McConnell Chooses Ohio State!
October 3, 2009
Weekly Report Posted: August 13, 2009 06:38
The Buckeyes snagged a big one this week, and we mean BIG.
#57 - Joey McConnell, from DC, is listed as the #3 middle linebacker in this year's recruiting class. The Buckeyes are short on inside linebackers, with Austin Spitler graduating at the end of the year. McConnell hopes to start sooner rather than later, and the gap leaves him the opportunity. McConnell is a run-stopping monster - at only 5'9" tall, but a whopping 252 pounds, he's built more like a nose tackle than a linebacker, but when coach Griffin saw him run (B- SPD) he knew he had to get the DC native to come to Columbus. Though the Buckeyes are also very close to signing local celebrity and five star recruit Kasey Gilbert at the same position, McConnell saw it as an opportunity for he and Gilbert, in the Buckeyes new 3-4 system, "to be the best linebacking corps in the country, no doubt."
McConnell was being intensely pursued by the Auburn Tigers, but a week four visit and a big win against rival Illinois helped him to make his decision. He signed his letter of intent right after the game.
Ohio State Downs the Illini at Home, 35 - 21
Terrelle Pryor had another bad day throwing the ball, but the Buckeye Running game was enough to win this one. Herron ran for 113 yards on 18 carries, scoring twice. Pryor added a sneak from the one, and Brandon Saine topped the hundred yard mark on only 10 carries, going for 107 and a score. Coach Griffin seems to have abandoned the passing game in the past couple weeks. Hopefully, recent changes will lead to more opportunities for Pryor to air it out. We'll have to see what coach Griffin has in store.
The Illini offense made a number of plays, but in the end, the Buckeye defense was too much. Williams couldn't get out of the pocket to run, and when he passed, he couldn't get the ball to Regis Benn, his number one guy, due to almost constant double coverage. Add an interception by linebacker Austin Spitler, and a defensive touchdown on a fumble recovery by corner Andre Amos, and the Bucks had all the cushion they needed to ride this one out. A late score one a Juice Williams pass made it look closer than it really was. The Buckeyes handled the Illini with relative ease.
Week 4 Players of the Week
Big 10 Offensive Player Of The Week
Evan Royster - HB , Penn State
25 CAR, 140 YDS, 45 REC YDS, 3 TOTAL TD
Big 10 Defensive Player Of The Week
Navorro Bowman - ROLB , Penn State
8 TKLS (5 TFL), 2 SKS, INT, FF
Ncaa Offensive Player Of The Week
Andre Byrd - HB , Navy
33 CAR, 247 YDS, 5 TD, 16 REC YDS
Ncaa Defensive Player Of The Week
Mike Nixon - ROLB , Arizona State
8 TKLS, 2 INT, FF, FR
| Coaches Poll | |
|---|---|
| RNK | Team |
| 1 | Florida Gators |
| 2 | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| 3 | LSU Tigers |
| 4 | Penn State Nittany Lions |
| 5 | Texas Longhorns |
| 6 | Oklahoma Sooners |
| 7 | USC Trojans |
| 8 | Ole Miss Rebels |
| 9 | North Carolina Tar Heels |
| 10 | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
| 11 | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 12 | Florida State Seminoles |
| 13 | Utah Utes |
| 14 | West Virginia Mountaineers |
| 15 | Georgia Bulldogs |
| 16 | Kansas Jayhawks |
| 17 | California Golden Bears |
| 18 | Arizona State Sun Devils |
| 19 | Virginia Tech Hokies |
| 20 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
| 21 | Miami Hurricanes |
| 22 | Oregon Ducks |
| 23 | TCU Horned Frogs |
| 24 | South Florida Bulls |
| 25 | Brigham Young Cougars |
| Media Poll | |
|---|---|
| RNK | Team |
| 1 | Florida Gators |
| 2 | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| 3 | LSU Tigers |
| 4 | Penn State Nittany Lions |
| 5 | Texas Longhorns |
| 6 | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
| 7 | Ole Miss Rebels |
| 8 | Oklahoma Sooners |
| 9 | USC Trojans |
| 10 | North Carolina Tar Heels |
| 11 | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 12 | Utah Utes |
| 13 | Florida State Seminoles |
| 14 | Georgia Bulldogs |
| 15 | West Virginia Mountaineers |
| 16 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
| 17 | Kansas Jayhawks |
| 18 | Arizona State Sun Devils |
| 19 | California Golden Bears |
| 20 | Virginia Tech Hokies |
| 21 | TCU Horned Frogs |
| 22 | Miami Hurricanes |
| 23 | Oregon Ducks |
| 24 | Brigham Young Cougars |
| 25 | Georgia Tech Yellowjackets |
| BCS Poll | |
|---|---|
| RNK | Team |
| No BCS Poll has been set. | |
| Big 10 Conference Standings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RNK | School | Record | Conf Rec |
| 1 | Wisconsin | 4-0 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Penn State | 4-0 | 1-0 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 4-0 | 1-0 |
| 4 | Michigan | 3-1 | 1-0 |
| 5 | Minnesota | 2-2 | 1-0 |
| 6 | Illinois | 2-1 | 0-1 |
| 7 | Purdue | 2-2 | 0-0 |
| 8 | Northwestern | 3-1 | 0-1 |
| 9 | Michigan State | 2-2 | 0-1 |
| 10 | Iowa | 2-2 | 0-1 |
| 11 | Indiana | 1-4 | 0-2 |