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Football
Big 33 Game
By Tony GerdemanThe 53rd Annual Big 33 Football Classic took place in a hot and humid Hersheypark Stadium Saturday night, but the game didn't get truly hot and heavy until the fourth quarter when the lead changed three times in the final four minutes, with Ohio coming out the eventual victors 18-15 over Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania led 2-0 at the half thanks to a safety when Ohio snapped a punt through their own endzone. Pennsylvania then added a touchdown in the third quarter when quarterback Tyler Smith connected with receiver Alex Kenney from 48 yards out for a touchdown, making it 9-0.
Ohio answered right back with a 74-yard touchdown run from Verlon Reed late in the third quarter, then took a 10-9 lead with a 33-yard field goal by Carey Spear with 3:41 remaining in the game.
Pennsylvania wouldn't quit, however. Andrew Carswell caught a 65-yard touchdown pass down the middle of the field with 1:30 to play, giving them the 15-10 lead over Ohio. The subsequent two-point attempt failed.
With just over a minute remaining in the game, Ohio quarterback Mark Myers found running back Prince-Tyson Gulley on a swing pass for a 53-yard gain to the Pennsylvania 22-yard line with 1:17 remaining. A couple of plays later, Myers hit Christian Bryant in the flats. He raced into the endzone from 17 yards out for the score with 1:04 left in the game. Ohio added the two-point conversion, giving them the 18-15 lead.
Pennsylvania got a couple of cracks at Ohio territory, but ultimately came up short as the visiting Buckeye Staters came away with the 18-15 victory—their second in as many tries.
Quarterback Verlon Reed was named the MVP for the Ohio squad. However, he wasn't the only player to shine on the night. Here are some thoughts on the four future Buckeyes, and a few others on the night.
Verlon Reed, QB/Ath Marion-Franklin (Ohio State)
Reed again showed himself to be a terrific athlete, spinning out of many a grasp at quarterback, but is still lacking enough awareness and accuracy to show that he can be a quarterback at Ohio State. He ducked and dodged about three pursuers on one play, but ended up fumbling the ball when he got hit as he was spinning away from another would-be tackler. He finished the game 7-11 passing for 55 yards, and rushed for 60 yards.
His biggest play came on a 74-yard touchdown run on a simple zone read. His speed was clearly evident as he raced the entire Pennsylvania defense into the endzone—and stretched his lead.
“I couldn't do it without the other ten guys and everybody blocking,” said Reed, talking about his touchdown run. “I cut outside and saw my receiver had his man on skates going to the inside, so I just cut out and off to the races. It was great.”
Fortunately for Reed, his versatility will allow him ample opportunity to find the field in other ways if he never makes it at quarterback. He started the game at wide receiver for Ohio, and didn't look out of place. He also played some cornerback but did get beat badly on an overthrown out and up. He did everything his team asked of him, and he did it because he knew that's what it would take to secure the victory.
“You don't want to lose, but at the same time it's an all-star game, so you want to have fun while you're doing it,” he explained. “But at the end of the day, we know how storied this rivalry is, so we wanted the victory very badly.”
Reed's future may ultimately be on the defensive side of the ball, but he has enough skill that you would like to see what he could do on offense before shipping him off. Perhaps most importantly, he is going to work for every opportunity that he is given.
Darryl Baldwin, DL Solon (Ohio State)
After seeing Baldwin in the Ohio North/South Game, I wasn't overly impressed. Yes, the frame is there, but the ability seemed to be lacking. In the Big 33 game, however, he showed himself to be unblockable at times. Although according to him, it wasn't anything too overwhelming.
“I thought I played well for not playing for a while,” he said. “So it was good getting back out there and getting into the flow of the game. I thought we did great as a team.”
Baldwin's first big play came on a forced fumble, where he reached out on a pass rush and swiped the ball away from the quarterback, but the refs convened and called it an incomplete pass. A couple of players later, Baldwin left no doubt and took the quarterback to the ground. He was frequently double-teamed and still showed a good deal of effort even in the sweltering heat of Hersheypark Stadium.
He is still very much a work in progress, but the Buckeye coaches couldn't ask for a much better material to work with.
Aside from his performance on the field Saturday night, Baldwin will also be taking with him the experience of having a host family take him in during this week of practices.
“It was great,” he said. “They do a great job with you and take care of you and feed you. They're great.”
“They for sure spoil you. All the time. I had a pool—I could just go in whenever I wanted to after practice. They always had breakfast on the table, dinner after practice. It was great!”
J.T. Moore, DL Boardman (Ohio State)
Moore started off the game by intercepting the first pass of the night off a tip at the line of scrimmage. He showed great awareness by recognizing a quick pass and dropping back from his rush end position, which allowed him to be in place for the interception.
“Roosevelt Nix made a play,” he explained. “He tipped the ball and it came right into my hands, and I just took off with it right there.”
And did he see the endzone ahead of him?
“Yeah, I saw it! That was the first time I saw the endzone, and I got excited and my eyes got big. But then the quarterback cheapshotted me in the leg.”
Moore may not display the overall speed that you might be accustomed to for an Ohio State edge rusher, but he shows tremendous speed down the line and is a quick study of what the offense is doing. He's pretty good in run support because he keeps moving towards the ball and refuses to be blocked at this level. He also recovered a blocked kick in the middle of a scrum, which tells you how comfortable he is amid the masses.
Like Darryl Baldwin, the other place he found comfort was with his host family.
“The host families, they're just fantastic,” he said. “Showing the hospitality, coming out with open arms and just taking us in as one of theirs.”
Asked if he was allowed back, he answered quickly that he was, but then just as quickly asked his host mom if he is allowed back, to which she answered, “Always”.
Christian Bryant, CB/WR Glenville (Ohio State)
Bryant was probably the best player on the field Saturday night. He was only challenged once on defense in the first half, which came on a deep throw late in the second quarter, and he stayed with his man step for step as the ball fell incomplete. Most of the night, the quarterbacks never even looked his way.
He did have an interception late in the game that was waved off because he was called for pass interference while he and the receiver were battling for a jump ball. He was also strong against the run, and showed a nice open-field tackle on a scrambling quarterback.
But it wasn't just defense where he excelled, because he caught quite a few balls (6 receptions for 47 yards) in the game as well—including the game-winning touchdown. He was very elusive as a slot receiver and became one of quarterback Mark Myers' go-to receivers as the game wore on. Exhausted towards the latter stages of the game, Bryant had to dig down in order to come through for his teammates at the end.
“I was beat, but I knew I had to suck it up for the team,” he said. “They were all telling me that they needed me, and I just wanted to go out there and contribute to the team so that we could tie the series up at 9-9, and that's what we did.”
Even though he caught the game-winning touchdown, the week's events off the field seemed to excite Bryant even more.
“This experience was mind blowing,” he admitted. “Just having our buddies—the special needs children, it was a really good experience for me. I loved it. It was a humbling experience. I wouldn't trade it for the world.”
“I will remember this for the rest of my life.”
Some other players that caught my attention:
Chase Hammond, WR Boardman
Hammond is going to Wisconsin and lit up the Ohio North/South game as well. He didn't get deep in this game like he did in the N/S game, but still got open (5 receptions for 73 yards) and caught most of what was thrown to him. His length makes him a tough matchup, but his hands and his body control are what set him apart. I don't know how soon he'll make an impact at Wisconsin, but I don't expect his four or five years in Madison to be too quiet.
Mike Dorsey, DB Harding
Dorsey is a big safety (6'3” 220) going to West Virginia. He had a couple of huge hits over the middle, breaking up passes each time. He also had a late-game interception on a batted ball in double coverage. With his size, it's unlikely that he'll stay as a standard safety, but could be a real weapon in the hybrid world that is becoming more and more popular.
Manasseh Garner, LB Brashear (PA)
Garner played linebacker in this game, and looked good doing it. He is a sure tackler and explodes into the ball carrier. He may end up on offense, however, when he gets to Wisconsin.
Alex Kenney, WR State College (PA)
Kenney was running free all night long down the sideline, but couldn't get a throw near enough to him to catch. However, late in the third quarter he finally caught a long pass then managed to stay upright and inbounds for a touchdown. Kenney is a track star, but once he gets his football awareness where it needs to be, he could be a real weapon in the Nittany Lion offense.
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