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Ryan Day quickly eradicated all of his questionable assistant coaches, but none of the replacement hires are more important than Jim Knowles, the new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. This is a great article explaining his detailed approach to his task.
From what I've read, the "mad scientist" Knowles has a primary obsession of filling the rushing lanes, an elementary task which the Buckeye defense struggled with the past two seasons against its better opponents, which included last season Oregon, Michigan and Utah. Michigan rushed for 297 yards, an average of 7.2 yards per carry.
Michigan returns reportedly a great offense and one of the best offensive lines in the nation.
<<"The source I spoke to this morning said that this could be the best offense that he had in his tenure, if it's together," Dinich said. "And their offensive line is arguably one of the best in the country, if not the best in the country.>>
A second consecutive loss to Michigan, especially at Ohio Stadium where the Wolverines haven't defeated the Buckeyes in the 21st century (last win 11/18/20), would be disastrous for Ohio State and Ryan Day.
Yes, Knowles (also coaching LBs), and the new CBs and OL coaches will be huge. The biggest holes on the team have been filled with very high caliber guys.
Michigan is returning 87% of the production from a good offense. Good for 13th in the country. However, they're 124th out of 130 teams in returning defensive production at just 43%. Total returning production is 65%. Good for 67th place.
Meanwhile, Ohio State returns 70% (53rd) of the production from a best in sport offense. We saw how well they performed without Olave and Wilson. There will be no problems on offense. They also return 82% of the defensive production. Good for 13th. Which shows in numbers that Ohio State's youngest team in 20 years last year was no joke. Total returning production is 76% for 24th place.
Also, while Ohio State was proactive in letting go bad performing coaches and replacing them with top tier guys, Michigan is losing both their OC and DC, and have yet to replace them. It's getting really late to get new guys in; let alone ones you want; let alone top tier guys like Ohio State pulled in.
Michigan ducked Ohio State in 2020, and Ryan Day is good at revenge (see: Clemson 2020). There is almost zero chance Michigan beats Ohio State in Columbus this season.
Last edited by I_am_Father_McKenzie; 02-08-2022 at 12:39 PM..
Attendance issues plague university football in general, not just Ohio State
Here's an interesting article about Ohio State football attendance. It's interesting that only 76k fans showed up for the 2021 Tulsa game even though another 20k tickets had been sold. This possibly was due to COVID.
This article doesn't address one of the primary concerns that will impact attendance -- mandatory contributions in order to buy season tickets. With the improving home viewing experience, not only enhanced replay and the ability to record games and zap commercials, and replay availability to the heart's content -- how many alumni, let alone other fans, will continue to donate thousands of dollars for the privilege to buy season tickets?
With mounting inflationary pressures, disposable income in American homes appears likely to decrease significantly. Will fans sacrifice scarce dollars in order to attend games? A collapse in the stock market negatively impacting retirement plan assets would compound the unwillingness to shell out thousands for season tickets; rising interest rates theoretically should reduce stock and other asset prices eventually.
If demand for tickets does decline, will Ohio State remodel Ohio Stadium to improve amenities and seating in order to improve the fan experience, even if stadium capacity is significantly reduced?
Personally, with cable cord-cutting increasingly popular, I wonder when the BIG Network will offer a streaming service, and how much it would cost to stream all Ohio State games at home (ESPN/ABC, Fox Sports streaming apps also needed).
Increasingly likely difficult times ahead for university sports, more especially if both teams and competition aren't top notch.
Of course, all three players likely will enter the NFL draft in 2023. Hopefully the new leadership of the Buckeyes defense can raise the game of the more experienced returning "Silver Bullets" and not waste this preponderance of offensive wealth, assuming everybody stays healthy.
Remember, new Ohio State safeties coach Perry Eliano wasn't coaching Power 5 conference recruits at Cincinnati.
<<Before he was hired by the Buckeyes in January, Perry Eliano was the cornerbacks coach at Cincinnati for the last two years. Over the course of those two years, Bryant and Gardner emerged as two of the best cornerbacks in the entire country
Gardner, who did not allow a single touchdown pass in his Cincinnati career, earned first-team All-American honors after both of those seasons. Bryant, the younger brother of former Ohio State safety Christian Bryant, also earned first-team All-American honors last season after earning first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors in his first season being coached by Eliano.
Their cornerback play was a massive reason why Cincinnati allowed the lowest opposing passer rating (103.4) and the second-fewest passing yards per game (169.2) of any team in college football in 2021...
Cincinnati was one of just two schools (along with Baylor) to have three defensive backs at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, and Bearcats safety Bryan Cook – who also earned first-team All-AAC honors last season – said Eliano also helped him play at his best. While Eliano coached cornerbacks rather than safeties at Cincinnati, he was the coach who would talk to all of the defensive backs on the field during games, and Cook said Eliano worked with all the defensive backs to prepare for each game, too.>>
Ohio State had NO defensive backs at the 2022 NFL Combine, even though Ohio State defensive backs are able to develop practicing against an elite passing attack....
Listening to the interview of Jim Knowles here, he's certainly a cerebral football coach (Cornell graduate). His emphasis on maintaining proper tackling angles reinforces hopes that the Silver Bullets in 2022 will once again rival the Buckeyes offense in prowess. Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson also encouragingly says that the Knowles' defense is "gap sound."
<<Wilson on the new Buckeye defense: "It appears early that it's a lot of multiple looks, which I think is what a lot of great defenses do. ... There's a lot of movement, but it's still gap sound.">>
If true, it will be a big, badly needed change from the 2021 defensive scheme.
CJ Stroud impresses pro scouts as possible top 2023 NFL draft pick
C.J. Stroud reportedly stood out at the Ohio State Pro Day.
<<Rising sophomore quarterback C.J. Stroud left a lasting impression throwing the ball to his departing wide receivers, looking the part of a potential top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
This should come as no surprise considering the dominance Stroud displayed as a freshman in 2021, stepping into the shoes left behind by 2021 first-round draft pick Justin Fields.
Stroud rewrote the Ohio State record books in his first year as a starter, passing for 4,435 yards, 44 passing touchdowns and only six interceptions. It all culminated with his 573-yard and six passing touchdown performance in the Rose Bowl, which came without Wilson and Olave, who both elected to sit out and prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft.>>
The defensive line's performance against the rush, especially in Ohio State's two losses and in the tight win the Rose Bowl, was below standard. This year's goal is much higher.
<<“I think the sky’s the limit. It could be something that no one’s ever seen before,” Sawyer said. “We all truly believe that as well. I think last year maybe (the freshmen) kind of got lost in the moment that we weren’t playing that much, and it kind of affected us a little bit. But we just put our head down and went back to work, and this spring you can already see it how the hard work’s paying off. I’m just really excited to see these guys get a chance too.”
Both Sawyer and Harrison will readily admit that there were times last season when the Ohio State defensive line was not nearly as dominant as it should have been, but the early indications out of spring practice – at least as Sawyer tells it – are that some of those issues are well on their way to being remedied already.>>
Gee Scott, 6'3", 235 lbs., signed as a high four-star wide receiver, but has transformed into a speedy tight end with still elite pass reception skills. Watch his toe-tap TD reception at the back of the end zone in spring practice here:
I could be wrong, but I think Scott is faster than Newsome. I'm not certain I've ever seen a tight end run a route and utilize the receiving skills shown in the above video.
C.J. Stroud, is expected to be a leading Heisman candidate in 2022 just based on his passing skills. With elite receivers at every position, including running back, he should have multiple options as to where to distribute his passes on almost every play.
If I ever were to buy season tickets at Ohio State, this would be the year. The season opens with Notre Dame on Sept. 3! Pray for a COVID-free season this year.
Season ticket sales for 2022 may be a sports bargain. It doesn't appear that Ohio State single game tickets, outside of the resale market, are yet on sale.
Ohio State football tickets have returned to pre-pandemic levels, and have topped ticket sales in 2018 and 2019, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
<<The school has sold 53,606 season tickets to the general public and to faculty and staff for the upcoming 2022 season, associate athletic director for ticketing and premium seating Brett Scarbrough said in an email.
It’s the first time Ohio State has sold more than 50,000 non-student season tickets since COVID-19 began impacting attendance two years ago and is the most sold since selling 53,926 in 2017.>>
Many eminent economists such as William Dudley and Larry Lindsey see a recession in the future, so it perhaps is good that the Buckeyes already have locked up this revenue before U.S. consumer discretionary spending collapses further.
<<Higher inflation will force consumers to limit their spending by so much that the economy will slump into a recession by the July-September quarter, former Federal Reserve Governor Lawrence Lindsey said on Monday.
“I do think we’re going to have a recession, probably in the next quarter,” Lindsey said, in an interview on CNBC.>>
Ohio State significantly reduced the cost of attending games for many season ticket holders, but there no longer are any exceptions for contributions to the Buckeye Club in order to gain eligibility to buy season tickets. Student season tickets are priced at $34/seat with no per-seat contribution required; for college football fans, this is a good reason to matriculate at Ohio State!
<<
A new Per-Seat Contribution (PSC) model for 2022 replaces the current annual giving model that supports $29 million in student-athlete grant-in-aid costs. In February when this new model was announced, the lowest-priced season ticket was $710. That price has since been significantly reduced, and fans will now be able to purchase season tickets for as low as $559, a price reduction of more than $150 per season ticket. Single game ticket prices in Zones 5 and 6 will also be reduced.
“We are looking for more opportunities for our fans to experience Ohio State games, and lowering ticket prices is a way to accomplish that,” Senior Vice President and Wolfe Foundation Director of Athletics Gene Smith said. “We’re grateful for our fans who came back to Ohio Stadium this year to support the Buckeyes. We have an outstanding home schedule next year and we want to help as many fans as possible experience Ohio Stadium and the energy and traditions associated with Ohio State football.”
Under the new contribution and pricing model, Ohio Stadium is divided into six pricing zones, each with a different ticket price and PSC (based on location). The PSC will range from $0 to $1,500. Student season tickets will not require an annual contribution and will remain priced, for the 10th consecutive year, at $34 per game. Among the benefits of the new model:
A majority of seats – just over 52 pct. – will have an annual per-seat contribution of $250 or less;
Nearly one-third of current season ticket holders will pay less for their same seats; and
More than 14,000 season ticket locations will be available without an annual PSC beyond the cost of the tickets themselves.
Premium seating areas (club seats, loges and suites) will not be subject to a per-seat contribution. Additionally, there are season ticket holders who historically have not been required to pay an annual Buckeye Club contribution to qualify for tickets. These exceptions will no longer exist. Faculty and staff selecting seats in zones for which a per-seat contribution is required will continue to receive a 20% discount on the season ticket price as well as on the per-seat contribution.>>
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Attendance issues plague university football in general, not just Ohio State
