conceding the opening goal on a flubbed clearance. W

When football coaches express the old “next man up” rhetoric, Ohio State is exactly what they’re talking about. We’ve all heard coaches argue injuries aren’t going to sink their team, that a new player will step in and step up, and that everyone else will rally around and pick up the slack. We’ve never believed them. Maybe along the line or in the receiving corps can a team suffer a couple major injuries, but at quarterback? No way. And then there’s Ohio State. The team lost presumed Heisman candidate Braxton Miller to a shoulder injury ahead of the season only to find actual Heisman candidate JT Barrett. Barrett led the Buckeyes to a perfect conference record and 11-1 overall record en route to finishing fifth in Heisman voting. It was touch and go for a while, with Ohio State getting upset by a mediocre Virginia Tech team in the second week of the season, but the Buckeyes reeled off 10 straight wins, including strong conference victories over Michigan State and Minnesota, to earn a spot in the Big 10 Championship Game. A dual threat quarterback, Barrett finished with 3,772 combined yards and 45 combined scores, the third most among all quarterbacks, but fractured his ankle in the team’s win over Michigan on rivalry weekend. Still with an outside shot at the College Football Playoff, there was concern the Buckeyes’ couldn’t catch lightning in a bottle twice and wouldn’t even emerge as top team in the Big 10. Those concerns proved needless as Ohio State crushed Wisconsin 59-0, a performance – coupled with the team’s high tv ratings – that vaulted them into the Top 4 and a CFP spot. Against the fourth best defence in the country, one-time third string quarterback Cardale Jones put up 257 yards and three touchdowns on just 17 pass attempts in the 59-point rout. While no one believes Jones is to Barrett as Barrett was to Miller earlier this season, his Big 10 Championship performance gave Buckeyes fans hope they can hang with Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Perhaps the best matchup against the Crimson Tide is between the two men patrolling the sidelines. If Nick Saban is the best coach in college football, Urban Meyer is right on his tail at No. 2. The Sugar Bowl is the latest edition in the rivalry of the off-field friends that burned bright in the SEC before Meyer left Florida. There are college football fans that believe Meyer and Saban ushered in the era of SEC domination still currently in play. We all know what Saban has done with the Tide, winning three national championships in four years, but Meyer’s nearly as impressive run with the Gators superseded that. Meyer won two national championships in his six years with the Gators before leaving under suspect circumstances, and subsequently burning a lot of bridges on the way out. He has since done quite well for himself up north with the Buckeyes. He led the team to an undefeated season his first year in town, but the Buckeyes were ineligible for the postseason due to violations stemming from the sweater vest era. While Meyer and Miller, err Barrett, err Jones are the headliners for OSU heading into the Sugar Bowl, they’ve got a number of others that figure to play a part in the outcome in the New Year’s Eve semifinal. Running back Ezekiel Elliott was a Top 20 rusher, compiling 1,402 yards and 12 touchdowns, and receiver Devin Smith had 11 touchdowns, ninth most in the nation among receivers, to go with his 799 receiving yards. Ohio State’s top draft eligible prospects are on the defensive side of the ball. While they’re currently void a prospect with a first round draft grade, DT Michael Bennett is a high second round prospect at the moment and could fight his way into the Top 32 with a strong postseason. Senior cornerback Doran Grant is next up, currently sporting a mid-round grade. Grant could use a solid postseason to sneak into the third round. If Jones can continue his best Barrett impression for another week, the Buckeyes carry a Top 10 offence into the Sugar Bowl. While they’re just middle of the pack through the air, Ohio State is 11th in the nation in rushing at 260 yards a game. All in, Ohio State was fourth in offensive yards with 6,599 behind only the big shots Baylor, Oregon, and … Marshall, and ahead of TCU. The Buckeyes also sport a Top 20 defence. They finished 15th in yards against, allowing only 328 per game and were just as good against the pass, 17th in the nation allowing 188.2 yards per game. Ohio State was a little more susceptible against the run, finishing 33rd in the NCAA at a 139.8 yards per game clip. Ohio State needed their strong tv ratings for selection committee members to be “convinced” they were one of the best four teams in the nation this year. That they may not belong in the first ever College Football Playoff is exhibited in the betting line, the Buckeyes heading into the game as nine-point underdogs. Maybe there’s still some magic left in OSU’s impressive season, but it’s likely they’ll be very hard pressed to be still playing come New Year’s Day. Custom Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys . Cammalleri scored two goals, Corban Knight netted the winner in a shootout, and the Flames erased a two-goal deficit in the third period to beat the Stars 4-3 on Friday night. Kendall Fuller Jersey . Leverkusen said on Friday it signed Schmidt on a two-year contract. 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The right-handed hitter had an International League high, 18-game hitting streak this season and currently owns an IL high 26-game on base streak.Much was expected of Canada at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Jamaica.The young Canadian soccer team had performed well on a pre-tournament tour of Europe, returning home unbeaten against quality opposition. The squad had never lost two games in a row.And while coach Rob Gales team was denied two of its top weapons — midfielders Dylan Carreiro of Dundee and Fraser Aird of Glasgow Rangers — when their Scottish teams refused to release them for the tournament, there was good depth. Teenage striker Cyle Larin went No. 1 in the MLS SuperDraft during the tournament. Ten players on the roster were on the books of Canadian MLS clubs, with several having already made their first-team debut.Gale had faith in his squad, having worked with many of them for the last three years. But he knew that not many had played much competitive soccer in the leadup to the CONCACAF event. And five games in 12 days would be a big ask in the heat, humidity and uneven pitch in Montego Bay.Plus Canada had not taken part in the world under-20 championship since it hosted the event in 2007, exiting without scoring a goal or registering a point. And rival teams were making strides in CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.Despite a good start, the tournament quickly went south. The Canadians were eliminated from contention Monday when they lost 2-1 to Cuba and Honduras beat Haiti 3-2.All our kind of worst fears about what potentially could happen or affect the players have come to fruition, unfortunately ... Its been a poor display of who we are as a group, said Gale.Where these boys have been fantastic in the past in tournament football, for any number of reasons and the boys are struggling themselves to put their finger on it, this week, at this moment of time, they didnt have the energy and the resolve and that character to get themselves out of moments of a game that would turn the course, he added.Canada opened on a positive note, downing Haiti 3-1. A 2-0 loss to two-time defending champion Mexico was perhaps not unexpected.A 3-2 loss to El Salvador on a stoppage-time goal was a dagger through the heart. Then the bottom fell out with the loss to Cuba, with Canada conceding the opening goal on a flubbed clearance. When Honduras beat Haiti later that day, Canadas dream of reaching the U20 World Cup were shot.Canada (1-4-0) wrapped up play Thursday with a 3-2 loss to Honduras.Panama and Mexico topped their groups to reach the final and automatically qualify for FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand this summer. The second- and third-place teams in each pool will play off to see which two teams join them.For Gale and his staff, its time to review and reconsider. Their job is long-term development and this tournament, however painful, has been a learning step for their young players.The good news for Gale is that his players responded in the second half of games.For Gale, Thursdays finale outing was about sheer effort and pride, that has been lacking in some individuals and also as a collective, at times, when the going got tough in the conditions, the heat and everything else.Obviously theyre down and theyre disappointed thatt they havent represented themselves as they would have wanted.dddddddddddd But youre as good as your next game and in football you have to get back on the horse. And if they want to make a career out of it, theyre going to have many many difficult moments and its how you respond.Gale was encouraged by the opening win over Haiti. He knew the margin of victory could have been more had his group retained its focus but he saw it as a lesson learned.Mexico was next, the toughest game on the schedule. The Mexicans were well-rested after a 9-1 romp over Cuba.We refreshed the pack but unfortunately a couple of players had just tough tough days at the office, said Gale. To be fair to the boys, they dug in again. The second half we were much much better.Down 1-0, they had chances to tie it up but were punished on a late counter-attack.Mentally, the team was in good spirits going into the El Salvador game. There had been positives against Mexico.But extreme heat took its toll on a Canadian team inexperienced at this level and in the conditions. Watching from the sidelines, Gale could see his team stray from its game plan just minutes into the contest.It becomes not about football then, its about digging in — the heart and desire to work you way through it.Down 1-0 and 2-1, the Canadians rallied to tie the game, only to fall victim to a 94th-minute goal off a set kick.It was just a mental lapse, said Gale. Very disappointing ... But with a young group of players, that happens in football.Against Cuba, an unfortunate individual error led to a fifth-minute goal and the Canadians were behind the eight-ball again.Down 2-0 at the half, the Canadians cut the lead to 2-1 and had chances to score while the Cubans played a delaying game that descended into farce. The stretcher comes on seven times, Gale said with disgust.Unfortunately thats the reality of CONCACAF, he added. Any time you give a team oxygen or life, where theyre ahead, they can wind it down and it can cost you.Under that extra pressure, players started second-guessing themselves, said Gale.Finding the character and heart when the going got tough just deserted us here. And thats tournament football. It can happen.This is the first cycle of players Gale has had since under-16. Now the plan is to grow a squad from the under-14 level.Jamaica is a valuable, if painful, lesson. Theres no immediate and short-term fix, said Gale.The young Canadians are talented but lack experience under pressure, the coach says.Missing Aird and Carreiro, his longtime captain, did not help.If there was one thing that we needed a little more of at this tournament, it was character, said Gale.He notes with frustration that Carreiro had not played a minute at Dundee during the tournament.I think thats disgraceful for a coach to hold a player back from international football and the experience and to not play him at all.Aird played sparingly at his club during the tournament.Still, Gale says there are no excuses for what happened in Jamaica.We havent performed and adapted as well as other countries in key moments of key games. 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