No Playoff in Sight

I was sitting with my father watching the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl, which utilizes the pantheon that is Yankee Stadium and the huge market of New York City to feature the match-up between perennial powerhouses Syracuse and Kansas State (note the sarcasm here).

He asked me, "So how many bowl games do they have now?"

I replied, "Thirty-five."

He chuckled for a few seconds and simply said, "Ridiculous."

And that got me thinking. It is ridiculous that 70 out of 120 teams in major college football have a chance to play in the postseason. It is absurd that even the most mediocre of programs are able to reap millions of dollars in financial incentives. The minimum payout to schools playing in bowl games is $750,000, according to USA Today, and the NCAA and conferences often lend additional funds to subsidize the costs incurred by the universities. But the worst part of the whole racket is that these "mid-major" schools (to use a basketball term) often see a bottom-line deficit, even after all the money is paid out. Between travel and housing for the team and absorbing the cost of unsold tickets, many schools end up in the red by the time the game is played. So why continue with this practice of the NCAA and sponsor companies throwing around millions of dollars if many schools never see any of it?

The answer: the BCS automatic qualifying conferences have a stranglehold on the money. See, this is where the light bulb should begin to flicker above your head. AQ conferences receive over 90 percent of the profits from the bowl games. So the long and short of it is that smaller schools get left by the wayside because smaller schools are not making anyone any money. People pay to see Ohio State play Florida, not to see Ohio University play Central Florida. Most of the funds from the postseason are diverted to Ohio State and Florida (in this scenario), while the OUs and the UCFs of America put in the same amount of work for little or no money (didn't that used to be a civil rights violation or something?).

So how could one address this natural inequity that exists in the current college football system? Aha! A playoff! That light bulb should be shining brilliantly now because a playoff system is a brilliant solution. All things are equal when two teams step on the field. Obviously, one team will be more talented or well-prepared than the other, leading one to win and one to lose. However, we are all familiar with the "every given Saturday" phenomenon, meaning that any team can beat any other if given the chance. If a playoff system existed, the NCAA could drop all of the 6-and-6 stragglers that make it into the Armed Forces Bowl now and let the best 8, 12, or 16 teams settle it among themselves. That's right, no December 18 bowl games that no one besides the parents of the players care about. No automatic qualifiers; as one can readily see, UConn is not one of the top ten teams in the country (in fact, they are not even one of the top 25). Just the best teams competing for the ultimate prize. It truly seems like the answer. Small school do not have to incur any losses from bowl expenses, and the fans see the best possible product on the field. So what's stopping the NCAA?

Unfortunately, we can't forget the big schools in this whole situation. Although sponsors will undoubtedly line up to get their names on anything related to a college football playoff, it will admittedly be awkward to market a football game with the moniker "Under Armour First-Round Game." If sponsors disappear, then so does a large chunk of the profits. If the profits disappear, then the big schools will be unhappy. And an unhappy baby makes for uncomfortable parents.

The parents in this case: the NCAA. The NCAA does not want its breadwinners to turn on it. What course of action the major schools would have in this situation is a question I cannot entirely answer. But the question of a college football playoff, I believe, has been answered vehemently for the near (and possibly distant) future. The NCAA goes where the money is, and the money is more likely to come from the Little Caesar's Bowl than a playoff game. Unless, of course, you're a non-AQ football program. But let's just keep that between us.

Hypocrisy and Inconsistancy

Good afternoon class, today the letter is 'H', which in these past two years has stood for "hypocrisy". It kind of stinks when there are so many examples of hypocrisy in sports. I used to think that hypocrisy was reserved for politicians and parents who use the "do as I say and not as I do" method of parenting. However, to find true hypocrisy and inconsistancy in sports no one needs to go much further than the NFL, or even our great university, THE Ohio State University.

The first example that comes to my mind is one with legal implications. Think of Michael Vick. Scorned and hated for being the head of one of the largest dogfighting rings in recent history (the man had merchandise and everything for the ring, "Bad Newz Kennels"). He disgusted all of us and was imprisoned for two years (people still debate if this sentence was too harsh or lenient) and was made an example. Not a person in the country didn't know who about Mike Vick.

Then came along Plaxico Burress and Donte Stallworth. Many people know of Burress, who was in a Manhattan nightclub when he shot himself with his own registered gun (which he had a license to carry as a concealed weapon) and was sent to jail for two years. So the man that had every right to carry this gun goes to jail for the same amount of time as the guy who was a professional dog killer. Okay, interesting... Oh, but it gets better!

Stallworth, also an NFL player, was driving drunk one night during the offseason when he struck and killed a pedestrian. His jail time? One month (30 days). So the dude that killed a man gets less time than the dog killer and the guy that shot himself? Those rulings were about as consistant as a pile of quick sand. I don't care how many dogs Vick killed, it doesn't amount to the worth of a human life. I think the jail time should reflect that. The fact that Burress was locked up for accidently shooting himself with a gun he is legally allowed to carry continues to perplex me.

Then we have our beloved university. Terrelle Pryor, DeVier Posey, Boom Herron, Mike Adams, Solomon Thomas and Jordan Whiting were suspended for selling their jerseys, championship rings and other memorabilia.

So if you didn't know, the NCAA and our university makes a lot of money off of college football. Our university makes so much, that it has extra money which funds every other sport and still has leftover money for stuff like the library and other things. No other university makes nearly enough money to be a completely self-sustained athletic department except for the university of Texas. This means that at every other school, sports not named football or basketball (which have all the major TV network contracts like ESPN or CBS or FOX) are essencially deficits to maintain, which is why you hear about those schools cutting sports.

The point is, millions upon millions are made off of college football. Ticket prices, TV contracts and merchandise. Other than the $200,000 estimated worth of a full-ride scholarship and the 15 minutes of fame players are afforded, they can make no real money off of their own name (ever wonder why they sell number 2 jerseys without Pryor's name on the back?). That goes for after the players graduate as well. So the NCAA which makes millions off of players' jerseys and ball games suspend players for trying to do the same. I do believe the claim that players made saying they sold their memorabilia and likeness to help their families. Also, if the players don't make it to the NFL (which very few do) they never make money off of their own likeness while the NCAA continues to make money (they still sell Florida number 15 jerseys down in Tampa, Florida). In the real world, making money off of someone's likeness without their approval or atleast a small royalty is called copyright infingement. Of course, the NCAA makes sure that it's legally protected when a player signs with a university so that the player can't make the money that is essencially owed to them. In the meantime, these players are literally killing themselves for all of America's enjoyment (think I'm exaggerating, look up the ramifications to the body done by years of playing football, it's like getting into a million car crashes) while the people making the real money off of the players are old guys in suits who likely never played the game (the people who run the NCAA). Now tell me, who's wrong: the players or the NCAA?

Jets lose in shootout against Bears 38 to 34

(Long Sigh)...........Well at least its not over, in a poor defensive performance by the New York Jets, the Bears (who came off a divison win/a clinching division championship win) beat the Jets at home 38 to 34. Even though if the Jaguars lose or the Colts lose (the Jets get in automatically with either of those teams losing) their should be some concern within the Jets lockeroom of not getting it done against quality opponents, it has been the biggest criticism of the New York Jets (other than the off the field issues and Tripgate) this year because if they do get into the playoffs the New England Patriots, and The Baltimore Ravens (maybe even Kansas City) will be ready to go come playoff time to destroy the boastful Jets dreams of the Lombardi Trophy. The offense was in championship form today however the defense was in sleep mode allowing 38 points and
Matt Forte running for 113 yards and Jay Cutler throwing three TD passes to crush a poor secondary missing its defensive quarterback Jim Leonard.

The defense had its small moments of greatness, first intercepting Cutler and taking it back for a touchdown by Dwight Lowery to take a 14 to 10 lead and sacking Cutler twice (although it should've been more sacks and for the most part in the game the pass rush was non existent) but the question is where is that championship defense from last year that dominated opponents and intimidated them with every snap? As the Jets had great performances by Mark Sanchez, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes and the running game, the Jets have to wonder will they be ready to be a T-E-A-M that dominates on offense, defense, and special teams? The answer is still yet to be found but it better come quick because the playoffs is around the corner and a team that talked so much; it would be another sad moment for its franchise as well as its dedicated fans to lose with unfulfilled expectations.

The Real Fake Buckeyes

On November 20 after Ohio State defeated Iowa for their biggest road win of the year Terrelle Pryor (@TPeezy2) tweeted the following,

"Heard Kirk herbstreit was dogging us. He a fake buckeye. Fake as hell."

Pryor was apparently upset that Herbstreit, an ESPN analyst and former Ohio State quarterback, had criticized the Buckeyes on TV earlier that day. Pryor later deleted the tweet.

Today it was made official who the real fake Buckeyes are.

Five Buckeyes were suspended for the first five games of next season for selling some of their football hardware and must give the money they received to charity. They were not suspended for the Sugar Bowl.

According to Yahoo! Sports’ Dr.Saturday the five suspended players and their infractions are,

"• Adams must repay $1,000 for selling his 2008 Big Ten championship ring.
• Herron must repay $1,150 for selling his football jersey, pants and shoes for $1,000 and receiving discounted services worth $150.
• Posey must repay $1,250 for selling his 2008 Big Ten championship ring for $1,200 and receiving discounted services worth $50.
• Pryor must repay $2,500 for selling his 2008 Big Ten championship ring, a 2009 Fiesta Bowl sportsmanship award and his 2008 Gold Pants, a gift from the university.
• Solomon (Thomas) must repay $1,505 for selling his 2008 Big Ten championship ring for $1,000, his 2008 Gold Pants for $350 and receiving discounted services worth $155"

Also

"• Jordan Whiting must sit out the first game next year and pay $150 to a charity for the value of services that were discounted because of his status as a student-athlete."

What this all comes down to is the players, expect Whiting, sold personal belongings that they would be free to sell the minute they left college. They did not get money or favors just for being football players, but had to give something up.

However this is against NCAA rules (however stupid the rule may be) so they should be punished by the NCAA. The fact that the NCAA is not suspending them for the Sugar Bowl is troubling. It shows the NCAA does not want to hurt financially its bowl partner by helping to keep a competitive game, instead making the players sit an extra game at Ohio Stadium where they know the game will be sold out.

More important than any rule violations the five players broke (from here on out I am excluding Jordan Whiting) is that fact they disgraced what their team, the OSU athletic department, The Ohio State University, and Buckeye fans everywhere stand for.

I can forgive Herron because he only sold his jersey, pants, and shoes. All these things are individual to him so they are not as symbolic of the university.

Adams and Posey sold Big Ten Championship rings, a worse offense. If I was a team mate I would be disappointed, but as a fan selling one of your many championship rings is not a huge deal. So Adams and Posey, you are forgiven.

And now for the “fake” Buckeyes.

Terrelle Pryor and Solomon Thomas both sold their 2008 Big Ten Championship rings and 2008 Gold Pants. Pryor also sold his 2009 Fiesta Bowl sportsmanship award (oh look, irony!). The selling of Gold Pants is an unforgiveable offense. At Ohio State only one thing is important, beating Michigan.

What Pryor and Thomas did was spit in the face of everything Ohio State stands for (and for only $350!!!). They have disgraced all real Buckeyes everywhere. If those articles are not important to them then they should not have the privilege of playing football and getting a free education at Ohio State.

Jim Tressel has built his program on valuing tradition and beating Michigan. Tressel should kick Pryor and Thomas off the team immediately and remove their scholarships.

I feel disgraced as a Buckeye that these two are playing and starting in the Sugar Bowl or ever will again wear the scarlet and gray.

Winning is not everything. It is an honor to be a Buckeye and it should be treated like one.

Pryor and Thomas have proven they are fake Buckeyes, and I for one will only be cheering for the real ones.

Follow me on twitter @samober

Jets win the war against Steelers 22-17

This game was back to basics; the "ground and pound" theory was in full effect today in Pittsburgh as both teams ran the ball effectively. Mendenhall had 100 yards in the game, the first opponent to have a 100 yard performance against the Jets defense since Jones-Drew's amazing performance last year in a Jets loss. But this time it was different, it was the Jets who came out on top today as they keep their playoff hopes alive and their wild-card berth intact. The Jets came in losers of two straight and controversy with "Tripgate" but in the end they pulled out an amazing win as the Steelers were the favorites to win the game. What set the tone of the game was Brad Smith's kickoff return that resulted in a touchdown for the Jets. Then came Sanchez's huge 7 yard touchdown run to give the Jets the tie heading into the 4th quarter. Then Jason Taylor's safety changed the game tremendously making it a must for the Steelers to score a touchdown but it never came as the defense held strong at the endzone to stop the Steelers (who were driving down the field) from essentially winning the game in the closing seconds. The Jets continue on to Chicago with another tough task ahead; but with the way the Jets played today; going back to ground and pound; staying with it and being patient with every run; theirs no possible way the Jets can lose with that mentality.

Sullinger

The guy is a grown man among little boys. 6'9" and thick as an offensive lineman. He's got range and is quick in the post, and he's also too strong to contain. Jared Sullinger, who has two 30-10 games (40 pts 13 rebounds vs. IUPUI and 30 pts 19 rebounds vs. South Carolina), is simply a beast. The real scary part of it all- he's only a freshman and will continue to improve. If he and the other highly talented freshmen (like J.D. Weatherspoon, Desean Thomas and Aaron Craft) all decide to stay- look out! There could be multiple championships for Ohio State basketball in the next few years.

Knicks lose Heartbreaker to Celtics 118 to 116

Well it was a heckuva try but no win. After another powerful performance by Amare Stoudemire (who had 39 points) including a game winner that would've counted but was a split of a second off; the Knicks lose to the Celtics as they brought it on late. Probably the biggest shot of the night came from Paul Pierce who hit a fadeaway shot over Stoudemire to take the lead and ultimately the win with 0.4 seconds left in the game. Big performances from Danilo Gallinari (who had an impressive 20 point performance all coming in the second half) who hit a shot and one after a previous big three pointer by Ray Allen to take the lead as well as Raymond Felton (who had 26 points). The Knicks stayed with the veteran Celtics all throughout the game but the Celtics pulled out the win going 20 and 4 for the season. On the meanwhile the Knicks lose their winning streak and go to 16 and 10 for the season. But if the Knicks show the same effort on friday as they did tonight, then maybe this becomes a win instead of a heartbreaker like tonight.

Jets lose statement game to Dolphins 10-6

The Jets are now at a crossroads, in a game that was far from perfect the Jets needed this win; and not just because it would seal a playoff berth for them but also to erase the bad taste of the Foxboro beatdown that occured last monday. This game had everything to make it a sloppy game; fumbles, interceptions, bad weather conditions and even fumbled exchanges. The Jets may have made some huge plays but the Dolphins capitalized on costly turnovers from the Jets to edge them out. This could've been a statement game, a game the Jets could've built on going into Pittsburgh, Chicago and Buffalo; but now all it did was damage the Jets HUGE ego (including Rex Ryan's ego) and left them with more questions then answers. The defense played exceptionally well (especially in the second half) but the offense kept on sputering with turnovers and ALOT of dropped passes from the recievers including a Santonio Holmes dropped pass in the endzone. Now at 9-4 the Jets have to finish strong these next three games or may look at the possibility of watching the playoffs at home if they continue to play poor offensive football in the weeks to follow.

Winter Weather

For me, a kid out of Tampa, FL, it is a little different finding myself in this winter full of snow rather than the occasional drop in weather to 40 degrees. It's not my first true winter, I lived in Cincinatti, Boston, and Philadelphia, but this is my first winter as a grown man. In the winters of my past, I was only concerned with snow angels, snowball fights and snowmen. Now, I find myself concerned with black ice and frozen roads, flu season, and the dreaded snow shoveling chore that comes with the wintery wonder.
One thing that I didn't even realize was that enough snow could delay a football game. I see games on TV with tons of snow all the time, but the game affected was an indoor game. The Metrodome in Minneapolis was shut down Saturday because of a small collapse in the roof due to an accumulation of snow. This, of course, has postponed the Giants-Vikings game scheduled to play Sunday. I knew the power of snow before this, I just never imagined the destructive power like this actually postponing a game.
This is actually a break for the Giants, who didn't even arrive into Minneapolis until late Saturday night. The New York G-men were stuck in a snowy layover in Kansas City.
As for the Vikings, the extra day or two is a break for the (seemingly) ancient Brett Favre. "It's fortunate that the game isn't today. If it was, I probably wouldn't have been able to go," said Favre. The other players, however, did manage to get a laugh over the inclimate weather. "Yeah, a joke has been going around the locker room that God is now trying to keep [Brett Favre's consecutive starts streak] alive," said Viking's receiver, Bernard Berrian.

Knicks get a Huge Win against Denver; Amare in Knicks history

The Garden was electric, chanting MVP! MVP! MVP!.......knowing that something special was on the court today as Amare Stoudemire with 5 fouls, willed his team to victory as the Knicks defeated the Denver Nuggets 129 to 125. Stoudemire had another 30 point performance as he is now the sole record holder of most consecutive 30 point performances. But the Knicks as a team had an impressive team performance and made defensive stops when they needed them. Wilson Chandler had 27 points, making a big basket after another big basket. With 31 seconds left Chandler hit a huge three pointer to close the game and take the win (probably the hugest shot in his career so far). For the Knicks this was a huge win, because the next two games will be against the on fire Celtics and Heat; and stealing a win today on their home court was major for the Knickerbockers. If the Knicks can steal two more; this can cause the entire NBA to take notice of whats happening in New York.

Road Warriors Continue to Win, Amare Ties Record in the Process; Knicks Win

Alot of things continue to go the Knicks way, probably one of the biggest plays in the game was when the lead for the Knicks was cut down to three and the Wizards had the ball; rookie sensation John Wall was weaving down the court ready to score again and cut the lead to one; however the great Amare Stoudemire blocks his shot which continued the momentum (as well as the lead and eventually the win 101 to 95) for the Knicks. Stoudemire so far has been the best move for the Knicks so far this season making plays when they count the most. He had an impressive 36 points and 10 rebounds which ties the record for most consecutive 30 point games. The Knicks go to 15-9 and take their winning streak at home against Denver which will start a string of games (which is the entire month of December) that will be tough games to win. This will test the Knicks and see if their true contenders or pretenders. As for now Knicks fans will enjoy this euphoric win streak that hasn't been seen in a very long time.

Patriots Reign Supreme, Jets lose 45-3

It was a nightmare of a night for the New York Jets who basically got beat up and truly humbled by a Patriots team that for the most part did more walking than talking. The Patriots (10-2) had a remarkable night, especially Tom Brady who completed 21 of 29 passes for four touchdowns while his QB counterpart ended his embarrasing night with 3 picks. Danny Woodhead also had a great night getting revenge on the team that cut him, having four catches for 104 yards. In a night that saw the Jets not making any plays; the Patriots made ALL of them when they needed them the most. Spikes interception when the Jets where in the redzone; Banta-Cain's sack on Sanchez to end the half. And Brady's MVP performance last night. The Jets (9-3) are truly humbled after a loss like this but they must bounce back and have the peformance of their lives against Miami otherwise two straight losses doesn't help their cause for a top seed in the AFC and as Rex Ryan calls it "leading the league in wins". Their QB of the defense is gone for the season which means that the defense has to step up and play more like a championship caliber defense and not like the one the whole nation saw last night.

OSU Women's Soccer Program's Glorius Season Ends with 1-0 Shutout by Notre Dame in College Cup Semifinal

It was a heartbreaking way to end an otherwise spectatctular season with Ohio State being shutout by the Notre Dame Fightin' Irish 1-0 in the semifinals of the 2010 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.

In the first half, the Buckeyes had multiple scoring opportunities. In the 8th minute, sophomore forward Lauren Granberg dribbled into the top of the 18 yard box and fired a shot near post, but Irish goalkepper Nikki Weiss was able to come up with the diving save. Granberg would get another chance in the 21st minute when she took a shot from the left wing from 10 yards out with Weiss making another diving save on Granberg's shot.

In the second half, Notre Dame exerted their offensive prowess as they dominated in shots and shots on goal. Irish forward Rose Augustin had a golden opportunity for the Irish in the 51st minute when she had a wide-open look at the net after splitting two defenders. Augustin's shot landed in the chest of Buckeye goalkeeper Katie Baumgardner.

In the 83rd minute, the Irish finally broke through when Mandy Laddish scored on a left-footed strike from 20 yards out, beating Katie Baumgardner to her right. Up until that point, Baumgardner had been on her A-game, making 9 saves for Ohio State.

For the game Notre Dame outshot Ohio State 22-7, including 11-2 on shots on goal. Ohio State did not record a single coner kick for the first time all season as Notre Dame racked up 5. Ohio State ended the season with a 17-5-2 overall record, a share of the 2010 Big Ten title, and the program's first ever appearance in the Women's College Cup.

Knicks control Hornets, Win 100-92

It was a good day for Amare Stoudemire who had a double double (34 points, 10 rebounds) as the Knicks beat the Hornets 100-92. In the beginning of the game the Hornets controlled the Knicks bread and butter play, "the pick and roll" but soon Felton began to unravel their defense as he began to feed the ball inside to Stoudemire who controlled the paint with reckless abandonence. In the second half the Knicks began to takeover, creating turnovers and team defense that ultimately put the Hornets away. Plus an unlikely contributor with Shawne Williams contributing 13 points for the Knicks, dropping open basket after open basket. The Knicks get an impressive win as the Hornets were 8-1 at home and was able to beat a strong home team. The Knicks are now becoming "road warriors" having a six game road win streak since Dec '94 to Jan '95. The Knicks now improve to 11-9 and face Toronto on Sunday.

Men's Hockey: Buckeyes Split Series With Alaska at Nationwide Arena

Ohio State's first home series of the CCHA season did not yield the results they had intended, but they were able to get two points against No. 14 Alaska last weekend in Nationwide Arena.

Friday, Ohio State C Danny Dries tied the game at 3 apiece with just 9.8 seconds left in regulation, his second goal of the game, and won it in a shootout to give the Buckeyes a second point.

The Buckeyes started the game sluggishly after a week off, but were able to pick up their play in the final two periods of the game.

After falling behind 2-0 early in the 2nd period, Ohio State responded with two goals and Alaska added a third to maintain the one-goal lead before Dries' put the game-tying goal past Nanooks' G Scott Greenham.

But Saturday, Ohio State fell 5-2, giving up three goals in the final 5:30 of the game after having a 2-0 lead early in the 2nd period.

The Buckeyes went 0-6 on the power play Saturday and gave up 4 goals in the third period, which led to the loss to Dallas Ferguson's Alaska squad.

Ohio State hosts Michigan at home in another CCHA series Friday at 7:35 and Saturday at 7:05 at Value City Arena.

Saturday was a good day for Ohio State. With the 37-7 trouncing of that team from America's wasteland, Ohio State stretched the streak to 2191 consecutive days since Ohio State lost to that team (or seven straight wins). Also, the Bucks have clinched their 6th consecutive Big 10 championship won outright or shared. Also, Boise State lost Friday night (Gordon Gee totally called it) essencially clinching a BCS berth for the Bucks. OSU is now 6th in the nation and can expect to play in New Orleans' Allstate Sugar Bowl (yes, the Bucks are in "good hands") or maybe a party in Glendale in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. No matter what happens, Ohio State will be playing in a big time bowl while M&ch$g@n might be searching for a new coach. Also, the dude that never learned how to tie shoes won't be winning the Heisman. As Ice Cube said, it was a good day.

Turkey Day Bashing, Jets Win 26-10 against Bengals

It was a great feast for the New York Jets thursday......With the main course being the Cincinnati Bengals (who are now 2-9) losers of eight straight....so far. The Jets on the other go on to 9-2 and prepare for a AFC East showdown with their most heat rivals the New England Patriots (who are also 9-2). The game for the Jets was almost a perfect showing, with production from the defense (two INTs and three sacks), the offense (a 13 yard strike from Mark Sanchez to Santonio "clutch" Holmes) and Special Teams ( a phenomenal 89 yard kick return from Brad Smith who was the Player of the Game with also a 53 yard run for a TD as well).

"He's a phenomenal athlete (Brad Smith), everything we ask he does for us" says Rex Ryan

Let's hope the Jets can repeat this performance in Foxboro next week as the Patriots will have their A game ready for this New York Jets Football team.

OSU Women's Soccer Program Blanks Hoyas 2-0, Advance to First Ever Final Four Appearance

History was made at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium Friday night after the Ohio State Women's Soccer program shut out Georgetown 2-0 in their Elite Eight NCAA tournament game. With the win, Ohio State moves on to the semifinal round for the first time in program history.

The Buckeyes got on the board when Lauren Beachy converted a penalty kick in the 21st minute after Lauren Granberg was tripped up inside the box. Beachy scored not only her first goal of the season, but her first goal of her collegiate career.

The Buckeyes would then double their lead in the 53rd minute when Tiffany Cameron tracked down a long ball on the left wing, dribbled in and scored her 7th goal of the season by shooting far post over the head of Georgetown goalkeeper Jackie DesJardin.

From then on, the Buckeyes dominated possesion of the ball, outshooting Georgetown 17-8 for the game, including 5-4 on goal. Ohio State also had 7 corner kicks as compared to only 3 for Georgetown and Buckeye goalkeeper Katie Baumgardner recorded her 4th shutout of the season.

The Buckeyes will travel to Cary, North Carolina for the 2010 NCAA Women's College Cup this weekend to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The game will be on Friday, December 3rd at either 4:00 pm ET or 6:30 pm ET.

Knicks Get Big Win against Bobcats, Continuing Winning ways

The first time the Knicks have had a five game winning streak since Jan. of 2006 when Larry Brown coached, ironically the Knicks picked up there 5th straight against the former coach who now coaches the Bobcats. Raymond Felton had a monster homecoming, getting 23 points and 13 assists in his return against his former team amongst family and freinds. The Knicks now 8-8 which is pretty impressive considering they were 3-8 not too long ago but they aren't satisfied and shouldn't be. They are 2nd in the "mediocre" Atlantic Division but still it could be alot worse for a team that is starting to hit it's stride.

Buckeyes Beat Virginia, Advance to NCAA Women's Soccer Quarterfinals for First Time since 2004

Another day, another close win for the Ohio State Women's Soccer program as the Buckeyes came out on top over the Virginia Cavaliers 3-2 to advance to the the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. This is the first time that Ohio State has reached the round of eight since 2004.

The Buckeyes came out on fire in their sweet 16 match in Charlottesville, Virginia, getting an unassisted goal from Tiffany Cameron in the 2nd minute of play. Cameron beat Cavaliers goalkeeper Chantel Jones to the near post from 6 yards out for her sixth goal of the season to give the Buckeyes a very early 1-0 lead.

The Buckeyes would then double that lead when freshman midfielder Danica Wu scored her second goal of the season in the 26th minute. Wu took a cross from Lauren Steuer after a corner kick and scored from 6 yards out to give the Buckeyes a 2-0 lead.

Before the end of the half, Ohio State had a chance to make it 3-0 when minutes after the Wu goal, Lauren Granberg headed a beautiful cross from Steuer for a shot on goal attempt. Unfortunately, Granberg's header sailed just over the cross bar.

In the second half, Steuer put the Buckeyes up 3-0 when she scored in the 57th minute. Steuer scored her first goal of the season from 15 yards out following a rebound from a shot by Granberg moments earlier.

A mere six minutes later, the Cavaliers answered when Sinead Farrelly scored on a header that beat Buckeye goalkeeper Katie Baumgardner to the far post. Virginia cut the lead to one in the 81st minute when Gloria Douglas scored on a header that beat Baumgardner to the far post. The Cavaliers nearly tied the game with just under two minutes to go in regulation on a shot from Colleen Flanagan that just missed right of the post. From then on, Ohio State was able to hang on for the victory.

For the game, Ohio State was outshot by Virginia 22- 6, including 11-4 on goal. The Buckeyes had the advantage in corner kicks 4-3.

With the win against Virginia, Ohio State advances to the round of eight where they will take on the Georgetown Hoyas. The game will take place at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium Friday, November 26th at 5:00 pm.

Santonio Strikes Again!!! Jets Win thriller

Santonio Holmes has been the winner not once, not twice but three times this weeek giving the Jets a 8-2 record for the season as the Jets continue to keep pace with the Patriots (who won there game today against the Colts today) this team seems to like to win the hard way as Houston scored first, then the Jets came furiosly back to get the the score at the end of the half 13-7. There onslaught continued with a Touchdown from the eventual Hero (Santonio Holmes) in the 3rd quarter and gave the Jets a comfortable lead heading into the Fourth. But no lead is sacred in this NFL season as the Houston came back and lead 27-24 in the closing minutes of the fourth (a Shonn Greene fumble, a Field Goal, and a Arian Foster run for a TD helped). But this team showed resiliency once again as a big catch from Braylon Edwards followed by the Play of the Game by Santonio Holmes all but seeled the victory for the Jets 30-27. Sanchez finished with 3 TD's and 1 INT, followed by Santonio Holmes's 7 catches, 126 yards.

"It's Just me playing football" said Santonio Holmes

Obviously the Jets aren't playing pretty football but at the end of the day they are finding ways to win which is the one thing that counts in the cutthroat NFL.

NOTES: OT Damien Woody left the game with an MCL injury and did not return to the game, he will probably miss the Thanksgiving game with Wayne Hunter replacing him.

Buckeyes Beat Dayton 4-2 on PK's, Advance to Sweet 16 for First Time Since 2004

For the first time since 2004, the Ohio State Women's Soccer program will be advancing to the sweet sixteen round of the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer championship. Just like last Friday, the Buckeyes needed extra time to secure a victory, beating the Dayton Flyers 4-2 on penalty kicks.

It was a very hard-fought and physical match between the Flyers and the Buckeyes. In the 30th minute of play, Buckeye sophomore Tiffany Cameron tried a cross to junior forward Lauren Granberg. Granberg's shot unfortunately missed wide right of the far post. Granberg had another scoring opportunity five minutes later as she attempted to head in a shot from six yards out off of a perfect cross from Liz Sullivan, but that shot fell into the arms of Dayton goalkeeper Lisa Rodgers.

In the 65th minute, Paige Maxwell tried to drill a header from inside the 6 yard box, but Rodgers made a terrific save off the end line to rob Maxwell of a goal. In the 75th minute, Kristen Niederhaus made a perfect cross to Cameron on the far post. Cameron attempted a header that deflected off of the far post and into the arms of Rodgers.

The game would then go into overtime. With less than two minutes to play in the first overtime, Aly Walker had a shot that was blocked by a Dayton defender. After a mad scramble for possession, Danica Wu attempted a shot from 6 yards out, but Rodgers made yet another great save to deny the Ohio State scoring opportunity.

After a scoreless first and second overtime, the game went into penalty kicks. Both teams made their first two penalty kicks. Colleen Brady then made a third penalty kick for Ohio State. Dayton's Nicole Peterson then missed wide right on her shot attempt. Courtney Jenkins made her penalty kick soon after and Buckeye goalkeeper Katie Baumgardner made a diving save to her right on Juliana Libertin's penalty kick to seal the win for Ohio State.

With the win, No. 3 seed Ohio State will travel to Charlottesville,Virginia to take on the No. 2 seed Virginia Cavaliers in the round of sixteen next weekend.

What a weekend

Ohio State had a pretty extensive weekend in sports: fact. Friday saw a double overtime thriller in their first game of the 2010 NCAA Tournament for Women's Soccer and ushered in the Sullinger era in Men's Basketball: fact. For the Football team Boom Herron and the secondary go wild over Joe Pa's Blue Kitties: fact. Sunday saw the beginning of the end of the Lavender reign over Women's Basketball and another thrilling victory for the Women's Soccer team: fact. Each of these teams won their game: fact. It is now around 11 PM eastern time and Michigan still sucks: fact. This, in my estimation, was one of the greatest weekends in Ohio State sports history: opinion.

As Strong As Ever

The WCHA is the toughest conference in women’s college hockey.

That statement is not debatable.

Every national champion has come from the conference. And last week five of the top nine teams in the country were from the WCHA, including Ohio State at No.9.

Now keep in mind there are only eight teams in the conference.

If the Buckeyes ever needed a reminder they play in the best conference in the country, and I don’t think they did, they sure got one this weekend.

Ohio State lost Friday 5-3 and were outscored 3-0 and outshot 19-5 in the third period.

Saturday the Buckeyes lost 4-3 after battling back to tie it after a 3-0 first period defecate.

Ohio State was swept in Columbus by a WCHA opponent.

That WCHA opponent was unranked Minnesota State, a team that most people would have picked to lose both games.

However, the Mavericks proved once again there is not a single WCHA team that can be taken lightly and that any team can win any weekend.

Playing against the best teams and players in the country every weekend causes every team to get better.

With the new 3-point standing system more points will be rewarded this year than in any other year. In other words expect a logjam in the standings.

You are always expected to beat the teams below you in the standings, but if the first month of the season has taught us anything it is to throw out the standings.

The WCHA is the best conference in the country. Twenty Conference games so far have been decided by two goals or less this season. It is a tough battle every night for the players, but for the fans it is going to be a fun ride.

Jets Win Nailbiter in Cleavland

Santoinio Holmes's 37 yard TD reception sealed a too close for comfort game against The Cleavland Browns today. The Jets are now 7-2 overall and an impressive 5-0 on the road.

"You talk about how resilient this football team is; that's two wins in a row,
on the road in overtime" said head coach Rex Ryan.

Sanchez had an alarming injured calf, but fought through it to lead the Jets to victory,

"This was an easy game to lose" said Mark Sanchez, "One mistake could've lost it.
but we were resilient for another week."

In a bizarre game that saw the Jets trail 10-3 after a Phil Dawson kick in the second quarter and Jets kicker Nick Folk miss a career high 3 Field Goals that could've all but put this game away in regulation if he'd made those three, the Jets, like in Detroit was able to pull away a win. The Jets now go back home to face the Texans where Mark Sanchez saw his first NFL win last year. The Jets hope to start fast and finish strong and not have to rally back for a win for this upcoming game. With the win today The Jets continue to keep pace in the division (staying 1st for one more week) as the Patriots loom over the Jets for the divison.

Great Weekend To Be A Buckeye

If you go to Ohio State and don't follow their major sports (football and basketball), you may have still had a good weekend. But if you DO follow the teams, you're weekend was guaranteed to be awesome. I started off my weekend on Friday night by going to the Men's basketball home opener against North Carolina A&T. The game was a blowout as expected, but it was a good experience to see the new freshman class, as well as the veterans that should lead Ohio State to a pretty solid year. All of the returners played as I had expected they would (exceptionally well). I was particularly impressed with what Deshaun Thomas did coming off the bench. 24 points, including 2/3 from 3-point land. This team definitely has more depth than last year's, and could be more balanced. I would also like to mention that the NutHouse seats behind the benches are great. I look for big things to come.

Saturday morning I woke up around 7:30AM to eat breakfast with a few friends, and then we went to see "ESPN College Gameday" outside of the Horseshoe. The atmosphere around the stage as well as the atmosphere all day around the stadium was something special. It truly puts it into perspective that there aren't many better places to witness sports than at The Ohio State University.

I haven't even talked about the game yet. The stadium was hyped for the game, as was I, and the Buckeyes came out a little flat. The first half was rough,I was nervous. I was ready to prepare for my first in-person loss of my Ohio State fanhood. I should have known better, as the Bucks rallied to score some 35 unanswered points in the 2nd half. The night atmosphere along with the crazy excitement of a comeback was the perfect recipe for a great Saturday night experience. The stadium was rockin' for Torrence and Howard's pick-6's, as well as the incredible catch by Sanzenbacher off the tipped pass to Posey. If that play isn't the #1 play on SportsCenter, then ESPN is sleeping.

It was a good weekend all around to be a student at The Ohio State University. As a lifelong fan, I am truly living the dream.

Buckeyes Win Thriller in Double Overtime, Advance to Second Round of NCAA Tournament

It was a long match for Ohio State, but the end result was well-worth it as the Buckeyes beat the St. Francis Red Flash 1-0 in double overtime at the Jesse Friday night.

Despite having the huge advantage in shots (38-2) and corner kicks (19-1), Ohio State had a tough time putting the ball in the back of the net. Cassie Dickerson had an opportunity in the 32nd minute when she drilled a shot off a corner that St. Francis goalkeeper Lauren Fearer made a diving save on. The Buckeyes came out with guns ablazing in the second half as they recorded eight shots in the first 15 minutes in the second period. Danica Wu was thwarted by another great save by Fearer and Kristen Niederhaus had a shot from 20 yards out that just deflected off the crossbar.

In the 74th minute, Tiffany Cameron got behind the Red Flash defense and had a great scoring opportunity when Fearer ran out of her box and made yet another great save as Cameron loaded up for a shot. Cameron than had another opportunity in the first overtime when she attempted a shot within the 6 yard box, but missed it wide right.

The Buckeyes would have to wait until the second overtime period for victory when junior captain Danielle Scoliere scored in the 106th minute. Scoliere was able to convert a shot from inside the six yard box off of a beautiful cross from Lauren Granberg. It was the first goal that Scoliere had ever scored as a Buckeye.

With the win, Ohio State advances to the second round of the 2010 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. They will take on either Virginia Tech or Dayton on Sunday afternoon at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at 1:00 pm.

Men's Hockey Dominates Chargers in Two-Game Sweep

In Ohio State men's hockey's first home series of the 2010-11 season, the Buckeyes were dominant in two straight games over the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers, winning 6-2 on Friday and 5-1 on Saturday.

Friday's 6-2 win featured a four-point performance from junior C Danny Dries including three assists, and two goals from linemate and senior F Peter Boyd.

Thanks to some stout Ohio State defense, the Buckeyes held UAH to just 15 shots on goal while putting 41 shots on Chargers G Clarke Saunders.

Saturday night, it took the Buckeyes until late in the second period to pull away from the Chargers, winning 5-1 while committing 8 minor penalties.

G Cal Heeter played strong once again for the Buckeyes, stopping 20 of 21 shots outdoing UAH G C.J. Groh, who stopped 44 of 49 despite the latter making a spectacular save on Dries by extending his stick to stop what looked like an easy goal for Ohio State.

The Buckeyes were able to gradually wear down the Chargers through the course of the game, methodically expanding the lead after giving it up early in the second period.

Ohio State's record went to 4-5 following the two victories, and the Chargers fell to 1-8-1.

Coming up next for Ohio State is a two-game series at East Lansing against CCHA and Big Ten rival Michigan State this weekend.

Ohio State to host First and Second Round of 2010 NCAA Women's Soccer tournament

The Ohio State women's soccer program, fresh off of their 2010 Co-Big Ten Championship, will host the first and second round of the 2010 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer tournament. Ohio State will play the North East Conference champion St. Francis (PA) Red Flash on Friday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. If they win on Friday, they will take on the winner of the at-large Virginia Tech Hokies and the Atlantic 10 champion Dayton Flyers at the Jesse on Sunday. Times have yet to be determined for Friday and Sunday's matches.

Buckeyes Defeat Michigan State 1-0, Clinch at least Share of Big Ten Title

November 5th, 2010 turned out to be a memorable night for the Ohio State Women's Soccer program as the Buckeyes defeated the Michigan State Spartans 1-0 on Senior Night at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. With the win, Ohio State clinched at least a share of the 2010 Big Ten title and could end up winning a consensus conference championship depending upon the result of the Michigan-Penn State match on Sunday afternoon.



Before Friday night's match, Ohio State honored 5 seniors that had given their heart and hustle to the OSU women's Soccer program for the last 4 years or so: defender and captain Lauren Beachy, defender Genna Brand, defender and three time captain Cassie Dickerson, midfielder Courtney Jenkins, and defender/midfielder Lauren Steuer. These Buckeye seniors have combined to make 270 starts during their time at Ohio State.



The winning goal came in the 14th minute when Paige Maxwell scored her 10th goal of the season by taking a beautiful cross from Lauren Granberg and beating Spartans goalkeeper Elizabeth Watza to the far post from eight yards out. The Buckeyes ended up outshooting the Spartans 7-3, including 4-0 on goal.



As previously mentioned, Ohio State has a chance to become outright Big Ten champions. If Penn State loses to or ties Michigan on Sunday afternoon, the Buckeyes will win the conference outright. If Penn State wins, the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions share the conference title.



Ohio State will find out where they will be seeded in the upcoming 2010 NCAA tournament on Monday afternoon when they watch the selection show on ESPNU at 4:30 pm EST.

Buckeyes Succeed As Team, Individuals

Team: The Ohio State women’s hockey team took care of Syracuse in the first ever meetings between the two programs this past weekend in Columbus. The 5-1 and 6-2 out of conference wins came after the Buckeyes lost two close, heartbreaking games the week before in Wisconsin. With the wins Ohio State moved up one spot to No. 9 in this week’s USCHO.com poll, and is only two points behind No. 8 Minnesota.

(Note: Ohio State is also No. 9 in this week’s USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll)

The Buckeyes now face a 10 game WCHA stretch starting this week in Grand Forks, N.D. It will be Ohio State’s first look at a much improved, seventh ranked, North Dakota team.

Individual: Part of Ohio State’s early success can be attributed to the fact that a number of players have achieved individual accomplishments. Junior forward Laura McIntosh scored her 100 point on Oct. 29. Her classmate Natalie Spooner scored two goals in each game last weekend, and now has a nine game goal streak, 12 game point streak, and has scored a point in the last 20 series.

Also last weekend Ally Tarr got her first point as a Buckeye, and Amanda Boskovich and Becky Allis scored their first goals.

Three Buckeyes will be headed to Newfoundland to represent their country in the 2010 Four Nations Cup. The tournament will be held Nov. 9-13, and feature Natalie Spooner (Canada), Minttu Tuominen (Finland), and Annie Svedin (Sweden).

This leads to …

My Favorite Quote Ever: Ok first some background, last week to prepare for the radio broadcasts I was talking Annie Svedin about being named to the Swedish Four Nations Cup team and playing at Ohio State. One question I always like to ask athletes or anyone who goes to Ohio State and is not from Ohio, is what made them decide to come here?

I think being an out of state student myself I always found this interesting.

Annie’s response was something I had not heard before and I loved it.

She said when she came on her official visit to Ohio State,

“It was like heaven.”

Now, I have heard Ohio referred to as ‘God’s Country’ before, but I think Annie’s answer describes why we all go to Ohio State perfectly.

(If you are wondering I came here because I have a pure hatred for The University of Michigan and have been a Buckeye fan since I watched my first football game, the 1990 Hall of Fame Bowl. Ok, I really do not remember watching it since I was only 25 days old, but I am sure I did watch it.)

And just because I will take any excuse to play U2 ...

Big Win Over Minnesota

The Buckeyes won by a large margin in their 52-10 game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers last night. I was a little stunned after Minnesota quickly responded to tie the game at 7-7 after Ohio State had a nice drive to get their first TD. I was also surprised with how Minnesota completed a couple good deep balls during the game. But the Ohio State defense still had a pretty good game, only allowing 232 total yards.

The Buckeye offense had a productive night as well. Pryor passed efficiently, completing 18/22 for 222 yards. His interception was the only thing that I saw that was a bad mistake, other than that, I think he did everything he needed to do. Boom Herron had a great running game, one of the better rushing games I've seen in a long time from an Ohio State back, as he ran for 114 yards with nearly 7 per carry.

All is well for Buckeye Nation, I would be surprised if we don't move up back into the top 10, with Michigan State and Missouri losing. Although we could (and arguably should)get jumped by Nebraska, but I guess we will see when the standings are released.

No. 17 Buckeyes come up short against No. 14 Illini 2-1

The Buckeyes suffered their first Big Ten Conference loss as they dropped a 2-1 decision against the Illinois Fightin' Illini at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium Thursday night. Despite the loss, Ohio State remains at the top of the Big Ten standings with a 6-1-0 record in conference.

In the first half, there was not a lot of offensive opportunities for both teams as each team only had 5 shots total. That would change in the second half when Danica Wu in the 52nd minute put the Buckeyes on top 1-0 on not only her first goal of the season, but also her first goal of her Ohio State career. The freshman scored on a shot from twenty yards out that beat Illini goalkeeper Alexandra Kapicka in the top right hand corner.

Unfortunatley for the Buckeyes, the lead would be short lived as the Illini came roaring back with a pair of goals in the second half. Illinois tied the match in the 62nd minute when Illinois fresman midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo scored from 25 yards out on a shot that deflected off of the hands of Ohio State goal keeper Rachel Middleman and into the back of the net. The Illini would take the lead for good in the 84th minute when Niki Read found the right post from 30 yards out.

The Buckeyes will head to West Lafeyette this weekend to take on the Purdue Boilermakers. The game will be on Sunday, October 24th at 1:00 pm EST. Ohio State will then head to Bloomington, Indiana on October 31st to square off against the Indiana Hoosiers. Kickoff for that game is 12:00 pm EST. After those road contests, the Buckeyes return home to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium for their Senior Night. They will be facing the Michigan State Spartans on November 5th in their final regular season match at the Jesse. That game kickoffs at 7:30 pm EST.

Buckeyes Drop on the Road

As a Buckeye, I've certainly grown accustomed to the target that we receive when we are #1, but I did not expect to get beat the way we did against Wisconsin. Starting with the re-occurring special teams blunder to start the game, along with John Clay and James White averaging around 5 yards per carry, the Buckeyes were under pressure the entire game.

Terrelle Pryor finished the game with pretty average numbers, but a slow start to the game for the Buckeye offense cost them many opportunities for points. I was hoping to cash in on the Andrew Sweat INT, but a missed field goal spoiled my dreams.

When the Buckeyes came within 3, I believed we had a chance. But the Wisconsin offense answered back with a long drive that ended with rushing TD. The rushing attack for the Badgers was unstoppable and made the OSU D-line look mediocre. I've been waiting for Cameron Heyward to have a monster game, but this was not that night.

Boom Herron looked strong on a few runs, and turned in 91 yards with 2 TD's for the game. He seemed to be running with a lot more push, as he was dragging Wisconsin defenders with him to fight for the extra yard.

During and after losing the game, I felt terrible. I can never stand to see the Buckeyes get outmatched by any opponent, its like watching a close friend or family member get beat up. After dropping to 10 in the BCS, the chances of a National Championship are slim, but not out of the question. I think the Buckeyes next biggest challenge is at Iowa, if they can get past that, they should run the table. Hopefully Michigan State can lose and we can at least share the Big Ten.

Redemption against Purdue this week.

McIntosh, Buckeyes Roll Past Huskies

UPDATE: Here is this weeks USCHO.com poll.

From uscho.com:

1Wisconsin

2Cornell

3Mercyhurst

4Minnesota-Duluth

5Boston University

6North Dakota

7Boston College

8Minnesota

9Harvard

10Ohio State

The 10^th ranked Ohio State women’s hockey team continued their unbeaten streak and picked up six points this weekend by sweeping St. Cloud State. The series was the first two home games and WCHA games for the Buckeyes.

On Friday the Buckeyes won 3-0 with goals coming from Hokey Langan, Shannon Reilly, and Natalie Spooner. Julia Gilbert got St. Cloud State’s only goal.

Saturday’s game belonged to Laura McIntosh. The junior from Waterloo, Ontario scored a hat trick and had two assists for five points on the afternoon. McIntosh was the fifth Buckeye to ever have a five point game, the Ohio State record. Natalie Spooner, Shannon Reilly, and Kelly Wild also scored in Ohio State’s 6-1 victory.

The Buckeyes fired 38 shots on St. Cloud State goalie, Ashley Nixon, on Friday and another 41 on Saturday.

Freshman goalie Lisa Steffes continued her solid play in net for the Buckeyes and has only allowed one goal in each of her first four collegiate games.

The referees, Ray Doocy and Shaen Thiele, called it tight all weekend with the teams combining for 28 penalties over the two games.

Next weekend Ohio State travels to Madison to take on Wisconsin in a match between two top ten WCHA teams.

Buckeyes Knock Off Wisconsin and Minnesota, Improve Conference Record to Perfect 6-0

The Buckeyes came away with two Big Ten Conference wins last weekend as they were able to knock off the Wisconsin Badgers 1-0 on Friday night and defeat the 15th ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers 2-1 in overtime Sunday afternoon.

In what turned out to be a defensive struggle, the Buckeyes defeated Wisconsin 1-0 Friday night at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The lone goal turned out to be an own goal as Wisconsin accidentally knocked the ball into the back of the net just inside the far post. It was initially thought that Buckeye forward Caitlyn Martin knocked it in with a diving header in the 28th minute.

Ohio State was able to hold on despite the fact that Wisconsin had multiple opportunities at the end of the game to tie it up, including a shot by Wisconsin forward Kodee Williams that narrowly sailed over the cross bar with a little over nine minutes to go.

After the victory Friday night, the Buckeyes were back at it at the Jesse Sunday afternoon ,taking on the 15th ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers. After a scoreless first half, Minnesota drew first blood as Tamara Strahota was able to collect a loose ball and drill it in from six yards out in the 57th minute. The Buckeyes would score the equilizer in the 82nd minute when Paige Maxwell scored her 8th goal of the season from 6 yards out.

The game would then head into overtime, where Lauren Granberg would play the role of hero. Forty three seconds into overtime, Granberg took a through ball from Lauren Steuer and scored from the right side of the box, beating Minnesota goalkeeper Cat Parkhill to the far post. It was the third time this season that Ohio State has beaten a Big Ten opponent in overtime.

The wins over Wisconsin and Minnesota pushed the Buckeye's Big Ten Conference record to a perfect 6-0. Ohio State will take on Illinois on Thursday night at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The kick-off is at 7;30 pm EST.

Buckeye Hockey Season Opens

The Ohio State women’s hockey team opens up the 2009-10 season this weekend with games at Robert Morris.

The Buckeyes come in ranked 10^th in the USA Today pre-season poll and look to build off the momentum of last season. Ohio State made the WCHA semifinals last year and was picked fourth in the WCHA by the league’s coaches.

The Buckeyes are returning 19 players, including their top three scorers. The new captain is Senior Christina Mancuso. Juniors Kelly Wild, Natalie Spooner, and Laura McIntosh are the team’s assistant captains.

Wild said having a letter does not change what type of leadership she and the other captains provide.

The team started practice on September 18^th and had an exhibition game on October 2^nd, where the Buckeyes beat Wilfrid Laurier 2-0. Freshman Lisa Steffes stopped all 25 shots fired at her by the Golden Hawks. Hokey Langan scored Ohio State’s first goal from McIntosh and Wild. Sophomore Tina Hollowell scored the second goal from Langan and Wild.

Head coach Jackie Barto said last week the team still needed experience playing as a group and that this year’s sophomore class has greatly improved over where they were last year as freshman.

After this weekend’s games at Robert Morris the Buckeyes will return home on October 15^th and 16^th to open WCHA play.

For more updates follow me on Twitter @samober

Scarlet and Gray Sports Radio was hoping to provide coverage of the October 2^nd exhibition game but was unable because of internet issues at the ice rink. We hope to bring you as many home games as possible this year.

Buckeyes Win OT Thriller, Beat Penn State 1-0

Another day, another win for the Buckeyes as they prevailed Sunday afternoon against the Penn State Nittany Lions 1-0 in overtime at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

Early in the game, Ohio State had many offensive chances as shots from Paige Maxwell and Courtney Jenkins sailed high and wide right, respectively. Tiffany Cameron had a golden opportunity to put the Buckeyes up by one with 15 minutes left in the first half, but was robbed of a goal on a great diving save by Nittany Lions goal keeper Krissy Tribbett.

It would go on to be a back and forth contest for much of the match as both teams were battling damp conditions on the field. Late in the second half, Penn State had a great opportunity to score when Nittany Lion forward Hayley Brock beat Rachel Middleman and had a one-on-one opportunity. Fortunately for the Buckeyes, Brock's shot sailed wide left.

After avoiding disaster, the Buckeyes again had opportunities to score. Paige Maxwell tried a header from the center of the box with less than 10 minutes to go in regulation, but the shot sailed over the cross bar. Tiffany Cameron then tried a shot from 20 yards out with three minutes left that was just wide of the left post.

The game would then go into overtime where Paige Maxwell played the part of hero for the Buckeyes. Maxwell was able to find the back of the net in the 96th minute when she scored the game winner off of a failed clearance by the Penn State goal keeper Tribbett. The goal was Maxwell's 4th goal overall as well as her second game winning goal for the Buckeyes this season.

Ohio State improves their record to 8-2-1 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten Conference play. They will travel to Iowa City, Iowa to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes Friday, October 8th at 8:00 pm EST. The Buckeyes will then head to Northwestern to take on the Wildcats on Sunday, October 10th at 3;30 pm EST. Their next home game at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium will be Friday, October 15th when they take on the Wisconsin Badgers. Kickoff is at 7:30 pm EST.

NFL Week 1 in Review

At last, the NFL season has arrived, and half of the teams are undefeated, the others winless. However, year after year Week 1 proves to be rife with games that do not, in fact, prove prophetic. Now we must look back on all the games and determine whether or not what we saw was legitimate, or the occasional first game mirage. Let’s begin.

THURSDAY

Vikings 9, Saints 14
WHAT HAPPENED:
I anticipated the Saints to blow the Vikings out of the building, quite honestly, and early on this seemed to be the case as the Saints went up 7-0 before Minnesota even knew the game started. After that, things slowed waaaaaaaay down. Brett Favre still needs some more time to coalesce a bit more with the team around him, and the Vikings in general just seemed a tad disjointed. Meanwhile, the Saints did all they had to do to win, though the offense was shockingly lackluster.
WAS IT A FLUKE?:
I think it’s likely. The Vikings won’t be stuck at 9 points all season, and Favre will awaken, even though he won’t repeat his freakish stats from last year. Same goes for the Saints, who will become a much more exciting team next week, and more so the week after that. Forget this game; I’ll be watching this matchup in January.

SUNDAY

Browns 14, Buccaneers 17
WHAT HAPPENED:
A matchup of teams that went nowhere last year and likely won’t be throwing parades this year, this game was essentially a contest to see who could get a win early and take some pressure off. The Browns came out fast and took a 14-3 lead, but they were done after that. Jake Delhomme certainly wasn’t the second coming of Bernie Kosar, going 20/37 for 1 touchdown and two gargantuan interceptions. The Bucs did what they had to do to get by the Browns, and when a team commits this amount of mistakes they aren’t going to win.
WAS IT A FLUKE?
I thought the Browns would win, but this game did not surprise me at all. Neither team is going to make much noise down the road, and on this particular field on this particular day, the Bucs were the better team. The Browns will win a few games, improve overall, and move into the offseason. This game should not be a final judgment on the season for either team. I wouldn’t call it a fluke, but it wasn’t all-encompassing.

Dolphins 15, Bills 10
WHAT HAPPENED:
I attended this game, and it wasn’t pretty. Both offenses were relatively nonexistent, though each defense showed some promise. For the Bills, Trent Edwards continued to show that he is not a quarterback that will throw downfield. Ever. Meanwhile, Miami started off hot, but the Bills defense was able to adjust and essentially stop them for the remainder of the game. At the end of the day this was about as exciting as you’d expect a 15-10 game to be. Based on this game, these are two teams that are going nowhere.
WAS IT A FLUKE?
I don’t see it. Going into this season I thought the Dolphins were very overrated, and Sunday proved my point, though they were better than the Bills at every turn. Chad Henne was at least a bit bolder than Trent Edwards, but at game’s end it was apparent he isn’t leading anybody to the Super Bowl. The Bills defense either performed admirably or the Dolphins offense is just as inept as Buffalo’s, a team whose offensive line is as hard to penetrate as construction paper. Trent Edwards barely had a chance to make a play, and when he did he never came through. The Bills are becoming a broken record, and unless Edwards hangs 50 (heck, even 20) on the Packers next Sunday, this game was not a fluke. The Dolphins are bad, the Bills are bad bad.

Bengals 24, Patriots 38
WHAT HAPPENED:
“Oh, hi. We’re the New England Patriots. Remember us? Thought so.”
-vs.-
“Heh. Batman and Robin. Ain’t we a cut-up?”
WAS IT A FLUKE?
The Bengals got a beatdown on Sunday, and many problems were exposed. The offense was eventually awakened, but the game was already lost. People are already pushing the Patriots to the side on favor of the Jets, and here is your typical New England statement game, reminding the world of their existence. The Patriots were not a fluke, even with the idiotic “Nobody likes me!” speech by Randy Moss afterwards. The Bengals are still one of the better teams in the AFC North, and on Sunday they learned winning isn’t as easy as putting on a cape. They’re probably not this bad, but they’re certainly not better that the Patriots.

Colts 24, Texans 34
WHAT HAPPENED:
A sigh of relief came over the city of Houston as the Texans finally FINALLY beat the Colts, thanks to the efforts of certified beast Arian Foster (who will be owned in 100% of fantasy leagues by breakfast on Tuesday). The Colts have never been great against the run, and Sunday showed they haven’t solved that yet. Houston looked about as good as they’ve ever looked, and they handed the Colts a thorough beating that wasn’t extreme but wholly deserved. There’s not a whole lot of analysis one can do on this game: the Texans went out there and they just BEAT the Indianapolis Colts.
WAS IT A FLUKE?
The Texans have long been obsessed with the Colts the way Norman Bates is obsessed with his mother for years, and they’ve made no secret about it. This is a game they’ve been preparing for tenaciously since the schedule was released, and the win could merely be a result of the obsession. We’ll learn a lot about the Texans in week two. Meanwhile, the Colts will win a whole lot of games the rest of the year. That is a fact. My feelings on this one are similar to Bucs-Browns, only with GOOD teams. On this day, the Texans were better, and they won. Good for them, as long as they get ready for the next 15.

Broncos 17, Jaguars 24
WHAT HAPPENED:
It rained… with lightning, and as such the game was delayed on and off. Eventually they finished, and when it was over the Jaguars came out on top. Both quarterbacks did their jobs, Garrard throwing for 3 touchdowns, but in the end the Jags made less mistakes and won. Also, chosen one Tim Tebow rushed twice for 2 yards in front of his hometown crowd, which was almost as good as C.J. Spiller, and with 5 less attempts.
WAS IT A FLUKE?
These are two comparable teams that could be either good or bad and neither would surprise me. As such it’s hard to gauge from this game alone. However, there wasn’t much that fit the definition of the word ‘fluke’.

Falcons 9, Steelers 15
WHAT HAPPENED:
Well, things happened. The problem is not a lot of it was pretty. Matt Ryan was wholly unimpressive, and his running game didn’t do a whole lot to back him up. The Falcons in general came out flat, and the Steelers were vulnerable without their normal QB Ben Roethlisberger. This game was ripe for the taking, but the Falcons tripped. It went to overtime, but Rashard Mendenhall capped off his solid day with the long game-winning run. Great win for Pittsburgh, awful loss for Atlanta.
WAS IT A FLUKE?
Matt Ryan is regressing scary fast, and it’s a shame, because I like the kid. Michael Turner did not get the job done at all, which hurt me because I drafted him in the first round of my fantasy draft, but that’s beside the point. The Falcons need to change a lot of things to improve, and I’m not positive they can do that. The Steelers, on the other hand, looked appropriately sloppy for a team starting Dennis Dixon. For Atlanta, it MIGHT be a fluke, but I think for the Steelers what you see is what you get.

Raiders 13, Titans 38
WHAT HAPPENED:
Those singing the praises of the Raiders were quieted early as the Titans came in and ran them right over. Fantasy owners everywhere rejoiced the return of Chris Johnson, who ran for 142 yards (most in one play) and 2 touchdowns. Vince Young did all he had to considering the circumstances, and he avoided any crucial mistakes. The Raiders merely could not turn their culture around in this game, and the Titans brought a determination and fire that they had no answer for.
WAS IT A FLUKE?
The Titans are going to be a formidable opponent to each team they play, and everything from this seems to add up to a solid season with a resurrected Vince Young at the controls. Tennessee was in all likelihood not a fluke, but I’ll give the Raiders the benefit of the doubt and say their performance might be below what they can accomplish. I think this team is better than what they’ve had in years past, and we’ll see where they go from here. However, I don’t see them winning anything important this year.

Panthers 18, Giants 31
WHAT HAPPENED:
Jimmy Clausen better get warmed up. Matt Moore was no less than awful against the Giants, going 14/33 for 182 yards, one touchdown and 3 picks. Yowza. That was a big reason the Giants were able to pull away and hand the Panthers a loss. Eli Manning started rough but got hot when he needed to be, throwing 3 touchdowns to Hakeem Nicks. Neither team was very graceful, leading to a combined 9 turnovers in the game. The real difference was that Manning was able to make the plays while Moore was lost most of the time.
WAS IT A FLUKE?
I don’t think so. The Panthers have a large question mark at quarterback, and as bad as Delhomme was last year I’m not convinced Moore is the answer. In fact, if this is the norm, it’s going to be a long season in Carolina. It will then become a question of when we will see rookie Jimmy Clausen get the start. Not much has changed in New York that I can see, either. The Giants are never going to dazzle you, but they are capable of winning some games. The NFC East is an interesting division, and I’m not counting them out.

Lions 14, Bears 19
WHAT HAPPENED:
The Detroit Lions beat the Chicago Bears. Only the scoreboard says otherwise.
WAS IT A FLUKE?
When it comes down to it, the rule states that Calvin Johnson’s catch was, in fact, incomplete. Unfortunately, the rule is also absolute crap. The Lions were robbed of an incredible win that could have set the tone for the rest of the season, but instead they are 0-1, just like every other year. However, as credit should go where credit is due, Jay Cutler performed admirably, only throwing 1 interception. Hey, for him that’s progress. The Lions are going to be around 6-7 wins, which is a significant improvement, and the Bears might be around there with them, as this game suggests. I don’t see much of a fluke here at all, just two flawed football teams playing a close game.

Cardinals 17, Rams 13
WHAT HAPPENED:
Another case of two bad teams playing a close game. Sam Bradford was thrown into the fire in his first NFL start, throwing an obscene 55 times. That’s how you get draft picks killed. You’re investing how many millions in this guy, don’t you want him to be worth it? Sheesh. Speaking of quarterbacks, Derek Anderson wasn’t awful, but he didn’t resemble Kurt Warner in the slightest. Both of these teams made too many mistakes to win, but the Cardinals had more points, so they start 1-0. I don’t think either team will be getting many W’s this season.
WAS IT A FLUKE?
No, they were both bad, they’ll both be bad. The winner of this division will be .500.

Packers 27, Eagles 20
WHAT HAPPENED:
Aaron Rodgers didn’t exactly set the world on fire, but he did all he had to do in order to get the early lead and hold on for the win. Michael Vick, however, DID set the world on fire once he came in after Kevin Kolb’s concussion. He was the one-man offensive machine the likes of which we have not seen since his Atlanta days, and he not only got Philly back in the game, but reinvigorated his career. However, the Eagles didn’t win, and Andy Reid says that if Kolb is healthy he will still get the start. This game went from appearing to be a blowout to one of the more interesting games of the week.
WAS IT A FLUKE?
Aaron Rodgers was able to win the game despite not firing on all cylinders. That is scary. There is nothing in this game to suggest the Packers WON’T be the Super Bowl contender we expect them to be. Vick’s performance, however, might have been a fluke. The Packers might have been a little blindsided by the energy he showed under center, and perhaps teams will adjust appropriately. Whether Kolb is available next week or not, the jury is still very much out on the Philadelphia Eagles.

49ers 6, Seahawks 31
WHAT HAPPENED:
Wow, who saw this one coming? The popular pick to win the sub-mediocre NFC West was undoubtedly the San Francisco 49ers, and on Sunday they no less than went out and took a nap on the field. Pete Carroll suddenly looks like a genius, and he rocked the Niners into oblivion. On top of that, they even looked poorly coached, which shocked me most because I, like many, see Mike Singletary as a potentially great coach. Sunday showed that he has done nothing to merit the praise he’s gotten. This was not a blowout, but one team decided they didn’t feel like playing. After the game Singletary thanked Carroll for the loss, calling it a wake-up call the Niners needed. Okay, Mike. Do something about it.
WAS IT A FLUKE?
Maybe. San Francisco wasn’t popular with the experts for nothing. Make no mistake, they need to fix a whole lot before the next game, but I highly doubt this game showed us what the 2010 49ers are. Seattle mostly won because it was handed to them, but Pete Carroll looked like he was having a blast on the sidelines. I think he’s capable of doing a lot as an NFL head coach, and Sunday I really liked what I saw.

Cowboys 7, Redskins 13
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Redskins didn’t have much offense, but the Cowboys lent them a hand multiple times. For a team with Super Bowl aspirations, there sure were a lot of idiots on the field for the Dallas Cowboys. Exhibit A: The fumble recovery for a touchdown at the end of the first half. Exhibit B: The holding call at the end of the game. I thought the Cowboys’ offensive struggles in the preseason were… well, the preseason. Instead it appears to be a legitimate problem. Add that on top of the stupid mistakes and you’d best get ready to allow another team into your stadium in February.
WAS IT A FLUKE?
If the Cowboys are indeed America’s team, then America better hope so. The team I saw on Sunday night wasn’t winning 9 games let alone the whole thing. The Cowboys certainly have talent, and rookie Dez Bryant showed potential, but that loss was just an embarrassment. It could be a fluke, but I’m not comfortable saying it was. Washington has a lot to fix as well, but at least they seemed as if they knew what they were doing.

MONDAY

Ravens 10, Jets 9
WHAT HAPPENED:
Offense? Who needs it? Joe Flacco and the Ravens at least seemed to be trying to win the game, and thus they did, but defense was without doubt the name of the game. The first half contained virtually nothing but turnovers on both sides, and the Jets defense did absolutely everything it possibly could to keep its team in the game. The Jets offense was not only bad, but inept. Not to mention the endless penalties on the New York side. This was an ugly game for New York all around.
WAS IT A FLUKE?
I think this is exactly how each of these teams are going to be all year. However, the Ravens’ offense will likely improve with time, something I cannot say about the Jets. The chorus of praise over Mark Sanchez is totally and completely unearned. Look at his statistics both last year and tonight and you will see nothing that shows he will be consistent. He only threw for 74 yards, a number even Trent Edwards beat on Sunday. Admittedly, he didn’t throw it to the other team, but that’s because he didn’t throw at all. The Jets defense is great, but their offense shows no signs of doing the team any favors. I think this game showed us the Jets team that we’ll see most of this year.

Chargers 14, Chiefs 21
WHAT HAPPENED:
The Chargers outgained the Chiefs 389-197 but lost anyway. This is mostly because the Chiefs defense made the plays when it had to, and they were opportunistic at every turn. Not to mention the crowd at Arrowhead was unlike any Kansas City crowd in recent memory. God help the opposing team when it’s that loud in there. The offense for Kansas City wasn’t flashy, but they scored all they needed to win, and Kansas City has something to be happy about.
WAS IT A FLUKE?
To a point, probably. The Chiefs are better than in years past, but I don’t see them making much noise down the road. The Chargers are severely missing a lot of key pieces, and an easy fix doesn’t seem to be in the near future. The AFC West is going to be close most of the year, and I think Monday night showed that, but if these teams played each other 10 times the Chargers would probably win more.

WEEK 2 PREVIEW

Several serious tests loom for contenders next week, as the Ravens visit the Bengals, who have some serious issues to sort out. Eli and Peyton match up for the second time in a regular season game, only this time Peyton is 0-1. The Jets also get ready to run into the New England buzzsaw, and the 49ers see if they can wake up… against the Super Bowl champs.