Ohio State beat Michigan State 49-37 on Saturday night in East Lansing, Mich. Doug, Ari and Bill break down what they learned from the Buckeyes' best regular season win since 2006.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Two of us picked Michigan State to beat Ohio State on Saturday night. So color at least two of us surprised after the Buckeyes beat the Spartans 49-37 in Spartan Stadium.

The manner in which the Buckeyes won? That caught us all off guard.

No. 14 Ohio State (8-1, 5-0 Big Ten) used 53 seconds to score its first touchdown on its second possession of the game. Then moved the ball seemingly at will against the No. 5 defense in the country.

Doug, Ari and Bill broke down what they learned from the game in the video above. Share your thoughts and your biggest takeaways from the game in the comments section below.

The Buckeyes showed each of us something we didn't think they were capable of, and it starts with quarterback J.T. Barrett. After looking every bit like the redshirt freshman he is against Virginia Tech and Penn State, Barrett looked calm as he guided the offense to its best performance of the season.

They've put up bigger numbers this year, but to control the game the way they did, and put up 568 yards on Michigan State's defense was impressive. The 49 points are the most the Spartans have allowed since 2010.

Ohio State's defense gave up some yards, but got stops when it needed to.

What does it all mean?

The Buckeyes take over the top spot in the Big Ten's East Division. The only thing that could keep them from going to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game is losing two of their final three games against Minnesota, Indiana and Michigan.

As it pertains to the College Football Playoff, it's still a wait-and-see approach, but Ohio State has put itself more into the conversation.

From Urban Meyer to J.T. Barrett to Tyvis to Ezekiel Elliott, the best of the Buckeyes after their biggest win under Meyer.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Ohio State Buckeyes, with an edge about their underdog status and the way Michigan State beat them last year, had a lot to say after their 49-37 win in Spartan Stadium on Saturday.

Here are eight of the best quotes.

• Safety Tyvis Powell: "Everybody knows one of the best teams in the Big Ten is us, but it seems like since last year we fell off the map some type of way. And we wanted to come out here and prove we are still the big dogs in the Big Ten."

• Quarterback J.T. Barrett: "They were daring you to throw the ball. Against Virginia Tech I didn't make the plays, we didn't make the plays as an offense. This is the same type of deal, knowing they are daring you to throw it. Now you have to go out there and do it."

• Running back Ezekiel Elliott: "We definitely had something to prove. People were questioning our ability to come out and play on the big stage. Just coming into this game, no one believed in us. We had no one behind our backs but Buckeye Nation and ourselves. And we had to come and prove to the world that we're ready."

• Barrett on his 44-yard TD to Devin Smith: "Devin, it's run really fast by them and I'm gonna throw you the ball. That's our conversation. I told him, run really fast. They were jamming him, but really not much because he does a good job of getting off that. Devin go run really fast and I'll throw you the ball."

• Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi on Barrett: "That guy made about every pass he could. He threw seven routes on target. He hadn't shown to do that really consistently, but we had a lot of respect for him. He is a great football player. He played big in a big game. He didn't throw off the mark at all and those guys were ready to make the catch. That goes to having a guy who throws the ball where it needs to be thrown. He is a heck of a quarterback."

• Offensive lineman Taylor Decker: "This so far has been my favorite game I've ever played in at Ohio State. And to be able to come in here, I don't think we left any question that we were the better team on the field tonight. Not that they're not a good opponent, but just the way we were able to win in an away game and be able to send a message that we've got some steam rolling in our program and good things are happening."

• Urban Meyer: "A young team grew up tonight. I told them in there the future is extremely bright here at Ohio State. There's a bunch of young players out there playing that acted like older players. Really, really proud of them."

• Barrett: "Coach Meyer, he needed this one. I think he enjoyed it for himself and for us as a team. He just loved it."

"Is this a playoff team? It should be," sophomore safety Vonn Bell said. "We showed the world. They have been talking about that (Michigan State defense) and how they can stop everybody in the country and you saw our offense just shove it down their throat." Watch video

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Urban Meyer was getting the full breakdown of the four teams in the College Football Playoff committee's top 10 that lost on Saturday when he interrupted to share a quick thought. 

"Good," he said. 

Meyer isn't ignorant to the reality of Ohio State's postseason situation, even if he'll tell you that he hasn't researched it much. 

But for the first time during the Meyer era, after a 49-37 win at Michigan State, a big win is pushing Ohio State into the middle of the national title conversation. It's more than just teams in front of it losing. 

"In the three years that Coach Meyer has been here, people have said we're overrated and we just beat up teams that aren't very good. This is a very good team we beat," defensive tackle Michael Bennett said. "I think we beat them pretty well. I think this shows we're the real deal this year. We can compete with the best.

"It makes people turn their heads and start considering Ohio State for the top four."

But even after Ohio State's 12-point win over the Spartans – the signature, resume-bolstering, prove-the-world-wrong victory for which the program has starved the last three years – Meyer knows the Buckeyes need help.

So for Ohio State, it's good that they got some Saturday. Good that Texas A&M won at No. 3 Auburn; good that No. 6 TCU beat No. 7 Kansas State; and good that No. 9 Arizona State blew out No. 10 Notre Dame.

And by beating No. 8 Michigan State on the road and removing the Spartans from the College Football Playoff picture, Ohio State thrust itself right back into the middle of it. 

Is Ohio State a playoff team? 

"I think it is because I love my team," Meyer said. "I haven't studied the other teams, really, but if I have to go fight for this team and what they've done (I will) – very impressive. That darn loss, that second game, that hurts us, but I'll take the hit for that because it was a young team that is (now) playing at an extremely high level."

Ohio State started at No. 16 in the first playoff poll, then moved up to No. 14 on Tuesday after a 55-17 blowout win over Illinois last week. Whether the Buckeyes have a real shot at securing a spot in the final four will become clear on Tuesday evening when the fresh rankings are released. 

"Is this a playoff team? It should be," sophomore safety Vonn Bell said. "We showed the world. They have been talking about that (Michigan State defense) and how they can stop everybody in the country and you saw our offense just shove it down their throat." 

There are issues, though. Meyer brought up the first one up on his own. Ohio State's week two home loss to Virginia Tech looks inexcusable, especially considering the Hokies have since lost five of their last seven games. 

Then there's the problem with playing in the Big Ten and the negative effect it has on Ohio State's strength of schedule. Even having beaten Michigan State, Ohio State has no other victories to which it can turn as proof that it belongs with other elite one-loss teams. 

What would be good news for Ohio State? If the committee puts the Buckeyes anywhere between No. 6 and No. 8. That would be favorable positioning with three regular season games remaining and a trip to the Big Ten title game all but locked up, barring something unthinkable. 

There are five teams that almost certainly will be ranked ahead of Ohio State  – No. 1 Mississippi State, No. 2 Florida State, No. 4 Oregon, No. 5 Alabama and No. 6 TCU, all of which won on Saturday. 

With Auburn, Kansas State, Michigan State and Notre Dame all now having suffered their second losses, the top 10 will be different. This is where we'll get a window into the committee's thinking. 

If Ohio State jumps No. 9 Arizona State (beat a team ranked lower than Michigan State at home), No. 11 Mississippi (two losses), No. 13 Nebraska (who lost to Michigan State), that would be a clear indication it has a chance. That would land it in that No. 6-8 range. 

If the Buckeyes are still behind the above teams in addition to the top five – which are virtual locks – with not much chance to improve their resume, they could be in trouble. Ohio State fans don't want to see Ohio State below No. 8. 

Safety Tyvis Powell admitted, obviously, that he thought the Buckeyes were top four team even before Saturday.

"But I think that winning this game proves it more," Powell said, "that we should be a playoff team."

Francisco Lindor's goal when he signed with the Indians in 2011 was to make it to the big leagues at 20. It didn't happen, but the goal is still the same.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Francisco Lindor is a goal setter.

When the Indians made him their No.1 draft pick in 2011 out of high school, his goal was to make it to the big leagues by 20. Lindor, who turns 21 Friday, didn't get there so he's had to adjust.

"Now my goal is make it when I'm 21," said Lindor. "If it doesn't happen, it will be to make it at 22. I'm going to make it, God willing."

Lindor is playing for the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League. This is the last week of a long year of baseball that started in February.

The switch-hitting shortstop reached Class AAA Columbus this year, the last stop before the big leagues. He went home to Florida after the season waiting to see where he was going to play winter ball – Puerto Rico or the AFL.

The Indians decided to send him to the AFL. Not only would they have better control of his workload, but the AFL is MLB's finishing school. It's where big league prospects are buffed and burnished.

"Francisco is knocking on the door," said Carter Hawkins, the Indians new director of player development.

To knock is one thing. To force the door open is another.

When the Indians traded Asdrubal Cabrera, their two-time All-Star shortstop, to Washington on July 31^st, it seemed like the path was cleared for Lindor. OK, so maybe it wouldn't be immediate, but a September call up had to be just around the corner, right?

Not so.

Jose Ramirez arrived from Columbus to replace Cabrera and played the heck out of shortstop as the Indians entered the last weekend of the regular season still in wild-card contention. Ramirez, like Lindor, is a switch hitter and he's only 21. So he's not going anywhere.

"Jose is a gamer," said Lindor. "He's a good player. He was in the big leagues the year before so I'm not surprised at what he did."

As for the September call-up, Lindor said, "I never expected it. I hoped for it and I prayed for it. It didn't happen.

"Whatever, it only made me a better player. I knew I had to go out this offseason and work my tail off and hopefully put myself in a better position to have Chris Antonetti (general manager), Mark Shapiro (president) and Terry Francona (manager) feel I can help the Indians win.

"That is the ultimate goal – to win."

The Indians, like most teams would, were looking at Lindor's arbitration clock. There was no need to give him a head start toward super-two status when there was no place to play him in September. But his time will come.

"He's going to be a big-time player," said Vance Wilson, Peoria's manager and a former big league catcher. "Sometimes we get caught up looking at the stats. But you can look at players' actions and the way they carry themselves. The instincts, the intangibles, he has all that.

"He has the type of overall game that you lay an organization on. He can have a huge impact."

Lindor is hitting .256 (23-for-90) with one homer and six RBI for Peoria. He ranks second in the AFL with 90 at-bats, third in games with 22 and fourth in hits with 23. He's struck out 12 times and drawn seven walks.

In the minors this year, Lindor hit a combined .276 (140-for-567) with 11 homers, 62 RBI and 75 runs at Class AA Akron and Columbus. He hit .273 (45-for-165) with five homers and 14 RBI in 38 games at Columbus.

Lindor, according to baseball-reference.com, was almost seven years younger than the weighted average of all position players at Class AAA this year.

"Not a chance," said Lindor when asked if he felt overmatched. "I felt great. I liked it. I didn't feel like I was the youngest player. I can't use that as an excuse."

Dave Wallace, the Indians manager at Akron, is coaching for Peoria. Wallace has managed Lindor at Class A Mahoning Valley, Class A Lake County, Class A Carolina and Akron.

"Offensively, Frankie has been pitched tough out here," said Wallace. "He's seen a lot of off-speed pitches. He gets into a hitter's count and sees a lot of off-speed stuff, which is great.

"I know he saw a lot of that in Triple-A and he will in the big leagues, too. He's going to face guys who can do more than just lay a fastball in there when they're behind in the count."

The Indians want Lindor to become a more consistent hitter. On defense they want him to concentrate on every pitch.

In Peoria's 5-4 victory over the Salt River Rafters on Friday, Lindor made a great catch in the second inning against Max Kepler, sprinting far into left field to catch the ball with his back to the plate.

"Those are the special plays you're going to see from him," said Wallace. "What we want is for his focus to be is locked in on every pitch. Take into account the game situation and not take a single pitch off."

The routine play is the bane of all shortstops, especially ones just shy of their 21^st birthday and in a hurry to do big things. Patience is required and Lindor is learning it while still pounding on the door to the big leagues.

"When they think I'm ready, I'll be there," he said.

"It's one of those things you remember for the rest of your life," receiver Evan Spencer said. "I'm going to remember for the rest of my life my arms around my brothers that I go to war with every day. It's amazing. It really is."

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- This was something other than just joy, something other than only excitement. It was something more, something that said ...

"We can't control who's on our schedule or what conference we're in. And people are down on us just because of the teams that we have played. And even though we've won impressively, they've still always been skeptical. So to go out there and show what we're capable of against a really good opponent, it was a great feeling.

"And I think that's what made this win so special."

Ohio State junior left tackle Taylor Decker spoke those words after Ohio State's 49-37 win over No. 8 Michigan State on Saturday. But as the Buckeyes gathered in the Northeast corner of Spartan Stadium, dancing first to "Buckeye Swag" then putting their arms around each other for "Carmen, Ohio," they said that without words. They said it with how they laughed and hugged and trudged exhausted after victory.

View full sizeThe way James Laurinatis and the Buckeyes celebrated after their 2007 win at Michigan was the closest comparison for Ohio State's win at Michigan State on Saturday night.Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer 

In 10 years covering the Buckeyes, the only road scene that came to mind as a comparison was the 2007 win at Michigan, when the Buckeyes were climbing into the stands at Michigan Stadium with roses between their teeth.

Like Saturday night, that win wasn't about the future, but it was imbued with the hurt of the past. Those Buckeyes had lost the National Championship after their 2006 season and believed they had knocked themselves out of the 2007 race with a loss to Illinois the week before. It's why they were assuming they were headed to the Rose Bowl.

So the win at Michigan was a relief and a celebration and a snapshot in time. Beat your rival. Don't worry about the voters. No promises for the future. But remember who you are.

That was the feeling against seven years later Saturday night. The Buckeyes had lost their shot at the national title last year with a Big Ten Championship loss to these Spartans. A week two loss to Virginia Tech had put any postseason dreams in the new four-team playoff system on hold.

So this was a relief and a celebration and a snapshot of the most significant win of the Meyer era so far. Beat your emerging rival. Don't worry about the selection committee. No promises for the future. But remember who you are, and what you might be ahead.

"A young team grew up tonight," Meyer said. "I told them in there the future is extremely bright here at Ohio State."

In 2007, upsets the next weekend pushed the Buckeyes back into the title game. In 2014, No. 14 Ohio State (8-1, 5-0 Big Ten) is waiting on a couple other teams to lose. That's for later. This was all about the now.

Senior cornerback Doran Grant grinned and swayed, while senior receiver Evan Spencer just shook his head to himself after the alma mater and gave a grateful thumbs up.

"It's one of those things you remember for the rest of your life," Spencer said. "I'm going to remember for the rest of my life my arms around my brothers that I go to war with every day."

Spencer paused.

"It's amazing. It really is."

View full sizeJeff Heuerman wrapped up Urban Meyer as Ohio State started celebrating in the final seconds of Saturday's win at Michigan State.Plain Dealer 

Senior tight end Jeff Heuerman had grabbed Urban Meyer in a bear hug from behind on the sideline and now he couldn't stop smiling. Offensive coordinator Tom Herman embraced H-back Dontre Wilson and kissed him on the side of the head just outside the locker room, as receivers coach Zach Smith had wrapped up senior receiver Devin Smith on the field and looked like he might never let go.

Few had walked to the corner. Most had sprinted, propelled by the angst and underdog label for this one game that they left behind with a win like this. But Michael Bennett limped. The senior defensive tackle felt passive early in the year. No more. With two tackles for loss against the Spartans, including the Buckeyes' only sack against an offensive line that had given up only five sacks all season, he'd played one of his best games, and had nothing left.

"I remember walking off the field just saying, 'We won, we won,'" Bennett said.

This was what a win without a "but" looks like. Every emotion that washed over the Buckeyes was pure, because so was the victory. And at least part of what Urban Meyer, 35 games into his tenure in scarlet and gray, had to feel was awe.

"Coach Meyer, he needed this one," quarterback J.T. Barrett said. "I think he enjoyed it for himself and for us as a team. He just loved it."

His wife Shelley next to him for Carmen, Ohio, with lineman Pat Elflein supporting her on the other side, Meyer pointed first at the lower stands behind the endzone.

The scarlet was there. Minutes earlier, as Michigan State fans up tramped up the steps to leave, the stadium rang out in Ohio State chants. Now Meyer leaned in to his wife and pointed again, this time to the upper deck. Waves of red there as well.

"Me and Shelley have a bunch of moments together," Meyer said. "We've been married for 25 years. ... We had a great moment there."

Afterward, as Meyer left his news conference, I told him I'd seen him point. His smile was as broad as it had been on the field.

"This is one for the ages," Meyer had said minutes earlier. "We played a top 10 team and really played our best on the road."

What the best will bring they don't know. That's for the committee to determine.

What they best gave them Saturday night they showed with every step, including those of the last Buckeye to reach the locker room. Barrett, as the quarterback, had interview obligations on the field as the quarterback and now was sliding through band members as the only jersey in white. He had looked to the OSU sideline and strutted after a 44-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith during the game. This time he wasn't smiling as the last Buckeye to walk through that locker room door.

But he was savoring.

"It was almost just a sigh of relief, knowing this is what we worked for for such a long time," Barrett said. "Just almost a weight lifted off you shoulder."

Before the game, the Script Ohio performed by the Ohio State Marching Band left a faint but clearly visible Script "O" on the grass field, even as the first snap was taken. After the game, running back Ezekiel Elliott was the first Buckeye to the interview room, still in his uniform, grass stains on him.

The Buckeyes had left their mark on this game, and the game had left its mark on them. So Elliott was everything you would have expected given the celebration, somehow both ecstatic and also angry.

"All year everyone has been doubting us, saying we're too young. We think we're ready for the big stage," Elliott said, describing "big beautiful smiles" in the locker room.

"We had no one behind our backs but Buckeye Nation and ourselves," Elliott said. "And we had to come and prove to the world that we're ready."

Ready, at the very least, for Saturday night. And ready to celebrate.

 

Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett has struggled on big stages this season. He played his best game of the year on the Buckeyes' biggest stage on Saturday night against Michigan State.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The play call was simple. The execution has been the tricky part for J.T. Barrett.

Faced with a third-and-23 during the second quarter of Ohio State's game against Michigan State on Saturday night, Barrett threw a strike to Devin Smith down the right sideline. Smith was covered, but Barrett put it in the perfect spot over Smith's shoulder and Smith made the proper adjustment to reel in the 43-yard reception on the Buckeyes' second scoring drive of the game.

Barrett has missed that throw before. To more open receivers against worse teams in less important situations, Barrett has under-thrown that pass.

Not on Saturday night.

Like many of the passes Barrett threw in the Buckeyes' 49-37 win, this one was right on the money.

"Some of the plays he made, the throw to Devin Smith, there is not much I could really do about that," said Michigan State cornerback Darian Hicks, whom Smith beat on the play. "I thought I was in coverage, I thought I was in position, but he just happened to put it over the shoulder and got Devin on the sideline for it."

So what was the super-sophisticated play call that got Ohio State its biggest third-down conversion of the season?

"It's run really fast by them, and I'm gonna throw you the ball," Barrett said. "That's our conversation."

Simple enough.

Barrett has been lauded all season by teammates and coaches as a confident player, but perhaps that play is the best illustration of how much he's trusting his abilities right now. Have confidence in your receiver to get in position, and confidence in yourself to make a great throw to get it there.

He picked apart the No. 5 defense in the country with his arm, completing 16-of-26 passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns. He got tough yards with his legs, running 14 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns.

His 55-yard run in the fourth quarter helped Ohio State put the game away for good.

Barrett has filled the stat sheet more against inferior opponents. This was his best game as a Buckeye.

"It just goes with preparation," Barrett said. "I think that's one of the keys to what we do offensively.

"I wasn't really a practice player. I guess I didn't really appreciate it as much. I practiced hard, but knowing that practice, practice, practice and then you get to the game and things just become so much easier. You have that confidence to go out there and make plays because you've seen it so many times. You think it's something else, I'm trying to tell you it's practice."

J.T.'s talkin' about practice.

Allusions to Allen Iverson aside, it's more than just time on the turf fields outside of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center that led Barrett to his performance on Saturday night.

The experience he gained through struggle also helped.

He's been on stages like this before. The gravity of the situation may have been different — Ohio State's season was on the line this time — but the atmosphere wasn't anything new.

He failed against Virgina Tech, and could've been much better against Penn State. He couldn't have been any better against Michigan State.

"You learn from things," Barrett said. "We learn from the Virginia Tech game, learn from the Penn State game as far as offense, and having to move the ball and score in the second half because we didn't do that in that game. Trying to take every experience, good or bad, and learn from it."

View full sizeOhio State Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) scores a first quarter touchdown. On a night when he had to be good, he was superb as the Buckeyes upset Michigan State. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer

There's one glaring difference between those first two games and what happened on Saturday night. He was expected to lose against the Spartans. Everything he showed prior to this moment showed that he wasn't quite ready to handle it.

"I've always liked being the underdog, the whole against you type feeling," Barrett said. 

So maybe that's what it takes for Barrett to be on top of his game. If that's the case then Urban Meyer needs to find a way to help Barrett channel that every week.

The Buckeyes won't be underdogs at any point over the next three weeks, but they still need Barrett to be as good as he was Saturday. Any added style points can help as Ohio State jockeys for position in the College Football Playoff conversation.

Barrett and the offense have shown they can blowout out-manned defenses, but this said they can also go shot for shot with a good team and win a game with explosive plays.

"We had to answer each of one of their hits and we did," Meyer said. "J.T., boy is he playing well ... throwing and very accurate on the deep balls."

Barrett said he's feeling more comfortable with the deep ball, and that was the most noticeable progression on Saturday. On his 44-yard touchdown pass to Smith before the half, Barrett's throw hit Smith perfectly in stride.

He made quick decisions and benefited from the time provided by an offensive line that picked a good time to play its best game of the season.

For the first time in three tries, Barrett wasn't flustered by the enormity of the moment, and flourished in the most pressure-packed hour of his career.

"That guy made about every pass he could," Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi said. "He threw seven routes on target. He hadn't shown to do that really consistently, but we had a lot of respect for him. He is a great football player. He played big in a big game. He didn't throw off the mark at all and those guys were ready to make the catch. That goes to having a guy who throws the ball where it needs to be thrown. He is a heck of a quarterback."

And getting better.

Check out a full recap of all of Saturday night's OHSAA football playoff action, plus see all the weeklong playoffs coverage.

Check out a full recap of all of Saturday night's OHSAA football playoff action, plus see all the weeklong playoffs coverage.

A look at the top storylines and big matchups from around the nation as we near kickoff on another Sunday of NFL football.

Week 10 of the NFL season features just two matchups between teams with winning records, but that doesn't mean today's games don't offer plenty of intrigue. Here's a look at the top storylines and latest news from around the league as we near kickoff:

The Big Buzz: Big Ben takes his show on the road

Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET

After a 31-10 loss to the Browns on Oct. 12, the Steelers realized that their offense needed to be retuned if they were going to make a run in the competitive AFC North. The Steelers defense -- nicked by injuries and integrating new players -- was no longer the concrete wall it used to be. The Steelers needed more from their offense if they were going to start collecting wins -- an imperative that has been on Pittsburgh's agenda since the summer, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger told NFL.com:

"It's no secret Pittsburgh is dominated by the Steel Curtain, and rightfully so," Roethlisberger said in an interview this week. "I wanted it to be a challenge to the offensive coaches and the offensive players and myself: Why can't they talk about our offense, as well?"

Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley has simplified the team's offense and it has allowed rookies such as Martavis Bryant, right, to increase production.Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press 

No reason at all, it seems.

After a little fine-tuning by offensive coordinator Todd Haley, Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense have exploded. Pittsburgh carries a three-game winning streak into MetLife Stadium today to face the Jets with Big Ben fresh off setting an NFL record by tossing six touchdown passes in two consecutive games. In those contests, Roethlisberger has completed 75.6 percent of his passes for 862 yards and no interceptions. 

Pre-snap motion has helped to craft the Steelers offense into one of the most potent units in the NFL. Instead of designing complicated formations to force mismatches or baffle defenders, Haley has used an age-old technique to give Roethlisberger a good guess at what's coming. The MMQB's Peter King describes the effect:

Now the Steelers have stripped it down and simplified everything for everybody, including Roethlisberger. They are running motion more to give Roethlisberger a coverage indicator before the snap. If a defender goes with the motion, it's man to man. If he doesn't, it's zone. And not having to call plays on the fly with the no huddle, and instead running what Haley is calling, is giving Roethlisberger more time to survey the field, change plays if need be and pick out advantageous matchups to target. Letting Ben be Ben and not trying to trick the defense as often has allowed the Steelers be much more workmanlike in their approach, and it's working very well.

By moving away from the no-huddle and embracing a more deliberate pace, the Steelers have also been able to protect their defense by eating up more of the game clock. Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"Some of these teams we're playing with offenses that possess it and hold it, we want to say let's slow it down a bit, possess it longer and see if we can keep our time of possession way up. So it's a two-sided thing."

Andy Benoit, King's colleague at The MMQB, writes that we are now seeing a new Roethlisberger. In the past, Roethlisberger has been lauded as a playmaker -- scrambling, throwing off balance, keeping plays alive by avoiding (and sometimes dragging) on-rushing defenders. Now, according to Benoit, he deserves praise for his anticipation as a passer:

Roethlisberger has been throwing with near-perfect anticipation, not just against zone coverage (where we tend to think of anticipation passing) but also man-to-man (where the greats truly thrive). His timing and rhythm have been exquisite. Best of all, he hasn't gotten away from being Big Ben, either. There have been a handful of remarkable play extensions and improvisations from the 11th-year veteran. But mostly there's just been smart, fundamentally sharp quarterbacking. This didn't use to be the case, but Roethlisberger's game has stabilized--matured, if you will--in recent years.  

The Steelers offer a sharp contrast to a Jets team that has lost eight consecutive games and shown an inability to adjust offensively. The benching of second-year quarterback Geno Smith in favor of Michael Vick has not changed much for a scuffling passing attack. 

Some of the Jets' problems, particularly their lack of weapons in the passing game, can be traced back to the offseason. During the draft, the Jets passed on selecting wide receiver Martavis Bryant -- who has played a major role in Pittsburgh's recent surge and now has five touchdown receptions for the Steelers this season -- in favor of Jalen Saunders, who has since been cut by the team, and Shaq Evans, who has been injured all season. 

No wonder, as the Jets practiced this week, an airplane circled the field tugging a banner that read "Fire John Idzik."

Watch Pat Kirwan and Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com preview today's Steelers-Jets matchup:

Headlines

• Tony Romo was back at practice this week, and it seems his back injury has recovered sufficiently for the quarterback to start against the Jaguars today. (via Dallas Morning News)

The pain of a back injury has not prevented Tony Romo from practicing this week.Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press 

• Aaron Rodgers is nursing a hamstring injury but isn't expected to miss the Packers' game against the Bears. (via ProFootballTalk.com)

• At Ray Rice's appeal hearing this week, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said Rice told NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that he struck his wife during a June 16 meeting. (via ESPN.com)

• Raiders owner Mark Davis met with officials from San Antonio Friday to discuss moving the team to Texas. (via CSNBayArea.com)

• Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy, who has been on the NFL's exempt list since Sept. 17 with a domestic violence case pending, says he hopes to return this season. (via ESPN.com)

• Titans president Tommy Smith said he is unhappy with the team's play this season but didn't signal that head coach Ken Whisenhunt is in danger of losing his job. (via The Tennessean)

• After a plea agreement this week connected to a charge of reckless injury to a child, Adrian Peterson was notified by the NFL that the case is being reviewed under the NFL's personal conduct policy. (via ESPN.com)

• The Lions return this week from a bye, but the club isn't sure when defensive lineman Nick Fairley will return from a sprained knee. (via MLive.com)

Who they're picking

• ESPN.com's crew of experts predict the Dolphins will knock off the Lions in Detroit this today.

• The FoxSports.com folks eye (almost unanimously) the Saints holding home field agains the 49ers.

• With Mark Sanchez under center, SI.com's Don Banks sees the Eagles flying past the Panthers.

• Pete Prisco, the CBSSports.com guru, thinks the Bills will top the Chiefs. 

• NFL.com experts think the Buccaneers have a chance to avenge an early-season blowout loss to the Falcons in today's rematch.

What they're saying

Bengals running back Jeremy Hill doesn't think too highly of the Browns, even after Cincinnati was stomped by Cleveland 24-3 on Thursday. (AP Photo/David Kohl) 

• The Browns moved into a first-place tie in the AFC North with Thursday night's 24-3 victory over the Bengals. After the game, Bengals running Jeremy Hill still wasn't impressed by the Browns: (via ESPN.com)

"They're probably worse than I thought, to be honest with you. They didn't do anything special to me. I mean, respect to them, they won the game. But that's all I'll give them."

Browns safety Dante Whitner responded to the barbs from Hill on Friday: (via Cleveland.com)

"You know, that's a rookie, so you can't really take his words as anything other than pure ignorance and being a sore loser."

• The Giants have lost three consecutive games and face the Seahawks today. At 3-5, a difficult season may get tougher yet. Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul took a stab at what's gone wrong this season: (via NJ.com)

"There's a lot of talk going on, but at the end of the day it's about heart. I can sit here and talk to you all, but at the end of the day its about the individual and what he has going on. It's definitely missing. Out of a lot of guys. We'll get it together."

• If developing an NFL quarterback is like raising a child, then Braylon Edwards thinks the Jets mishandled the growth of Mark Sanchez, who will start for the Eagles on Monday night: (via NJ.com)

"You have to remember that Mark was 20 years old when he was drafted. He was a kid. They babied him, and never allowed him to man-up in the NFL, which is a league full of men."

No. 3 Auburn is among the handful of one-loss teams to drop a second game

The carnage could have been much, much worse Saturday.

Utah fumbled away its best shot at an upset of Oregon at the goal line. Alabama escaped an upset by LSU with an unlikely tying field goal drive and a winning touchdown in overtime.

Those were the lucky survivors. We saw four teams with one or fewer losses pick up another defeat Saturday -- notably No. 3 Auburn.

Here's the rundown and where we stand:

Who lost

Four one-loss teams fell, most likely eliminating them from College Football Playoff consideration:

• No. 3 Auburn lost to unranked Texas A&M, 41-38
• No. 7 Kansas State lost to No. 6 TCU, 41-20
• No. 8 Michigan State lost to No. 14 Ohio State, 49-37
• No. 10 Notre Dame lost to No. 9 Arizona State, 55-31

Who's left

Of the 12 teams that are either undefeated or have one loss, 10 have a reasonable shot at the playoffs. With three regular-season weeks left, it's not inconceivable that enough one-loss teams might lose that a two-loss team could still figure into the playoff picture.

Here are our three undefeated teams:

• No. 1 Mississippi State (9-0), which beat Tennessee-Martin, 45-16
• No. 2 Florida State (9-0), which beat Virginia, 34-20
• Marshall (9-0), which beat Southern Mississippi, 63-17, but has no real shot at the playoff due to a lack of a quality wins

And here are the nine remaining one-loss teams:

• No. 4 Oregon (9-1), which beat No. 17 Utah, 51-27
• No. 5 Alabama (8-1), which beat No. 16 LSU, 20-13 in overtime
• No. 6 TCU (8-1), which beat No. 7 Kansas State, 41-20
• No. 9 Arizona State (8-1), which beat No. 10 Notre Dame, 55-31
• No. 12 Baylor (8-1), which beat No. 15 Oklahoma, 48-14
• No. 13 Nebraska (8-1), which had a bye
• No. 14 Ohio State (8-1), which beat No. 8 Michigan State, 49-37
• No. 22 Duke (8-1), which beat Syracuse, 27-10
• Colorado State (9-1), which beat Hawaii, 49-22, but has no real shot at the playoffs because of a lack of quality wins

Who will be in the Top 4?

With No. 3 Auburn going down, one would expect Oregon to bump up a spot and either No. 5 Alabama or No. 6 TCU to move up

Who impressed?

Perhaps the most impressive performances were from the pair from the Big 12.

Baylor scored 45 unanswered points to completely dominate Oklahoma on the road. We associated Baylor with big passing numbers, but they played great defense and have an impressive running game against the Sooners.

TCU dominated its game against a good Kansas State team thanks to a four-touchdown performance (one passing, three rushing) by Heisman Trophy candidate Trevone Boykin.

Also, keep an eye on Arizona State, which has beaten USC, Stanford, Washington, Utah and Notre Dame in its last five outings.

Hero

There isn't a more improved player in college football this season than Ohio State's J.T. Barrett. In the Buckeyes' upset win over Michigan State Saturday, he passed for 300 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 86 yards and two more scores. 

Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett threw for three touchdowns and ran for two in Ohio State's 49-37 win.Carlos Osorio/Associated Press 

One has to wonder how much influence Barrett's story will have on the selection committee. Ohio State's one loss was a 35-21 disaster against Virginia Tech on Sept. 6 in Barrett's first start.

The redshirt freshman was forced into action after a season-ending injury to Braxton Miller the week before, and was terrible against Virginia Tech -- 9-for-29 with three interceptions.

Now, he's third in the nation in passing efficiency.

Survivors

If there was a player as impressive as Barrett Saturday, it was Heisman Trophy frontrunner Marcus Mariota, who threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth in the rout of Utah.

Don't let the final score fool you. The Utes had a 7-0 lead that was about to be 14-0 when Utah's Kaelin Clay dropped the ball before crossing the goal line on what should have been a 79-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown.

Quarterback Marcus Mariota led Oregon to a big road win at Utah this weekend.Rick Bowmer/Associated Press 

After the ball was fumbled around a bit, the Ducks' Joe Walker picked it up and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown.

Utah had dominated to that point, but the fumble turned the game. Oregon pulled away with 24 fourth quarter points.

At LSU, Alabama scrambled to drive 55 yards in 50 seconds without a timeout. The helter-skelter drive set up a tying field goal. Only in overtime did Alabama avoid its second loss.

What's next

After six games matching ranked teams this coming week, we'll have some interesting showdowns. The big one's in the SEC, where Mississippi State and Alabama meet in Tuscaloosa with the Bulldogs hoping to clinch a share of the SEC West title.

Ohio State has tough follow-up to the Michigan State win at 7-2 Minnesota. Nebraska goes to No. 25 Wisconsin and Florida State goes on the road to face a 6-3 Miami team that has won three straight by an average margin of 24 points.

From a fumble recovery to third-down catches to a third-down pass breakup, Ohio State made multiple plays to swing the game their way.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Ohio State dropped 568 yards and 49 points on Michigan State on Saturday night with a gameplan that knew what it wanted to do, and a quarterback in J.T. Barrett who knew how to put it in motion.

A 79-yard touchdown pass to Michael Thomas on a slant and a 44-yard touchdown to Devin Smith on a deep ball down the middle of the field within 2:23 of each other late in the second quarter swung the game for the Buckeyes, who took a lead they'd never give up in a 49-37 win. But in a game of crucial bounces, there were plays all over the place that turned the tide. The Buckeyes missed out on some chances, but they also capitalized on several plays, especially these five, none of which created points but helped lead to them.

1. Cam Burrows' recovery of Dontre Wilson's fumble on a kickoff return: Ohio State was trailing 14-7 with 6:08 left in the first quarter, having just allowed a one-play, 33-yard touchdown after muffing a punt, when Wilson lost the ball on the kickoff. It rolled straight to backup safety Cam Burrows, who fell on the ball at the 28-yardline. Ohio State didn't score on the drive, but the Buckeyes were able to punt the ball away and force the Spartans to start their next possession on their own 7-yardline.

If the fumble had rolled to the Spartans, Michigan State would have been given a short field again off a special teams error with the chance to go up by two touchdowns. That would have been a tremendous early momentum swing. As it was, the Spartans never led by more than seven points. When Wilson did fumble and lose the ball on a return in the second quarter, the Spartans also didn't score. But we'll get to that.

2. Devin Smith's 43-yard catch on third-and-23: Maybe the best throw of J.T. Barrett's young career, and best catch of Smith's long career, kept alive an eventual OSU touchdown drive in the second quarter that tied the game at 14.

Michigan State admitted it couldn't have defended the play any better, as Barrett nestled the throw right over Smith's shoulder. The senior, he of the one-handed touchdown catches, made the adjustment to catch the ball over his head like an outfielder. If they hadn't connected, Ohio State would have punted from its 36-yardline. Instead, the Buckeyes knotted the game five plays later early in the second quarter.

3. Michigan State's hold on Jeremy Langford's second-quarter touchdown run: The Spartans' running back rolled in from 11 yards out with four minutes left before halftime, giving the Spartans a 28-14 lead.

But the play was nullified by a hold on Michigan State center Jack Allen. He pulled and committed the penalty on Ohio State freshman defensive end Jalyn Holmes on the edge. The block helped spring Langford, but if Allen had just missed the block, Michigan State would have had a veteran running back in the open field against a first-year OSU backup.

Even if Langford hadn't scored, he may have picked up the three yards needed for a first down. If he hadn't, Michigan State would have lined up for a shorter field goal, something inside 30 yards, instead of the 38-yarder Michael Geiger missed after an MSU incompletion on third-and-13 after the 10-yard penalty.

This was the drive that started after Wilson did lose that other fumble on a kickoff return. In that moment when it looked like a score, Ohio State was in major trouble. The next moment, with two long TDs in three minutes, the Buckeyes were in control.

4. Evan Spencer's third-down catch on the go-ahead drive: The Buckeyes were 10 of 14 on third down, and beyond the 43-yarder, the next biggest third-down catch was made by Spencer.

A year ago in the Big Ten Championship against Michigan State, Spencer dropped a third-and-6 pass from Braxton Miller along the sideline that hit him in the hands. Down by three near midfield, the drop ended an OSU drive and forced the Buckeyes to punt with just over 10 minutes to play.

Saturday, Spencer made that same catch, along the sideline, on third-and-2 late in the second half. On a drive set up by Jalin Marshall's 26-yard punt return, this was the only third-down conversion Ohio State needed to go five plays and 64 yards to take their first lead at 28-21 on the Smith deep ball.

If Spencer had dropped this one, Ohio State would have been forced into a punt near midfield again and would have gone into halftime either tied or behind, rather than with a lead the Buckeyes would never surrender.

5. Doran Grant's pass breakup on third down in the third quarter: Michigan State got the ball to start the third quarter down seven and immediately started to march down the field. The Spartans gained nearly as many yards as the Buckeyes, 568 to 536, and weren't stopping here with the game very much in question.

MSU quarterback Connor Cook converted his first two third-down throws on the drive, but from the Ohio State 23-yardline on third and seven, Grant was there.

The senior cornerback, who played well all night, broke up a pass intended for Macgarrett Kings and forced the Spartans into a 40-yard field goal. That cut the OSU lead to four points, but Grant's play, one of his two pass breakups, made sure the Spartans didn't get even.

Ohio State is ranked fifth out of the eight one-loss teams from power conferences.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Where does Ohio State fit in the playoff picture?

The only answer that matters is what the College Football Selection Committee says on Tuesday night. No. 14 in that 12-member group's ranking last week, the Buckeyes will certainly move up after their 49-37 win over Michigan State on Saturday, probably landing somewhere between No. 6 and No. 9.

Sunday brought the first indications of how people view Ohio State after the first win over a top 10 team in Urban Meyer's three seasons.

In the coaches poll, Ohio State checked in at No. 7. Ahead of the 8-1 Buckeyes are two undefeated teams in No. 1 Mississippi State and No. 2 Florida and four one-loss teams - No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Oregon, No. 5 TCU and No. 6 Baylor.

The Buckeyes are among eight one-loss teams from Power 5 conferences. The only teams from that group ranked behind Ohio State are No. 8 Arizona State, No. 11 Nebraska and No. 19 Duke.

There are no two-loss teams ahead of the Buckeyes. That wasn't the case in the playoff poll last week, when two-loss Ole Miss checked in ahead of Ohio State.

Whether Ole Miss or any other two-loss teams, like Auburn, are ahead of Ohio State in the committee rankings, will be a big test of how much perception shifted after a win like this.

Ohio State cornerback Doran Grant was given the task of stopping the Big Ten's leading receiver on Saturday night, and did his part to help the Buckeyes to a win over Michigan State.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Ohio State cornerback Doran Grant let out a little chuckle when asked about his matchup against Michigan State receiver Tony Lippett.

Grant loved it. It was made all the more enjoyable by the fact that Grant stopped the Big Ten's leading receiver from having any kind of noticeable impact during the Buckeye's 49-37 win on Saturday night in Spartan Stadium.

"He was chirping off at the mouth in the beginning, but as the game started going he was like, 'hold up,'" Grant said. "I never let it faze me. He's a great player, obviously, the leading receiver in the Big Ten, it was a great battle out there."

With Grant covering him on almost every snap, Lippett finished with five catches for 64 yards and zero touchdowns. The yards were the lowest for Lippett this season since a week four win over Eastern Michigan.

It was only the second time this season he's been held without a touchdown.

"They came out there prepared," Lippett said. "I would just say they're more prepared this year. They came out there aggressive and not just trying to hold on."

That's the plan with this new Ohio State defense. The Buckeyes allowed 358 passing yards, but they contested a lot of Spartan quarterback Connor Cook's 45 throws, finishing with eight pass breakups.

They weren't going to let Lippett beat them, which is why they had Grant shadow him for most of the game.

Grant typically plays the boundary corner position regardless of the matchup. On Saturday, Grant was Lippett's shadow, following him all over the field and making sure he never got a chance for a a game-breaker.

"I just feel like it's a good opportunity for me," Grant said. "The coaching staff put me in that position, I just had to do my job."

"It meant a lot. It meant I've showed them something over the years, and over this season. They felt like I could do it and I felt like I did pretty well tonight."

• The Buckeyes set a conference record with their 21st consecutive Big Ten regular season victory.

• Ohio State's 568 yards of total offense marked the sixth time this season that the Buckeyes have had at least 500 yards of offense. It was nearly 300 yards more than the Spartans' season average. Michigan State came into the game ranked fifth in the nation in total defense, but fell to No. 10 after Saturday.

• Urban Meyer has long talked about the importance of a fast start. The Buckeyes have outscored opponents 214-59 in the first half this season.

• With five touchdowns on Saturday, J.T. Barrett is now responsible for 34 touchdowns this season. He needs three more to break the Buckeyes season record set by Braxton Miller last year.

• Ohio State is 20-0 when Devin Smith catches a touchdown pass.

• The Buckeyes have won 12 straight road games, the longest streak in the country.

Ohio State beat Michigan State 49-37 on Saturday night. See what Urban Meyer and Mark Dantonio had to say after the game.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A complete transcript of Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio's postgame news conference after the Buckeyes' 49-37 win on Saturday night.

Urban Meyer

Opening Statement: Thanks for coming. I want to give the fans here a little shout out. This is a great environment to come watch a game. I told Coach Dantonio they've got a great team. Great opportunity for two good football teams to go play and I'm very proud of our guys. A young team grew up tonight. I told them in there that the future is extremely bright here at Ohio State. A bunch of young players out there playing that acted like older players. Really, really proud of them. I'll answer any questions.

On his emotions after the game with his wife: Me and Shelly have a bunch of moments together. I've been married 25 years. We won here a couple years ago. This is a tough place to play. That's an excellent defense out there and a lot went into this. We can't exhale very long. We go on the road next week against a team that whooped Iowa. So, we had a great moment there.

On the big plays from the OSU offense: Their offense, that's what is different about the team we just played. As opposed to two years ago, this is a dynamic offense. I think he had 300 yards against us, the quarterback is terrific and the receiving crew. I don't spend a lot of time watching opponent's offenses, but every Wednesday I do and I was like my goodness, I didn't realize how good their skill had become in the last couple years. We had to answer each of one of their hits and we did. JT, boy is he playing well. He was 16-of-26, 300 yards throwing and very accurate on the deep balls. Also Devin Smith, that's his best game that we've had in the past three years. He's one of the best, if not the best, deep ball players we've ever had. He tracks the ball very well. Once again, we answered their hit when we had to.

On the play of the OSU offensive line: Terrific. Billy Price is a guy that gave up a sack early in the game. Early in the year, we had a little problem where freshmen linemen were playing like freshmen linemen and he (Price) grew up tonight. Taylor Decker is the leader of that whole crew. When you get that kind of yardage against a defense like that, it all starts with an offensive line driven team. Tom Herman did a nice job in that locker room, crediting the offensive linemen with all those yards.

On the aggressive style of offense vs. the MSU defense: That kind of defense forces you to go over the top. Any time they play press quarters as they call it, very similar to what we play, they force you to go over the top. We felt like we had some matchups somehwere, we would take that shot. We had that planned really at the start of last year. We went into the Big Ten Championship game and just missed on some of those. Remember we threw it down the field, and we just missed. And this year, we hit them.

On if he considers OSU a playoff team: I don't know enough. I think it is. I love my team. I haven't studied the other teams really. If I have to go fight for this team, what they've done is very impressive. That loss the second game hurts us. I'll take the hit for that, because that was a young team that's playing at an extremely high level right now.

On what tonight's win means to his players: This is one for the ages. That's how much respect we had for our opponent going into it. We saw what they did. They had one loss and were actually winning that game until it got away from them somehow out in Oregon. We played a top-10 team and we really played our best and on the road. Once again, I look at our players and I see how many young guys are playing for us that are going to be around here for awhile. So, the future's pretty bright."

On the timing of tonight's win: I'm glad we got to play in prime time. GameDay was here, I'm glad everybody got to see the Ohio State Buckeyes. Because this is a different Buckeye team than it was early in the season. When you have six or seven true freshmen starting for you, we're a much different team. This team right now is playing on a very, very high level. I'm not sure what all that means other than we got to get ready to play next week.

Mark Dantonio

Opening statement: I would like to congratulate Ohio State for a great football game. Especially Barrett. I thought he played very, very well. 100 yards plus rushing, 300 yards passing. They played extremely well. So congratulate them.

From our standpoint, I think the game, even with three or four minutes to go in the first half, they fumbled a kick off return after we score. We got a chance. We go in for a touchdown. Get a holding call. Makes it 28 14, but he takes it off the board and we miss the field goal.

So the next play is a 79-yard touchdown. So it goes from 28 14 to 21 21, and all of a sudden momentum just flipped. I thought it was pretty equal back and forth.

So, we got to try and counter that. We came out in the second half, I thought we did. But the bottom line was we didn't stop them, we couldn't stop them. And we got to evaluate that and say, was that physical sometimes? Yeah. Was that structural sometimes? Probably yeah. And was that mental sometimes? Maybe we didn't get the correct adjustment or whatever the cause was.

So, have to play better in that area. Offensively, I thought we played pretty well. Two times on fourth down, we decided to go for it, which I thought it above been a long field goal. We didn't come away with production there.

So when you look at those things, that would be the downfall of that area. But I think our guys kept playing. That was the important thing to me that we keep playing, we keep our head up, and it's a game, it's a disappointment. We had big hopes.

And in this football game, great stage, great environment, great fans, everything you want in a college football game. I thought it was a great game. But at the end of the day we got beat and that's what life is. So we regroup, we move forward, and that's what we have always done. So I'll take questions.

After the holding penalty call after the touchdown, the cameras caught you shaking your head there as if you kind of knew you had just given away a great opportunity. What's going through your mind in a moment like that when you give away points like that? Well, I saw - you mean when we missed the field goal? Or after the hold? Yeah. Things are happening very fast out there. So I'm not sure, I didn't see the replay on the hold itself.

But bottom line is they called the hold and we didn't get seven. And it backed us up. And we didn't overcome that and we missed the field goal on the next play. And then I forget really what happened.

They got the ball at the 50 and put number 9 in the slot, didn't recognize it, boom, we're in cover one, and the safeties had to get over to go seam to seam, it was a touchdown, it was a great throw. A great throw, great catch, and speed of the receiver. So, all of a sudden they were up by seven.

I think that was a big part of the game, but I think we came out and responded in the second half. We were right there.

But a 13 play drive, in the third quarter, where they hit it was third-and-23 and they hit the fade. I think Hicks had him covered, had him cut off, ball was thrown over the back shoulder there. Great catch by Smith, great throw by Barrett.

So, yeah, they make the conversion, Third and 23, they were getting off the field, and I think we were still - I can't remember what the score was, but we were right there.

Pat talked about Barrett's accuracy being a bit of a surprise. Anything else they did offensively that caught you off guard? Yeah, I think that - I'm not real sure, because we haven't seen film, obviously. But I think they had some different formation things.

Because they ran the ball more effectively and that's positive for them. I'm not dissing them, but I thought they ran the ball more effectively with their tailback runs than we were expecting.

Credit their offense a lot. We had two sacks, but they kept them off of him. They play actioned it and got the ball out really quick. Really, offensively, they didn't have any turnovers. They had a turnover on the punt and the kick off return. So offensively, I thought they played extremely well. So credit them. Good plan by their coaches.

In the Big Ten Championship game there was a period in the third quarter where they had similar momentum and were rolling around and you guys stopped that. Is that something that this defense maybe doesn't quite have the same feel for or is it more just the difference of scheme and talent and situations? I don't know about that. We played pretty well. But we gave up some explosive plays, too many big plays. When that happens, it's tough to win. Those plays sometimes are made by inches.

So that's the game we play and, but, it's tough to evaluate all those things until I think you see the film and you study it and see what happened.

Did Barrett play better than you expected, better than you had seen him on film at this point? I thought he threw the ball, I thought his arm strength was very, very good out there. I thought he was very accurate. You look at - he throws the ball for 300 yards and rushes for 100 more. And he played very, very well. He threw the ball well.

And I think, again, they're playing this good, they play actioned us and in the pass sets sometimes there was draws and things of that nature. And they played very well as well. They ran the big option play, he goes out gate, and that's uncharacteristic, and then they hit another one, too.

On Ohio State getting to the edge of the field: Well, that's the thing that we have to evaluate. For me, especially on the field, it's very hard to see, but there's certain things where they should not have got the edge. They cracked our safeties some, our backers, and we didn't support off that crack and they got the edge on the defense a couple times. But probably have to watch and see. But they outflanked us. One of the times, I know it was structural, we missed a tackle, just had the defense read the other way. But it's tough to see without the film.

This is your biggest adversity of the season, you don't do it tonight at midnight, but how do you move forward now when you had so much to play for? Well, it's a disappointment in your life. We're going to have a lot of disappointments in our lives. That's what we talk about all the time. It's going to be how you respond to those disappointments. Are you going to hang your head and go south or are you going to get up and play better and are you going to get better because of it and how you handle yourself after a loss.

Very easy to coach, be a head coach up here after a win. Everybody's happy, everybody's happy with you. But how you respond after the fact is to me sometimes more important. How we grow on every experience is just as critical. And so that's what we'll look for and that's our deal.

This is important, I don't want to say this is not important, with all the TV cameras and all the people, but this was a game and as long as our players will play as hard as they can play and play with effort, we're going to deal with it.

I felt that they did that and they kept playing through it and even at the end of the game we kept trying to push it.

So, congratulate them, move on, let's get things back in order here and we'll go next week. We can't feel sorry for ourselves. We have a chance to play and try to get number 8.

You talked about trying to keep the playoff talk away from your players and things like that. Do you think any of that: I do.

But do you think any of the outside stuff affected them? I don't. We focused on this game. We had Ohio State coming in here. We understand the ramifications of everything, playing them, they got a food football team. I knew that there would be a push from them, based on last year, that they would be an emotional football team. I thought they would push back. I thought it was important to respond to that push back and play through it and come out the other end and regain momentum, basically.

I thought we did that at times and I think the biggest turning point was that big 13 point swing in there. The way you look at, it might be even a bigger swing than that, at the end of the half. We had three minutes to go in the half, we go in 28 14 there's a different feel, there's a different, there's a little bit more like, okay, we got them. But they get two big plays in that three minutes and so you deal with it.

You kind of alluded to it, can you talk a little bit with a what revenge I guess is a motivator could be for a team when what happened in the Big Ten championship last game last year? I think everybody was trying to measure up in football or any sport or anything that you do, they're trying to measure up. Sometimes measuring up creates that drive and I'm sure that was their, of course, their MO. They wanted to come in and play well and win.

But that has nothing to do with us. That's them. Okay? How we respond to that and how we handle ourselves all has to do with us.

So that's what happens in every football game. That's coaching, that's psychology at its finest, that's, you know, team, all that kind of stuff. Team chemistry, team leadership, all those kind of things.

So it's a loss in November, it was not fun. It's a drive in November for the championship, that's not fun. It's disappointing. But you better get back to doing what you're supposed to do and get better yourself. You can't feel sorry yourself, there's no question about that. You just have to keep pushing through.

You mentioned the likelihood that this ends your hopes for a college football playoff appearance. What do you think about that? I didn't mention that. I didn't say that.

Okay. All right. Well, what do you think about the way that the four team playoff has made us look at these games every weekend and turning these types of games into potential elimination? Is it good for college football, do you think it's healthy? Do you enjoy it?: I don't think it's any different than the BCS. No difference. It generates conversation. It's good for everybody. It generates conversation. You guys have something to do during the week.

So, but the bottom line is, if you win your conference, you win your division, you win your championship game in your conference, good things are going to happen for you.

And that's the way it happened last year. So we had a great season last year and we're going to have a good season this year.

Now that you played them, what are the biggest differences between this team and the one that you beat last year in Indianapolis? I'm not sure. I'm not sure without watching the film. They're both - the team last year was a good football team. But we played better defensively, we didn't give up as many deep balls in that football game.

I think that the bottom line last year was the quarterback hurt us scrambling the football, he didn't really hurt us running the football. He was scrambling and getting out and taking a bad play and making a good one. And then Carlos (Hyde), you know, he goes for a period of time and then we were able to stop that.

So in this situation tonight, we didn't get off the field, I don't think, with a three and out, which is uncharacteristic. They controlled the ball. We did not own the possession time, which is a little bit even more misstating, because there was some big plays there that didn't take long.

And they won the turnover battle. Which I think we were, when we're plus 2, we're 31 2 when we're plus two. We didn't win it this week. So those type of things. That's a very good football team and that's all I can tell you.

On the rest of the season: No, I think you play it out. Right now the most important thing is that we only have one loss in the Big Ten and an important thing right now is, don't get two. And that's what we can control. We're a one loss team right now. Don't get two losses.

And that starts tomorrow. So we will regroup and I think that should be what sports teaches you. Somebody is going to win, somebody's going to lose. And we'll learn this side of the lesson right now.

But that's life. I'm not going to sit here and be depressed about it. So, we'll move forward. Thank you, guys.

See OHSAA football playoff locations for all regional semifinals being played throughout Ohio.

See OHSAA football playoff locations for all regional semifinals being played throughout Ohio.

Ohio State's offensive line played its best game in a benchmark showdown with Michigan State.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Ohio State offensive tackle Taylor Decker said Saturday night's game against Michigan State would finally be the true benchmark of where the Buckeyes offensive line stands.

We've heard that before this season.

After allowing just two sacks and plowing the way for 568 yards of total offense against the No. 5 defense in the country, it seems the line, and Urban Meyer, finally got the performance they were looking for up front.

"When you get that kind of yardage against a defense like that, it all starts with an offensive line driven team," Meyer said after the Buckeyes' 49-37 win. "Tom Herman did a nice job in that locker room, crediting the offensive linemen with all those yards."

It wasn't all perfect, left guard Billy Price got beat for a sack, but Meyer said Price rebounded nicely from that play and "grew up" during Saturday night's game.

Decker got called for a hands to the face penalty against Spartans defensive end Shilique Calhoun, but that was a rare blunder in Decker's matchup with the player voted the Big Ten's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

"I just thought it was a good opportunity to show how we've improved," Decker said. "Prior to this game the offensive line hadn't played particularly well for a full game against a really good opponent. To be able to see that growth and maturation of some of the guys was great."

The line protected quarterback J.T. Barrett, who in turn had his best game of the season. When the Buckeyes needed tough yards for first downs, the line got the necessary push.

"They're amazing," running back Ezekiel Elliott said. "It's really easy to do anything when those holes are that big you can drive trucks through them. I love my big fellas. They're the drum majors of our offense."

2. On a day when Joey Bosa was effectively neutralized, Michael Bennett picked up the slack. Bennett had a game-high two tackles for loss and had a nice pass break-up on a screen play. He finished with four tackles.

3. Doran Grant still believes in Gareon Conley. Conley got picked on by Michigan State during the Spartans' first two drives, giving up a deep ball, a big run and a touchdown. He was pulled after that for Eli Apple, who was battling a hamstring injury this week and ceded his starting cornerback spot to Conley.

"We just told him keep his head up," Grant said. "He's a great ball player, that's why he's here. I don't doubt him at all. We're gonna hug him up, and he's gonna get better."

4. There aren't many blemishes that stand out, but one that does is the botched punt return by the Buckeyes in the first quarter. It was a weird in-between punt, but Jalin Marshall needs to stay away from that ball and make sure his teammates do too. Michigan State scored on the first play after the punt, but luckily for the Buckeyes the miscue wasn't a game-changer.

5. I'm tired.

Dion Waiters said he never invoked religion as the reason he missed the national anthem Wednesday night, a statement contradicted by several of his past statements.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters said Sunday he never invoked religion as the reason he missed the national anthem prior to Wednesday's game in Utah, contradicting several previous statements Waiters made over the past 72 hours.

Waiters, who is a Muslim, told reporters after Cleveland's practice Sunday that he was not on the floor for the national anthem prior to the game in Utah because he had gone into the locker room as part of his "normal routine" and "and it just took longer than what" it normally takes.

"It had nothing to do with my religious beliefs, at all," Waiters said Sunday.

Waiters initially told the Northeast Ohio Media Group on Friday before the Cavaliers' game in Denver that he had missed the national anthem two nights earlier "because of my religion. That's why I stayed in the locker room."

Waiters' initial response could've been problematic for several reasons. In 1996, the NBA suspended Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf one game for refusing to stand for the national anthem, citing his Muslim faith.

The Cavaliers' coach David Blatt is Jewish and his family lives in Israel. Blatt had removed Waiters from the staring lineup and placed him in a reserve role Wednesday, the same night Waiters missed the national anthem.

There would also be the potential for a backlash from some fans, fair or not, given the United States' decades of military battles in the Middle East and the attacks against Americans on Sept. 11, 2001 and Sept. 11, 2012 (at the American embassy in Libya).

Waiters expressed his American patriotism at least three times on Sunday, and he said he had suggested to Blatt that he come off the bench.

"I love my country, I love the United States of America, I'd rather be here than any place else," Waiters said. "It was a big misunderstanding on both parts."

But Waiters' basic explanation for why he missed the national anthem continues to evolve.

After the Northeast Ohio Media Group broke the story Friday prior to the Cavaliers' game in Denver, reporters followed up with Waiters following that game to ask him why he missed the national anthem Wednesday.

"It's my religion. I don't really want to talk about that. I want to talk about basketball. I'm not being rude, but, you know."

On Saturday, Waiters spoke to the Northeast Ohio Media Group to clarify that while he would continue his "routine" (which both he and the news outlet had agreed included prayer and mediation) he did not intend to miss the national anthem in the future.

And on Sunday he said his pregame routine had nothing to do with religion.

When reporters said to Waiters on Sunday that he had interjected his faith into the discussion, Waiters first denied that and then said: "I don't know, I ain't sure. If I did, I did. But it had nothing to do with the national anthem."

Blatt said Sunday he talked to Waiters and "a little too much has been made out of that."

"Dion will be out for the national anthem on a daily basis and we're ready to move forward from there," Blatt said.

The Waiters saga was perhaps the most bizarre moment in a crazy, trying week for the Cavaliers. During a three-game Western road trip, they lost two games, star LeBron James was purposefully passive in the loss to Portland to try and prove a point to Waiters and Kyrie Irving, and James issued some sort of challenge to Irving in the locker room after that game. Both James and Irving denied the exchange.

"Crazy week? I would say that that's a stretch," Blatt said. "We had a small change, which is common in the dynamic of team sports. We decided to bring a guy off the bench as opposed to starting, and I don't think that qualifies as being exceptional.

"As far as a discussion between the leader of our team and another player, which was probably well overblown in terms of the significance of it, was no big issue."

Waiters is questionable for Monday's home game against New Orleans because of a lower back contusion suffered after a hard foul Denver's Darrell Arthur, who was suspended for a game Saturday by the NBA for the foul.

The Cavaliers also confirmed a Northeast Ohio Media Group report from days ago that back-up guard Matthew Dellavedova would miss four-to-six weeks with a sprained ligament in his left knee.

Kaminski is a two-time state placer.

Kaminski is a two-time state placer.

Will MLB's pace-of-game experiment in the Arizona Fall League find its way to the big leagues?

PHOENIX, Ariz. – A scientist needs a laboratory. So does Major League Baseball, but does it really need a shot clock?

Welcome to the Arizona Fall League, MLB's test tube for six experimental rules to improve the pace of a baseball game. While the subject of playing baseball like a nitro-powered funny car coming of the line is questionable, games are taking longer.

The average time of a big-league game in 1981 was 2 hours and 33 minutes. This year the Indians average time of game was 3:12 and they weren't close to being the slowest team in the big leagues. Overall, the average time of a game in 2014 was 3:08.

Here are the six of rules MLB's top prospects have been playing under since the AFL season opened Oct. 7.

20-second rule: In the 17 AFL games at Salt River Fields, a clock has been displayed in both dugouts, behind the plate and in the outfield. A pitcher gets 20 seconds to throw each pitch. The batter must be in the box prepared for the pitch during the entire 20-second period. If the batter steps out of the box during the 20-second period, the pitcher may deliver the pitch and the umpire may call a strike, unless the batter was first granted time by the umpire.

The clock will stop only when the pitcher begins his motion to deliver the ball. Beginning the motion of coming to a set position shall be sufficient to stop the clock. If the pitcher maintains possession of the ball without beginning his pitching motion for 20 seconds, the umpire shall call a ball.

This is a condensed version of Rule 8:04 in the baseball rulebook.

Batter's box rule: The batter shall keep at least one foot in the batter's box throughout his at-bat, unless one of a series of established exceptions occurs, in which case the batter may leave the batter's box but not the dirt area surrounding home plate. (Exceptions include a foul ball or a foul tip; a pitch forcing the batter out of the batter's box; "time" being requested and granted; a wild pitch or a passed ball; and several others.)

No-pitch intentional walk: In the event a team decides to intentionally walk a batter, no pitches shall be thrown. Instead, the manager shall signal to the home plate umpire with four fingers.

2:30 inning-break clock: Teams get a 2:30 break between half innings. A clock on each dugout keeps time.

Hitters must be in the batter's box by the 1:45 mark. Umpires can call a strike if they aren't. If a hitter is in the box and ready and the pitcher fails to throw a pitch before he end of 2:30 break, the umpire shall call a ball.

2:30 pitching-change clock: There shall be a maximum 2:30 break for pitching changes, including pitching changes that occur during an inning. The first pitch must be thrown before the conclusion of the 2:30 period or the umpire shall call a ball. The clock shall start when the new pitcher enters the playing field.

Three time-out limit: Each team shall be permitted only three "time out" conferences per game (including extra innings). Such conferences shall include player conferences with the pitcher (including the catcher), manager or coach conferences with the pitcher, and coach conferences with a batter. Conferences during pitching changes, and time outs called as a result of an injury or other emergency, shall not be counted towards this limit.

The shot clock is the flashiest of the new rules. Would it work in the big leagues?

"I don't see the shot clock in the big leagues," said Vance Wilson, manager of the AFL's Peoria Javelinas. "Now you're talking about affecting the outcome of games because the umpire is going to call a strike on a guy because of the clock?"

Wilson is a former big league catcher who is currently managing several Indians prospects on Peoria's roster. The one rule he does like is keeping the batter in the batter's box.

"Keeping the hitter in the box has made all the difference in the world," said Wilson.

Wilson thinks the rule could have a chance of working in the big leagues.

"You hear a lot of people say it will never go over, but when you start affecting sponsorship money (with slow play), which in the end affects revenue, which affects contracts, I think staying in the box could be the one that works," said Wilson.

Dave Wallace, one of Wilson's coaches and the Indians manager at Class AA Akron, was not as enthusiastic.

"It's one thing to tell Francisco Lindor (Indians prospects playing for Peoria) to stay in the box, but it's another to tell David Ortiz to stay in the box," said Wallace.

The shot clock is used only at Salt River Fields, the spring training home of the Rockies and Diamondbacks. Last year the average time for an AFL game was 2:52. In the games played at Salt River Fields this fall, the average game time has been 2:41.

Baseball has always been the game without a clock. At least in the AFL, that is no longer the case.

"I haven't hated the clocks as much as I thought I would," said Wallace.

Wallace thinks the 2:30 deadline between innings and pitching changes has helped the game's pace more than the shot clock.

"The pitchers are getting out there quicker," he said. "They're in more of a hurry to get to the mound and get their warm up pitches in. I'm OK with them having to rush out there, but I'm not OK if the time is so short that they have to rush their warm up pitches."

The one rule that that received the least support has been the limit on mound visits. It has a lot to do with Wilson and Wallace being former catchers.

"We spend so much time with our catchers in teaching them the right time to go to the mound," said Wallace. "The different types of trips you're supposed to make whether it's to stop momentum, give a pitcher a breather or a mechanical trip. That all gets bottled up."

Said Wilson, "That's probably the worst of them."

Tribe prospect Tony Wolters is a catcher for Peoria. He says there is a way around the rule.

"If I go back up first base on a grounder, I can make a little banana route back to the plate and say something to pitcher," said Wolters.

Hitters have routines. The new rule about keeping one foot in the box disrupts that routine.

Wolters likes to knock the dirt off his cleats and take his time before getting stepping into the box.

"It's different," he said. "The umpires are on us to stay in the box. It changes your routine up. I think Salt River is the only place it impacts you. You look at the clock and say, "Oh, shoot, let's go.'"

MLB has had no comment on the pace-of-game data it has collected in the AFL. Perhaps that will change in the months to come.

"I don't think it's something that can be put in place," said Wolters. "I don't think they can do it in the minors because not every team is going to buy timers for their fields."

In the big leagues, where there is money to burn, that would not be a problem. First it must be determined whether the shot clock and its brethren can be fused into the big league game or whether they're just a shot in the dark.

Ohio State's final road game of the 2014 season against Minnesota will kickoff at noon next Saturday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The No. 14 Ohio State Buckeyes play their final road game of the 2014 season on Saturday when they travel to Minnesota for a noon kickoff on ABC.

Don't forget to set your alarm.

BROADCAST ALERT: Ohio State at Minnesota scheduled for a NOON kick Saturday on ABC #GoBucks

— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) November 9, 2014

The Buckeyes (8-1, 5-0 Big Ten ) have played three straight primetime games, including Saturday's 49-37 win over No. 8 Michigan State. The win over the Spartans marked the fourth time this season that Ohio State has played a primetime game. The Buckeyes are 3-1 this season in 8 p.m. kickoffs.

It's been more than a month since Ohio State last played a noon game (though technically Saturday's game in Minneapolis kicks off at 11 a.m. Central Standard Time). The Buckeyes beat Maryland 52-24 in a noon kick on Oct. 4.

Saturday will mark the 14th time the Buckeyes have kicked off at noon under Urban Meyer. They're 13-0, and 3-0 this season, in games with an early kick.

Meyer wasn't very accustomed to to noon kicks before coming to Ohio State. He had a handful of 12:30 p.m. local kicks while at Florida and Utah, but he only coached in six games that kicked off at noon Eastern Standard Time before coming to the Buckeyes.

He's never lost in 19 tries, going 1-0 at Bowling Green and Utah, and 4-0 at Florida.

Now that you're good and confused from all of those numbers, here's our coverage from the Buckeyes' big win over Michigan State:

Ohio State Buckeyes take grasp of Big Ten East Division with 49-37 win over Michigan State Spartans: Instant Recap

Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett does it big, and it actually matters coming vs. Michigan State: Buckeyes Barrett Breakdown

New proof: Ohio State beats Michigan State for the Buckeyes' best regular-season win since 2006

Ohio State football: New things we know after the Buckeyes' 49-37 win over Michigan State (Video)

'We are still the big dogs,' and 7 other must-read quotes after Ohio State's win

Ohio State back in College Football Playoff picture after Michigan State win: Where do Buckeyes fit?

Ohio State football and the joy, relief and freedom of a pure victory celebration

'I've always liked being the underdog': Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett finally thrives in tough situation against Michigan State

Ohio State moves up four spots to No. 7 in coaches poll

Ohio State football notes, quotes and nuggets: CB Doran Grant wins 'battle' with Michigan State's Tony Lippett

Everything Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer and Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said after Buckeyes' 49-37 win

Ohio State's Von Bell regrets Big Ten title game he didn't play in, gets revenge: 5 Ari Wasserman observations

The 5 non-touchdown plays that won the game for Ohio State: 5 Doug Lesmerises observations

Ohio State's offensive line played the complete game it was looking for against Michigan State: 5 Bill Landis pregame observations

LeBron James piled up assists and is drilling his free throws: Joe Vardon recaps the week that was for King James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- When considering LeBron James' apparently new, if however temporary, role as the Cleveland Cavaliers' point forward, keep in mind that James almost always leads his team in assists.

As in, every year James has played in the NBA he's been his team's best, most generous passer, save for his rookie year in Cleveland (more on that in a minute).

In other words, James has led his team in assists for 10 consecutive years, including the last four when he was a part of the Miami Heat's Big Three with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

So it should come as no surprise that James is leading his new team (with a new Big Three of him, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love) with 6.2 assists per game in this young Cavaliers season. He registered 11 assists in a 110-101 win over Denver on Friday night.

And yet, arguably the most notable item from the week that was for James was his passing. There are several reasons, but the biggest is this: The Cavaliers, as a team, didn't do much of it.

Most notably, in Cleveland's 102-100 loss to the Utah Jazz, James collected four of the team's six assists. Six assists tied a franchise low. In a loss to Portland, James had seven of the team's 18 assists.

For the week, James averaged 25 assists per 100 possessions -- if that trend holds, it would be a high for him going back at least five seasons.

The question, of course, is if this is really a trend for James or just a weird week? Here's a look at the percentage of James' team field goals resulting from his assists; his assist-to-turnover ratio; and his assists per 100 possessions dating back to his first year with the Heat, courtesy of NBA.com.         

                  AST.%     AST/TO   AST/100

2014-15        30.7        1.48        19.3 (five games)

2013-14        31.1        1.81        20.6

2012-13        34.4        2.44        23.3

2011-12        31.8        1.82        19.4

2010-11        34.3        1.95        21.2

The point? The role we saw James play this week isn't all that uncommon for him. The more Irving and Co. learn to share the ball -- like they did with 25 assists against Denver, six from Irving -- the less it will feel like James is making a major sacrifice as a distributor.

By the way, Part I: The last teammate of James to average more assists? Jeff McInnis averaged 7.5 assists in 2003-04 to James' 5.9 assists.

By the way, Part II: The current teammate who has assisted on the most of James' field goals this year? Love, with five.

Stat tracker (top line numbers, to date)

5 games, 23.4 ppg, 6 rbp, 6.2 apg, 40.3 mpg

What stands out, Part I

Remember when coach David Blatt said 39 minutes per game would be "a lot" for James, especially early on?

The insinuation was that Blatt and the Cavaliers would limit James' minutes. Instead, his 40.3 minutes per game leads the NBA.

What stands out, Part II

James is shooting 89 percent (31-of-35) from the foul line. He's a career 75 percent free-throw shooter and is coming off his worst season since 2007-08. He shot exactly 75 percent from the stripe last year.

This play led to three clutch free throws against Utah.

What stands out, Part III

James has three dunks through five games. At that pace, he would finish the season with 49 dunks. Last season he had 134.

From deep (shot chart)

NBA.com 

This is a look at James' 3-point shooting for the week, courtesy of NBA.com.

He was 6-of-14 overall, and, obviously, red hot from the right wing.

It was one of those 3-pointers from the wing that helped trim a late deficit against the Jazz, nearly sending the game into overtime.

In the news

1. James was shut out in the second half for just the second time in his career Tuesday.


2. It was basically James' idea.


3. He was conflicted over whether to teach lessons or score points.


4. He chose the latter, but the Cavs still lost.


5. James and Irving exchanged words.


6. Or, maybe not.


7. Lauren Hill is "AMAZING."


8. "RELAX," James tweets.

Tweet of the week (to @joevardon)

Early because he left Portland in the 2nd Q RT @joevardon LeBron was on early bus here in Salt Lake. Already into pregame stretching routine

— DaZIG Blatt (@ZiggyOfAk) November 6, 2014

Who's next?

A look at the Cavaliers' opponents this week and what James did against those teams last season (with the Miami Heat):

Today vs. New Orleans (2 games, 28.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 7 apg)

Friday at Boston (2 games, 27 ppg, 8 rpg, 7 apg)

Saturday vs. Atlanta (4 games, 27 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.5 apg)