Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Navy

I had my morning coffee in my favorite Ohio State mug. By game time, Gidget and I had our Ohio State jerseys on, prepared to watch the first game of the 2014 season. Usual protocols followed for an Ohio State football game.

After a week of reading all the pregame analyses and musings of various sportswriters, I was prepared to watch this game with the same uneasiness I think most Buckeye fans were experiencing. After all, we'd lost senior quarterback Braxton Miller to a shoulder injury in practice two weeks earlier forcing Urban Meyer to start a freshman quarterback who hadn't taken a snap from center in game conditions since the middle of his high school season in 2012. The offensive line was a rebuilt unit replacing four starters from 2013. There was only one returning starter in the defensive backfield, which now featured a new coverage scheme. Then, there was the porous linebacking corps, which hadn't looked like OSU linebackers of old for several years.

All in all, the Buckeyes came away with the win, quarterback J.T. Barrett, while no Braxton Miller, looked steady and the defense, although it gave up a lot of yardage to Navy's triple option attack, showed why it's to be regarded as one of the premier defenses in the country. Still, there are some areas of concern for the Buckeye coaching staff.

The offensive line remains a work in progress as the unit gels into a cohesive force, although halftime adjustments had this unit playing sharper in the second half. With a new quarterback, the passing attack was conservative, featuring short but safe slants. Barrett only threw deep once, a bomb to Devin Smith that resulting in a touchdown. The rushing attack (no Carlos Hyde this year) using a committee of running backs performed well, but was nothing to write home about, although there were glimpses of exciting things to come as these guys gain experience. It was a relief to watch receivers actually catching the ball this year instead of dropping them as it was last year.

Defensively, Michael Bennett and Adolphus Washington were a force to be reckoned with, as well as Joey Bosa lurking in the background. When Noah Spence returns after serving one more week of his suspension, this unit will be the strength of the Buckeyes.

The officiating was okay with a crew from the Big Ten, and a replay official from the ACC. There were a couple of close calls on replay that didn't go the Buckeye's way that had the fans in an uproar (me included). Then, there was the strange play where it appeared the Buckeyes running back had made the first down but the call on the field was that he was short. The replay official never stopped play to review the call, nor did Urban ask for a review. Hope he doesn't make that mistake again as the back clearly had made the first down.

So, next up is the Virginia Tech Hokies on Sept. 6 at 8 p.m. This prime time game will be on ESPN.

And a shout out to my Ohio U. Bobcats, who opened their season with a 17-14 win over MAC rival, Kent State.

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Ten Years Later

Ten years ago today, we knew our Friday the 13th (Aug. 13, 2004) would not be a normal day.

Hurricane Charley was churning through the Gulf of Mexico along the southwest coast of Florida, with expected landfall somewhere in the Tampa Bay area. With that in mind, we were not overly concerned, but of course, had made appropriate preparations just in case. Boarding up the windows, gas in the cars, cash in hand, etc.

Employed as a reporter with the Charlotte Sun-Herald and working out of the Englewood office (our hometown), my beat was Sarasota County to the north of Charlotte County. I'd talked with my editor that morning, and secured her consent to work from home that day. So I proceeded to make calls to Sarasota emergency management officials to see what preparations were being made and had my story filed well before my mid-afternoon deadline. We kept our TV tuned to the local news station out of Ft. Myers to monitor Charley's progress and throughout the morning and early afternoon, it appeared to remain on course for Tampa.

Then, around 3 p.m., Jim Reif, the chief forecaster for the NBC affiliate in Ft. Myers, made the frantic announcement that Charley was turning into Charlotte Harbor and residents should take cover immediately. Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and our subdivision of Rotonda all bordered Charlotte Harbor with the Peace River and Myakka River being its two main tributaries. We had no idea where Charley would go.

My wife and I tried to remain calm so as not to frighten her young son, who has spina bifida, although we were both scared out of our wits at the potential danger we were facing. At one point, while we were waiting, my cell phone rang and I answered. It was Jim Ley, the Sarasota County Administrator, calling to ask if we were okay, which at that point we were.

Then Charley hit with 100 mph winds blasting our house and rain pouring outside. We lost power, but my wife found a radio station, so we could track Charley's progress. Fortunately, we didn't take a direct hit in Rotonda; that was reserved for Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda and other towns inland. Again, after the storm passed, Jim called again to ensure we were all safe.

The next day, I reported to the newspaper's temporary office and received an assignment to cover the three large hospitals. The Port Charlotte hospital was empty, halls dark with the loss of power. The two hospitals in Punta Gorda had sustained damages and were in worse shape. Outside, of one, I saw a FEMA team begin setting up operations. I've never been to a war zone, but from the carnage and damage I saw that day, that's the only way I can describe it.

Charley was a lesson. Pay attention during hurricane season. Have a plan, and know what to do if you're in danger of a hit. And listen to the emergency management folks. They're training professionals and know what to to in the event of a disaster like Charley.

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