Welcome to the “I was badmouthing the Big Ten before badmouthing the Big Ten was cool” edition of the Recap. Now that the entire country is getting in on the act, it’s not nearly as righteous. I hereby resolve to stop it, having moved on to acceptance, and will resort instead to tired cliches like “it is what it is”...(at the end of the day).

Besides, the Big Ten went 10-2 last weekend, although its returning division winners had two of the most underwhelming performances of the day. Michigan State was humbled at home by Notre Dame, and Wisconsin struggled mightily in Madison, benched their starting quarterback, but ultimately survived when Utah State’s kicker missed a field goal in the final seconds. Did I mention Utah State?

Three conference teams remain unbeaten at 3-0...Minnesota, Ohio State and Northwestern, and the Wildcats own three of the Big Ten’s four victories over schools from BCS automatic qualifying conferences, with wins over Syracuse, Vanderbilt, and Boston College. Ohio State’s win over Cal on Saturday is the fourth.

To the week’s games...

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There is really no such thing as a “lucky” win. There is such thing as a “fortunate” win, however, and Ohio State was fortunate to come away with a sloppy, exasperating yet thrilling 35-28 victory over the Cal Golden Bears Saturday afternoon in the Horseshoe. The Buckeyes were dominated on both sides of the ball for much of the second half as they let a 13-point lead slip away, and in the end it took one big play from Braxton Miller and Devin Smith to finally send the underdog Bears to the canvas.

Really, this was several games in one- an opening salvo that put the Buckeyes in command, a long second-half stretch completely controlled by Cal, and a crunch-time shootout that went to Ohio State, which in the end had one more round in the chamber than the visitors. Both teams made major mistakes throughout that could have been and in some cases were decisive in the outcome.

It certainly wasn’t the most pristine game ever played. But it was highly entertaining and, more importantly, it was a Buckeye victory.

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Braxton Miller threw for two 4th quarter touchdowns after California had taken the lead late in the game, and the Buckeyes held off the Bears 35-28 to stay unbeaten under Urban Meyer. Miller accounted for all five Ohio State touchdowns, with a career-high four TD’s through the air, and a 55-yard TD run that opened the scoring.

The OSU defense gave up 512 total yards to the Bears, and the Buckeyes saw  a 20-7 halftime lead evaporate when Cal scored the first 14 points of the second half. After Cal’s backup tailback Brendan Bigelow bolted 81 yards for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter, senior QB  Zach Maynard sneaked it in from a yard out early in the 4th to give the Bears a 21-20 lead.

Miller and the Buckeyes shook off their 3rd quarter doldrums, marching for the go-ahead TD, and tacking on a 2-point conversion to make it 28-21, but Bigelow struck again moments later with a 59-yard touchdown run, and the game was tied with just over eight minutes to play.

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- Saturday, September 15, 2012

- Ohio Stadium - Columbus, OH

- California at Ohio State

- 12:00 p.m. (ET)

- TV: ABC -


It’s a national network TV appearance for the 2-0 Ohio State Buckeyes this week as the California Golden Bears come east for a contest that will kickoff at 9:00 a.m. their time. The two head coaches are good friends...which of course has nothing to do with the two schools meeting for the first time in 40 years. This two-game series, to be concluded next year in Berkeley, was scheduled back when Urban Meyer was winning national championships at Florida. But their friendship is the kind of thing that will make for a nice feature story....for somebody else.

California is 1-5 against Ohio State in the all-time series, the last meeting coming in 1972. The Buckeyes have won five in a row, their only loss a 28-0 decision in the 1921 Rose Bowl.  The Bears have been something of a disappointment so far in 2012, but it should be said here that the PAC-12 was 3-0 against the Big Ten last week, and...well, there’s a sleeping bear joke in there somewhere.

Cal comes in at 1-1, having lost their opener to Nevada 31-24, and then rebounding with a win last week over Southern Utah by a 50-31 score. Head coach Jeff Tedford is in his 11th year at Berkeley, and he’ll arrive in Columbus with a 80-49 career record with the Bears. Cal was 7-6 a year ago, losing to Texas 21-10 in the Holiday Bowl after finishing 4th in the PAC-12 North with a 4-5 conference mark.

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“Telling Quotes” is a weekly recap of the Big Ten’s top stories using quotes from around the conference (with a moderate Ohio State lean).

If you haven’t heard already, the Big Ten had a rough week.

Colleague Dan Wismar recapped the carnege, a macabre task for even the strongest of stomachs. The Big Ten went 6-6 last week with just one victory over teams from AQ conferences. Nebraska gave up a hair under 100 million yards of offense in a 36-30 loss to UCLA, Iowa committed whatever futility is required to score only six points in a three point loss to Iowa State, and most surprisingly, Wisconsin rushed for just 35 yards in a 10-7 loss to Oregon State.

The conference only has a couple opportunities to redeem itself on a national stage this week. Michigan State plays No. 20 Notre Dame in East Lansing Saturday night, and of course, the Buckeyes will host the California Golden Bears on Saturday afternoon.

Check out the week’s top quotes after the jump.

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A win is a win, and Ohio State got a win last Saturday, 31-16 over a feisty Central Florida team. But the Buckeyes didn’t exactly look overwhelming in victory. While the offense once again was far too reliant on the running skills of Braxton Miller, the defense once again couldn’t generate pressure and showed themselves vulnerable to big plays. Even allowing for the fact that the Knights are a solid team, it was a drab, dull performance for Urban Meyer’s troops. There’s plenty for the Buckeyes to work on before a volatile California team comes to Columbus on Saturday.

Braxton’s Line: 18-of-24 for 155 yards with one touchdown and one interception; 27 carries for 141 yards and three touchdowns. Miller opened the scoring with a 37-yard run off a draw play, put the Buckeyes in the lead for good with his second score and put the game away with his third.

It’s been said before and I’ll say it again: 27 carries is way too many. Several of those were off broken plays and the Buckeyes are thin in the backfield right now, to be sure- either way, Braxton Miller has taken far too many hits in the first two games. If he keeps getting hit at this pace he’s going to get hurt, and if he gets hurt this team is screwed- because this is really not a very good football team without him.

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Back with another weekly summary of Big Ten football....and you thought last  week’s games dragged down the league's rep....

Big Ten teams went 6-6 in non-conference action last weekend, but when the two teams thought to be the worst in their respective divisions, Indiana and Minnesota, register two of the league’s six victories, the reality is even worse than the appearance. Of the day’s conference losers, only Purdue (No. 20 Notre Dame) and Nebraska (No 22 UCLA) were playing ranked opponents, and there are very few remaining non-conference contests against good teams in which to regain some respectability. So be it. To the games....

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- Saturday, September 8, 2012

- Ohio Stadium - Columbus, OH

- University of Central Florida at Ohio State

- 12:00 p.m. (ET)

- TV: ESPN2 -


Urban Meyer’s new-look Buckeyes got over their first hurdle last week against Miami, but the OSU coach calls Central Florida “a whole different animal” as he prepares his team to face the Knights this Saturday at Ohio Stadium. The 14th-ranked Buckeyes will be trying to avoid the kind of slow start they suffered against Miami, and UCF (1-0) will be hoping they can reprise their strong overall effort in a 56-14 wipeout of the Akron Zips a week ago. It will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.

Ohio State’s 46-point margin of victory over Miami was not reflected in Meyer’s postgame comments, as the sluggishness on offense and some early defensive breakdowns gave the coaching staff plenty of things to correct going forward. UCF will present a different offensive style and a considerably more talented and faster group of defenders than the Buckeyes faced in the opener.

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Braxton Miller rushed for three touchdowns and threw for a fourth as the Buckeyes survived an inspired challenge from Central Florida with a 31-16 win Saturday at the Horseshoe. The OSU defense stiffened when it had to, coming up with three interceptions and holding the UCF running game in check. Ohio State moves to 2-0, but there may not be a coach anywhere less satisfied with his undefeated team than Urban Meyer.

With the game tied 10-10 in the second quarter, Miller proceeded to run and pass the Buckeyes to touchdowns on three consecutive possessions sandwiched around halftime, as they raced to a 31-10 lead. The Knights (1-1) charged back with a late 3rd quarter touchdown, but turned the ball over in the red zone on their next possession and never again got closer than two scores.

Although the Buckeyes’ pass rush, their coverage, and their running back play all came in for criticism by the head coach after the game, Meyer didn’t want to dwell on the negative.  “I don't want to be a downer around here. We won a frickin' game. Won by two touchdowns against a quality opponent. Time to move on, get ready to go play.”

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“Telling Quotes” is a weekly recap of the Big Ten’s top stories using quotes from around the conference (with a moderate Ohio State lean).

College football’s opening week is in the books and the Big Ten went 10-2 in non-conference games this weekend. Michigan State got things started on Friday night by outlasting Boise State for an impressive victory, and Michigan closed things out by becoming the first murder victim to meet their fate on national television.

Ohio State kicked off the Urban Meyer era with an impressive 56-10 victory over Miami (OH). After getting shut out in the first quarter, the Buckeyes put together eight touchdown drives to close the game.

Meanwhile, in Happy Valley, the Penn State Nittany Lions couldn’t hold onto a 14-3 lead over Ohio University and eventually lost to the Bobcats 24-14 in Bill O’Brien’s debut.

Check out the weekend’s top quotes after the jump.

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