Bucknuts Morning 5

Did C.J. Stroud silence his critics with his performance at Rutgers last Saturday, or was it just one game against a mediocre opponent? Matt Baxendell is leaning way more to the former than the latter. Bax is also confident the Buckeyes will keep things rolling against Maryland at Ohio Stadium this Saturday.

C.J. Stroud's week off proved quite beneficial, after all. The redshirt freshman signal caller was nearly flawless in New Jersey.Was it a real preview of what's to come? Now healthy, is Stroud ready to lead Ohio State to the promised land?Duane Long is here to answer that and put in perspective where Ohio State stands in the B1G and nationally after a month or so.Plus, we take a look at two coveted, expected visitors for the Maryland tussle this coming weekend.Spend 5ish with us this a.m., 'Nutters!

We are happy to welcome Doug Lesmerises from Cleveland.com to today's show to discuss the Ohio State beat and all the drama that goes along with it. Doug recently did a 2-part, 4-hour podcast examining the beat, including interviews with many writers on the beat, and he offers his main takeaways on today's show. Why did Doug want to do the podcast? What part do message boards play when covering a team like the Buckeyes?Also, how did Doug become a sportswriter? What were his initial impressions of the Buckeyes' beat when he joined it in 2005? How has it changed? Has he ever gotten into shouting arguments with other reporters? Does Ohio State have the largest beat in all of American sports, including pro sports?

That was more like it ... in so many ways.Ohio State hit the road for a convincing B1G win over Rutgers, 52-13, and it wasn't even that close. The Buckeyes were simply dominant before halftime and downshifted after the break.What to make of the win? C.J. Stroud looked tremendous. The Matt Barnes-called defense showed more signs of progress.We also saw the continuation of a Buckeyes youth movement that is incredibly impactful on and off the field.The People's Champ, Matt Baxendell, joins to talk about the complete victory plus how the B1G and national results affect Ohio State.Spend some of your Sunday morning with us, ‘Nutters.

The Buckeyes finally looked like we expected they would this season in a rout of Rutgers. Patrick Murphy and Dave Biddle react.

Presuming C.J. Stroud is Ohio State's starting quarterback for the rest of the season, what is our confidence level in the redshirt freshman from California? Jonah Booker joins Dave Biddle for his usual Friday visit to discuss that, Steele Chambers stepping up at linebacker for OSU, predictions on tomorrow's game at Rutgers and much more.All of that is coming your way on the Friday 5ish.

Seen the Class of 2022 team recruiting rankings recently?(If not ... here ya go.)There's a B1G team on top - and it's not Ohio State. It's Penn State. The Fighting James Franklins are not only the No. 4-ranked team in the nation, they are building quite a recruiting class. What does this mean for Ohio State? Is this a quantity-over-quality deal right now?Also ... there's a pretty big matzoh ball hanging out there for Penn State (see: It's 75 and sunny everyday in L.A.).247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong is here to offer perspective before weighing in on Ohio State's trip to New Jersey this weekend.Spend 5ish with us this a.m., 'Nutters!

We are happy to welcome back Gee Scott Sr. to the show and there is plenty to discuss as he joins Dave Biddle. Among the topics:* What are Gee's thoughts on the quarterback situation at Ohio State?* What are his takeaways from the K'Vaughan Pope ordeal?* How much is social media impacting college football players? And not necessarily in a positive way.* Thoughts on Saturday's game at Rutgers.All of that and more is coming your way on the Wednesday 5ish.

An interesting season is about to get even more compelling as a Rutgers trip to see old friend Greg Schiano looms.Ohio State is doing well to provide us with constant chatter and this week it's QB again (among other player defections but we digress). Our Mark Porter broke down every throw Kyle McCord had against Akron - see that right here. Well, what does Duane Long think of McCord? Is he ready? Did he do enough to usurp C.J. Stroud?We tackle that before each making three predictions for the rest of the season that you won't want to miss.Spend 5ish with us today, 'Nutters!

Kerry Coombs is an excellent recruiter. But now that he is no longer calling the defense for Ohio State, how does that affect the Buckeyes' recruiting efforts, if at all? The Dean of Ohio State Football Recruiting, Bill Kurelic, joins Dave Biddle to answer that question, plus:* What is the latest on 2022 4-star edge rusher Kenyatta Jackson?* Which offensive linemen might the Buckeyes add to their 2022 class?* Have we ever seen anything like the K'Vaughan Pope situation?* What surprises the Dean most positively and negatively about the 2021 Buckeyes one-third of the way through the regular season?* What are thoughts on the Buckeyes' quarterbacks?All of that and more is coming your way on the Monday 5ish.

That's more like it.Sure, the defense did the usual deal of providing early headache. After that it was a smooth sailing talent show as Ohio State hammered visiting Akron, 59-7, on a crisp Columbus evening.What to make of the win? We welcome the Dean of Ohio State Recruiting - Bill Kurelic - and The People's Champ - Matt Baxendell - to put it all in perspective.There's also plenty of Ohio State recruiting chatter and a deep dive on B1G and national action from yesterday. Spend some of your Sunday morning with us, ‘Nutters.

Is it the beginning of the Kyle McCord era at Ohio State? Or is this merely a one-week break for C.J. Stroud and he will be back as the Buckeyes' starting quarterback next week? We don't know yet, but we will find out in the coming weeks. Jonah Booker joins Dave Biddle for his usual Friday visit to discuss OSU's situation quarterbacks, the changes we have seen from the Buckeyes' defense and much more.All of that is coming your way on the Friday 5ish.

Any person with cable can clearly see Ohio State's secondary performance has dropped off. Once a group known for harboring multiple future first rounders, the unit allowed a mediocre signal caller from Tulsa to pass for over 400 yards after making Oregon's QB look like a Heisman Trophy candidate.We've talked about the on-field issues. How about off the field?As in: Will this affect defensive back recruiting? 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong is back with knowledge on Xavier Nwankpa, the all-American safety from Iowa, before delving into Ohio State's coaching upheaval and how it could make recruiting trail waves.We then pepper Steve to reinforce/move off his existing Ohio State Crystal Ball picks for Zion Branch, Carnell Tate, Chris McClellan, Kam Dewberry and Derrick LeBlanc. Spend 5ish with us this a.m., 'Nutters.

There is plenty of Ohio State football items to discuss on today's show as Matt Baxendell joins Dave Biddle. Among the topics:* What will happen at the quarterback position for the Buckeyes moving forward? Is it as simple as stick with C.J. Stroud, period? Or with him nursing a bad throwing shoulder, should Kyle McCord or Jack Miller get a chance to show what they can do?* Thoughts on the Buckeyes' defense now that Matt Barnes is calling the shots and not Kerry Coombs.* TreVeyon Henderson is a superstar and the 2021 recruiting class as a whole looks special. A lot of true freshmen are playing big roles on this team, and some of those roles will increase even more.* The field turf at Ohio Stadium is a mess, but won't be replaced until the offseason.All of that and more is coming your way on the Wednesday 5ish.

Despite the ongoing struggles, Ohio State's goals remain. Style points aren't currently available but a B1G crown and CFP berth is still a possibility. Technically, that is.It doesn't take a 10-year Bucknutter to know Ohio State must improve - drastically in some spots - to continue a realistic trek towards the aforementioned goals.Now there are questions about young QB C.J. Stroud on top of lingering defensive woes. Ryan Day changed his defensive play caller. Will he change the signal caller?Duane Long is here to talk Stroud, the emergence of TreVeyon Henderson, what to make of the defensive adjustments and several offensive linemen on the Ohio State recruiting radar.Spend 5ish with us this a.m., 'Nutters! 

Yes, life moves fast. We are already one-fourth of the way through Ohio State's 2020 regular season in football. Thus far, the Buckeyes certainly have not looked as good as any of us anticipated. Why is that? And where can the Buckeyes go from here? Dave Biddle flies solo on today's show to discuss the bad (and there is a lot of that), the good and more.All of that and more is coming your way on the Monday 5ish.

Ohio State got back on the winning track against Tulsa with a 41-20 triumph that was not as easy as the score might indicate.C.J. Stroud was not crisp. Chris Olave was a box score ghost. The defense ... oh, the defense.TreVeyon Henderson broke the school's single-game freshman rushing record in his inaugural start so the day was not without positives.With Akron next on the schedule, we take stock of several situations with long-term permutations for Ohio State's program.Matt Baxendell is here for that and to help break down how the B1G fared before taking a look at national scores relevant to your Buckeyes. Spend some of your Sunday morning with us, ‘Nutters.

Ohio State defeated Tulsa 41-20, but the concerns on defense continue in full force. Also, what is up with the play of OSU QB CJ Stroud? But there was good news too, such as TreVeyon Henderson introducing himself as a superstar on the collegiate level.Patrick Murphy and Dave Biddle break it all down for you on our Saturday postgame podcast,

Who will call the defense for Ohio State Saturday against Tulsa and likely for the remainder of the season? That is the big question that Buckeye fans and media are debating, including on today's show as Jonah Booker joins Dave Biddle for his usual Friday visit. JBook gives his thoughts on defensive coaching, defensive personnel, thoughts on the offense, and predictions for the Tulsa game.All of that and more is coming your way on the Friday 5ish.

Help on defense? Yes ... please.This weekend's opponent does not share marquee status - Tulsa is not the national NIKE darling Oregon is - but Ohio State's top visitor this weekend deserves the marquee to himself. Class of 2023 linebacker Troy Bowles is scheduled to be in Columbus this weekend. He can expect that red carpet treatment, especially given his profile among expected visitors.The Dean of Ohio State Recruiting, Bill Kurelic, pinch hits for 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong, who is on assignment chasing down a Manning family member.Kurelic goes in-depth on Bowles, Chris McClellan, Christen Miller, Hero Kanu and Caden Curry before we get into USC's firing of Clay Helton and what Trojan recruits re-kindled Ohio State's flame.We finish with a quick discussion on QB recruiting. Is Medina's Drew Allar a realistic target for Corey Dennis and Ryan Day?Spend 5ish with us this a.m., 'Nutters!