Boom Herron = Big Ten player of the year?

I am officially beginning the campaign for Boom Herron as Big Ten offensive player of the year. Crazy? Perhaps. But this is the way baseball writers work. Think about it. How many times has a baseball player won the MVP because his team was utterly lousy when he was out of the lineup. So I present this case. In two games with Boom Herron, the Buckeyes have defeated two ranked teams. In doing so, Boom Herron has averaged 137 yards per game and nearly 5 yards per carry. Therefore, I present to you Boom Herron as the Big Ten offensive player of the year.

Stocking on Levin's Floor (volume 3) is available now

Stocking on Levin's Floor (volume 3 of the illustrated Uncle Sal Chronicles) is now available on:
Amazon (US, UK, Germany, and France)
Barnes and Noble
Lulu (PDF version - no tablet required).
Get your copy today. It's only $7.49.

Volume 3 of the Uncle Sal Chronicles will be available soon

That's right, Salcoholics. Volume 3 of the illustrated Uncle Sal Chronicles is almost finished and it will be available real soon for Kindle, Nook, and iPad with the Kindle app. Don't have a tablet? Don't worry. The book will also be available on Lulu (like A Gopher I Couldn't Defuse). Look for Stocking on Levin's Floor in the next week or two.

Buckeyes 17, Fighting Illini 7

Photo of John Simon by Neal Lauron

I missed most of the first half of this game. Fortunately, there wasn't much to miss.
The Good
Offense
Well, it was good to see Boom Herron back on the field and the guy answered the bell with 114 yards. Overall, the Buckeyes had 211 yards rushing, which means that the offensive line did its job and Herron wasn't the only one running well. You might wonder why I would think that only four pass attempts is a good thing. Maybe it's a little extreme, but it was probably the right decision for this game. Champaign had some 20 mph winds and if you have ever been to Memorial Stadium, you know that is one drafty barn. With the pass blocking, the young quarterback, and the wind, running the ball 51 times was probably the right move.
Defense
The Buckeyes locked down the Illini offense. John Simon had a great game. He seemed to be in the Illini backfield as much as the Illinois tailback. Jonathan Hankins also had a great game. You really can't complain about the defense in this game.
The Bad
Offense
It was definitely good to see Herron back on the field, but I would like to see Carlos Hyde get more than three carries. The offensive line allowed four sacks. But then, we know what to expect from the pass protection with this team.
Defense
Aside from a really stupid penalty by Bradley Roby, I can't think of anything to put here.
The Ugly
Let's face it. This game isn't going into the vault as an instant classic. I don't think I need to be more specific than that. Other than the game itself, I would say the officiating falls here. The left tackle for Illinois must have held on every play. That's not unusual, but this guy would grab handfuls of the back of the jersey of whomever he was blocking. Even if the defender changed direction to make it obvious that he was being held, the refs didn't call it.
Schwinderjection
Here is an unexpected stat. The Buckeyes threw half as many passes in this game as Georgia Tech against Virginia. Let that one sink in for a moment. Watch for the Buckeyes to spring a Hawai'i-style passing attack on the Badgers. Fickell's just been giving the old rope-a-dope.
Under the Radar player of the game
John Simon, Bradley Roby, and Jonathan Hankins all deserve mention here and any one of them would be a solid choice. However, Tyler Moeller forced the fumble that led to the Buckyes second touchdown and that is the epitome of what earns this award.

new products in the Zazzle store

Salcoholics, two new bumper stickers are available in the Groovy Rutabaga store at Zazzle.com. You can declare to the world that you got smashed at The Crow Bar or crabs at A Boy Named Sushi.

Throw the ball stop

Esteemed members of The Ohio State University football coaching staff,
The other day in between dances at the local gin joint (I was twirling with a dame called Myrna. She's a dynamite jitterbugger, I can tell you that), my friend Cyrus told me about something new he and his mates are doing on the gridiron. He called it the forward pass. It sounded pretty batty to me, so I asked him to explain. When he told me how the whole thing worked, I said, "You're talking through your hat, chum."

"Come out to the gridiron and see for yourself. You'll see. This forward pass is the bee's knees. Hey, why don't you strap on a leather helmet and join us. We could use a good wingback."

Well, I spent the rest of the night doing the jitterbug and the Charleston with some fabulous dames, but the next day, I was out on the gridiron. And you know something? Cyrus wasn't talking out of his hat after all. You see, what happens is the center delivers the ball to the quarterback. After the quarterback retreats a few steps (he's got nothing on my jitterbug, I can tell you), he throws the ball to a...I believe he's called a flanker. It's the cat's pajamas. I'll tell you. You really ought to see it performed. This forward pass could change the way football is played.
Sincerely,
Leo Porterhouse, avid gridiron follower