Get updates from high school football playoff games across Ohio on Friday night, listen to the Nordonia vs. Mayfield game and participate in our chat room.
Get updates from high school football playoff games across Ohio on Friday night, listen to the Nordonia vs. Mayfield game and participate in our chat room.
Ohio deer hunters are on the move this weekend, heading to the Buckeye woods for the annual deer gun season that opens Monday around Ohio.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Ohio's army of deer hunters are on the move this weekend, heading to the Buckeye woods for the annual deer gun season opener on Monday. The seven-day campaign is still very popular, although new regulations and hunting trends are again likely to result in fewer gun hunters finding success.
Many Buckeye deer hunters now focus on bowhunting, especially with crossbows. The lengthy four-month bowhunting season is far more hunter friendly than the brief seven-day gun season.
Ohio's liberal crossbow hunting regulations have been so popular they've brought about radical changes in how many deer are taken with bow or gun.
Thirty-five years ago, Ohio shotgun hunters took the lion's share - about 90 percent - of the total deer harvest. Buoyed by crossbow hunting the last few decades, bowhunting success has soared from 10 percent in 1978 to about a 50-50 split of the total harvest.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife has also developed new deer hunting regulations designed to reduce the deer harvest. Restrictions on antlerless deer permits in 29 of Ohio's 88 counties have resulted in a 7 percent decline in the number of antlerless deer killed by bowhunters since the campaign began Sept. 27. The buck harvest, though, has increased about 4 percent.
"We're working to ensure we have a quality deer herd in Ohio and so far this season we're just about where we want to be with the harvest," said Clint McCoy, the agency's new deer biologist. "The way things go during early archery season usually predicts what we'll see the rest of the year. At this point the harvest is down about 2.5 percent."
"We expect about 70,000 deer to be killed by gun hunters this week, and estimate the total annual harvest to be about 185,000 deer."
Over the past decade, liberal deer hunting regulations were used to substantially reduce the size of Ohio's deer herd, blamed for crop damage and deer-vehicle accidents. Hunters set the record in 2009-10, killing 261,260 deer. The annual harvest has steadily declined since, with 191,459 deer killed last season.
McCoy declined to estimate how many deer roam Ohio these days.
"Heck, we don't really know exactly how many people actually live in Ohio, much less how many deer live here," said McCoy. "A population estimate is very subjective, but there's no doubt we're down from the peak population of a few years ago."
Wildlife managers worry about hunter attitudes and whether they're happy with the Ohio deer hunting experience.
To inject a little extra interest in this year's gun season, Ohio is allowing sportsmen to hunt with center-fire rifles that shoot specific straight-walled cartridges. The youth deer season total of 6,453 bucks and does included 378 deer killed by youngsters hunting with those specific rifles, which generally have less recoil than shotguns or high-powered rifles.
"The preliminary results from online surveys show the majority of hunters are satisfied with this year's deer hunting experience," said McCoy. "About 28 percent reported they were very satisfied, and 25 percent somewhat satisfied."
On the other side of the coin, about 24 percent of hunters were dissatisfied. In a very informal poll, hunters are primarily complaining they're seeing very few deer in areas where whitetails were once plentiful.
McCoy was very satisfied with a recent Ohio deer hunt, one that had a familiar feel. The deer biologist enjoyed a Morgan County archery hunting adventure with his father and brother, John and Colby McCoy of Candler, N.C. The boys grew up hunting North Carolina deer with their father, and deer management is now a career for McCoy.
"My brother, Colby, was anxious to hunt for a big Ohio buck," said McCoy. "Dad was really more interested in visiting with my wife, Rebecca, and I and his new grandson, our 5-month-old little boy, Luke," said McCoy, with a laugh.
The Cleveland Browns are poised to make a playoff run with five games to go. That should trump everything, including the debate over Brian Hoyer's role in their success -- Bud Shaw's Spinoffs.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Because there's always something to spin in Cleveland sports...
• Mike Pettine on Brian Hoyer this week after Hoyer beat himself up for throwing three interceptions against Atlanta:
"I think the guys realize that we certainly wouldn't be where we are right now without Brian and that nobody's perfect," said the Browns' head coach.
"When you see a guy that is that hard on himself and is that much of a perfectionist and it means a lot to him, they're going to play hard for him."
It's OK for Browns' fans to be of two minds. You can believe Hoyer isn't the quarterback of the future and still recognize that he's 10-4 as a starter, 7-4 this season, and represents the best chance for the Browns to make the playoffs after a 12-year absence.
Or you can obsess over next season (for some odd reason), fail to appreciate the first playoff push in seven years and call for Johnny Manziel to replace him now. The same Manziel who hasn't had any appreciable work and who didn't beat Hoyer out in training camp when Hoyer struggled worse.
Just so you know that if you argue that the Browns would be better off turning to Manziel, it's clear evidence that you are of one mind and that you have completely lost yours.
• Sunday's matchup pitting Bills receiver Sammy Watkins against Browns' corner Justin Gilbert has its roots in the May draft when the Browns traded the No. 4 pick for a future No. 1, moved down to No. 9, then moved up one spot to pick Gilbert.
Then watched undrafted free agent K'Waun Williams beat out Gilbert.
Exactly according to plan.
• The incident involving Johnny Manziel at 2:36 a.m. last Saturday, the day the Browns flew to Atlanta to play the Falcons, prompted this from GM Ray Farmer:
"We are aware of the incident and are in the process of gathering additional information in order to gain a complete understanding of what occurred." read Farmer's statement. "Nonetheless, the time of the incident is concerning to us. We continually stress to all of our players the importance of sound decision making in an effort to avoid putting themselves in these types of situation."
Less than 24 hours later in a place far, far away, police in Myrtle Beach arrested former Browns' quarterback Tyler Thigpen for DUI. The report says Thigpen fell asleep with his foot on the brake in a Wendy's drive-thru.
For 20 minutes.
So, all in all, not the worst night for Johnny.
• The guy who says he tried to hug Manziel claims he was "just being a fan."
Saying "Go Browns" is just being a fan. Trying to hug somebody you've never met is a bad idea at 2:36 p.m.
• Washington Redskins' coach Jay Gruden says deposed starter Robert Griffin III "must work on his craft."
So ... nothing major.
• Unless Washington sees Colt McCoy as next year's starting quarterback, benching Griffin III makes no sense unless they're doing it to get his attention and let him know this regime won't coddle him.
On another front, Seneca Wallace is pretty sure he's better than RGIII and Colt McCoy, and doesn't understand why no one recognizes that.
• San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York apologized to fans after Thursday night's 19-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Asked about the apology, head coach Jim Harbaugh said he doesn't follow Twitter. He promised improvement.
"We will set our jaw to doing that," said Harbaugh.
This isn't so much about a poor performance on Thanksgiving ruining the traditional turkey feast for Niners fans as it is about York and Harbaugh playing a game of contract chicken for two years now.
• Before the Seattle game, Harbaugh described quarterback Colin Kaepernick as "great with a capital "G." He said Kaepernick is "at the highest level of great."
It's hard to believe Harbaugh could've been impressed with his quarterback's play against Seattle. Or Kapernick's pre-game speech to his teammates before his team's 17-13 win over Washington.
Unless Harbaugh also thought Bluto hit all the high notes.
"Let's win," said Kaepernick, a man of few words and still no Super Bowl rings.
And in answer to the question, "who's counting," I'd say, Jed York.
• Marshawn Lynch was fined $100,000 for failing to speak to the media. In response, he made himself available for an interview in which he answered 22 questions with 50 words total.
Or what he calls a "filibuster."
• Giants' wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.'s catch was amazing. But I thought he just as impressive as Neo in "The Matrix."
• Michigan basketball coach John Beilein wasn’t happy after a loss to Villanova at a tournament in Brooklyn Tuesday but it wasn’t about the score.
Beilein didn’t appreciate an already late start being pushed back 15 minutes for TV. He said as much after the game, then continued making his case after his team arrived home in the wee hours.
Just landed in Ypsilanti , Michigan. It is 4:22 am. 30 minutes to get our guys to the dorm No college BB game should ever start after 9pm.
— John Beilein (@JohnBeilein) November 26, 2014
He has a point. That he should take up with the Michigan coach who agreed to schedule a weekday game out-of-state in the first place.
• I think we can all agree that the one thing college kids are not accustomed to doing is staying up most of the night and getting by on little sleep.
For more Bud Shaw, read You Said It.
See multiple storylines and players in high school hockey to watch this year.
See multiple storylines and players in high school hockey to watch this year.
The complete instant recap of Ohio State's 73-56 win over James Madison in Value City Arena on Friday night.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – It was the last game game on No. 16 Ohio State's schedule before the Buckeyes get a real gauge for where they are nationally. And it was a blowout.
Ohio State (5-0) cruised to a 73-56 win over James Madison (4-2) in Value City Arena on Friday evening, the night before the football team takes on archrival Michigan.
Now it's time for No. 6 Louisville on Tuesday.
After accounting for 54 points in Ohio State's last two games, freshman D'Angelo Russell led the Buckeyes with 14 points. Senior forward Sam Thompson added 13 and senior point guard Shannon Scott had seven points and six assists.
For the first time this season, the Buckeyes shot less than 50 percent from the floor. They finished 26-of 63 (41.3 percent).
When it was over: James Madison players huddled up and jumped around together in the concourse before the game chanting "40 minutes" with the hopes of having a chance to win in the second half. The Dukes, however, found themselves in a big hole early in the game and never challenged the Buckeyes.
Ohio State opened the game on a 19-5 run through the game's first 6:03. Russell accounted for eight of his points during that run.
Play of the game: With James Madison hanging around, Russell pushed the ball in transition and lobbed a pass that Thompson finished for a two-handed slam. Thompson is good for one of those per game – especially in the nonconference schedule – and that one put Ohio State up 49-31 with 15:44 remaining in the game.
Crucial run: No run was actually crucial after Ohio State got up 19-5, but James Madison hung in there and kept it respectable at halftime, trailing only 37-27 at the break. Ohio State put the game out of reach in the second half by scoring 13 of the first 19 points to open a 50-33 lead.
What it means: Not much. Ohio State came into the game averaging a 22.5-point margin of victory, so what's another blowout over a clearly inferior team? Want answers? Those come on Tuesday night from Louisville against a Cardinals team that has been a trendy pick to advance to the Final Four.
Football chants: As the clock winded down, the entire crowd started to sing "We don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan," in preparation for tomorrow's big football game.
What's next: You know by now – a night game at Louisville on Tuesday. The game tips off from the KFC YUM! Center at 9:30 p.m.
Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel says his "lifestyle has changed dramatically'' since he came to Cleveland and that being out late hasn't been a common occurrence.
BEREA, Ohio -- Johnny Manziel knows the Browns were miffed at him being out at 2:30 last Saturday morning when a 'fan' approached him and a fight ensued, but he says he's toned it down considerably since joining the Browns.
"For me, I feel since I've been here, my lifestyle has changed dramatically,'' he said. "I think me, I'm usually in my home, not venturing out very much and I don't get a lot of time to go out and see much of Cleveland. So one night that I did get a chance to go out and did stay out a little later on a decision that I made on my own I felt at the time was OK.
"I know there's other guys around the league and other guys in this locker room that do the same thing and enjoy their time when they're out of the building, and I know that at night when I go to bed I need to make sure that I'm ready and capable of going to work the next day and doing my job to the duties that I have being in this building the next day.''
The Browns have been satisfied with Manziel's version of the fight, in which he says a "very intoxicated and very aggressive person'' put his hands on him and started toying with him. But they've also made it clear that they don't want him out that late at night, especially because it was roughly 36 hours before the game in Atlanta, and only hours before he had to be at the Browns' facility for the trip.
In a statement released by the club, general manager Ray Farmer said "...the time of the incident is concerning to us. We continually stress to all of our players the importance of sound decision-making in an effort to avoid putting themselves in these types of situations. We have addressed this appropriately with the player and will have no further comment at this time."
Coach Mike Pettine and Farmer both talked to Manziel and stressed that they don't want him out that late amongst the revelers. The problem is, Manziel currently lives at The Metropolitan at The 9, the new downtown hotspot featuring some of the city's most popular bars and restaurants. So coming in late on the weekends is always going to be somewhat of an adventure.
"We're never comfortable -- and I think Ray alluded to it in our release -- with guys being involved in incidents just that late at night," Pettine said this week on ESPN's Mike and Mike. "We trust that they're going to be making good choices. The saying in the league, 'nothing good happens after midnight' -- that's certainly the case the closer you get to a game."
Manziel made headlines every weekend from the draft in May through the start of training camp in July for his partying, including hanging out at the home of wild-child Justin Beiber with the likes of Floyd Mayweather. As the trend continued, the Browns became concerned, and talked to Manziel about curbing his enthusiasm for the nightlife.
Since he showed up for training camp, he's kept a low profile -- until his run-in Friday night with Chris Gonos of Sandusky, Ohio.
But Pettine stressed this week that barring unforeseen circumstances, Manziel's involvement in the scuffle won't impact his playing time.
"Are we disappointed? I think we've already expressed that, but to me it doesn't affect his status,'' he said.
With the Browns at 7-4 heading into their big game Sunday against the 6-5 Bills, Manziel hasn't seen the field in the past eight games.
LeBron James explains after practice how much he's going to miss his battles with Paul George.
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – It will be a different a view for LeBron James when the Cavaliers host the Indiana Pacers Saturday night at The Q.
Usually when he was orchestrating how to get to the basket on this defensive-minded squad, Paul George was the player he had elude first. It was never an easy task, but it was one James enjoyed immensely.
They had some classic moments.
With George out with that gruesome leg injury he sustained over the summer during Team USA training camp, these two aren't expected to add any more legendary memories for at least a year.
James said when he saw how the injury occurred, "it made me sick to my stomach." This is a huge loss for the Pacers, the league and for their rivalry.
"I sent out that Instgram post saying, '[I] need him back on the court. I'm here for our competitive games.' I'm going to miss that," James said after Friday's practice. "Paul George is one guy when he's out on the floor, you have to account for because he's really good."
George, the No. 10 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, wasn't projected out of college to be a perennial All-Star. Playing at a mid-major in Fresno State and producing subpar numbers didn't help.
It was his upside, size and athleticism that caught the attention of general managers across the league. Yet still, not many anticipated George becoming this type of player.
James always knew George was a unique talent as he kept a watchful eye on him even before he stepped foot into the league.
"Ever since he was in high school and throughout college, I always kind of kept a tab on him and then when he came into the league," he said.
"When he first came in, obviously Danny Granger was their franchise player and because of injury, it allowed him to come in and make a name for himself and he just took it full storm."
In the playoffs, George has made James work on both ends. The only other player to push James in that manner during the playoffs was Paul Pierce. With James and George still residing in the Eastern Conference, this fun player rivalry was only going to intensify.
Saturday's contest will be missing something special.
"Us competing against each other the last few years throughout the second round and Eastern Conference Finals and things of that nature definitely has helped it," James said of the rivalry. "So it's mutual respect, but I've always respected him, just him as a person."
"We have to attack, we have to not settle for jump shots," Thompson said. We were off to a hot start, then we got a little jump shot happy. We still feel like we're at our best attacking. We still feel that we're at our best getting out in transition, getting some easy buckets, allow our defense to turn into our offense."
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The game after Thanksgiving and the one before Ohio State travels to No. 6 Louisville. The Buckeyes had their excuses for why it happened.
"I don't know if there were any effects or not," senior Sam Thompson said. "I know that there shouldn't have been. We can't allow there to be."
Kudos to Thompson for not leaning on excuses. This is basketball, and it won't be No. 16 Ohio State's last time having a rough shooting night like it did in its 73-56 win over James Madison in Value City Arena on Friday night.
It just felt weird because it was the first time this season Ohio State (5-0) didn't shoot at least 50 percent from the floor, finishing 26-of-63 (41.3 percent).
The Buckeyes won by 17, but it only had two scorers reach double figures – D'Angelo Russell (14) and Thompson (13) – and they didn't knock down clean looks from outside. Sometimes they took shots they shouldn't have.
"We have to attack, we have to not settle for jump shots," Thompson said. We were off to a hot start, then we got a little jump shot happy. We still feel like we're at our best attacking. We still feel that we're at our best getting out in transition, getting some easy buckets, allow our defense to turn into our offense."
Ohio State has options this year from beyond the arc and it's already clear that it is vastly better at scoring than last year's team, but Ohio State coach Thad Matta still wants to score the old fashion way.
Sometimes when the Buckeyes get into a groove – much like they did in their first four games this season – it becomes increasingly easier to just shoot. But that often means taking good shots, not great ones.
Ohio State got the looks it wanted against James Madison, but the shots weren't falling. With a date against with Louisville, can it survive if the shots don't fall on Tuesday?
"Honestly, we're going to find out," Matta said. "I think that's where you have to be ball tough, you have to be more ready to shoot. The passes have to be crisper, all those types of things.
"I saw a few guys in shoot around this morning, they missed some shots the way they missed them in the game and we corrected it, but they didn't make the correction into the game. That's the thing we have three days to get ready for."
2. How do you assess Russell's performance? The freshman led Ohio State with 14 points, so how is it fair to come down on him when he was the Buckeyes' most reliable scorer on a tough shooting night?
It's not that it was a poor performance from Russell, but he gets really aggressive and sometimes that turns into reckless play. Russell was one of only two Buckeyes to score in double figures, but he also led the team with four turnovers.
"As I told him, as the game wears on you've gotta finish strong and you've got to get in there," Matta said of Russell. "He went a little bit lackadaisical at times. He's got a great mid-range game to shoot, but everything was hitting the front of the rim. He's D'Angelo — obviously he knows he didn't play as well as he probably wanted to in this game, but I also thought he did some great things out there for us."
Ohio State is going to ride and die with the freshman. If that means taking the occasional turnover, that's reality. But the freshman will learn to pick his spots better as he gains experience.
3. Matta would give Jae'Sean Tate the game ball: In a press conference that Matta used the word "lackadaisical" twice, that definitely didn't apply to the freshman. In 20 minutes off the bench, Tate posted six points, five rebounds, a block and two steals.
"Yeah, you could say that," Tate responded when asked if his role is bringing energy off the bench. "High motor guy. I bring the 'juice,' as Coach would say. Just try to get us a little kickstart when we need it."
Matta loved Tate's approach.
"I'd give Jae'Sean Tate the game ball just with his energy and the passion he played with I thought he was tremendous," Matta said. "That has to become contagious. We've got to get other guys doing that."
4. Anthony Lee, the role player: When the fifth-year senior transferred to Ohio State from Temple over the summer, many envisioned he may be the Buckeyes' starting center this season. But for now, he's a solid big coming of the bench.
Though he had one ill-advised shot from long range, Lee played 11 minutes and scored eight points and connected on four of seven shots from the field. He gave the Buckeyes a lift in the second half especially.
"His grace period of feeling himself out and, 'I'm new' - not anymore," Matta said. "We're five games into the season and when he's in that mode, he's a heck of a player for us and you see what you can get out of it. I think those are the things that we have to get him to do. This is his fifth year of college basketball, and that's why I was excited to see him play the way he did."
A breakdown of Ohio State vs. Michigan coverage from cleveland.com and MLive.com ahead of Saturday's noon kickoff in Ohio Stadium.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Last year The Game was a game when it looked on paper like it was going to be a blowout.
This year, with No. 6 Ohio State favored by 20.5 points over Michigan, it again has the look and feel of a lopsided Buckeyes' victory. Even with last year's result, it doesn't seem like most are buying the idea that Michigan can come into Ohio Stadium and make things interesting.
Doug, Ari, Livy and I all picked Ohio State wins. Doug sees things a bit differently than the rest of us with a close 35-27 win, but a win for Ohio State nonetheless. I have 35-9, Ari has 38-10 and Livy has 38-14. See the breakdown of our picks here.
We're not alone.
Our colleagues over at MLive.com have Ohio State winning big as well. Nick Baumgardner picked the Buckeyes 42-9, and Brendan Quinn has 42-10. See the breakdown of MLive picks here.
What we learned on Friday is that most at cleveland.com and MLive.com don't expect a very close game on Saturday. Want to learn more? Check out our coverage of the Buckeyes and MLive's coverage of the Wolverines from Friday.
Cleveland.com on the Buckeyes
5 reasons Michigan football will beat the Ohio State Buckeyes: LB Jake Ryan and the defense
Michigan — there, I said it — and Ohio State, desperation and fake war: Bill Livingston
5 reasons Ohio State will beat the Michigan Wolverines: A senior class looking to maximize
Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett's first Michigan game? Just play like Troy Smith 10 years ago
Michigan week bonus coverage
Ohio State vs. Michigan: Who has the better academics?
MLive.com on the Wolverines
Ask Nick: Talking attrition concerns and what really needs to change for Michigan football
Position breakdown: The Buckeyes have it over the Wolverines, almost across the board
Cleveland Browns linebacker Karlos Dansby has been ruled out for Buffalo with his sprained knee and Jordan Cameron is questionable with his concussion.
BEREA, Ohio -- Browns linebacker Karlos Dansby, who felt on Wednesday that he was 'real close' to playing in Buffalo despite a sprained knee, has been ruled out, and tight end Jordan Cameron is questionable with his concussion.
With Dansby sidelined for the second straight week, Craig Robertson will make the defensive calls again.
Linebacker Jabaal Sheard, who's missed practice all week but played in Atlanta with is foot injury, is questionable, as is Ahtyba Rubin (back).
If Cameron can't play, it will mark his fifth straight absence.
"It's truly day to day,'' said coach Mike Pettine. "He practiced all three days this week. He didn't take a full slate. He's truly limited. So, we'll see."
The fact that Cameron is questionable this week means he's getting closer. Last week, he was ruled out by Friday.
"Just on the surface to me, looks like he did a little bit more,'' said Pettine.
As for Dansby, he's made a significant contribution despite missing two straight games.
"He's still involved in meetings; he's still involved in asking questions,'' said defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil. "He still broke the team down during pre-game. Every Friday, they have a players-only meeting where they watch two-minute together; he still runs that meeting. He's still very much involved.''
O'Neil had some fun with Dansby's reliance on lobster mashed potatoes, which his doctor says is the perfect food for his body.
"We've got him and (Tashaun Gipson, knee) on the lobster mash diet right now, trying to get those guys back as soon as possible (laughter). You wouldn't even know last week that (Dansby) wasn't playing."
On Donte Whitner's war of words with the Bills: O'Neil isn't fazed by Whitner's war of words with Bills fans and with rookie receiver Sammy Watkins. Bills running back Fred Jackson also called Whitner an "idiot'' this week for calling them the Toronto Bills.
"It doesn't bother me one way or the other,'' O'Neil said. "I think you'd like to do your talking on the field, obviously, but I don't think that this game needs any spice added to it. It's two teams in the playoff hunt that both need to get a win. It's going to be a playoff-type atmosphere. There's going to be some point very early in the first quarter that Donte Whitner and Fred Jackson meet each other. We'll all see what happens."
On losing Gipson and his six picks: O'Neil acknowledged that losing Gipson (knee) likely for the season is a blow. He leads the NFL with six interceptions, and the Browns are tied for second in the NFL with 15.
"(The interceptions) were huge,'' said O'Neil. "Even the play he got hurt on, Tashaun did a great job -- pre-snap information, knew the play that was coming. He was right where he needed to be and got a great break on the football, and unfortunately so did Joe Haden. Either one of those guys could have intercepted that ball. They just arrived at the same time, and Tashaun got a little bit of a knee.
"He's a weapon in the middle of the field, and you've got to be careful when he's out there throwing the ball down the middle. Him and Jimmy (Leonhard) are different players. They both make plays in different ways. We're confident about who we're going to throw out there this week."
On rookie receiver Sammy Watkins, whom the Browns passed on in the draft: O'Neil praised Watkins, who has 48 catches for 684 yards and five TDs.
"He's further ahead than what most rookies are,'' said O'Neil. "Usually when most rookie wide receivers come into the NFL, they kind of settle in on five or six routes that they'll run in the offense. They've done a great job with him out there. They move him around. They build it around him. He runs every route imaginable in the route tree. He's obviously athletic, fast, has got an unbelievable catch radius. He's a good player. He's going to be a challenge for us this week."
Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel gave his version of the Friday night fight at his apartment building, saying a "very intoxicated, very aggressive person'' put his hands on him and started the fight. His version was vastly different than that of Sandusky native Chris Gonos, the person who approached him.
BEREA, Ohio -- Johnny Manziel provided his version of the fight at his apartment building Friday night, saying a drunk and belligerent so-called fan sparked the incident by putting his hands on Manziel and messing with him.
It's a vastly different story than the one provided by Sandusky, Ohio, native Chris Gonos, who told Cleveland police he was "assaulted'' by Manziel's entourage and that a large fight ensued.
"You guys have heard what transpired last Friday night, I want to shed some light,'' Manziel stated at the top of his regular Friday interview in the Browns' locker room. "First and foremost I appreciate all you guys who cover me on a weekly basis not jumping out to any wild conclusions like some other people do. I do appreciate that.''
He then gave his account of the scuffle, which occurred at The 9, a hotel and apartment complex in downtown Cleveland, after Gonos approached Manziel at about 2:30 Saturday morning. Gonos is a convicted felon who's on probation for what amounts to tax evasion.
"My mom was in town,'' said Manziel. "I ended up going to dinner with my mother and my roommate. As I got back to my apartment later that night, where you go up to my apartment is located in the lobby of a hotel as well. As I was waiting for my elevator, I was approached by what has been made out to be a fan.
"At this point in the night, this was a very intoxicated, very aggressive person that approached me in the lobby. Putting his hands on me, kind of toying with me. Trying to mind my own business and get upstairs to my room ... essentially this is the front door of my home."
Manziel said he and his roommate, Dana Kirk from his hometown of Kerrville, Texas, tried to diffuse the incident and shed the fan.
"As this man kept attempting to come at me, being extremely aggressive, as we tried to coax him into getting into his elevator and going on about the night, the guy got very aggressive,'' said Manziel. "Luckily for us -- I don't want to go into a lot of detail about everything that happened because it all did happen so fast -- security was able to get things under wraps, I'm very thankful for that as well."
Manziel stressed that it was just him and Kirk on their way in from the night, not the posse described by Gonos. Gonos, reached by cleveland.com, said via text that he will be happy to answer questions when and if the videotape comes out.
"(Gonos) came at my roommate,'' said Manziel. "There was no entourage, I live with one other person and my mother was upstairs. That's about as much entourage as you get, being with my mom. As it escalated and got a little bit out of control, security got things under wraps and I was able to get upstairs.''
As Manziel spoke, there was no evidence that someone had "smashed him in the face, smashed him, smashed him'' as Gonos had described to clevescene.com. Gonos also said his bother tackled Manziel, "got the sack and fumble'' and speared him to the wall. Manziel wore eye black during the game Sunday, but so did many of his teammates.
"Well, you guys obviously see me daily,'' he said. "Monday I saw you guys, Sunday see you guys at the game, I'm on TV, so I'm not exactly a person that is not going to have a camera on him or not going to be seen walking around here throughout the week.
"So if you guys would've seen anything that was wrong with me, I got my face smashed, smashed, smashed, I think you guys would've noticed. That's just one of the many untruths and kind of things that have blown around a little bit with this story.''
Manziel wouldn't say if he had been punched.
"It all happened so fast, and I don't want to get into a ton of the details, but I mean, you guys can see my face and I'm completely fine and have been, whether it was the day after this happened on Sunday or even Monday walking in the locker room,'' he said.
He also wouldn't say if he threw a punch himself. Gonos told clevescene that Manziel "sucker-punched'' his brother. A source said if Manziel did throw a punch, it would only have been to defend Kirk.
"I'm not going to go into exact details of everything that happened,'' he said. "Like I said, it was broken up really fast and at the time it was more towards my roommate than it was towards me, the initial offering I guess.''
Manziel wasn't sure how many people Gonos had with him.
"There were people in the lobby so I can't really put a finger on how many people were down there,'' he said. "Like I said, this to me is the front door of my house, so as I get to this elevator and put my keycard to go upstairs, this is essentially home for me, so I wasn't really keeping a huge awareness of my surroundings to see how many, but it was a crowded lobby coming off a night in a hotel.''
Manziel talked to his mom when he got back up to his apartment, and called the Browns the next morning.
"Hopefully now that we've gone through something like this and it was portrayed the way it was, I know me, knowing the truth, knowing what went on and what I told Ray Farmer and coach Pettine the next day,'' said Manziel. "First thing in the morning when I woke up I let those guys know what happened because I wanted them to be on top of it from the very get-go. I'm very thankful for the Browns having my back in all this and supporting me in a situation that seemed to be a little blown out of proportion, let's say.''
In regard to the Farmer saying the time of the incident was a concern, Manziel said he's not out late much anymore.
"I feel since I've been here, my lifestyle has changed dramatically,'' he said. "I think me, I'm usually in my home, not venturing out very much and I don't get a lot of time to go out and see much of Cleveland. So one night that I did get a chance to go out and did stay out a little later on a decision that I made on my own I felt at the time was OK.
"I know there's other guys around the league and other guys in this locker room that do the same thing and enjoy their time when they're out of the building, and I know that at night when I go to bed I need to make sure that I'm ready and capable of going to work the next day and doing my job to the duties that I have being in this building the next day.''
Manziel said he's thankful the incident was supposedly caught by security cameras, although he hasn't seen it and neither has coach Mike Pettine.
"Sure, if that's the case then obviously I haven't seen anything like that or heard much or really thought much into it, because after this kind of broke and after I saw how it was reported and how the news was, it was kind of something that took me (aback),'' he said. "I was really shocked that it came out this way, so I just kind of went into more of a hiding after that and wanted to be able to come here today and address you guys and give my side of the story. That's what I wanted to do more than anything else.''
As for the fight being described as a near-riot, Manziel said, "Like I said, after going into detail, it was so quick, it ended so abrupt as well, I don't know if that's – I don't know how you would really characterize that. Like I said, I kind of let my guard down once I get to this building and get with other security guards around and I feel like I'm home. So I kind of I guess on my own I let my guard down a little more that I normally would."
Manziel stressed that neither he nor Kirk plans to press charges.
"Nobody from my end is doing anything legally-wise as far as that goes,'' he said. "(Conversely) my name I think throughout all of this was just mentioned in a police report. I have not been talked to or anything like that and I'm not in any trouble.''
Manziel reiterated that he was really trying to stay out of the line of fire in this instance.
"I feel – and I told my mom this as soon as I got upstairs – this wasn't like anything that's happened to me in the past before, maybe when I was a freshman or back in the past when I had any type of scuffle,'' he said. "This was something that was - try to handle in the most professional way we could.
"The big holdup was I'm on these elevators, going up to the higher floors. You ride in the elevators with somebody. So essentially we were going to be riding on the elevator with this other man, and after there had been some aggressiveness in the lobby, we didn't want to enter the elevator with this guy.
"There was kind of a brief pause in trying to decide whether we were going to get in the elevator and try to avert this whole thing or whether they were going to go up. We tried as hard as we could to keep the situation under wraps. Unfortunately, this individual would not allow that to happen."
He said the incident won't taint his appreciation for rabid Browns fans.
"I'm approached by fans every single day in Cleveland,'' he said. "There's nothing I love more than when somebody comes up and talks to me about the history of the Browns or how passionate they are about this team. I treat every fan the same, with a lot of respect, and I'm very thankful for them being the fans that they are. I don't think our league would be that without them.
"It was (just) a very unfortunate situation, a situation that was tried to be averted at all costs and one that (I) was unfortunately not able to really get away from.''
Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer vows he's put the bad game in Atlanta behind him and is ready to try to improve the Browns to 8-4 against the Bills.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There's a reason Brian Hoyer beat himself up for throwing three interceptions during last week's 26-24 come-from-behind victory over the Falcons.
"I want to be great,'' said Hoyer heading into Sunday's game against the Bills, who have a league-leading 46 sacks. "I was hard on myself because I want to be the best and I want to be as good as I can be. That's the only reason I felt that way."
Hoyer, who improved to 10-4 as a Brown with the victory, was upset on the field and in the locker room after the game. He berated himself during his postgame press conference, saying "I feel like I let the team down even though we won'' and "I'll be disappointed in myself for the whole week with this one.''
But after watching the film, Hoyer -- who completed four straight passes to set up the winning kick -- shook off the poor outing and had his game face back on by the time he met with reporters Wednesday afternoon.
"I feel good,'' he said. "Everybody will look back at the game and my play will be defined by seven plays really. Three interceptions and then the last four plays of the game. When you take those out of it and you go and watch the rest of the game, I actually felt really pleased with the way that I played.
"You learn from the mistakes and I know that I was hard on myself and I always said that I'll be the hardest critic on myself, it's the only way you get better.''
Browns coach Mike Pettine admired Hoyer's ability to pull it together for the last drive more than he was concerned about him being down on himself. In a three-way tie for second place in the AFC North at 7-4, the Browns are in the thick of the playoff hunt and the Browns need Hoyer on top of his game.
"Brian is very difficult on himself,'' said Pettine. "He's a competitor. He's a perfectionist. You could tell he was upset. Even when he spiked the ball at the end, when he caught it he threw it on the ground because he was so disgusted with himself, but I don't need to go and talk to him about that. I know he'll bounce back. This is a new week. I don't think he's going to carry any of that with him.
"I just think the positive part is he's going to carry confidence with him and the way he saw his teammates respond to him like, 'Hey, we've got your back.' Everybody is going to make mistakes. You're not going to throw a perfect game every time. To me, I see the positives in it. I don't see him walking around dragging his tail thinking that he's in the dumps because of it."
Pettine isn't worried about Hoyer's postgame demeanor not playing well in the locker room.
"I think the guys realized that we certainly wouldn't be where we are right now without Brian and that nobody's perfect,'' said Pettine. "When you see a guy that is that hard on himself and is that much a perfectionist and it means a lot, they're going to play hard for him.
"That's one of the biggest reasons why we are where we are. Guys care about each other, and they realize that they're part of something bigger than themselves. I think that when you're involved in a team sport and you have that you have a chance to be special."
Left tackle Joe Thomas, who shares Hoyer's desire to be great and has seven Pro Bowls to prove it, understood exactly where Hoyer was coming from with the self-flagellation.
"It's always our nature, the guys that are really hard on themselves to think you played worse than you really did,'' said Thomas. "That happens to all of us. You have one or two bad plays and that's all you can think about. We're such hard critics we're our own worst enemy sometimes. I'm sure he's already moved past the couple bad plays he had and he's excited to make up for it this weekend.''
The performance was Hoyer's second straight outing with accuracy issues and turnovers even though he became the first Browns quarterback since Brian Sipe in 1983 to throw for back-to-back 300-yard games. He's thrown only one touchdown and four picks in the last two games, and has completed only 47.7 percent of his passes (43 of 90).
The subpar outings have dropped him to No. 24 in the NFL with an 82.3 rating -- after he was top 10 earlier in the season. After only two picks in first seven games, he thrown six in his last four.
Granted, he has four fourth-quarter come-from-behind victories this season -- and five in his 14 starts for the Browns. But he's 30th in fourth-quarter passing and 29th in the NFL in third-down efficiency with a 64.5 rating.
Against the Falcons, the Browns were 1-for-6 in the red zone and managed two first-half field goals after the defense got the ball back in Atlanta territory. And that was against the 32nd-ranked defense in the NFL and with superstar receiver Josh Gordon back on the field.
"It's extremely rare that a quarterback's perfect on all throws throughout a game,'' said Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. "I don't think there's a high number of them. He had two throws that I thought were really off. I don't think that's a huge number, but they were more glaring because he was pretty open on one and the other was a pick.''
Against the Bills' and their aggressive, attack-minded defense, Hoyer will have little margin for error. The Bills not only lead the NFL with 46 sacks -- twice as many as the Browns -- they're fourth overall on defense and fifth against the pass. They're also fourth with only 18.8 points allowed per game and eighth against the run with 98.4 yards allowed per contest.
What's more, they're first in the NFL in third-down defense (34 percent) while the Browns' offense is 31st (32.4 percent). They're also tied for third in the NFL with 22 takeaways and tied for fifth with 13 interceptions.
"I challenge anyone to find a better front four in the league than these four guys,'' said Hoyer. "They're all first-round draft picks or Pro Bowlers. We definitely know what they're capable of and how it affects the way they play defense. Their secondary knows how good their front four is and they play tough.
"They know that maybe they don't have to guard as long as some other secondaries because their front four is going to get there really quick. Coach Pettine told us today that have the most sacks in the league with the least amount of pressure. They're getting their pressure from the front four without blitzing and we know that. We know that we have to be able to handle those guys to be successful."
The Bills -- playing their defensive ends wide this year under new coordinator Jim Schwartz -- have three players with more than nine sacks in left end Mario Williams (12), tackle Marcell Dareus (10) and right end Jerry Hughes (9.5).
"It's going to be a great challenge,'' said Thomas. "There's not a better four-down front in the NFL than we're going to see this weekend. They're really good. You look at the way they play with so much effort. They've got one guy who's fast, quick, slippery, the other guy's the biggest, strongest, fastest defensive end in the NFL.
"You look at their two inside guys, Dareus is 340 and runs a 4.9 and Kyle Williams is probably up there with one of the quickest guys to ever play 3-technique.''
It's the kind of aggressive front that has given the Browns fits this season -- as in their 24-6 loss to Jacksonville and 23-7 loss to Houston -- especially without Pro Bowl center Alex Mack. Those teams shut down the run and rattled the quarterback.
"If you're worried or concerned going into the game you've kind of already beat yourself,'' said Thomas. "I think we have a lot of confidence. We've gotten better since the Jacksonville game.''
Besides, the Browns have a lethal weapon in Gordon that they didn't have in those losses. After shaking the rust off last week in Atlanta (eight catches for 120 yards), Gordon should me more in synch with Hoyer this week.
"(Gordon) has an effect on it for sure, but as I mentioned before, I think this is the best front four in football because they're still stopping the run, but at the same time, they've got three guys that have nine or more sacks,'' said Pettine. "The numbers certainly back it up. The tape doesn't lie.
"This is an explosive group up front. We're going to have to have our best game from an offensive line and tight end standpoint as far as protection, but again, you still need to run the ball. I think if we get ourselves into third-and-long very predictable pass situations, that's where this group is at their best."
A quarterback with that steely look back in his eyes should help too.
A postgame transcript from Urban Meyer after Ohio State's 42-28 win over Michigan on Saturday in Ohio Stadium.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A transcript of Ohio State coach Urban Meyer's postgame news conference after Ohio State's 42-28 win over Michigan.
Urban Meyer: I want to say a special thanks to Chris Carter. I asked him to come back and be with us today, and obviously congratulate Troy Smith to have his name in this incredible stadium. What an honor.
Our fans, as always, in that stadium was electric. Very appreciative of that. Also a lot going on. A lot going on. We have a young man that's missing, Kosta. Our prayers and thoughts are for him and his family have him returned home safe.
And obviously we lost a Heisman candidate today. J.T. Barrett, and I think he set the record for the history of the Big ten Conference for touchdowns, and that's a tribute. So we gotta go. We gotta go and we have a lot of confidence in the guy that's going to be doing it, his name is Cardale Jones. He's been here I think for 120 years. He's been here for a while.
He practices. He's going to get all the reps. And so we've got to be ready to go. I'll answer your questions.
Q. The win lose draw you were going to be playing in the championship game next week. But now without J.T., the season sort of ends how it started for you guys. How do you guys pick up and go on?
Meyer A quarterback is a product of those around him. And that was the fourth down and one call with hand the ball off to a very good running back and offensive line that blocks you. Make some plays at the quarterback position, which he has all the talent in the world. And the good thing he's going to get a lot of reps. One thing about when you had J.T. Cardale didn't get many because you were trying to get him ready to go.
But obviously we've got two quarterbacks go down and we're going to find out if we earn our coaching stripes and do a good job.
Q. With J.T., is he for sure out next week?
Meyer: Yeah, he's for sure out. I don't know the whole extent. I'm going to go right, when I'm done here.
Q. Could you just describe your emotions this week, with Kosta, with losing J.T. in this game today?
Meyer: It's unbelievable. One of those all you can do is grab a knee and play hard. And not one person can make it through this kind of week. You need your strength and on the team I know there's a lot of prayers on the team because a lot of the guys are friends with Kosta. He was only with us since August. So I didn't know him that well but talked to his mom a few times. Just come home safe, man.
Q. Fourth and one, obviously you all had a timeout. What was the conversation like? And that call, who came up with that call?
Meyer: It worked so I'll take credit for that. That was mine. We gave them a little set that we haven't been in before with the two backs in the backfield and a little motion over the top to try to hold the backers, because their backers are so downhill, and I simply asked our offensive line coach very charismatically, can we get it?
And without hesitation, he looked me right in the eye and said we can.
And a lot of conversation went into the play call about who we're going to run behind and you run right behind Elflein and Taylor, and they're good players. And had all the confidence in the world.
Q. You talked this week about wanting to sing the fight song after the game, win a rivalry game. You've had this 24 hour rule for celebrating wins. Can you still enjoy a full 24 hours now that you have to maybe shake some things up on offense?
Meyer: No, no, we're going to enjoy that. We're going to get to work. 24 hours, yeah, I'll probably give them 22, because the coaches gotta be back in tomorrow and still not sure do we know who we're playing yet? So we'll find out. But we're going to enjoy this. For those who grew up in the state of Ohio, this is the game. And there was a saying one time that said you can lose every game other than this one. Once again, I don't buy that, but that's the way we approached this game. And our guys are going to enjoy this. But they know what's ahead of them.
Senior tackle used to be, it all started, I want to say it was 101st year of senior tackle back in the day that started when this was the last game. There weren't games after this. I guess the Rose Bowl.
But this was the last game. And obviously there's going to be more after this one. So we're going to enjoy it but get back to work.
Q. You talked about all the emotional swings that you guys have had to deal with, your team, too. You also got Michigan's best on this day. What does it say about your team, the way you guys responded in the fourth to really put it away and kind of feel good the last couple of minutes?
Meyer: I think there was another key part of the game is the two minute drill right before the half. That was, we weren't playing very well. We kind of bogged down.
And 95 yard drive given up on defense. So to come out in the second half, go right down the field and score and our defense created turnovers. So I'm very pleased once again special teams were outstanding. We did a good job punting the ball. Cameron averaged almost 50 yards per punt.
So it was just a well done game.
Q. Losing J.T., how do you think that's going to affect your chances to make the college football playoff and your resumé in front of the committee?
Meyer: I didn't think of it until you said it. We won the game. I think it's all going to be how we play next week. And I think we're going to have Cardale ready to go next week.
Q. How active could Jalin Marshall be in the quarterback position now, would he be more duty there?
Meyer: As you guys enjoy the victory and they enjoy the victory that's what I'll be thinking about and Tom Herman. I can imagine he'll be involved.
Q. I'm told you're the first guy to 3 0 in the first three games against Michigan since the mid 30s. Proud of that, I assume.
Meyer: We'll take that as a coaching staff and team. That's a hell of an honor.
Q. Can you just talk about what was going through your head when you saw J.T. go down and you went out on the field to see him like that?
Meyer: That was a sick feeling. Anytime. I love J.T., but when Christian Bryant went down last year, just the leadership involved.
The good thing is I think we have more leaders on this team right now than we did back then. And just, I'm sure like everybody in that stadium, because that kid's a frickin' warrior.
Injuries come to the guy that's trained as hard as he does, he's a strained guy. You just see the way he plays.
Q. How many teams can still be good when you're on your third quarterback in the season; isn't that tough?
Meyer: Buckeyes can be. I'm not worried about other teams. Buckeyes certainly can be good I've said this many times, the quarterback is a product of the guys around him and the guys around him are playing pretty good right now. The good thing is they a have similar skill set and so it's not like we're going to have to drastically change things.
Q. You were kind of being pushed around, not playing very well the second quarter. How big was J.T. getting it into the end zone with seven seconds?
Meyer: Huge. Huge. We had two timeouts. And I kept watching that clock. We had them kind of rolling a little bit. Almost burned it but we had them going a little bit. So I think that was a difference in the game.
Lou Holtz always said the last five minutes of the first half, first five minutes of second half, that's where all the momentum is at. And we went into the locker room with a lot of momentum.
Wheaton College's late missed field goal helps John Carroll hang on to win second-round NCAA playoff game.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Wheaton College missed a field goal with 1:07 remaining and John Carroll hung on to beat the host Thunder, 14-12, in a Division III football second-round playoff game Saturday.
Wheaton kicker Sam Cote's attempt from 41 yards was wide left. It was his second attempt at the potential game-winner. John Carroll blocked a 46-yard attempt, but the play was nullified by a defensive offsides penalty, giving Cote another shot from five yards closer.
No. 6 John Carroll (11-1) advanced to play rival No. 3 Mount Union (12-0) next Saturday in a Division III national quarterfinal. The site will be announced Sunday. John Carroll's regular season ended with a 31-24 loss at Mount Union on Nov. 15.
The Ohio Athletic Conference rivals last met in a playoff game in 2002. Mount Union won the national semifinal, 57-19. JCU's quarterback was Tom Arth, now its head coach.
Mount Union pounded visiting Washington & Jefferson, 67-0, on Saturday.
John Carroll and No. 8 Wheaton (11-1) both scored two touchdowns, and each had a field goal blocked.
The difference was John Carroll's Michael Hollins block of a Cote extra-point attempt following a Wheaton TD in the second quarter, preserving JCU's 7-6 lead.
Wheaton attempted a two-point conversion, trailing 14-12 following a third-quarter touchdown, but the pass attempt failed.
JCU kicker Wes Keller's 25-yard field goal attempt was blocked early in the fourth quarter.
John Carroll quarterback Mark Myers completed 19 of 29 passes for 229 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Tommy Michals ran for 81 yards on 22 carries and his 1-yard touchdown run put John Carroll ahead, 7-0, in the first quarter.
Tight end Zach Strippy caught six passes for 34 yards, including a 22-yard TD for a 14-6 lead in the third quarter. Marshall Howell caught five passes for 85 yards and topped 1,000 yards receiving for the season.
"I heard him yell and I went over to help him up and when I went over I saw his ankle and it wasn't pretty," senior tight end Jeff Heuerman said. "I told him, 'Just stay down, stay dowm,' and it just kind of hits you, like, 'Oh, man.' As soon as I saw that, I told him to stay on the ground."
COLUMBUS, Ohio – It took a few hours after Ohio State's 42-28 win over Michigan for the program to officially confirm that quarterback J.T. Barrett is done for the season with a fractured right ankle.
But senior tight end Jeff Heuerman pretty much knew immediately.
"I heard him yell and I went over to help him up and when I went over I saw his ankle and it wasn't pretty," Heuerman said. "I told him, 'Just stay down, stay down,' and it just kind of hits you, like, 'Oh, man.' As soon as I saw that, I told him to stay on the ground."
Barrett did for about three minutes before he was taken off the field on a cart early in the fourth quarter. The freshman stayed around Ohio Stadium long enough to address the team in the locker room after the game before he was taken to the hospital.
Cleveland.com captured a video of Jones leaving the stadium on crutches with a boot on his right leg. You can see it above.
Barrett is scheduled to have surgery Sunday at the Ohio State University Medical Center and he'll be lost for the season.
Stay tuned with cleveland.com as we continue to provide thorough coverage of Barrett's situation, what's next with Cardale Jones and what this means for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State will try to win a Big Ten championship next weekend with third-string quarterback Cardale Jones.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The last time Cardale Jones was in Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game, he put on a physical display that Ohio State offensive tackle Taylor Decker still remembers nearly a year later.
With one knee on the 50-yard line at Lucas Oil Stadium, Jones was firing balls into the end zone with ease. He's a freak talent, that much has been confirmed by his Ohio State teammates.
"He's a long strider," Buckeyes tight end Jeff Heuerman said. "He's pretty big, about 250 pounds, 6-6, and he brings a lot to the table. He's an incredible athletes, he's got a super strong arm."
Can he put it all together to win the Buckeyes' biggest game of the season? We'll find out next weekend when Ohio State plays in its second consecutive Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis.
Jones will start for the Buckeyes next week after Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett suffered a fractured ankle in the fourth quarter on Saturday against Michigan that will keep him out for the rest of the season.
Urban Meyer said after Saturday's game that Jones will get the first team reps this week in practice. Ohio State is down to its third-string quarterback with Barrett's injury and the injury to Braxton Miller's shoulder in fall camp.
Barrett is scheduled to undergo surgery on Monday. By then Jones, who will make his first career start in the title game, will already have begun preparing for the biggest game of his life.
"It's a huge opportunity, but it's also a huge challenge for him," Decker said. "I can't imagine the type of pressure he's going to be feeling. If we come together and let him know the he doesn't need to be a super hero. He doesn't have to play the best game he's every played. He just has to prepare and we'll be fine."
Barrett passed Jones on Ohio State's depth chart in August, when co-offensive coordinator Tom Herman said "the offense moves better with" Barrett.
The coaching staff may not have been too high on Jones then. They have no choice but to move forward with him now.
Jones entered Saturday's game on third-and-1 early in the fourth quarter and ran for no gain when it appeared he might have had another hole to run through. On the second drive after Barrett's injury, Ohio State mixed in H-back Jalin Marshall as a Wildcat quarterback, but co-offensive coordinator Tom Herman insisted that wasn't a sign of the coaching staff's faith in Jones.
"The only hesitancy is not for lack ability," Herman said. "It was the score, we were trying to kill some clock. I don't care how mature, how ready you are mentally, just having not done it in a game-like situation for so long makes you hesitant. Certainly nothing to do with our confidence in his ability."
Jones threw three passes on Saturday, finishing 2-for-3 for seven yards. His lone incompletion came on a ball to Michael Thomas were Jones led his receiver too far. He ran 12 times for 18 yards, all 18 coming on a second down run the helped keep Ohio State's last scoring drive alive.
He's shown flashes of playmaking ability, but most of that in garbage time and none of it on the level that Barrett has this season. Jones is 8-for-14 for 111 yards and two touchdowns this season. He's also ran 24 times for 188 yards.
He's made some exciting plays, too. Like the 17-yard scamper he had against Maryland in which he hurdled a defender to pick up a first down.
Everyone seems to like his physical ability. Now Jones needs to show he can prepare like a starter.
And Ohio State needs to win a championship with its third-string quarterback.
"I've said this many times, the quarterback is a product of the guys around him and the guys around him are playing pretty good right now," Meyer said. "The good thing is they (Jones and Barrett) have a similar skill set, so it's not like we're going to have to drastically change things"
Crowds arrived early, filling the parking lots with tailgaters and plugging the walkways to the stadium. And while the dominate apparel of the day was scarlet, some clad in maize and blue joined in the festivities.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The atmosphere for pregame Saturday outside Ohio Stadium before The Game was filled with anticipation.
Unlike the previous week, when misting rain and freezing temperatures coated everything with ice and kept crowds away, the sun was out and the temperature was up.
And this was Ohio State-Michigan week.
Crowds arrived early, filling the parking lots with tailgaters and plugging the walkways to the stadium.
And while the dominant apparel of the day was scarlet, some clad in maize and blue joined in the festivities.Mount Union will play John Carroll in a national quarterfinal next Saturday after the Purple Raiders rolled past Washington & Jefferson, 67-0.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Senior quarterback Kevin Burke threw six touchdown passes in the first half, and the Purple Raiders routed No. 19 Washington & Jefferson, 67-0, in a Division III football second-round playoff game Saturday in Mount Union Stadium.
No. 3 Mount Union (12-0) plays rival No. 6 John Carroll (11-1) in a national quarterfinal next Saturday. The site will be announced Sunday.
John Carroll won at Wheaton College, 14-12, on Saturday.
On Nov. 15, the Purple Raiders capped their ninth consecutive unbeaten regular season with a hard-fought, 31-24 victory over John Carroll. The teams last met in the postseason in 2002. Mount Union won the national semifinal, 52-19. Tom Arth was JCU's quarterback then, and now is in his second season as the Blue Streaks' coach.
UMU set a Division III playoff record for margin of victory Saturday, and advanced to the quarterfinals for the 23rd consecutive season.
Burke, a semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, finished with 402 yards passing. His six TDs were a career-best, and were spread among four receivers. Roman Namdar caught three TDs and had 112 yards receiving, and Luc Meacham had a season-best 151 yards receiving.
Mount Union piled up 703 yards total offense. It scored 38 points in the second quarter and led at the half, 45-0.
Freshman tailback Jamal Johnson ran for 118 rushing yards on 14 carries, including a 78-yard TD.
No. 19 W&J (10-2) had nation's fifth-ranked offense (527.2 yards per game), and finished with 252 total yards.
UMU linebacker LeShawn Luke and safety Joshua Scott each had eight tackles. Tre Jones had an interception and Will Hiteshue recovered a fumble and blocked a punt for a safety.
Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao will miss his first game of the season with a rib contusion.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cavaliers will be without their starting center Saturday night against the Indiana Pacers at The Q.
Anderson Varejao, who suffered a rib contusion in Wednesday's home win over the Washington Wizards, will miss his first game of the season tonight. He was held out of practice on Friday, but participated in Saturday's morning shootaround session.
He was listed as questionable entering tonight's contest. Yet the team felt like it would be best if Varejao sat this one out.
"It was a team decision together with Andy," head coach David Blatt said during his pregame address. "He experienced some discomfort this morning. Nothing too, too serious but we as a precautionary measure decided to hold him out."
Tristan Thompson will start in Varejao's absence. It will be his first start of the season.
In Varejao's last five games, he's averaging 14.0 points on 65 percent from the field to go with 9.0 rebounds. His mid-range jump-shot has become automatic, making the lives of his counterparts miserable.
His production will surely be missed against a bruiser of a team in the Pacers.
The good news for Cleveland is that the Pacers will not have their staring center in the starting lineup for the fourth consecutive game. Roy Hibbert is nursing a sprained ankle.
Backup center Ian Mahinmi will likely start in place of Hibbert.
See the keys to tonight's football state semifinal between Hudson and St. Edward.
See the keys to tonight's football state semifinal between Hudson and St. Edward.
