Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Dan Hope and Andy Anders of Eleven Warriors bring you inside the Ohio State beat every Wednesday with a podcast covering everything you need to know about the Buckeyes.
Note: This transcript was AI-generated and has not been edited for errors.
[Dan Hope]
Welcome into Real Pod Wednesdays. I'm Dan Hope joined by Andy Anders as Ohio state gets into its third game of November this week against Northwestern out at Wrigley Field, which is going to be pretty cool. I know that I'm excited for my first ever trip to Wrigley.
Andy, have you ever been to Wrigley before?
[Andy Anders]
I have a couple of times. Uh, I went most recently, actually this summer with us. I got some buddies who live in Chicago, so we went to a Cubs game.
And, uh, going there, I knew that I was going to be back at Wrigley for this game. And, uh, so it's, it's pretty exciting to go there twice in one year.
[Dan Hope]
What did you scout out about Wrigley that people should know, uh, as Ohio state prepares to play there this weekend?
[Andy Anders]
Well, uh, I was somewhat inebriated that night, so, uh, perhaps didn't get as much scouting in as I, as I otherwise could have, but we, uh, we snuck down to the first baseline during the game because there was a, the game actually got delayed by two or three hours due to rain. So we snuck down to the first baseline and, uh, I can tell people it's a beautiful yard. If, uh, you ever get a chance to go, I would highly recommend it.
[Dan Hope]
I've heard Wrigleyville's pretty fun, the area around there. Did you get inebriated out there?
[Andy Anders]
Yes, that's, uh, that was the, we went to, uh, I forget what it was. I think it was called Sluggers. There was a bar with a batting cage that we went to.
And so I, uh, I hit a few liners in the cages. Hitting dingers. Hitting dingers.
[Dan Hope]
That's right. That sounds fun. I expect that we're going to see a lot of Buckeye fans out there at Wrigley field, although it's much closer to Evanston than to Columbus.
I, I have a feeling we're going to, it could be a pro OSU crowd at Wrigley on Saturday as, uh, there's plenty of Buckeye fans out in the Chicago area. Not just that, but I think this is a game that I know even, you know, multiple members of our staff who don't typically travel to cover games. They're going to be going just to go and sit in the stands and check it out.
So I think this is going to be a cool game for a lot of Buckeye fans to make that trip out West to Chicago and watch the Buckeyes in this game and, and honestly give this game the kind of jolt that it needs, because, uh, I think that, you know, on paper, this Ohio state Northwestern game, uh, projects to be pretty similar to the game we saw this past weekend, which, uh, was not the most exciting game.
I would say that I've ever covered, uh, at Ohio state football, but was exactly the kind of game that Ohio state needed. We, we talked last week about how it was important for Ohio state to take care of business, play a clean game against pursue, you know, but most important things really were just not having a letdown, you know, executing well and not suffering any major injuries and Ohio state accomplished all of those things, getting an easy 45 to nothing win over the Boilermakers. And, you know, this, it was an opportunity to build more momentum coming off of a win over Penn state, Ohio state accomplished that.
And now Ohio state's going to look to keep that momentum going as it has really one more game that should be a tune up this week before the stakes really get raised in a couple of weeks against Indiana.
[Andy Anders]
Yeah. I used to describe it as well. You know, it's boring in a good way.
Like you said it in methodical is kind of how I put it after the game of like Ohio state just was better on both sides of the ball, made a nice play on special teams with the pump block and really destroyed Purdue in a nice clean manner that they come out of that game with no major injuries or major additional injuries than they had going in, had the scare with Carson Hinsman, but he's fine. So I think there's not much more you can ask for if you're Ryan day, if you're any head coach in November, in a game like that, just get through with a good dominant outing from your bunch and come out no worse off injury wise, as you prepare for this stretch run in November with, you know, obviously another tune up game, maybe in Northwestern, but then you have in the showdown with Indiana and the Michigan game to close out the regular season schedule before a potential big title game. So really, I think Ohio state got about all they could ask for in this game.
I thought took strides in some key areas. First one that pops to mind really is pass rush. And I feel like since really the halftime of the Penn state game, this pass rush has begun to really pick it up and start to get to a level where it was expected to be coming into this year.
And they got after Dylan Rayola, maybe a little bit in that Nebraska game, but not, he was also able to step up and scramble in some settings. Saw that still with Drew Aller in the Penn state game, but this pass rush has been taking advantage of the improvements to the scheme and the, just the retooling of Ohio state's defense that has allowed them to start mixing some fronts, mixing some stunts, less so on the front side, although we did see plenty of experimentation in that area against Purdue. I think more so Ohio state's still mostly in four down looks, but just bringing pressures from different areas, running those stunts, doing different things to help single some of your elite rushers up and get them in situations that are advantageous to get after the quarterback.
Saw both Jack and JT in Hudson cards, Latin multiple times, both were in on a sack. They obviously combined for the fumble recovery touchdown where JT to a mobile punches the ball out. Jack Sawyer picks it up, runs at 11 yards for a touchdown that was on a running play, but it still shows that these defensive ends are starting to elevate their games to more of a level that we expected coming into this year, or at least did against Purdue better offensive lines to come better offenses to come down the stretch for Ohio state.
But I thought pass rush for me was the, one of the main areas that you see Ohio state take strides in from a game where really they accomplished about all you could ask for against probably the worst team in the big 10.
[Dan Hope]
Purdue's bad. I mean, I think we were talking about it some in slack over the weekend, you know, who's the worst team in the power for I I'm pretty sure it's Purdue. I think the one team that might be able to compete with them and it's insane that we're saying this is Florida state.
I mean, Florida state has just been an absolute train wreck all season, but Purdue, I mean, speaking of trains, I mean, that that's been a totally off the rails, a season for that team. And, you know, they're not a good team. And so I don't take too much away from a game like that.
You're supposed to be dominant against a team like that. But anytime you put up a zero on the scoreboard it's been a good day for your defense. And it certainly was, you know, there were a few instances where maybe Ohio state got lucky to preserve that shutout.
I mean, Spencer poor AF missed a 21 yard field goal. He missed two field goals that were within short range. Hudson card also threw an interception inside the 25 yard line.
So there were a few scoring opportunities that Ohio state allowed, but ultimately Purdue didn't convert on any of them. You finished with a shutout mission accomplished. You mentioned some of that experimentation.
I think that was kind of one of the more interesting aspects of this game because third drive of a game, Ohio state comes out. They've got a three down defensive line. They've got Mitchell Melton playing Jack.
I think they had six total backups on the field for the third drive of a game. And I would, I would personally argue that a little bit too early to be doing that in a game that you're only leading seven, nothing. It also kind of contradicts the whole idea.
You were trying to pedal all week of this team is better than its record. Because if you really believe that you wouldn't probably be experimenting that much in the third drive of a game when you're only ahead, seven, nothing. Now, one thing that Ryan day said as a one reason why they did that was.
Tyleek Williams was out in the classic. He could have played in an emergency situation. They decided to hold him out.
Understandably so because they knew they could beat Purdue without Tyleek Williams and they really need him against Indiana and Michigan and the like. So smart decision to hold him out, but that gave them more incentive to try a little bit of free down stuff, to try the Jack position. It didn't work because Purdue was really, I think on that drive, if I remember correctly, it was something like four plays in a row where Purdue gained nine yards or more, because there were just big gaps in the middle of the defense and Purdue was running through them.
And so I think we saw on that series kind of why Ohio State hasn't been doing this all year. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean it was a bad idea to experiment with it. It doesn't even necessarily mean they shouldn't even maybe try experimenting with it again this weekend when they're playing a Northwestern team that has literally ranks fourth worst in the FBS in total offense this year ahead of only Florida State, Kennesaw State and Kent State.
So they can afford to experiment a little bit more on defense this week. And I'll be curious to see if they do. You know, Mitchell Melton, those four snaps he played at Jack were actually the only four snaps he played of a game.
It seemed like he suffered some kind of minor injury because he didn't have his helmet with him for the second half of that game. You know, could a C.J. Hicks, I mean, it sounds like C.J. Hicks would like to play a little bit more on the edge. Could maybe we see C.J. Hicks get a shot at that Jack role? Either way, I don't think it's something that's going to be a core part of his defense going down the stretch this year. Maybe next year when Jack Sawyer and JT Tuomoloau are no longer around. But, you know, it's good to see Ohio State continuing to experiment with different looks.
It's clearly been a big point of emphasis in the second half of this season. But, you know, to your point, I think both JT Tuomoloau and Jack Sawyer, you know, it was interesting. I think it was for both of them one of their best games of the season.
And then you look at the snap counts and they only played 25 snaps a piece. And so Ohio State was actually rotating those ends more. But those guys playing fewer snaps, I mean, that's something Urban Meyer had mentioned when I talked to him, you know, a few weeks ago about, you know, maybe they should rotate more at defensive end.
It's easier to do that against Purdue when you're playing against the top team. But it did seem to help those guys in the sense of, you know, they were only out there for 25 snaps, but they made the most of those 25 snaps.
[Andy Anders]
Indeed, they did. It was interesting, too, with the Jack position. I mean, we'd seen stand-up defensive ends in the past in this Ohio State scheme this year, but we hadn't really seen that true Jack position of a roaming hybrid defensive end linebacker who was doing the kinds of things Mitchell Melton was doing on that drive.
And I've always thought it was a role that, to me, you brought up CJ Hicks. I think that's a role that, really, if it were still in the defense, it would clearly be the best position for him. I still think when he played, looked a little lost when he was at those true linebacker spots.
And when you put him on the line of scrimmage and you point him in a direction to go, he can do some things. He can get pressure. He's a really good athlete, but it just doesn't feel like it's clicked for him at linebacker.
And so, yes, to that point, I think bringing him off the edge in that way is the future. I don't think that future is now for him, though, when you're talking about Ohio State, because of the way Jack Sawyer and JT Tuamalua have played. And that's your scheme, is what's working for Ohio State right now is, again, those four down looks, two true defensive ends, usually a hand in the dirt, maybe sometimes stand one of them up if you want to kind of switch things up there.
But yeah, I think experimentation is great in a game like this. And contrary to what Ryan Day was saying during the week, I think it was the ideal setting for it. I think Purdue is as bad as its record.
They haven't beaten an FBS team this year. It was the time to toy with those things. I don't even mind doing it early in the game.
I understand what you're saying, Dan. To your point, it was still close at that time. But if you really want to see if something works, you want to test it when it still means something.
If you're confident, you can still get the job done after that. I think Ohio State behind closed doors was that they were good. They were always going to blow out Purdue.
Not to call Ryan Day a liar or anything, but I don't actually think they were sitting there thinking that, oh, Purdue can beat us, you know? So yes, I approve of the experimentation. Defensively, offensively, too, they did some things.
But I think the other area of the game where Ohio State showed some things that are encouraging is special teams. And the pump block, first in two years almost, since 2022 when Latham Ransom had them in back-to-back games, Curry and Ryan Day talked after the game of that being something specifically that they had seen in the punt protection, working with Rob Keys and doing some of those things behind the scenes to actually create a big play in the special teams category, is something Ohio State needs to have in its back pocket, I think, for when the bigger games do come.
When you're talking about playing another top 10 team, top five team, even potentially in Indiana in a week here, what now, as of today? 10 days. 10 days, 10 days.
And you talk about that game, you talk about the Michigan game, talk about big 10 title game potentially, talk about the CFP. Special teams players can swing those kinds of games. When you're in a matchup setting, blocking a punt and setting up the offense with a short field is definitely something that can totally swing the results of a game.
And so seeing Ohio State create a big play like that on special teams, I think, was as encouraging a sign as any in this game as to some of the strides the team is making behind the scenes.
[Dan Hope]
Yeah, I mean, for me, it's kind of the same thing as with a pass rush to where I want to see it in a bigger game. I want to see Ohio State make a big play on special teams in a bigger game before I get too excited about it. Because I think back to the season opener, we all got so excited about Brandon Ennis returning punts and like, oh my God, he's clearly going to return a touchdown.
And so you're like, the punt return is great. And then that's really the only game we've seen it because they start playing against teams that have better athletes that can carve a punt better, and it kind of goes away. And so it's great that they did it against Purdue.
I'm not taking anything away from that. But they said it like they thought they had a favorable matchup that they could exploit, and they did. So credit to them for doing so.
But there's going to be less of those clearly favorable matchups when you're playing Oregon, when you're playing Michigan, when you're playing Indiana. So I want to see them do it in a bigger game first before I really get excited about it. But nevertheless, certainly still a positive development there.
And certainly something that I think was a point of emphasis for Ohio State going into that game of, hey, we've talked about it all year. I mean, we've heard Ryan Day talk about it all year that they want to make more game-changing plays in that phase of the game. But before that punt block, they really hadn't done so this year.
And so I think that to do so certainly is a step in the right direction. And he mentioned that he felt that having that punt block, that could give them some momentum, something that they can build off of in that phase of the game as they go forward. Because now you can show that in the meetings and say, hey, you remember we worked on this in practice, and now it paid off in the game?
So here are these other things we're going to try to do on special teams this week. And it gives the players more belief that those different situational things you're working on, you continue to work out of in practice, they will ultimately make an impact in a game.
[Andy Anders]
And that's another thing behind the scenes. As this team, I thought it was cool to hear Ryan Day talk about the new bricklaying tradition that they have today, or not today, but Tuesday in his weekly press conference of just every day putting that work in. And now what they've done is every after every practice, they lay a brick down on basically like a formation, a pile of bricks they have.
And it's a visual representation of kind of the work that you put in to build each and every day. And so I think when you see strides taken in special teams and in some of these areas, it manifests on the field. And they're going to have to keep building as this year progresses.
Other guys that stood out, I thought Travion Henderson in this game, we talk about 14.2 yards per touch, but only nine touches, right? You'd like to see him get more use, not in a game like this potentially, because it's Purdue, don't need to put those kinds of reps on his body. But as I've really enjoyed as the year has gone, I think he's shown this year that he's taken another step in terms of the physicality of his running and in his vision, just being able to shake off arm tackles, find the right holes.
I mean, he shook multiple defenders and broke multiple tackles on his first carry of the day, it went for 12 yards. And what he's doing away from the ball is really spectacular. I also really liked seeing Ohio State use him in more creative ways, putting him at receiver, his touchdown run comes when he was lined up at receiver, they motioned him in, they do a quick handoff behind the quarterback for a sweep, and it goes for six.
He had to outrun one of the defenders who broke through, it almost got him for a four yard loss, but got around the edge, got to the corner of the end zone. And so those wrinkles on offense were also good to see in terms of more creative ways to get him the ball, get others the ball. He, for me, has, whereas Quenshawn was kind of feeling like the guy earlier in the year, as far as this tandem goes of like, maybe lean on him just a touch more because of what he was showing.
Travion, I think in recent weeks, has stepped his game up and elevated himself to like be that explosive back, that playmaker on offense, and did it in the passing game too, right? When you talk about three catches for 43 yards, double his season receiving yard total. And they talked about it on Tuesday, they had a really nice slant and go concept with him out of the backfield where he shakes the linebacker and he goes for a big passing game.
Those are the kinds of things where I really appreciated not just Travion's ability, but Chip Kelly's ability to scheme him up and find new and creative ways to get him the football and make big plays happen with it.
[Dan Hope]
Yeah, and I think we've seen that there's been weeks that Travion's their best back, there's been weeks that Quenshawn's been their best back, and that's what we expected. They're two of the best backs in the country, and I think they've complimented each other really well. And I think it's by design, the fact that we haven't seen Travion get as many touches as maybe you'd think he should have by now.
Same thing with Quenshawn is they know, like they could still have seven more games left at this point. So they're trying to keep these guys fresh for the stretch run. And I think having these two backs that they really feel like they can count on is accomplishing that for both of those guys.
I think we have seen in past years, sometimes where Travion has looked really good early in the year, and then he suffered injuries or he's kind of faded down the stretch. I think they're really trying to manage both of those guys smartly to where they're in position to play their best football here in November, December, January. And based on the way Quenshawn played against Penn State and the way Travion played against Purdue, it certainly feels like things are trending in that direction for both of those guys.
Certainly a guy who plays well every week is Jeremiah Smith. And that was the case again against Purdue. I mean, just rewatching that game, like there's times you're watching, it's just like, there's so much talent on this field, but sometimes you just see the plays that guy makes.
And it's just like, this guy is the best player on the field. Like you can just tell, he is just different. And because he's different, nine games into the year, he's already broken all of Ohio State's freshmen receiving records, those being receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, all of those records previously held by Chris Carter.
And you talked about it before of a year, you were very confident that Jeremiah Smith was going to break a thousand yards. Well, as long as he stays healthy and keeps doing what he's doing, he's going to blow right past a thousand yards. He's already over 700 for the season.
And so certainly that prediction is looking good for you as he just keeps producing week after week. A couple of our guys on the defensive side of the ball, we already talked about JT and Jack. And I think JT in particular, I think the last three or four weeks, I think he's been Ohio State's best defensive player.
I think he's been playing at a really high level. He hasn't had that one like monster game, like that Penn State game a couple of weeks ago or a couple of years ago, excuse me. But he's just consistently been playing at a really high level, playing like that first, second round pick kind of player that we know he can be.
And so I've been really impressed by him. Certainly I think Edric Houston's a guy that we had eyes on on Saturday. And I thought he showed some really good things.
There was the one stupid penalty that he had on third down where he shoved a Purdue lineman after a play and got the 15 yard penalty. And he's got to learn from that. But I think you could certainly see the qualities in him to be a really good player on that Ohio State defensive line.
And I think they made a really smart move there, moving him inside the defensive tackle because realistically in the defensive end rotation, he was the sixth guy this year. Whereas at free tech, they really were weak behind Tyleek Williams. By moving him in there, I think he's pretty clearly become that number two guy.
He's bolstered that depth at that position. And I think that puts him now in position to where next year when Tyleek Williams is in the NFL, that could give him a clear path to a starting job next year if he continues building on what he's doing right now at that free tech position. And so I thought even with that penalty, some promising stuff from Edric Houston on Saturday.
And then a guy who I haven't really seen talked about a lot on Saturday, but really jumped out to me watching the film as well as Sonny Stiles. And I think how fast Sonny is playing right now. We talked about early in the year.
You mentioned it with CJ earlier. I think we kind of had some similar thoughts with Sonny in some of those earlier games this season where it felt like he was a step behind, where he was still kind of learning the ins and outs of playing linebacker and maybe wasn't playing up to his physical ability. I think now we're seeing him really play up to his ability and he's really making a lot of nice plays out there in space.
And I think that linebacker position in general of Sonny and Cody, that's really been maybe on the whole team, if you're talking about from early in the year to where they are now, maybe the most improved position group in terms of how fast they're playing, how well both of those guys are playing on the defense. And so he's a guy that didn't get a whole lot of attention on Saturday, but just stood out to me is I think we're just continue to see him grow and grow and get more and more comfortable in his role.
[Andy Anders]
Yeah, Sonny has been pretty impressive to your point, to me the last few weeks, Dan. And I think one of the telling things looking at, even going back to the Oregon game, is that they played a lot of really good tight ends lately and none of them have really had a huge impact on the game. Tyler Warren did some stuff running football at Penn State, had a really nice sketch on the sideline, but was mostly held in check that game.
Purdue's probably best weapon on offense was its tight end too, Max Clair. He had two catches for 13 yards on Saturday. Terrence Ferguson was handled pretty well in the open field in that Oregon game.
They played a lot of good tight ends and for all the issues that we talked about early in the season with quick passes over the middle, maybe Cody or Sonny being out of position in those settings, both of them have handled that really well. And I think Sonny's evolved to become a much better open field tackler. I think that's maybe the biggest stride he's taken is that he's better at taking angles in the open field, better at wrapping up, getting guys to the ground, and that's been a huge point of emphasis, I know, for this linebacker corps.
We haven't talked to James Laurinaitis during the season, but just seeing little tidbits he's done here and there with other media outlets perhaps. He's talked about how big of an emphasis tackling has been for that unit, and I think it was apt coming off of some of the early season struggles, maybe missing a few tackles in some spots or not getting to the proper fits in the run game. I think, to your point, they've developed majorly in those areas, and so that's been reflective of how the defense has defended the run as a whole, how they've defended tight ends as a whole.
The quick passing game over the middle hasn't been as successful for these teams, and Sonny Stiles' development has a lot of reason to do with that. Edrick Houston, I like the move to three-tack too, and I thought, even coming out of high school, he was a bigger defensive end prospect. 24-7 listed him at 6'3", 270.
That's fairly big for a defensive end prospect, or he was even listed as really just a D-line prospect by a lot of people coming out of high school, so I think the D-tackle position, to your point, makes a lot of sense when you talk about the depth of that position, the struggles we saw when Tyleek Williams was injured earlier in the year and how Ohio State really never submitted that next three-tack. Now you have an opportunity to get a freshman some experience, and I think it was a great opportunity to get him involved in the game and get him in the rotations and have him start against Purdue when you want to be precautionary with Tyleek because of how important he is to the defense. And I thought he held his own, especially in the running game.
I think there was one play in particular where he stood up his guard and made a tackle right along the line of scrimmage. He's stout, and he's got a lot of development to go. I think the future is really bright for that kid as Ryan Day has kind of indicated post-game on Tuesday whenever Edrick has come up.
Switching gears a little to Northwestern, Dan, I guess just your early thoughts. This is a team that might be a little step up in competition. They beat Purdue in overtime for Ohio State.
They beat Purdue in overtime, but you still not the feeling of maybe a Big Ten title contender or anything of that nature.
[Dan Hope]
Yeah, I mean, slight step up, but not a lot. I mean, we talked about it earlier. This is a team that has the fourth lowest yards per game in the country this year on offense.
I don't think anything they do offensively is going to scare this Ohio State team. Their lackluster in the passing game, not great in the running game either. And so really another shutout should be the goal for the Buckeyes defense.
Ohio State has not allowed an offensive touchdown in over two games now, and I think the goal is certainly going to be to make it three games in a row against an offense like this. Northwestern's defense, a little bit better, but still below average by Big Ten standards. 12th in total defense, 11th in scoring defense.
So I said it before, I think the most exciting part of this game is going to be the venue. I think it's the fact that they're going to be playing at Wrigley Field and that kind of adds a unique variable to this game. And we have seen weird things happen in Northwestern games in the past.
Fortunately, the weather is supposed to be better than it was in that game two years ago, where the wind was just crazy and C.J. Stroud actually ran for more yards than he passed in, which certainly did not happen any other time in his career, excluding the game where he came in as a backup and ran for a long touchdown against Michigan State. But as a starter, certainly never came close to doing that again, but that was just such a weird game. They couldn't pass the ball at all because the wind was just so crazy.
But looking at the forecast for this week, temperature in the 50s, only mild wind, somewhere in the 10, 15 miles per hour range, no rain in the forecast. So the whole Wrigley thing adds a little bit of a wrinkle to it, but not something that I think should really affect the game a whole lot. Ryan Day did mention on Tuesday that they wouldn't typically go to the away stadium on a Friday before a game, but they are going to do it before this game just because it is such a unique venue.
But he also said he doesn't really view it as a big deal. He doesn't think it's something that's going to really impact the game. I think it's a good idea, really just in the sense of just kind of going and just kind of getting that whole, oh, hey, it's Wrigley.
This is cool. Kind of get that out of the way on Friday and kind of let the players have that moment. Because I know for us, I think when we get there, we're going to be like, hey, at least for me, you've already been there, but I've never been to Wrigley before.
Wrigley's always been one of kind of a top stadiums on my bucket list that I haven't been to. So I think for me, like just getting there, like there's going to be that at first where it's like, hey, this is really cool. Like Wrigley Field, we're playing football at Wrigley Field.
Like this is really cool. So, you know, I think that part of it, it's probably a good thing for the team to just go on Friday and just kind of check it out and see it. And, you know, see what the grass is like.
I mean, obviously there's been talk about, you know, Will Howard saying on Saturday, he's got to get new cleats. He was slipping on the Ohio Stadium turf. This will be a very different surface, a grass field that's typically used for baseball.
And so, you know, it'll be an opportunity for them to kind of see what the field conditions are like and, you know, figure out if they need to do anything differently cleat wise or anything to adapt to that. But I think ultimately we talk about, you know, a home field advantage. I don't really think Northwestern has a home field advantage in this game.
I know I saw David Braun, you know, in his press conference earlier this week, and he was saying like, yeah, it's going to be like a normal home game for our players. But Northwestern has played there in the past, but they have not played there this year. And again, I think more than half that stadium is going to be Buckeye fans.
So I think this is, to me at least, I think it's going to feel more like a neutral site game than a Northwestern home game. And, you know, I think it'll be pretty cool. I think we're probably going to see some stadium OHIO around Wrigley Field.
And I think that'll probably be pretty cool too.
[Andy Anders]
I'd agree with that assessment, Dan. And I think even looking back, Northwestern's yet to win a game at Wrigley. The previous three times they played, all losses.
2010 was a particularly unique setting because it's, I've never heard of another football game, but I didn't want to make, I wrote about this in Five Things to Know, I didn't want to make the claim that this was the only time this has ever happened without knowing it for sure. Northwestern, the first time they played at Wrigley Field, the game was played in one direction. The offenses only went to one end zone because the right field wall at Wrigley was too close to the end line on that side of the field, on that end zone.
So both offenses, the entire game went one way down the field. So to your point about it being good to maybe familiarize themselves with the environment and the setting on Friday is, hey, get there and even understand the dimensions and just how that grass is going to be like. Get accustomed to that going into Saturday, I think is going to be helpful for the team.
But yeah, I would not be shocked at all to see it be majority Ohio State fans. I am just excited for the setting even to see a football game. Just like, it's always this weird, like, have you ever watched the pinstripe bowl at the end of every year, which is obviously the game played in Yankee State, bowl game played in Yankee Stadium.
It's always like just weird dimensionally to see a football field planted in the middle of a ballpark's outfield where you have so much of the rest of the field, like the baseball field around the football field and the stands are kind of removed in certain areas, like far back from where the football field is. So even dimensionally, I'm kind of excited to see how that looks and just that unique aura is probably the most exciting part of this game because again, Northwestern isn't that good. Only Big 10 team with a worse passing yards per game and passing yards per attempt than Northwestern is Michigan.
I am sure a lot of Ohio State fans will appreciate that statistic. This is not a team that moves the ball well offensively. I think defensively, their run defense is definitely the stronger portion of their defense and they have a good linebacking core led by Matt Uylane.
I hope I'm saying that right. So I do think there's some challenges that at least running the football, as you're still building chemistry, building confidence in this offensive line with Donovan Jackson at left tackle, with Carson Hinsman at left guard, took another step against Purdue this past week. It will be a good test in that area, but otherwise there's just not much of a challenge that it feels like Northwestern is going to present to Ohio State in this game and the atmosphere is going to be the main draw of all of this.
So I am very excited, even though I've been to Wrigley before, to see a football game play out on the field there.
[Dan Hope]
U-line is how the name is pronounced. U-line. Just think U-line.
If you go to the Northwestern website, the pronunciation is just U-line. So think of it that way, a little bit less complicated than what you tried to go with there. No, I think the other thing I'm going to be interested to see in this game is, I feel like we've had this conversation three times already this season, so the answer is probably no, but will we see a little bit of a quicker trigger finger on getting the backups in the game because of the fact that this is probably going to be the last opportunity for a guy like Julian Sayan to play in a game this year. Again, next week, I mean, we thought going into the year of it, next week might be an opportunity like that too, but Indiana is now 10-0. That could be a top five game next week.
It's certainly going to be an all hands on deck kind of game for the Buckeyes next week. Michigan, I don't know what they're thinking, but man, I think Ohio State could be up 56-0 over Michigan in the fourth quarter and you might still have your starters out there because you're just trying to prove a point. So I don't think we're going to see them clear the bench in that game.
And then after that, it's postseason. So this is really the last opportunity for some of that experimentation like we talked about before. So I'm curious to see, do we see more in-game experimentation when the first team's out there and do we see Ohio State have a little bit quicker trigger maybe in terms of getting those backups in the game?
Because personally, I thought they could have taken the starters out maybe a series earlier last week. They go up 38-0 on the defensive touchdown. Jack Sawyer recovering the fumble by JT.
I was a little surprised that Ohio State brought the offense back out for another drive. Now, looking back on it, I think some of that had to do with the fact that the first team offense was only out there for seven drives. Ryan Days made the point of they don't have as many plays in games this year.
So that probably had something to do with it. But like, hey, the offense has only been out there for six drives. Let's give them one more drive and see what we can do.
And they do want to keep their first team sharp. Because again, this is the last tune-up opportunity for them as well. But I am going to be interested just to see, do any of those backups flash in what might be their last real opportunity to make a statement this year?
[Andy Anders]
I think I would be a little more eager to pull the trigger if I were Ryan Day and get them out. I agree with your assessment. I thought the starters were in a drive too long.
Even though you maybe want to get more game reps, I get that for the first team offense. Wouldn't they've only been on the field for a handful of plays? I mean, Ohio State only had four possessions in the first half.
It was that kind of game where you just weren't touching the ball a whole lot on the offensive side. How valuable are those reps for the starters really against Purdue anyway? I feel like those were more valuable reps for the backups potentially.
It's not a huge deal either way, especially since no one else got hurt. But if someone were, like if you send the starters back out there for another series and you have another offensive line injury or something, then everyone's going to be pretty upset about it. I think the next day, as far as Buckeye fans go.
So maybe something to keep an eye on a little more in this game. How early do they pull the starters? And I think especially because, you know, it's not, you're playing Northwestern next week where it's not going to be in all hands on deck situations.
Next week is. It's all hands on deck from here on out. After this game, it's probably a top five game against Indiana, if not a top 10 game, because Indiana has a bye week.
And then you play Michigan, which I don't care what Michigan's record is. That's always going to be the all everything for Ohio State fans, of course, in the team, of course. And you've lost to him three times in a row, all those things.
Then a potential Big 10 title game, then a potential college football playoff. Like it's all hands on deck after this week. So there is no reason to leave the starters in for too long.
I think coming out of this one. But I think from the way we've talked, everyone can probably tell we're thinking Ohio State big in this one. Dan, do you have a score prediction?
[Dan Hope]
Yeah, I mean, I'm a little surprised. Honestly, when I look Tuesday afternoon to see the spread has started to drop a little bit. It opened at, I think, 30 and a half on Draftkings and 31 and a half on FanDuel.
It's dropped by two points on both sites. It's now 29 and a half on FanDuel, 28 and a half on Draftkings. You know, again, there there have been some weird games against Northwestern in the past.
So maybe that's a factor and it may be some of it is thinking about having that quicker trigger, putting the backups in. But I'm going to go 42 to three Ohio State. I think this game is going to be a lot like last week.
I think it's just going to be kind of a methodical blowout from a Buckeyes, maybe not like the most flashy 35 point first half kind of game. But I think it's going to be one of those games that there's never any doubt about Ohio State winning. I think Ohio State's going to control the game and we're just going to build that lead gradually over the course of the game and ultimately come out of there with a lopsided margin of victory.
I'm not quite predicting the shutout, but I am predicting that Ohio State will not allow an offensive touchdown for the third week in a row.
[Andy Anders]
I know I went with two lopsided margin last week when I said 56 to three. So it might be the definition of insanity to take a bigger margin than you this week, but I am. It's going to be 48 to three is what I have for Ohio State.
A couple field goals throwed in there and maybe actually the backups do get a touchdown after they come onto the game or a field goal or something because we saw a couple possessions for Ohio State where they were willing to score with the backups, but didn't because they just couldn't execute enough. Not that it obviously didn't have an impact on the game, but maybe some late scoring down the stretch is kind of going to determine exactly what the final score is in this one, because much like it was against Purdue, it feels like a game where Ohio State can in some ways name its final score, blow them out. If they wanted to leave the starters in for all four quarters, and beat them by 60, they probably could, but I have 48-3 Ohio State.
I think there will be some weirdness with it being Wrigley and some weird stuff has happened the last few times. They played Northwestern, obviously with the wind and all of that, but not one that I see the Buckeyes having any issue carrying through getting to nine and one and continuing to stay undefeated in November, as will be so important.
[Dan Hope]
All right. We can't get out of here without talking about the big talking point of the week for Ohio State fans. This week's game against Northwestern will technically be an 11 a.m. game, at least in terms of local kick. But in terms of Eastern time, Ohio State will conclude its regular season with six straight noon games, as it was confirmed Monday that the Buckeyes home game versus Indiana will be a noon game on Fox. That means for the season as a whole, Ohio State will play seven noon games, six of those being the big noon kickoff game on Fox this week's game. The only noon game that's not a Fox game as it will be on Big Ten Network.
Five of those noon games coming at home for Ohio State, which has certainly led to some angst from the Ohio State fan base because Ohio State only got one home night game this year. Despite having eight games, that game was against Western Michigan. I mean, Ohio State hasn't played a game later than noon since the night game at Oregon on October 12.
And so I think there are certainly some Ohio State fans, at least that are upset about the lack of night games for Ohio State. I mean, I got to be honest, I like noon games because as somebody whose job had really only starts with the actual game itself, it makes life a lot easier when the game ends at three or three thirty, and then you can get your work done and then you can get home at a reasonable hour. And even if you have to do some work when you get home, you know, you can go to bed at a reasonable hour.
You know, you can get up Sunday and you're not super tired. I know like for this week, like I'm definitely glad it's a noon game or 11 a.m. game because we can drive back to Columbus after the game. If it was a night game, we'd have to stay the night and then you get back sometimes Sunday and it just puts you hold behind on your routine for a week.
But I also know that these decisions are not being made for beat writers, that ultimately how the kickoff times affect us don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. That said, the coaches and players don't seem too torn up about the games being at noon. At least that's true for Ryan Day and Will Howard.
Based on what they had to say on Tuesday. How many noons are too many noons? Do you guys care?
I mean, what's your thought on time of day?
[Ryan Day]
Well, listen, I got to deal with a lot of fan backlash for other things other than the times of games. So I'm going to leave that for other people to deal with. I got other things I got to deal with.
So, you know, whatever they tell us to play, we're going to play. It doesn't matter where it is. It could be in a baseball field.
It could be 11 a.m., could be at night, whatever it is. We're going to put the football down and go play and then I'll worry about the team.
[Will Howard]
I kind of like getting up and rolling, man. There's no thought. You know, I think sitting around sometimes, you know, I don't I have no control over that.
I don't I don't really mind. I'm going to play whenever they tell us to play. And but there's something I kind of like about just getting up and going.
You know, there's there's less thinking involved. You know, you kind of just get up, you know, sometimes when you're sitting around for those for those night games, you get a little, you know, sitting in the hotel. And for me, it's more just I just get antsy.
I'm like, man, I just want to go. I just want to go play this game. You know, and I just I don't like sitting around all day just waiting.
So I think there's there's good, you know, obviously, you know, the fans, you know, would it be cool to have a night game? Sure. But man, I'm you know, I'm not worried about it.
And I'll play whenever they tell me to play. And, you know, it's all good.
[Andy Anders]
As a beat writer, I'm with you, Dan. It's it's easiest for us to work at noon. I think it's just a nice formatting of the schedule.
I like to, you know, be done usually somewhere between eight and nine p.m. with our workload. And, you know, we're going to end up working a little bit of how the sausage gets made for the people here. But we usually for home games, we're showing up to the stadium or I go straight to skull session, but we're showing up to the stadium.
We're leaving for the stadium more than three hours before kickoff. And it creates, you know, a 12 to 13 hour day. You know, I love this job because of game days in many ways, not just because of game days, but that's one of the reasons I love this job.
So I don't mind that. But to your point, I also don't like working until 4 a.m. for a night game. However, if I remove myself from the beat writer segment of it, I do understand the fan grievance of it.
You know, Ohio State's night game this year was Western Michigan. And it's like you want to. The atmosphere is, I think, undeniably better at night games.
I've been to Penn State three times now. When Ohio State's played Penn State, each of those atmospheres was electric. But undeniably, the best one was at night.
And I think night games just generally are better environments, and it's a better experience for a lot of fans who, you know, like to drink during the day, like to get riled up and rowdy. That said, it makes the most sense for Fox executives who want to own that noon slot and have their marquee game there to put Ohio State in that slot because Ohio State's the biggest driver of ratings most of the time in the Big Ten. Almost regardless of who they're playing, but especially when they're playing a big game.
So it makes a lot of sense from a television perspective. It makes a lot of sense from our perspective as beat writers. At the same time, I feel the angst as a fan.
If I were a fan when I was a fan, I wanted night games all the time because they were just the most fun to me. And there's something about the mystique of football under the lights that even appeals back to those of us who were peaked in high school football players that remember what it was like to go out in front of a crowd on a Friday night of just a couple thousand people and do that thing. So I get it from the fan perspective.
I feel for the fans from that perspective. Personally, though, I do enjoy the work schedule of a noon game. And I think it's clear that Will Howard and maybe even some of the other non-reporter people working at games probably appreciate that schedule too so they can get done with their day at a more reasonable hour.
[Dan Hope]
Yeah, I mean, I know there's people out there who were tweeting and stuff earlier this week about, oh, you know, Ohio State's got to put its foot down. Ohio State's got to talk to the Big Ten about this. I wouldn't hold your breath because I just don't think Ohio State is really upset about this.
I mean, I think like for the coaches and the players, like they like it because like Will said, like if it's a night game, they're just sitting around a hotel all day waiting to play. I mean, those coaches, they got to be back in the office on Sunday morning, regardless of what time they play. And so they would rather be done middle of the afternoon and then, you know, go home and spend some time with their families before they have to get right back to work on Sunday.
Even just from a business perspective, the game's going to get big ratings either way. They've already got that contract sealed up with Fox and they're still drawn over 100,000 people for all these new games. And so I don't think there's going to be a big push from Ohio State to, oh, this has to change.
I do hope we get an opportunity soon to talk to Ross Bjork about it because I'd be interested in his perspective because he's the one who would be more likely to have those conversations with the Big Ten than Ryan Day. But, you know, really from the football team's perspective, when you talk about it from a competitive perspective, I mean, I'll say this. I'm very confident Ohio State is happy that this Indiana game is at noon rather than at night because seven and a half hours more of recovery for that Michigan game, they will take it.
So I don't think Ohio State would have wanted that Indiana game to be a night game when they've got Michigan coming up one week later. But the one thing it does disadvantage Ohio State on is recruiting because for out-of-state recruits, it's harder to get there for a noon game. If they're playing a Friday night high school football game, it's very difficult to get there for a noon game.
And to your point about the environment, but that night game environment's really cool. It's usually really electric for the recruits if they can come in for a night game. And so I do think Ohio State would have liked to have a night game that wasn't Western Michigan.
And I do get it from the fan's perspective of like even like this time of year, like it gets dark out at like five o'clock. Like if you've got to plan your day around watching an Ohio State game at noon, like there's your day, like it's going to be dark like two hours later. So I definitely get it from the fan's perspective of the fatigue around noon games.
I think even if Ohio State had just had one night game here in the second half of the season, that might have kind of tamped things down a little bit. I think the reality is people just need to be used to it at this point that like as long as Fox continues to control the majority of the Big Ten rights, they are going to want Ohio State in that noon time slot because Ohio State is the team that consistently draws the best ratings. And when they get the most first choices of games, a lot of times they're going to pick Ohio State.
Now, you know, I think the question is like, did they really need that Ohio State Purdue game in big noon? I mean, we could kind of tell that, you know, maybe the commentators weren't the most excited to be there for Ohio State Purdue. Like, you know, maybe that's a game, you know, I don't know, but I would have been super excited about, oh, 7 p.m. BTN Ohio State Purdue. Woohoo. But like I think there was a school of thought that like that could be a night game, like just because it might not be a Fox game. You know, maybe that's an opportunity for a night game.
I think what Ohio State fans really want to see is that big game, big home game at night. I think part of a problem is just like the schedule, like the two biggest home games are coming up at the end of the year. Ohio State has said they don't want to play night games in late November when it's colder out.
You know, Michigan games always at noon. So the Indiana games are one that's in the crosshairs. But I think for multiple reasons, Ohio State was not going to make a push for that Indiana game to be at night.
And so it is unfortunate for the fans that like night games. I mean, you think ahead to like next year and like the Texas game, like that should be a night game. Like, I would totally agree.
That should be a night game. I don't know if it will be. It could be a Fox game, but like that should be a night game.
Like I would like that game to be on NBC as a home night game. That would be fun. So I would like that to be a home night game under the light primetime environment week one.
That feels like it should be a night game.
[Andy Anders]
I think you hit the nail on the head with all of that. And the only way it would change is if Ohio State put its foot down. But to your point, I don't think they would.
And I don't think they really have a reason to. It's probably I think Fox knows best what is best for Fox. And if they think it's best to put Ohio State in noon games and they have a model that shows that this is what's going to make us the most money because the other networks are going to own those primetime slots, then that money is ultimately going to trickle down to Ohio State through media rights deals.
And so it might even be best for Ohio State in the long haul because money is so integral to the sport now with NIL and with revenue sharing that's coming and these kinds of things. It might even be most advantageous to Ohio State, but you still feel for that fan experience to the point that both of us have made.
[Dan Hope]
Before we get out of here, wanted to talk briefly about Ohio State basketball because Ohio State men's basketball is ranked for the first time in two years and the Buckeyes are off to a rolling two to nothing start starting off the year with the big win over Texas, which we spoke about briefly last week, and then following that up on Monday with a dominant victory over Youngstown State. And you look at what the Buckeyes are doing so far this year. Very small sample size, but they've been very impressive on both ends of the court.
They're currently sixth in the country shooting the free at a 48% clip through two games. They've held their opponents to just 30.7% from the field, which is just 7th in the country. Seven different Buckeyes already have at least one double digit game led by Bruce Thornton, who has 32 points for two games.
And I think probably the biggest revelation so far of a season, John Mobley Junior, the freshman guard who's been lights out shooting the ball from beyond the arc and has scored 30 points in two games. So very early in the season, certainly, you know, you're not going to learn a whole lot from watching a game against a team like Youngstown State, but some very promising signs in these first couple of games for the team that Jake Diebler has built in his first season at Ohio State.
[Andy Anders]
Absolutely. And I think the thing that stood out to me most is just the intensity and the aggression on both sides of the ball. Saw it last year after Diebler took over in an interim capacity.
And since day one, it's been a huge part of the identity that he has preached and wanted to establish in Ohio State as this team that's going to push the pace, be in your face, be aggressive on both ends of the floor. But I think the defensive intensity in particular, both in the Texas game and in this Youngstown State game, I mean, Youngstown State was held to three of 22 from three and 23% from the floor. Some of that is, it's Youngstown State, they're in the Horizon League, it's not a good team, etc.
But you don't get those kinds of shooting numbers without playing great defense too. And Ohio State has been playing great defense these first two games. I know Texas had 72 points and had their freshman went off for a lot.
Trey Johnson had a really good game, but the thing of just being in shooters' face, contesting everything, closing out the intensity, it came at the expense of a lot of foul calls. There were 39 total fouls between both teams called on Monday in that game. And it was interesting because that was one of the main questions I had for Jake in the press conference after we're talking to him.
And he's like, he said that there are acceptable fouls that they're willing to embrace as a coaching staff in exchange for holding teams like this on the defensive end of the floor, having that increased aggression. He did say there were also fouls that were dumb and that Ohio State needs to address in practice, reaching in and bailing guys out on certain shots. But this is a team that I think is willing to invest confidence in its players and let them play a free aggressive style of basketball that's frankly very entertaining to watch.
And I think a huge refresher over what had unfolded the last couple of years of Chris Holtman. It's funny to look back on, you know, again, like you said, Ohio State being ranked for the first time in two years. The last time they were ranked was right before the beginning of the end of the Chris Holtman era.
They were ranked in January of 2023, right before they lost 15 of 16 games. And that sort of, obviously that was the beginning of the end for Chris Holtman. His program never recovered from there.
They have gotten back to this point now, and you still have a lot to prove. It's two games, it's a very small sample size. But I think one of the things you can take confidence in so far with this team is that they have a list of guys that A, score the ball well, and B, play with an energy and an intensity that's clear when they're on the floor.
Aaron Bradshaw, doing what he did against Youngstown State, playing against a 7-3 big who could actually contest him in certain areas of the floor, I thought was a really good sign. Getting to the rim, one point shy of his career high. John Mobley Jr. knew he was a hot shooter coming in. One of the best shooters in his recruiting class has proven that so far. Hits his first 7-3s as a Buckeye in total before finally missing one toward the end of that Youngstown State game. Just a lot to like about this Ohio State team and the brand of basketball they're playing.
Much bigger tests coming up on Friday at Texas A&M than the one they just had against Youngstown State, but early returns are great as they sort of develop in the background while football is ongoing.
[Dan Hope]
Some very exciting news for the Ohio State women's basketball team this week, too, as Ohio State announced the hiring of two program greats to their staff. Katie Smith, probably the best player in Ohio State women's basketball history, returning to Ohio State as an assistant coach, and JC Sheldon, just months after her completing her own career as a player, coming back as director of player development. And, you know, while we're in a baseball kind of mood, I don't think that these hires could be characterized as anything other than home runs for the Buckeyes.
I mean, anytime you can add a basketball Hall of Famer with more than a decade of WNBA coaching experience to your staff as an assistant coach, that's a huge win. So is bringing back an active WNBA player who was a tremendous leader in the program for the past five years. I mean, Kevin McGuff had said on multiple occasions before this hire that having JC the past several years was almost like having a coach on the floor.
So to be able to bring her back and, you know, the cool thing about it for JC is she's going to be working for Ohio State while continuing to play in the WNBA. It's not something you would see for, you know, a college football or a men's college basketball team. But because the WNBA season does not overlap with the women's college basketball season, it's something you do see.
I mean, Dawn Staley, that's how she got her start. She's now the best coach in women's college basketball. She got her start as coach while she was still playing in the WNBA.
And so it's a cool opportunity for both sides here for Ohio State to be able to have a active WNBA player in their building during the season in JC Sheldon and for JC to be able to get a jump start on her coaching career while she's still playing professionally. And then again, I mean, Katie Smith, I mean, I don't think you could get a more qualified assistant coach. I mean, she's somebody if she had wanted to, she probably could have gotten one of the open head coaching jobs this offseason in the WNBA.
Instead, she chooses to come back to her alma mater to be an assistant coach for Kevin McGough. And I do know that, you know, there are some people who saw the news on Monday, and I think they're thinking, oh, is, you know, is this kind of, you know, bringing her in to maybe become the head coach at Ohio State at some point? And, you know, you never know what could happen.
But I think this is almost more of a Chip Kelly-esque situation, not quite an apples to apples comparison there. But I say that in the sense of, I think, you know, some people may kind of perceive this as maybe kind of a step back for Katie Smith's career to go from being, you know, a WNBA assistant at one time a WNBA head coach to now being a college assistant. But I think for her, this is really just about what's the best fit for her at this time?
She mentioned it even when she was playing in the WNBA. She's always continued to live in Columbus. And so Columbus has always been home for her.
You know, she has a family, kids who live in Columbus, one of them who actually attends Ohio State. And so for her, this is an opportunity to spend more time with her family, be in Columbus year round while also giving back to the program she loves. And I think that's a big thing for both Katie and Jacey is, you know, their love of Ohio State really shows through in their opportunity or in their decision to come back and work for Ohio State.
And I think Ohio State's going to be all the better for it, having both of them in the building.
[Andy Anders]
Yeah, two no brain hires. And I think those are going to really propel the program in a lot of ways on the court, off the court, development players. It's just two women, like you said, who love Ohio State, who I'm sure are happy to be contributing again to their alma maters.
And I think just a perfect mesh of what you want in some coaching hires there for Ohio State and excitement for the women's team. Two other sports that are kind of coming into focus here for Ohio State. You have Ohio State's the number one ranked men's soccer team in the country.
They're playing Michigan for a Big Ten title at home on Sunday. If anyone's around and wants to get out to Jesse Owens Memorial, I'm sure that will be a very fun game and something that, you know, it's been a really fun story to kind of see this. Free admission, exactly.
A really fun story just to see this Ohio State soccer team in the background emerging is one of the best in the country. And then Sammy Sasso on the wrestling mat making his return after he was shot, missed, has been out, almost was paraplegic after getting shot and just the severe nerve damage to rehab. First had to learn to walk again, let alone learn to wrestle again.
Gets back on the mat and it's just, even if he doesn't return to his previous form of being this all-American, contending for national titles like he was in the past, always being on the cusp of an NCAA title like he was in the past. Just the fact that he's wrestling collegiately again is simply mind-blowing and can't say enough about that kid and what he's accomplished to get back on the mat and do his thing for Ohio State wrestling and must be an inspiration for everyone in that program to see what Sammy's accomplished.
[Dan Hope]
Yeah, what an incredible example of overcoming adversity to go from being shot 14 months ago to now getting back of a wrestling mat. So I'm sure that's going to be a very emotional night for everyone involved on Thursday as he wrestles in his first match since then and certainly looking forward to watching that and looking forward to watching the men's soccer Buckeyes as well this weekend and as they continue on into the NCAA tournament. I mean, that's a program that's never won a national championship and quite frankly has not had much success in recent years, but they are the number one ranked team in the country now.
They look like a legitimate national championship contender and certainly no matter what sport it is, anytime Ohio State plays Michigan, the stakes are even higher. So for Ohio State to have the opportunity, one of multiple teams this month who will be looking to earn a big win over Michigan for Ohio State, we'll see if the men's soccer team can get that done on Sunday and maybe give some good vibes to the football team before they take on the Wolverines in just a couple of weeks. But of course, first up on the schedule for the football Buckeyes, they got Indiana next week, but first a trip to Wrigley Field this weekend to play Northwestern.
We will both be in Chicago to cover the Buckeyes game against the Wildcats. So we look forward to being there. We look forward to catching up with you guys again on after Carmen after the game and lots more coverage of Ohio State football and all of those other sports we mentioned to come on 11warriors.com.
So stay tuned to us over there and we'll catch you next week on Real Pod Wednesdays.