Even the guys who tote the ball recognize that the NFL is a passer’s league. No argument here. As this week shows, however, running backs still have a prime role in the outcome of games. When the weather turns cool, then cold, then frigid, and the winds begin to whip on the tundras, they will [...]
COLUMBUS — Indiana’s upset of Michigan State in overtime Saturday raised some eyebrows among college football pundits around the country, but it wasn’t a huge stunner for Ohio State players who know the Hoosiers as a tough out the past few years. Indiana (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) overcame a 14-point Spartans lead in the final [...]
COLUMBUS — The coaching staff at Rutgers knows the culture of the Ohio State football program as well as any opponent can. First-year Rutgers coach Chris Ash was co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Buckeyes for the past two seasons, including the 2014 national championship team. When he went to New Jersey, he snapped [...]
PHILOMATH, Ore. — The scoreboard at the edge of Philomath High School’s football field is dark. The stands are empty. This year, there are no varsity games that brought together many of the town’s 4,500 people. Hazing inflicted by upperclassmen on 11 freshman players at a conditioning camp has led to the season’s cancellation, investigations [...]
MADISON, Wis. — The East Division is best in the Big Ten going into conference play. Top to bottom, the league was tested in Week 3, though some outcomes were more surprising than others. Ohio State and Michigan State secured tough road wins, while Michigan sped past Colorado in the second half to win at [...]
The Big Ten heavyweights spent the first three weeks of the season beating up on lesser opponents while climbing the rankings. With five teams in the top 15 of The Associated Press Top 25 , more than any other conference, it’s time for the Big Ten to get to work. The schedule on Saturday is [...]
COLUMBUS — Ohio State coach Urban Meyer admittedly worries about everything, and near the top of the list this week is how the Buckeyes are going to run the ball Saturday against Oklahoma’s huge and experienced defensive front. After breaking school records for offense in its first game, No. 3 Ohio State (2-0) started slow [...]
COLUMBUS — Contrary to human nature, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is doing his best to find the bad in what seemed to be a pretty good situation. Despite the No. 6 Buckeyes breaking school records for offense in Saturday’s 77-10 rout of Bowling Green, Meyer isn’t dealing in hyperbole. He knows Tulsa, visiting Saturday, [...]
CINCINNATI — Round 1 was a raw affair in Pittsburgh on Nov. 1, when the Bengals rallied to win after a week of long-distance name calling. The rematch on Dec. 13 at Paul Brown Stadium was even nastier, starting with a pregame brawl at midfield and ending with Pittsburgh pulling away after Andy Dalton broke [...]
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Legends tend to linger in college football even after they are gone. At Penn State, getting out from under Joe Paterno’s shadow is more complicated than the typical transition from a coaching giant. After being the most stable — in many ways stagnant — football program in the country for nearly [...]