Updated: Brown has indeed suffered a leg injury per Ari Wasserman (http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2015/08/ohio_state_football_urban...).
Ohio State walked off the practice field somberly after and interviews were cancelled abruptly Wednesday evening. Now we know why.
Wide receiver Noah Brown, who was expected to be a main contributor in Ohio State's offense this fall, suffered what appeared to be a major leg injury, sources close to the situation told Northeast Ohio Media Group.
WR Noah Brown may have suffered an injury at the Buckeyes' practice tonight.
Strange situation at Ohio State tonight. Buckeyes just abruptly cancelled media availability after calling us in for scheduled interviews.— Austin Ward (@AWardESPN) August 26, 2015
Per Corey Smith's tweet, it sounds like WR Noah Brown, who was having an amazing camp, may have been injured.— Eleven Warriors (@11W) August 26, 2015
Ohio State WR coach Zach Smith tweeted this.
This is not our plan... This is God's plan. Have to have #Faith in His plan and stay true to Him - It will all work out in the end. — Zach Smith #Zone6 (@CoachZachSmith) August 26, 2015
Comments
So now they're only going to beat us by 4 touchdowns?
All joking aside, I hope the kid is OK and has a fast recovery, if the potential injury is in fact true.
Hate to see anyone go down with an injury.
We need some of our OSU buddies on here to give some more insight.
Per cleveland.com, possibly a "major" injury - knee or broken leg as there was a "pop" when he went down.
http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2015/08/ohio_state_football_urban...
that is no bueno! i'm tired of hearing all this injury news..its bad enough to get hurt...but right at the end of the off-season..I mean..c'mon! that really sucks. and it's happening with some frequency...which double sucks
If I remember right we recruited him pretty hard correct? I think him and his TE teammate that went to FSU.
Yes, both from Pope John high school. A well respected program in northwest NJ and about five minutes from where I grew up. The qb for them, Sonny Abramson committed to UVA. Still, not bad for two offensive players to go to big time programs.
Saw on Twitter EMT was called at 6:37 to OSU and it's a broken fibula and fibula.
OOOOOOHhhh. Ouch.
Tibia/fibula fractures are a big deal....think Joe Theismann.
I hate it for the kid and the program.
I hope he does well with recovery, rehab.
I thought Theisman was a femur fracture. Unless you mean potential to end a career?
Wikipedia
Got it. Thanks!
The image of that will never leave my head. It was gruesome.
And they kept showing it over and over....I still shudder to this day thinking about it. I hope the player recovers quickly.
From a friend of mine that follows tOSU as feverishly as I follow VT... Brown is out for season
So that means 4 of their 5 top options will be out or week 1. Could even see Braxton out there just to have another athlete with Michael Thomas. Suddenly the Bear could be seen quite a bit more then otherwise.
Wish him a speedy recovery, though he undoubtedly will get first class rehab at tOSU.
lets hope he's fully recovered right after another defeat to Tech and go on to win his conference .
That's a shame. Hate to see players get seriously injured.
It's official. Another receiver out for tOSU
yeesh is that 5?
French, any ideas about how this might change personnel or scheme. Single safety (chuck Clarke) deep with man coverage and maybe a bit more whip LB to crowd the LOS? I think we will see the Georgia Tech defense at some point in the game, whatever it is called.
I'm sure some VT fans are trying to figure out what exactly this means for Ohio State, so I'll try and shed some light on the situation. Brown didn't play a ton as a freshman last season, but after the departures of Devin Smith and Evan Spencer, he was expected to start opposite Michael Thomas. A four star recruit out of NJ, Brown was a standout over the summer and praised for his physicality and great hands. With all the receiver/H-back suspensions for the VT game, people felt comfortable that the much hyped Brown would be able to fill that void. The Brown loss is a big one and leaves the coaching staff with no real reliable backup options. Jalin Marshall or Corey Smith would have been the obvious the fill-ins for Brown, but they are both suspended.
My guess is that the staff may now be forced to turn to true freshman Torrance Gibson or redshirt freshman Johnnie Dixon. Dixon is also injured though and Gibson is promising but just a freshman. No real good or proven options here. Due to the complete depletion of the receiving corps, Ohio State may be forced into having to use a lot more two TE sets than they would like. I think this development also heavily tilts the QB battle into the court of JT Barrett. With Brown out, Ohio State only has one trusted pass catcher left and this limits the upside of Cardale's cannon. Running the read option just became a hell of a lot more important. JT is the man for that, not Cardale.
In summary, the loss of Brown is a significant blow, but it is exacerbated by the suspensions. Ohio State still has some firepower for sure, but they are on life support now with regard to the passing game. One more injury or suspension on offense and they are in hot water. Also, if Bud doesn't run the Bear after this I will be in complete shock. Hopefully Brown will be able to make a good recovery and be our #1 receiver next year. Bright future ahead. Prayers go out to this fine young man.
yeah if not for the suspensions I wouldnt be concerned for you guys, but speaking from experience when you lose 4-5 players from a single position group its really freaking hard to reliably expect production
Thanks for the insight. Any input on what this may mean to Braxton Miller's role? I think it makes him all the more crucial, but his short time at WR won't enable him to run a full route tree in time for this game. Do you expect much more than screens, sweeps, and gadget plays from him?
Realistically, I don't think this changes anything for Braxton as far as his role as a WR. I really think he will mainly be at H-back. The Ohio State coaches still probably feel better going with 3rd string WR's who have at least practiced at the position for a year. Braxton is still relatively green at the position and I don't see him filling in for Brown who was expected to be an extremely physical blocker in the run game. OSU's WR's are expected to be excellent blockers, and that isn't Braxton's game at this point. You can actually argue that Braxton would be more of a liability starting at WR. He will stay at H-back where he will get some pitches, jet sweeps and maybe even throw a short pass. I still see him as more of a decoy until he figures out what he is doing. Definitely a learning curve. Of course Samuel (current H-back) could be moved to WR in an emergency move in which case Braxton would have a huge role as starting H-back. Nothing would surprise me at this point.
Wasn't Gibson a high school QB? If so, that's two ex-QBs on your WR corps...interesting. Thanks a lot of the info, it's appreciated.
I don't think this changes much for Braxton as a receiver, but like was mentioned above, I could see the option game becoming a whole lot more important...and this would certainly tilt the balance in favor of JT Barrett in my mind as well. I think this would affect Braxton more by having OSU starting to try to implement much more of a power option heavy gameplan but not much as a receiver. Just don't think he's ready to contribute at receiver at this point and I don't think that was ever how they intended to use him, as a full on route-running downfield threat.
Just a guess, but I think losing so many weapons will force Meyer to go to more of a safety net type of offense he tends to turn to in close/dire situations. Used to be the "Braxton Save Us" offense and he started to turn to it with JT as he gained more trust with him as the season wore on. They tend to just fallback on the safety net of their known quantities instead of being concerned with spreading it around. I'd imagine that's going to mean a lot of Zeke, JT, Braxton and Curtis Samuel running the ball. I'd like to see a lot of either Miller or Curtis Samuel in the backfield...and even in the backfield at the same time as Elliott with the other in constant pre-snap motion and involved in the option game as well. If they aren't going to respect the passing game it at least opens up the defense to have to be ready for inside zone, counter treys, QB draws, power sweeps, jet sweeps, veer read option, inverted veer, speed options and even triple options...all to either side of the field if both Elliott and Miller/Samuel line up in the backfield.
It's a shame we can't keep Johnnie Dixon healthy and although people have been raving about Torrance Gibson, he's still only a freshman completing just his 2nd week of practice as a wide receiver after switching from QB. I say tweak the gameplan to go with a very heavy emphasis on the ground game and option attack.
Thanks for the insights. I was one such ignorant who was wondering if brown was a key player. Hopefully rehab goes well.
I think the depth at receiver is ok for us. I really believe that our young guys can step up and contribute. I think the biggest thing that we lose is a physically imposing blocker. Brown is a big dude. Also Eli Apple was just quoted saying "there was a point in camp where nobody could cover him." So although Brown may not have been a nationally known name, make no mistake, this is a big loss.
Thanks for the insight. I'm with you or everything except the bear, but I agree in spirit. It will probably be a different formation, but it will almost certainly be stacking the box. Semantics.
Agreed, maybe not the Bear but definitely stacking the box. Bud would be crazy not to at this point. He was going to anyways, but now it is even more of a no brainer. Ha, Ohio State might just be better off going with three TE's at this point and just playing three yards and a cloud of dust football. Just joking of course. Urban would die before this happened.
3 TE sets have proven highly successful against VT in the past...(Stanford Orange Bowl)
We finally have some beef along the DL tho. For once, Wiles has the ability to go jumbo if the situation calls for it.
And with Settle, we can go Super Jumbo.
Won't be easy to play him in a jumbo set and redshirt him too.
So we redshirt Tim Settle and play unknown walk on Jim Trettle.
Our defense wasn't exactly elite that year
"three yards and a cloud of dust"? We used to have the ultimate duster here at VT. Many of us were really happy when Dooley moved on.
Ah, yes- Irony 101! That class was awful.
I hope he has a full and speedy recovery! His health is a lot more important than a football game. I pray that no one else (on either team) gets hurt!! Can football season please hurry up and start already.
I thought Gibson was a QB?
He was, but with the logjam at QB this year he asked the coaches if he could play WR this year. This decision now looks a lot smarter on his part since he will have a chance to make an impact.
Wasn't he wearing a boot a couple of days ago? Nothing serious?
So was Hansen.
Yeah he was wearing a boot, but apparently its not a major injury. It better not be.
Okay, thanks for the info!
My thoughts on this conversation:
1. Braxton will get more plays added to his package (lets see where that goes - Phrasing!).
2. Heavy us of Zeke Elliott and other Backs - OSU is gonna run it, a LOT! This plays into our D weakness at MLB.
2nd point is true but if rumors/quotes are true looks like Bud might use Tremaine as a MLB/close to the line like he did Kendall vs GT...
Your perceived weakness at middle linebacker is going to look pretty silly after the season
I hope you're right. At this time though, that IS the weakest part of our defense based on trends that started since before last season ended. I am not the football expert on this blog, but there are several very good prognosticators here on TKP and there is plenty of their material to back up my statement.
If guys like Tremaine and others step up, learn the position fast, and help Moto and they play their socks off, I will absolutely love it. But, I'm not gonna put my head in the sand and deny that we have a weakness when its pretty apparent that we do.
To add to @buckeye476...
Brown made it on the field in 13 games as a freshman last year, ahead of some more heralded recruits and upperclassmen. He did so because Urban Meyer wants guys to be versatile. Brown showed up at Ohio State at 240lbs as a WR...he's since trimmed down, but he's big and strong. OSU's #1 corner said he was unguardable in camp because of his strength and outstanding hands. He started getting more and more PT as the season wore on last year because Meyer liked to use him in the run game as he was a very good blocker out wide.
One of the big things I think we're losing from last year is a guy like Evan Spencer. So versatile and such a strong, exceptional blocker as a WR, both downfield and in the box (it was his block that took out two linebackers to clear the path for Zeke's 85 yard game clenching run against Bama). I think Ohio State fans don't realize how much we're going to miss his versatility and how he was able to be so effective without needing the ball in his hands very often (though he did make some jaw dropping catches throughout his career as well). That's what I saw in Noah Brown this year. He was going to fill that void and be one of the unsung heroes of the offense that gladly did the dirty work and came up with a big catch here and there. With Corey Smith being suspended, I just don't know who else we have left at WR against VT that will be a capable blocker on the edge and/or a proven threat to make plays in the passing game.
Hate to hear about injuries happening to anyone. Hope he has a full and expedient recovery.
Meanwhile...
Yeah.....well.... We have CJ Carroll!
Checkmate.
Only 8 four star wide receivers left? Well then...
Meh, 8 available 4 star receivers that have never played a snap or are injured. There is a reason they were 3rd stringers before the injury/suspensions. This isn't a video game. You don't just plug and play.
Yeah, I figured that tweet was somewhat misleading in a vacuum, and I posted this before I read your comment which provided some good insight and context. Still, it speaks volumes to OSU's level of recruiting. Thinking about who we would have available if we lost 4 out of our top 5 WRs is a sobering thought exercise (Spoiler alert: There aren't very many former 4-star recruits.)
Yeah, I understand the tweet even though it is a little misleading. And some media people pay way too much to recruiting ratings. I'm sure some of these 4 stars will turn out to be nice WR's, but the problem is that they are green and not ready. It should also be noted that most of these guys left are of the short speedster variety. Very quick, but not physically imposing in the run game as blockers and thus not Urban's favorite choices. Urban has a reputation for loving speed, but what he really loves is good hands and excellent blocking. Very interested to see who he chooses to pick up the slack. Even on 11W, nobody really knows exactly who to expect. Maybe Joey Galloway or Cris Carter can still suit up?
Saw Galloway the other day. Dude looks like he could still play.
Y'all are still claiming Cris Carter huh?
Once a Buckeye always a Buckeye.
I think we should be the last ones to throw rocks at windows. Michael Vick is still a Hokie, and always will be.
Marcus....
I don't really feel like what Marcus has done is as controversial or widely criticized as the dogfighting. Most of his crimes are pretty ugly, to be sure, but I hope to someday see him pull his life back together and make something of himself.
Dogfighting is terrible BUT at least Mike paid his time and IMO is a changed man. Marcus has been given every opportunity to change and make something of himself and either can't or won't.
I'm not proud of what Mike did but I believe he came out a stronger and better person. Therefore I still have some pride in him being from VT. I would, however, relish the opportunity to wipe Marcus' association with the program and the university off the face of the Earth.
Exactly my point. I just hope Marcus makes something of himself some day. He's not the kind of person that it's worth wishing ill towards (at least in what I've ever seen of him).
Woops, I misunderstood the post I replied to. Watching people drive all day for work melts your brain.
Urban Meyer appreciates WR that block? Oh man, if only we had that sooner....
Several of them are upperclassmen who have not really shown anything.
i'm not sure if you're talking about Ohio State here. If you are, you couldn't be more wrong. Other than Jeff Greene they are all freshmen or sophmores.
Devlin McDaniel, Kato Mitchell, Joe Ramstetter, Michael Thomas?
Those first 3 guys are walk ons or at least started their career as walk ons. And Michael Thomas obviously is a starter.
Jonny Dixon
Curtis Samuel
KJ Hill
Terry Mclaurin
Torrance Gibson
James Clark
Alex Stump
Parris Campbell
are all freshmen or sophmore 4 stars who will be counted on. Hopefully 2 of them can live up to the hype a week from Monday.
In other news Joel Caleb is going to have a thousand yard season at WR.
On the other side of things-
4 of top 5 likely receivers now out for this game.
Career receptions by receivers not named Michael Thomas? 1. Only a handful of snaps too.
Players with any careers receptions? 5- Thomas, Elliott, Vannett, Greene (1), Baugh (1). For context VT has 15.
VT led for much of Browns recruitment. He had a teammate, Ryan Izzo, who we also led for who will start at TE at FSU this year.
Gotta agree with Zach Smith. Perhaps this is His plan to get us to the national championship.
Well, better yall than Alabama, USC, Florida State, or Auburn. If God is a football fan he will put someone new in the championship to spice things up. As long as new doesn't mean USC of course.
> As long as new doesn't mean USC of course.
Implicitly saying that you're OK with Michigan taking the OSU spot... ;)
This is a big loss, now we are relying on freshman WRs (some redshirt) to get down the field.
legs for you taking the heat on 11W like a champ.
Pandering like a boss.
dont think i didnt notice you in there either.
Man, that just sounds terrible. I wonder how VT would fare in that situation.
you never really know. It could be awful. It could be as great as knocking off the eventual national champion in their own stadium in front of 110,000 spectators.
I don't even want to think about the inconsistency issues we might face though. Could you imagine losing to a team like Wake?
I'm sure we'd still upset Duke, though.
So does this explain Cardale's tweet about controlling what you can control?
Hadn't thought about that... Could be.
I can't add much, B476 pretty much covered it better than I can. It hurts, since Brown was expected to have a breakout year. I suspect we'll see more run plays and TE passes as a result simply because of our experience at those positions.
As a Buckeye, I appreciate the way you guys stay classy about an injury. It says a lot about your fan base. Thanks and here's to a great game between two great programs.
I might be speaking for the group here but it's been a pleasure having yall here with your insight. No one is taking pleasure in an injury of an opposing team especially one to this caliber. the joy I have found in The Key Play is we can come together as a community about something we all love in Hokie football, but the vast majority also understand there is a life after that as well. Here's to a speedy recovery.
Here, here! There are still 12+ days a year where life goes on from the stands. ;)
Yep, it hurts but OSU isn't going to roll over either. We have Zeke, Samuel, Thomas, and the two best quarterbacks in the country. Oh, and the best offensive line. The WR core may be in really bad shape for this game, but we will just have to find other ways to get those yards that Brown, Smith, and Marshall would have gotten us. Having an excellent defense helps as well.
Yeah and thanks to all the VT fans on here as well. I've been really impressed with how cordial yall have been to us Buckeye visitors. I still hope we kick the living tar out of you guys on the 7th, but it has been a pleasure discussing the game with you guys.
Yep, it hurts but OSU isn't going to roll over either. We have Zeke, Samuel, Thomas, and the two best quarterbacks in the country. Oh, and the best offensive line.
Exactly. I wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating Ohio State. Wounded bears are very dangerous.
Thankfully they aren't UCLA then, wounded nuts are much easier to crack...
I think you mean Cal...
Aren't they both bears?
You can really only play one QB at a time.
And they're good, but they aren't the two best QBs in the country.
Don't go saying that on 11w.
you can say it all you want. I said both can be argued as the best in the country.
edit: wrong comment line
You can't revel in an opponent's injury, especially one this serious. Suspensions, though....different story. :)
I won't lie, when I read the news I did have a small celebration. Not because a player was injured, but because OSU wouldn't have such potent deep threat to let Urban run his favorite offense and stretch the field. Strategically this lets Bud skew heavily to run defense with less risk on the passing side. I hope Brown makes a full recovery and reaches his full potential, but I feel better going into this game knowing the over-the-top plays just got much harder for the Buckeyes.
Probably...but we have to remember that behind Nick Vannett, we're pretty dang inexperienced at TE as well. Marcus Baugh was coveted by the coaches out of HS, but he hasn't had much meaningful time on the field and has spent his fair share of time in the doghouse with ol' Urbs due to a couple off the field issues early on. Vannett and Heuerman pretty much dominated all first and second team reps for the last few years.
I hate to hear this. As someone mentioned above, it is pretty tough to put all the hard work in during the off season to get better, and then get hurt RIGHT before you get a chance to have that work pay off. Been there.
This is definitely a big loss for Ohio State. Make no bones about it. Right now, the receiving corp is looking downright scary....
OUT
Jalin Marshall - suspension
Dontre Wilson - suspension
Corey Smith - suspension
Noah Brown - broken leg
? Torrence Gibson - in a walking boot with sprained ankle
Those 4 would be starting on 90% of the teams in the country, so it's a huge loss of talent and production. It is what it is, so there's no point in sugar coating it. Gibson has ELITE (like future 1st round pick) tools as a receiver and might be able to play, but he's raw and missing camp with a minor ankle sprain obviously derails his ability to be up to speed in week 1..
H-Back (hybrid WR/RB)
Curtis Samuel - kid has the making of a star. All the talk is about Braxton, but Curtis is one of the best offensive threats on the team and is ready to contribute. He had a good frosh season last year and is going to be VERY good.
Braxton Miller - immense talent, but completely unproven and has had some hamstring issues late in camp.
WR
Michael Thomas - kid is as good as anyone in the country. Legit WR talent.
Johnnie Dixon - finally semi-healthy from a leg issue. Was poised to be a contributor last year before going down. He has the looks of a future stud if he can stay healthy.
James Clark - Started as a true frosh and was poised to be a good player for us, but suffered a nasty ankle fracture early in his frosh season and missed the past 2 years. Was crazy fast before the injury. Most felt that he would never bounce back, but he's had a good camp. Not sure what we have in him.
Terry McLaurin - speedster, but hasn't played. Not sure what he brings to the table.
Jeff Greene - transfer from GaTech. Started at GT, but hasn't been a factor at OSU. His only action last year he made a nice catch only to fumble the ball and was never be seen from again.
Then there's a couple frosh receivers, but I don't think any of them have made a real impact thus far. One of the pure WRs is gonna have to step up outside of Thomas. A 4/5-wide set is looking pretty shaky at this point.
Has there been any scuttlebutt on what the suspensions were for? I haven't paid attention to it because it's not my team, but curious about it from your perspective.
When the news of the suspensions broke, it was stated that they were suspended for academic reasons and/or marijuana. I think people came to the conclusion that Bosa was the one suspended for academics (cutting class was the rumor) and the others were for marijuana. Not sure there's been any update since then.
Yep. Insiders are saying Bosa was skipping class the other three were failed drug tests.
Could be wrong, but it's the general consensus.
So when the Hokies win again, it may come down to who has more depth after all.
(life is too short - let's hope for no more injuries on either side, so these young men can experience the opportunities they've earned to perform on such a big stage; and it's hard enough getting through college without having to rehab and limp to classes on crutches)
Good lord, all the leg and knee injuries to key players (both college and NFL) is pretty mindblowing. Wish Brown a speedy recovery.
In light of all the injury news this week, I sure hope our starters are practicing with sock'em boppers and bubble wrap armor. Next weekend needs to come much sooner. No more injuries!
I would have to go immediately to a chiropractor.
that looks like a blast
Looks like pretty easy way to screw up your knee in those...
But it does look fun.
It looks like a ton of fun but I cant imagine how hot it has to get in those things...
by the way, they offer this up at Mountain Lake Resort. $50/person for two hours I think. They do it in a field though (not hardwood, eeek) and they said once the weather starts getting iffy, they're going to stop. So...for those of you looking to do something stupid fun labor day weekend before Monday, there ya go.
Is there a game in this somewhere? are there rules and points or is just a mosh pit with a bubble on?
technically you kick a ball around and try to get it in the net, but, yeah, it's basically team sumo wars.
So, it's soccer?
but without the diving and writhing injuries that magically disappear after a player is booked. So basically what every soccer fan dreams soccer was like.
We'll be staying at MLR for the weekend, so if anyone does end up up there feel free to let me know!
Hate to hear about this kind of stuff, hoping for a speedy and full recovery for Brown.
Just adding my two cents to what looks to be the general consensus anyway.
I hate this for any player on any team.
Allen Iverson aside, you practice at 100% to train your body and mind to give 100% on the field, and having all that effort result in a serious injury just seems horribly unfair.
I am torn between never wanting to see any kind of serious injury, and also wanting to see amazing athletes doing amazing things, regardless of the team they play on. The second often means players taking risks that put them at odds with the first.
All I can do to rationalize it is to remind myself these guys are aware of the risks, and for the most part have immediate access to medical facilities and rehab programs that most of us can only dream of.
Good luck to this young man, and good luck to OSU.
That has been my reaction to the controversy, most specifically in the NFL. They know the risks and no one is forcing them to be there.
This is a total gut punch. When Urban Meyer talks up a kid as much as he has Noah Brown this off-season, then the kid is the real deal. Parris Campbell and Johnnie Dixon are technically next up on the depth chart, but haven't made an impact yet and Dixon had pretty serious knee issues last year. I think we see more of Torrance Gibson )if he's 100%) than most people think due to his size and speed. Someone needs to stretch the field. We had NO ONE open all last year and this is what makes me nervous. Michael Thomas is an elite talent - but so is Fuller so that's pretty much a wash. I don't think Braxton will be much of an impact this early in the season but we will see. I'm interested in seeing where we Play Curtis Samuel, who might be the best athlete of the bunch.
Its been mentioned elsewhere on this site but in light of the news that MTom is the only real proven talent left for OSU, I'm guessing many fans, buckeyes and hokies alike will assume that Fuller will just shadow MTom all night to take his threat off the table. I don't believe this to be true as Facyson should be nearly as good as Fuller in coverage back from injury this year. He has been the subject of much hype this summer and I think it benefits the defensive scheme more to keep the DBs in their assigned roles and just let Facyson or Fuller pick up MTom as normal rather than adjust to where ever Fuller has to trace MTom.
you don't think Braxton Miller will be an impact player at H back? ok. Torrance Gibson is like Terrelle Pryor long and fast two things you can't teach.
They still have the 1# rb #1 wr and one of the top o lines in the country. Oh and Jones and JT at qb both future 1st round draft picks at qb. No one can pretend to know what Braxton Miller will do but I guarantee you if Vt doesn't keep an eye on him at all times he will house one or two of his touches. But ya i just hope we can keep it close haha its going to be tough replacing Browns One catch from last year.
I understand that you just came over to TKP after reading about this thread on their forums. But after looking at your attitude there and your first post here, it would be a shame for you to besmirch the good names of the other OSU fans we have had on here for a few months...
No attitude. I'm just not blowing smoke like these other buckeye fans. Believe me don't ....believe me but this offense will be the best VT faces all year. I think it could be a close game but Ohio State will have to turn it over to keep VT in the game.
Yeah, you're not blowing smoke, you're definitely inhaling it.
Sorry, that one was hanging there. But seriously though, respect your opponent before you start commenting on their site.
I respect Vt just found it funny how Ohio State fans are spinning it like the world is ending because a guy that caught one ball last year is out. sorry again not trying to be an ass just wanted to let you know we will still field a team sept 7 ;)
I don't think he's being rude or offensive, he just said he doesn't think it will be close. To be honest, part of me feels the same way. We are still talking about the defending national champions trying to avenge their one loss last year.
I think this long off-season has gotten some fans so hyped up that they 100 percent expect VT to win, no questions asked, and get upset hearing anything to the contrary.
Just a level of homerism coming across in most of his stuff. Sure, nothing wrong with being a homer, just be a homer on your own site. The game will be what the game will be, but saying that our offense will have to score 35 to win implies two things. First, our defense gives up over 35. Possible, sure. Probable, I have a hard time saying that. Second, their offense will score over 35 with youth in the WRs. I expect Elliott to get his TDs and their QB will be fine, whoever it is, but outside of Thomas, the targets are just question marks right now. We went into Columbus with question marks last year and it worked out for us, but we had no idea what we were working with until the game started. To pretend that the question marks are answers is short-sighted and very homer-like.
So showing a measure of respect for an opponent that defeated you let year is "blowing smoke"?
I know it's not a common thing on 11W, but there isn't anyone on here saying the OSU is in "trouble". I think its a realistic conversation to discuss when a team is down 4 guys considered starters in terms of catching the football going against a team that is very good at stopping the pass and has been for some time now. Makes for an interesting point to watch in the upcoming game.
The best offense that Tech will probably face all year will be GT. They are annually one of the best under Coach Jerkson.
That said, aOSU will be one of the better offenses this year after you get some players back and work through starting issues.
Ok, I have to take offense to this...
Georgia Tech maybe more difficult to prepare for but many consider this Ohio State offense to be one of the most loaded ones in recent memory. They arguably have the best Quarterback (2?) Running Back, Wide Receiver, Offensive Tackle, and Offensive Guard in the country. Not to mention B. Miller at Hback.
Yes, they are down a few wide receivers in game one but don't expect Georgia Tech to show up next monday.
hell, I take offense to that. Then again, I'm the guy who tells people to shut up when they're chanting "over-rated!" I want every one of our opponents to be considered the best. If we beat them, we did something great. If we lost, well we lost to the best. That's why last year was so hard to swallow. We beat the best(anOSU), then lost to the worst (WtF)
who is this "arguably the best wide receiver" you speak of? Michael Thomas? eh... Pretty sure Boyd @ Pitt is better. And that's just one guy from one ACC team.
Todd Mcshay has him as the number 1 pro prospect at WR. He had some of the most amazing plays I've ever seen.
I def. think you can argue he is number 1.
As a rule, I've been up-voting all OSU posters. It's partly to make them feel welcome.
The other part is that if they start to be dicks, I can go change all my up-votes to down-votes thus accelerating the plunge to -25 (or at least making it appear that way). I highly recommend it. Does that make me a bad person?
Yes.
have another leg
I've been doing a lot of upvoting as well, but mainly because I think their presence has helped spur discussion and for the most part they've been very good to talk with and provided some valuable insight. I suspect as the game gets closer the homerism on both sides will begin to show through in full force however. The gloves are getting loose - I can feel it in the air... (air drums some Phil Collins). YES!!!
How is Pryors career as a WR going again?
tbd. He will probably make an nfl team as a wideout because he is a freak athlete. Gibson is the same guy basically.
He is fighting to make one of the worst NFL teams rosters. Changing positions from QB to another skill position is VERY hard.
Its not replacing Brown's one catch, its that OSU has to replace everyone but Michael Thomas's catches. To think that the guys who were slated to be options 6,7, and 8 at WR will have no trouble against possibly the top CB tandem in the country is just nave.
Crap like this is why it's so hard to repeat - even loaded teams can get hammered by bad luck like this. Really feel for the kid and hope he gets a speedy recovery. Terrible luck, and much sympathy.
With Ohio State's one game suspension for missing a class/failed drug tests policy and a whole lot of time between the bowl game and the start of the season... I really hope we don't schedule our big games (like you guys) week 1 anymore.
However, those guys deserve the punishment and should not be rewarded with such an amazing experience next monday will be.
Noah did not deserve this. I was so pumped to watch our "Hard Knocks" like show last night and couldn't even bring myself to watch it.
I guess the whole team was gutted, must have been horrible to watch. Hope they can get it together.
Here's an article about our backups if you're bored: Loss of Noah Brown
Tell us about those scheduling big games to start the season. USC, Bama, Boise, Bama, aOSU, UT, etc. Can put a damper on the season very early.
I'm still mad about the USC one. We were robbed I tell ya!
If you have played any football at all - from HS varsity on up - you know that sound that comes out of a player when his ACL/MCL/ medial meniscus gets torn (knee gets "blown up") or if there is a major fracture. It's sickening, but part of this game and always will be.
Speaking as a physician, I see two things that have led to perhaps more knee/lower leg injuries: 1) Players are bigger and faster. I tackled some big and fast guys in the day, and I chose to go low - between the knee and ankle - most of the time rather than get run over (because that's too embarrassing in the film room). 2) Targeting rules are forcing players to lower the point of impact, and I suspect coaches are teaching lower tackling because if you hit a guy in the chest, waist, or thigh, he may bounce off and keep going, but if you take his legs out, he goes to the ground.
But this particular injury to this particular player hurts Ohio State. No way around it. I have always liked Terry McClaurin. Watched him at the opening a year ago, and he was a stud in 7 on 7, and he had a nice spring game. Parris Campbell was a kid I watched in the OHSAA playoffs, and he was pretty amazing. But neither of those guys have done it on the level we are talking about that OSU will face on Sep 7. I think Dixon is going to be a star, but I don't know if he will be healthy enough to play and it's speculation as to whether he can do it. When you get down to true frosh like KJ Hill, then you might be in a lot of trouble.
One thing Ohio State players and coaches cited as enabling them to overcome the adversities of last season was "E + R + O": an event plus your reaction to that event equals the outcome. But there has to be a certain amount of attrition, that E+R=O can't overcome. Either some of the guys mentioned will be being lauded on Sep 8, and everyone will be saying that OSU is scary with their depth of talent, or Jalin Marshall, Dontre Wilson, and Corey Smith better go into the witness protection program. :)
I also think that quad/hamstring imbalance is playing role. Not nearly enough hamstring specific work to counter all the front squats, extensions and lunges.
I agree with this.
Obviously Noah Brown's injury was from contact, but now so many of these injuries are non-cointact.
You've got to think we're reaching the tolerances of the tendons/ligaments with these thoroughbred athletes which highlights any imbalances.
I also concur, Doctor.
Every time these these guys cut, jump, or accelerate, their ginormous quads are trying to shear off their knee ligaments and keep going in the other direction.
The amount of injuries this year in football (college and pro) is ridiculous. It feels like way more than usual. It stinks to see someone with such high hopes and expectations go down like this. The bad thing now, is if Tech wins, all outlets will say, "Well OSU were missing so many players through injuries and suspensions, that that allowed Tech to compete with them." I hope he recovers quickly. Breaking a bone is never easy, especially at that level of competition.
hey guys, not sure who buckeye467 is but he seems to be pretty clueless to what is going on with the Ohio state football team.
Here is the deal. Noah Brown is out for the year along with it his one catch from last year. He also had an end around for no gain vs bama. Ohio state has 8 more 4 star recruits that have been either hurt in the past ie. Dixon burner from florida, and James Clark who I was very high on til he also broke his leg early his true freshmen year. both are now healthy and ready to step up. keep an eye on number 83 going deep when Jones is in at qb. Its pretty much still pick your poison with the offense. Crowd the line and Jones will throw it over the top. Oregon tried to do that and got burnt deep by Jones' cannon for an arm. I think that VT will probably have no choice but to stop the run first with Zeke #15 being one of the best backs in the country. Mike Thomas is the number 1 Nfl wr on Todd Mcshay's board for a reason he is big strong and doesn't go down from arm tackles.
Braxton Miller is the x factor I'm sure they will have some end around run pass options drawn up for him and I think people have forgotten he was the most explosive player in college football at the end of 2013.
If VT wins this game they will have to score 35 plus as the buckeye offense is night and day from where they were last year at this time. I think it could be a close game but in the end the buckeyes are just too loaded at every positions and have had revenge on their minds since summer workouts started. Good luck and hopefully its an exciting game.
Welcome to the site, and thanks for the input. No doubt OSU is pretty loaded, even with a few injuries and suspensions. It'll be an interesting game on both sides of the ball all night.
One thing though, I think saying that Oregon "crowded the line" might be a bit generous. I've watched that game a few times since the season, and this was an all-too-familiar look.
French has said it, Bud has said it, everyone has said it: VT plays a very different style of defense than the teams OSU faced at the end of last year. OSU is very, very good, but this is one matchup that, schematically, favors VT.
How does Bud Scheme for Braxton at H back? serious question not being a smart ass lol.
Last year he made him an injured quarterback. This year I think he's still more concerned with Samuel.
Agreed. Braxton is great with the ball in his hands, but he has two things going against him now.
1. A QB running has a math advantage that running backs/WRs just don't have.
2. Braxton has probably never had to learn how to block properly/run routes in his career. So he may be an asset on the 5 plays where he touches the ball, but he is likely a liability on the rest of the plays where he cant' block Chuck Clark. I'd be far more worried about Samuel than Miller if I was Bud.
How does anyone? No one has ever seen him there. If I am going to trust someone to figure it out, it might as well be Bud Foster. Its not like OSU didn't use top end H-backs last year in the VT game and got shut down.
Miller could be the supreme X factor. If he tears it up, Hokies probably won't have an answer. If he looks like a guy playing that position for the first time in an actual game against a top end D, or he decides he doesn't like how his shoulder feels after taking a hit from a guy thats not on his own team, then who knows.
Same way he schemed for Wilson and Marshall at H-Back...
Stop the run, pound the QB. All other players become largely non-factors at that point.
Truth ^^^^^
Two deep against OSU? What the actual fuck.
Seriously. It took all 11 guys around the line of scrimmage for us to even have a prayer of slowing down the OSU running game. How Oregon planned on doing that with 9 guys, I'll never know.
Yeah, neither Alabama and Oregon sold out to stop the run. I think if either team could replay those games, they'd be more focused on making OSU one dimensional.
Pretty much every team we faced tried the same style of defense VT ran against us last year and it failed miserably. Teams eventually stopped doing it.
They tried their version of and poorly at that.
There is a great write up on this very site on how there were teams that definitely did not try and run the same defense against Ohio St. (Bama, Oregon for example).
http://www.thekeyplay.com/virginia-tech-football/2015/07/9561/what-adjus...
Furthermore, there were a couple teams that had moderate success, but lacked the defensive personnel. Indiana made it a tough until they just ran out of gas and Penn St. gave the Nuts all they could handle. Not sure if its so much anOSU figuring it out as it was those teams just plain not being good enough defensively.
Thought they were talking about us so I clicked on it; apparently not. I thought it was Penn State? Or was it Texas?
FYI PSU claims LBU. Don't tell them otherwise though...you have been warned ;)
Having 3 down linemen does not = a VT defense. Bud's players don't read and react, they get to where they need to be based on the call and hold their gap, with unblocked free hitters coming up to make the play. That's about as rare as GT's spread option offense. Bama played a particularly passive front and Elliott was able to get downhill before Bama's backers had a chance to figure out where the ball was going. I'm not saying VT will dismantle OSU or even win, but this game will look closer to the game played last September than any games played in January.
Knarcisi???? /s
I love your glasses, where'd you get them?
Long time lurker, first time poster. Great site and love the in-depth discussion.
I did want to correct a minor thing many of my OSU brethren have been stating about Torrance Gibson in this thread: While Gibson did have a walking boot on, he has been out of one since Tuesday
More anOSU fans?!?! How many more will there be??
Just kidding of course. Thanks for the update
Stop having such a great forum, with intelligent and respectful posters and we will stop coming.
No worries, I just applied for an 11W account.
There might need to be a filtering process.
But I want grandfathered in.
How does this affect Urban's quickness to abandon the run?
It is never good to hear of an injury. Any time you lose a player, it impacts your team. He was above the other players for a reason. How far of a drop of in talent and production is to be seen but it will still be an impact.
Methinks 2015 anOSU WR = 2014 VT RB.
except our RBs last year were injured one by one, not suspended for the opener wholesale.
and now what do you think? Fuller got smoked. If a bud foster led d could only hold them to 42 at home its going to be a long year for the rest of Ohio state's opponents.
We get it you enjoy the troll life but go on 11Warriors and do it there. Not 1 post until OSU wins and every one has been full of troll comments.
We had you on the ropes there. Then our starting QB breaks his collar bone and all game plan goes out the door.
He is an absolute troll and a clown for sure. But don't use the QB hurt excuse. It doesn't have traction with a fan base that lost two QBs last year and still won the title. A good team needs to have quality backups. Players going down is part of the game. Also, we had Bosa and 3 other big players out so we weren't at full strength either. This just isn't an argument I would run with if I was a VT fan. Maybe against any other team the backup QB argument would work but not us. Not after last year.
To be fair, not everyone has three All-American QBs on the roster.
It's one thing to say we would have won with Brewer. It's another to point to his injury as the moment the game shifted, because it was. You guys capitalized on our weakness and put the game away. And our weakness was having our wide-eyed backup QB in the game and doing fuck-all against your defense.
Yeah, championship teams have great backup QBs, and we're working on getting back to that point. We aren't there now. We don't have a Cardale Jones on the roster yet.
A solid response. I can respect that. Great depth being difference between elite teams and very good teams. And our QB wealth is a little unfair. Of course after this year we will be back to normal and then we will see what happens.... I think your weakness is also Braxton miller. I wouldn't leave him one on one with anyone. Then again, what do I know. I predicted he would be a decoy. Anyways, I do agree it would have been closer with brewer. I didn't care much for his bs bullet comment though. He was having a decent game, but isn't exactly Marcus mariota so not sure that type of smack is necessary. Regardless, he is a tough kid and earned our respect. Besides, our qbs have said much much dumber shit in the past. Anyways. Good luck to yall.
Motley was a Wing T QB in high school who didn't throw for 1000 yards in 4 years.
As said below not everyone has 3 all american QB who have played a substantial amount of time in a system.
Motley probably has had 10 game time snaps before this and all were probably handoffs.
I think I had you pegged the moment you set up your account in here. Your team won, but you are still a douche bag. Good for you
He's 46 down votes away from instaban. Just downvote everything he says and be done with it.
vtguitarman.. paging vtguitarman
Sorry, guys. Would have handled this, but I shut my laptop when the clock struck 00:00. Had to get up for work at 5 AM and honestly just didn't want to deal with the postgame fallout. Looks like the community handled the situation with minimal BS.