While I was away traversing the slopes of high mountain country near the Taos de Pueblo region, a recent college graduate and I struck up a conversation on the ski lift.  After I filled in the blanks on my career path, he asked if I had any advice for him.  I’ve never had anyone ask me that in my life, so I was as completely shocked as you are right now.  First time for everything.  I’m a relative success compared to a ski bum.   

I’ve asked people this question hundreds of times in my life.  Airplanes, sporting events, elevators, hotels, cabs, stock shows, you know, everywhere you run across people and have some time on your hands.  I never realized how hard of a question that is to answer and I would like to take this sentence to thank all the people in my life, who have taken the time on my behalf. 

Now, I’ve never considered myself a really smart guy.  Not dumb, but science was hard for me.  I really had to work at it and avoided it like the plague in college.  Math was my specialty.  Something that can be practiced to precision with only one right answer.  You can be good at anything with repetition.  That wasn’t what I said to him and maybe I should have, but I just thought of it.  I was simply trying to imply how hard this question was for me since it seems to fall on the side of science in answer.

I finally responded to him that I wasn’t for sure, but the only thing I’ve ever done in life is try to figure out what needs to be done next and do it.  And, I told him everything from reports to filing to shredding to taking out the trash in the break room during the birthday party.  I also clarified that you don’t want to be stuck doing all the shitty jobs around the place because you want to leave plenty of time for dicking around on the internet.  But, damn sure be doing them when the right people are watching.  That’s what I love about America.  There’s such a tremendous opportunity for dumb people to succeed. 

Texas Longhorns

At Barking Carnival, magnusbleuveigner takes a look at the upcoming NFL Draft.  It’s probably are more accurate indicator than anything I’ve documented, but if you used my scale, you end up with about 10 first round picks in the entire country and I know that can’t realistically be correct.  Shockingly, the Horns have almost wrapped up their recruiting class.

Oklahoma Sooners

Big news on the recruiting front as the Sooners land Whitehouse WR Trey Metoyer.  You can also find the results from OU’s recent Pro Day here.

Texas A&M Aggies

Coloradoag takes an in-depth look at the talent on the Aggie roster.

Missouri Tigers

The Tigers are back on the schedule this year and Phenomenal Smith has a preview as spring practice commences.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Optimism abounds in the Midwest.  Farmer Ted reports the almanac indicates corn will be knee high by the 4th of July in the region.  I imagine the Huskers are as safe a pick as any to win the North, but until they get better on the OL, they’re looking 9-3 in the face with Texas and Von Miller on the schedule.  Brandon Harold will be healthy again for KSU, Eberflaus is always a wildcard, and I’ve got a lot of respect for Bill Young.  He’ll have a plan.  I just don’t think they’ll be able to score again and Suhs only come around once a decade. 

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Good read from Ibas water bottle on the OSU athletic budget along with attendance trends.

Halftime Thoughts 

Except for some sloppy ball-handling from Darko, Davis, and Tairu, I couldn’t be happier with the way we’re playing.  Obviously Herb Pope’s punch to Darko’s groin and subsequent ejection was the defining event.  Tech went on a 13-0 run after the play, and that equals our lead at this point.  With the way Darko’s shooting, maybe someone should’ve been assigned to rack him before every game.

At any rate, the MVP so far is D’walyn Roberts for his excellent face-guarding of Jeremy Hazell (6 pts) to go with 6 rebounds (4 offensive), and 3-4 shooting.  Roberts is starting to show flashes of confidence with his ball handling too.  It’s kind of scary, having a player who works his ass off on defense and never forces his offense.  Maybe he’s my next Mikey Marshall.

Post-Game

Well, Pope ejected himself with some thuggery, Hazell had a bad back and an injured hand, and Coach Bobby Gonzalez had dismissed sometime-starting forward Robert Mitchell over the weekend, but I won’t let these factors diminish the fact that we went on the road and beat a Seton Hall squad that went 9-9 in the Big East, including wins over Louisville, Pitt, and Notre Dame.  It was an excellent showing from our players, who played poised and fearless.  They came to Jersey hungry for a win, and they earned it.

Pat Knight came out using the book on Seton Hall with D’walyn Roberts face-guarding Jeremy Hazell, and Darko being irritable and pesky with Herb Pope.  After Pope’s foolishness, and when it became clear that Hazell wasn’t himself, Pat adjusted with some more standard switching-man defense, sprinkled with occasional 3-2 zone.  But ultimately, without Pope’s rebounding and Seton Hall’s lack of shot-blocking, this was actually a great matchup for Tech, and all we had to do was play our game.

Before I get to our players, let me tip my hat to Jeff Robinson and Jordan Theodore.  Robinson really picked up the scoring after Pope was ejected, and Theodore’s defense gave us fits when Roberson was on the bench.

D’walyn Roberts – I’ve said enough about him already, but I guess he’s finally back from that foot injury.  Kid showed quicks, ups, and even put it on the deck with some authority.  I’m scouting Arizona State right now, wondering which player he’s going to shut down in a few days (Edit: Which Jacksonville Dolphin he’s going to shut down).

John Roberson – Unaffected by Seton Hall’s pressure, John ran his team with control and efficiency.  Two of his three turnovers were bizarre fumbles that I hadn’t seen from him all year.  4-5 from three?  Money.

Robert Lewandowski – Extremely productive 20 minutes with 10 points, 7 boards, and 2 blocks.  I can’t think of another 6’10” big man with better touch rolling to the basket.  And Big Lew’s screens make this offense go, seriously.

Singletary/Okorie – They’ve both had better days.  Singletary gets credit for being a calming force when Roberson was on the bench with two fouls in the first half, and Okorie racked up a team high 7 assists, but both of them forced their offense at times.

Reese/Tairu – I have hopes that both of these JUCO juniors will be much better next year.  They need serious improvement with their ball-handling.  Reese needs more strength and a better understanding of how to score in our offense.  But they both contributed tonight with defensive energy and flashes of good offense.

Darko Coradarksi – (Gotta love Ron Franklin)  Besides giving up his scrotum for the team, Darko hit a lot of big shots in the first half as we built our lead, and pulled an astonishing 9 rebounds along the way.  We’ll need his high-post passing against Arizona State, as they employ some interesting zones (Edit: We’ll need him to take care of the ball against the Jacksonville press).

On to Phoenix, my friends.  Herb Sendek’s matchup zone will be an interesting challenge…

Or not.  Jacksonville just upset the Sun Devils.  Crazy-Scary is all I can say about the Dolphins.  Full-court press, high-energy, scrappy like rabid dogs.  And now we get a home game?  Lubbock faithful, please show up!

Circumstances aside, this was a great win tonight for Pat Knight and the troops.  After the seven-game beatdown we took in the Big XII Conference season, it was important to create some positive memories heading into the off-season.  The NIT may be gone soon, replaced by a 96-team field in the NCAA tournament, but for this team, with the Jacksonville upset, we’ve got an outside chance to make to New York.  Let’s make the most of it.

Wreck ‘Em

But I’ll try to make up for it tomorrow.  I’ll gear up and have beverages handy, ready for celebration.  We’re off to New Jersey to face Seton Hall, a 9-9 Big East team that would probably be in the NCAA Tournament if they played in the Pac10 or the ACC.  What little discussion there was on the cable networks involved Seton Hall’s chances against Arizona State, so we’re not expected to do much.

Here’s what we will do, I hope:

Chasing Jeremy – Jeremy Hazell is Seton Hall’s top player, a 6’ 5” shooter who averages about 21 points per game.  We’ll need Brad Reese to trail this guy all over the floor, switching with D’walyn Roberts on occasion.  Notre Dame was able to limit Hazell to 5-13 shooting in the Big East Tournament, and 1-9 from three.  I don’t think we’ll have much luck with Okorie/Tairu on him, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up that way some of the time.  As long as Reese is available to guard him in the last five minutes, I’ll be happy.

Don’t Lose Pope – Herb Pope is far and away the Pirate’s best rebounder, a 6’ 8” space eater I can only dream Paul Cooper turns out to be.  I would throw Darko and Lew at this guy and just bang away.  He shoots less than 50% from the line.  Call it 10 to give.

Careful Is Good – Seton Hall turns the ball over about 11 times a game, compared to us at nearly 14.  Staying even on turnovers is really key here, especially on the road.  Playing loose would be fun, but to win this game I’d rather error on the side of caution.

For Okorie and Darko, this is a chance to finish their career with a nice memory.  Even one win would be something to look back fondly on.  And for next year’s seniors, the energy and excitement of post-season play should be something that sticks in the back of their minds during off-season workouts.  It makes a difference, as Baylor can attest.

The NIT is a nice reward for this group, and I hope they find some success against the Pirates.  And if they do scratch out a win in New Jersey, Arizona St. is winnable as well.

We’ll see how it goes.

At halftime I thought we had a puncher’s chance to get a win tonight.  We continue to do a great job of passing against the zone and finding high-quality shots.  By that I mean we get the ball to a player who can step into an uncontested jumper, a lot.  Problem is, we don’t make the shot.  Considering the kind of looks we got tonight (until we got frustrated and started jacking 3’s), shooting 40% is inexcusable for college basketball.  It just is.  And we don’t have any offensive rebounders to get second looks.  Meantime, Baylor has guys making tough shots and most of the easy ones.  They have a great backcourt that can penetrate with strength, draw help and pass to big men who can finish.  Credit Scott Drew for not panicking early when his team came out a little too loose.  They found their rhythm, and we didn’t show any ability to make them uncomfortable with our defense in the second half. 

Not a very special Senior Night for Darko or Okorie.  Hope you both got your degree and can move on to other things in life.  You’ve got a chance to get one more win in Boulder, and then give it all you’ve got against OSU or Texas.  I kind of wish Okorie did play football.

With all the interweb discussion about Pat Knight, I will say that I have some thoughts about his coaching and recruiting, but I’ll wait till after the season to get some perspective.  If you’ve been reading this blog since the season started, you probably know that I rarely complain about Pat Knight’s in-game coaching decisions.  So that’s your preview.

On to Boulder.  I just want one more good showing from this team, just to remember that hope I felt in December.

As far as this game goes, both teams played to their identity (for us that’s switching man defense and motion offense), hoping to out-execute the other guy.  Ultimately we shot a little better (which is amazing considering that we couldn’t hit water from boat through most of the second half), and they were a little better rebounding and taking care of the ball.  With the stats about even, it comes down to making plays at the end, and Zek Henry had more.

Some player thoughts:

Nick Okorie – It’s good to see the senior playing well, making some steals and playing to his strengths in the motion offense.  He might have just three games left in his career, so I hope he keeps it up.

Roberson, Roberts, and Singletary – Injuries happen to every team, but Knight needs these three guys to have a chance at winning.  They’re out there, and they’re battling, but they’re not at full strength.

Brad Reese – If you’re trying to figure out how this team can be better next year, Reese’s development has the most potential impact.  He needs at least ten pounds of upper body strength, tons of ball handling work, and healthy shot of confidence.

With two games left, it’s not completely hopeless, but it’s close.  Two more wins might get us an NIT invitation, so you’re looking at trying to beat Colorado next Saturday and then a first round upset of Oklahoma State or Texas.  No, I don’t think we’ll beat Baylor on Tuesday.  So it’s a tall order.  Today’s loss was a huge opportunity missed.

Thoughts?

Say what you will about this team, but they battle.  Right now I’m just sad about the ending, so it’s hard to talk about the details.  We don’t have a single complete basketball player, but at this point we do a pretty good job of hiding or at least playing above, our deficiencies.  No, we can’t rebound.  No, we can’t guard the post.  And our transition offense is outright embarrassing.  But we keep playing, and sometimes a few things go our way.  We’ve got four conference games left.  Can we win two of them and solidify an invite to the NIT?  Hard to say, but I do believe Pat and his troops are going to throw it all out there trying to make it happen.  For that, I will continue to watch, root for, and believe in this team.

The Lesser of Two Evils

Pat Knight had to try something, anything, to keep UT from isolating Gary Johnson or getting to the paint.  He went with zone, knowing we almost no chance of rebounding.  To my shock, instead of just throwing up a shot and collecting offensive rebounds, the Longhorns got tentative and turned the ball over a few times.  Nick Okorie ran off 11 straight points, and with 25 seconds left, we had the ball and a chance to tie.  Credit Pat with rolling the dice and being willing to try anything to give his players a chance.

Good Crowd

It sounded like the loudest and most determined crowd of the year, through my television.  You could really feel the expectant intake of breath as Okorie rose up for a three to bring us within four.  Those are the best moments watching a basketball game live.  Wished I was there.

Nick Okorie – MVP for the senior.  I really wanted that last shot to fall for him.  I hope we have a good post season experience for Nick because he’s been a good Red Raider.

Brad Reese – He made his best offensive move of the season on a first-half drive to the basket, then followed it with a steal.  If he can strengthen his base and his ball strength in the off-season, he could have a very special senior year for us.

Darko – He picked a bad game to leave his jump shot in the locker room.  If he hits just half of those uncontested open looks, we’re in a position to win.

Mike Singletary – Solid game, about his standard.  Slow reactions on defense a few times, but clutch from three when we needed it.  Barnes was smart to double-team him on the last shot.

John Roberson – He was trooper for playing with the bruised back, but it clearly affected him.  Hope he heals up for K-State.

D’Walyn Roberts – I really love this guy.  His foot’s killing him, but all he does is go out there and hustle and battle on defense, and stay completely within himself on offense (stand-still mid-range jumpers and tip-ins).  Glad to have him.

Tairu and Davis – Good energy and positive contributions.

K-State will be a tall order on Tuesday.  On paper it doesn’t look good, but all you can do is suit and see how it goes.

Thoughts?

As for my own skills, I was most comparable to the white guy at the end of the Duncanville basketball team bench every year.  Probably good enough to start at Grapevine, but never going to be logging serious minutes in this depth chart of sharpshooters.  Much like Duncanville basketball, we made a strong showing at the state tournament on an annual basis.  I was always an “alternate” when the money was on the line.  However, the tournament was scored in somewhat track & field fashion.  You ranked your top 3 events in order of strength.  The future Olympians all chose 3-position as their first option, which consisted of a combined score of prone, kneeling and standing.  The weaker team members, such as myself, were used in strategic fashion to accumulate points in other positional events among the B shooters.  The 3-position was comparable to a relay in that it was worth more points than simply winning a single positional contest such as prone.  Make no mistake about it, they weren’t expecting me to score points.

After getting my ass handed to me the first year, I decided to explore a different strategy.  They had a new “exhibition” event in air pistol that was being added to the schedule the next season.  Points weren’t being counted towards team totals, so the salty shooters weren’t in play.  I signed up to investigate.  We were issued loaner pistols and a couple of mustaches showed us a little technique.  I sucked like everyone else.   All 3 of us.   Light bulb.  Walmart.  Air pistol. Paper plates. Sharpie. Clothes pins.  12 months.  

About 3 weeks before the next state tournament, I start practicing in our backyard.   The coached sessions at the range were reserved for legitimate team members.  However, coach was supportive of my scheme because he thought it might actually work.  Just as planned, 4 people sign up for the event as choice #1 and I’m the only one who brought my own gun.  It came from the same place the unsighted pistols they loaned you did.  I checked the model numbers the prior year.  Game over.  The inaugural champion had been crowned with a state record that was more than double the nearest competitor.  I had achieved all my goals in shooting and retired in the offseason.  You know, before a pellet gun-wielding Steve Wiebe showed up the next year calling me out. 

Shooting For Championships by dedfischer. 

I’ve shared with you this story of the will and determination in a champion as a testimony to what you can accomplish, if you work hard at discovering the short cuts to victory.  I’m also trying to instill confidence in the small sacrifice I’m asking you to consider.  The situation, much like my state title, is closely related to opportunity.  That, of which, I have identified.

I want you to move to Canada with me.  I think with 8-10 hours a week of practice against elite Alberta competition for the next 7 1/2 years we can make the 2018 U.S. Olympic Curling team.  I’m serious as shit.  I think you and I have the talent and magic it takes to compete for the gold, if we dedicate our lives to it.  What’s the stiffest competition we’ll face to make the U.S. team?  Sisters from North Dakota, whose grandmother and aunt passed along a set of lazy quarter table pool rules wreaking from the stench of immigrant impurities?  Shit, man.  I’m telling you.  We can can do this.

Our stiffest competition. 

Texas A&M Aggies

If you really want to know the area we need to address, check out Ag-in-TX’s peep show at this dick measuring contest.

Oklahoma Sooners

As if it couldn’t get any worse than having a guy from Springer as your QB, NorthDallasSooner points out that OU has 9 bowl teams on the 2010 schedule. Bigdukesix has OU’s early commitments from this weekend’s Junior Day over at Recruitocosm.

Texas Longhorns

The Chancellor’s Office released an official statement admitting TripsRight has gone off the Bosque Redondo with Rick Barnes’ basketball team and his last known direction of travel was west.  That’s about all they want you to know at this point.

“Kiss……my ass, Rick.”

Halftime Thoughts 

It was pretty cool running Baylor out of their 2-3 zone.  Darko was solid in the high post, and the team as a whole maintained good spacing, understood how to attack, and consistently obtained quality shot opportunities.  Problem was, Baylor then went man-to-man, and it gave them a real energy boost.  We didn’t react well at all, and Udoh had fun blocking about eight shots.  If you want to understand the talent disparity we’re dealing with, compare the size, strength, and athleticism of Carter and Dunn to all of the guards we have.  Compare the kind of basketball moves that Jones, Acy, and Udoh can make to Roberts, Jenkins, and Darko.  We’ve got a ways to go.

Second Half

You could feel the route coming on, especially after Baylor ended the first half with a great defensive stand.  All our key players had at least two fouls.  Baylor had played terrible and they still led by five.  They say the first five minutes of the second half is key; we got outscored 18-5 in those five minutes.

Once we were down by 18, I was happy to see Pat make some interesting substitutions.  He put Lewandowski and Darko on the floor at the same time, and he wisely sat Roberson for a few minutes after Dunn tackled him.  Mike Davis did some good things, and he continues to improve.  Baylor went back to their zone, and we continued to attack it for good shots.  Unfortunately we weren’t making many of those shots.  Pat even went small and threw a zone trap in there.  It was worth trying.

Baylor did a really good job of exploiting our switching defense, isolating tall players like Jones on Okorie and lobbing it in for layups.  When they weren’t executing well, they made great one-on-one moves, or got offensive rebounds, or collected loose balls.  In short, they were quicker, longer, and more explosive at every position, and the score reflects that.  I may think Scott Drew is a sleaze ball, but he’s put together a great roster and they’re playing well.

I find it hard to believe that we’ll be able to beat this team in Lubbock.  It’s a talent inertia situation.  Like Texas on Saturday, Baylor just needs to show up and play their game with confidence, which I think they will.

That puts us in the 6-10 or 5-11 range for a conference record, which is still good enough for the NIT.  I’ve come to feel, watching the way we match up against the Big XII, that the NIT would be the right place for us to try and finish strong.  You might be able to get two or three wins in a post-season environment, something to build on for the seven seniors we’ll have on the roster next year.

This game was pretty sobering.  I’m gonna go fix that.

Thoughts?

A two-point loss makes you think a lot about specific plays that hurt you, such as:

-          John Roberson getting fouled on a 3pt shot and missing all three free throws.

-          1.5 seconds to go in the first half, and you throw it out of bounds, giving Bryan Davis the chance to dunk on you going into halftime.

-          In the second half you get THREE one-and-ones, and you miss the front end on ALL of them.

-          Late in the game, Tech had a beautiful possession, making extra passes and feeding to D’walyn Roberts for layup late in the shot clock.  On the ensuing two possessions we jacked threes without making A&M work on defense.  We missed.  They scored.  We lost.

To me, defense was solid throughout, but we just couldn’t close out stops with rebounds.  Davis and Loubeau just killed us, and it’s so demoralizing to play tough D, force a junk shot from Sloan, and then watch Davis slide in and collect it.  Ugh.  I hope Paul Cooper is a true glass cleaner, because this program has a hard ceiling until we can get that fixed.

Whatever – On to Baylor

I’ve been looking forward to this game for a while.  We’ve been so good at finding quality shots when opposing teams go to zone, it’s made me wonder if we can be as effective for an entire game against a team that runs exclusively 2-3 zone.  I like the first one being in Waco.  I won’t be too depressed if we lose, and we’ll get a game’s worth of film to make adjustments for the rematch in Lubbock on March 2.  We need to split with these guys, and maybe have a great game against K-State to set us up with seven wins.

On Defense – Guess what, Baylor has great post athletes as well.  Bottling up Tweet and Lacedarius will not be that big an issue.  They’ll get theirs, but they’ll also take some bad shots.  Problem will be getting the frickin’ rebound when they miss.  I’m concerned about Darko getting in early foul trouble against Udoh, Acy, and Lomers.  That’s what I would do if I was Scott Drew, but thankfully I’m not.

On Offense – Darko’s big chance.  He needs to own the high post with good ball strength, patience, and recognition.  He’ll have to hit the 15 footer, reverse it, and dump it down to the block when it’s there.  Keep Singletary or Jenkins in the short corner, and finish when you get the contact!  Roberson and Okorie need to stay on the perimeter and be deadly when they are open.  Neither of them will have much success trying to penetrate.  I don’t know where Reese fits in here, but we need him on defense, so just be opportunistic and don’t try to do too much.  At some point we’ll have to play Lewandowski, and that kind of scares me.  I’d stick him on the weak side block and put Singletary at the high post.

Don’t get too upset if they beat us by 15-20.  Waco has a good home crowd, and if the Bears get hot from three they can score ten straight before you know what’s happening.

Texas Longhorns

Offense - OL Tray Allen – I’m not sure if he’s an inside or outside guy this year, but in the limited snaps I saw of him, the Longhorns got a lot more athletic up front with Allen in the lineup.  He’ll be too good to keep off the field this year and has some legitimate run blocking ability.

Defense – DE Eddie Jones – Jones is a player that would have been a 3-year starter by now at 11 other Big 12 programs.  He’s just been stuck behind 1st round draft picks on the depth chart.  I think he’s got elite closing speed and will prove to be hell to a new crop of Big 12 tackles. 

Texas A&M Aggies

Offense – OT Luke Joeckel – He’s already on campus at 280, and in all likelihood, the best athlete of Barrera, Baker, Gramling or Klinke.  Matthews and Ogbuehi will need to gain weight via redshirt.  I’m going out on a limb here, but I think this Joeckel kid is legit enough to crack the Aggie starting lineup. 

Defense -  OLB Garrick Williams – At 6′2″, 230 lbs with decent athleticism, he’s the only other guy on the Aggie defense right now, outside of Von Miller, that I see glimpses of quality potential.  He’s a little bit of a mess at times like the rest of the unit, but DeRuyter might be able to do something with an athlete of his level.  Williams intrigues me at a minimum.

Baylor Bears

Offense – I’ll just pick WR Kendall Wright like everyone else.  Griffin is no secret.  WR Willie Jefferson is an interesting physical specimen at 6′6″.

Defense – OLB Antonio Johnson – He’s one of the more underrated players in the Big 12, especially in coverage.  Everyone assumes Johnson sucks because he plays on the Baylor defense, but he’s a good enough athlete to be starting for just about any program in this league.

Oklahoma Sooners

Offense – OG Bronson Irwin – When Bob Stoops signed Tyler Evans last February, I don’t think he felt Evans would actually be starting.  Like Joeckel, Irwin is another reach pick.  Adam Shead is a nice inside prospect for the Sooners and I expect one of them to be injected by mid-season for a running game boost.  Irwin is on campus already, has size, and I liked his film.

Defense - MLB Tom Wort – I was going to use Austin Box here and reference the upgrade in athleticism to Ryan Reynolds.  However, Wort is apparently atop the depth chart heading into spring after an injury sidelined him last fall.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Offense – TE Tracy Moore – In past Cowboy offenses, Justin Horton and his blocking ability might have been my choice.  However, look for new OC Dana Holgerson to take advantage of Moore’s 240-lb size and athletic ability as a flex tight end to attack the deep middle.

Defense – S Markelle Martin – I think Martin is potentially an NFL player.  Good speed and size combo with balls and ball skills.

Texas Tech

Offense – LT Terry McDaniel – He’s a potential star in this league given he returns from an October knee injury.  McDaniel can do things historical Tech tackles can’t, if healthy. 

Defense – OLB/DE Aundrey Barr – He’ll most likely be the best option on the Tech roster this spring for perimeter pressure on the QB.  Tuberville and Willis will find a way to get the fastest player in their front 4 on the field.

I don’t follow the North enough to be as familar with their rosters, but two defensive players have caught my attention in KSU DE Brandon Harold and ISU NG Stephen Ruempolhamer.  Harold was injured for most of last season.  Louis Vasquez hasn’t had his ass kicked that bad in the pros.  I can’t figure out exactly what Ruempolhamer is, but he gave OSU a lot of hell last year.