UCLA Rewind and Rutgers Preview

Ohio State was again without Carnell Tate, used Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs sparingly, and still beat the brakes off of UCLA at the Shoe Saturday night. Things went more or less as expected, even if Ryan Day seemed aggravated with the offense’s start to the second half. Maybe some of the mojo rubbed off on the special teams, though, because the Buckeyes recorded a blocked punt and a kickoff return for a touchdown on the evening.

We looked back at our score predictions, broke down all the key players/moments/stats from the game, and checked on our picks to click to see how they performed. (Spoiler: they did well.) 

After yapping about the Buckeyes for a bit, we turned our attention to the rest of the Big Ten. There were some top-notch games over the weekend, including Iowa at USC and Michigan needing a last-second field goal to avoid a loss to Northwestern at Wrigley Field. Penn State got its first Big Ten win, while Michigan State and Purdue did not. 

We looked ahead to this weekend’s slate of games in the conference, and USC-Oregon is a critical game for the Trojans’ hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff. Northwestern will be playing for bowl eligibility. 

Finally, we looked forward to Saturday at noon, when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights visit Columbus. Greg Schiano’s defense has not been up to its usual standard this year, and we expect the OSU offense to continue to put points on the board. Hopefully, the Buckeyes will be able to rest some key starters for most or all of the game, but it’s important to maintain momentum heading into The Game.  We look at Rutgers offensive weapons and defensive rankings, make our picks to click, and try our best to predict Saturday’s final score.

We would love to hear from you, so please reach out with your feedback and questions below in the comments section or send us an email at [e-mail] Any questions directed toward us will be answered on our next show.

Be sure to subscribe, rate, review, share, and follow the show over on Twitter at @SilvrBulletsPod.

As always, thanks for listening! 

0:20 - UCLA with Nico Iamaleava might have been interesting at times, but with a backup quarterback, it was almost over before it started. 

21:31 - A look around the rest of the B1G. Penn State finally won a league game. 

42:25 - The Buckeyes host their last game of the regular season when Rutgers comes to town 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Look everybody at his time for another episode of the
Silver Bullets podcast. I'm Michael Citrow, I'm chitpminik Chip. I
know you got to spend some time in Columbus over
the weekend. You didn't go to the game, But that's
okay because Ohio State took care of business and beat
UCLA forty eight to ten, pretty much a comprehensive beatdown.

(00:41):
And I don't even think Ucla passed the midfield until
midway through the third quarter or something like that.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah, I mean it was pretty much kind of what
I anticipated, I think most O High State fans anticipated.
And it's just one of these things where High State
they just in terms of the talent differential, it's you know,
it's so substantially in Ohio State's favor. But I'm happy
to see that Ohio State kind of just took care

(01:12):
of business and got out of the game with another win.

Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah. When we did our show last week, you and
I didn't realize Nico Iyama Lava would be out for
this game, and that was announced I think midweek or
maybe even late in the week, and once he heard,
Dad was like, well, gonna be some time for some backups.
In this game. But I feel like Ohio State didn't
come out of the locker room in a way that

(01:37):
Ryan Day liked. So he kept his starters up there
for a good chunk of the third quarter, and it's
hard to blame him. I think he was looking for
a little bit better response to start the second half.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yeah. Yeah, the news that the Nico was was withheld
due to a concussion, I mean, I think obviously that's
a good thing to take take caution with, you know,
something is as important as as a concussion can be.
So UCLA was already they were already up fighting an

(02:10):
uphill battle if he was in the lineup, let alone somebody,
you know, not necessarily having the skills that Nico possesses.
So I'm happy that that that the UCLA did the
right thing. But yeah, Ryan Day is certainly looking for
a level of intensity from Ohio State. They've got one
more home game, the last home game of the twenty

(02:31):
twenty five season, coming up against Rutgers. We'll talk about
that in a little bit, but yeah, I think the
focus definitely is all right, let's just take care of
business and make sure that the standard of excellence that
they expect on the field that they maintain it.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
Did you get to go down do a little tailgating
in front of the stay?

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Absolutely? I absolutely did some tailgating. Yeahs at the outer end,
but I did not go to the outer end though
we did not. It was it was or November in Columbus.
I will simply say that the weather could not have
cooperated much better. There was a brief period, now granted
I was inside at the time where it did rain

(03:14):
during the game, but for it to be sixty degrees
in November, you're not going to get too many people
that are a veteran of going to O highs eight
games complaining about that.

Speaker 1 (03:27):
Yeah. Not bad night game in November and the weather
cooperated mm hm. Also we got a little homesick, Chip.
I was very jealous of you being in Columbus because
they showed on the broadcast they showed buck Eye donuts.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
Oh okay, I did not.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
I did not. I did not.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
I can't tell you I did not go there. It
was It was pretty much. You know, my wife and
I we were able to go, my daughter who lives
in the area, my son who's attending. You know, we
we were able to tailgate with other family and so
it was just it was a nice time.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
That's good, Yeah, Buck, I don't it's I think is
one of like a handful of businesses that are still
there from when I ride to school there, so it's
always good to see. It's a taste of home. But
forty eight ten was the final. You edged me once
again on again just a couple of points on the
predictions as you and I again were very close. You

(04:23):
had forty two fourteen, I had forty one sixteen. Thinking
Nico was playing. I would have gone a little lower
on UCLA's score had I known differently, But hey, you
were total of ten points off. I think was a
total of thirteen points off. So again we're right there
and you get the advantage.

Speaker 2 (04:42):
Well, I appreciate that. Yeah, like I said a few
moments ago, I think Nico it would have been difficult
even if Nico was in the starting lineup. And then
UCLA just their handicamp was even more pronounced.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yeah, it looked like they took care of Luke Duncan
in this game and tried to protect him. Got the
ball out very quickly, even even though they knew they
probably weren't going to be able to pick up third
and longs. They just wanted to protect the young quarterback
didn't have a lot of experience, and I feel like
Ohio State probably was more ready for Nico than they

(05:15):
were for Luke Duncan. But pretty much there was no
problem for the starters on defense in this game, and
Ohio State started things off pretty well right away. Bo
Jackson got the first touchdown of the game. Jaden Fielding
tacked on a field goal. It was ten to nothing
after the first quarter. I can't remember if that was

(05:37):
the possession, that field goal, or the later field goal.
When I think it was the field goal, I think
I might have been that field goal. It was necessitated
because Ohio State didn't pick up a first down on
a play where I felt there was a very obvious
unnecessary roughness penalty or roughing the passer penalty that was

(05:57):
let go on Julian Say. And that's I bring that
up because Carnell Tait missed his second game. Jeremiah Smith
went into this game questionable and left with an injury,
and Julian Saying came up. Landing awkwardly came up and
had to limp off and went into the medical tent.
So I felt like, you know, I don't know what
we're doing here. We can call an inadvertent football, but

(06:20):
we can't call taking an extra step and then unnecessarily
shoving a quarterback to the ground. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (06:26):
I just think Ohio State hopefully this coming week against Rutgers,
that they will be even more cautious with playing playing
the starters late because Ryan Days has not made has
not shied away from the emphasis that they want to
have a lengthy season. So, you know, however they however

(06:49):
they decide to play the starters, get them out, get them,
get them ready for the big game up in ann Arbor,
and then for the cash hootball playoff. In my opinion, yeah.

Speaker 1 (06:58):
I just think from all that we've seen of them
trying to protect players, I felt like the officials in
this game did not do a good job of protecting
Julian saying on that particular play, the buck guys made
it seventeen to nothing on an eleven yard past Bryson Rogers,
and that one Ohio State decided to go for it

(07:19):
on fourth down and medium. I think Brian Day was
just like, I'm not really concerned about UCLA's defense, and
I you know, we might have to have these types
of plays in the red zone in the future. Still,
let's work on him now. So that was seventeen to nothing.
James People's then within electrifying touchdown run to make it
twenty four to nothing with a hurdle. But I think

(07:41):
a lot of people also maybe didn't catch the really
nice little stutter step in the backfield that forced a
defensive back to take a bad angle. And I thought
James Peoples ran that play well, not just the not
just the hurdle.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
Yeah, James People certainly had I think the best performance
of this season. It's good to see that he's kind
of recognizing that all his role as a starter has
been supplanted by Bo Jackson, but that he still has
a vital role in the running back rotation for Ohio State.

Speaker 1 (08:14):
Yeah. The Buck guys added a late field goal to
make it twenty seven to nothing at the half, which
was facilitated by a blocked punt by Cayden Curry that
just hit him in the chest.

Speaker 2 (08:25):
Yeah. Cayden Curry is certainly one of the one of
the better players on that Ohio State defense that doesn't
get a lot of credit and notoriety.

Speaker 1 (08:34):
He won't get an easier punt block than that. That
was a no, that was a low, low kick. I'm
not sure he couldn't have blocked that from the line
of scrimmage. Yeah, exactly, all right, second half started and
an Ohio State went three and out on their first
couple possessions. Not a good couple of series for Ohio State.
In fact, they allowed a sack and that was UCLA's

(08:57):
first sack since October eleventh, So great. And I felt
like there were some offensive linemen in this game that
didn't didn't perform well at times, especially in the run game.
One particular guard who would pull and not block anybody.
That was a problem. But Ohio State did get some
rotation in there. We even seen some plays from Gabe

(09:18):
Van Winkle and I thought he played pretty well.

Speaker 2 (09:21):
Yeah, Gay Van Sickle is certainly is certainly one of
these guys who he is making the most of the
opportunities that you know, like Josh Badilla has been battling
injuries because he's one of these guys that has been
considered to possibly supplant Tiger Shabola in the starting lineup,
and with Padilla battling injury, Van Sickle, who from what

(09:45):
I understand is actually the number one backup at left
guard to Luke Montgomery. While the nice thing with these
kind of opponents, again no disrespect to the UCLA but
being able to put Sickle in and see what he
can do when given the opportunity to possibly play that

(10:05):
right guard position. He's certainly making most of those opportunities.

Speaker 1 (10:08):
Yeah, Isaiah West punched it in from a yard out
to make it thirty four to nothing late in the
third quarter, and then UCLA put a drive together. It
was a tough second half for Devin Sanchez, who got
beat for a long pass play effect with UCLA's longest
play this season that put them in position, and then
they scored Quasi Gilmer on an eighteen yard pass from

(10:31):
Luke Duncan to spoil the shutout with just a few
seconds left to go in the third quarter. But with
even fewer seconds left to go in the third quarter,
Lorenzo Styles Junior decided to return a kick from the
end zone and our long national nightmares overchip because fifteen
years ago was the last kickoff return for a touchdown

(10:53):
and Lorenzo Styles went one hundred yards to break that
streak and made it forty one to seven.

Speaker 2 (11:00):
I was at that Ohio State Michigan game when Jordan
Hall returned that kickoff for a touchdown. So, as you said,
I was not actually in Ohio Stadium for the game,
but to be able to see Ohio State return a
kickoff for a touchdown is a great thing. Like you said,
you know, fifteen years who would have think it would
have been that long. But happy for Lorenzo Styles Junior

(11:22):
to get that kind of an opportunity.

Speaker 1 (11:24):
It's about time this program recruited some athletes.

Speaker 2 (11:29):
Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1 (11:32):
UCLA added a field goal midway through the fourth quarter
make a forty one to ten, and then James People's
capped off the game with just under two minutes to
play with an eight yard touchdown run. Final score forty
eight to ten.

Speaker 2 (11:46):
Yeah, it just very workman like.

Speaker 1 (11:50):
Yeah, And as I said, both of us expected that
kind of a game, and both of us predicted very
similar scores to what the final score was. I think
we actually gave UCLA a little more credit and their
offensive coordinator, you know, I thought, and based on the
talent discrepancy, I felt like UCLA's coaching staff did a

(12:14):
really good job of making adjustments in the second half
of this game.

Speaker 2 (12:18):
I think they've done a really good job ever since
they completely turned the program over in the aftermath of
Deshaun Foster's firing. So what direction the UCLA administration decides
to take, I mean, who knows. I mean, we're a
few weeks away from the early signing period, but I
would think that Tim Skipper certainly warrants very strong consideration

(12:42):
for the permanent job for the I mean, they certainly
are playing a lot better than they were under Deshaun Foster.

Speaker 1 (12:50):
Yeah, they may have some work to do on the
nil front and that kind of thing, but I think
UCLA is coaching wise, they seem to be in good
hands right now.

Speaker 2 (13:00):
I completely agree.

Speaker 1 (13:01):
All right, let's look at the stats. Julian Sayan went
twenty three of thirty one for one hundred and eighty
four yards, a touchdown, no interceptions. He was sacked once.
But I felt like a lot of Julian Sayan's issues
in this game, and not that there were many, but
I felt like there were some times when he expected
receivers to do things that they didn't do when some

(13:21):
of those younger receivers were in Also, Milon Graham had
a chance to haul in a catch, and he didn't.
There were a couple of times when I felt like
the younger receivers let him down. Either they weren't on
the same page or they just to make the play.

Speaker 2 (13:40):
Yeah, I think they're just working through, you know. I mean,
you mentioned, you know, Bryson Rodgers, you know earlier, you know,
with a touchdown reception. I think they're just trying to
make sure that these guys are ready and able and
prepared when the opportunity presents itself, you know, like you said,
you know, like Colonel Tate, Jeremiah Smith working through some
some injuries that again were not doctors. But I kind

(14:04):
of get the impression that, all right, if it really
was necessary for them to play, they could. But I
think Ohio State's just trying to be cautious and get
players in the background more opportunities, because you don't want
somebody going in there completely unprepared.

Speaker 1 (14:23):
Yeah, I was a little concerned. I have to say,
I'm still a little concerned. Jeremiah Smith did not was
not moving well on the sideline at all. Okay, I
don't know if you saw that before halftime, when they
showed him on the sideline, he just was. He looked
like he was really struggling to move and that kind
of Hopefully it's not a serious thing, but that's the

(14:46):
kind of thing that can derail an otherwise championship season.
So hopefully Jeremiah is okay, hopefully Cardinal comes back. I
would say that if they're both available against Rutgers, and
we'll talk about that in a bit, I think they
should treat it like it's a spring game. Maybe play
them a series and get them out.

Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah, well, that's kind of exactly my thinking is that
last week against Purdue, this game against UCLA, the upcoming
game against Rutgers, it's almost like no disrespect to those programs,
but it's it's kind of almost like a better than
glorified spring game and opportunities for the backups to get

(15:28):
much needed experience.

Speaker 1 (15:30):
Lincoln keenholes got in this game and he looked good.
He was three for three for thirty four yards.

Speaker 2 (15:35):
Yeah, Lincoln Keenholtz, keep in mind, I mean, I want
to make sure that he's not just a one trick pony,
that he's not just used in goal line situations. If
he needs to throw the ball, that he's prepared to
do that.

Speaker 1 (15:49):
They they kind of put the training wheels on and
it was a lot of running plays, but when called
upon a third downs he was able to convert them
very quick, decisive to make the read and delivered a
quick fastball to his receivers on target and on time.
So congrats to Lincoln Keyholes on a good outing. Bo
Jackson carried fifteen times for one hundred and twelve yards

(16:10):
and a touchdown. And Chip, I'm happy to say that
he clicked in this game, and that was your pick
to click.

Speaker 2 (16:21):
Yeah, I, like I said, I just I just kind
of was of the mindset that they were going to
try to emphasize the running game, just you know, try
and work on the things that need improvement in the
coach's eyes. And you know that I think bo Jackson
is certainly deserving of a heavier workload. Now, granted, I
think he kind of falls in the same general area

(16:44):
of what you just mentioned with you know, with Tate
and Smith that once Ohisa gets the lead against Rutgers,
get him out. You know. It's it's just it's not
to imply that that he, you know, is fragile by
any stretch, But are you want to try and limit
any kind of you know, extra hits or shots that

(17:05):
these guys are going to be taking because you know
that with the Michigan game and the Big Ten championship
possibly and the College Football Playoff, get your starters out.

Speaker 1 (17:15):
Yeah no, let's not forget. Rutgers may not be the
best football team, but they are a physical football team.

Speaker 2 (17:21):
Very very physical. Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (17:23):
All of the three main ball carriers for the Buckeyes
all averaged over seven yards of carry or at least
seven yards of carry. Isaiah West went eight carries for
sixty one yards and James People six for forty two.
All three of them score touchdowns, and Jackson averaged seven
and a half of carry, West seven point six and

(17:43):
James People's seven yards of Carry's.

Speaker 2 (17:46):
That's outstanding, I would agree, all right.

Speaker 1 (17:49):
On the receiving side, the Buck guy's leading receiver, Jeremiah
Smith four catches for forty yards and that spectacular one
handed sideline grab in a very limited He was my
pick to click, and based on how long he was
out there.

Speaker 2 (18:03):
While he was out there, he clicked absolutely.

Speaker 1 (18:07):
Mylon Graham had a big day three catches for forty yards,
Brandon Nis six for thirty and I thought they would
I thought they would get more to Bryson Rodgers in
this game than they did only two catches for twenty
seven yards earlier. He did have the touchdown coming back
for the ball nicely in the end zone. So a
good day for the young receivers to get some work.

(18:29):
Max Clair had five catches as well, so they used
him underneath quite a bit, and that is our stat refresh.
So our offensive guys clicked. On the defensive side, you
had Rvel Reese who had three tackles, no TFLs. Again,
I mean, he just he played very well. He just

(18:51):
they're running away from him, staying away from him when
he rushed. They got the ball out quickly, So I
mean it's hard to say that he didn't click because
he did what he needed to do and he got
out of the game a little earlier than some of
the other guys. I had ken Yatta Jackson who had
four tackles, including a tackle for loss, and was being
held on basically every play. So I think both of

(19:12):
our defensive picks to click clicked. They got off the
field quickly, especially in the first half, so they didn't
get a lot of snaps and a lot of tackles.

Speaker 2 (19:21):
Yeah, the defense. I mean kind of, you know, like
I think that they were thinking they were going to
be playing against a mobile quarterback in the case of
like arvel Reese, you know, like the idea of like
having him spy and then no disrespect to Luke Duncan,
He's just not the same skill set as Nico. So
I think rvel Reese's kind of what I just said
a moment ago is that he's one of these He's

(19:42):
one of these people who the opposing offenses are certainly
they already know it's going to be a tough, tough
outing going up against a defense that has Caleb Downs
in the secondary. Now that rvel Reese has established himself
as a superstar at the linebacker position, is just make
that even much more difficult. So yeah, I just yeah,

(20:03):
I think I think the defense certainly doing their job.

Speaker 1 (20:06):
Yeah, Lorenzo Styles had five catches, so did Kate five tackles.
I should say Kay and Curry as well. Caleb Downs
when he was in the game before he came out early,
he played very well as well. So all of those
guys did well. The my guys did not register a sack,
and I will credit UCLA's play calling and coaching for that,

(20:28):
because they just couldn't get to him before the ball
was out there. He was, the ball was coming out
quickly whether or not the guy was open, and a
couple of times he put the ball in harm's way.
Ohio State got their hands on a couple but could
not pull in an interception. So, you know, kudos to
UCLA for, you know, a game plan that protected themselves

(20:51):
from that defense, but at the same time, they were
just overmatched.

Speaker 2 (20:55):
I think he summarized it very well. I think that
they just there was a major talent differential that kind
of showed itself on the screen, you know, and in
the stadium last night.

Speaker 1 (21:06):
Yeah, all right, anything else about this game we need
to talk about or we're moving on.

Speaker 2 (21:11):
I think we can move on.

Speaker 1 (21:13):
All right. We've got our Rutgers preview coming up, and
of course we're gonna go around the rest of the
Big Ten, So why don't we do those things right
after this? All right? Chip? I know you were visiting
in Columbus, but did you get a chance to watch

(21:34):
some of the other Big Ten games this weekend?

Speaker 2 (21:37):
I did, and I saw how Northwestern had Michigan on
the ropes. Like I said, was going to happen. I
give myself credit because everyone was like, oh, you know,
Michigan's gonna win. I'm like, I'm telling you, Northwestern is
gonna They are a scrappy bunch, and they let them
off the hook.

Speaker 1 (21:56):
Yeah. I watched a good chunk of that game. Northwestern's
problem was the Wildcats brought field goals to a touchdown fight.

Speaker 2 (22:04):
Yeah exactly, Well, yeah, go ahead.

Speaker 1 (22:07):
They finished off a few of those drives. It wouldn't
even given Michigan a chance to come back in that game.

Speaker 2 (22:13):
Yeah, I would agree with that. I mean, Northwestern is
offensively challenged. I mean, the strength of Michigan is their defense.
Without question, the fact that they can run the ball.
I mean, I respect the fact that all they're very
good at what they do. But if they get into
a situation where they are behind and they have to
throw the ball, they're in big trouble. They are in

(22:35):
really big trouble. And if they play against a team
like they are going to this coming week that can
throw the ball on them, that can post some challenges
for them as well.

Speaker 1 (22:45):
All right, let's start our lap around the Big Ten
on Friday night with Minnesota going out to Oregon. And
things did not go well for the Gophers as Oregon
shook off that near miss against Iowa and destroy Minnesota
forty two to thirteen.

Speaker 2 (23:02):
Yeah, I think Oregon they are very focused on doing
what they what they need to do to get ready
for the Coacho Pall playoff.

Speaker 1 (23:10):
All right. In addition to the Buckeyes winning forty eight ten,
Indiana hosted Wisconsin. I have to admit I thought Indiana
would beat Wisconsin a lot, by a lot more than
they did. This was a ten to seven game at
the half, and the Hoosiers pulled away in the second half.

Speaker 2 (23:26):
Yeah, in the second half. I think Indiana they made
the necessary adjustments at halftime and they just came out
took care of business Wisconsin. It's just it's been a
very disappointing season, to say the least.

Speaker 1 (23:38):
Thirty one to seven the final there, Indiana moves to
eleven to zero and for the first time and seven
I'm sorry, eight to zero in the Big Ten. Wisconsin
three and seven on the season, one and six in
Big Ten play. Going back to the earlier game, Oregon
is nine and one on the season, six and one
in the Big Ten, staying alive for a possible chance

(23:58):
to get into the the Big Ten Championship game if
anybody stubs their toe. Minnesota is six and four, four
and three in the Big Ten. The Gophers are bowl eligible,
and that's this really the ceiling, it seems like for Minnesota.

Speaker 2 (24:14):
Yeah, I think Minnesota, it's just one of these things
where you know, they they had opportunities earlier in the season,
but right now, like you said, Michael, they're bowl eligible,
and probably the focus needs to be if your PJ
flag is to try and win the remaining games, because
that can only enhance what will be their bowl game experience.

Speaker 1 (24:37):
Here's a game I wanted to see. I didn't get
a chance to see it. It sounds like I missed a
good one. USC beats Iowa twenty six to twenty one.
The Hawkeyes went out to USC and gave them, I mean,
they gave them a really good game for half. They
didn't score in the second half. USC was able to
turn a twenty one to ten deficit around and win

(24:58):
twenty six to twenty one. Iowa is six and four,
four and three in the Big Ten, and again, like
like Minnesota, they're kind of in that what bowl game
are we going to mode. At this point, USC is
eight and two and six and one in the Big Ten.
They stay alive, but Lincoln Riley's team is hoping for
an invitation to the College Football Playoff, and they came

(25:21):
into the weekend ranked in the top twenty. They move
up a few more spots and they are looking like
they might get in.

Speaker 2 (25:30):
They might, but they've got to win out. They really
have no room for error. And we'll talk about the
upcoming games next weekend. The fact that, I mean Iowa
they just have a habit of just kind of bringing everyone,
I don't want to say down to their level, but
it's more of, you know, like playing the game on

(25:51):
their terms. That's the way I would kind of appreciate it,
as you know, with you know, it was, I mean,
what are the odds that Iowa goes out to the
West coast and and then it turns into kind of
like a torrential rain and making things more difficult. So
Iowa had USC on the ropes. They just couldn't finish
the job. So Iowa they'll, like you just said, they'll

(26:12):
be trying to enhance whatever bowl game destination. USC they
with those two losses, they have very little room for Air. So, uh,
next week is going to be probably the pivotal game
for them, and uh not only the Big Ten, but
for the College Football playoff.

Speaker 1 (26:28):
So what USC has going for it is that it
is it's a brand. There's you know, it's going to
bring it's going to bring people's eyeballs. It's gonna have
you know, fans will travel to see them. They're a
you know, it's a it's a marketable thing. So they
just need to keep doing what they're doing and they
may get an invitation. Lincoln Riley, he's a good coach
and he's got them on a good trajectory right now. Uh.

(26:51):
Michigan squeaks past Northwestern at bottom of the ninth inning
three run shot a walk off homer. It regally fieled
for Michigan. They beat Northwestern twenty four to twenty two.
They led by one point at the half, again Northwestern
having to bring field goals to a touchdown fight in
the first half or this could have been a TKO,

(27:11):
but Northwestern puts sixteen on the board in the second half.
Michigan puts seventeen on the board and they missed a
couple of field goals in this so but they were
able to work their way into a very makeable late
field goal, helped me a very questionable catch on the sideline.

Speaker 2 (27:27):
I might add, Yeah, like I said, I just think Michigan,
I mean, I have to give them credit because, like
I said, in terms of their defense, their run game.
But yeah, I mean they are leading. This past game
against Northwestern kind of shows that they have a charmed

(27:49):
existence to this point.

Speaker 1 (27:51):
Yeah, they definitely had the lucky horseshoe jam somewhere where
the sun doesn't shine. Andrew Marsh had a big day
freshman wide receiver looking. So Michigan is eight and two
on the season, keeping their hopes alive for you know,
some postseason Shenanigans six and one in the Big Ten.
Northwestern is five and five, three and four in the

(28:12):
Big Ten. So the Wildcats still need a win to
get the Bowl eligibility chip.

Speaker 2 (28:17):
Yeah, it's it's gonna be difficult.

Speaker 1 (28:20):
Penn State finally wins a game. We called this one
last week. Penn State probably goes and beats Michigan State.
There was a trophy on the line chip and the
Nittany Lions won it. They win twenty eight ten. This
was fourteen ten at the half, no score in the third,
Penn State pulls away late and they improved to four

(28:41):
and six, and they get their first Big Ten win
of the season to go one and six in the
Big Ten. Michigan State three and seven and winless in
Big Ten Play. Oh and seven Chip.

Speaker 2 (28:51):
Yeah, who would have think that we'd be talking in
the middle of November that Penn State finally got their
first Big Ten win of the season. And for Michigan State,
you know, I tremendously disappointing season. Can only hope that
they figure something out and get a Big Ten win
before the season finishes up.

Speaker 1 (29:12):
Doesn't seem like it's in the cards, but well, we'll
see what happens. Maryland went to Illinois, and Maryland after
September continues to be Maryland after September. The Aline and
I went at twenty four to six. It was closed
for a while. It was the one score game at
the half, but Illinois shot him out in the second
half and scored ten more points made it twenty four

(29:32):
to six. Illinois is seven to three, four and three
in Big Ten Play. Maryland is four and six, one
and six in the Big Ten. Things are not going
well in college Park.

Speaker 2 (29:43):
They aren't, but Mike l Axley is coming back. The
announcement was made that he will be back in twenty
twenty six. I don't want to say that I'm surprised.
I really do believe that there's kind of like this
mindset of we really want to be jockeying for position
with all these with all these jobs open, let alone

(30:05):
like the you know, the buyouts and things like that.
So Maryland, perhaps they with the recruiting that they have
in the in the DC area and and all of
around Maryland, maybe they think that they are building a
strong foundation. I just I'm very dubious about Mike Loxley's

(30:26):
ability to make Maryland a consistently winning team.

Speaker 1 (30:30):
Yeah, they just don't. They look like world beaters in September,
but after the calendar turns October, they just the turtle
gets left behind in the race. Yes, Purdue went to Washington,
and I hope that they got plenty of fresh air
and exercise, because the boiler Makers got beat forty nine
to thirteen, and they are two and nine on the season,

(30:52):
oh to eight in the Big Ten, and Washington improved
a seven and three, four and three in Big Ten play.
I thought this game would be a little closer than this.
I did expect Washington to win comfortably in the end,
but was not a good outing for the boiler Makers.

Speaker 2 (31:07):
No, I think Purdue, all of the competitiveness that they
have exhibited, I think they have pretty much it's run
its course for twenty twenty five. Barry Odom has certainly
made boiler Makers much more competitive this season than they
were in the previous ones. But I think that they

(31:28):
are pretty much done. I know that they still have
one more game. They have a buy this coming week,
but then they finish up against Indiana and that'll be very,
very difficult. But yeah, Washington nice rebound, similar to what
we've been mentioning. I think now it's since they had
that disastrous loss last week at Wisconsin. Now is just

(31:49):
a matter of finishing the season strong and trying to
improve their bowl game destination.

Speaker 1 (31:53):
Yeah, they started the game strong, or fairly strong, with
seven nothing after the first quarter, but they got blown
out in the second quarter or twenty one nothing, and
from that point on it was just let's let's just
get out of here and go home. Exactly when you're
when you're pining to get back to West Lafayette. It's
not a good night.

Speaker 2 (32:12):
No it's not. But I just like I said, I
think Perdue they have nothing to be ashamed of for
the for the the majority of this season. I mean
they now, granted, you know it was not so much
when when Ohio State played them, but you know when
you talk about when they played Michigan, when they played Illinois,

(32:32):
they you know, Rutgers, who Ohio State's playing. I mean
like they they really had some opportunities to win games,
just couldn't close the deal. That's a matter of recruiting
and getting some some better talent via the transfer portal.
But I think Purdue, yeah, I think that the cross
country trip and just all those other all those other

(32:54):
cumulative losses, I think they're I think they're done for
the for the year psychologically.

Speaker 1 (33:00):
All right, Chip, let's turn our attention toward this weekend
or no Friday games in the Big Ten. The big
noon Saturday game is Rutgers at Ohio State. No close,
It's Big Nude Saturday as the Scarlet Knights visit the
Scarlet and Gray and we'll talk about that in a
few minutes. So we'll stay with the noon games Big

(33:22):
Ten Network as Minnesota going to Northwestern, and Northwestern has
to be twice as scrappy to get to bowl eligibility
they do.

Speaker 2 (33:34):
I just think Minnesota they're just not a good road team. Now,
granted this is kind of a stretch like this is
another Wrigley Field experience for the Wildcats, it just makes
you wonder psychologically what kind of state of mind Northwestern's
in when they had Michigan on the ropes and they

(33:55):
weren't able to close the deal.

Speaker 1 (33:57):
Hopefully it will give them confidence that if they can
didn't hang with Michigan and maybe just finish a drive
or two, that they should be a better team than Minnesota.

Speaker 2 (34:07):
We'll see I mean Minnesota. I mean, it just kind
of makes you wonder, Like Minnesota, you know, when they
came out like gangbusters against Nebraska and they looked very formidable,
and then you know, when you know kind of what
we're talking about, like this past past week, you know,
on the road at Oregon they look terrible. So it's

(34:27):
like you just never know which Minnesota team is going
to show up.

Speaker 1 (34:30):
Absolutely, if Northwestern does get to win, those teams will
sport identical six and five records, and both before and
four of the Big Ten, So it will be interesting
to see how the Wildcats come out in this game.
I agree, the biggest game from a national standpoint is

(34:51):
USC going to Oregon, and this one's a three thirty
CBS game, and I need USC needs this more than
Oregon to get in the college football.

Speaker 2 (35:01):
Playoffs they do. You know. If anything, it's just USC
kind of what I just said a moment ago about
with with Minnesota. You just don't know which team is
going to show up. You know, Like USC, the way
that they were able to play extremely well against Michigan.

(35:23):
Now that granted that was at home. You know, they
were on the ropes, they rallied, they beat Iowa, and
it just makes you wonder, Okay, they're going to Outson Stadium,
which is a very difficult environment, and they're going up
against an Oregon team that's starting to run the ball
very effectively. So I'm just kind of questioning whether the

(35:45):
Trojans having up defensively to be able to slow down Oregon.

Speaker 1 (35:49):
I think Oregon will win this game. These are two
teams that both struggled against Iowa. But Oregon played on
the road in a monsoon yeah, and US a home
in a second half monthson, So I guess Oregon I
think wins this game. But even if Oregon loses, I
think Oregon still has enough clout to get into the

(36:10):
College football Playoff. I don't think USC does. So if
they lose this game, I think they're done. And you know,
you came so close, Lincoln Riley.

Speaker 2 (36:19):
Yeah, exactly. We'll see. We'll see, you know, if Lincoln
Riley can can have his guys ready to go.

Speaker 1 (36:27):
At three point thirty on FS one, Michigan State will
take another beating at Iowa. I don't see the Spartans
giving the Hawkeyes a game. The Hawkeyes are hurting. They
just lost a couple of close games against good teams.
I think they're they're so close. Iowa is so close
to being good. Maybe they just need a better quarterback

(36:48):
and they would be there. But I think they have
plenty to beat Michigan State badly.

Speaker 2 (36:54):
Yeah, Michigan State, they're just I think they need I mean,
we were talking earlier about Mike Loxley staying around, and
I'll be surprised if in Michigan State they if they
decide to pull the plug on Jonathan Smith, I think
it would be a mistake. But if you're Jonathan Smith,
you need to really overhaul this this coming year. I

(37:17):
agree with you. I think Michigan State they're going to
lose at Iowa. It's a tough environment at Kinnick. But
I think Michigan State this entire offseason has to be
just focused on defensive improvement all across the board.

Speaker 1 (37:29):
Four o'clock in the odd time slot is a btn game.
Michigan going to Maryland. I don't expect Maryland because it's
not September. I don't expect Maryland to pose much of
a threat. It might keep it close for a half,
but I think Michigan pulls away. But you know, Mike
Locksley has a chance to do the funniest thing he does.

Speaker 2 (37:51):
You know, I agree with you. I think Michigan will
win this game. I think where it's going to be
interesting to see even though he's regressed, maybe he kind
of hit the freshman wall. Malik Washington at quarterback. I
think he poses a lot of challenges for that Michigan defense.
And again I think that they're gonna they're gonna put

(38:11):
a lot of pressure on him. But if he's able
to throw the ball and make some completions, I think
this could be entertaining.

Speaker 1 (38:20):
Yeah, Maryland needs a good start in this game. They
just have they can't. They're already not a good second
half team, so if they don't get off.

Speaker 2 (38:27):
To a good start, they just get blown out. Exactly.

Speaker 1 (38:31):
Maybe one of the more intriguing games in around the
Big ten seven o'clock on NBC, Nebraska goes to Penn State,
and Penn State chip still alive for a bowl game.
If they can get a win in this game and
then finish strong, could still get to six and six.

Speaker 2 (38:49):
They could. It's gonna be It's gonna be very, very difficult,
I think when it comes to when it comes to
this this environment. I think, you know, in the Braca,
they're still trying to you know, kind of wrap around
the fact that they you know, that they made the
transition because they had to, you know, quarterback wise with

(39:12):
the injury to Dylan Reyola, uh TJ Latif. This is
going to be a challenging environment at night. But Nebraska
certainly has the talent to beat Penn State. It just
remains to be seen, like how much how much pride
Penn State players have in finishing the season strong.

Speaker 1 (39:32):
Well They've they've played well, the last couple of weeks,
they really came so close against Indiana. They beat down
Michigan State, which they should. They're feeling pretty full of themselves.
Got a Land Grant trophy exactly. So if you beat Nebraska,
you got Rutgers to get to Bowl eligibility. I think

(39:54):
this team has enough talent to do it, and I
think I think they're going to gut this out and beat.

Speaker 2 (40:00):
But I think it's gonna be a close games. I
think it'll be a very close game.

Speaker 1 (40:04):
All right, Illinois will go to Wisconsin's seven point thirty
on Big Ten Network. I don't expect Illinois to lose,
but you know, it is a game on the road
at night in the Big Ten at Madison, and that's
usually worth some points. Wisconsin is a difficult environment, and
we'll see what happens.

Speaker 2 (40:25):
Yeah, I definitely like Illinois to win this one. They
probably are going to not make the College Football Playoff,
but it's not beyond the realm of possibility that if
they went out, depending on what happens in the SEC
that Illinois could be sitting there at nine and three
and possibly get like maybe that number twelve spot. We'll see,

(40:48):
but it's it's highly it's highly based on Illinois finishing strong.
And I certainly have the belief that Brett Bielima. I'm
not saying that he's going to try and run up
the score, but I don't think he's going to take
any mercy on Wisconsin, even though that's where his coaching
career began.

Speaker 1 (41:06):
Yeah, it'd be interesting to see what Wisconsin's defense does after.
I mean, they held as long as they could against Indiana,
held him to thirty one points, which is a lot
better than some teams have done against them. But Illinois
still has a good offense. If the weather's bad, it
might come down to just who runs the football better.

Speaker 2 (41:25):
I agree with you, all right.

Speaker 1 (41:27):
And then ten thirty out west at the Rose Bowl
on NBC, Washington goes to Ucla. I mean, I if
nic goes back, I would give Ucla a fighting chance.
But I think Washington wins this game.

Speaker 2 (41:42):
I agree with you. I think Washington. I mean they're
battling some injuries, you know, with Jonah Coleman, for example,
he didn't play against Purdue, wasn't needed against Perdue. But yeah,
I think Washington, I think they've got a little bit
more talent. Like I agree with you about Nico. If
he's playing, he certainly poses some challenges to any defense.

(42:04):
But I like the Huskies going on the road to
UCLA and coming back with them win.

Speaker 1 (42:10):
Yeah. All right, Well we'll see how it goes. There's
some again, some intriguing games, and with the Ohio State
plan at noon, we'll get a chance to check out
some of those other.

Speaker 2 (42:19):
Games around the league. Looking forward to it.

Speaker 1 (42:23):
Has turned our attention to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights visiting
the Horseshoe and is it.

Speaker 2 (42:29):
A trap game? Chip It could be, It certainly could be.
I don't believe it will. I think Ryan Day has
been talking about maintaining a standard of excellence Bio State
to not be concerned so much about who the opponent is.
And I'm not sure how much of that is coach speak.

(42:50):
How much of that is for the fans, you know,
because so far you can't really argue with the results
Ohio State's ten and zero. Now that being said, you
and I, as well as everyone within the Woody Hayes
Athletic Center, knows what's on the horizon. So to your
question about is it a trap game, it certainly could
be if the players start thinking about, you know, what

(43:13):
are we going to do? You know when we go
up to ann Arbor and you know what kind of
plays and things like that. That's how you know, it's
a kind of thing where you know, all you need
if your Rutgers is some positive things to happen, and
all of a sudden, you know, like there's that confidence
and what what should have been a comfortable win becomes

(43:35):
a closer than expected win. So yeah, I think Rutgers
is going to do anything and everything they can, like
like you said, like they're trying to get to ball eligibility,
you know, no no harm and pulling out all the stops.

Speaker 1 (43:49):
Rutgers defense has not been good. That's not doesn't bode
well for them against the Ohio States offense. Even if
Tate and Smith don't play. Rutgers does have a veteran
quarterback in senior Ethan calliac Manus, who I will say
I have definitely not been impressed with over the course
of his career, but he does do one thing very well.

(44:12):
I think he throws a really nice long ball.

Speaker 2 (44:15):
I would agree with that. Yeah, I think Ethan calliac Manus,
I mean he's he's certainly not. I don't think to
the caliber of like a of a Julian saying, you know,
in terms of his all around quarterback abilities. But based
on what we have seen from Rutgers ever since they
joined the Big Ten, he's certainly not the worst quarterback

(44:36):
Rutgers it's ever put out put out there, you know,
So it's it's certainly Rutgers. They're starting to run the
ball better. I agree with you. I don't think they're
they're really as as as formidable as as Greg Ciano
team usually is on the defensive side of the ball.

(44:59):
But I think they're going to do everything they can
to make Ohio State a little uncomfortable. I don't know
how well they can do it, but they're going to
do everything they can to kind of, you know, be
just an irritant.

Speaker 1 (45:12):
Yeah, we'll probably see some trick plays in this game
as well. Klik Manis has twenty seven hundred yards passing,
seventeen touchdowns, seven picks. He's completing sixty two percent of
his passes, but about eight yards per attempt is his average.
He does throw a nice deep ball. He does not
fit balls into tight windows very often.

Speaker 2 (45:33):
Though, No, he does not on the rushing.

Speaker 1 (45:37):
Side, Antoine Raymond has a thousand yards on two hundred attempts.
That's insanely even numbered there, I mean, two hundred carries,
one thousand yards, a five point zero yard average, eleven touchdowns,
so that is it's crazy in ten games, a nice
round number of attempts, a nice round number of yards

(46:00):
and average, and his attempts per game are exactly twenty
in his yards per game exactly one hundred.

Speaker 2 (46:07):
That is kind of, I mean, very bizarre to see
it in those stark, you know, stark images of like
you just said, you know exactly you know, five yards
to carry exactly one thousand yards. So yeah, he's he's
certainly a key cog in the Rutgers offense.

Speaker 1 (46:27):
I think his average dips below triple figures in this game,
Yes it will. Rutgers is ranked eighty six in the
country in rushing rushing offense.

Speaker 2 (46:40):
Which is, yeah, which is unusual, which is you know,
like with Greg Ciano, I mentioned it earlier about with
Michigan running the ball, strong defense. Okay, the fact that
Rutgers is neither of those, that's kind of, like I said,
it's kind of an atypical Greg Ciano Rutgers team.

Speaker 1 (46:57):
Antheoin Raymond as a sophomore. By the way, Jay Shawn
Benjamin as a junior who has three hundred yards and
two touchdowns. So and then CALLI like Manus will run
the football as well. He has three rushing touchdowns, so
you got to be cognizant of him taking off in
the red zone.

Speaker 2 (47:14):
Exactly.

Speaker 1 (47:15):
On the receiving side, sophomore kJ Duff is the leader there,
nine hundred and twenty three yards receiving in six touchdowns.
That's the deep ball threat, averaging seventeen yards a catch,
So they do like to take the top off. He's
the guy that they're going to try to get the
ball on, you know, to hit big plays with once

(47:37):
the team gets to midfield. So I guess the Buckeye
defense just has to keep them from getting a.

Speaker 2 (47:43):
Midfield That's not a bad defensive strategy.

Speaker 1 (47:48):
Yeah, I like that one a lot. By the way,
they also have a receiver named caliac Manus. Yes, Dino
Dino is a senior, has played in seven games, has
one catch for nine yards. I'm not sure he's a
walk on, but it is a touchdown.

Speaker 2 (48:05):
Catch at least exactly.

Speaker 1 (48:08):
And then Ian Strong has is a junior who has
seven hundred yards five touchdowns. DT Sheffield is a senior
wide receiver five hundred and thirty two yards and four touchdowns.
Those are the three main threats. As far as defense
is concerned, Rutgers is not ranked highly on the defensive
side of the ball in rushing or passing.

Speaker 2 (48:31):
No, they're usually That's the thing is, they're usually, you know,
pretty good at at you know, stopping the run. And
Greg Ciano that's kind of how he made his name
as an assistant, you know, when he was at Penn State,
coming up through the ranks. You know that, you know,

(48:52):
his defense, you know, is kind of a calling card,
if you will, of Rutgers. So the fact that they're
not nearly as strong as they usually have been is
kind of a surprise.

Speaker 1 (49:02):
Against the run. Rutgers is one hundred and twenty fifth
in the country. That is out of one to thirty
six teams, So only eleven teams are worse, and none
of those eleven teams are in the Big Ten.

Speaker 2 (49:15):
And that, if anything, should give you an idea in
terms of how a high states should focus their game.

Speaker 1 (49:21):
Yeah, one hundred and ninety six yards a game. One
hundred ninety six point five. They're giving up on the ground,
So not a lot of need to pass against Rutgers.
But if you do pass against Rutgers, well, they have
the eighty fourth rated pass defense, allowing two hundred and twenty
nine yards through the air per game. So again, when

(49:42):
you're able to run with that much success, and also
Rutgers is also bad against the pass, that's a really
bad combination, very bad. So yeah, I think you're going
to see a steady diet of the three headed monster.
You're going to see Peoples, You're gonna see Jackson, You're
going to see West on set Saturday. You may see
Donaldson if he's you know healthy. He was a little

(50:04):
bit dinged and they held him out this past weekend
against UCLA. Didn't really need him. I think it's probable
that all three running backs will play, and they'll probably
all three put up similar numbers to what they did
this week again, first half. Maybe the the cracks aren't
always there, but I think they'll start to open up

(50:26):
later in the game.

Speaker 2 (50:27):
I agree with you.

Speaker 1 (50:30):
So now we got to get to our picks to
click chip. Unless there's anybody else on Rutgers that you
want to talk about.

Speaker 2 (50:36):
No, I think we're ready.

Speaker 1 (50:37):
You're just sick of Rutgers already.

Speaker 2 (50:39):
Well, No, I, like I said, I just think this
is these three games are pretty much like that's kind
of what I anticipated. So it's it's just that's sick
of Rutgers per se. It's just it's like three scrimmages
kind of. It's like and get through them healthy and
and I think that's kind of you know, that's not
a bad mindset. It's just the way that the schedule

(51:02):
fell and the way that the season is shaping up.

Speaker 1 (51:04):
I don't mean you're sick of Rutgers. I mean you're
you're you're satisfied that we have sufficiently covered the Rutgers games.

Speaker 2 (51:11):
That's yeah, that's that's good.

Speaker 1 (51:13):
Yeah, all right, picks to click time. And last week
we went defense first, so offensively, chip uh, we just
talked about running backs. Are you picking a running back
to click on your picks to click?

Speaker 2 (51:23):
I am. I'm going with Isaiah West Uh. No disrespect
to bo Jackson. I think he's gonna start. I think
he's gonna play well. I'm not trying to imply that
they don't care about the health of Isaiah West either.
I just think that Bo Jackson, if you know, he
has a solid first half, they have a lead. Okay,

(51:44):
we're gonna sit you down. And I think the opportunity
Isaiah West has a seemingly has a really strong north
south running style, knows through the end zone. So I
can see Isaiah West, you know, having a really solid
game against Rutgers.

Speaker 1 (51:59):
I think you will. And I think his fellow freshman
Bo Jackson will get carries and have a good game
as well. So I'm gonna take Bo Jackson on the
offensive side of the football and on the defensive side
of the football. This is a little a little bit
more curious how they're going to go here. They don't.
The tendency is not to rest stars on the defensive

(52:20):
side of the ball all that much as much as
on the offensive side. I don't know why, but I mean,
you certainly have got Caleb Downs, You've got rfl Reese,
You've got Sonny Styles. These are critical players that Kenyatta Jackson,
Kayden McDonald. These are all guys that maybe you should
not use any more than you need to. Will you
get a lead, you get them out. But it just

(52:42):
seems like teams don't rotate their defensive starters out as
quickly as they do their offensive starters. Do you agree
with that?

Speaker 2 (52:50):
I would. I thought I saw Caleb Downs kind of
sitting on the on the sidelines more so against UCLA.
But I agree with you. I think it's kind of,
you know, maybe just like a mindset of all right,
let's just make sure that they don't score any points,
and you know, let's kind of shut him down and

(53:10):
burn clock and let's get out of here.

Speaker 1 (53:12):
Yeah, there were some other players on the field. Caleb
Downs I think was the first one to get to
have a seat on Saturday night against UCLA. We did
see some Aaron Scott. We've mentioned Devin Sanchez. In fact,
it was Aaron Scott that picked Devin Sanchez a little
bit on the touchdown that UCLA scored, So a little

(53:35):
bit unfortunate, but I will say it was nice that they,
you know, sort of figured out those crossing routes. There
was a play later that UCLA did did throw for
a first down, but barely at the sticks. On a
similar play where the pick did not happen, I agree,
all right, So yeah, I do think we'll see Fahim

(53:58):
delaye uh and and Aaron Scott in this game. But
I'm going to take for my pick to click, I'm
gonna go ahead and take Kayden Curry. He didn't get
a sack in this game against UCLA, so I think
he's going to make up for it by getting two
against Rutgers.

Speaker 2 (54:17):
Well, I like it. I like it. I'm gonna go
with Peyton Pierce simply because not so much of what
you just said about getting the starters out. I just
think Peyton piers something about Rutgers traditionally wanting to run
the ball. I think Peyton Pierce's is a kind of
linebacker that being able to make things a little more

(54:42):
challenging for for Rutgers especially, you know if they, you know,
try to try to burn clock with Antoine Raymond. I
think that's kind of the strategy. If you're Greg ciano
is I agree that they're going to try and do
a lot of trick plays and special teams things like that,
But I they're going to try and run the ball.
So I see Peyton Pierce being actively involved on the defense.

Speaker 1 (55:05):
I like to pick. I like it, all right. Prediction
time chip, what is going to be on the Ohio
Stadium scoreboard at the end of Ohio State versus Rutgers
on Saturday.

Speaker 2 (55:14):
I'm going thirty five to seven. Just something about this
game just kind of just it seems very run oriented,
as evidenced by the fact that we both picked, you know,
the two leading runners for Ohio State. I think it's
going to be get the lead, get the starters out,

(55:35):
let's get our minds right for the game. And I
think if you're Rutgers, you're going to do everything you can.
But I think, also, Matt Patricia, I like the talent
on the Ohio State defense is too much for Rutgers
to really pose too much of an a of an
offensive threat. So that's why I'm going with thirty five

(55:57):
to seven.

Speaker 1 (55:58):
All right, I once again you and I are very close.
I say thirty eight to nine. I think Ohio State
holds Rutgers out of the end zone, but Rutgers has
to kick field goals and maybe one or even two
of those come against backups. I think Ohio State will
take care of business, and it sounds like you do too.
I think most of the points will be scored for
Ohio State in the first half. I agree, all right, Well,

(56:22):
we'll come back next week, Chip and you and I
will talk about the Rutgers game, and oh my god,
it's already going to be the week that we talk
about the game. That's how fast the season goes by. Unfortunately,
it's been enjoyable, but there's with the college Football playoff,
there still should be plenty of football for Ohio State

(56:43):
fans before the end of the season.

Speaker 2 (56:45):
Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (56:46):
So you've got Rutgers, You've got the game on the
road that's not going to be easy. It never is.
And then if all goes well, you get the Big
Ten title game, and then you also have the College
Football Playoffs. So that could be one game, two games,
three games. I mean, we don't know, we don't know
how long this season is.

Speaker 2 (57:07):
No, that's that's kind of why, you know, when it
comes to taking care, you know, like not overlooking Rutgers,
you know, and putting yourself in a position so you
can get back to Indianapolis for the first time in
you know, six years, you know that you you know
you want to be you know, back there, you know,

(57:28):
so you can see you can be playing for the
for the Big Ten championship and then you know, more
than likely get yourself first round by.

Speaker 1 (57:37):
Yeah, all right, Chip, Where can people find you and
your work online?

Speaker 2 (57:41):
I can be found on Twitter at Chip Minnek. Last
name spelled m I n n I c H. I'm
also a contributor to Buckeye Huddle dot com as well
as Saturday Glory dot com.

Speaker 1 (57:52):
All right, you can follow me on Twitter or Blue
Sky at Mike thirty six fan. You can find my
work at Land Grant holy Land, and I am the
grumpy old buck Eye. Every Monday you get a basically
a parody of those insufferable Ohio State fans who will
accept nothing but a fifty to nothing win every week

(58:12):
in an undefeated season every year. But of course this
week you can find my thoughts on the UCLA game,
so go there and check that out. You can also,
of course follow the Silver Bullets podcast on Twitter at
silver Bullets Pod. No e in the word silver, so
it's s I l V R b U L L
E T S p O D. And then of course

(58:35):
you can email us at silver Bulletspod at gmail dot com,
and that one you spell all the way out the
normal way, silver Bulletspod at gmail dot com. Use all
the letters and we would love to hear from you.
So give us a shout with that chip. I think
that's everything, absolutely all right. We'll see everybody next week.
Until then, there's nothing left for us to do but
sign off the way we always do, and that is

(58:57):
by giving you a hearty go Bucks Goodbox