Cincy Sporting News » OH

Bengals game will be blacked out Sunday

admin — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:44:33 +0000

By M.Bowman / Staff Contributor and Wire Reports

CINCINNATI, OH — The Cincinnati Bengals officially announced this afternoon that the home game this Sunday is NOT a sellout and will be blacked out.

This is the first time in seven years that the team has not sold all the tickets to a home game. The team will not say how many tickets are still available for the game.

The team is playing the Buffalo Bills at Paul Brown Stadium at 1 p.m.

Buckeyes tip PSU, 38-14

admin — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 13:28:21 +0000

Associated Press

Devon Torrence #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes intercepts a pass in the third quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium on November 13, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. Torrence returned the interception 34-yards for a touchdown in the Buckeyes' 38-14 win over the Nittany Lions.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As the Ohio State Buckeyes left the field trailing 14-3 at halftime on Saturday, their fans really let them hear it.

By the end of the game, those boos had turned to cheers.

Devon Torrence tipped and snagged an interception and returned it 34 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, and the Buckeyes (No. 9 BCS, No. 8 AP) ran off the final 35 points for a 38-14 win.

“We know how much our fans are obsessed with Ohio State football,” said wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, who caught a ricochet off a defender for a quirky 58-yard score in the 21-0 fourth quarter. “Booing us? I probably would have booed us.”

Travis Howard added another interception and brought it back 30 yards for a TD, also in the fourth.

“Obviously, I didn’t pay attention to it,” defensive end Cameron Heyward said of the boos. “It’s going to happen. But we had to respond in the second half.”

They certainly did. The two defensive scores gave Ohio State six interception returns for touchdowns in the last seven meetings with Penn State (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten).

The victory sent the Buckeyes (9-1, 5-1) into a critical showdown at Iowa next week tied for first place in the conference with Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Instead of win No. 401 for Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno, the second-half scores tagged him with his 133rd loss.

“There were a lot of things involved,” he said of his team’s second-half collapse. “I didn’t think they [the Buckeyes] did much different in the second half.”

The comeback from an 11-point deficit was the biggest in coach Jim Tressel’s 10 years in Columbus.

“They played their fannies off in the second half,” Tressel said of his Buckeyes. “I’m awfully proud of them.”

The game swung on one play.

With a 14-10 lead on second-and-9 at the Nittany Lions 37 midway through the third quarter, Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin fired a pass into the left flat meant for Michael Zordich. Torrence, a former outfielder in the Houston Astros system, had slipped off coverage of another receiver, sliding inside and streaking in front of Zordich.

“I saw it and jumped it,” Torrence said. “I had to tip it to myself.”

He flicked the ball up in the air once, juggled it off his shoulder and then finally collected it, racing for the touchdown and a 17-14 lead.

“He kind of baited me,” McGloin said. “At first he was rolling with Derek [Moye] and he came off. He just made a nice play.”

Ohio State then forced a punt and on second-and-23 from his own 42, Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor lobbed an arching pass down the middle of the field for DeVier Posey, with D’Anton Lynn and Drew Astorino pounding him as the ball arrived. But the ball squirted directly to Sanzenbacher trailing the play.

Lynn stood, hands on his hips, stunned as the Buckeyes celebrated in the end zone.

Howard then stepped in front of McGloin’s pass to end any drama.

Pryor, who was 8 of 13 for 139 yards with one interception and two scores, also hit Jake Stoneburner with a late TD pass.

The Buckeyes, down 14-3, were pinned deep in their own territory in the third quarter. But they covered 96 yards — actually 98 because they had a false start penalty before they ran a play. For the most part, they stayed on the ground, with Boom Herron, who had a career-best 190 yards on 21 carries, going the final 5 yards through a gaping hole for a TD.

Then came the interception that flipped the game.

Tressel improved to 27-4 in November games as Ohio State’s head coach — and 3-4 in the week after a bye.

The Nittany Lions, angry that they were listed as 2 1/2-touchdown underdogs, appeared to be the team that was rested and focused early.

McGloin, who finished 15 of 30 for 159 yards with the two interceptions, hit Justin Brown on a 23-yard score and Moye on a 6-yarder. They were the first touchdown passes Penn State had thrown in Ohio Stadium since joining the Big Ten in 1993, and gave the Lions the most points they’ve scored there in that span.

Torrence’s return helped the Buckeyes forget about the ugly first half and the torrent of boos.

“The halftime locker room was not a fun place,” Tressel said. “But it was not a place that looked like there was any quit in anybody.”

Miami 24, Ohio St. 36

admin — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 11:49:32 +0000

Associated Press

Ohio State defensive lineman Cameron Heyward returns an interception against the Miami in the third quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010, in Columbus, Ohio.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Miami quarterback Jacory Harris and the 12th-ranked Hurricanes came into their showdown with No. 2 Ohio State confident and comfortable.

Four interceptions later, they were deflated and defeated.

Terrelle Pryor ran for 113 yards and a touchdown and passed for another score Saturday as the Buckeyes took advantage of Miami’s miscues to hang a 36-24 loss on the Hurricanes.

“Feeling good doesn’t always end up good,” Harris said.

Eight seasons after the Buckeyes and Hurricanes played a classic game for the 2002 national championship, the rematch wasn’t nearly as close. In the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, the Buckeyes earned a dramatic and controversial 31-24 victory in double-overtime against a Miami team trying to repeat as national champs.

This one was no work of art, with numerous sloppy plays and bad tackling. But it kept the Buckeyes (2-0) perfect and prevented the Hurricanes (1-1) from making a case they belonged back among the nation’s elite.

It all came down to the mistakes.

“When you can create four takeaways, you’re going to have a chance,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. “And when you have zero giveaways, you’re going to have a real good chance.”

In what was billed as a Heisman Trophy showcase, Pryor completed just 12 of 27 passes for 233 yards but kept alive drives with many of his 20 carries and scored on a 13-yard run. Harris was 22 of 39 passing for 232 yards and a touchdown but had the four interceptions — three of which could easily have been caught.

“Two of them the receivers ran the wrong route,” Miami coach Randy Shannon said. “But, still, if the receiver runs the wrong route then throw the ball out of bounds.”

It was the last interception which proved to be particularly costly for the Hurricanes.

Trailing 26-17 at the half, Miami took the kickoff and drove to a first down at the Ohio State 6. But on third-and-goal, Harris’ pass over the middle was wide of the mark and intercepted by burly Buckeyes defensive end Cameron Heyward, who had dropped back into pass coverage. He rumbled 80 yards with the ball.

“I was trying to take it to the house,” said the 6-foot-5, 288-pound Heyward, the son of former NFL running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward. “They caught me. That shows they didn’t give up, and shows I’m not that fast.”

That was OK with his coach.

“They were going to bring it down to a one-score game,” Tressel said. “I was shocked how far he got. I kept thinking that someone was going to catch up to him and strip the ball. Oh, man I was petrified. That was a long run for a big guy.”

It set up Pryor’s touchdown run. He rolled right, looking to pass, then reversed field and scored untouched.

The Hurricanes, whose earlier TDs both came on kick returns, scored on Harris’ 9-yard pass to Chase Ford on the first play of the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 36-24.

Miami got the ball just once more, marching down the field only to lose it on downs at the Ohio State 39 with 7½ minutes left. The Buckeyes, with Pryor picking up big yardage on runs, then played keep-a-way the rest of the game.

Devin Barclay tied an Ohio State record with five field goals.

The first half had to leave both coaches exasperated.

The Buckeyes dominated, piling up 260 yards to just 104 with three turnovers for the Hurricanes. But Miami twice returned kicks for long scores. The first was Lamar Miller’s 88-yard kickoff return.

After Ohio State seemed to grab control at 20-10 on Dan Herron’s 4-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter, Travis Benjamin brought a punt back 79 yards for another score.

It was the first time in 121 years of football that the Buckeyes surrendered a touchdown on punt and kickoff returns in the same game.

The first interception Harris threw was tipped by Ohio State’s C.J. Barnett, into the hands of Nathan Williams, setting up Barclay’s field goal.

The second was a result of receiver Benjamin not even looking for the ball, with Chimdi Chekwa grabbing it to set up Herron’s TD run. Then Harris hit Benjamin with a pass along the right sideline, but he bobbled the ball into Chekwa’s hands to set up yet another Barclay field goal.

Three times in the half, Miami defenders got their hands on one of Pryor’s passes but none of them were intercepted.

“Today was the most calm I’ve ever been,” Pryor said. “I was really comfortable. I feel like I made good decisions and I was thinking about not making turnovers — and I got that done.”

Harris couldn’t say the same.

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Ohio State, Purdue kick off at noon Oct. 23

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 20:22:59 +0000

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Big Ten Conference says Ohio State will kick off against Purdue at noon on Saturday, Oct. 23.

Ohio State will kick off against Purdue at noon on Saturday, Oct. 23.

The game will be at Ohio Stadium in Columbus and will serve as Ohio State’s 2010 Homecoming game. Television coverage will be announced later.

Four other games on the 2010 football schedule have confirmed starting times.

the Buckeyes’ opener on Thursday, Sept. 2, against Marshall will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Ohio Stadium.

The conference game at Wisconsin on Oct. 16 will begin at 7:15 p.m. Two weeks later, the Buckeyes, five-time defending Big Ten champions, travel to play Minnesota at its new TCF Bank Stadium at 8 p.m.

The highly anticipated matchup with the Miami Hurricanes on Sept. 11 will start at 3:40 p.m.

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Buckeyes may stretch offense to fit receivers

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 01:32:51 +0000

Associated Press

COLUMBUS — For a dozen games last season, Ohio State was true to its roots and ran the ball about twice as often as it threw it.

Then came the team’s trip to the Rose Bowl. And something strange happened.

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor tossed 38 passes, the most all year. Both Buckeyes touchdowns came on passes and, for the first time, Ohio State looked as if it had embraced a pass-first-and-ask-questions-later offense.

Midway through workouts this spring, the fans — and, for that matter, the Buckeyes themselves — are wondering about the 2010 plan of attack.

“It’s nice to not only get that (passing game) but also get a win — and to bring that into spring ball,” wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher said. “It brings a whole new pep to everybody’s step. As far as opening up the offense, you get that question a lot. I don’t know any more than you guys know. But I think being able to be successful at something like that will give the coaches confidence.”

Maybe it was faith in the growth of the mercurial Pryor. Or the offensive line had improved enough to let him throw more. Or it was the maturation of a young receiver corps. Or maybe it was just the matchups against Oregon that led to the air show in a 26-17 win over the Ducks in Pasadena, Calif.

So, are the Buckeyes opening things up?

“I don’t know what that means,” assistant head coach Darrell Hazell, who also oversees the receivers, said with a laugh. “With older players you can run more things and those guys are all a year older. That gives you a chance to do that. But you’re always going to do, as a coach, what you think is the best thing to win the football game, no matter what the fans are saying.”

One thing is for certain: The Buckeyes receivers and Pryor are feeling more confident and comfortable the more they play together. And the coaching staff is giving them more leeway because of that.

“I definitely feel that they’re giving us a lot more ability to make our own (plays),” said DeVier Posey, who led the Buckeyes with 60 catches for 828 yards and 8 TDs a year ago. “That comes with losing your youth and getting older and (the coaches) being able to trust you. This is all a trust factor, the coaches trusting you to get your job done.”

Matchup advantages had to have played a role in the Rose Bowl. Pryor attempted 17 passes in each of the last three regular season games, completing a combined 31 passes for 285 yards. Against Oregon, he was 23 of 37 for 266 yards.

Asked if he sits at home hoping that the coaching staff wants to continue to throw that much, Sanzenbacher flashed a wide grin and joked, “Every night.”

Ohio State is toying with the idea of throwing more to backs and tight ends. However, this isn’t the first time the coaches have suggested that. In the past, though, they’ve changed their minds once they get caught up in the heat of battle.

But this spring they like the idea of getting co-tailbacks Brandon Saine and Dan Herron on the field together. They also like the speed and size (6-foot-5, 245) of tight end Jake Stoneburner.

Still, the key is the wide receivers, one in particular. With a year of experience as a starter under his belt, Posey believes he’ll be called upon more and more.

“It’s weird that I’m growing up,” said Posey, a junior. “(I was) a talented youngster; I’m expected to be a seasoned veteran now. It’s crazy how your role just flips within a winter.”

Hazell believes Posey could explode as a player, if he continues to mature, harnesses his abilities and grows into a leadership role.

“Right now he’s his biggest enemy because he looks for perfection in everything he does,” Hazell said. “So when he makes a mistake, it kind of looms on him for a while. He has to learn to get over that, because he’s going to make a mistake.”

For a coach who has seen Brian Robiskie, Ted Ginn Jr., Santonio Holmes and Michael Jenkins come through Ohio State in his seven years at Ohio State, Hazell has high hopes for Posey, who’s reception provided the clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Rose Bowl.

“He is an exceptional receiver. One of the best we’ve had since I’ve been here,” he said. “But he’s got to learn to put some of those things that he doesn’t do as well as he’d like behind him so it doesn’t compound (problems for) him on the next play.”

Sabino is new third linebacker for Buckeyes

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:24:18 +0000

Associated Press

Etienne Sabino is new third linebacker for Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When it comes to its linebacking corps, Ohio State is hitting .667 in spring ball.

With two of the three starters returning, it isn’t nearly as important for the Buckeyes to find a replacement for the graduated Austin Spitler as it is to find the right fit.

“Really, there’s going to be pretty good competition at the linebacker group,” defensive coordinator Jim Heacock said at the start of spring workouts. “You’ve got the two naturals, you’ve got Ross Homan and Brian Rolle, those are your two linebackers. Now who’s the third-best one?”

The answer to that question so far is junior Etienne Sabino.

Senior starters Rolle and Homan are back in the fold from last year’s team that captured a fifth straight Big Ten title and went on to win the Rose Bowl. But the absence of Spitler leaves a leadership vacuum plus what he offered in experienced play.

“Obviously, Austin Spitler must have meant a lot to our guys for them to vote him captain without ever having started a game,” head coach Jim Tressel said. “So his leadership will certainly be missed.”

Spitler was a popular and respected elder statesman on the team, a practical joker, a selfless team player and a coach on the field. He waited patiently as a backup for three years behind All-American James Laurinaitis before finally become a starter last season. Then, when his moment had finally arrived, he was bumped to the strongside linebacker job from inside.

Still, he made the move and never complained.

“(It’s important) when guys buy into what you’re doing, when guys buy into their role,” linebackers coach Luke Fickell said. “A great example is Austin Spitler. It wasn’t exactly the role he thought. But he bought into his role. I think in the long run it’s going to pay off because he’s going to have a lot of opportunities (in the NFL) because of what he did.”

Homan and Rolle are solid at the other two spots. In their first season as starters, they had big years.

The steady, hard-hitting Homan led the team with 108 tackles, including two sacks and five for minus yardage. He also shared the team lead with five interceptions and recovered two fumbles.

Rolle, an upbeat, happy-go-lucky and talkative sort, was almost as good. He was second on the team with 95 tackles, with seven coming behind the line of scrimmage. He also intercepted a pass and fell on a fumble.

The front-runner to be the third amigo at linebacker is Sabino, a backup who saw action in every game last season.

Fickell has raved about Sabino’s work ethic and speed.

“He’s the guy. He’s such a young kid. I know he’s going to be a junior but he’s still only 19 years old,” he said. “You’d like to have some more time with him, but he’s coming along and I think this has been his best spring so far.”

The coaches felt Sabino was too mechanical his first two years. He knew the plays, made his read and went to where he was supposed to be. But at times, he didn’t rely on his instincts.

“Coach Fickell always tells us, ‘Don’t be a robot,’” Rolle said. “If (Sabino) sees something, he’s going to get it. And that’s something that takes a very special player on this defense to do, to play instinctive and go after things when you see it.”

While Sabino takes Spitler’s spot on the field, Rolle has naturally taken over some of Spitler’s leadership responsibilities.

“I’m majoring in sociology to be a teacher, so I like to help people,” Rolle said. “So now that the coaches are giving me a role to kind of help guys more, being that I’m an older guy, I take it to heart. The coaches feel like I can lead this team, and I’m doing a great job of letting the guys know what they can do to get better. And also better myself.”

Ohio 54, Miami (Ohio) 42

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:53:14 +0000

Associated Press

Ohio's Armon Bassett (0) and Miami of Ohio's Nick Winbush collide under the basket in the first half of a semifinal round NCAA college basketball game at the Mid-American Conference tournament Friday, March 12, 2010, in Cleveland.

CLEVELAND — Armon Bassett scored 28 points and DeVaughn Washington added 18 as ninth-seeded Ohio advanced to the final of the Mid-American Conference tournament by beating cold-shooting Miami (Ohio) 54-42 in the semifinals Friday night.

The Bobcats (20-14), who upset top-seeded Kent State in the quarterfinals, will meet third-seeded Akron in Saturday’s championship. The winner gets the MAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Akron won both regular-season matchups between the schools.

Bassett, who made his way to Ohio after stops at Indiana and Alabama-Birmingham, scored six straight points during a 13-2 burst in the second half when the Bobcats put away the RedHawks (14-18).

Ohio is in the final for the first time since winning the tourney title in 2005.

Kenny Hayes scored 12 for fourth-seeded Miami, which shot 35 percent from the floor and scored 12 points in the first half.

Buffalo 62, Miami (OH) 73

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:03:54 +0000

Associated Press

Julian Mavunga 17 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk in victory over Buffalo

OXFORD, Ohio — Julian Mavunga and Kenny Hayes each scored 17 points to lead Miami (Ohio) to a 73-62 victory over Buffalo on Thursday night.

The RedHawks (13-17, 9-7 Mid-American Conference) had lost four of five but shot 50 percent from the field (26 of 52) and blocked nine shots to send Buffalo (17-11, 9-7) to just its second loss in eight games.

Miami opened the second half on a 12-6 run to take a 45-35 lead on Kramer Soderberg’s 3-pointer with 14:43 to play. Mavunga scored the first five points of the run.

Mitchell Watt and Rodney Pierce combined for five straight points to cut the deficit to 45-40, but the RedHawks then went on an 11-0 run to take a 56-40 lead on Hayes’ layup with 8:48 remaining.

Antonio Ballard had 13 points and nine rebounds for Miami.

Watt finished with 17 points and Pierce added 16 for Buffalo. Calvin Betts had 12 rebounds for the Bulls.

Miami (OH) 58, Kent State 66

admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:36:24 +0000

Associated Press

KENT, Ohio — Justin Greene scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Kent State beat Miami (Ohio) 66-58 on Saturday night.

The Golden Flashes (22-8, 12-3 Mid-American Conference) have won four in a row and face Akron on March 5 with the MAC East Division regular season title on the line. Both teams are 12-3 in the conference.

Frank Henry-Ala added 12 points, and Anthony Simpson and Chris Singleton each had 11 for the Golden Flashes.

Kent State turned the ball over only four times but scored 13 points off 12 Miami miscues. The Golden Flashes led by 10 in the first half but Miami tied the game 41-41 with 14 minutes remaining. The Golden Flashes went on an 8-0 run to lead 49-41 after a Henry-Ala layup with 7:08 to play. Miami could get no closer than four points the rest of the way.

Julian Mavunga scored 17 points, Kenny Hayes had 15 and Nick Winbush 13 for Miami (12-17, 8-7).

Miami (Ohio) 68, Ohio 70

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:41:24 +0000

Associated Press

The 185th Battle of the Bricks was settled on Wednesday night when Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) hit a 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left to give Ohio University a 70-68 victory over Miami.

ATHENS, Ohio — Tommy Freeman hit a 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left to give Ohio University a 70-68 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday night.

DeVaughn Washington tied his career high with 25 points for the Bobcats (6-13, 6-8 Mid-American Conference) and Freeman scored 19 points, going 6-for-8 on 3-pointers.

The RedHawks (12-16, 8-6), who led by as many as 10 points in the first half and 28-22 at halftime, had regained a 67-66 lead with 9 seconds left on a jumper by Kenny Hayes.

Hayes scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half.

Washington scored a layup and four free throws for Ohio, which had come back to lead 66-65 after trailing 64-59 with 1:53 left.

Both teams shot well in the second half, with Ohio at 57.1 percent (16-for-28) and Miami at 63.6 percent (14-for-22). But the Bobcats were more effective on 3-pointers, going 5-for-8 in the second half to Miami’s 1-for-5.