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Thursday, October 6, 2011

Nebraska Week

So Ohio State heads to Lincoln to match up with the newest member of the B1G this Saturday for what looked to be an awesome prime time game when the schedules were released.  The week leading up to it?  Not so much.  Gameday was scheduled but was then pulled in favor of the Texas State Fair, and for good reason. 

Nebraska, who was in Madison last week as Gameday traveled to the land of Bucky, got run out of the stadium by Wisconsin, who solidified their position as a legitimate BCS contender and runaway Big Ten favorite.  Nebraska actually took a 7-0 and 14-7 lead before Bucky did their thing and Wilson led the offense to scores (it seemed like) every time they touched the ball.  Martinez, who hit Wisky's defensive backs and linebackers between the numbers, didn't help matters as the Bagers converted turnovers into touchdowns and before anyone knew it, it was 41-14.  Bucky scored once more to make the final 48-17.  Enjoy the corn back home.

Ohio State, on the other hand, lost to Sparty 10-7 at home in the worst offensive performances I have ever seen from a Buckeye squad.  The game was 7-0 for much of the second half, and when Michigan State made a field goal in the 4th with over 10 minutes left, the stadium knew that was it.  A 10 point deficit with 10 minutes left and that was the final nail in the coffin.  Michigan State threatened once more, however Cousins threw an interception into the endzone.  From there, after a couple of false starts and a couple more sacks, the Buckeye offense had lost 18 yards and looked at a 3rd and 38 from their own two.  That about summed it up.  Bauserman had came in relief and threw a late (under a minute left) score, which avoided the first shutout at home since Wisconsin won 6-0 in 1982 in a driving rain storm.

Buckeye football has not been this low since the 6-6 1999 season and Ohio State will not be favored until the month of November rolls around.  They will be underdogs to Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Penn State (maybe not) and Michigan.  Right now, a .500 record would not look like the worst case scenario but a reality.

The Buckeyes enter Saturday Night's game as 11 point underdogs, and that seems very generous.  I am personally taking Nebraska.  If Ohio State looked rattled in a dead, half empty Sun Life Stadium against an unranked Miami team, do you think they are going to score more than 6 points in sold-out Lincoln, at night, after a bad Nebraska loss, looking to make their first Big Ten statement?  It could get ugly, and it could get ugly early.

Oh yeah, there's this:  Boom Herron and DeVier Posey, who had finished their 5 game suspension, are not eligible for the game because they had gotten paid for hours they had not worked.

From the Dispatch article:
Ohio State said Herron, Posey and offensive lineman Marcus Hall, the starter at right guard, will not be allowed to play on Saturday at No. 14 Nebraska for being overpaid for part-time work at Independence Excavating, a Cleveland-area company. The three were cited for their intermittent work — mostly during school breaks during the spring and summer — at firms owned by Independence businessman Robert “Bobby” DiGeronimo.
“Excessive compensation,” athletic director Gene Smith said. “It is in regards to hours worked and dollars paid.”
Two other Buckeyes were suspended, too: defensive lineman Melvin Fellows, who already is not playing this season because of a medical issue, and linebacker Etienne Sabino, who has been reinstated by the NCAA and will continue to play.
Smith acknowledged that the latest suspensions could further delay the final decision of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions on penalties for earlier transgressions that were discussed before the committee in Indianapolis in August. It now might not come until after the regular season. Ohio State already has vacated its 2010 season, including its Big Ten title and victory in the Sugar Bowl, and placed itself on two years’ probation.
In the latest cases, the NCAA and Ohio State determined that Herron was overpaid $292.50 and Hall $232.50. Any improper benefit less than $300 usually brings a one-game suspension. Posey was overpaid $727.50, and anything more than $500 usually draws a suspension of at least three games. The exact number of games each will miss will be determined when they go through the reinstatement process, Smith said.
Fellows was overpaid $292.50 and Sabino $60. All the players will be required to repay the money by giving it to charity. Sabino has repaid his



Number of games played
in 2011

So there you go.  Why these guys are not kicked off the team is beyond me.  Repeat violators, after the December suspensions.  They obviously do not care about Ohio State, their teammates nor any rules. 

More violations, more suspensions, a coach who doesn't talk to the offense.  An offensive coordinator who is running a middle school offense, and a road game into one of the most hostile venues in college football. 

October is going to be longer for Buckeye Nation than those of the kids who were getting chased around by Jason and Freddy, and it looks like the Buckeye season will be dead before the nude scene.

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