Ohio State's Kenny Guiton, the team's top trash talker, has developed into one of the nation's top backup quarterbacks. It all started with one game that changed his life.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- For a September day in Columbus, it's a scorcher. It's one of those sweltering afternoons in which the imposing humidity forces perspiration from each pore upon one's first step outdoors. It's a 90-degree day reminiscent of summertime in Houston, the hometown of Ohio State quarterback Kenny Guiton.

On this balmy afternoon, Guiton, a fifth-year senior, is taking some of the most coveted snaps in practice. Braxton Miller, the starter, is limited because of a knee injury, but even with him at full strength, Guiton would spend time in the center of the action, spewing his usual array of trash talk.

"Kenny is crazy," said receiver Corey "Philly" Brown. "When he comes in the huddle, he's loud, obnoxious."

Guiton's teammates say he has always boasted that personality, a healthy mix of playful and assertive. He just hasn't always had the spotlight necessary to showcase it.

A few years ago, he spoke with his inner circle about transferring away from Ohio State. A few years before that, he was an unheralded recruit who appeared destined to attend Prairie View A&M.

For Guiton, one relief effort altered everything.

*****

Guiton enjoys prodding the Ohio State defense in practice with his taunts and sneers. He'll stick up for his offensive line whenever defensive lineman Michael Bennett offers a verbal jab at the group.

Guiton's teammates wouldn't reveal the specifics of his vulgarity, however.

"It's rated R," Brown said.

Bennett said he laughs every time Guiton tosses a barb his way.

"He's not trying to cut deep. He's not trying to make me question myself," Bennett said. "We're just messing around in practice, trying to make it a little lighter.

"He's saying something and it's like, 'All right, now I have to sack him.'"

One blatant muscle spasm lets Guiton's teammates know that the quarterback means no harm. Guiton can't help but smile -- during practice, as he walks around campus, after he scampered 44 yards to the end zone on Saturday against San Diego State.

"No matter what's going on, he's still going to keep a smile on his face," said Marlon Taplin-McMillan, Guiton's offensive coordinator in high school.

It's hard not to notice the glow constantly emanating from Guiton's face. It's certainly more apparent since that fateful affair against Purdue last season.

The story is well-documented in Ohio State football lore: Guiton replaced Miller, who exited on a stretcher bound for the hospital, and rescued the Buckeyes from what would have been their first defeat of the season. After heaving an interception late in the fourth quarter, Guiton engineered a last-minute, game-tying touchdown drive complete with a two-point conversion. He then positioned Ohio State for an overtime score that preserved the team's unbeaten season.

"That changed a lot," Guiton said. "That changed a lot in my life."

*****

Kenny Guiton's leadership led to him being named a 2013 team captain.Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer

 As Guiton reflects on the days when the thought of transferring filtered into his conscience, he says he never really wanted to leave Ohio State.

He still presented the idea to those closes to him. Taplin-McMillan advised him to stick it out.

"Everybody gets frustrated about certain situations," Taplin-McMillan said, "but I told him, 'Stay patient. Good things come to those who wait,' and that's what he did. He didn't get down on himself or discouraged."

Miller has missed parts of six games over the last two years because of injuries. That has allowed Guiton to gain experience he never anticipated would come his way at Ohio State.

He never thought people would approach him and thank him for rallying the Buckeyes to victory against the Boilermakers. He never expected fans would even recognize him.

They do.

"Every time I run out onto the field," Guiton said, "it's a standing ovation and it just runs through my veins, a crazy feeling that I can't explain."

Guiton can vividly recall his touchdown pass to his roommate Chris Fields with three seconds left in regulation, or the ensuing two-point toss to tight end Jeff Heuerman.

"I think that was the moment of his life when you can say it was like a grow-up stage," Taplin-McMillan said. "Sometimes you're put in certain situations where you don't know if you can do it or not. In that situation, being down and Braxton Miller gets hurt and now it's put on your shoulders to win this football game, it's make or break.

"He talks about that game, but then he lives for so much more. I think that's the reason why he's doing such a good job this year."

*****

The Buckeyes elected eight captains for the 2013 campaign. All but Guiton own a starting job.

To coach Urban Meyer, that speaks volumes about Guiton's leadership. Meyer said repeatedly on Monday that he wanted to conduct a case study on the frequency of a backup being awarded such a prestigious role.

"I wonder how many times that's happened, the backup quarterback is elected captain and there's no real surprise internally," Meyer said.

That's a result of Guiton's maturity and influence. His recent performance has further justified the selection. On Saturday, Guiton accounted for 235 yards and three touchdowns after Miller departed on Ohio State's opening drive.

The effort sparked conversation about whether Guiton could shine as a starter at other schools. San Diego State coach Rocky Long even asked "how [the Buckeyes] decide which [quarterback] starts."

Brown said Guiton receives plenty of reps during practice, even when Miller is healthy. Following Saturday's win, Guiton's teammates expressed a lack of surprise about the quarterback's output.

After all, they see Guiton -- before and after he unleashes his verbal venom upon the defense -- excelling during practice. The coaches have so much confidence in Guiton that they didn't adjust their play-calling once Miller was carted off to the locker room on Saturday.

It's a near-seamless transition from the starter to the backup, and much of that stems from the day Guiton will never forget.

"I don't think he's questioned anymore," Brown said. "I think everybody knows when he gets into the game what's going to happen."

Every day we learn a little more about how Braxton Miller is feeling, and another update will be here around 7:30 p.m. after Urban Meyer speaks with reporters tonight. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Good morning and welcome to another serving of the Buckeye Breakfast, which soon will be dished out in San Francisco.

Five members of our Ohio State team - me, Ari Wasserman, Zack Meisel, esteemed columnist Bill Livingston and photographer Marvin Fong - will be making the trip to California to cover the Buckeyes at Cal on Saturday. That's the biggest crew we have sent to a regular-season road game in my time on the beat, which began in 2005.

Browns linebacker Barkevious Mingo has been cleared for contact and is set to play against the Ravens, a league source confirmed for cleveland.com.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Browns rookie linebacker Barkevious Mingo has been medically cleared to practice and will to make his NFL debut against the Ravens, a source confirmed for cleveland.com today.

ESPN's Ed Werder reported this morning that Mingo had been cleared and is expected to play.

Mingo sat out Sunday's 23-10 loss to the Dolphins with his bruised lung, suffered Aug. 15 in the second preseason game against the Lions.

Mingo participated in individual drills last week, but refrained from hitting the sleds and tackling dummies.

Mingo, the No. 6 overall pick in this year's draft, maintains that he doesn't recall a sharp blow to the chest, but says he bruised the lung on the opening kickoff against the Lions. He spit up blood on the sideline and experienced shortness of breath. He spent two nights in the Cleveland Clinic Hospital for observation.

Mingo is listed on the depth chart as the second-team right outside linebacker behind Jabaal Sheard.

James Shields takes the mound opposite Scott Kazmir as the Kansas City Royals conclude a crucial three-game road set against the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday.

Game 145: Indians (77-67) vs. Royals (76-69)

» Get updates from the pressbox here

» You can also follow Tweets about the game and post your thoughts in the comments section.

Tweets from @clevelanddotcom/indians

The Cleveland Indians are racing for a playoff spot in the 2013 MLB postseason. While the AL Central Division Championship is still mathematically possible, stamping a ticket to the postseason through one of the two wild card spots is more realistic.

The Indians lost last night to the Royals, 6-3. But they only sit 1.5 games back of a wild card spot. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

The Rangers are not only leading a wild card spot, but contending for the AL West title. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Texas Rangers

The Yankees and Orioles are battling for one of the wild card spots. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Baltimore Orioles

Will the Tigers hold on to the AL Central? (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Detroit Tigers

Get your questions ready and join Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes today at 11 a.m. as he talks Tribe baseball.

Paul Hoynes answers your Indians questions today at 11 a.m.

Get your questions ready and join Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes today at 11 a.m. as he talks Tribe baseball.

Paul will chat with cleveland.com's Glenn Moore about the Tribe's playoff chances.

You can jump in the chat room and ask your questions as well as interact with other users and respond to Hoynsie's remarks, or you can just listen. The chat will also be made available shortly after its completion in MP3 format.

Miller suffered a sprained ligament in his left knee on the Buckeyes' opening drive of last week's win against San Diego State.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 4-ranked Ohio State is only two days from traveling for its road game at California on Saturday, and coach Urban Meyer said quarterback Braxton Miller will definitely be on the plane.

What Meyer can’t say for sure yet, however, is whether Miller will play.

“He came in and did a bunch of rehab, and we’ll know more tomorrow,” Meyer said of Miller after practice Wednesday evening. “Tomorrow is going to be the day when we find out how much he’ll play.”

Meyer said on the Big Ten coaches teleconference Tuesday that he was “fairly optimistic” that Miller would play against the Golden Bears, but he wasn’t any more encouraged Wednesday.

Ohio State still isn't exactly sure about the status of quarterback Braxton Miller, who left Saturday's game with an MCL sprain in his left knee. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer

Miller suffered a sprained ligament in his left knee on the Buckeyes’ opening drive of last week’s win against San Diego State, and he didn’t return to the game. He has spent all week with trainers getting treatment.

Meyer, however, said it is a matter of more than being sore.

“It’s an MCL and it’s a little unstable,” Meyer said. “He has to get used to that brace.”

Meyer said there’s a chance Ohio State will start backup Kenny Guiton to test the waters to see how the Buckeyes perform under his leadership before gauging whether they absolutely need Miller. 

There was plenty of heat Tuesday night at Progressive Field.

First base coach Mike Sarbaugh directs Jason Kipnis to second base Wednesday on an errant pickoff throw by Kansas City's James Shields in the third innings.Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Seen and heard at Progressive Field.

Clubhouse confidential: If fastballs are your thing, Tuesday was a night to remember as the Progressive Field radar gun ran hot. Kansas City's Kelvin Herrera hit 100 mph several times in the seventh inning. Luke Hochevar followed Herrera, hitting 99 mph at least once in striking out five straight Indians. Closer Greg Holland, hitting between 97-98 mph, retired three straight in the ninth.

On the Indians side, Blake Wood, a former Royal just back from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, hit 100 mph while getting the final out in the ninth of the Tribe's 6-3 loss.

"That's part of the reason they got rid of me in the first place," said Wood. "They're bullpen is stocked full of arms like that. I was drafted the same year Herrera was signed as a 16-year-old in the Dominican. In Instructional League, he was throwing in the low 90s and he was 5-9 and about 150 pounds."

Lindor update: Top prospect Francisco Lindor is rehabbing his injured back at the team's spring training complex in Goodyear, Ariz. Lindor's Class AA season was cut short because of the injury.

A full recovery is expected, but Lindor will not play winter ball.

Stat of the day: The Indians have split the 16 series they've played since the All-Star break.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Glenville 4 star recruit Marshon Lattimore appears on every coach and scout's watch list as a player who possesses top level speed and toughness.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Glenville 4 star recruit Marshon Lattimore appears on every coach and scout's watch list as a player who possesses top level speed and toughness.

Now you can add freakish athlete and game-changing playmaker to the list.

With three seconds remaining in Friday's game at Solon, and his Tarblooders clinging to a 15-14 lead, Lattimore leapt high into the air to make a game-saving block of a 33 yard field goal attempt by Comets kicker Keon Hemerlein.

Ranked No. 4 in the cleveland.com Top 25 poll, Glenville evened it's record at 1-1 heading into Thursday's showdown at No. 10 Cleveland Heights in a game that can be heard live online via The Blitz.

Friday's final play highlighted Lattimore's remarkable athleticism, and has drawn notice from major college coaching staffs across the country.  Recruiters from Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee called Lattimore after the game to offer congratulations.

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer also made a phone call, Lattimore said.

But the play that could become Lattimore's signature highlight almost did not happen. Glenville coaches designed the play to rush the kicker from the edges. But just before the snap, the senior improvised.

"I knew if everybody was on the edge, we were gonna trip on ourselves. I took my chances and stayed in the middle and I got the block," he said.

It was the first time Lattimore had ever blocked a kick in a game. Blessed with sprinter speed and a proclivity for being around the ball, Lattimore said he had no idea whether he could reach the kick in flight. 

"I've gotten up high, but not high like that. It was amazing to me."

Photos of the final play featuring Lattimore's body hanging in the air high above the crush of linemen in front of him quickly circulated throughout social media on Friday. 

😳😳😳😳🙌 this crazy! pic.twitter.com/0CxEKJnIw9

— Shon (@_Shon2) September 9, 2013

🙌🙌 pic.twitter.com/85dG7C09id

— Shon (@_Shon2) September 7, 2013

Lattimore said he was thankful for the victory, but he would prefer to reflect on the entire body of his work at the end of the season.  

"One play can determine the outcome of a game, but it's what you do for the whole season that says something about you as a player," Lattimore said.

Glenville assistant Robert Andrews has coached several athletes who have gone on to play in the NFL, including Ted Ginn Jr., Donte Whitner at Glenville, and Prescott Burgess and Mario Manningham at Warren Harding. But Andrews thinks Lattimore's block illustrates why he is the total package.

"He's big, physical, tough and fast," Andrews said. "Ted was fast, Donte was physical. Prescott was big and physical. But Marshon is the complete guy." 

Andrews said he challenged Lattimore after a Week 1 loss to St. Edward and urged him to demonstrate a greater level of commitment in practice. 

"A week of proper preparation allowed him to be focused, to want it, and to make something incredible happen," Andrews said.

The result was a game-clinching play that left Andrews speechless.

"To me, it was like he was lifted. To see a kid jump that high, that's crazy," Andrews said.

And it was a postgame text from Andrews, who pushes Lattimore every day in practice, that left the biggest impression on the player. Lattimore tweeted a screen capture of the text from Andrews, who he said does not give praise easily.

"He never gives people props because he's hard on us," Lattimore said. "He told me 'good play' so I thought that was special."

Opposing players, particularly kickers, also took notice. Walsh Jesuit kicker Mike Knoll, a Boston College recruit, Tweeted a photo of Lattimore's block. Ostensibly the tweet was a warning to those in his kicking fraternity: Make sure you know where No. 2 is every time you line up.

Marshawn Lattimore really blocked this game winning kick from Solons kicker!!! Look how high he is!! http://t.co/QZcmIJhDut

— Michael Knoll (@mikeknoll7) September 8, 2013

Lattimore said he will likely announce his college commitment Jan. 4 during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio. 

Chances are pretty good that producers of the live telecast will be hunting down video of last week's block to include in Lattimore's already impressive library of highlights.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Here are box scores and highlights in field hockey, boys and girls golf, boys and girls soccer, girls tennis and volleyball from Wednesday, Sep. 11, 2013.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Here are box scores and highlights in field hockey, boys and girls golf, boys and girls soccer, girls tennis and volleyball from Wednesday, Sep. 11, 2013.

FIELD HOCKEY

LATE:

Western Reserve Academy 7, Orange 0

WRA: Barnett (2); Wyman (3); Forhan; Schorling.

Goalies: WRA (0 saves); O (0).

BOYS GOLF

Berea-Midpark 156, Amherst 160

at Cherokee Hills

1. Schuller (BM) 38; 2. Ellis (BM) 39; T-2 Hanzel (BM) 39; T-2 Campana (A) 39; T-2 Humphrey (A) 39.

Berkshire 173, Cuyahoga Heights 182

At Astorhurst

1. Orr (CH) 39; 2. Horvath (B) 41; 3. Paul (B) 43; T3. Rabasi (B) 43. 

Brush 183, Streetsboro 186

At Raccoon Hills

1. Shlonsky (B) 42; T1. Johnson (S) 42; T1. Lago (S) 42. 

Perry 156, Madison 186

At Erie Shores

1. Bagdonas (P 38; T1. Ward (P 38; 3. Jackisch (P 39. 

Solon 153, Elyria 166

At Grantwood

1. Solanics (S) 36; 2. Mandry (S) 37; 3. Razzanti (S) 39; T3. McFrederick (E) 39. 

Twinsburg 163, Mentor 172

1. Evans (T) 37; 2. McAdoo (T) 41; T2. Fluhart (M) 41. 

West Geauga 169, Kirtland 171 

At St. Denis

1. Schnur (K) 35; 2. Forrai (WG) 40; 3. Traci (WG) 42. 

Western Reserve 163, Cuyahoga Valley Christian 164

At Brandywine

1. J. Wang (WRA) 38; 2. Andrews (CVCA) 39; T2. Britton (CVCA) 39. 

LATE: 

Avon Lake 157; North Olmsted 167

at Springvale

1. Harley (A) 34; 2. Oucalt (A) 38; 3. Clark (NO) 38.

Cuyahoga Heights 179, Garfield 192, Parma 205

At Astrohurst

1. Kotonskil (CH); 2. Drockton (CH) 43; 3. Orr (CH) 44.

Field 168, WRA 170

At Sunney Hills

1. Adelman (F) 39; 2. J. Wang (WRA) 40; 3. Durr (WRA) 41.

GIRLS GOLF

Avon Lake 181, Westlake 217

at Sweetbriar

1. Schroeder (A) 35; 2. Raby (A) 47; T-2 Lyman (A) 47.

Hawken 181, Aurora 197

at Punderson

1. Joseph (H) 41; 2. Cohen (H) 44; 3 Newman (H) 45, T-3 Lerner (A) 45.

Hudson 170, North Royalton 184

At Ellsworth Meadows  GC

1. J. Goodson (H) 41; 2. N. Goodson (H) 42; 3. Madar (H ) 42

Kent Roosevelt 159, St. Joseph 191

At Big Met

1. Ka. Nielsen 36; 2. Ko. Nielson 39; 3. Ke. Nielson 40. 

Keystone  220, Rocky River 228

at Big Met

1. Willis (K)  51; 2. Hartley (K)  53; 3 Koberg (R)  54

Magnificat 165, Hathaway Brown 180

At Sweetbriar

1. Nageotte (M) 35; 2. Bello (Magnificat) 38; 3. Smith (HB) 43; T3. McCarthy (HB) 43. 

Mayfield 204, Mentor 220 

At Blackbrook 

1. Burke (Ma) 47; T1. Jones (Ma) 47; 3. Klatt (Me) 53; T3. Rykaczewski (Me) 53.

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin 183, Padua 209

at Quail Hollow

1. Morris (NDCL) 36; 2. Jereb (NDCL) 40; 3. Walton 48.

Perry 217, 236

at Punderson

1. A. Miller (P) 46; 2. L. Miller (P) 49; 3. Moss (O) 56; T-3 Tenney (O) 56.

Solon 171; Brunswick 218

at Grantwood

1. Gray (S) 39; 2. Liu (S) 41; 3. Finnerty (S) 44.

BOYS SOCCER

Bay 5, Midview 1

B (5-0-4)(3-0-0): Matakovic (2), Gundlach (2), Comieske. M (1-6-0)(0-3-0): Sylvester. 

Goalies: B Southerington (1 save), Forestner (1); M, Chambers (12). 

Berea-Midpark 4, Amherst 0

BM (3-1-3): Rupple (2), Robinson, Sasak.  A (1-5-1): None.

Goalies: BM, Bartel (1 save); A, Schmitz (17). 

Buckeye 4, Lutheran West 0

B (4-2-0, 3-1-0): Rusinko (3); Grauel. L (5-2-0, 2-1-0): None.

Goalies: B, Huber (3 saves); L, Pshock (14).

Notable: Rusinko's third goal was on a penalty.

Chagrin Falls 4, Beachwood 0

CF (2-3-2): Keiper, Mazzola, A. Passalacqua, Sukel. B (4-3-1): N/A.

Goalies: CF, Rizzo (2 saves); B. Goldhammer, (10).

Columbia 3, Keystone 0

C (4-3-0): Wos; Hite; Heuniche. K: None.

Goalies: C, Fess (5 saves); K, Cyrus (11).

Lakewood 0, Vermilion 0

L  (0-6-2, 0-2-1): None. V (4-2-1, 0-2-1): None.

Goalies: L,  Fehrenbach (4); V, Pawlowski (10)

Noteable: Game was stopped with 18:28 left in the second half due to lightning.

Solon 3, Strongsville 0

SO: Welker; Sattele; Adkins. ST: None.

Goalies: SO, Meyer (5 saves); ST, Laurel (8).

North Olmsted 4, Brecksville-Broadview Heights 1

NO: Reinhard, Coleman, Loftus, Lyons. BBH: Nudelman. 

Goalies: NO, Gajowski (5 saves); BBH, Slifcak (2). 

Shaker Heights 4, Normandy 2

SH (5-2): Metz (3), Lamonica. N (5-3): Rondin, Petrib.

Goalies: SH, Prochoroff (5 saves); N, Majerle (9). 

St. Edward 2, Archbishop Hoban 1 

SE (5-2)(1-0): Jonas, Davis. AH (5-0-2): Naragon. 

Goalies: SE, Brown (6 saves); AH, Markowski (2). 

St. Ignatius 8, Cleveland Heights 0

SI: Pietrow (2), Nigro (2), Karpeh, Canepa, Ford, Brownsberger. CH: None. 

Goalies: SI, Outcalt (2 saves); CH, Lewis (9). 

Walsh Jesuit 1, Western Reserve Academy 0

WJ (2-4-2): Pivonka. WR (5-1-0): None.

Goalies: WJ, Keefe (5 saves); WR Blanda (4).

Wellington 3, Brooklyn 1

W: Lara (3). B (1-4-1, 0-3-1): Sadji.

Goalies: W, Miller (6 saves); B, Czirr (4).

Orange 3, Perry 0

LATE:

Holy Name 2, Warren JFK 2

HN: Rosko; Ontko. W: N/A.

Goalies: HN (6 saves); W (7).

North Royalton 3, Stow 0

NR: Smigel (2); Grida.

Goalies: NR, Fikar (5 saves); S (12).

GIRLS SOCCER

Bay 1, Midview 1

B (6-0-2, 2-0-1): Meisenburg; M: Bowman.

Goalies: B, Grisnik (3 saves); M, Ceh (16).

Notable: Bay outshot Midview 21-7, but managed just the one goal.

Berea-Midpark 3, Amherst 2

B (5-1-1): Bainbridge; Davis; T. Moody. A (3-3-1): Perkins; Pihlblad.

Goalies: B, Sasak (12 saves); A, Wright (6).

Brookside 3, Oberlin 0

B (4-3-2, 2-1-1): Kmitt; Sours; Willis. O: None.

Goalies, B, Sanchez (1 save); O, Odiduro (9).

Brunswick 6, Shaker Heights 0

B (6-1-2): Maslowski (3); Malleo; Shotzbarger; Newcomer. S (2-4-1): None.

Goalies: B, Calhoun (6 saves); S, Sharfstein (2).

Buckeye 6, Lutheran West 0

B (6-1-1, 3-0-1): S. Barnes (3); Erne; N. Barnes; Phillips. LW (3-5-0, 2-2-0): None.

Goalies: B, Stacy (1 save); LW, Collozo (10).

Elyria Catholic 4, North Ridgeville 1

EC (6-0-1): Smith, Griffin, Fehlan, Birsic. NR (2-4-0): Blagojevic.

Goalies: EC, Katie Gauntner (5 saves); NR, Casement (8). 

Fairview 5, Firelands 0

Fa: Miller (2), Strandahl (2), Gibbons. Fi: None. 

Hudson 2, North Royalton 0

H (6-1-0, 1-0-0): Wright, Torrence. NR (4-4-0, 0-1-0): None.

Goalies: H, L'Hommedieu (1 save); NR, Humayun (8).

Highland 3, Tallmadge 0

H (5-2-1, 2-0-1): Ley, Sauer, Schniegenberg. T (3-4-0, 0-3-0): None

Goalies: H, Less (2 saves); T, Tucci (11).

Revere 2, Cloverleaf 0

R (5-1-1, 3-3-0): Bolander, Gallo. C: None.

Goalies: R, Franks (1), Edwards (2). C, (0).

Rocky River 4, Avon 0

R (8-0-1): Elinsky (2); Bennett; Kreds 1. A (3-1-3): None.

Goalies: R, Connelly (3 saves); A Grudzien (10).

Wadsworth 5, Nordonia 0

W (6-0-1, 3-0-0): Runkle (3); Braman (2). N: None.

Goalies: W, Centea (5 saves); N Allen (5).

Wellington 3, Brooklyn 2

W: Mariast (2), Pitts. B: Cassidy, Sh. Newby. 

Goalies: W, Sparks (9 saves); B, Crossman (12). 

Notable: Wellington led 2-0 at halftime but Brooklyn came back to tie it up. Wellington scored the winning goal in the final minutes. 

Westlake 1, Avon Lake 0

W (2-0-3): Hurst. AL (0-7-0): None.  

Goalies: W, Maynard (3 saves); AL, Crooks (12).

Hoban 5, Padua 0

Medina 2, Solon 1

Holy Name 2, Beaumont 0

Normandy 3, Cuyahoga Falls 2

Strongsville 8, Mentor 0 

LATE:

Independence 3, Berkshire 1

I: Kloss (2), Fields. B: Garrett.  

Goalies: I, Bernstein (0 saves); B, G. Green (20). 

GIRLS TENNIS

Avon Lake 5; North Olmsted 0

Singles: Hrivnak (AL) d. Sherman (NO) 6-0, 6-0; Krieg (AL) d. Scholz (NO) 6-1, 6-2; Johnson (AL) d. Antonescu 6-2, 6-4.

Doubles: Loebick/Wanner (AL) d. Diamantis/Moell (NO) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1; Hoffman/Sabo (AL) d. Luck/Conway (NO) 6-3, 7-6 (6).

Brecksville 3 Amherst 2

Singles: Keron (A) d. Wong (B) 6-1,4-6,6-3; Olsen (B) d. Souders (A) 6-3,6-1; Farid (B) d. Franta (A) 4-6,7-5,6-0.

Doubles: Szucs/Sturges (A) d. Matta/Waiwood (B) 6-3,6-4; Desantis/Wargo (B) d. McDermott/Lander (A)  6-3,6-2.

Brush 5, Valley Forge 0

Singles: Kaufmann (B) d. Kugler (VF) 6-2, 6-0; Weinstein (B) d. Zito (VF) 6-3, 6-0; Woodruff (B) d. Proch (VF) 6-0, 6-1.

Doubles: Adell/Carter (B) d. Kacsmarik/Hewston (VF) 6-0,6-1; Mancino/Anderson (B) d. Reass/Arthur (VF) 6-1,6-1.

Cardinal Mooney 5, Beachwood 0

Singles: Haggerty (CM) d. Crosby (B) 6-1, 6-0; Reider (CM) d. Jiao (B) 6-2, 6-2; Yerian (CM) d. Kuang (B) 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles: DiDomenico/Cicchi (CM) d. S.Tall/Finkenthal (B) 6-2, 6-1; Matthews/Kleech (CM) d. J.Tall/Stern (B) 6-1, 6-4. 

Crestwood 4, Coventry 1

Singles: Jenkins (Cr) d. Michaels 6-1, 6-4; Tayerle (Cr) d. Cooper 3-6, 6-4, 7-5;  Magyarics (Cr) d. Bean (Co) 6-2, 1-0 (ret.).

Doubles: Jackson/Blankenship (Co) d. Sherry/Scala (Cr) 6-1, 6-3; Pochedly/Onders (Cr) 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.

Cuyahoga Falls 4, Brunswick 1 

Singles: Yuhas (B) d. Green (CF) 6-4, 7-5; J. McCurdy (CF) d. Santiago (B) 6-2, 6-1; K. Pearson (CF) d. Spaeth (B) 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles: Hendren/Johnston (CF) d. Nawash/Boyer (B) 6-4, 6-3; Bowery/H. McCurdy (CF) d. Stojanovic/Webb (B) 6-3, 6-2. 

Green 5, Nordonia  0 

Singles: Starkey (G) d. Jones (N) 6-3, 6-0; Hujar (G) d. Agra (N) 7-5, 6-0; Marchese (G) d. Schmocker (N) 6-3, 5-7, 6-1. 

Doubles: Jamil/Dooley (G) d. Schwed/Hawks (N) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4; Gregory/Kirk (G) d. Deblenovich/Freeman (N) 3-6  7-5  7-5. 

Hawken 4, Kenston 1

Singles: Green (H) d. Birze (K) 6-4, 6-2; Rankin (H) d. Kyle (K) 6-2, 6-1; Ravishankar (H) d. Doran (K) 6-4, 6-4. 

Doubles: Kerman/Goren (H) d. Althans/Yost (K) 6-4, 6-2; Wilkes/ Swanson (K) d. Ross/Doody (H) 6-4, 6-1. 

Hudson 4, Medina 1

Singles: Mdzinarishvili(H) d. Deimling (M) 6-0,3-0 ret., Mawby(H) d. Ott (M) 6-3,6-2; Speckman(M) d. Ferris (H) 6-1,6-2.

Doubles: Chen/Graham (H) d. Major/Arnold (M) 6-1,6-4; Dalieh/Kreiss (H) d. Green/Liebler (M) 6-2,6-1.

Lakewood 4, Vermillion 1

Singles: Shaw (L) d. Wilson (V) 6-0, 6-1; Wood (L) d. Anglin (V) 6-1, 6-4; Racnoni (V) d. Ebner (L) 1-6, 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles: Hoffert/Ritschel (L) d. Eppinger/Mello (V) 6-3, 6-0; King/Nelson (L) d. Gibbons/Reutter (V) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. 

Magnificat 3, Archibishop Hoban 2

Singles: Luffred (M) d. Waddell (H) 6-4, 6-1; Coyne (M) d. Bell (H) 6-0, 6-1; Robenalt (M) d. Sensius (H) 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles: May/Felden (H) d. Thompson/Minnetti (M) 6-2, 6-1; Thomas/Burkholder (H) d. Fatica/Nock (M) 6-4, 7-6 (4).

Mayfield 5, Mentor 0

Singles: Vizelman (MA) d. Gliebi (ME) 6-1, 6-0; Schmidt (MA) d. Siegel (ME) 6-0, 6-0; Milenius (MA)d. Robertson (ME) 6-0,6-0.

Doubles: Caine/Mulvihill (MA) d. Radel/Gorjup (ME) 6-4 6-2; Hsu/Rotenberg (MA) 6-1, 7-6.

Norton 5, Ellet 0

Singles: Kitchens (N) d. Rutledge (E) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2; Rowe (N) d. Kester (E) 6-2, 7-5; Miller (N) d. McClean (E) 6-2, 6-3.

Doubles: Kraus/Schmitt  (N) d. Hawks/Hickman (E) 6-4, 6-4; Thomas/Whitaker (N) d. Frye/Zoshin (E) 6-0, 6-1.

North Royalton 4, Stow 1

Singles: Miller (S) d. Muren (NR) 6-1, 6-4; Kauppila (NR) d. Crookston (S) 6-1, 6-1; Panigutti (NR) d. Tolj (S) 6-0, 6-1. 

Doubles: Haines/Packard (NR) d. Anese/Jelisic (S) 7-5, 6-3; Baldari/Kostansek (NR)  d. Bechtel/Laber (S) 6-1, 6-3. 

Notable: Solon's Joey Solanics fired a career best round of one-over par 36 to lead the Comets to victory.

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin 4, Andrews Osborne  1

Singles: Miller (NDCL) d. Petrelli (AO) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4; Du (AO) d. Hasrouni (NDCL) 2-6, 6-2, 6-3; Boslett (NDCL) d. Sager (AO) 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles: Carlozzi/Carlozzi (NDCL) d. Duncan/McLean (AO) 7-6 (4) 7-5; Brokamp/Misiti (NDCL) d. Duke/Graham (AO) 6-0, 6-0.

Orange 4, Chagrin 1

Singles: Young (O) d. Mahoney (C) 6-1, 6-0; Nakamott (O) d. O'Neill (C) 6-0, 6-0; Kashyap (O) d. Manchester (C) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6.

Doubles: Stankonic/Tokman (O) d. Mazzola/Wagner (C) 6-4, 6-2; Kendall /hazelton (C) d. Bhaha/Rico (O)  6-2, 6-0.

Perry 3, Wickliffe 2

Singles: Paquet (P) d Szinte (W) 6-2, 6-0; Popik (W) d. Spanr (P 5-7, 6-4, 6-1; Klinger (P) d. Tokar (W) 6-0, 6-1.

Doubles: Nelson/Freed (W) d. Hannah/Hacking (P 6-3, 2-6, 6-2; Haley/Daw (P) d. Chappuies/Bromelmaier (W) 6-3, 6-3. 

Revere 3, Wadsworth 2

Ravenna 4, Barberton 1

Singles: A. Smith (R) d. Leise (B) 6-2, 6-1; S. Knapp (R) d. Je. Bundalo (B) 6-0, 6-0; Titus (R) d. Ju. Bundalo (B) 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles: N. Smith and Wise (R) d. Bell and Davidson (B) 6-0, 6-1; Carneal and Burns (B) d. Lattimer and M. Knapp (B) 6-3, 6-4.

Revere 3, Wadsworth 2

Singles: Hendrickson (R) d. Castro (W) 6-2, 7-5, 6-2; Deem (W) d. Henry (R) 6-1, 6-4; Lifke (R) d. Fick (W) 6-3, 6-2.

Doubles: Ling/Taylor (R) d. Pace/Doyle (W) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4; Young/Laikos (W) d. Shimek/Godard (R) 7-6, 6-2.

Strongsville 4, Twinsburg 1

Singles: Peskura (S) d. Lesko (T) 6-0, 6-0; Khan (S) d. Hansler (T) 6-1, 6-2; Shah (S) d. Peketi (T) 6-0, 6-1.

Doubles: Karapandzich/Sharma (T) d. Rowe/Moser (S) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3; Sridharan/Tan (S) d. Muvva/Bhambra (T) 0-6 6-2 7-5.

LATE:

Bay Village 5, Midview 0

Singles: K. Quillin (B) d. S. Gipson (M) 6-0, 6-0; P. Aleksandrovic (B) d. T. Bartone (M) 7-5, 6-1; M. Messina (B) d. P. Patel (M) 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles: L. Kapes / C. Premier (B) d. H. Sedlak / C. Hogue (M) 6-2, 6-2; H. Hansen / R. Ponetcky (B) d. S. Plas / T. Kenyon (M) 6-4, 6-0.

Magnificat 4, Laurel 1

Singles: Buchinsky (L) d. Witt (M) 6-3, 6-1; O'Malley (M) d. Preiser 6-0, 6-0; Moran (M) d. Lauster (M) 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles: Gacad/Harvey (M) d. Feng/Hata (L) 6-2, 6-4; Faranacci/Lawless (M) d. Slater/Moore (L) 6-2, 6-1. 

Laurel 5, Lakewood 0

Singles: Buchinsky (LAU) d. Shaw (L) 6-0, 6-0; Teng (LAU) d. Wood (L) 6-1, 6-3; Haku (LAU) d. Ebner (L) 6-0, 6-0. 

Doubles: Slaler/Moore (LAU) d. Hoffert/Ritschel (L) 6-1, 6-2; Leusker/Shao (LAU) d. Nelson/King (L) 6-2, 6-2.

VOLLEYBALL

Elyria d. Medina 25-21, 25-20, 25-18

Notable: Elyria's Alexis Middlebrooks led her team with 12 kills with Danya Corlew close behind with 11 kills. Corlew also had 23 digs. Emily Gonzalez had 30 assists for Elyria.

Padua d. Magnificat 25-19, 25-14, 25-16

Notable: For Padua, Gina Kilner had 29 assists, Jenna Veres had 17 digs and Emily Marcinowski had 12 kills. The Bruins are 8-0 overall. 

Revere d. Nordonia 27 -25, 29-27, 25-20.

Notable: Stepahnie Bierman had 10 kills and three blocks for Revere. Morgan Thomas had 11 kills and three blocks for Nordonia.

Maple Heights d. Eastlake North 23-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-21.

Notable: Kelly Lang has 20 digs and 11 kills for Maple Heights. Maple Heights' Krysta Vogel added 17 digs, while teammate Avery Sluga had 16.

Max Hayes d. Whitney Young 25-17, 27-25, 14-25, 23-25, 15-10.

Andrews Osborne d. Painesville 25-11, 25-21, 26-24

John Hay d. Lincoln West 25-12, 25-12, 25-13

John Marshall d. John Adams 25-22, 15-25, 25-8, 25-18

LATE:

Cuyahoga Valley Christian d. Fairless 19-25, 25-14, 25-16, 25-20

Notable: Russell of CVCA led all players in digs with 22. Six of Fairless led in assists with 23. 

Kidron d. Elms 25-11, 25-22, 15-25, 25-23, 15-10.

Notable: Ashley Moyer led Kidron with 19 kills. Kidron's Melissa Metz had 9 kills and 20 digs.

Padua d. Walsh 25-21, 25-11, 25-17.

Strongsville d. Brunswick 25-16, 25-23, 25-15.

Notable: Strongsville's Kelsey Bitner had 16 kills, while teammate Andi Maott dished out 26 assists.

Sports Illustrated's accusations against Oklahoma State are bringing scrutiny on the school's football program. But the magazine isn't escaping scrutiny either.

Sports Illustrated this week is releasing a five-part series alleging widespread corruption within the Oklahoma State football program for more than a decade, including players being paid, academic misconduct, drug use, and even using sex to bring recruits to the school.

These are bombshell allegations, and it has Oklahoma State feeling the heat.

Sports Illustrated is not escaping scrutiny, though. In fact, the backlash against the magazine and it's reporting has been intense, including from Browns quarterback and Oklahoma State alum Brandon Weeden. On Tuesday, Weeden blasted the series and one of its reporters, Thayer Evans, calling the SI story "comical for a lot of reasons":

"It all happened before I got there. But the guys that they did question were not very good sources to question because they are kids that got kicked off the team for drugs or for whatever it might be. They were dismissed and so these are guys that aren't real credible. And the guy who wrote the article (Evans), we had a little run-in at Texas. He's an OU guy. He's always had it out for Oklahoma State, so he comes up to me after we beat Texas and he said, 'When's it going to happen? When's Okie State going to pull its Okie choke? Like they always do.' I laughed and said, 'Who is this clown?' to our SID guys. ... And long story short the guy has always had it out for Oklahoma State. He's got a track record. You can go look it up. I'm not going to say his name. You can go look and see what he's done. But he's had it out for us, so it's comical. The truth will come out."

Initially it might be easy to dismiss Weeden's reaction as overly defensive because of his association with the school. But he's not alone in his critique of Sport's Illustrated and Thayer Evans. Tatum Bell, a running back at Oklahoma State from 200 to '03, called the reports "false." Former player Aso Pogi says he was "misquoted" in the article, while former players such as Cooper Bassett, Corey Hilliard and Clay Coe all say the allegations are false. LSU coach Les Miles, who was the OSU coach from 2001 to '04, denied wrongdoing. Joseph Randle, a former Oklahoma State star who now plays for the Dallas Cowboys, defends current coach Mike Gundy, saying Gundy built the program "the right way."

It's not all former players or coaches, either. Jason Whitlock, a columnist for ESPN, was not tactful in his criticism of Evans while appearing on an Oklahoma City radio show, according to Deadspin.com (warning, profane language):

Having worked with Thayer Evans at Fox Sports, having followed his work for some time, I am completely and utterly flabbergasted that a legitimate news outlet would allow Thayer Evans to be involved in some type of investigative piece on college football that tears down a program, and particularly one that tears down Oklahoma State when it is no secret what a huge, enormous, gigantic Oklahoma homer Thayer Evans is. This is just incredible. Knowing the lack of competence that’s there with Thayer Evans, knowing the level of simplemindedness that’s there with Thayer Evans, to base any part of the story on his reporting is mind-boggling. ... He’s simpleminded. He’s a hack that can’t write. This isn’t personal, I promise. I have no reason to dislike Thayer Evans personally, and I don’t. But I’ve read enough of his work this guy isn’t qualified for this job and by now Sports Illustrated and anybody else should be well aware of this.

Dave Ruthenberg, sports editor of the News and Eagle in Enid, Okla., is taking a more measured response. He says he's not surprised by the "shoot the messenger" reaction of Oklahoma State supporters, but to dismiss the story would be wrong:

While some of the allegations may seem hard to prove —with some of the fingers pointing at two dead players and a deceased booster who cannot defend themselves — there also are some admitted improprieties that even the most orange-visioned supporter can’t deny. ... There is too much smoke for one to simply dismiss it out of hand as merely disgruntled ex-athletes or OSU-hating journalists out to get the Pokes. Sports Illustrated has a solid history with good credentials, and it is not likely this story didn’t receive the needed due diligence before going to press or online. ... In the meantime, OSU faithful may want to holster those verbal pistols, or at least be sure they are aiming at the right targets.

Speaking of targets, what Chicago Sun-Times columnist Rick Morrissey wants to know is how Les Miles and Mike Gundy are not implicated in the SI stories:

When Illinois coach Tim Beckman says he’s “shocked” that there might have been skullduggery going on at Oklahoma State while he was an assistant there, I just smile. Not because I believe he’s guilty of anything but because, as a group, college football coaches are responsible for about 90 percent of the nation’s snake-oil production. “Shocked’’ should not be the first word that comes to anyone’s mind. ... I’m sorry to lump all college football coaches together, but, alas, a lump it is, large enough that you’d need Sherpas and oxygen masks to get to the summit. ... It’s impossible to believe that the head coaches there did not have an inkling of what was going on during the period of alleged payments and academic impropriety.

Cynicism is a common theme to the response to the stories on Oklahoma State. Spencer Hall of SB Nation believes the SI stories are well-reported. But he has reservations:

It is good to have detailed case studies on how the college football black market works. But to show the slums of the city without pointing out the burghers who keep it that way renders this pointless. The NCAA are the police, pointing to unenforceable and insane laws, and doing their job as badly as could be imagined. It's fun to hate them. It's harder, and less fun, to tie this all back to City Hall, and the schools themselves who create the favela in the first place, and skim profit off the top. Put that money into a player's hands, and it's a violation of charter. Put it into a University President's hands, however, and it's part of a system, a system which could easily find further validation in the form of Oklahoma State's story. If that's not anywhere in this--or doesn't lead to this -- then this is work done in the service of a larger corruption.

And from Jason Kirk, also of SB Nation:

Today, we should assume these things happen at football schools all across the country, though the reported level of boldness here is a rare feat. I do not know how to say this so it doesn't sound like know-it-all cynicism, and that's not at all a slam of SI's work. It's another reminder that the current structure of college sports does not match the reality of college sports. The market is finding a way, and many people do not like the way it's finding, but it's the market.

And that brings us to another common theme among commenters: What Oklahoma State is accused of doing is wrong, but the NCAA shouldn't be let off the hook, either, some columnists are saying. Jonathan Mahler of Bloomberg.com calls the NCAA a "cartel that colludes to prevent players who generate millions of dollars for their schools from being paid for their services":

Rooting out “corruption” is only meaningful if the corruption is real, and not simply a matter of violating a set of rules designed to protect an ethically bankrupt system. Sports Illustrated isn't just buying into the NCAA’s bogus morality, it is helping to prop up the NCAA against powerful market forces that would otherwise reward college athletes. ... I’m not saying Oklahoma State doesn’t deserve every bit of what’s no doubt coming. Just remember that the institution empowered to punish it is the same one that’s responsible for creating this sleazy underground economy in the first place.

For all the criticisms of the SI report, Jeremy Fowler of CBSSports.com says it's important to note one this ... Oklahoma State officials are taking the accusations seriously:

Knock Sports Illustrated's reporting if you want, but after talking with more than 60 OSU sources on record, there's some heat here. Former players supporting OSU are questioning the sourcing -- players who got in trouble with the team or whose careers at OSU didn't last -- and that's fair. But SI still has a large sample size and talked to a lot of people. That shouldn't be ignored. OSU isn't.

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald provided a bit of a scouting report on Cal quarterback Jared Goff, who leads the nation in passing and faces Ohio State on Saturday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Buckeyes have talked at lengths this week about preparing for Cal's up-tempo offense, a relentless attack that can quickly wear out a defensive unit.

Cal ran 99 plays in its opening game against Northwestern and 95 more last week against Portland State. The majority of those plays ended in a passing attempt by Golden Bears quarterback Jared Goff. The freshman heaved the ball 65 times in Week 1 and 51 times in Week 2. He has thrown for 935 yards, 141 more than any other quarterback in the nation.

He left quite an impression on Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald.

"His moxie and poise, his arm strength and his grasp of the offense was really, really impressive to us," said Fitzgerald, whose Wildcats will host Ohio State for a night game at Ryan Field on Oct. 5. "He's going to be a really special player in that offense for that team."

Fitzgerald said his team spent a lot of time during the offseason researching the best methods for approaching a cross-country road trip.

In case you missed it, we delved into the life of Ohio State quarterback Kenny Guiton and how everything changed for him after his clutch efforts against Purdue last season. We also attempted to answer the question many have asked this week: How many teams could Guiton start for?

Urban Meyer provided an update -- albeit, a brief and vague one -- on quarterback Braxton Miller, who continues to recover from a sprained knee ligament.

Yahoo! reported that five SEC players violated NCAA rules by receiving impermissible benefits. The alleged violations were incurred by players from Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi State.

The Buckeyes will be heavy favorites against a Cal team that is dominated by young players.

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes hit the road for the first time when they head to Cal for a game Saturday night against the Bears.

The Buckeyes (2-0), who dropped a spot in the latest AP Top 25, beat up on San Diego State on Saturday a week after rolling over Buffalo, 40-20 - also at home.

Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said he's "fairly optimistic" that standout quarterback Braxton Miller will play against Cal despite a left knee sprain.

Meyer is 10-1 as a head coach in his team's first road game, the lone loss a 28-26 setback at Texas A&M in 2003, his first year at Utah.

Cal (1-1) will be playing its third home game. The Bears, in a battle of upcoming Buckeyes opponents, lost their opener to Northwestern, 44-30. This past Saturday, they knocked off Football Championship Subdivision foe Portland State, 37-30.

Cleveland.com Ohio State reporter Doug Lesmerises previews the game in this video with Cinesport host Noah Coslov:

Former Ohio State Buckeye has continued to grow after beating out Matt Flynn for the starting job.

ALAMEDA, Calif. - Even as a backup, Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor would write notes to wide receivers and leave them in their lockers after seeing something on video he thought might help.

The former Ohio State standout studied the NFL's best quarterbacks and tried to learn something from each of them — Tom Brady's balance and one-step drop, Robert Griffin III's arm angles and Colin Kaepernick's ball fakes.

And he would watch his own team from the sideline and try to stay involved in the game. Then he'd watch replays on his own time to figure out what he'd do if he was the starter.

The 24-year-old quarterback is finally comfortable enough to talk about his experiences publicly with the same strut and swagger he has always walked around the Raiders facility with. And for the first time, Pryor can finally take everything he's done since Al Davis picked him in the third round of the 2011 supplemental draft — the late owner's last pick — and put it to use as a leader on the field.

Pryor progressed enough during the preseason to start over Matt Flynn. He showed enough promise in a 21-17 loss at Indianapolis in Week 1 to keep the job heading into Oakland's home opener against Jacksonville (0-1) on Sunday. And now the Raiders hope he will produce enough to be the franchise's quarterback the rest of the season and beyond.

"At first, when it was me and Matt going at it, it's kind of tricky to be a leader and lead guys, because who are they looking at? Me? Matt? Who are they looking at to lead them?" Pryor said Wednesday.

"Now that that's decided, I'm just going to go out and be myself. I think that's the best way because if I try and be somebody else, some of the guys I look up to around the league, they do this, they yell, some of the guys, so I'm just going to be myself, and I think myself is, I want to have success. The guys are going to thrive and see that, that I want success. Hopefully, it just rubs off and I believe it will."

After refusing to announce his starter last week for "competitive" reasons, Raiders coach Dennis Allen appears ready to ride Pryor the rest of the season.

Pryor completed 19 of 29 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown and set a Raiders franchise record for rushing by a quarterback with 112 yards on 13 carries against the Colts. He became the eighth quarterback since the 1970 merger to throw for at least 200 yards and run for at least 100 in a single game.

Allen said he'd still like to see Pryor get back to the huddle quicker following big runs to avoid clock-management issues. He's also talked to the 6-foot-5, 238-pound quarterback about sliding or getting out of bounds to avoid big hits.

"I can't sit here and lie to you because I'm so competitive I might forget," Pryor said. "I need to get down, absolutely. I have to. I got guys counting on me and I need to get down."

There still are areas in the passing game that Pryor needs to improve on and he is quick to acknowledge he has work to do. Despite carrying the offense most of the game, Pryor has repeatedly taken the blame for the loss because of two interceptions and a bad sack he took in the final two minutes after he drove Oakland to Indianapolis' 8-yard line.

But Allen, Pryor and Raiders receivers also are quick to point out that Pryor was working as a backup up until about three weeks ago and the team is still easing into the quarterback transition. The offense has worked on more read-option plays to suit his skills and has tried to simulate some of the broken-play scrambles — when Pryor is at his best — this week in practice.

They also know that's almost impossible to simulate.

"I'm just going to go play ball and react," Pryor said. "I think that's best. I think I study my butt off and get the guys ready, make sure I get them guys in there to study their film and they get their job done. And I'm just going to react off of what the defense does. For guys coming to hit me, I'm going to move and leave them. Playing football for me, where it gets into a lot of the exciting stuff is when I take off and start to make a play, and that's just reaction."

NOTES: Asked if he'd be attending No. 4 Ohio State's game at California on Saturday, Pryor said, "I wish. You got some tickets? I'm kicked out of there." ... TE David Ausberry (shoulder), WR Tyvon Branch (shoulder), K Sebastian Janikowski (right calf) and OT Menelik Watson (knee) did not practice. ... The Raiders signed OL Jack Cornell to the practice squad.

The Cleveland Indians are racing for a playoff spot in the 2013 MLB postseason. While the AL Central Division Championship is still mathematically possible, stamping a ticket to the postseason through one of the two wild card spots is more realistic.

The Indians fell to the Royals Wednesday, but didn't lose any ground in the wild card race. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

Ron Washington's club is struggling, but still holding on to one of the wild card spots. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Texas Rangers

The Yankees are hanging around and only one game back of a wild card spot. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

New York Yankees

Justin Verlander throws tomorrow night for the Tigers. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Detroit Tigers

This Day in Browns History: The Cleveland Browns defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the season opener in 2004, a game that stands as the Browns' only opening-day victory since 1994.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland Browns delivered their home fans an opening-day victory on this date, Sept. 12, in 2004,  the team's only opening-day victory since 1994.

The victim was the old Browns team, now known as the Baltimore Ravens, as the Browns hammered the Ravens, 20-3, behind the play of Kellen Winslow, Jeff Garcia, William Green and others.

Read the game story below as it appeared on the pages of The Plain Dealer the following day.

This is the second installment in a season-long series on cleveland.com - This Day in Browns History. We'll do what the current Cleveland Browns can't possibly do, guarantee a victory every week as we dig into the files of Browns history.

Last week, we recounted the first-ever game in the history of the Browns franchise, a 1946 win over the Miami Seahawks.

Enjoy the stories for the game memories, the player names you may recognize, and the writing styles as sports reporting has changed over the years.

Curious about other games? Try out our online database that will connect you to all other Cleveland Browns game stories since the beginning of the franchise in 1946.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia gets rid of the ball before Ravens defensive end Adalius Thomas can get to him during the 2004 opener.Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

 CLEVELAND, Ohio - All weekend, members of the 1964 Browns used the 40th anniversary celebration of their world championship season to preach teamwork, attitude, discipline and patience.

To the delight of victory-starved fans in Cleveland Browns Stadium, the lecture actually hit home.

Playing with rare intensity from start to finish, the Browns on Sunday defended their home field in a fashion unseen since their rebirth. They outmuscled the division-favorite Baltimore Ravens, 20-3, to win their opening game for the first time and establish a tone for the season.

"The tone is this," cornerback Daylon McCutcheon said. "If we play team defense, we're going to win a lot of football games."

It was the first time the Browns defeated the rival Ravens with both running back Jamal Lewis and linebacker Ray Lewis - the league's offensive and defensive players of the year last season - in the game together.

Jamal Lewis ran for only 57 yards and Ray Lewis watched persistent Jeff Garcia throw for one touchdown and run for another in his Cleveland debut.

"I give them credit. They played a heck of a ballgame," said Ray Lewis, who was credited with 14 tackles and a sack, but did not create his customary havoc.

The clamp-down job done on Jamal Lewis, though, was the key to everything.

Lewis embarrassed the Browns with 500 rushing yards in two games last year. He was held to a scant 2.9-yard average and did not have a run longer than 9 yards.

"Everybody knew how those two games felt," said linebacker Andra Davis, who seemed to log every one of 67 defensive snaps and a dozen more on special teams. "We didn't want to feel like that again. I looked at films of Lewis all off-season. Today, we had three or four guys on Jamal every play."

The Ravens were without All-Pro left tackle Jonathan Ogden. Browns defensive end Kenard Lang ate up his replacement, Ethan Brooks, for lunch and dinner. On the other side, Courtney Brown dominated Orlando (Zeus) Brown.

Lang had predicted during the work week that Lewis would not break the Browns' first line of defense. He was right about that and he backed it up by sacking Baltimore quarterback Kyle Boller three times. The last one caused a fumble.

The Browns' defense also intercepted Boller twice in the fourth quarter. Anthony Henry's pretty interception on a pass intended for ex-Brown Kevin Johnson turned back the Ravens at the 7, and Davis' steal off the hands of Todd Heap wrapped it up before the two-minute warning.

Lang said of the defensive effort, "We were out there like bees on honey. The best lick I loved the whole day was [safety] Earl Little coming down and hitting [Jamal] Lewis in his face so hard. You knew when that happened, we came to play today."

Jamal Lewis said, "They are a different team, and of course they were not going to let us come in and do what we did last time. They played good defense."

But as offensive tackle Ryan Tucker said, "We weren't going to beat this team with just one phase. Everyone had to win their small battles for this to happen."

The Browns' special teams controlled the field all day and repeatedly pinned back the Ravens' offense deep in its own end.

Offensively, the Browns simply outlasted their counterparts. William Green, subbing for the injured Lee Suggs, chipped away for 65 yards. His best play might have been a 13-yard gain with a dump pass. He fought off tacklers for the first down on the field-goal drive that upped the lead to 13-3.

Garcia was simply a study in perseverance. Held to 41 passing yards in the first half, he stirred up the crowd and his teammates with two key completions near the end of the third quarter.

Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. makes a key 21-yard reception to set up a Quincy Morgan TD in the Browns' 2004 win over the Baltimore Ravens.John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer

 The first was a 21-yard pass to tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. Two plays later, Morgan got behind the Baltimore secondary when safety Ed Reed jumped hard to cover Morgan on a quick slant. Garcia pump-faked the throw, shuffled from some pocket pressure, and then blooped a little toss to Morgan, who hustled to the end zone to complete a 46-yard touchdown.

After Henry's interception, Garcia got the offense out of the shadow of its own end zone with another big play set up by a pump-fake. Safety Will Demps bit on the fake to Winslow, and Garcia fired to Andre Davis, 5 yards behind the secondary. It could have been a 93-yard touchdown, but Davis tripped for a 51-yard gain.

The series ended with a field goal and then Garcia closed the scoring on a 3-yard run after yet another pump-fake.

"I can see why he is great," Winslow said. "His composure and his competitiveness make him a great quarterback."

Garcia finished with 15 of 24 passing for 180 yards and a 99.3 rating.

"We had to be patient, very methodical," he said. "We had to continue to grind it out."

It was the kind of game the 1964 Browns could appreciate. In the locker room, Jim Brown lauded the Browns' team effort and said, "the concentration and the patience were fantastic."

Andra Davis celebrates his interception in the fourth quarter of the 2004 win for the Cleveland Browns over the Baltimore Ravens.David I. Andersen, The Plain Dealer

 Players gathered inspiration from the '64 championship trophy that was displayed in the tunnel leading to the field before the game.

"The old Browns gave us a push," Winslow said. "We wanted to do it for them."

Prior to kickoff, members of the '64 team were introduced for the final time in a three-day celebration. They lined the field during warm-ups. Garcia said he made a point of shaking hands with the old heroes - Brown and Gary Collins and Frank Ryan and Jim Houston, and the others.

"My thing was to touch as many of those guys as I could because they touched this town," Garcia said. "They touched us as a team and those are the guys that we want to emulate."

The '64 Browns won their last game against a Baltimore team and the '04 Browns won their first game against a Baltimore team. It was a long handoff, from one era to another, and a successful one. 

The backup tackle is hoping for game action as the Buckeyes try to work on depth on the line, where they have four senior starters they'll be replacing for 2014.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – If there's a chance Saturday, if heavy favorite No. 4 Ohio State (2-0) manages to put away Cal (1-1) and has an opportunity to think about the future, look at the offensive line and imagine four giant holes, four empty spots.

That's what Ed Warinner, the offensive line coach, might be thinking about, with the Buckeyes starting four seniors on the line. That's what someone like redshirt freshman Kyle Dodson might be thinking about. That's what someone like senior starting left tackle Jack Mewhort, who spent much of the preseason staying on Dodson, might be thinking about.

Now is about now. But in a year, the Buckeyes will be looking for four new answers on the offensive line, and a relatively easy nonconference schedule might provide a few moments to test the possibilities.

“We are working really hard to develop our depth,” Warinner said this week. “We did that in August. We do that in practice, and then whenever we can, we are trying to get them in the games.”

That's what Dodson is waiting for.

After redshirting last season, with his development delayed by shoulder surgery, Dodson enthusiastically embraced a preseason camp that allowed him to get out and compete. He said he worked a lot at left tackle, where Mewhort made it a point to show him the ropes.

“It's been a long journey for him,” Mewhort said. “He's had a lot of difficulties throughout his life, but he's a tough kid. He means well, and he's got a great heart. I think we all recognize that. Sometimes it's tough love. I've got to tear him down to bring him back up. But he responds well, and if you show him the way, he'll come with you.”

That's exactly what Jeff Rotsky, Dodson's coach at Cleveland Heights, wanted to hear.

“Keep learning from Jack,” Rotsky said of his advice to Dodson. “Jack's talented and Jack can get on him. He's a great guy to be behind. He's a brilliant student of the game, and Kyle's really learning form some great people down there.”

Rotsky said during preseason camp there were a couple times when Urban Meyer called and asked Rotsky to get on Dodson as well. They're trying to make a tackle here. And that takes time.

Dodson's goal is to be in line as the starting left tackle when Mewhort graduates. At this point, though, he's listed as the second-team right tackle behind sophomore Taylor Decker. And when some backup linemen got in the game late against San Diego State, it was Solon's Darryl Baldwin at left tackle, left guard Pat Elflein and center Jacoby Boren who saw action.

“We have a plan in place to develop players, so that next year, the next wave of guys are ready to go,” Warinner said.

Dodson wants nothing more than to ride that wave. He not only has dealt with shoulder issues, but he was carted away in an ambulance from one practice last season after suffering from a bout of dehydration when he was dealing with a stomach virus and didn't drink enough water. He learned from that. Now he's learning what he needs to do to put himself in a position to get on the field. Rotsky believes Dodson is as good a run-blocker as any lineman in Columbus, but it's his pass protection that needs to improve. It's footwork more than anything, with Dodson believing his body, now at about 305 pounds, is ready for the college game. He said he tries to show Meyer on every play that he'll be ready for next year.

“If he ever sees me mess up, he'll tell me about it,” Dodson said.

And so will Mewhort.

“He's a great guy. On the field he's a jerk to me a lot of times, but I know it's hard love, for real,” Dodson said. “He's making sure I'm ready so when he leaves I can step in. He doesn't want to go soft on me and just have me out there looking like a fool.”

A year ago, Rotsky said sitting out as a redshirt was hard on Dodson, as it is on most first-year players. After dealing with the death of his mother when he was 11, Dodson believes there's nothing more in his life that he can't handle.

Coming in and playing immediately would have been great. But he fought through a year of siting out.

“Coming out of high school, you feel like, 'Oh yeah, I'm just going to start right away. I've been dominating people in high school and I'm going to come and I'll do my thing right away,'” Dodson said. “But there's a lot of stuff you've got to get down before you can start balling out like that.”

He might be ready to start that now if he can get some action in these early games. Next year will be here before you know it. And there will be holes to fill.

Who would you want to start the game that would get the Tribe to the Divisional Round of the playoffs?

Would you want Ubaldo Jimenez to start in a wild card playoff game for the Tribe? (Thomas Ondrey/The Plain Dealer)

Each week, Dennis Manoloff analyzes Ray Horton's 'attacking defense,' a counterpart to his weekly Brandon Weeden Report Card, if you will.

CLEVELAND -- An attacking defense featuring zone blitz schemes sounds great – until it doesn’t live up to the hype.

In the Browns’ season opener last Sunday against Miami, coordinator Ray Horton’s attacking 3-4 planned to cause myriad problems for second-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill. It didn’t work out that way. Tannehill went 24-of-38 for 272 yards and one touchdown in a 23-10 victory. Tannehill was intercepted once and sacked four times.

No question that the Browns’ new offense, a vertical-power scheme under coordinator Norv Turner, underperformed. Quarterback Brandon Weeden absorbed plenty of heat, much of it justifiable. But the defense didn’t exactly excel, either. It stuffed the run, but when the Dolphins needed a big play in the passing game, they got it – especially with the outcome in doubt in the second half. If Tannehill was supposed to be rattled, he didn’t show it.

The Browns’ defense was active in the first half, notching three sacks and holding Tannehill to 12-of-18 for 98 yards and one interception. It clearly wore down in the second half and Tannehill took advantage, going 12-of-20 for 174 yards and one touchdown.

Perhaps the most telling reality: The Browns’ blitzes failed to wreack havoc. When they rushed five or more, Tannehill was 12-of-19 for 142 yards with zero turnovers or sacks. He scrambled once for 3 yards. On two third-and-long plays, Tannehill completed a pass for a first down to the receiver left uncovered by a corner blitz.

Below is a breakdown of the Dolphins’ pass plays upon DVR review of the CBS telecast, and what role the Browns’ rush played in each.

In the chart, “D/D/Y’’ is down-and-distance and yard line; “Showed’’ is how many Browns were on the line and at least presented themselves as rushers; “RTOP” is rushers at time of pass, which includes those who came from the second level or defensive backfield and subtracts those who dropped into coverage.

Breaking down the Browns' defense, Week 1

Kerry Coombs was brought to Ohio State to coach the cornerbacks, but a major part of his job is helping the Buckeyes infiltrate the Cincinnati area on the recruiting trail.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Kerry Coombs’ resume of developing talent at the cornerback position speaks for itself, but even he knows that was only part of the reason he’s currently coaching at Ohio State.

“I was brought here to coach the cornerbacks, but there was more than that,” Coombs told Cleveland.com. “I was also brought here to recruit, and my strength is recruiting the Cincinnati area. I think that was considered before I was hired.”

Urban Meyer – the man who couldn’t make it halfway through his introductory press conference without voluntarily addressing the importance of recruiting – deliberately brought Coombs to Ohio State for that reason.

If Meyer couldn’t make it through his first 30 minutes with the media without brining up recruiting, you’d have to be silly to think he waited at all when approaching the initial hiring process.

Shortly after taking the job, Meyer analyzed Ohio State’s presence on the recruiting trail. He knew they were very successful during the previous decade under former coach Jim Tressel – in fact, most programs paled in comparison – but Meyer still found a void.

Ohio State wasn’t recruiting Cincinnati well enough, and that’s where Coombs came in.

“You know, I don’t have a real explanation for why Ohio State didn’t make a bigger connection with the Cincinnati area,” Coombs said. “I don’t really have a good feel for that. But I do know is that Ohio State has a really good place down there right now.”

During Tressel’s Ohio State tenure that spanned from 2002-11, he signed 39 players from the Cleveland area, a time during which the Buckeyes offered 22 Cincinnati-area players before signing only eight.

View full sizeKerry Coombs has given Ohio State new life on the recruiting trail in the Cincinnati area. Marvin Fong/The Plain Dealer

Looking closer, Ohio State has signed 18 Glenville prospects as part of its last 11 recruiting classes, which more than doubles the entire Cincinnati area.

Perhaps that had a lot to do with Tressel’s Northeast Ohio roots – he coached at Youngstown State before taking the Ohio State job – but given Cincinnati is one o the more talent-rich areas in the country for high school football, Meyer saw an opportunity that needed to be seized.

Because he has such a vast background in the area – not to mention a boisterous personality that exudes passion – Coombs struck Meyer as the perfect fit for the job.

“In my opinion, there’s no better high school football anywhere in the country than there is in the city of Cincinnati,” said Coombs, who was the head coach at Cincinnati Colerain for 16 years before joining the college ranks at Cincinnati in 2007. “I think historically, you could say that they have produced an awful lot of great, talented kids at a wide range of ability levels and a wide range of universities.”

But the biggest selling point for Coombs was that he is up for the job in accordance to the way Meyer expects his assistants to recruit – with non-stop effort.

“I think recruiting is a 365-day process at Ohio State,” Coombs said. “There's not a day that goes by that we don't talk about, focus on and participate in some recruiting active ties here. That is – I won’t say it’s unique, but I would say there are very few programs anywhere that recruit as hard or as often as we do.”

That was well documented in last year’s recruitment of Vonn Bell, where co-defensive coordinator Everett Withers plucked the former five-star prospect out of Georgia and away from SEC suitors Alabama and Tennessee. 

Bell said Ohio State “recruited their tails off,” and joked that he thought Withers lived in his house sometimes. But Withers’ job was about more than that – it was about building relationships with everyone in Bell’s life.

“We try to get to know all the, what we call ‘champions,’ the people that are going to help make the decisions,” Withers said. “Kids talk to a lot of different people, and if you know all the people they talk to, then you have a better chance of figure out what they want to do.”

That is the standard Meyer has set.

“Start to finish, what Everett Withers did with a guy like Vonn Bell, that’s a good of a recruiting effort I’ve ever seen,” Meyer said on National Signing Day after landing Bell became official. “I used to call it the octopus technique. Just tentacles around every person, everything involved in this kid’s life.”

When it comes to recruiting Cincinnati, it would be hard for Coombs to struggle with that aspect of the process. Having lived there for 50 years – most of which was spent coaching preps – Coombs knows just about everyone in the Queen City.

“I know every high school coach, I know every high school and I know most of the secretaries and principles and everyone else in that town,” Coombs said. “I am to do everything in my power to present Ohio State to those players that are capable of playing here in the most positive light possible. I think those kids respond really well to that. They’re Ohio kids, too. I was, I grew up there and I loved Ohio State."

Ohio State has signed a prospect from the Cincinnati area in each of Meyer's first two classes in Taft defensive end Adolphus Washington in 2012 and athlete Jalin Marshall of Middletown, Ohio, a year later. Scout.com rated both players five-star prospects. 

The Buckeyes also have a commitment from four-star linebacker Sam Hubbard of Cincinnati Moeller, who will sign with Ohio State as part of the 2014 recruiting class in February. 

Don't anticipate the number of Cincinnati talents heading to Ohio State to explode now that Meyer has taken a more national approach to recruiting, but when there's a top-notch player in southwest Ohio, it's simple. 

“We expect to get him,” Coombs said.