiped from college football all together.

You have a problem NCAA.  You've been the biggest pussies in all of Athletics for 25 years over guilt from spanking SMU too hard.  And after multiple failures during that period of time, you chose OSU to finally make your stand.  You are going to violate precedent and punish those who are guilty of nothing (keep in mind, the remaining players and staff have done nothing or are serving their punishment) just so you can ruffle your plume in front of ESPN and say "SEE????  We are tough".  But you aren't tough.  You aren't strict and you aren't even setting any new precedents.  You are weak.  Like the cowards you are, you are choosing the one school who is trying to work with you to be your massive declaration of accountability.  Because dishonorable schools who don't comply with you are too tough of a battle.  You let them off easy.  Its the schools who provide you everything they can that get the entire might of your authority.

Look in the mirror NCAA.  You twisted your ethics and compromised your morals in order to maintain your delusion of amatuerism.  All the while you implement a system where players whose teamates that try to barter their own goods are punished more severely than the players who simply get money for nothing.  All while your member institutions profit from their abilities, celebrity and their likeness.  You created this. 

The only people who ARE worse than you NCAA, are Americans who will celebrate you for it.  And Wolverines...

When it was finally confirmed that Terrelle Pryor would not be returning to the Buckeyes I sat down to type up a hearty good riddance. As I was thinking what to say, I noticed some threads on the Bucknuts message board about him not returning. I saw him being thanked. I saw him being praised. I was appalled. Then I read some of those threads. I wish I hadn't. I don't want to hear what some fans are saying in those threads. Not right now.

The program is in disarray. The penalties that could be leveled against the program could be devastating. A beloved coach is out of his job. He made bad decisions but lets not kid ourselves. This starts with the actions of Terrelle Pryor and several others.
Yes, lets not forget about the others.

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Yakman is a very solid poster on Bucknuts. He has picked up something that Ohio State may not wait until the end of the season to name Luke Fickell the new head coach. no comments

I am going to have to remind you of something that you don't want to think about. No, it is not last Memorial Day which will always be a little more important for Buckeye fans in the future. I am going back. A few years back. Ohio State versus Florida for the 2006 national championship. no comments

Jim Tressel is gone. A really good man, the kind of man you want at the head of your program and coaching your son, is out. There is so much discussion of the whys and whatfors. If that provides you comfort then go for it. I am left just wanting to say it has been great being a Buckeye fan the last ten years. Thanks, coach. no comments