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Cleveland, OH

Ohio State coach Ryan Day deserves brunt of blame after fourth straight loss to Michigan — Jimmy Watkins

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Ohio State coach Ryan Day deserves brunt of blame after fourth straight loss to Michigan — Jimmy Watkins


COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State coach Ryan Day holds the microphone in front of several thousand Buckeye supporters, and he’s telling them how bad he wants to beat Michigan.

Winning this game is his top goal each season, Day says. And the Buckeyes do everything possible to win this game every day.

“But this is not about them today,” Day said at OSU’s skull session pep rally Saturday morning. “This is about us. This is about our team. This is about our fans. This is about our university. This is about our state. This is about our toughness. This is about our work ethic. This is about our integrity, our character, our resilience and who we are as Buckeyes.”

No, Coach Day, this game is about you.

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Ohio State lost 13-10 to Michigan on Saturday, a sentence nobody can believe for the fourth year in a row. Losing three straight to the “M-word,” as Day called the Wolverines Saturday, tortured Buckeye fans for the last three seasons. Losing a fourth time to a 6-5 version of UM that has no answer at quarterback? Might cost the coach.

Check your reason at the door: Day wins all the games he should, and he builds a talented roster every season. But after Saturday’s unfathomable, unforgivable loss, Ohio State fans deserve accountability from the coach, regardless of the 66 wins, nine — sorry, ten — losses and a bevy of top-five recruiting classes say otherwise.

Listen to what Day said about this game last week. In a television interview, he called losing to UM “one of the worst things that ever happened to me.” When asked about those comments during his Tuesday press conference, Day compared this game to military action.

“This game is a war,” Day said. “Anytime there’s a war, there’s consequences and casualties. Then, there’s the plunder and the rewards that come with it.”

If this game is a war, then styles make fights. And even if Ohio State had won the battle on Saturday – which, again, for the fourth straight time, it didn’t – This game proved without a doubt that the Buckeyes have lost this war.

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They say styles make fights, and for much of the last decade, Ohio State and Michigan made for the perfect contrast. The Buckeyes, who hoard five-star receiving prospects and first-round NFL quarterbacks like grandma collects family pictures, forced UM to play modern football. Throw the ball, play in space, subtract a linebacker for a safety. Day’s Buckeyes hung 56 points on 2019 Michigan using this strategy.

But somehow, over the past four years, Michigan has bullied OSU out of its identity and dragged the Buckeyes to UM’s bruising, run-first level. The Buckeyes ran 26 times on Saturday for 77 yards. They threw 33 times, five of which came during the fourth quarter, which means that, for three quarters of the most important game of Ohio State’s season (Day’s words), the Buckeyes chose three yards per carry about as often as they chose their strongest attribute. Oh, and the opponent was missing its best cornerback.

They also missed two field goals, threw two interceptions and had too many players on defense for that converted a crucial third down on UM’s go-ahead drive. They also gained one yard on their final fourth-quarter drive and 10 total yards in the fourth quarter. They also fought Michigan at midfield as the Wolverines planted their flag on the block “O” at Ohio Stadium for the second time in four years, and there will be Buckeye fans who want Day fired as a result.

Sounds crazy, I know, and I’m not saying I agree. But losing as a three-touchdown favorite to your rival also sounds crazy. So does failing to achieve your top goal, for which you prepare every day, four times in a row. And so does telling your fans how much this game means to the program (they already know), then losing it to a six-win version — sorry, seven-win version — of your opponent.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day held the microphone during Saturday’s game in front of more than 100,000 Ohio State fans. What do you think this result says about his place in the rivalry?

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Cleveland, OH

Looking back on Bills’ last trip to Cleveland

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Looking back on Bills’ last trip to Cleveland


The last time the Buffalo Bills played in Cleveland, they were still raw and hungry, which is way different than the grizzled, yet youth-driven bunch that’ll be heading there for the first time in six years on Sunday.

The Bills were in excellent shape at 6-2 in Week 10 of the 2019 NFL season and rolled into town to face a Browns team that had all the hype before the season, but had lost four straight and were at 2-6.

What happened last time Bills played Browns in Cleveland?

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Baker Mayfield and the Browns drove down the field in six plays for a touchdown on the opening drive, with the rival from Josh Allen’s draft class finding Jarvis Landry for the game’s first points. Austin Seibert missed an extra point, and that turned to be critical late in the game.

Nov 10, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) is hit by Bills defensive tackle Star Lotulelei (98) during the first half at FirstEnergy Stadium. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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TRENDING: Bills must slow down Browns’ record-hunting force on Sunday

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Sandwiched around a run-heavy Bills touchdown drive, capped off by an Allen 10-yard scamper that gave them a 7-6 lead in the second quarter, was a very satisfying sequence for Bills fans.

On two of the Browns’ next three possessions following their opening drive, they had the ball inside the Bills’ 3-yard line for 11 plays. Cleveland had eight plays on the first possession, and even though there were a couple of penalties on the Bills, Buffalo had a goal-line stand.

The Bills stopped the Browns on three straight goal-to-go plays on the second such possession, and Cleveland lined up to go for it on 4th-and-goal. However, a false start penalty prompted them to kick a field goal and make it a 9-7 game.

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Nov 10, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; Bills kicker Stephen Hauschka (4) and Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (21) watch as Hauschka misses a field goal during the first half at FirstEnergy Stadium. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Five questions before Josh Allen, Bills face Browns

Buffalo wasn’t as fortunate on the next drive, as Stephen Hauschka shanked a 34-yard field goal wide left with time winding down, leaving the Browns with their lead into halftime.

Out of the locker room, the Bills got an immediate spark. Corey Bojorquez downed a punt at the 7-yard line, then Tremaine Edmunds sacked Mayfield in the end zone for a safety on the next play to tie the game.

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The Browns tacked on a field goal on their next drive to take the lead while the Bills’ offense was stuck in quicksand, with three punts and a turnover on downs on their first four second-half possessions.

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Nov 10, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; Bills middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49) tackles Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) in the end zone for a safety during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

MORE: James Cook chasing Jonathan Taylor and Bills’ rushing record

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Allen got his act together and led a seven-play, 48-yard drive and ran in a score from a yard out to give Buffalo the lead back with 5:26 left. He finished the day 22-of-41 for 266 yards passing and scored twice on the ground, but was off that day.

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Mayfield responded in kind, finding Rashard Higgins in the end zone to reclaim the lead after a long drive of his own. The Bills had one more shot, but Hauschka whiffed from 53, handing the Bills a 19-16 loss.

The Bills’ and Browns’ dynamics are much more different than they were in 2019, but there can be that lingering reminder of that game for Allen as the AFC playoff race nears its end.

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Nov 10, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) shakes hands with Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) after the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills at FirstEnergy Stadium. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

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  • Buffalo Bills’ veteran explodes with a new record vs. Patriots

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  • Buffalo Bills’ James Cook suddenly has a fumble problem



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Cleveland, OH

Cleveland salt mine works year-round to keep Ohio roads safe

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Cleveland salt mine works year-round to keep Ohio roads safe


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Road safety across Ohio begins 1,800 feet below Lake Erie at Cleveland’s Cargill salt mine near Whiskey Island.

19 News made the journey under ground to Cleveland’s Cargill salt time.

Superintendent of production Andrew Staker describes the operation as a “mini-city” where about 250 employees produce the salt that clears our roads and sidewalks.

“We provide over half the salt used here in the state of Ohio. Our salt also goes all over the Great Lakes Region even Virginia,” said Staker.

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Thousands of tons of salt pass through this belt, and 500-700 trucks are loaded with salt each day.

Staker said his team works nonstop.

“It’s a big misconception that the mine is only busy during the wintertime,” said Staker. “We prepare in the springtime, so it is full giddy up. We are making salt all year round.”

Just like everyone else, Staker and his time are feeling the effects of winter’s early arrival.

“We take a lot of it snowfall by snowfall, so as demand ramps up, our teams here will put in extra overtime days to be able to meet customer demand,” said Staker.

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Cleveland, OH

Semi-truck rips down power lines in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood for 4th time since July

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Semi-truck rips down power lines in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood for 4th time since July


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The city of Cleveland is looking into why wires are dangling from West 25th Street in Ohio City.

Sam McNulty, owner of Nano Brew, says trucks are ripping through wires at the intersection of 25th Street and Bridge Avenue.

“4 times that cable has gone down,” McNulty said. “We’re shocked that whoever is in charge of that cable hasn’t figured out a way to elevate it a little bit more.”

In July, Ring doorbell footage caught a semi hitting the wires. You could see the wires falling to the ground.

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Luckily, McNulty said, it’s a communication wire, but that doesn’t make the problem go away.

“This is a very active street tons of pedestrians, bicyclists, families, people are here almost 24 hours a day,” said McNulty.

The most recent incident was Thursday morning. McNulty says a crew wrapped ropes around the fallen wire.

“I am definitely not a line engineer but when I see random rope tied with pretty sketchy looking knots holding the cable up I think that’s probably not Osha approved,” said McNulty.

19 News reached out to the city of Cleveland, which said it is looking into the issue.

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