CLEVELAND TEAMS

Everyone is reporting it now. SPORTSbyBROOKS.com got things going with a detailed report on discussions between Meyer and Ohio State. There was nothing new about the rumors of course, but Brooks had details on the status of the discussions. SI linked to it, and then ESPN felt compelled to ask Meyer during the Michigan game yesterday about the rumor. Meyer issue a non-denial “denial” that only fueled the story even more. ESPN then issued their own report on the discussions between Meyer and Ohio State, but unlike SI they wouldn’t credit Brooks.

Bottom line – this looks like it’s going to happen. Luke Fickell isn’t going to be the head coach next year, and the Buckeyes have clearly targeted Meyer, and he seems to want the job.

Few people gave them a chance, but the smart money in Vegas saw the opening line of Ohio State +9.5 and started pushing it down as money flowed to the Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes reasserted their rightful place as one of the powers of the Big Ten by reminding Wisconsin who was boss last night with a thrilling victory over the Badgers.

The Buckeyes dominated the line of scrimmage all night long, and all the hype around Wisconsin melted away as the game went on. The Badgers then came storming back and almost won the game, but Braxton Miller came of age with a stunning 40-yeard TD with 20 seconds left to seal the victory for the Buckeyes.

Some idiots on Twitter tried to criticize Ohio State fans for storming the field after beating a 15th-ranked team, but this has become a real rivalry, and the Bucks had a score to settle after last year’s loss in Wisconsin. It’s also been a rough year for the Buckeyes, so the elation was real after Ohio State fans had to listen to the Badger hype all year long.

Luke Fickell deserves credit for his own growth in the job. He’s slow to figure things out, but he eventually seems to get things right.

Great win!

This one could get ugly. The Ohio State offense is so anemic right now that everyone around the country seems to think this game is over before it gets started.

One key will involve the Buckeye defense. This unit has been pretty strong all season. They will have to keep it up this week and probably force some turnovers. Nebraska has it’s own problems with interceptions, so we might see the defense carry the load this week.

On offense, the Buckeyes just need to be competent, and that hasn’t been the case against good teams. Luke Fickell and Jim Bollman need to understand that they don’t have Troy Smith or Terrelle Pryor running this offense. They either need to go with other quarterbacks, or they need to craft a game plan that makes sense for Braxton Miller. They need to wake up.

Luke Fickell may not have figured it out during the debacle in Miami, but with more time to study film and think about the matter, he has decided to start Braxton Miller at quarterback this Saturday against Colorado in place of Joe Bauserman.

Maybe it’s inexperience, but he should have done more to address the situation during the game against the Canes. It was clear that Bauserman’s abilities couldn’t carry the Buckeyes against a talented defense. Miller got some playing time, but it was clear that Fickell and the coaches wouldn’t let him do much besides running a wildcat-type offense.

It’s time to let Miller play and learn under pressure. If the Buckeyes lose some games along the way – so be it.

At least Fickell did the right thing. Many of us are down on him after last week’s game, so now he has a chance to resurrect his head coaching career. He’s young, just like Miller, and he’s going to make mistakes. Hopefully this is a sign that he can recognize mistakes and correct them quickly.

I’m rooting for Luke Fickell. While many Buckeye fans are holding their breath hoping for Urban Meyer in 2012, I’m hoping that Fickell shows Buckeye Nation that he deserves the job.

That said, last night’s loss to Miami was an embarrassment, and much of the blame has to be put on the young coach.

Like many fans, I was somewhat fooled by Joe Bauserman’s performance in the opener against Akron. But last week against Toledo we started to see some problems, and it became clear to even the casual observer that the Buckeyes would need to be more aggressive with Braxton Miller in order to beat the good teams.

Based on last night, it seems that Fickell has no clue as to how to manage quarterbacks or tight games in general. Buckeye quarterbacks completed just 4 of 17 passes for 36 yards. That’s just stunning incompetence. Fickell and the coaches did nothing to let the quarterbacks establish a rhythm. For Miller, they tightened up and panicked after he threw an INT and then turned him into a one-dimensional running quarterback. He made some nice plays, but the took away the pass and made it clear they had no confidence in him.

They need to develop Miller, because you can’t beat good teams with Bauserman. I would have been fine with a loss last night had they unleashed Miller and let him learn and make mistakes.

Fickell also seemed clueless at the end of the game, as he didn’t use any timeouts as Miami ran out the clock. Sure, the game was over, but it’s like he gave up.

Fickell needs to wake up and get Miller in there for good. If he doesn’t, this season will be a lost season, and we’ll have another head coach next season.