Woody Hayes has to be turning over in his grave. Ohio State and Nebraska just put the finishing touches on a 63-38 defensive struggle Oct. 6, in which Ohio State prevailed over its Big Ten opponent.

Big Ten schools normally would rack up only 500 yards of offense and score that many points in a single game when playing outside the conference against the “Little Sisters of the Poor.”

But times they are a changin’ in college football. Spread offenses and bigger and faster kids make for more exciting football and lots more scoring.

Woody always advised that only three things could happen when a quarterback dropped back to pass and two of those were bad. OSU quarterback Braxton Miller and Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez proved the former Buckeyes coach may have missed a couple more favorable options.

Martinez and Miller both are exceptional runners. Those skills in addition to their ability to chuck the football down the field put a tremendous amount of pressure on opposing defenses to not only guard against the run but to also protect against the pass.

Martinez completed 15 of 25 passes, accumulating 214 yards through the air. He did have one pass for a touchdown but also had three interceptions. The Nebraska QB ran for another 40 yards plus two touchdowns. The Cornhuskers totaled 437 yards of total offense against a relatively good Ohio State defense.

OSU’s Miller completed seven of 14 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown plus added another 14 carries for 119 yards on the ground. The Buckeyes racked up 498 yards of total offense against Nebraska.

The biggest statistic of the game was the four turnovers committed by the Nebraska offense. In comparison OSU had only one fumble lost. A plus-three in the turnover ratio will win nearly every time.

Past Nebraska teams played hard-nosed defense under the likes of Tom Osborne. Current Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini played on some OSU teams that played stellar defense and ground opposing teams into the Horseshoe turf. His Nebraska defense did not have an answer for OSU and Heisman candidate Braxton Miller.

Last year, Nebraska rallied from 21 points down to beat the Buckeyes at Lincoln after Braxton Miller was forced to leave the game with an injury. It was the greatest comeback in school history.

Although OSU QB Miller took some hard shots during the game he was always able to return and provide more dazzling runs that confused the Cornhuskers.

OSU improves to 6-0 (2-0 Big Ten). They already know that due to NCAA penalties their season will be over after the Michigan game in November. Crafting a perfect record and enjoying the holidays at home will be the only satisfaction awaiting this Buckeye team.

First year Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer has a history of producing Heisman Trophy winners. Will Braxton Miller continue his stellar play and be the seventh Buckeye to win the Heisman?

Tags: Big Ten, Braxton Miller, College Football, Fred Altvater, Nebraska, Ohio State, Taylor Martine, Urban Meyer, Woody hayes

This entry was posted on Monday, October 8th, 2012 at 2:21 pm and is filed under College Football, Sports.
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The longtime football coach Joe Paterno of Penn State University died recently after a coaching career of over 40 years. Many, especially the students and alumni of Penn State, considered him a legend. “Joe Pa” was the winningest coach in Division I college football history with 409 victories and personally donated millions of dollars to the university. Some would compare him to coaching legends like Bo Schembechler of Michigan, Woody Hayes of Ohio State, Tom Osborne of Nebraska, Ara Parseghian of Notre Dame and Paul “Bear” Bryant of Alabama. The question I (Mark) ask is why? Why is a football coach revered as much or more than any hero we can think of?

I have to say that personally I never really had a great impression of Paterno. I found his attitude arrogant and abrasive and he seemed to me someone who knew he was very powerful and used it to his advantage. He seemed to always want to defiantly want to do things his way. Right down to when he was going to step aside in light of the recent sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky. Rather than step aside immediately, he decided that he would retire at the end of the year. This was after many thought he should have retired a long time ago. The allegations of sexual abuse of young boys by his longtime friend Sandusky who was a coach on Paterno’s staff for many years, and considered at one time the heir apparent, are at the very least horribly disturbing.

Why was Joe Paterno or any other football coach considered a legend? Revered enough to have a statue erected in his honor. Loved enough that when he was fired students protested almost to the point of riot. Isn’t at the end of the day football just a game that kids play? I am a huge sports fan and my wife Lisa is in no way a sports fan. Once a year I drag her to watch one of my favorite teams play a game and I am sure she is humoring me by going. She would much rather be home in her jammies watching the latest episode of “The Real Housewives.” She thinks all the importance that people put on sports is dummmmmmmmbbbbbb! Maybe you really have to be a hard-core sports fan to understand.

Sports, first of all, is a divine distraction. Many kids grow up loving to play sports. Their childhood heroes are the best players on their favorite team. I can recall as a kid being able to imitate all of the batting stances of the players on my favorite team, The Detroit Tigers. Al Kaline, Willie Horton, Norm Cash and the rest of the team that won the 1968 World Series. When you reach adulthood and the disappointing reality hits you that you will never be good enough to play in the pros, you resign yourself to being a fan. You follow your team religiously, watching games on TV, going to an occasional game, and checking the stats every day. NFL football is probably the number one rated television show in America. We all have many responsibilities in life and when things get stressful we always have the distraction of watching a game or checking to see if your team won that day. If they did, no matter what else has happened, it is a good day.

Secondly, sports is a way people bond. Many of us have memories of going to a game with our fathers or mothers, brothers, sisters, grandparents, etc. It can promote family togetherness as we all gather for a party to watch the big game. I had the opportunity last January as a celebration of my 50th birthday to go to Detroit Tigers fantasy camp in Lakeland, Florida. I had the chance to hang out with boyhood heroes and “pretend” to play baseball with in a real Tigers uniform with my name on the back (check out the 3-part article “When a Game Isn’t Just a Game” from last year about my experience at http://www.toledofreepress.com/2011/02/04/retirement-guys-when-a-game-isnt-a-game-part-one/, be sure to read parts 2 and 3 as well). Al Kaline was actually there! The people participating were obviously true fans and even though I did not know any of them, we bonded.

Thirdly, sports teaches us many positive things. As for Joe Paterno just being a football coach, many would beg to differ. Colin Cowherd was discussing it the other day on ESPN Radio. He pointed out that Paterno rather than a coach was really a teacher. Over his career he recruited over 2000 players that he took under us wing. He taught them things like discipline, hard work, setting goals, perseverance, teamwork, character, tenacity, the importance of study, and much, much, more. A testament to his effect on people’s lives is how many have turned out to pay their respects. Even though I haven’t really cared for his demeanor, I bet if I really knew him I would think of him much differently. He was more than just a football coach and sports can be much more than just a game.

For more information about The Retirement Guys, tune in every Saturday at 1 PM on 1370 WSPD or visit www.retirementguysradio.com. Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC. NEXT Financial Group, Inc. nor its representatives provide tax advice. The Retirement Guys are not an affiliate of NEXT Financial Group. The office is at 1700 Woodlands Drive, Suite 100, Maumee, OH 43537. 419-842-0550.

Tags: Alabama, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler, Joe Paterno, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State University, Paul “Bear” Bryant, Penn State University, The Retirement Guys, Tom Osborne, University of Michigan, Woody hayes

This entry was posted on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 12:00 am and is filed under Retirement Guys, Toledo Business Link.
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A few weeks ago, a friend I hadn’t spoken to in awhile and I were talking and the topic of summer movies came up. One movie genre that both he and I are interested in are comic book movies, and this summer’s hottest comic-themed movie is “Iron Man 2.”

I thoroughly enjoyed the first “Iron Man” film, and I was excited to see the second film in the franchise. When my friend asked me for my amateur review of the flick, I summed up my thoughts, saying, “It was good, but it left me with a hollow feeling.”

A similar feeling washed over me this week, when it was announced that the Nebraska Cornhuskers were changing conferences to become the twelfth member of the mathematically challenged Big Ten.

Nebraska is a solid addition for the conference, and I am sure they will provide some initial excitement when they begin league play in the fall of 2011. But much like “Iron Man 2″, the Cornhuskers joining the Big Ten left me with something less than desired.

When Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany first hinted at a conference expansion, there was plenty of speculation as to which school the conference would court to be its newest member.

There were many schools that were thrown into the mix. Rutgers, Syracuse, Missouri, West Virginia and Notre Dame were thought to be the leading candidates to make the conference’s expansion dreams a reality.

But early last week there were rumblings that Nebraska was being courted by the Big Ten, and as the week wore on, reports surfaced that the deal was all but completed between the two sides.

On June 11, the Big Ten officially welcomed Nebraska as its twelfth member, and the school’s official start date on the conference company line is July 1, 2011.

If there was one word to sum up the move, it would be fast. That’s not to say that Nebraska was not on the Big Ten radar, but the likelihood that the school would join was middle of the road at best until last Monday.

The reason for the mediocre interest was a thought that the Big Ten needed a school that would make a big splash. It was thought that if the conference were to add any school to its league roster that it needed to be an elite school.

It is why the Big Ten was thought to be interested in the likes of Texas and Notre Dame. The Longhorns would add a powerhouse to the Big Ten that could compete in many different sports and would provide the conference with instant credibility.

For a long time the conference has had a perceived lack of competition for top schools like Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan. It was thought that adding an annual meeting with the Longhorns would stem that perception instantly for the three schools.

But the Texas scenario always seemed like a long shot or “Hail Mary” scenario for the Big Ten.

Notre Dame has long been thought to be the prize that the Big Ten coveted. The Irish have everything that the league would want. Instant brand recognition, a nationwide fan base (especially in the Midwest) for higher TV revenue and close proximity to other member schools are just to name a few of the perks that would come with such a union.

But with its own national television contract, that isn’t split 12 ways, Notre Dame has held firm in its stance to not join the Big Ten.

With the initial high aspirations, the Nebraska move lacks the gravitas that the other schools would.

Nebraska has a fine football tradition, and I don’t want to slight that. In my lifetime, I witnessed the Huskers dominate the college football landscape through the 1980s and 1990s. But recently Nebraska has not been the powerhouse it once was.

Plus with the Big Ten supposedly coveting a school that was a big TV draw, Lincoln, Nebraska, where the Cornhuskers are based, doesn’t exactly scream big TV market.

In the end, both sides are saying they got what they wanted. The Big Ten got its twelfth member, which is a respectable addition. Nebraska will get what it wants, which is higher TV dollars.

But the move begs the question, once the honeymoon between the two ends, will the Big Ten find itself in the same spot it did at the beginning of last week? With Nebraska lacking that earth moving punch that the conference so desperately wanted, it will be interesting to see what if the outlook is so rosy down the road.

Chris Schmidbauer is sports editor for the Toledo Free Press and the Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at cschmidbauer@toledofreepress.com. He also can be heard every Tuesday at 11 AM on the Odd Couple Sports Show on Fox Sports Radio 1230 WCWA.

Tags: Big 10, Cheap Seats, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at 8:02 am and is filed under Sports, The Cheap Seats.
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