Every once in a while, based on merit, we will add another player to our highly influential yet totally imaginary Social Media All-Star Team. Today’s addition to the galaxy: Mike Bennett, Ohio State, whose credentials should speak for themselves:
Moral of my nap, don't go to sleep that hungry. I woke up from a delicious dinner and was trying to eat my pillow… Weird—
MIKE BENNETT (@mike63bennett) May 13, 2013
After a strong spring, Jameis Winston (5) seems set to be FSU’s quarterback of the future. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
By Zac Ellis
The official start of the college football season may still be more than three months away, but the first glimpses of each team come every year during spring practice. Spring isn’t always an accurate barometer for what to expect in the fall, but there were still a handful of noteworthy developments over the last two months nonetheless. A redshirt freshman quarterback raised a few eyebrows with his play in Tallahassee. A couple of new coaches kicked off their debut campaigns in the SEC. And off the field, the long-awaited College Football Playoff finally started to take shape.
Here are 10 lessons we learned from spring football across the country:
For The First Time This Year We Wish We Worked Offseason Weekends, Vol. 2: In which the President has been reading the message boards.
President Obama just referred to the University of Michigan as That School Up North.—
Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) May 05, 2013
President Obama gave Ohio State’s commencement address this weekend, and he adhered admirably to rivalry rhetoric but selfishly neglecting to issue an executive order awarding each of Ohio State’s victories under Urban Meyer to the SEC.
Michigan led the nation last season by averaging 112,252 fans per home game. (Scott W. Grau/Icon SMI)
By Zac Ellis
Michigan’s home-field advantage was the best in college football in 2012, according to at least one list of rankings. Michigan Stadium, also known as “The Big House,” topped StadiumJourney.com’s rundown of the best college stadiums from last season. The Wolverines led the nation in average attendance with an astounding 112,252 fans per game while finishing 6-0 and outscoring visiting opponents 231-96 at home.
The outlet determined its rankings based on several factors, including a team’s win/loss record, average attendance, attendance as a percentage of capacity and points scored/allowed at home. Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium finished second, while Ohio State’s Ohio Stadium, Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium and South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium rounded out the top five.
You can find the complete rankings here, but here is the rest of the top 10:
My fav Urban gem: “Some people say stats are for losers. I say those people probably are the losers because they don’t like their stats."—
Travis Haney (@TravHaneyESPN) April 16, 2013
You know when it’s fun to talk about stats? When you have a 12-0 team. Undefeated Urbz is endlessly entertaining, like a cat with every strand of fur in place, lolling in a sunbeam.
By Zac Ellis
Ohio State didn’t win any championships in 2012, but don’t tell that to the Buckeyes. Thursday, a few members of Urban Meyer’s staff posted pictures of the team’s new rings, which say “12-0″ across the face. Ohio State completed an undefeated regular season last year, but was ineligible for postseason play because of NCAA sanctions. And before you ask: Yes, those sanctions stemmed from players getting tattoos in exchange for … championships rings and other merchandise. Stewart Mandel always says college football is cyclical…
Check out the photos posted Thursday by receivers coach Zach Smith and sports information director Jerry Emig, which show the gold pants earned for beating Michigan. Pretty sweet, though it begs the question: How many teams sport rings for winning a division title?
Days Like Today Show Us Why Being a Buckeye is Different From Anywhere Else in the Country!! #RingsOnRings #GoldPants http://t.co/iMT2EIcawY—
Zach Smith (@CoachZachSmith) April 11, 2013
By Zac Ellis
With spring practice in full swing, here’s a glance at some of the nation’s most noteworthy recent developments:
• Nebraska: The feel-good story of the week came out of Nebraska’s spring game. Seven-year-old cancer patient Jack Hoffman, a lifelong Huskers fan, took a handoff from quarterback Taylor Martinez in the waning moments of the scrimmage and scampered 69 yards to the end zone (video above). Huskers players mobbed Hoffman as more than 60,000 fans cheered for the youngster, who befriended running back Rex Burkhead last year while battling brain cancer. What was Hoffman thinking as he took the field? In his words: “Scoring a touchdown.”
• Florida: The Gators limped into their spring game on Saturday with a banged-up group of offensive linemen. The unit was so injury depleted (four linemen were out), in fact, that Will Muschamp changed the format from a traditional spring game to an open practice with scrimmage-type situations. But some good news came out of Gainesville: Quarterback Jeff Driskel, who is aiming to improve his decision-making in his second year as the starter, showed significant signs of development.
• Florida State: Following the departure of E.J. Manuel, the Seminoles’ quarterback situation features plenty of new faces. And while it’s looking like Clint Trickett has the slight edge to become the Seminoles’ man under center, Jacob Coker and Jameis Winston are giving Trickett a run for his money. Still, Trickett is showing the experience that comes with having played in Jimbo Fisher’s system the longest.
Drake Harris, a 2014 prospect, is expected to focus on football in college after decommitting from Michigan State. (AP)
Class of 2014 prospect Drake Harris, a two-sport star at Grand Rapids Christian, has withdrawn his verbal commitment to Michigan State and has been visiting Michigan, per the Detroit Free Press. Rated as a four-star recruit in both football and basketball, Harris has received football offers from such programs as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame and Oregon. As told to the Freep:
“Since I’m just playing football now,” Harris told reporters after his regional basketball game Monday in Grand Rapids, “I want to play at a bigger school, win a national championship.”
One of the most effective offseason conditioning methods out there is message-board rage sprints. To help you along, here’s a guide to everyone who could conceivably be offended by Harris’ statement:
• Michigan State: For Harris reopening his recruitment and slighting of the Spartans’ football program.
• Michigan: For the implied slight of the Michigan basketball program.
• Everybody else in the Big Ten not located in Columbus, Ohio (probably). Lest we forget, Ohio State also went after Harris, so look forward to whatever bon mots Urban Meyer has to dispense about Harris’ chances of winning a national title with the Wolverines.
Dri Archer: Golden Flash or Golden Snitch? (AP)
Our pals at Land Grant Holy Land undertook the noble offseason task this week of determining which Ohio State athletes would best serve on a (sadly theoretical) Quidditch team. It is safe to assume that you will not hear any other media outlet call DeShaun Thomas “the second coming of Alicia Spinnet” for the rest of your natural lives. Being Harry Potter crossover completists, we are piling on by helpfully determining which college football players would make the best Quidditch balls. We have linked out to helpful explanations of each ball from the Harry Potter Lexicon.
• Quaffle: Stedman Bailey. Because if there’s scoring to be done, he’s probably involved.
• Bludger: Jadeveon Clowney. Bludgers are balls of iron that hit people.
• Bludger: Jarvis Jones. See above.
• Golden Snitch: Dri Archer. A Snitch frequently evades capture and is worth 150 points. Sounds about right.
Wingardium Mariota!
@SIHolly This turtle has DISAPPOINTED ME. It is SOFT. It is PROBABLY A HIPPY punchpunchpunchpunch—
Matt Brown (@MattLGHL) February 12, 2013
• Just let us have this. And it came to pass that Urban Meyer’s recycled turtle story, which brought great joy to all corners of God’s green internet, gained such traction that Ohio State’s media relations folks were forced to issue the following statement, which we are printing here in full, caps and italics emphasis faithfully reproduced from the original document:
Date: Feb. 12, 2013
To: Media Covering Ohio State Football
What: Joke
This note is in response to the headlines that are running on the internet that don’t seem to take into consideration that Coach Meyer told a JOKE to a crowd of high school coaches last week. He was telling a story about toughness and he exaggerated a story about toughness. It is the same story he has told numerous times before, including last year at this same convention; only the coach he talked about last year wasn’t Coach Hayes, but Coach Bruce.
So please know: the story about toughness that Coach Meyer shared with a crowd last week and the year before and numerous times before was a joke and only a joke.
Thank you in advance for your clarifications.
Nothing gold can stay, y’all.
• In happier B1G news … Barry Alvarez says the Big Ten is done scheduling FCS programs. We are pleased. Some other folks are not, and there are valid reasons, but we’d still rather watch New Mexico State than the Citadel. Sorry, the Citadel.
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