In September, espnWs weekly essay series will focus on college football.Loving the Ohio State Buckeyes has never been about the game atmosphere or the tailgating. I am an Ohio State football fan simply because my father is, and it was never up for discussion.I grew up as the fan equivalent of a gamer when it came to college football. Ive never seen the Buckeyes play in person, and somehow that doesnt feel like a missing piece.My father was born in the heart of Columbus, just a few blocks from the sprawling old homes decorating Broad Street. My grandparents cul-de-sac is nestled near the border separating Columbus from the green lanterns of Bexley, the town where my father attended high school at St. Charles Preparatory.When fandom is so often determined by geography, that small detail is enough to justify my cheering for Ohio State.I vividly remember the Fiesta Bowl against Miami in January 2003, and the cheesy grin on my fathers face as Jim Tressel hoisted the BCS championship trophy, not caring one bit about the controversial pass interference call that gave OSU another shot at the end zone and ultimately the win. He let me stay up well past my bedtime to watch that play.The next time we played for the championship, however, did not go nearly as well. It was January 2007, my sophomore year of high school. I screamed as Ted Ginn Jr. returned the kickoff a touchdown, thinking Ohio State was going to win. Soon, however, those cheers gave way to my father banging his fist against the couch cushions and my almost-11-year-old brother yelling at the television en route to a 41-14 defeat. It was an embarrassment and the first of back-to-back national championship losses to SEC teams.And of course, theres Michigan.The last time we lost to Michigan was in 2011; I was in college. Since Ive been an OSU fan, I can remember only two losses, the other one coming by two touchdowns in 2003. There have been others since Ive been alive, but I have no recollection of them. Must have blocked it out.It doesnt matter how great a season Ohio State is having; that game will always make me nervous. Its the biggest of the year, and I always talk to my dad before kickoff. He proudly wears his Muck Fichigan shirt that he reserves for these occasions. Sometimes my brother will drive home to watch the game with him, a gathering of which I am deeply jealous because I cannot join them. The last time I was home for the Michigan game was November 2008.For the past seven years, I havent lived closer than four hours from my hometown, with the majority of that time spent living 10 to 12 hours away. No matter how far I drifted, however, Ohio State football brought me back.My dad and I arent great at talking on the phone, and the same is true with my brother. Its easy to call my mom or my sister and talk about the mundane details of my day. Thats what we do. Neither my dad nor brother cares about that stuff.I am the nomad, the drifter of the three of us, going wherever opportunity takes me. Both my brother and sister enrolled in colleges only two hours away from home, in direct response to my distance.Knowing what happened in the Ohio State game each week gives me something to talk to my dad and brother about.How bout those Buckeyes? I ask after a good week. When they lose, the question is normally the same, but laced with profanity. I was particularly fond of calling my dad and texting my brother after a big play, a habit I still have. I care if Ohio State wins, but I care more about making sure I talk to them.My father definitely noticed my growing love for his, our, team. For Christmas my freshman year, my dad gave me an Ohio State blanket, which I still snuggle with on game days. He followed the blanket with a sweatshirt and winter hat. Most Christmases my brother and I can bet on there being at least one Ohio State item under the tree for me from my dad.With the air cooling and the tinge of color to the leaves bring phone calls, group texts and shouts of exasperation. Sundays might have been football days in my family, but Ive come to appreciate Saturdays just as much.I sit on my couch with the Ohio State blanket my father gave me wrapped around my legs. If its an evening game, I might have a screwdriver, which is his favorite drink. All errands either wait or are paused until the end of the game. I smooth the sleeves of my Buckeyes sweatshirt and drink from the mug he bought me.My phone sits next to me, and Im ready to call home at a moments notice. Its not quite as nice as watching the game from the same couch, but its as close as I can get.Ill take it. Arizona Cardinals Zach Allen Jersey . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Cheap Dallas Cowboys Jerseys China . The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos. http://www.cheapfootballchina.com/ . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. Cheap Los Angeles Rams Jerseys China .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Arizona Cardinals Andy Isabella Jersey . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. MIAMI -- The Miami Dolphins begin an NFL-record homestand hoping to play better at home.Tennessee visits Sunday, the first of four consecutive games at Hard Rock Stadium for the Dolphins. Theres a bye after the third game, meaning Miami wont play on the road again until Nov. 13.Thats 46 days between away games, a record, and an ideal time for a turnaround.But the Dolphins havent exactly dominated in recent years at home, going 12-12 since 2013. That includes an overtime victory against woeful Cleveland in Week 3 for the Dolphins lone win this season. Theyre 0-3 on the road.Obviously 17-0 is out the window, receiver Jarvis Landry said. Yes, we have four home games and a bye mixed up in there somewhere. But were not looking ahead; were not looking back. Were looking at the Tennessee Titans.Here are things to know about the matchup between 1/3 teams:PLAYING AT HOME: Hurricane Matthew raised concerns about the NFL being forced to move the game to Nashville. But first-year Miami coach Adam Gase is eager to create a home-field advantage and ratchet up the atmosphere for fans who havent had a lot to cheer about during the Dolphins seven-season playoff drought.The home opener against Cleveland was a sellout, but many fans fled for the exits during the latter stages of an ugly win.I felt like last game the crowd was great, Gase said. They were very energetic, especially when our defense was on the field. It got loud quite a bit. We have to put out a better product than we showed the last time. Thats what this season is going to be about for us. Weve got to keep getting better every week. If we do that, I think that the crowd will keep getting louder and louder and louder.MIAMI FRONT FOUR: The Dolphins pass rush was expected to be a strength, but theyre tied for ninth with 10 sacks, as former Pro Bowl ends Mario Williams and Cameron Wake have only one sack apiece.Miami has forced just one interception while allowing a passer rating of 98.4, which is ninth worst. Opponents have countered the rush with lots of three-step drops.Weve got to try to find a way to stop the quick throws -- tighter coverage, or us getting our hands up, or whatever, Williamms said.dddddddddddd Weve got to figure something out, because it is more often than not quick passes so far.Quarterback Marcus Mariota and the Titans are likely to try the same approach, mindful of the importance in neutralizing a group that also includes Pro Bowl tackle Ndamukong Suh.Those guys, when theyre in a one-on-one matchup, thats when they make their money, Titans center Ben Jones said. Theyve got five good rushers. Suh, Wake, Mario -- they can get after the passer any time. You have to know where they are and get up on them.RUN DEMARCO RUN: Titans running back DeMarco Murray is looking like the player who led the NFL with 1,845 yards rushing in 2014 with Dallas. Murray already has 340 yards rushing and 496 yards from scrimmage, and his five total touchdowns tie him for second in the NFL. Murray also has 25 first downs, second only to Dallas running back Ezekial Elliott.Combined with Mariota, thats why the Titans rank fourth in the NFL, averaging 127 yards rushing per game.ROAD MARIOTA: Mariota is coming off a poor performance in last weeks 27-20 loss at Houston.Mariota threw for only 202 yards with a passer rating of 54.1. But since entering the NFL, Mariota has been one of the leagues best away from home. In eight games, he has thrown for 1,814 yards with 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions, with one of those last week. He has a 98.5 passer rating that puts him behind only Josh McCown, Russell Wilson, Andy Dalton, Tom Brady and Derek Carr on the road.TRASH TALK: Wake will butt heads with Titans tackles Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin, and offered a candid assessment of them.Theyre big, theyre slow and theyre ugly, just like most of the ones we have here, Wake said. Us fast, pretty guys like to take advantage of them.---AP Sports Writer Teresa Walker in Nashville, Tennessee contributed to this report.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve-Wine. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/steven-wine ' ' '