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Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 389 — Iowa Week OhioStateVOCFB | Host: Mark Rogers Guests: Steve Helwagen (Bucknuts 247), Tony Gerdeman (Buckeye Insiders), Cory Brada (Hawkeye of the Storm) Presented by FanDuel Intro / setup (0:00–1:40) Business-like 42-19 win over Illinois in the Big Ten opener. Next: road game at Iowa, 3:30 p.m. CBS. Steve hasn’t been to Kinnick since 2017 (Iowa blowout). Oregon and Indiana both escaped Iowa last year with single-digit wins. Iowa is 4-0 after beating Michigan. Jeremiah Smith’s career day vs Illinois (1:40–9:20) 12 catches, 217 yards, 4 TDs. Career highs in all three. Set receiving yards record the week before vs Kent State; one TD catch from tying the program record (Chris Olave). Catches of every type: juke-and-score vs a lone safety, toe-tap in the corner that survived replay, etc. Ohio State scored TDs on four of first five possessions. Fourth straight game with a TD in the final 15 seconds of the half — this time Julian Sayin scrambled left and dove at the pylon. Sayin’s first half: 3 passing TDs + rushing TD, 270 yards. Final: 27-of-36, 367 yards (second-highest of his career). Who else is catching the ball? (9:20–17:20) 16 of 36 targets went to Smith (12 catches). Others: Nate Roberts 4/36 (20-yard seam before half), Devin McEwen 4/34 (dropped a 25-yard 3rd-down ball), Bo Jackson 3/16, Phillip Bell 1/23, Brock Boyd 1/22, Chris Henry Jr. 1/15, Hunter Welsing 1/4. Brandon Inniss: 0 targets, 0 catches. Philip Bell, Brock Boyd, Chris Henry Jr. played similar snap counts. Kyle Parker (LSU transfer) getting closer to debut; Legend Bey still earning trust / no snaps vs Illinois. Concern heading to Iowa: Texas took Smith away in the second half. If Iowa does the same, who steps up? Running game still lacks explosives (nothing over 20 yards for third straight game). Jacoby Jackson 10-56, Bo Jackson 11-53, Sayin 7-29 (no sacks). Defense vs Illinois / “hero ball” (17:20–19:00) Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: guys playing hero ball, overrunning plays, leaving gaps. Allowed Illinois some TDs they shouldn’t have. Still a 23-point win. Didn’t cover the huge number. Ohio State up to No. 5 in AP after Ole Miss loss and Indiana’s mediocre showing. Cory Brada joins — Iowa-Michigan + Kinnick preview (19:00–45:00) Iowa beat Michigan 20-19. First-half TD was a kickoff return; both offensive TDs came in the fourth (both to Reece Vander Zee). Michigan unsportsmanlike (No. 10, three steps out of bounds) on their own sideline after Tony Diaz’s “candy store” man coverage comment. Put Iowa in scoring position. Iowa “bounces” this year after last year’s close losses (Oregon rain dime, Iowa State deflection, USC feet, two-point toes). 2017 parallel: Imani Hooker pick-six on the first play, Nate Stanley career game, TEs Fant/Hockenson, Nick Bosa targeting, 31-point loss for an 18.5-point favorite. Loudest pop Tyler Kluver remembers. Iowa defense is a “no-name” reload (only Zach Luttmer on Phil Steele All-Big Ten teams) but Phil Parker system stays the same: assignment football, limit explosives (goal: two or fewer; Michigan had six). Secondary: Deshaun Lee (veteran, Michigan avoided him), Jalen Watson, Jacob Wallace (cash), Tyler Brown (first real start vs real competition, got exposed, availability TBD — likely Hawkins if out). Iowa TEs historically hurt Ohio State (Marv Cook 1987 4th-and-29, 2013, 2017). DJ Vonnahme + Addison Ostrenga already making plays. Iowa run game poor vs Iowa State and Michigan; good vs non-Power 4. Special teams elite (punt pinning, kick return TD). Iowa often takes the ball first in Big Ten play (analytics + Don Patterson). Opportunity for an early momentum swing if they kick off. Matchup / scheme talk (45:00–59:00) Ohio State offense: one-man show until proven otherwise. Comfortable going station-to-station / long drives (19-play, 96-yard example vs Illinois). Need 3rd-down conversions. Sayin in the pocket vs rollouts (Michigan had success moving Underwood). Can Iowa generate any rush without overcommitting vs his legs? Ohio State defense: X’s and O’s people at Buckeye Insiders concerned about Matt Patricia scheme, not just “hero ball.” Illinois had 7–8 runs of 10+ and 7–8 passes of 15+. Iowa special teams advantage is real. Ohio State has the higher ceiling (Sayin-to-Smith from anywhere). Score / line thoughts (53:00–end) Line: Ohio State -13.5, total 45.5. FanDuel implied around 30-16. Mark/Steve: not buying a two-score road win as a lock. Expect something closer to 27-17 / single digits. A 13-point win at Kinnick would feel like the Illinois blowout in terms of dominance. Advice to Buckeye fans: take Iowa + the points; if Ohio State covers, you still got the W. Ohio State is the better team even if they lose. Flaws are fixable; they should still contend for the Big Ten and beyond. Housekeeping / where to find more Tony: BuckeyeInsiders.com — Day / Sayin / Kenyatta Jackson updates, scheme videos, Buckeye Weekly pod on why Legend Bey and Kari Wilder aren’t playing more. Steve: Bucknuts X’s and O’s (Mark Porter video), possible two-minute drill breakdown after talking to Brian Hartline. Next Buckeyes Live: Tuesday, 4 p.m. ET. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Primetime LIVE 104 Presented by FanDuel Hosts: Garrison Gaddy, Denzel Jones, Riley Burnett OhioStateVOCFB Theme: Recap of Ohio State’s win over Illinois + preview of Saturday’s trip to Kinnick Stadium vs. Iowa. Line: Ohio State -13.5 (down from -14.5). Kickoff 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Illinois Recap — Tale of Two Halves (00:01:28) Riley: Game felt like two different halves. Jeremiah Smith had a monster night (career highs in receptions, yards, TDs — 210+ yards, 4 scores). Positive shoutouts: TJ Alford — ~33 snaps, did the little things right. Similar to his Week 1 PFF grade. Defense needs to get back to basics. Peyton Pierce still playing ~50 snaps. Concerns: Devin Sanchez — fine first half, sloppy second half. High ceiling, not his best game. The TD they thought he gave up wasn’t on him (per Zach Smith film); communication / early pass-off. Secondary miscues still showing up even when Ohio State is up multiple scores. Riley compared it to the Oregon game two years ago — five minutes of sloppy communication can flip a game. Garrison: Defense has to clean up communication before late-season games. Winning 2-1 now; time to move on. Iowa Preview — First Trip to Kinnick Since 2017 (00:06:16) Ohio State last played at Iowa in 2017 (Urban Meyer’s 55-24 loss). Garrison still hasn’t watched that game. Iowa coming off an emotional 91-yard game-winning drive at Michigan. Hosts played the KRUI student radio call of the TD (“Iowa has your back”) and praised the raw emotion. Early thoughts on the matchup: Riley / Denzel: Ugly first half, then the game opens up. Score projection in the 30-something to 14 range. Iowa will try to make it ugly (similar to Michigan). Ohio State needs a highlight play (Jeremiah fade, etc.) to flip momentum. Must be firing on all cylinders early so they don’t get stuck in a grind. How Should Ohio State Attack Iowa? (00:11:53) Garrison: Iowa’s OL isn’t great; Michigan ran on them and got zero pass rush on Bryce Underwood. Should Ohio State lean run or keep spreading it? Riley: Mix heavier personnel early, add tempo to keep Iowa’s defense on its heels. Iowa is a top-10 defense (only 3 TDs allowed all year) but still need to keep them tired. Denzel: Throw the ball. When Ohio State abandons what works (see Michigan run-heavy games), they look terrible. Arthur Smith has called a nice balance. Target Jeremiah as much as possible; get more to Brandon Inniss (sure hands, 8-for-8). Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd have the most juice. Dev McKeon has dropped important first-down balls. Garrison pushback: Fans wanted Jeremiah 10–15 touches. Smith is scheming him open and Julian Sayin is delivering. Don’t get mad that the best player in college football is getting the ball. Young WRs: Chris Henry Jr. — slant last week + excellent blocking. Brock Boyd — “white lightning” speed + downfield blocking. Hosts called Henry and Boyd the two best blocking WRs on the team. Dead Air Sports stat (Tyler): When Ohio State throws on first down they average 14 yards per play, 86% completion, 798 yards, 8 TDs. Garrison: “That’s air raid.” If Underwood can throw for nearly 300 on Iowa, Sayin better exceed it. Riley on first-down passing: Completing 9 yards on first down keeps the defense on the field and sets up shot plays / Bo Jackson chunk runs later. RB room debate: Denzel wants more Isaiah West carries to see if the hype is real (only ~2 carries/game). Also wants more Jacoby (harder runner, broke tackles last week) than Bo Jackson this week. Riley: Against Iowa’s strength in the middle of the field, Bo’s ability to bounce and run away from traffic (see last year’s Michigan game) still matters. Take what they give. Consensus: Balance. Whatever works. Just don’t let it stay close into the second half. Defense vs. Iowa Offense (00:23:08) Iowa ranked 3rd in Big Ten total offense — but schedule was weak until Michigan. WRs: Reese Van Der Zee, Tony Diaz (247 yards), Van Steenbergen. Tight ends are good. Hank Brown sacked only once this year. Kerry Wilder discussion: Garrison’s source: Wilder struggled reading / understanding playbooks in high school. Ryan Day wanted him as a third-down starter. 12 snaps last week, 4 pressures. Riley: Derrick Henry also couldn’t read playbooks early. Coachability + instinct matter more. Give him more snaps. Denzel: Tired of sitting him. He had two cupcake games (Ball State, Kent State) to learn on film. DN isn’t safety — “set the edge or rush the passer.” He’s producing more pressure than anyone else. DL effort / tackling: Garrison’s three non-negotiables: effort, tackling, knowing your whereabouts. Ohio State struggling in all three. Preferred DL look: Kenyatta Jackson, John Walker III, Jason Moore, rotate the other DE. Wilder as first DT off the bench — can play any spot on the line. Kenyatta (5th year) looks passive; supposed to feast on Kent State / Ball State. Linebackers: Alford’s PFF grade looks good; Garrison thought run fits were just okay, coverage better. Need Alford + Pettyjohn together for 40+ snaps to see if the combo works. Pierce “hugs” instead of blowing people up. Want linebackers flying 100 mph even if they’re wrong. Yards per play: Hosts thought the defense was mid-pack. Live check: 4.16 YPP, ranked ~27th (was listed 12th earlier). Garrison’s preseason guess was 15–20. Fine for a title run if tackling and effort show up against Indiana / Oregon later. Iowa scoring expectations: Denzel: Okay with 14 if they’re field goals, not explosives. No more “nobody over there” run fits or easy TDs. Riley: First Iowa drive may eat most of the first quarter and end in 3. After that they should be gassed if Ohio State keeps the ball. Garrison: Two turnovers, short fields, Ohio State 35–40 points. Iowa 13 (one fluky TD, maybe off a tip). 37–13 lean. If Iowa scores 20, “different conversation” about Matt Patricia and the defense. Who Needs to Step Up the Rest of the Season? (00:42:17) Offense Riley: Dev McKeon — hands inconsistent, not getting open, blocking not notable. Ceiling is higher. Possible “deer in headlights” since Texas. Denzel: Entire RB room. Need one guy (West, Jacoby, or Bo) to consistently hit 100 yards and a 25-yarder. Garrison: Tight ends as a group (D+). Nate Roberts showed life / hands; blocking still a problem (can’t even block safeties on outside zone). Another receiving TE would help Sayin’s checkdowns. Defense — emerging stars Denzel: Alford + Pettyjohn starting together. Riley: Jason Moore (20+ snaps last week) — can slow Big Ten run games. Garrison: Devin Sanchez. Most talented in the DB room (6-2, long, track athlete). Jermaine Matthews has been more consistent so far. Sanchez has dropped INTs and taken back-to-back DPIs. Expect the talent to show in the second half of the season. Also wants more from Jalen McClain. Coordinator Watch (00:53:46) Riley gives Arthur Smith the edge right now. First-down passing numbers are elite (still 9.5+ YPP at Texas). Wants the old flood / 10-yard out concept back for McKeon (Carnell Tate used to live on it). Garrison notes Carnell Tate made an NFL 53-man roster (surprise to him). Jeremiah Smith / Bobby Hauck Joke (00:56:48) Smith is two TDs from Ohio State’s all-time receiving TD record. Illinois DC Bobby Hauck stepped down after the game. Hosts joked Smith made a grown man quit — memes were elite. Riley: Hauck didn’t call a terrible game; his corners just couldn’t cover Smith. Power Rankings Sidebar (00:58:43) Garrison has Iowa at No. 10 in his Week 4 rankings (neutral-field “who wins the game”). Denzel: Iowa should be 5–6. It’s not pretty football, but it’s Iowa football. After beating Michigan, Denzel says Iowa would beat Penn State right now on a neutral field. Chat mentioned 11-1 Iowa — hosts laughed it off. Score Predictions Riley / Denzel early: 30-something – 14 Garrison: 37–13 (or 35–40 for Ohio State, Iowa 13) Chat (Steve): 41–20 — hosts said 20 Iowa points would be a problem. Clip-Friendly Moments KRUI “Iowa has your back” radio call replay (~00:08:50) First-down passing stat / “that’s air raid” Brock Boyd “white lightning” + blocking praise Kerry Wilder playbook / snaps debate “If Iowa scores 20, different conversation” Jeremiah Smith made a DC resign Urban 2017 Iowa / “don’t give Zeke the ball” Michigan State bar story Close: Show airs Mondays 7 p.m. ET. Tuesdays = Mark Rogers Ohio State Buckeyes Live. Fridays = Ohio State Call-In Show. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Postgame Live — Illinois OhioStateVOCFB | Garrison Gaddy & Denzel Jones Result: Ohio State 42, Illinois 19 (home) 0:00–1:17 — Open Sunday postgame after OSU’s home win over Illinois. Plug: vocfb.com / vocfb.com/shop. Jump straight to defense. Offense “we all kind of know what it was.” Defense is the conversation. 1:17–6:00 — Defense overview Stats they hammer: ~462 yards allowed, 19 points. 263 passing yards; 6.9 yards per pass (they note “good” is 7.2, so they held under that). 199 rushing yards, 6.0 YPC — ~7.5 YPC if you take sacks out. Garrison: “unacceptable.” Garrison cares more about points than yards, but 6 YPC “leads to something else.” Illinois credit: QB Caden Houser (Coastal Carolina / Michigan State / high school teammate of Eppie) was good. Dixon good; “number two receiver” also had a day. Tone: Denzel: defense “looked like trash.” Too many explosives. “You can win games, but you can’t win games against good teams with that many explosives.” Secondary looked much worse once Jay Timmons went out. Denzel: Timmons is the best DB on the team; one play he can really ding him on. 6:00–11:30 — Secondary / Devin Sanchez Mixed unit: good plays and bad plays from Sanchez, J. McClain, Timmons. Devin Sanchez sequence: two near-consecutive PIs, then a TD they pin on assignment/communication. Garrison: coming in talking All-America swagger, you have to know your assignment. No help in that area — “he should have just went back anyway.” Denzel: Sanchez “went brain dead” on the stop-route / hands / hips play. Jermaine Matthews: “great yesterday.” Pressed their best WR, followed him. Earl Little Jr.: playing like an All-American; name barely called = good. Jalen McClain: should be the QB of the secondary after three years of snaps. Still slipping some without Caleb Downs as the eraser. Made PBUs that saved him. Hauser missed a wide-open TD up the middle (McClain/Calhoun area). Cam Calhoun: Denzel did not like him as next man up — beat 3–5 times. If McClain doesn’t break up two balls, those are Calhoun busts. Denzel’s CB3: Dominic (not Calhoun). Practice vs. game player debate. Scheme note: Sanchez giving 6–8 yards of cushion. Denzel hates playing that far off. Garrison puts that on Matt Patricia / staff, not on Sanchez choosing it. Poll Garrison ran on X: Is this defense closer to the Texas game or the Illinois game? Denzel: more energy for Texas; Sanchez tighter vs Texas even with the TD allowed. 11:30–22:30 — Front seven, Patricia, rotations Linebackers Riley Pettyjohn: decent; “good plays / bad plays.” Early-season “running around making plays without knowing what they’re doing” look with Alford — full speed, but won’t fly vs big-time teams. Christian Allegro looked lost after a solid start to the year. Peyton Pierce: tired of seeing him. Out of position, going the wrong way on runs, lost confidence. Not just getting bullied anymore — assignment issues. Denzel’s LB plan: Pettyjohn never comes off. Rotate Allegro and TJ Alford. Pierce off the 70% snap share. D-line John Walker III: consistent, week in week out. James Smith: best game so far; solid. Edrick Houston: Denzel — “looks like trash.” Quay Russo: playing way too much, not setting the edge, missing a lot. “Lettuce” (effort/want-to) isn’t translating. Edges folded; middle “okay.” Denzel almost never uses “soft” — used it here. Prefers calling them soft over effortless (“if you’re not giving effort, get off”). Missed sacks / fly-by’s: Timmons missed a sack and got hurt on a rough angle; Russo didn’t hit the other edge. Patricia / coaching blame Garrison: Patricia did dial stuff up; guys flew at the QB and then flew off the screen. Won’t blame Patricia for missed tackles, Sanchez technique, or getting blown off the ball. Lazy to only blame the DC and skip position coaches + players. Denzel (D-line coach background): DC still owns rotation. Some blame has to hit Patricia. Both: Kerry Wilder should be in more. Every time he’s in, he gets pressure. Somebody (Larry Johnson / Day / Patricia) owns that. Source talk on Wilder (Garrison, via FaceTime / high school coach family tie): Struggles with the playbook / “the why,” always has. Freak athlete; hard to keep off the field. Can’t be a 265–270 DT at the next level; DE asks for more mentally. Staff won’t put him out down-to-down if they can’t trust him. Denzel: Kent State was the lab. Unlosable game — get him wrong reps, correct on film, take a step. Using “playbook” as an excuse at this level is on Johnson/Patricia. Kenyatta Jackson: hasn’t taken the step (Denzel wanted ~9.5–10 sacks; Garrison thought 12). NFL scouts (same source) thought he should have come out last year, sit 1–2 years in the league; draft stock likely doesn’t rise unless the rest of the year is huge. Would have gone before Caden Curry; Combine would have helped him. Curry’s production/hustle always showed even behind Sawyer/JTT. Garrison’s three non-negotiables on defense: whereabouts, tackling, effort. If juniors/seniors/5th-years won’t give effort, play the young ones: Zion Grady, Kerry Wilder, Eppie. Jason Moore: nobody starts over him except Walker III. Patricia-as-NFL-DC problem: small NFL roster, you know who plays. College depth + position coaches need to be told: find your best 4 / best 2 and only sit them for a breather. Would right personnel have stopped 500 yards? Denzel: Pettyjohn 70% + Pierce not at 70% kills a lot of those runs. D-line was soft on the edges (Russo). Alford got “turnt” in the A-gap on a run that was right there. 22:30–30:12 — Defense wrap Illinois is a real offense; 19 points isn’t a blowup in isolation. 462–500 yards is. Last year OSU 34–16. “On par” in score, not in yards. Secondary is still the best unit if it plays consistent high-level ball (Day’s QB word applied to DBs). 30:12–36:00 — Offense open: Jeremiah Smith Box they read: Jeremiah Smith: 12 rec, 217 yards, 4 TDs (all of Julian Sayin’s TDs). Julian Sayin: 27-of-36, 367 yards, 10.2 Y/A, 4 TDs. Jacoby Jackson: 10-56-1 TD. Bo Jackson: 11-53. Isaiah West: 2-15 and a 12-yarder; they want to talk him. Sayin rushing: 7-29-1 TD, 4.1 YPC, long of 8. Jeremiah: “From here on out, if it ain’t C.C. / Chris Carter, if it ain’t Orlando Pace, I don’t want to hear anybody else’s name” for OSU Mount Rushmore talk (Archie debate tabled; Garrison won’t put him over Eddie; second Heisman historical aside). Denzel: different than Marvin Harrison Jr. — high-point, body control, catch-point, toe-tap TD. “It just looks different.” Thankful he’s on this team. Route that “turned him completely around”; freeze-frame of the DB looking one way while Jeremiah looks at him like “where are you going?” Can you win big games as a one-WR show? Garrison: Saban/Julio comps get shut down — those Bama teams also had 1st-round RBs. OSU doesn’t. Stack the box and you still have to play what OSU wants… unless the other WRs come along. ~36:00–58:00 — Rest of offense / “kid gloves” (middle of show is Jeremiah film + supporting cast) 51 new players. Garrison handling the roster with kid gloves through the first month / first third. Championship standard is November, not Week 4. Just get better. After Jeremiah: Brandon Inniss, Kyle Parker (still somewhat injured), Devin McEwen, Phillip Bell (excited about development; likes him on punt return — “stop letting the ball bounce”). Then straight freshmen. Guilford (Fort Wayne kid, Denzel soft spot). Need Brock Boyd and Chris Herron Jr. to come along. Someone disagreed; Garrison doubled down. Kid gloves coming off: Iowa next. 58:00–59:40 — Illinois context / close OSU game Some overreaction to 19 points. Illinois had a plan. Brett Bielema’s O-line is his calling card; Illinois a likely 8-win team. Defense looked like hot garbage at times, then “got together when they needed to.” Yards still the problem. 59:40–1:06:10 — Iowa 37, Michigan 31 (the “best game”) Garrison’s dad after the final: “I am so happy right now. I hate them so much.” Late drive, push-out-of-bounds penalty, clock, injury stoppage. Zeke Berry: “buffoon” for shoving a player already out of bounds — no reason. Michigan run game not good; neither back averaging 50+ rush YPG. Jacoby Jackson has more rush yards than both. Bryce Underwood: best game of his career; don’t put the loss on him. Last TD (escape + create) looked real. Development bump. The walk-away from the QB coach: both hated the attitude (“get out of my face”). Authority/respect rant — $12M NIL, still a “broke boy on that field” vs the coach they brought in for him. Sidearm screen that should have been a first down; inch left and it’s a pick-six. Don’t cape him because of Jason Beck’s play-calling on that snap. Last 91-yard Iowa drive: “how much had to go wrong” (Ohio State–Texas energy). Injury to John Henry Daly stopped the clock; Michigan was about to run a different play that Garrison doesn’t think works. Feels bad for Daly (Achilles history, compensation injuries). Disgusting that some Wolverine fans blamed the loss on him. “I would have hobbled off.” Hank Brown / the throw and catch: money. 1:06:10–1:08:00 — Cam Coleman / Texas trolling Cam Coleman season: 12-208-4. Yesterday: 1-30. Hasn’t had over 61 yards in a game. “One A / one B with Jeremiah” talk is dead. Texas skill: mid except the RBs and LT. Ryan Wingo (Thorpe) and Coleman not that guy. Garrison asked if Coleman is better than Charlie Becker; people said he was crazy. “Looks like somebody over here knows ball.” Losing to Texas / blowing

Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 388 — Illinois Week Voice of College Football | OhioStateVOCFB Mark Rogers, Steve Helwagen (Bucknuts247), Tony Gerdeman (Buckeye Insiders) Special guest: Sunny Verma (Locked On Illini) Aired Tuesday, 4 p.m. ET Show open / Kent State wrap 00:00–04:45 No more Ball State/Kent State. Big Ten opener Saturday at noon ET in Columbus vs. Illinois. Kent State recap in 15 seconds (Helwagen): Played a lot of guys, public mugging, crowd gone by third quarter. Veteran Columbus voice Dom Tiberi walking the press box saying “this is terrible.” Gerdeman: Only meaningful takeaways are the negatives. Starters out first half + one third-quarter drive. Ready for Big Ten football. Sayin 18-of-22 looks nice on paper, but: Missed a fourth-down throw that should have been completed Took a fourth-down sack in the red zone (“ball has to come out 100 times out of 100”) 1-of-8 on third down Cannot run it in the red zone or on third-and-short Defense: two field goals allowed in cupcake games; want more pass rush. Starters were 0-for-4 on third down vs. Kent State. Day on Tuesday: “You all saw the problem.” Tight-end blocking in C/D gaps is the likely allusion. Illinois situation: NIL, scheme, first three games 04:45–14:30 Sunny Verma on the Illini: Bielema publicly contrasted roster spend: Ohio State ~$48–54M range vs. Illinois ~$19–23M. Defense overhauled after Aaron Henry left for Notre Dame. New DC Bobby Houck (Montana HC) installing a 3-3-5 he has never coordinated at this level. Hire came after the portal closed — suggests 3-3-5 was not original Plan A. Entire starting DL from 2025 gone; replacements took better money elsewhere. Secondary mostly back (Matthew Bailey, Juice Clark, etc.). Week 1 UAB: defense poor, led Power 4 in missed tackles (~17). Still only 23 points allowed. Week 2 Duke: Illinois had a double-digit lead. Fake punt kept a Duke drive alive; offense stalled badly in the second half / fourth quarter (three-and-outs, conservative play-calling, Hauser mistakes under pressure). Defense actually better than Week 1. Week 3 Southern Illinois: similar to OSU-Kent State. Tackling improved (two hands on a guy and they went down). Little schematic takeaway. Offense is the strength. OL has been ravaged (ninth/tenth lineman used at one point; two freshman guards started last week; one starter out for the year). Still a pleasant surprise so far. Jake Renfro health is a concern. Illinois skill players 14:30–21:00 Colin Dixon, WR: Already owns the Illinois single-season home receiving TD record after three home games. Seven TDs. On a 28-TD pace. Connection with Hauser developed in the offseason. Third-year breakout after special-teams / blocking years (same path as Pat Bryant, Isaiah Williams). Other WRs: Jay Sean Platt (lower-level transfer) out since preseason, doubtful vs. OSU. Hudson Clement missed time. RBs: younger guys Braden Trimble, Javari Barnett stepping up. Front six: Will Holmes (No. 24, 24–25 years old) the only consistent positive impact; Week 1 MVP candidate. Name Buckeye fans should know. Caden Hauser vs. Luke Altmyer Different QBs. Hauser has a cannon (60-yard Hail Mary vs. UAB). Elite first-read processor; gets the ball out fast. Two sacks allowed in three games — some of those “should have been sacks” per OC Barry Lunney Jr.; Hauser still needs to elude better. Weakness: creating when the play breaks down (showed vs. Duke). Hasn’t played Big Ten defense in 3–4 years. Captain as a first-year transfer (Altmyer wasn’t even a captain as a junior). Bielema/Lunney have now hit on DeVito → Altmyer → Hauser. Fan patience, resources, Cignetti shadow 21:00–26:30 Illinois 19 wins last two years, but Duke loss already produced “fire Bielema” noise. Win-now NIL world. Bielema’s Media Day point: if Illinois is within a couple million of OSU/Michigan, let’s play. At a $25M gap you’re in different leagues inside the same conference. “Why can’t you be Indiana?” — give them Indiana’s money. Cignetti’s instant success is the worst thing that happened to Bielema’s narrative; Illinois rose from Lovie Smith basement but nobody noticed. AD Josh Whitman viewed as one of the best in the country and understands the resource gap. Bielema has fired coordinators after one year before (Tony Patterson → Lunney worked). Ohio State self-assessment after Texas 26:30–30:30 Sunny asks if perception of the Buckeyes changed after Austin. Helwagen: They looked like the No. 1 team for 40 minutes (20-3 half, 23-3 late third). Heat + inability to sustain drives killed the defense. Two surface issues that must be fixed or they don’t win the Big Ten or a title: Run the ball when they want/need to. Pass rush (Arch Manning sat in the pocket and picked them apart in Q4). Gerdeman: Preseason thought this could be 9-3 and still a playoff team because of the schedule. That hasn’t changed. One quarter flipped the “best team in the country” conversation into nitpicking. Fine margins. Jeremiah Smith 30:30–37:00 Consensus: best Ohio State receiver of the last 40 years, not just the last decade. Mount Rushmore starts with him. Broke career receiving yards record in 33 games. Produced from Day 1 as a freshman (rare; Boston, maybe Carter). Will own yards, TDs, and receptions records. Close on the last two. Didn’t play the second half of either MAAC game. 5-85 vs. Kent State in one half. Slight criticism (Gerdeman): catch the ball with two hands sometimes (the Texas third-down one-hand attempt in Q4). Team is better when they play off him rather than force-feeding him. Still haven’t found the complementary receivers for Sayin. Two years of eligibility left; driven enough he could theoretically return, but first-round (top 3–4) lock. Line and last-year tape 37:00–41:20 Spread: Ohio State –27.5. Total 53.5. Implied ~41–13 / 40–13. Last year in Champaign: OSU won by 18, jumped on Illinois early (~20-3 half), Bielema furious walking off. Muffed punt / bad snaps. Score closer than the game. Only 4–5 Illinois starters return. Verma: Illinois offense can get to 20. Question is whether OSU keeps the pedal down if up multiple scores late third/early fourth. Counter: 20 would be the first time an offense has done it against Matt Patricia this year. OSU still the only team in the country that has not allowed a 30-yard play from scrimmage (Texas was death by 8–10 yard cuts). Ryan Day Tuesday availability (Helwagen/Gerdeman recap) 41:20–48:00 Day was frank (“those are just the facts”). Offense frustrations: Sayin still not connecting eyes / finishing details after 14–17 starts. Running backs: longest run last two games an 18-yarder vs. Texas. Home-run threat missing after Ball State. Tight-end blocking so poor they put backup guard No. 81 on the field; Buckeye Nation panicked. C/D gap issues. OL “okay.” Success rate and efficiency high while starters were in vs. Kent State; they just didn’t hit explosives. Day: backs seeing a hole and not running angry enough — bounce vs. shoulder vs. run the guy over. Jacoby Jackson running harder than Bo Jackson and Isaiah West. Expect the angriest runner to get the snaps this week. Injury reports start this week (Big Ten). Red zone: 2-of-5 TDs vs. Texas (4-of-5 scoring including FGs, failed fourth down). Must improve. Suggestion: leave Jeremiah Smith on the field inside the 10 even on run plays. Arthur Smith (OC): some message-board heat after three games. Panel not ready to call him a disappointment. Still learning what this personnel can/can’t do despite spring + fall camp. Grade roughly a B. Execution is the limiter; only Jeremiah has clearly earned an A. Historical scoring note / close 48:00–end 23 points vs. Texas = same total as 2019 Clemson loss. Moving the ball, not punching it in. Historic OSU “get to 24 and you almost never lose” stat. James Laurinaitis ringing the Victory Bell then coaching from the sideline — logistics joke. Line recap again. Watch what Luke Fickell / late-game script does if the game is in hand (hand-offs vs. let Fickell’s guys throw?). Promos: BuckeyeInsiders.com (Gerdeman recaps + X’s and O’s), Bucknuts (Garrett Codge recruiting notes from Saturday’s visitors), Locked On Illini daily (Verma). Where to find Sunny Verma Locked On Illini (6 days/week), On3, Roundtable Illinois page, social @TheSonnyV. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Primetime LIVE 103 — Illibuck Week & Needed Changes Presented by FanDuel | Hosts: Garrison Gaddy & Riley Burnett OhioStateVOCFB Denzel out (under the weather) Intro / Weekend (00:00–01:12) Welcome to Ohio State Primetime Live. Denzel not on the show; send well wishes. Riley’s weekend: watched a lot of football (college Saturday, NFL Sunday), prepped high school football coverage. Kent State postgame — what they liked / didn’t (01:12–03:36) Liked First four drives looked great. Tempo, composure, “chill” offense. Riley wasn’t stressing. Didn’t like Next two drives: failed two fourth-down conversions. Defense was fine vs. Kent State (QB-driven game plan didn’t materialize). Peyton Pierce Worst PFF grade on defense. Riley: trying to be a field-general/Luke Kuechly-type reader of offenses, but lacks the physicality and aggressiveness that match that IQ. Becoming a “major problem.” Riley Pettyjohn looked great again (most snaps this year). TJ Alford doing the right things. Serious film-room conversations coming as conference play starts. Garrison: “Everything you said is completely correct.” Jeremiah Smith — record, growth, Heisman, “supremacy game” (03:49–10:55) Smith broke Michael Jenkins’ Ohio State receiving yards record (held ~22–23 years) in two years + three games. Riley: bittersweet — “we’re gonna blink and Jeremiah’s not going to be there anymore.” Hardest worker on the team (Ryan Day and past coaches). Work ethic, not just star rating. Garrison flashback: pre-practice interview — Smith asked if he’d be fine starting; response was essentially “why can’t I?” Heisman: still in the mix (Garrison notes Kamario Taylor jumping). Vegas still has him on pace. Where is Jeremiah’s “supremacy game”? Possible: Oregon (he’s scored vs. them both times as a freshman; “team he claims he hates the most”). Indiana (revenge; he was still the X-factor in last year’s loss). Riley’s lean: last game of the season vs. Michigan in the Shoe. Last time they walked into Columbus they took care of Ohio State. Garrison’s projection (law of averages, ~5 rec/game, 1 TD/game): records likely fall somewhere between at Indiana and vs. Oregon at home. USC also a candidate given how they bracketed KJ Duff. Current: 19 receptions, 5 TDs. Watch USC-Rutgers tape for how they covered Duff — expect 110% of that vs. Smith, but Ohio State should have more complementary weapons by then. Luke Fahey / QB room / 2027 outlook (11:04–16:17) Garrison liked Fahey’s HS tape: gamer, good thrower, held up vs. California competition. Ohio State had no QB in that class; they viewed him as Buckeye material (project, like Tavian or Lincoln Kienholz). From what they’ve seen (spring + limited in-season reps): Fahey has looked better than Tavian at every step. Three-star taking the No. 2 role — not just a tactic to light a fire under Tavian. “There was a fire under Luke Fahey and it’s starting to show.” High IQ, field-general traits fit the offense; arm talent standing out more than expected. 100+ passing yards vs. Kent State. Chris Henry Jr. nice hitch-route TD (length/strides cover ground; body work showing). Chat: Aaron wants a portal QB next year; Steve says QB1 (Julian Sayin) is returning. Garrison agrees Sayin is likely back for senior year. If Sayin leaves: they should still go portal. Not because Fahey/Tavian can’t be ready, but to create competition or bring in a solidified guy. Hypothetical: if a JKS-type is in the portal, Day’s job is to get him. Team identity heading into Big Ten — what they need (16:18–19:12) Riley’s big picture: Both sides must settle on an identity. Can’t live on Jeremiah bailing them out of 3rd-and-medium/long all conference. Can’t keep rolling the dice then asking a just-off-the-field defense for another stop. Get complementary pieces going for four quarters: Devin McEwen — recapture Week 1 usage. Brandon Ennis — always targeted early (first 1–2 drives), then disappears. Need him throughout. Huge underneath/red-zone threat (short crossers, shallow routes). Exhibit A: wide open vs. Kent State when Sayin didn’t take the easy look (or the run lane). OL must protect and run-block for four quarters. Defense: Earl Little Jr. loved; want more from Jalen McClain and Devin Sanchez (inconsistent). Finding identity + comfort in conference play. Defense specifics — PFF, Jason Moore, Kari Wilder, rotation (19:12–22:29) PFF: Tarvis / Riley Pettyjohn 1–2 (90 and 90.5). Jermaine Matthews playing well. Jay Timmons “talk of the town.” Jason Moore (top-100 DT recruit): flashes last year; two straight games of better tape, more reps vs. Kent State. Has he earned starting reps? Riley: he never got the same developmental snaps others did. If they need multiple stops, fresh Moore (and Kari Wilder) matter. Kari Wilder snap count: Garrison relays Day’s postgame comment — they have him as a starter on third-down packages. Kent State only had those situations in Q1 and Q4, which is when he played. Goal is for him to own that role, then expand. Patricia versatility / nickel on 3rd down changes the look and gets more of those “workability” guys snaps. Garrison’s full OOC report card / needed changes (22:29–30:16) Overall: Ohio State is in a good spot. Texas exposed weaknesses early; fans expected them all fixed in one week. “We’re greedy.” Offense Don’t need a true WR2 — need guys who do their jobs. Brock Boyd most WR snaps last week, then Chris Henry Jr. (getting them ready with Kyle Parker out). Tight end room “has to get better overall… they’ve been bad.” No. 1 offensive success rate in the country. Sayin over-critiqued (worse than Kyle McCord treatment; some would give Devin Brown more leeway). Still things to fix: two Kent State plays where he had a run lane / Ennis wide open and didn’t take them. Short-yardage / critical runs: ball in Bo Jackson’s hands. Jacoby Jackson averaging 7 YPC and has been good, but if he’s in and doesn’t get it, you wonder if Bo would have. Defense Healthy LB rotation: Pettyjohn starter no matter what. Tarvis and Christian Allegretti rotate. Pierce rotates in when needed — “get his ish together.” Mind and body not on the same wavelength (late to the play, missing tackles). Captain, respected, has the IQ; body has to catch up or he’s not playable. DL pecking order Garrison’s leaning: John Walker III, Edrick, Jason Moore (back and forth), Will Smith, Jameer Perez. James Smith falling off — talent, hasn’t put it together. DBs: individually good flashes; need it as a unit consistently. Closest to flawless: Jay Timmons and Earl Little Jr. Want Patricia to dial up more pressure (Riley: send the nickel on a blitz occasionally). Illinois isn’t the measuring stick, but it’s a rivalry, Big Ten opener in the Shoe. Want a good product. Perspective tweet after Kent State: watching other teams keeps him from overreacting. Indiana slow-started vs. WKU then blew them out; USC gave up 35 to Rutgers; Oregon vs. cupcake; Michigan ugly first half. Ohio State takes care of lesser teams; Texas 4Q collapse is the exception. AP Poll rant (32:25–37:26) Ohio State drops 1 → 6 after 1-point road loss at Texas. LSU drops only 3 after losing to Ole Miss. Confusing. Too easy to just say “SEC bias.” Rankings don’t mean much this early. Look at the schedules of teams ahead of them. Shocked USC held after the Rutgers performance. Penn State creeping up. Louisville jumped 7 — shoutout Lincoln Kienholz / Brohm. Florida still favored over Ole Miss this week. Iowa 17th, just ahead of Michigan (they play in Ann Arbor). Texas A&M still ranked — Garrison doesn’t know what Marcel Reed is doing. Last year’s late-season turnover binge (12–13 in final 5) turned him off; those issues showed up again. Smaller than Sayin, limited arm. Louisville defense has kinks; interesting close to the year vs. Kentucky (Governor’s Cup). Illibuck preview — Ohio State vs. Illinois (38:09–46:06) Noon, Big Noon Kickoff, Illibuck Trophy in Columbus. Garrison not thrilled about the window; it’s Ohio State + rivalry. Riley’s keys Last year they used width/perimeter well (Carnell Tate, Bo, Jeremiah). Need that mentality again. Chris Henry Jr. can take it in space. Establish the run first so Illinois packs the box, then get outside. Starts on the first drive. OL has to win inside-out. Illinois personnel QB Caden Houser (ex-Michigan State — “QB factory that ships them out”). 758 yards, 74.1%, 8 TD / 2 INT. RBs Valentine & Laurie: 177 and 159 yards, 4.7 and 7.2 YPC. Decent year. Limited receiving threats. Second-best offense Ohio State has seen after Texas. Bielema wants to run and play-action. Houser can move. They’ll study Texas film for the 5–7 yard gashing runs. Expectations Garrison: should be a rout. Something like 40–10. Anything less is a disappointment given what both teams have shown. Comfortable scores they floated: 38–6, 42–6, 42–10. Hold them to two field goals. Uncomfortable: 14+ points allowed, especially if Illinois stays on schedule with 5–6 yard first-down runs and converts 3rd-and-short. Spread ~27.5 — they should cover easily; four touchdowns better. Linebackers will be tested more than any other group (stuff run, then keep pressure on Houser so he can’t live on easy completions). Week 4 FanDuel best bets (Garrison 4-for-6 last week) (46:06–53:04) Texas vs. Tennessee — UNDER 55.5 Both want to run. Tennessee leading SEC in rushing; true freshman QB playing well. Texas needs to run to settle Arch. Clock should tick. Riley agrees (Tennessee less sideline-to-sideline this year). Virginia Tech –14.5 vs. Boston College BC “sucks,” no Mali

Ohio State 59-3 Kent State — Post Game LIVE OhioStateVOCFB | Garrison Gaddy & Denzel Jones Intro (0:32) Welcome to Ohio State Post Game Live. Garrison under the weather / off-camera. Plug for likes, subs, vocfb.com. Setup: “storied rivalry” with Kent State. Final: 59-3. Hot first quarter, slower second, adjustments and scoring in second half. Overall impressions (1:25–2:40) Denzel: First three offensive drives looked scripted and sharp — ball spread, mix of run/pass, not just Jeremiah Smith. Defense: still mad Wilder and Pettyjohn weren’t starting; those adjustments should already have been made. Otherwise “not much you can take from this game.” Garrison: Agrees. You want to see younger guys and incremental improvement, but this isn’t a measuring-stick win. Same logic applies to the negatives — don’t overreact to missed throws either. Julian Sayin / passing game (2:40–3:35, 8:40–10:10) Fans on social media ripping Sayin. Garrison: he missed four throws. Final line they cite: 241 yards, 11.0 YPA, 2 TD, 0 INT. Denzel: “not enough for me to cry and moan.” Played well. Critique: two consecutive red-zone plays inside the 10 (3rd-and-4 / 4th-and-4). OL opened a lane; Sayin missed an open receiver and didn’t take the run. Garrison tweeted that Ryan Day should have been in his ear. Sayin showed willingness to run vs Texas and Ball State — needs that awareness when the lane is there. Running backs (3:35–5:50) Bo Jackson: 11-73, 6.6 YPC, 1 TD. Jacoby Jackson: 8-47, 5.9 YPC, 2 TD. Both hosts liked the vision/weaving through traffic. Isaiah West: Walk-in TD look where everyone blocked; West ran to get tackled instead of finishing. Disappointing given offseason hype and first-team reps. Talent/power is there; “needs to put it together.” Kent State — lower the shoulder or make someone miss. Consensus: holes are often there; RBs have to hit them harder or create. Short-yardage issues more on backs than OL. Offensive line (5:50–8:20, 26:20–28:20) Looked fine. One sack — “boo-hoo.” Gabe Van Sickle (Coopersville, MI — Garrison hometown): solid. Looked better than last time out. Garrison has heard the “can he start?” talk from high-school coaches. Younger guys getting in was encouraging. Short-yardage still a problem; Day harped on it. Denzel thinks it gets fixed and is more on RB reads/finishing than OL. Tyler Bowen: solid second year, recruiting well (Sam Greer film “crazy,” next class looks good). Development “solid, not great.” Neither host has OL as a top worry. Backs aren’t getting hit in the backfield; they’re missing holes or failing to make someone miss. Jeremiah Smith record (10:30–12:20) Becomes Ohio State all-time receiving yards leader (needed 27 yards / 26 catches entering the game). Passed Michael Jenkins, Chris Olave, David Boston, Marvin Harrison Jr. territory, etc. Both thankful he stayed instead of Miami NIL buyout talk. Sad it’s his last year. Projection: he’ll hold every receiving record when he leaves. What-ifs: MHJ if he’d started as a freshman; JSN if healthy (hurt Notre Dame game, limited 2020). Other receivers (12:20–17:00) Chris Henry Jr.: Hitch, jukes two guys, gazelle speed. Day said they’re building confidence. Denzel annoyed he didn’t play more vs Texas — size/speed/red-zone mismatch with Smith. Wants him and JJ opposite sides in the red zone. 6-5/6-6 vs Smith’s 6-4 helps short-yardage/red-zone issues. Brock Boyd: 4 rec, 66 yards (longest 39). Route running, inside/outside, speed. Coming along. Brandon Inniss: 4-78-1 TD (49-yard). Energy up when involved. “He be open. He be catching.” More middle-of-field throws from Sayin = more Inniss. On pace for a solid year. Game flow better than Texas because everyone got touches early → better blocking and juice. Spread it, then isolate Smith. Defense (17:00–26:00) Not much to take vs Kent State, but: Secondary: Looks good. Jermaine “JT” Timmons (true freshman) — both ask if anyone on defense is playing better right now. Can play anywhere in the back end. Pedigree (dad). Earl Little close second. Sanchez graded differently until he faces Indiana/Oregon/USC again. Tackling improved vs Texas. Riley Pettyjohn: “The kid’s different.” Coverage PFF they cite as elite (9 vs Pierce’s 15 mentioned in chat). Want him starting with C.J. Hicks / Alfred over current starters. Christian Allegretti: Solid game, hits holes harder, more speed/length than Peyton Pierce. Still prefer the younger pair for higher ceiling. DT room ranking (Garrison, 3 weeks in): John Walker III 2–3. Jason Moore / Edrick Reese Then Will Smith, James Smith. Moore looks like it’s clicking after inconsistency last year. Texas tape was good. If he hits 60–80% of ceiling, DT room jumps. Jameer Perez (true freshman, Glenville/Cleveland, ~340): Scoop-and-score plus a spin-off-guard move. Fast/quick for size. Want him (and Walker) in goal-line packages after Texas got moved off the ball. Caden Wilder: Limited snaps. Day: he’s the third-down starter; they want him to “own that package” first. Played 1st and 4th quarters. Denzel annoyed — talent is obvious, most pressure per snap on the DL; live with the mistakes. If Bo Atkinson can play, Wilder can play more than just 3rd down. Use him inside (3-tech) or outside. Play-calling / Arthur Smith (29:20–30:20) First three series called well. Drag/go concept with Smith (similar to Washington last year) looked unstoppable. Why wasn’t that the 3rd/4th-down call vs Texas? Big Ten snapshot / perspective (30:20–38:00) USC 42-35 Rutgers — shootout possible; worry is OSU pass rush vs that offense. Secondary fine. Indiana blew out WKU after slow first half. Mendoza 18-24-273-2 TD; Richard 15-149; Charlie Becker 5-127-1 (top-5/10 WR in CFB per Garrison). Michigan 52-17 UTEP after 17-14 half. Underwood 19-25-223-2 TD + another fumble. Best RB game of year. Wildcat to get offense going = “laughable,” not worried. Garrison’s even-keel point: watching the rest of the conference puts OSU’s “problems” in perspective. Overreactions (especially on Sayin) are wild. Poll of “concern level 1–10 on Sayin” showed a lot of 7s–8s–10s. Sayin returning 2027: Garrison fine/happy. Denzel likes the offense but notes it backs up recruiting (Tavion gone, Fahey year 2, new commits Marcus / Brady Edmonds stacked). Bets / other scores (38:00–42:00) Garrison 2-for-3 on the card discussed: – Missed Smith over 125 yards. – Hit Chris Henry anytime TD (spectacular). – North Texas/Texas State 49-35 hit. – Minnesota -23.5 vs Akron hit. – SMU/Louisville over 58.5 hit. – Missed UTEP under 48.5 (Michigan second half). – MSU +29.5 vs Notre Dame hit (27-10; rain + Fitzgerald fight). Northwestern 41-7 Colorado. Chip Kelly “put Coach Prime’s squad in a blender.” Garrison had it as a lock. Aiden Chiles 17-22-241-3 TD. “Harvard of the Midwest.” RJ Day coming soon joke. Outro (42:00) Ohio State Primetime Live Mondays 7 p.m. ET with Garrison, Denzel, Riley. Like / share / subscribe. O-H-I-O. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Here’s a set of structured, timestamped episode notes you can drop into an OhioStateVOCFB / Hawkeyes-Wire-style recap. Episode Notes: Jeremiah Smith Set To Make HISTORY! Ohio State Call-in Show LIVE 81 | Presented by FanDuel Host: Garrison Gaddy | Guest: Denzel Jones OhioStateVOCFB Show open (0:00–1:24) Garrison Gaddy opens Friday 7 p.m. ET Ohio State call-in show. Call-in link in chat; open to Buckeye fans and opposing fans. Mentions tonight’s Miami–Wake Forest game. Standard like/share/subscribe + shoutouts to Riley Denzel, Mark Rogers, Fearless Leroy / The Boys of College Football. Kent State watch points — defense (1:25–8:04) Garrison frames Kent State as a non-measuring-stick game after Ohio State blew a 20-point fourth-quarter lead vs. Texas. Things to look for: Defensive line — wire to wire Wants full-game effort after the front got gassed in the fourth vs. Texas. Names: Edgar Houston, James Smith, John Walker III (already plays that way), down to Jason Moore (played well in limited Texas snaps). Linebackers Four playable LBs. Peyton Pierce took the brunt of fan criticism after Texas; captains Pierce and Julian Sayin spoke after Ryan Day — right two to talk. Pierce must play better; Kent State is not the measuring stick. Wants young LBs to start / get first-team reps: Riley Pettyjohn, T.J. Alford (called “freaky athletes”). Christian Lago better as edge rusher than in coverage. Pettyjohn sack of Arch Manning praised: left his zone, full-go decision, aggressive. That’s the identity this less-talented (vs. 2025) defense needs. Matt Patricia / scheme Be more aggressive: press, stunts, use athletic bodies — not just bull rush. Secondary fly-around guys: Earl Little, J. McClain (one of the better tackling DBs in the country), Devin Sanchez, true freshman nickel Jay Timmons (near-elite tackler). Kent State watch points — offense (8:05–21:00) Wide receivers Want more rotation / rhythm for depth after Texas “stints.” Freshmen Brock Boyd and Chris Henry Jr. earned more work as blockers in Week 1 vs. Ball State; Boyd also showed route ability vs. Texas. Devin McEwen: get him open and hit him. Julian Sayin’s missed RPO to McEwen vs. Texas called the worst throw Gaddy has ever seen from him (worse than prior INTs / pick-six). Kyle Parker out. Offensive line Phillip Daniels status TBD (Ryan Day typically holds injury news). Austin Sereveld: very good at guard and LT; not RT (failed two years ago and again vs. Colin Simmons). Best five as of now: Carson Hinzman, Sereveld, Luke Montgomery, Ian Moore, + Daniels if healthy. Want Gaben Sickle (RG) and others with the 1s. Staff has preached secondary positions — use them. Chat mentions Sam Greer (freshman, huge) and Carter Lowe; Gaddy open if they’re practicing at that level. Julian Sayin “Just hit the open shots.” Running back RB2 still unsettled. Offseason “Isaiah West taking Bo’s reps” talk was out of context (West, Jacoby Jackson, Legend Bay all needed 1st-team looks). Bo Jackson: best game of short career vs. Texas — not huge numbers (~3 YPC, 17 carries) but ran hard, made people miss, hit the edge, caught the ball, ~100 total yards. In big games (Indiana, Michigan, Oregon, USC, Iowa, Illinois) Bo should get 20 rush attempts minimum. Legend Bay: most electric in the room — shiftiest, fastest, 10.2 100m, moves like Braxton Miller. True freshman; staff building trust after Week 1 kick-return decisions. Deserves a split of RB2 work. Suggested RB2 split: thirds — Isaiah West / Legend Bay / Jacoby Jackson. Jacoby Jackson: 48-yard TD vs. Ball State; strong runner, keep giving him work. Chat (Aaron): West “all talk,” 3-star. Gaddy: stars matter less at RB; Chris Olave was a 3-star, Marvin Harrison Jr. wasn’t a top-20 WR. Perspective on the Texas collapse (21:01–24:00) Reminds fans: blowing a 20-point Q4 lead is a 1-in-10 (or rarer) event. Conversation in a Michigan fan Space with “Metal”: how many times out of 10 does OSU drop that lead? Answer: that one time. Colin Cowherd / Joe Clancy point: a lot had to go right for Texas. “Everybody ain’t Texas.” Only a handful of rosters (Georgia, Notre Dame, maybe Oregon) can do what Texas did — or what OSU did going up 20 on Texas. Two most expensive rosters in CFB; QB play from Arch Manning and Julian Sayin wasn’t great, talent still is. FanDuel / Jeremiah Smith history + props (24:01–33:40) Line on OSU–Kent State: –52.5. Gaddy generally doesn’t bet his own team. Jeremiah Smith records (needs entering the game) 26 yards from Michael Jenkins’ all-time OSU receiving yards record. 27 receptions from the receptions record. 6 TDs from the TD record. Wild split: 27 catches from the catch record but only 26 yards from the yardage record. Prop: Smith over 125 receiving yards (+116) Denzel: thinks 150 yards, ~9 catches, 2 TDs. May sit in the third if Day runs it up. Still expects the record to fall this week. What-if on the record book Marvin Harrison Jr. (2,613 yards, same TDs as Smith with fewer catches) would likely own the record if he’d played as a freshman. C.J. Stroud “Marv-bust” year; people didn’t fully clock Emeka Egbuka yet. JSN would also be in the conversation with extra seasons. Prop: Chris Henry Jr. anytime TD (+210) Both Gaddy and Denzel think CHJ and Brock Boyd score. Freshman class too good to leave off the field. Freshman class talk with Denzel (33:40–35:20) Top-3 freshman class in recent OSU memory; too many ready-now players. D-line: Wilder looks like the best edge they have (5 snaps, 2 pressures vs. Texas). Kenyatta good setting the edge, not same rush juice. LBs: Pettyjohn and Alford better than current starters. Legend Bay: at least 5 touches a game. Freshman WRs look the part; room is light on upperclassmen. Garrison’s five games / best bets this week (35:20–47:20) Pick Gaddy Denzel Jeremiah Smith over 125 rec. yds Yes Yes (thinks 150) Chris Henry Jr. anytime TD Yes Yes (+ Boyd too) North Texas / Texas State over 62.5 Yes Lean under (~55) — only disagreement Minnesota –23.5 vs Akron Yes (overreaction to MSU loss) Yes SMU / Louisville over 58.5 Yes (game of the week; Jennings vs Kienholz; both Ds leaky) Yes (~30–34 type game) UTEP / “Teton” (Western Michigan) under 48.5 Yes (rain in Michigan) Pass / too unknown Michigan State +29.5 at Notre Dame (night) Yes (riskiest; Fitzgerald toughness, Aidan Medvedevich ~70%, Cam Edwards 5.2 YPC) Yes — ND takes over late but covers the number Also floated: Bryce Underwood under 0.5 INT or a fumble prop if it exists (2 fumbles in 2 games). SMU–Louisville is Gaddy’s No. 1 game of the week. Brief Heisman aside: Kienholz athletic enough that Gaddy wanted him getting designed runs when he was at OSU; still team-Jeremiah for Heisman. Sign-off (47:20–end) Postgame show with Denzel ~1 hour after OSU–Kent State. Pit Boss grill/smoker plug. “OH-IO.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 387 — “Will Texas Hang Over Kill 2026?” Voice of CFB / OhioStateVOCFB Host: Mark Rogers Guests: Steve Helwagen (Bucknuts 247), Tony Gerdeman (Buckeye Weekly / Buckeye Insiders), Steve Helwick (Underdog Dynasty / By the Belt) Opening: The 24-23 Texas loss and the two extremes 00:00–01:43 Ohio State is not a program that treats a road loss as a moral victory. A 24-23 result in Austin would have looked respectable in the offseason. The way it happened is the problem. Mark frames the spectrum: some say the sky isn’t falling after a one-point road loss to the new No. 1 team; others treat it as inexcusable. He wants a balanced take. 01:43–05:16 — Steve Helwagen’s preamble Week 1 vs. Ball State (56-3) looked like a team ready for Texas. First half vs. Texas: dominant, 20-3 lead. Felt like a statement win that would help CFP seeding. Second half: heat (92° air, ~110° on the field) + Ohio State offense going three-and-out starting mid-third quarter. Defense on the field too often. Texas three long scoring drives (91, 73, 71 yards, all double-digit plays) and three fourth-quarter TDs. Records: first time Ohio State lost after leading by 17+ at half; first time a No. 1 team lost after leading by 20 in the second half. Biggest blown lead in program history remains 21 vs. Nebraska in 2011 (lost season). This one hurts because 2026 was supposed to be a title-contender year. Glass half full: one-point road loss to a playoff-caliber team. Glass half empty: “You cannot ever lose that game.” Kent State preview (with Steve Helwick) 05:16–16:12 They pivot briefly because Helwick is the Group of 5 guy. Kent State snapshot Brutal non-conference “ride to hell” schedule every year. Last year: 172-24 combined losses at Oklahoma, FSU, Texas Tech. Still finished 5-7 after an 0-12 season. 2026: 57-0 at South Carolina, then trailed FCS Wofford 15-14 after three before 22 unanswered in the fourth. Sloppy (muffed punt, missed FG, turnovers on downs) but clearly better than Wofford. Offense is boom-or-bust, historically big-play dependent (Cade Wolford last year, now at Cincinnati). Conservative vs. South Carolina; some explosiveness late vs. Wofford. QB Drew DeShields (Beloit West Branch, Ohio): dual-threat. vs. Wofford: 16-of-25, 248 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; 10 carries, 74 yards, 2 TDs. Already 2 INTs this year. Names to watch: Darylis Clark — MAC Special Teams POY last year (2 kick-return TDs), now WR, second-leading receiver. Rocco Nickel — 6-5 LB, boomerang transfer (Kent State → USF → back). Sound tackler, roaming. Historical OSU-Kent State: average score 55-7 in three meetings. Vegas: OSU -52.5, O/U 59.5. Helwick wouldn’t be shocked if Kent State is shut out. MAC overall: Helwick thinks it’s a down year. Western Michigan is the clear favorite (retained MAC OPOY, no portal losses after 10-1 finish). Bottom half (Bowling Green, CMU, Akron, Ball State, Kent State) is rough. Ohio State is playing two of the weaker ones. Purpose of the game for Ohio State Get starters in a groove, get young players snaps (like Fahey and St. Clair vs. Ball State), stay healthy for Illinois (Big Ten opener the following week). Helwick was in Austin for the Texas game (after covering UTSA and Texas State). Brief comments: Ohio State left meat on the bone in the first half (bad 4th-and-2 run call), coverage breaks on deep balls (Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo drop). Pass rush and snap counts (Kari Wilder only 5 snaps, Pettijohn vs. Pierce) need fixing. Deep Texas autopsy with Tony Gerdeman 23:39 onward (Tony arrives after traffic) The goal-line decision 23:39–32:00 Mark: purist view is you stop them at the 1. Practical view: let them score with ~50 seconds left, give Julian Sayin the ball with timeouts. Tony agrees completely. Ryan Day was informed by past success stopping Texas near the goal line, but this defense had been on the field the entire fourth quarter in 110° heat. Discretion > valor. Pete (Pierce?) said they never even considered it. Tony’s point: without Caden McDonald (the “floppy belly” All-American DT), Ohio State almost never stops first-and-goal from the 1. Four cracks over center/A-gap was going to score. They should have pushed the receiver into the end zone on the previous play to get more time. Situational football failed: OSU 1-of-6 on third down in second half (5-of-8 first half), 2-of-5 red-zone TDs. Texas 4-of-4 scoring (3 TDs, 1 FG). Texas recovered 3 of 4 fumbles. Missed FG. Hook-and-ladder on the final drive. Any one of 10 plays flips it. Offense and Julian Sayin 40:40–48:00 First half: Sayin A-minus — 12-of-16, 195 yards, TD. Missed back-shoulder to Jeremiah Smith in the end zone on the opening drive. Second half: 5-of-16, 83 yards. Day said 2-for-last-10/12 besides the Hail Mary. One 43-yard “throw it up” to Smith (Smith’s 8th and final catch). Smith targeted 15 times, 8 catches; no receptions in final 20 minutes (drop + two PIs). Other receivers: Brandon Inniss 1 catch (19 yards) + Hail Mary target. Devin McEwen 1 catch for 5 yards (after 6-97 vs. Ball State). Targeted 3 times total for the two. McEwen wide open down the middle — Sayin missed him. Will Muschamp’s defense took Smith away after the third-quarter 43-yarder. Fourth straight 140+ yard game for Smith (OSU record) — they lost three of those four. Need diversification. Run game: 94 yards. No run over 11 yards. Bo Jackson ~5 YPC when not blown up. Legend Bay 1 carry, 0 yards, never seen again. Chris Henry Jr. barely used. Tressel standard was ~200 rush / 250 pass. Not close. Defense / personnel Coverage breaks on verticals (Coleman, Wingo). No consistent pass rush. Kari Wilder (DE used as pass-rush NT) only 5 snaps — needs 40. Riley Pettijohn should play more than Peyton Pierce. Young DBs (Sanchez, McLean) struggled; Timmons, Earl Little, Matthews (huge 4th-down stop + end-around discipline) played well. Ryan Day context and “all his losses look the same” 48:00–56:00 Tony lists Day’s losses by AP ranking: almost all top-10 or better (one unranked — Michigan 2024). Day has 17 wins vs. AP top-10 in 7+ seasons (Tressel 10 in 10 years, Meyer 13 in 7). Eight wins vs. top-5 (Tressel 4, Meyer 6). People blame Day for everything after the fact (4th-and-2 run, not kicking FG, not letting Texas score). Same people wanted to go for it live. Brandon Marcello (CBS): entire offense felt built around getting Smith the ball; when that was taken away last 20 minutes, they had nothing else. Forward look Heat and Austin environment won’t repeat. Lessons (situational football, snap counts, getting other skill players involved, pass rush) need to be applied now. Illinois in two weeks, Iowa after that, Oregon in November, Michigan. One more “good” loss is probably still playoff-viable; 9-3 with two top-10 losses is dicey. Omen talk: they play Kent State in 2026 like they did in 2002 and 2014 title years. Day just went 1-3 in a stretch like Meyer after the 2013 losses + 2014 Virginia Tech. Closing Focus this week is not Kent State — it’s getting the house in order before Big Ten play. Both Steve and Tony still digging out of the Texas tape (Tony on situational failures and young players; Helwagen may re-watch the 22 second-half offensive plays). Next Tuesday: Illinois preview. Key quotes / clip-worthy timestamps Helwagen on the loss: “Inexcusable, unforgivable. Just no way.” (~05:00) Goal-line debate consensus: let them score (~25:00–30:00) Smith’s last 20 minutes: zero catches after 8 (~42:30) Marcello via Tony: offense built around Smith, then “oh well, we don’t have anything else” (~50:30) Day’s résumé vs. Tressel/Meyer (~49:00) The show stays in “neither sky-is-falling nor everything-is-fine” lane: the talent and first-half tape say they’re a contender; the second-half execution, personnel usage, and late-game decisions are real problems that have to be fixed before Illinois. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Primetime LIVE 102 — Needed Personnel Changes & Bounce-Back Week Presented by FanDuel | Hosts: Garrison Gaddy, Riley Burnett, Denzel Jones OhioStateVOCFB Show Open & Format Notes (0:00–1:25) Garrison welcomes everyone to Ohio State Primetime Live. The show is officially moving to Mondays; Zay is now a permanent part of the rotation. Riley and Garrison are excited about the new setup. Standard plugs: like/share/subscribe, vocfb.com, vocfb.com/shop (koozies, sweatshirts, hats, tees). They preview the Kent State game after recapping Saturday’s loss to Texas. Texas Loss Recap — First Half vs. Second Half (1:25–4:00) Riley’s overarching take: Happy with the first half. The score near the end of the half was huge. Lucky on the opening play and the interception (great ball by Arch, “one-in-a-million”). Second half: offense came out flat and defense came out flat, especially in the third quarter. By the fourth, the defense was gassed after back-to-back three-and-outs. Texas’s physicality and tenacity took over. Offensive game plan was lacking. Biggest individual disappointment: Peyton Pierce — not flying to the ball, not playing alert football. Riley wants the talented younger linebackers used now instead of kept “in the back pocket.” “If it’s the right guy, let’s show our hand.” Denzel notes he already went off on Pierce on the Sunday show. Garrison jokes that Pierce somehow had the highest PFS score (75.9 overall, 71 run D, 67 tackling, 73.9 coverage) — they treat it as a “nothing stat” because doing nothing means you don’t get dinged. Fan Overreactions, Ryan Day Heat, and “Better Team” Debate (5:15–7:50) Garrison addresses the postgame noise: Fire Ryan Day talk, people doxing Day’s house (called “really weird”). He compares his reaction to the 2024 Oregon loss — sat three inches from the TV, hands on hips, “Alright. Cool. Got it.” His view: Ohio State was the better team for 2½ quarters until the fourth. On a neutral field he thinks they beat Texas. “Good teams win, great teams cover” — and they did cover. Riley: Sad after the game but not devastated. Prefers an early loss so coaches actually go back to the film room and make personnel changes (unlike last year’s undefeated season where deficiencies were papered over). He’s been calling for Pierce not to start since before the season. Snap counts shown: Pierce 37, Tarvis 26. They want those snaps split more evenly among the three linebackers. Allegro wasn’t awful but wasn’t great; still better than Pierce. Clip discussion: Riley’s sack while Pierce was hanging out 5–7 yards behind him. Contrast in urgency and violence. “If you’re the middle linebacker you got to be the guy that’s crazy in the middle. You can’t just be hanging out like you’re a fan.” Garrison: A Mike linebacker has to be a field general. Pierce’s energy (or lack of it) reflects on the rest of the defense, especially late. Young Players Who Need Snaps (8:20–14:50) Poll in chat: Do you want coaches playing more young guys on both sides? Names floated: Brock Boyd (needs to rebuild trust after drops last week) Legend Bay — “coaching malpractice” to give him one touch in a game like that. Doesn’t matter that he’s a freshman. Christian Allegro — Garrison has said he belongs on the edge, not at Mike. Fast in a straight line, can rush. Coaches have given him snaps at the S position too. Riley: The two best linebackers on the team are obvious. Play them. Denzel’s wish list: Swap the linebackers Legend Bay at least 5 touches Chris Henry at least one pass a game Chris Henry and Boyd 1–2 targets Solidify RB2 (Jacoby Jackson is a strong runner) Isaiah West hype from the beat writers was not real — “anyone who thought he was challenging Bo needs to repent” Open to Legend Bay as RB2; blocking can be figured out later. He’s an extra weapon who can take it to the house. Garrison wants more crossing routes and slants to get the ball out of Julian’s hands quickly and build confidence. Receivers who can do something after the catch: Jeremiah, Devin McEwen, Brandon Ennis (sure hands, clutch catch in the game). They stress “workability” — elite teams need it on both sides. Position coaches (not just Arthur Smith and Matt Patricia) need to be pushing young talent. Freshman Social Media — “Free Deuce” (14:57–19:20) Riley flagged Instagram stories that have since been scrubbed. Legend Bay posted a sideline photo with “Free Deuce.” Hosts interpret it as a not-so-subtle request for more touches. They compare it to Ezekiel Elliott speaking up after the 2015 Michigan State loss. All three believe Legend is a top-3 most dynamic player on the offense and needs to be involved early — out of the backfield and in the slot/empty sets. Garrison is unsettled by the personnel choices: Why give Legend the ball early then never again? Same question for other young guys. Position coaches may be getting (or giving) bad advice. Denzel wants the ball spread more. Feeding Jeremiah exclusively makes the offense predictable on third-and-medium/long. Texas’s secondary could match him physically. “You already know where the ball is going.” 2028 Recruiting — Luke Soda TE Commit (21:45–28:10) Ohio State landed a 2028 commit: Luke Soda (pronunciation debated — “Soda” or similar), 3-star athlete, No. 51 athlete in the class, 6-4, 250, Cannon-McMillan HS (Canonsburg, PA). Also plays DE. Arthur Smith personally wanted him. Riley likes Smith immersing himself in modern recruiting after coming from the NFL. Tight end is an intriguing position for him. Denzel is cynical about Ohio State tight ends: they recruit good ones (Jelani, Luke Farrell, etc.), they get drafted and produce in the NFL, but Ohio State rarely uses them. Cade Stover was the last one they actually threw to consistently (and that was partly by default). Still likes Smith’s involvement. Garrison: Ohio State doesn’t have to live off the tight end like some programs. They have receivers and running backs. But this is Smith’s bread and butter. Expect a “Buckeye bump” in the rankings. “What else is an Ohio State tight end good for unless you’re Cade Stover?” Recruiting priority for the next two classes: Riley: Keep hitting D-line hard. Never enough. Elite D-line helps everything and usually gets you to the playoffs. Garrison: Front seven — mix of size and speed, “workability” guys Patricia can scheme with. Denzel: Stop spending money on linebacker. Room is already packed (Sincere, Riley, Alfred, etc.). Shift resources to corner — depth behind the top two is not great. Brief Bobby Carpenter comments discussion (Pierce vs. Tarvis speed, old comments comparing Pierce to Arvell Reese/Sonny Styles). Kent State Preview — Bounce-Back / “Work Them Demons Out” (31:55–49:20) Kent State is 1-1 (lost 57-0 to South Carolina, beat Wofford 36-15). Drew DeShields: 311 pass yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; 101 rush yards, 2 TDs (he’s a third of their rushing offense). No receiver over 100 yards. Defense has one sack. Garrison: He would hate to be Kent State. After a loss like Texas, you have to work the demons out. This is the game to do it. What they want to see: Different jersey numbers on both sides of the ball Legend Bay 5+ touches Freshman WRs more involved than they were vs. Ball State Backup QB (Luke Fahey mentioned) in by the second half Kari Wilder 30+ snaps (only 5 vs. Texas — not enough) Pierce as a rotational piece; Riley or T.J. Alfred starting at that linebacker spot Jay Timmons and Earl Little Jr. continue playing physical Devin Sanchez coverage was excellent except the one TD given up — “dig deep” Bo Atkinson as depth only; Epi, Zion, Carey, Quay have played better Tighter coverage / more press-man Brock Boyd before Chris Henry Jr. (more polished right now, faster) Ryan Day should not hold back — put up as many points as possible to evaluate the roster FanDuel: Ohio State -52.5, total 59.5. All three think they cover easily. Score predictions: Riley: 70-0 Denzel: 63-0 (they’ll chill once they get it out of their system) Garrison: 66-0 (throw in a Connor Hawkins field goal) Any Kent State points are unacceptable. Defense looked soft vs. Texas; no excuses about heat. Hawkins miss discussion: Garrison refuses to pin the Texas loss on the kicker. Hawkins is the reason they even had a TD lead late. Long list of other “huh?” moments (Julian not throwing to wide-open Devin McEwen, Jeremiah not catching, hold by Austin Saraville, last-drive TD allowed, linebacker/edge rotation, etc.). Other Games (49:30–53:00) Oregon vs. Oklahoma State Loved that Oregon lost. Gave up ~561–600 yards. Can’t claim best D-line in the country after that. Drew Metzmaker and that Oklahoma State offense punched them in the mouth early; Oregon struggled to respond. Takeaway: you have to hit Oregon early. Michigan vs. Oklahoma Ugly, quarterback-less nail-biter. Michigan won the way they like to win at home. John Mateer looked nothing like last year’s version (thumb injury or not) — missed throws, late INT, offense only really went to the tight end. Michigan’s offense also struggled. Garrison hit the Under 0.5 passing TDs on Bryce Underwood. Mixed feelings about Michigan winning after “cheating the week before,” but they’ll take the result. Close (53:00–end) Like, share, subscribe, comment, hit the hype button. Membership tiers mentioned (Black Hole Club, etc.). Call-in show is Fridays at 7 p.m. “O-H.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State–Texas Postgame / Call-In Live OhioStateVOCFB — Garrison Gaddy & Denzel Jones Late-night recap after Ohio State’s 23–24 loss at DKR Stadium Show setup Garrison and Denzel open immediately after the overnight loss. They frame it as a full-board conversation: coaching, personnel, drops, missed throws, and fourth-quarter collapse after Ohio State led 23–3. Credit Texas throughout; they refuse the “we took our foot off the gas and Texas just laid down” narrative. First-half snapshot (hosts’ view) Offense in sync early. Julian Sayin (transcript: “Julian San”) had the game’s high for QBs. Jeremiah Smith: 8-164-1 TD, 20.5 YPC, long 43. Bo Jackson: 19 carries, 74 yards (3.9 YPC), long 11. Jacoby Jackson 5 carries; Isaiah West 2; Legend Bay 1 snap/1 carry. Pass protection fine first half; run blocking not. Hosts wanted more points instead of field goals while the lead was still expandable. Defense had Arch Manning “in a spin cycle.” Jaylen McClain INT after a coverage breakdown on Cam Coleman. Jay Timmons forced and recovered a fumble. Riley Pettyjohn and Timmons were the two best defensive players on the field. Texas missed big plays (Ryan Wingo drop; Coleman near-miss). Ohio State still only led 23–3 at half because they settled for kicks. Personnel & snap-count frustration (core of the show) Linebacker rotation: Denzel was “right about the linebackers.” Peyton Pierce looked slow, hesitant, spectator-like; 67 snaps. Riley Pettyjohn 37 snaps, Christian Allegro 51, Tarvis ~26. Hosts and caller Michael all want Pettyjohn (and Alford) on the field constantly. Pierce’s one forced fumble that wasn’t recovered doesn’t offset the rest. Defensive line last drive: Epi / Kenyatta / Will Smith / James packages, then Bo Atkinson in for the game-winning drive. Hosts: if Texas is already gashing the line, why insert Atkinson? Prefer Epi, Carey Wilder, or Quay. John Walker III “should never come off the field” unless he needs water. Kerry Wilder only 5 snaps despite looking explosive when in. Running back usage: Bo Jackson is the second-best offensive weapon. Hosts hate the every-other-series committee; it keeps backs from finding a rhythm. Want 25–27 carries for Bo in this type of game, not 19. Legend Bay and Isaiah West barely used. Receiver distribution: Too much force-feeding Jeremiah Smith. Devin McEwen drops (including a needed conversion) after being ignored. Brandon Inniss “seems to catch it every time they look his way”; hosts would have preferred him on the third-and-long McEwen drop. Fourth-quarter collapse Offense looked conservative / clock-killing: three-and-outs, three-run sequences, punts. Arthur Smith’s first-half calls were fine; fourth-quarter play-calling “terrible.” Julian off — balls behind Jeremiah, missed McEwen. Devin Sanchez: generally solid game, but the Wingo TD “looked too easy” (outside leverage, simple out/curl). Phantom PI on Sanchez “sticks in the craw” and helped spark the comeback. Defense gassed on two late drives. Hosts wanted a timeout after the first fourth-down conversion (4th-and-9) to give the D-line a breath; Patricia didn’t change personnel or scheme. John Walker laid out a lineman but was too tired to finish to the QB. Goal-line at the end: Garrison initially wanted to let Texas score for clock. After talking to his sister he understood Day trusting the goal-line identity of recent years. Both still note this D-line is not K-Mac / Ty Hamilton / Tyleik Williams; expectations have to be tapered. Specific plays & player notes Jeremiah Smith: great overall game, still the best player on the team / in CFB in their view. Must-catch drops: ball behind him coming across the middle (Julian’s fault and a catch he should make); third-and-4 body catch. One-on-one end-zone ball needed to be outside shoulder / pylon — Julian put it inside. Connor Hawkins: 3-for-4, including a 45/48-yarder that created the six-point lead they later lost. Hosts defend him on volume but still say the miss in a one-score game has to be made. Field goal did not lose the game; Ohio State was still up 6 when it happened. Defense then gave up 4th-and-9 and 4th-and-6. Earl Little: “smacking the hell out of people,” overlooked positive. Kenyatta Jackson: good at setting the edge vs. Goosby (sack), not aggressive enough finishing. Caller Michael questions size/strength vs. top tackles. Austin Siereveld sack given up called out. Coaching blame (spread, not single-target) Ryan Day (final calls, goal-line, timeouts), Arthur Smith (conservative fourth quarter, stacked-box halfback dives, fourth-down personnel), Matt Patricia / position coaches (LB and DL packages), Tyler Bowen (OL adjustments). Players still have to make the critical plays. “Everyone has blame… only a couple players who don’t.” Hosts push back hard on “fire Ryan Day / he’s coaching for his job.” One-point loss at DKR to a top-5 roster is not the same as losing to Akron or Maryland. Ohio State covered as a road dog; “good teams win, great teams cover.” Early loss often produces adjustments. Schedule after Kent State (Iowa at Kinnick) is the real measuring stick. Caller Michael Wants Pierce off the field immediately; ranks him fourth among the LBs. Questions Kenyatta Jackson’s size/production vs. elite tackles (compares to JTT “baby arms” talk). Wants more downfield aggression with Sayin + Smith. Thinks Ohio State was the better team and would have won at home or on a neutral field. Coaching “not to lose” in the fourth is the recurring Day critique. Super-chat / Robert Howard: “We will know how serious they are by how much we see 34, 5 and 17” (Pettyjohn, Alford, Wilder). Hosts agree those three + Bo Jackson need heavy, non-negotiable snaps going forward. Positives they want replicated First-half cadence / hurry-up that created field position. Julian’s first-half confidence and willingness to run. Getting the ball to Jeremiah while still making McEwen / Inniss threats. Bo Jackson as featured back in multiple ways. Timmons / Pettyjohn / Walker / Little physicality. Kent State is a non-eval game. Iowa is the next real test of whether the first-half version or the fourth-quarter version shows up. Close Tough one-point loss after a 20-point lead. Get back on the horse. O-H / I-O. Next: Kent State, then Iowa. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Primetime LIVE 101 — Horns Down & Clock Shenanigans Presented by FanDuel | Hosts: Garrison Gaddy, Riley Burnett, Denzel Jones OhioStateVOCFB Intro & setup 00:00–01:20 Garrison and Riley open the show, plug vocfb.com and the shop, and set the table: Ohio State at Texas this week after talking with the Texas VOCFB guys. Quick pivot to Big Ten chaos before the preview. Western Michigan–Michigan clock controversy 01:20–08:50 Garrison (West Michigan native, proud Bronco fan) and the group recap the ending: WMU thought they had the win, celebrated, then Michigan got an extra second and Bryce Underwood hit a 47-yard TD. Riley was FaceTiming a friend and thought the game was over before looking back up. Denzel calls it disappointing and “disgusting” for the WMU players and coach who already believed they had the biggest upset. Mental checkout after the whistle makes it nearly impossible to reset. They discuss Big Ten audio (broadcast time vs. game clock), Coach Lance Taylor’s composure, and the MAC initially agreeing then walking it back. Garrison argues the MAC should fight harder—WMU is their best Playoff hope with Boise State coming. Contrasts it with a live play that isn’t over vs. a game that already felt finished. Ryan Day presser, Jeremiah Smith, Devin McEwen 08:50–16:10 Day on getting Jeremiah Smith (#4) the ball: there has to be balance, but they have to work so he impacts the game. Riley is on the fence—Devin McEwen could be this year’s Carnell Tate in Week 2, but raw talent wins in certain spots and they have to get Smith the ball, especially if Texas shows man. Stretch the field; don’t just settle for jet sweeps and screens like the last CFP meeting. Garrison is less worried: they’ve beaten Texas twice without forcing Smith volume; if they occupy two defenders on him, run McEwen underneath or use Julian Sayin’s legs. Riley wants Smith at 90+ yards as a low bar and will take shots even in tight windows (or take the PI). If the backs go crazy instead, that’s fine if the line wins. Day also sounded loose and confident (unlike some past big-game pressers). Flexibility on the O-line; they can make in-game changes. Legend Bay 16:10–18:30 Shoutout to Jalen Turner’s comment that Legend Bay unlocks Smith’s swing/screen game. Day addressed Bay’s ups and downs vs. Ball State (two kickoff returns he should have knelt). Group loves the juice and lateral quickness—“best thing since Braxton Miller.” Creating middle-of-the-field separation and east-west playmaking will be huge Saturday. Braxton Miller co-sign (give him No. 5) lands well. Game framing & storylines 19:10–23:10 Garrison does not have Ohio State No. 1 personally (Notre Dame/Miami ahead in his fluid top 15). Sixth meeting this century. They like the big-boy scheduling (Georgia later). Excited for the narrative if an SEC team that went undefeated in Week 1 loses at home in Week 2 to a Big Ten team. Sarkisian excuse-making is already anticipated. Defense vs. Texas 23:10–32:00 Comfortable with the four linebackers. TJ Alford and Riley Pettijohn stood out; Peyton Pierce had missed tackles (everyone did in the first half). Bo Atkinson disappointing; Caden Curry/Kyrie Wilder movement was encouraging. Kenyatta Jackson favored his right leg for a stretch in the second quarter—watch that for edge pressure and finishing vs. Arch Manning. Jackson led the country in Week 1 pressures (8) but has to finish sacks. Tackling is the biggest Week 1 leftover. Can’t miss vs. Ryan Wingo, Hollywood Smothers, Relique Brown, Cam Coleman, Arch. Secondary: trust corners and safeties, but Ball State isn’t the bar. Jermaine Mathews locked Wingo last year; Jaylen Simmons was lights-out as a true freshman but this is the real test. Like the 4-3 packages they showed (Pierce at Mike, Alford/Pettijohn outside). Show it early to keep Arch from getting into rhythm. Garrison’s FanDuel locks 32:00–34:20 Arch Manning under 1.5 passing TDs Devin McEwen 50+ receiving yards (lock of the game) Texas first-quarter lead -1.5 Also likes Texas getting a scripted fast start at home. Offense vs. Texas defense / O-line 34:20–41:30 Riley wants middle-of-field usage and Legend Bay after-catch work to gas Texas, then tempo. Denzel wants 3.5–4 yards per carry and O-line improvement after a rough first half vs. Ball State (adjustments helped). Day comparing McEwen to Chris Olave is exciting. Bo Jackson’s change-of-direction over pure speed. Want more Isaiah West. Philip Daniels cannot stay at RT vs. Colin Simmons. Prefer matching All-American vs. All-American (Daniels on Simmons) and living with Van Sickle/Padilla on the other side. Run-game issues in Q1 looked more like back vision than line play; second-half schematic/personnel changes produced 5.5 YPC even without the two long Jackson runs. Matt Miller (Texas VOCFB) joins 41:30–58:00 Muschamp’s defense will be more aggressive and attack the ball (Raheem Biles strip example) at the cost of bigger plays given up. Most talented Sark roster overall; edges are the strength, interior still good. Cage Phillips is the one Texas player who worries Matt vs. Ohio State. Perimeter tackling vs. Texas State was poor—danger vs. Smith/McEwen. Bo Mascoe (Rutgers transfer) is a wait-and-see; Cade Phillips got beat. Run game: backs are better than last year. Hollywood Smothers is the trusted down-to-down and receiving threat; Relique Brown is boom-or-bust. Arch’s mechanics looked cleaned up vs. Texas State (no more Uncle Rico arm angles); expect 64–66% completion, not 74%. Ryan Wingo’s hands and confidence looked improved. Matchup flags: Emmett Mosley in the slot vs. Jaylen Simmons (Sark has confused young DBs before). Devin Sanchez talking big—needs to back it up. Both sides’ tackling will decide chunk plays. Garrison noted Colin Simmons lining up at Mike a few times vs. Texas State—if they show it again, throw at him. Extra bets, closing bits 49:50–end Garrison’s other Week 2 locks: Rutgers/BC under 54.5, UGA -40.5 vs. Kentucky, Pitt -7 vs. UCF. Luke Soida (3-star TE) committed tonight. Schedule note: they’re tweaking the weekly show slate. Standard close and “OH-IO.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 386 — Texas Week Voice of College Football | Mark Rogers with Steve Helwagen (Bucknuts 247) and Chip Brown (Horns 247) Tuesday preview of No. 1 Ohio State at Texas, Saturday night in Austin. Show open (0:00–1:25) Football is finally back — and this weekend is a massive step up. Texas vs. Ohio State in Austin is framed as the biggest non-conference game of the year and potentially one of the biggest ever for both programs. Chip Brown joins from Horns247; Steve Helwagen from Bucknuts. Arch Manning’s growth (1:25–3:50) Chip: Last year’s Columbus game was Arch “working through his own head.” First pass bounced three feet in front of the receiver; the game speed felt like a tilt-a-whirl. He took more lumps at Florida, then improved down the stretch. Against Texas State he picked up where he left off — more comfortable, vocal leader, trash-talker (per Colin Simmons). Texas went all-in via the portal (Cam Coleman, Hollywood Smothers, Relique Brown, O-linemen) because this could be the last year for Arch, Coleman, and Simmons. This is his stage. Mirror-image programs and portal churn (3:50–6:20) Steve: Both rosters are heavily rebuilt. Texas has ~9 new starters via the portal; Ohio State has 5–6. Successful programs now treat the portal as annual roster construction, not a last resort. Ohio State examples: Earl Little, Christian Aliegro, Devin McCune (UTSA transfer now starting). Texas hit “home run after home run.” Chip notes four Texas players on the AP preseason All-American first team: Cam Coleman, Trevor Goosby, Rasheem Biles, Colin Simmons. Steve’s take: This may be the most talented of the three Texas teams Ohio State has faced. Heat and depth (6:20–9:00) Kickoff ~6:30 p.m., expected 97 degrees. Texas State game (2:30 p.m. Friday) was brutal — Sark said 160 degrees on the field with rubber pellets. Fans “dropping like flies.” Cooling vests abandoned as too bulky. Texas played 50+ in the first half, 60+ for the game. Ohio State also emptied the bench once up 28-3 then 42-3 (Jeremiah Smith done at half; Julian Sayin two series in the third). Travel roster size for a non-Big Ten game is an open question (Big Ten games typically ~70-75). Clock controversy tangent (9:00–12:00) Brief discussion of last week’s Western Michigan/Michigan clock/optics issue. Steve timed the play at 8.4 seconds with 9 on the clock at snap; believes the call was technically correct but optics were terrible. No full explanation from Big Ten or NBC yet. What changed for Texas in camp / Week 1 (12:00–16:00) Chip’s biggest takeaways: Arch is more comfortable and owns the team. Interior run game still a concern (12 carries of 0-2 yards vs. Texas State; Relique Brown 11-for-34 despite two long TDs). Pass protection looks solid; receiver room upgraded. Cam Coleman’s arrival makes Ryan Wingo one of the best No. 2s in the country. Wingo caught his first 7 targets (short and deep, including a 45-yarder) after dropping 7 balls last year. Offense averaged ~35 ppg Sark’s first four years, dropped to 30.5 last year. Without two late 200-yard rushing games they were on pace for worst rushing season since 1944. Sark is 0-2 vs. Ohio State, 0-3 vs. Georgia. This is his best roster and a defining game on his Texas timeline. Defense and Will Muschamp (16:00–19:00) Pete Kwiatkowski out after three years of ~18 ppg allowed. Muschamp was Sark’s original target years ago. Aggressive, pressure-oriented (not necessarily heavy blitz), man coverage even under zone. Texas State game showed almost no pressure — they were holding cards. Raheem Biles (Pitt transfer) is “slippery,” punched out a fumble that Grayson Littleton returned 59 yards for a TD. Chip still rips the 2024 prevent-screen TD to TreVeyon Henderson as one of the dumbest plays he’s seen given the personnel. Texas secondary (19:00–23:30) FS Jelani McDonald: “quarterback of the secondary,” 6-2, 200, physical, instinctive, high-school teammate of Kobe Black. SS Kobe Black: former corner, played through injuries last year (got torched vs. Florida), now healthy and on a mission. CB Beau Masco (Rutgers): tough, undersized; Texas State attacked him with some success. CB Cade Phillips: 6-1 sophomore with elite length and speed; PI early, nearly INT in the end zone later. Nickel Grayson Littleton: held his own vs. Jeremiah Smith as a freshman in 2024; scoop-and-score last week. Muschamp wasn’t sure about his size until camp production. Expect zone pressure (four rushers from unexpected spots) more than all-out blitzes. Goal is to keep Julian Sayin from getting the ball to the second level. Colin Simmons (23:30–25:00) Led SEC with 12 sacks last year but had more penalties than sacks through four games and “got in his own head.” This year: “just trying to have fun and win a national championship.” Chip questions moving him around (spy/MLB looks vs. Texas State) — wants him on the edge. Run games — both sides sandbagging? (25:00–28:30) Both teams looked pedestrian on the ground in Week 1 until explosive plays inflated the numbers. Ohio State first half: 17 carries, 35 yards. Bo Jackson 9-84 (65-yarder + 12-yarder; rest 4 or fewer). Jacoby Jackson has 100+ vs. Texas previously (Florida). Legend Bay electric but likely limited touches — “nut-cruncher” game, freshman must earn trust. Texas wants to run outside with Hollywood Smothers. Last year they somehow averaged 5.4 ypc and 160 yards vs. Ohio State despite a bad O-line. Ryan Day told reporters this year is “full-on attack mode” — last year was two defenses; this year expect haymakers. Red-zone / goal-to-go history (30:00–33:30) Chip’s biggest vulnerability for Texas: two straight meetings vs. Ohio State they had first-and-goal and came away empty. 2024 CFP semifinal: 1st-and-goal from the 1, toss sweep eaten by Caleb Downs, strip-sack, 83-yard fumble return. 2025: 1st-and-goal from the 9, rocket sneak on 4th-and-1 stuffed. Sark acknowledged those two plays “cost us dearly.” Chip wrote on it today at Horns247. Those cannot happen at home. Ohio State red-zone offense also unproven; Julian Sayin’s first career rushing TD last week is a data point. Jeremiah Smith: 6-7 catches, 46 yards total in two prior meetings. Arthur Smith will force the ball to him; Muschamp will defend him differently than Kwiatkowski did. Ohio State secondary without Caleb Downs (33:30–39:30) Week 1 vs. Ball State was clean (no YAC, pressure created a pick by Tarvis Alford) but opponent was limited. Safeties: Earl Little (FSU/Alabama) + Jalen McLean. Little is the “in-the-box disruptor” type they wanted; Timmons won the nickel job in fall camp. Corners: Jermaine Matthews (inconsistent), Devin Sanchez (now every-down), true freshman Jay Timmons at nickel (told teammates in winter he’d start as a freshman). Depth: Calhoun, Dominic Kelly, etc. Texas will play more 3-WR than Kent State/Ball State. Expect Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo to move around; Timmons could see Coleman in the slot. Ryan Day’s “they practice against Jeremiah every day” line met with skepticism — bullets start flying Saturday. This game is “truth serum / lie detector” for both staffs — cards get flipped. Stakes and history (39:30–45:00) Biggest home game in Austin since Ohio State’s 1-vs-2 visit in 2006. This one is 1-vs-4. 2006 Georgia visit was a wake-up call for Sark (constant penetration, Quinn Ewers couldn’t evade). Texas feels battle-tested now. Scoop-and-score from 2024 still lives rent-free for Longhorn fans — first-and-goal from the 1 that “all went to hell.” Defining for Sark. Sark brought in Muschamp so he doesn’t have to live on the defensive headset (last year coverage disagreements between Kwiatkowski, Dwayne Akina, Johnny Nansen). Called Muschamp “head coach of the defense.” Patricia’s scoring seal and betting (45:00–55:00) Steve: Patricia’s defenses haven’t allowed more than 17 points from the opponent’s offense (Miami’s 24 included a pick-six). Indiana (56 vs Oregon, 38 vs Alabama) scored 13. Question: is this the game that seal breaks? Texas scoring 21-24 wouldn’t shock Chip; then Ohio State has to answer with 30+. Game decided by Patricia vs. Muschamp and which QB sees the defense well enough to get the ball to playmakers and keep the offense on the field. Arch last year: 61.4% (81st in FBS). 74% vs Texas State. Needs to stay accurate. Coleman can bail out some off-target throws. Ohio State tackles vs. Simmons is a real concern (Phillip Daniels yanked then reinserted vs Ball State; Ian Moore second career start at LT). Chip would keep a back in when Simmons is around. Jacoby Jackson already whiffed a protection last week. Vegas line hasn’t moved — Ohio State 1.5-point underdog on the road (inverse of last year’s Columbus line when Texas was No. 1). Heat is a Texas advantage. Ryan Day 1-4 as an underdog since 2019 (those games were vs. Georgia/Texas-caliber teams, unlike Urban’s underdog slate). Possible rematch later in the year mentioned. Wrap and plugs (55:00–end) Chip: Horns247.com — pieces on Arch’s moment, the run game, goal-to-go history. Bucknuts VIP members get access. Tony (Buckeye Weekly): recapping Day/Jackson/Sayin pressers; writing on Sayin’s experience; Buckeye Weekly podcast. Steve: full-court press coverage after watching Texas-Texas State. This Texas team looks like the most talented of the three Ohio State has faced — Wingo/Coleman elite, Biles everywhere (“water covers two-thirds of the earth and he covers the other third”). Mark heading to Iowa-Iowa State stream. Enjoy Saturday. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Primetime LIVE – Episode 100 Presented by FanDuel | OhioStateVOCFB Hosts: Garrison Gaddy, Riley Burnett, Denzel Jones Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026 — Game week vs. Ball State Quick snapshot Century-mark episode. Energy is high: “we’ve been waiting two years.” Leaked Northwestern pin showing black helmets → all-black unis likely for that game, not Oregon or Indiana. Big Noon Kickoff takes Indiana; CBS takes Oregon (likely 3:30, not a night game). New Ohio Stadium turf is “Jeremiah approved.” USC Week 0: empty stadium, young roster, secondary looks like “soul food.” Former Buckeyes watch: Jelani Thurman (UNC) and Lincoln Kienholz (Louisville). Ball State: 50.5 spread, 56.5 total. Hosts expect cover + defensive TD. Want to see Pettijohn, Pierce, young skill guys, and returns. 0:00–3:20 | Intro + black unis leak Riley opens Episode 100. Game week is finally here. Leaked team-shop pins for Northwestern show Ohio State’s black helmet. Hosts treat it as a strong hint the all-blacks come out vs. Northwestern. Denzel: loves the jerseys, hates the opponent. Wanted them vs. Oregon or Indiana. “That part hurt my feelings.” Garrison: “Perfect game.” Better to wear them and win big than not wear them. Night-game blackouts vs. Oregon/Indiana look unlikely given TV slots. Consensus: at least they’re getting the unis once. Northwestern is the available slot. Clip-friendly: Denzel’s “hurt my feelings / Northwestern? for what?” reaction (~2:32–2:50). 3:20–9:50 | TV slate: Indiana noon, Oregon afternoon Big Noon Kickoff traveling to Indiana. CBS has Oregon at the Horseshoe. Indiana = noon (standard Big Noon). Oregon = likely 3:30 window. Garrison notes late-September Midwest 3:30s can become de facto night games when lights come on (cites 2006 Michigan game). Hosts wanted Oregon under the lights + blacks. Don’t expect Big Ten to force a West Coast team into a true noon (9 a.m. PT) in-conference. Indiana-Ohio State framed as the biggest game in Indiana Stadium history; Oregon-Ohio State called the most impactful non-rivalry game on the Big Ten slate. Side note: last CBS games mentioned were Akron (two years ago) and Washington (last year). 9:50–12:20 | New turf + “Jeremiah approved” Riley will be on site Saturday. Ryan Day on the new surface: “Jeremiah approved.” Hosts treat that as the only quote that matters. If the star is fine with it, they’re fine with it. Brief comparison to NFL turf concerns (MetLife, etc.). Riley also flags Ross Bjork / athletic department budget heading past $500M — saved for another show. 12:20–17:50 | Offseason feel + random fan talk Chat energy: gray sleeves returning Saturday. Offseason after a loss feels longer than after a title. Tangent on 2020–21 Alabama playoff game (Fields hurt, running back hurt first play, linebacker on Heisman winner). “You can’t get credit for almost dating a girl.” Riley at Marshall wearing an Ezekiel Elliott jersey the week they played Ohio State; mixed reception. Garrison flying the Ohio State flag at work in enemy territory. 17:50–28:40 | USC Week 0 + former Buckeyes USC vs. Missouri State (Week 0) Stadium looked empty (hosts cite ~7k in some comments). Week 0 + late August + LA options. Product isn’t Pete Carroll-era (no Snoop/Will Ferrell draw). New “beer swords” didn’t fill seats. On-field: Jayden Maiava top-10 QB for Garrison. RBs fine (5–6 YPC). Young WRs + former OSU commit Dixon Wyatt okay. Freshman TE looked good. DL has depth; LB/secondary “food” / Shannon Sharpe soul-food meme. Youngest team in the Big Ten (Ohio State second-youngest). Depth is juniors/seniors who haven’t played + freshmen. Hosts still have USC losing later; one even floated Fresno State as a possible loss. Jelani Thurman (now UNC) Big Week 1. More yards in one game than any OSU season. Debate: Garrison: buried on depth chart, didn’t develop like others, blocking was the issue. Max Klare / others passed him. “Development is a two-way street.” Denzel more sympathetic: not enough reps, staff didn’t click with him. Happy Valley first-down catch cited. Best of luck, not Jameson Williams / Joe Burrow. Tight end Heisman campaign jokingly started and shut down. Lincoln Kienholz (Louisville) Rooting interest. Freak athlete, “Dakota Heisman,” baseball/basketball numbers dropped. Under Jeff Brohm. Hosts wanted more short-yardage/RPO work last year vs. Sayin. Bare-minimum expectation: 500 rush yards. Louisville schedule (Ole Miss, then SMU) will tell the story early. ACC pecking order chatter: Miami, Louisville, SMU, then NC State. 33:30–42:00 | Ball State preview + betting “Mean men from Muncie.” Garrison has Indiana-school affection except Notre Dame and Purdue. FanDuel: Ohio State -50.5, total 56.5. “Good teams win. Great teams cover.” They want the cover and young guys in. Expect a defensive TD (Jermaine Matthews or Earl Little Jr. pick-six mentioned). Ball State scores only late, fourth string in — and even then hosts get mad if it happens. Ball State returning production is thin: 7 starters (5 off / 2 def), 3 veteran OL. Skill players have almost no production. QB Keldrick Lester: 5-10, ~250–260 lbs, 14 pass / 14 rush yards. “Bowling ball.” Needs to be a fullback or DE. Height vs. OSU front seven is a problem. Worst (or second-worst) MAC team. No road wins last year. “Days of Willie Snead are long gone.” 42:00–59:00 | Who they want to see Offense / skill Riley Pettijohn: monster game, 10 tackles, take the No. 2 LB job. Second-half Brock Boyd TD, preferably from Tavian St. Clair. Debate whether Day will actually let the backup throw (historical reluctance). This is the year he has to. Desi Jones: under-the-radar WR, route runner, Jersey-boy HS tape. Future starter talk. Bo Atkinson: offseason tape looked explosive; prove it in pads. Brandon Inniss: 120 yards + TD requested in chat. Respect for guys who stayed (Inniss, Steel Chambers, Xavier Johnson comps). Defense Peyton Pierce (captain): “show me why he’s Peyton Pierce.” IQ and tackling known; need more splash / pass coverage. Hips look stiff to one host. Riley Pettijohn may cover better and could start by Texas (halftime prediction floated). Linebacker room as a unit is the hyper-focus: new starters Pierce + (implied) others, then Arvell Reese / Pettijohn athleticism. James Laurinaitis development praised (Cody Simon playoff year cited). Race/skin-tone aside about why some fans doubt the room — quickly walked back to “just show it.” Jermaine Matthews: high bar. Freshman All-American, looked like best CB in America first half last year, then hit a wall (Charlie Becker tape will live on). Redemption year. Don’t give up the Denzel Burke “9-for-9, 172-yard special.” Ian Moore / OL: dominate this level the way Austin Siereveld did early last year. Joe Moore Award talk. Run game as tone-setter. Special teams / returns Put someone back there who can actually return. Legend Bay (Mini Braxton, track-team fast, east-west) or Brock Boyd. Bay if he’s not getting slot/RB touches. Desi Jones also mentioned. Garrison does not want Boyd on punt return (drop memory). Kickoff fine. Only Treyveon Henderson-level fumblers get a second chance. 59:00–end | Jerseys, wrap, schedule Jersey talk: JTT / Epi, respect for JTT’s Penn State game (“second-greatest defensive game of all time” hyperbole). Show schedule reminder: Horseshoe Hangover Mondays 7 p.m. (Denzel) Buckeyes Live presented by FanDuel Tuesdays 4 p.m. (Mark Rogers) Call-in moving to Fridays in-season (Denzel + Garrison) Saturday shows if schedules allow (Riley coaching conflicts) Close: OH-IO. See you next week. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 385 — Ball State Week Voice of College Football | Mark Rogers, Steve Helwagen (Bucknuts 247), Tony Gerdeman (Buckeye Insiders) Week 1 preview vs. Ball State | Ryan Day presser recap | Stat projections | Texas on deck 00:00–02:00 | Open New day, same Buckeyes. Week 1 vs. Ball State as a 51.5-point favorite. Everyone is already looking at Texas, but Ohio State wants to work out the kinks. Steve just came from Ryan Day’s first weekly press conference (video + full transcript posted). Also spoke with C Carson Hinsman and S Earl Little (FSU/Alabama transfer). 02:00–06:30 | Ryan Day press conference — position-by-position Steve: Day walked through almost every group. No group sounded like a concern. WR: Deep. Expect six to play. Phillip Bell (RS Fr) is the sixth. Kyle Parker still not ready; practicing a little. RB: Young. Want live experience. QB: Hope Julian Sayin is improved. Backup still open — Tavian St. Clair and Luke Fahey will keep alternating second-team reps. Day wants both to get live snaps if possible. Playing time vs. Texas: Uneasy balance. Games like this often 35-0 or 35-3 at half. Starters may get one more series in the third, then clipboard. Bigger fish next week. OL: Excited about the three veterans in the middle — Montgomery, Hinsman, Searles. DL: Deep. LB: Riley Pettyjohn and Tarvos Alford will play behind Peyton Pierce and Christian Ali-Agro. Secondary: True freshman Jay Timmons expected to play (nickel or field corner). Tony: Day’s mood is better than last week (when he said he was “pissed off” and didn’t want anyone thinking they were satisfied). If the backup QB job is truly open, both guys need to throw. Watch who actually plays — 2020 had Jack Miller in first as “backup” while C.J. Stroud was the real one. Day called the offense “fun” — balanced and explosive. Tony asked if that was fun for coaches or fans. Day said both. 06:30–10:00 | Week 1 energy + home opener history Week 0 was sloppy (UNC-TCU, Memphis-UNLV, FSU-NMSU). Still football. Tony’s biggest curiosity Saturday: true freshmen and how the four-linebacker rotation looks. Freshmen likely to play: Legend Bay, Jay Timmons, Brock Boyd, Chris Henry Jr., possibly Kari Wilder (DE) and Simeon Caldwell (S). New stars every year — last year almost nobody had Caden Curry as an All-American in August. Home opener streak talk: 26 straight season-opening wins (back to 1999 Miami). Last true home opener loss discussed as possibly Virginia Tech 2014 or much earlier (Penn State 1978 era). “Make it 51.” 10:00–12:30 | Day the QB + WR rotation Big Ten Network circulating old Ryan Day New Hampshire highlight (power option TD + game-winning throw). Players reacting. Day going into New Hampshire Hall of Fame this year with his college coach. Chat (Aaron) brings WR rotation again. Tony’s standard Ohio State freshman WR context: 11 catches for Brock Boyd = Marvin Harrison Jr. freshman year. 25 catches for Chris Henry Jr. = Ted Ginn Jr. 2004. Only four true freshmen ever had 30+ receptions at OSU: Jeremiah Smith, Cris Carter, David Boston, Garrett Wilson. Only Carter and Smith topped 40. Tony thinks Chris Henry Jr. can join the 30-catch club and will play a lot. Brock Boyd will play a lot too. Jeremiah Smith last week: difference in Arthur Smith’s offense is “we’re going to get me the ball.” Brandon Ennis similarly excited. Receivers being shown how they’ll be used. Christmas morning — we’ll see if the presents match the wrapping. WR room far deeper than 2025. David Adolph (former walk-on who played last year) isn’t even in Day’s first seven or eight names now. 2022 class void is closed via recruiting + portal. 12:30–18:30 | Chris Henry Jr. caution + feeding all the mouths Steve on Chris Henry Jr.: love the 6-5 frame, but high school numbers were never prolific and he missed a lot of time (knee). 29 catches as a freshman at West Clermont, 71-1,100+ at Withrow when healthy, then only two games at Moeller, 28-607-6 as a senior. Durability at this level is the question before crowning him. If he produces, they will use him heavily — even at Jeremiah’s expense if Smith is doubled. Can’t feed every mouth. Forecasted targets + carries will add up to an impossible play count. 18:30–24:30 | Ball State QB + tall tackle tangent Keldrick Luster: 5-10, 250. Former SMU, appeared in CFP vs. Penn State (final drive, 4-of-12 career passing, nothing since 2024). High school teammate of Riley Pettyjohn in McKinney, Texas. Greatest height disparity they can remember: Luster 5-10 vs. Ball State LT Chris Hood 6-10, 327 (started 12 games last year). Digression on Doug Flutie-era BC OL (tallest was 6-6 in 1984), Napoleon McCallum vs. Kaufman, Glenn Foley, Al Groh, etc. 24:30–36:00 | Season stat projections Julian Sayin Steve: 75–76% (tougher schedule than 77% last year), pushing 4,000 yards if extra games, 36 TD, 8 INT. Tony (16-game scenario): 73.7%, 4,087 yards, 40 TD, 10 INT. More aggressive downfield + veteran QB confidence = slightly more picks. Will Howard’s 2024 numbers as a loose template, bumped TDs. Mark: 71.2%, ~270 ypg over 16 games, 39 TD, 7 INT. Picked the team to the national semifinal. Running backs Consensus: Bo Jackson and Isaiah West get the bulk. Steve: Bo 1,200 / West 700. Tony: Bo 1,100 / West 700 / Legend Bay ~500 total offense (rush + rec). Bo shouldn’t need 10+ carries every Big Ten game like last year. Combined rushing TDs in the 20 range. Both big enough to punch it in (CJ Donaldson’s 10 TDs last year are available). Jeremiah Smith Last year: 87 catches, 12 TD in 12 games (missed two). Steve: over 90, push 95. Tony: 97 catches (would break JSN’s single-season record of 95), 1,484 yards (short of JSN’s 1,606), 17 TD (tie Terry Glenn). Career records incoming by midseason / Nebraska week on normal production (~7-95-1 per game historically). Biletnikoff chatter: chat thinks he should already have two. Devin McEwen Tony’s winter number: 27-384-3. After camp Day 2 he briefly thought 1,000-yard guy. Settled at 41-537-5. Opposite Smith, one-on-one or 1.5, looked fast and quick. 36:00–41:00 | Ohio State–Oregon on CBS Fox had first three weekend picks: Ohio State–Michigan, Michigan–Oklahoma, then Ohio State–Indiana (Oct. 17, last two national champs). CBS took Ohio State–Oregon (Nov. 7) as the fourth pick — 3:30 kick, dark by the two-minute warning. Not a 7:30 November night game. Schedule this year is loaded compared with last year. 41:00–51:00 | Spread and game script 51.5 is a lot. Last five years biggest they found was Grambling +54.5 (70-0). Ball State last year: +17 at Purdue (31-0), +42.5 at Auburn (42-3, Auburn did not cover). Expectation: starters out once it’s 35-0. Young guys either keep moving it or put it on the ground / drop passes. Score likely sits near where the ones leave. Steve leaning ~48-3 or similar. Tony: 49-0, shut it down at 35-0. Margin means nothing. Tressel would win 31-0 and not care. Default on 45+ point favorites: take the points and hope the clock cooperates. Weather: high ~80, 60% rain earlier, possibly clearing. 51:00–55:00 | Rest of the weekend Only one ranked-vs-ranked: Louisville–Ole Miss Sunday night (both like that one). Wisconsin–Notre Dame if you believe in Wisconsin. Oregon–Boise State (Oregon escaped by 3 two years ago). Michigan State vs. Toledo — upset alert. UCLA–Cal late, Miami–Stanford, North Texas at Indiana (Big Noon). Expect 3–4 ranked teams to lose to unranked. 55:00–end | Plugs and close Show moved to Tuesdays 4 p.m. ET. Next week: Texas preview with a Longhorns guest. Tony: BuckeyeInsiders.com + Buckeye Weekly podcast. Steve: Bucknuts.com (Garrett Codge recruiting, Patrick Murphy/Dave Biddle/Steve on the team). Game data page tomorrow, more Day/player interviews, ATS picks Thursday. 3-5 ATS in Week 0 — “spring training.” Enjoy Saturday. Scarlet and Gray, No. 1 in the country. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.