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From leather helmets to the playoff era: Can we compare Ohio State legends across centuries?

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From leather helmets to the playoff era: Can we compare Ohio State legends across centuries?


COLUMBUS, Ohio — How do you compare a 5-foot-8 player from the leather helmet era who inspired the building of Ohio Stadium to a modern quarterback with eye-popping statistics and NFL success?

This impossible question sits at the heart of the latest Buckeye Talk podcast as hosts Stephen Means, Stefan Krajisnik, and Andrew Gillis tackle their bracket to determine the greatest Ohio State player of all time.

The hosts find themselves constantly wrestling with factors that make cross-era comparisons nearly impossible: physical evolution, rule changes, positional value, and even the role of coaching versus playing contributions.

No matchup better illustrates this challenge than their debate over Chic Harley versus Justin Fields, where a player from 1916-1919 goes head-to-head with one of the most statistically impressive quarterbacks in recent memory.

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“I understand it’s a different era and this was why it was so hard,” Gillis explains, “Because Chic Harley, 1916, 17 and and 19, he was a consensus All-American. Justin Fields was the second team All-American in 2019. The game literally was a hundred years apart. So it was one of those things where it’s like, ‘Oh, man. How do you do that?”

The physical differences alone make the comparison startling. As Gillis points out: “If you’re 5′8, 165 pounds and you say, ‘Hey, Ryan Day, I would like to play football at Ohio State,’ he’s gonna laugh at you and say, ‘Well, we have a position open as a team manager because you’re not gonna play football here.’ It’s just not gonna happen. And Chic Harley is one of the greatest Buckeyes of all time.”

The podcast also grapples with how to weigh different positions against each other. When discussing Orlando Pace versus Chris Olave, Gillis explains his voting rationale: “I think being the best ever at your position mattered to me. I don’t know how much of a debate we’re having for best tackle ever at Ohio State, frankly. Best offensive lineman ever at Ohio State. So to me, that mattered.”

The hosts face additional complexity when considering coaching contributions versus playing careers. As Krajisnik notes: “I think part of the reason we decided not to is because Woody Hayes had however many years it was like to build his greatest Buckeye resume. Whereas, Archie Griffin had four years to build greatest Buckeye resume. That’s kind of why. So that’s why I struggle with it.”

This fundamental challenge of comparing across eras isn’t unique to Ohio State football, but it’s particularly acute for a program with such a rich history dating back to the early 1900s. How much weight should be given to historical significance? Does a player who inspired the building of Ohio Stadium automatically rank higher than someone with better statistics but less program-defining impact?

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As the hosts whittle their bracket from 32 players to the next round, these comparisons only become more challenging – and more revealing about what truly makes a Buckeye great.

Curious to hear how the hosts navigate these impossible comparisons? Listen to the full Buckeye Talk episode to discover which legends are advancing in their bracket and the passionate cases being made for players spanning over a century of Ohio State football.

Here’s the podcast for this week:

Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Buckeye Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.

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Sieh Bangura runs for 149 yards and a score, helps Ohio beat UNLV 17-10 in Frisco Bowl

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Sieh Bangura runs for 149 yards and a score, helps Ohio beat UNLV 17-10 in Frisco Bowl


FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Sieh Bangura rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown and Ohio beat UNLV 17-10 on Tuesday night to win the Frisco Bowl.

The Bobcats (9-4) have won their last seven bowl games — dating to 2017 — after losing eight of their first 10.

Defensive coordinator and interim head coach John Hauser led Ohio to this victory after head coach Brian Smith was fired earlier in the month for having an affair with an undergraduate student.

Ohio’s Parker Navarro had a 5-yard touchdown run on a quarterback keeper five minutes into the second quarter for the only score of the first half. The lead was 6-0 after David Dellenbach’s extra-point kick hit the right upright.

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UNLV (10-4) had a first down on the Bobcats’ 33-yard line with 32 second left, but DJ Walker picked off an Anthony Colandrea pass in the end zone to keep it 6-0.

Bangura scored on a 23-yard run less than four minutes into the third quarter, and Navarro passed to Chase Hendricks for the two-point conversion and a 14-0 lead.

Hendricks muffed a punt at the end of UNLV’s first possession and Kayden McGee recovered at the Ohio 30. The Rebels settled for a career-long 50-yard field goal by Ramon Villela to cut it to 14-3.

Dellenbach kicked a 45-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, but Colandrea scored on a fourth-and-goal run from the 2 to get the Rebels within 17-10 with 4:45 remaining. UNLV never got the ball back in falling to 4-4 all time in bowl games.

Navarro completed 11 of 15 passes for 143 yards with an interception. Bangura did his damage on 19 carries.

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Colandrea totaled 184 yards on 19-for-30 passing.

UNLV had the nation’s longest run of scoring at least 20 points end at 35 games.

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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Ohio AG on human trafficking: It’s not rich and poor, it’s literally all around us

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Ohio AG on human trafficking: It’s not rich and poor, it’s literally all around us


For the second time in two years, the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force and the Steubenville Police Department have joined forces to combat human trafficking crimes.

In October, the operation led to the arrest of eight individuals for sex trafficking offenses, including men from Follansbee and St. Clairsville.

Earlier, in July 2024, 10 men from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia were apprehended and charged with solicitation and possession of criminal tools.

“It just goes to show that human trafficking happens everywhere,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “This isn’t a big city thing, it happens in small towns, it happens out in the country. It’s not rich and poor, it’s literally all around us.

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“I am hopeful that the message is going out around Ohio and Steubenville and the Mahoning Valley — Don’t Buy Sex in Ohio!”

He also highlighted the support provided to survivors during these operations.

“We always have social service providers that partner with us that are on site. So, whether it’s something simple like a meal or a shower or something as necessary as an addiction treatment bed — we’re there to try and help provide the resource,” Yost added.

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For those affected by human trafficking, a victim services directory is available here.



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3 kids lead police on Ohio car chase after learning to steal vehicles on YouTube: officials

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3 kids lead police on Ohio car chase after learning to steal vehicles on YouTube: officials


NEWBURGH HEIGHTS, Ohio — Three kids, ages 12, 11, and 8, led Ohio police on a chase in a stolen car on Saturday, according to police.

According to the Newburgh Heights Police Department, an 11-year-old was driving a car that was stolen from Parma, WEWS reported.

Officers chased the car on Harvard Avenue west over the Denison Bridge. Shortly after the chase began, the car crashed into a house on Denison Avenue, police said.

No injuries were reported.

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Newburgh Heights PD said two brothers, an 8-year-old and an 11-year-old, along with a 12-year-old, began running from the police.

After police caught them, the kids told officers they watched YouTube videos to learn how to steal cars, police said.

According to the department, the boys were released to their parents, and police will file charges in juvenile court.

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