Game Thread Game Eight: #1 Ohio State 44, Indiana 3 (10/21/06)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

OSU adds a touch of spice

Ginn's touchdown pass puts the flavor in methodical rout of Indiana

By Marla Ridenour

Beacon Journal sportswriter

COLUMBUS - Ted Ginn Jr. described it as the most exciting thing he has ever done.
But Ohio State coach Jim Tressel might have called for Ginn, a junior flanker, to pass for the second consecutive week just as much to confound Michigan coach Lloyd Carr before their Nov. 18 showdown as to beat Indiana Saturday.
Ginn's 38-yard touchdown throw to sophomore tight end Rory Nicol with 9:04 left in the third quarter was the most unusual moment on an unconventional afternoon. Senior quarterback Troy Smith threw four touchdown passes in the first half and three OSU touchdowns went to tight ends as the top-ranked Buckeyes rolled over the Hoosiers 44-3.
``It makes us a little more dangerous and hard to defend when we have a second-string tight end catching a TD pass and our starting tight end catching two,'' said junior right tackle Kirk Barton (Perry High School). ``It's got to be a two-ibuprofen night for defensive coordinators.''
Nicol also pulled in a 23-yard touchdown from Smith and freshman tight end Jake Ballard caught a 1-yarder as OSU (8-0, 4-0 in the Big Ten) rolled up a season-high 540 yards of offense. Indiana (4-4, 2-2) led 3-0 in the first quarter before the Buckeye juggernaut got rolling and extended the nation's longest winning streak to 15 games.
``We're an equal opportunity employer,'' Tressel said of the Buckeyes' strange choice of touchdown targets. ``We'll throw it to whoever's open.''
Nicol had been Ginn's intended receiver last week in a 38-7 win at Michigan State, but that toss came in a gusty wind when the play had broken down. Barton said the Buckeyes had been needling Nicol for dropping that one even though he didn't.
``Yesterday in the walk-through he said, `I might just have to score two touchdowns on these guys,' '' Barton said of Nicol. ``We're like, `Tight ends are not going to score touchdowns, we've got all these receivers. Why would we throw you the ball?' ''
This time, Nicol ended up in a jostling match with junior linebacker Adam McClurg but pulled the ball in near the 10 and dashed to the end zone.
``It was weird,'' Nicol said. ``You look for that safety to bite down on the run and all of a sudden that linebacker was running with me. But Teddy made a great throw. I guess (McClurg) fell. I wasn't looking at anything but the ball. I was shocked he was covering me to begin with.''
Ginn was elated and not because he caught a 31-yard touchdown pass among his five catches for 72 yards.
``It was something we've had in the playbook for a while and when we put the package in this week I got really excited,'' Ginn said of his pass. ``I wanted to throw it so bad I would have thrown it even if he was double covered.''
Now with seven receiving touchdowns, one passing and one on a punt return, Ginn might be putting on a late challenge to Smith's Heisman Trophy bid. Ginn played quarterback, receiver and running back at Glenville High School.
``I love catching touchdowns and returning punts, but I thought I may never get to do that again,'' Ginn said.
Smith, a fellow Glenville product, loved it, too. He said he and Ginn have feuded since their Little League days when they were opposing quarterbacks.
``We had been practicing and practicing, watching duck after duck,'' Smith joked about Ginn's passing skills. ``After I carried out the fake and turned around and saw a perfect spiral... he always said if he gets a chance he's going to throw a touchdown. The offensive line did a great job. You have to hold your block even longer for him to get around there. And Rory Nicol made a great play on the ball. Special people in special places, they do special things.''
There were a few more special people. Senior cornerback Antonio Smith had a career game with 12 tackles (including an OSU season-high 11 solos), four tackles for losses, a sack and a forced fumble. Senior defensive end Jay Richardson had three tackles, two for losses, two sacks and a pass breakup. Junior tailback Antonio Pittman (Buchtel High School) had his string of 12 consecutive games with a touchdown broken, but had his fifth 100-yard rushing day of the season and the 13th of his career with 105 yards on 16 carries.
Redshirt freshman receiver Brian Hartline (GlenOak High School) might have earned his coveted Jack Tatum hit of the week when he flattened Marcus Thigpen, the nation's leading kickoff returner, after a 20-yard runback in the first quarter. Thigpen, the Hoosiers starting tailback, never returned.
``I hope he's all right,'' Hartline said. ``He had a big bull's-eye coming in this week. We talked about him a lot. If you get an opportunity to make a play on him you've got to make it or he's going to be gone.''
Hartline knows he might have to fight off Antonio Smith for the Tatum award.
``We were talking about it in the locker room. The defensive guys were screaming for him and the other guys were screaming for me,'' Hartline said.
``It might be the second time this year a receiver gets the Tatum hit,'' Antonio Smith said. ``We'll see on Tuesday, I guess.''

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Men of Troy rule
Sunday, October 22, 2006
By Joe Frollo Jr. Repository assistant sports editor

COLUMBUS - Some things in life are just givens.

The sky is up there. The ground is down here. The Ohio State football team beats Indiana.
There was little to suggest Saturday in front of 105,267 at Ohio Stadium that change is on the way as the top-ranked Buckeyes beat the Hoosiers for the 14th straight time, 44-3.
"I thought we did everything we had to do to have a decisive victory, and the guys made plays," Head Coach Jim Tressel said.
The Buckeyes improved to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten as quarterback Troy Smith added another page to his Heisman Trophy r?sum?, going 15-of-23 for 220 yards and four first-half touchdowns - all four to different receivers.
Smith's second touchdown pass was the latest in his growing list of "Did he just do that?" moments.
After dropping back to pass, Smith spun 360 degrees to avoid a tackler, took a few steps to his left, then found Ted Ginn Jr. in the left side of the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown.
"Any time he breaks containment and can get out on the edge ... big things can happen if you step up and remain alive," Tressel said.
Smith also had a 29-yard run on Ohio State's first scoring drive in which he started right but came back around to find the left corner.
"I saw a mass of bodies in the middle of the field, then my left tackle (Alex Boone) made an opening," Smith said. "The coaches teased me all week about not being able to pull away from the defense. I was able to do that today."
Three plays later on third-and-1, Smith made a perfect fake to Antonio Pittman as tight end Rory Nicol sprinted uncovered over the middle for a 23-yard touchdown pass.
Smith would add scoring passes of 5 yards to Anthony Gonzalez and 1 yard to Jake Ballard.
The Ohio State defense did its job, too, holding the Hoosiers out of the end zone a week after quarterback Kellen Lewis threw three touchdown passes to James Hardy in a 31-28 upset over then-No. 15 Iowa.
Indiana (4-4, 2-2) took an early 3-0 lead on Austin Starr's 34-yard field goal, but any thoughts of the Hoosiers' first-ever win over a top-ranked team were soon put to rest as Ohio State scored on its final four possessions of the first half and Indiana never crossed the Buckeyes' 45.
"I still believe we have the best defense in the nation," Smith said. "They get to the quarterback, stop the run and create turnovers."
Lewis finished 15-of-28 for 106 yards and was sacked three times. Hardy caught six passes for 45 yards, but three of the receptions came against backups.
"Ohio State's defense plays so well together," Indiana Head Coach Terry Hoeppner said. "They have an excellent scheme, and they execute it well together."
Indiana finished with just 218 total yards as senior defensive back Antonio Smith had 12 tackles and forced a fumble for OSU. Defensive end Jay Richardson added two sacks for the Buckeyes while Malcomb Jenkins and Andre Amos both had interceptions.
"I've got to tip my cap to the defense," Tressel said. "We wanted to put a lot of pressure on (Lewis), and we did that."
Ohio State got creative at the start of the second half as Smith pitched a reverse to Ginn, who then lofted a 38-yard TD to Nicol.
Smith, a Glenville High School teammate of Ginn's, joked that he was surprised by his longtime friend.
"We had been practicing and practicing and practicing, watching duck after duck after duck (on Ginn's throws)," Smith said. "Today, after I carried out the fake, I turned around and saw a perfect spiral."
Ginn was having none of it.
"I was a quarterback (in junior high)," said Ginn who had five catches for 72 yards. "I just put my hands on the strings and let it go. Rory got over the top, and I just didn't want to overthrow him."
Aaron Pettrey added a career-best 51-yard field goal, and Chris Wells scored on a 12-yard run midway through the fourth to cap the scoring.
Antonio Pittman had 111 yards on 16 carries to lead an Ohio State rushing attack that collected 279 yards. Add that to 270 yards passing and a dominant performance by the defense, and the outcome is as predictable as this series has become.
Reach Repository Assistant Sports Editor Joe Frollo Jr. at (330) 580-8564 or e-mail: [email protected]

​

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

OSU NOTEBNOOK
Sunday, October 22, 2006
By JOE FROLLO

COLUMBUS - Saturday was turning into a ho-hum game at Ohio Stadium.

Ohio State had just taken a 7-3 lead over Indiana on Rory Nicol's 23-yard touchdown catch. Still, the crowd of 105,267 sat mostly silent and the Buckeyes sideline seemed subdued.
Then came Brian Hartline's stick on Marcus Thigpen, and all that changed.
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound wide receiver from GlenOak High School laid out Thigpen with a hit that shook the stadium and fired up his teammates.
"We take a lot of hits from the defense, and I know it was uplifting from the guys on the sideline for Hartline to come down there and deliver a blow," Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith said. "You see him flying around the field all the time, and it's great credit to what kind of guy he is."
Hartline said Indiana didn't cover him much on the opening kickoff. The result was Hartline going across the field to pull down Thigpen at the 22.
When the Hoosiers failed to account for Hartline the second time, he made Thigpen pay with a shot that kept the Big Ten's leading kick returner on the sidelines for a while.
"We'd talked about him in meetings," Hartline said of Thigpen. "We'd heard all week about their kick returns and what a big impact it was for them."
Instead, it was Hartline delivering the impact.
"It was a big hit, a big play," Hartline said. "It re-established who we are because they might have been taking us for granted."
Hartline had two balls thrown his way, but did not get a catch. He is adapting to special teams, a role he didn't have to play at GlenOak.
"It's more of a mentality of taking what the play gives you and never doubting yourself," Hartline said.
Being a part of the No. 1 team in the land just two years after losing most of his senior season to a broken leg hasn't been too bad, either.
"So far, it's been great," he said. "We still have four weeks to go, but I'm pretty excited. We'll see how things turn out."

STARK SIGHTINGS Kirk Barton (Perry) and T.J. Downing (GlenOak) were part of an Ohio State offensive line that helped the Buckeyes pile up 549 yards. ... Backup quarterback Justin Zwick (Massillon) played one series, leading the Buckeyes to a nine-play, 68-yard touchdown drive without attempting a pass. ... Indiana wide receiver Chris Banks (Alliance) dressed, but did not play.
COME A LONG WAY Ohio State senior defensive back Antonio Smith had a game-high 12 tackles and forced a fumble. The former walk-on, who majors in engineering, brought a smile to Head Coach Jim Tressel's face when he was asked about him. "He's such a smart player. He's an amazing person," Tressel said. "He comes dragging into the Woody Hayes (Center) about an hour late every day and makes up the film time because he was in lab. ... He's just a special human being, and you appreciate it when good things happen to good people."
OPEN QUESTION Tressel shrugged when asked if he opened up his playbook for tight ends Saturday. Nicol had two touchdowns and true freshman Jake Ballard had another. "We're an equal opportunity employer," Tressel said. "We'll throw it to whoever's open, and that's what the quarterbacks are asked to do."
ON THE BOARD Terry Hoeppner's teams have never been shutout in 92 games at Miami of Ohio and Indiana.
NEXT WEEK Minnesota comes to Ohio Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. The game will be televised by ABC.
Reach Repository Assistant Sports Editor Joe Frollo Jr. at (330) 580-8564 or e-mail:[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

NO. 1 OHIO STATE 44, INDIANA 3
Relaxing walk

Buckeyes cruise, have fun running their record to 8-0

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter

Columbus -- It's one thing for a team to move to 8-0 and further solidify its No. 1 ranking by taking apart an opponent as Ohio State did in a 44-3 victory over Indiana on Saturday. It's another thing for those players to be relaxed and confident enough to enjoy every second of it.
"In all honesty, these last few weeks have been so much fun for everybody," Buckeyes receiver Anthony Gonzalez said. "Has it been this much fun in the past? No, because when you're undefeated, it's more fun, because you don't have any regrets at this point. Hopefully we can keep that going."
The party rolled on against the Hoosiers (4-4, 2-2 Big Ten) as Troy Smith threw four touchdown passes to four different receivers, and Ted Ginn Jr. tossed another one off a receiver reverse. The Buckeyes were living it up on the sideline and hamming it up after the game, Smith mocking Ginn for his ugly throws in practice, coach Jim Tressel needling Smith about his speed and the head man even impersonating the deep voice of a reporter as he started to answer a postgame question.
On both sides of the ball, the Buckeyes aren't afraid to enjoy the spoils of what is now 15 straight victories dating back to last season. The Buckeyes gained a season-high 540 yards while limiting Indiana to 165.
"People are starting to relax because everyone knows what they're doing," linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "If you're confident in what you're doing, you can have fun with it."
After Smith became the first OSU quarterback since Bobby Hoying in 1994 to throw four touchdowns in a half, the Buckeyes taking a 28-3 lead to the locker room, Ginn's 38-yard touchdown toss to tight end Rory Nicol in the third quarter kicked the celebration up a notch.
"To me, that is the most exciting thing I have ever done," said Ginn, who earlier caught a 31-yard touchdown off a Smith scramble.
?I love catching touchdowns and returning punts, but I thought I may never get to do that again, and it felt great.?
The Buckeyes had called a similar play last week against Michigan State, when the primary target was to be Gonzalez, but as that play broke down, Ginn tossed the ball to Nicol, who couldn?t make the grab. After the game, Ginn said Nicol should have made that catch, word that hadn?t reached Nicol.
?I didn?t know about all that stuff, but I redeemed myself this week,? Nicol said.
Ginn had campaigned for another shot at showing off his old quarterback skills. Smith said he and his teammate have an old quarterback feud going back to muni league, and he watched in practice this week as Ginn threw “duck after duck after duck.” “Today, I turned around and saw a perfect spiral,” Smith said.
“He always says that if he gets a chance, he’s going to throw a touchdown.”
“He thinks he should be lined up in the [shotgun] throwing the ball,” Tressel said. “He thinks he has the greatest arm in the world or something, but he just has fun.”
Senior cornerback Antonio Smith is a more subdued sort, but he had just as much fun on the other side, racking up a teamhigh 12 tackles in the game of his career, which also included a sack and a forced fumble. Every Buckeye relished the success of the former walk-on.
“He’s a special human being, and you appreciate it when good things happen to good people,” Tressel said.
Antonio Smith said the defense, which allowed seven points or fewer for the third straight game and the sixth time this season, actually has preached the idea of extra excitement.
“That’s what a defense thrives on,” Smith said. “We challenged ourselves in the past few weeks in making sure we’re overexcited. Every time someone makes a play, we want to rally up and get all 11 guys on the ball.”
Games remain with Minnesota, Illinois and Northwestern before the season builds to an expected undefeated climax against Michigan, followed by a potential date Jan. 8 in the national title game. The Buckeyes get asked about pressure every day. They don’t play like they feel any.
“I think we’re having a lot more fun on the field this year,” said receiver Brian Hartline, who fired up the crowd with a first quarter crunch on a kick return.
“On the sideline, if a series gets stopped, last year we’d be more worried, we’d be scrambling.
This year, it’s more going out and doing what you’re supposed to do.”
The nation’s No. 1 team is supposed to win. If you’re a Buckeye this year, with every victory coming by at least 17 points, you’re supposed to win with a smile and an expectation.
“There’s nothing wrong with having fun while you’re doing it,” Troy Smith said. “But you have to understand that once that play is over, we have to do it all over again.”
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
[email protected], 216-999-4479

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

<H1 class=red>SUNDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

</H1>

Sunday, October 22, 2006


Saturday was a nightmare game for opposing defensive coaches to watch on film. After featuring their receivers all season, the Buckeyes hit their tight ends for three touchdowns, including two to Rory Nicol. The sneakiest was Ohio State's first score, when quarterback Troy Smith faked to short-yardage back Chris Wells on third-and-1 and then hit a wide-open Nicol, who was yards behind the defense, for a 23-yard touchdown. Nicol was the most recent Buckeye to have a positive pregame premonition, telling tight ends coach John Peterson about it Friday night. "I said, 'I feel really good about this week,' " Nicol said. "I don't know why I had [that feeling], but I had it."
Running back Antonio Pittman showed no lingering problems with the ankle he turned against Michigan State last week. You could see he was quicker to the holes and sharper in his cuts while gaining 105 yards on 16 carries. It was his fifth 100-yard game of the season, though his streak of 12 games with a rushing touchdown, the longest such streak in the nation, came to an end.
It's a good thing kicker Aaron Pettrey has healed. He said Saturday he strained his hip flexor warming up before the Bowling Green game, which is why Ryan Pretorius had been handling the kickoffs in that game and against Michigan State, though Pettrey had continued with field goals and extra points. Pettrey just has the stronger leg and managed touchbacks on two of six kickoffs Saturday. As a freshman kicker, you want him on the field gaining experience whenever possible. He's still up and down. He followed a career-long 51-yard field goal with a missed extra point.
The Buckeyes were smart to play it safe by sitting out defensive tackle David Patterson, sidelined after arthroscopic knee surgery. He took one step forward, wearing his uniform and helmet to walk out for the coin toss Saturday after spending last week in his sweat pants on the sideline. He's expected back for Minnesota on Saturday, and he's a senior captain who wants to play, but he could be held back a bit for another two weeks and still be ready for Michigan, when it matters most.
- Doug Lesmerises

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

<H1 class=red>THE BESTS

</H1>

Sunday, October 22, 2006



Best decision
The Buckeyes didn't run a single play in their base defense against Indiana's spread offense, which meant not much time on the field for weakside linebackers John Kerr and Ross Homan. Fans should know by now that freshman corner Donald Washington is basically a starter for this team with how often the Buckeyes play five defensive backs. Washington plays corner on an outside receiver, which allows Antonio Smith, a better tackler, to cover the slot receiver as the nickelback, in what the Buckeyes call the "star" position, and be more involved in the run game. Washington made five tackles and forced a fumble.


Best run
Troy Smith quieted the naysayers among his teammates, maybe, with a 29-yard run on an option play right in which he stopped and broke all the way back to the left. "I saw a mass of bodies toward the middle of the field where I tried to cut it up the first time," Smith said. "My left tackle [Alex Boone] did a good job of securing the left edge backside, and he just gave me a chance to get around the other way. I had been being teased the whole week about not being able to pull away from a defender, so that was one of my reasons for really bearing down and trying to get around that edge."


Best run II
Indiana freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis has some fans among the Buckeyes after Saturday. He completed 15 of 28 passes for just 106 yards and was sacked four times, so he wound up with minus-10 rushing yards on 11 carries. But his offensive line repeatedly broke down, his receivers dropped passes and he did what he could to make plays. "The film does not do him justice," OSU linebacker Marcus Freeman said. "Out on the field, he is much faster than he is on film." His best run came on a 16-year scramble when he escaped from four tackle attempts to pick up a first down.
Best moment
%%bodybegin%%It belonged to Indiana, and it didn't last long. Coming off their biggest upset win in 20 years, the Hoosiers came out and took a 3-0 lead on the Buckeyes when Austin Starr kicked a 34-yard field goal with 7:59 to play in the first quarter. For a program trying to rebuild, and battling Peyton Manning and the Colts for the football hearts in Indiana, it was a moment in the sun to lead the No. 1 team in the country. "We didn't start out great the first two or three minutes of the game," OSU coach Jim Tressel said. And then it was over.


Best hit
Brian Hartline officially has become a force on special teams. His destruction of Indiana's Marcus Thigpen on a kick return, after the Buckeyes had just gone ahead, 7-3, fired up his teammates. "I know it was uplifting for the guys on the sidelines for Hartline to come down and deliver a blow because a lot of times they take [hits]," QB Troy Smith said. "He got a chance to really let out on a defender, and it's great." Hartline already was named Ohio State's special teams player of the week for his performance against Michigan State, but this hit was his best yet.

- Doug Lesmerises

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

Ohio State 44 | Indiana 3
Smith's four TD passes help Buckeyes pull away

Ohio State QB has his usual excellent day and is especially proud of a 29-yard sprint.


By Doug Harris
Staff Writer

Sunday, October 22, 2006

COLUMBUS ? Ohio State defensive tackle David Patterson sat out the Indiana game because of a knee injury, but that didn't prevent him from performing his team-spokesman duties as captain.
And judging from his comments, Patterson found that having a sideline view of a sensational quarterback is almost as much fun as getting his hands on a million ordinary ones.
"I was just happy I got to watch the best offense in the country with the best player in the country ? No. 10," he said.
That would be Troy Smith, who bolstered his Heisman Trophy campaign by going 15-of-23 passing for 220 yards and four touchdowns to lead the No. 1 Buckeyes to a 44-3 win Saturday.
Smith had another of his acrobatic plays, spinning out of a near sack, rolling to his left and then throwing across his body to Ted Ginn Jr. in the end zone for a 31-yard TD.
And while he's developed into one of the nation's premier passers, he also ripped off a 29-yard run to set up the opening TD for the Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten), proving he's still capable of causing opponents to quiver when he takes flight.
"I had been teased the whole week about not being able to pull away from a defender," Smith said, "so that was one of my reasons for really, really bearing down and trying to get around that edge."
But Smith didn't silence all the cynics in his camp.
Hearing that explanation, OSU coach Jim Tressel joked, "Did you pull away?"
"A little bit," Smith said, smiling. "Just enough."
Stat of the game
The Buckeyes had a season-high 540 yards total offense against the Hoosiers (4-4, 2-2), getting 270 on the ground and 270 through the air.
Record pursuit
Smith became the third Buckeye QB with at least 20 TD passes in a season. He has 21, eight short of Bobby Hoying's school record. Smith also became the first OSU player since Hoying in 1994 to toss four TD passes in a half.
Quote, unquote
OSU right tackle Kirk Barton on the team's multifaceted offense: "It's got to be a two-ibuprofen night for defensive coordinators."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or [email protected].

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

OSU NOTES
Ginn's TD pass draws jokes, jeers


By Doug Harris
Staff Writer


Sunday, October 22, 2006


COLUMBUS ? Ohio State's Ted Ginn Jr. tossed the first touchdown pass of his career, but quarterback Troy Smith probably doesn't have to worry about job security.
Ginn ? who threw a wobbly incompletion on his only previous career attempt last week ? unloaded a floater to tight end Rory Nicol after taking a pitch on a reverse. Nicol had to slow down to wait for the ball at the 10-yard line, but he plucked it over an Indiana defender for a 38-yard score.
"That was a good opportunity to throw it," Ginn said. "I wanted to throw it so bad. I would have thrown it even if he was double-covered."
Ginn, who has now notched TDs five ways for the Buckeyes (pass, run, reception and kickoff and punt returns), is known for his bravado about his arm. Smith and coach Jim Tressel both poked fun at the junior receiver before he showed up for the postgame press conference.
"We had been practicing and practicing and practicing (that reverse pass)," Smith said, "and after watching duck after duck after duck ... today, I carried out the fake and turned around and saw a perfect spiral."
Added Tressel: "He thinks he should be lined up in the 'Gun' throwing the ball. Thinks he has the greatest arm in the world."
Smith said the two have had a feud since their PeeWee days about their passing skills, but Ginn wasn't in a fighting mood afterward.
"My thanks to our quarterback," he said. "Troy just comes out and makes us go. We're lucky to have him."
Ginn played quarterback at Glenville High in Cleveland, so he does have some experience.
DB Smith stars
Senior cornerback Antonio Smith had a whopping 11 solo tackles (no one else in the game had more than four) and he was a constant nuisance on blitzes.
He had one sack and four tackles for losses.
"We have an attacking mentality," Smith said. "We're the Silver Bullets. ... We have to be physical on the corner because we know the ball is going to get out on the perimeter. We're going to get opportunities to make tackles and big plays, and we practice that."
Hartline gets his lick
Deprived of the team's Jack Tatum hit-of-the-week award for his oft-replayed block against Iowa, OSU receiver Brian Hartline may have claimed the honor with a killer kickoff tackle. He blasted IU's Marcus Thigpen, drawing a collective "ooh" from the crowd.
Asked if he deserved the honor this time, Hartline said: "Why not? It's a prestigious award. Jack Tatum is a great guy, and it would be good to represent him."
Defense stout
After a 34-yard punt return from Tracy Porter, the Hoosiers had the ball at the OSU 15-yard line early in the first quarter.
But they picked up zero yards in three plays and settled for a 34-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
"I still believe we have the best defense in the nation," Troy Smith said.
Pettrey hits bomb
Redshirt freshman Aaron Pettrey connected on a 51-yard field goal in his only attempt and has made six of his last seven tries. He also was handed kickoff duties after sophomore Ryan Pretorius began the game with a weak attempt.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

COMMENTARY
Buckeyes showing swagger, talent of a national champion


By By Lucas Sullivan, Staff Writer

Sunday, October 22, 2006

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? In watching Ohio State dismantle an already shaky Indiana squad Saturday in front of another sold out crowd in Ohio Stadium, it became clear that this team is nothing like the 2002 national championship.
I know, "duh?"
The top-ranked Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0) have three (practice) games remaining before facing No. 2 Michigan at home on Nov. 18 and that might not be much of a game, either. It seems this season, there's Ohio State and then there's everybody else battling it out for a chance to play the Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8.
It's a feeling Buckeyes fans have not had for awhile, if ever. The 2002 season was magical because Ohio State had to pull out or hold onto last-minute wins against Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Penn State, Purdue, Illinois and Michigan.
All six of those games were won by an average of less than five points. Back then it was, "How will the Buckeyes somehow pull it out this week." Now, it's more like "Will Ohio State cover the 30-point spread."
It sounds elementary, but to beat Ohio State you are going to have to outscore them. It's hard to find a team in college football that can do that right now.
This year's team is flashy, carries the swagger of a national champion and, more importantly, plays like it on Saturdays. These Buckeyes average 34.9 points a game, while holding opposing teams to just under nine points per contest.
When Ohio State leaves the field, they leave no doubt. That is an ideology associated with teams like USC, Texas and Oklahoma, not Ohio State.
And I'm not sure you've seen the best the Buckeyes have to offer. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel seems to call a game geared toward the Buckeyes' opponent, rather than the potent offense led by quarterback Troy Smith.
Look at the Bowling Green game against Ohio State's bigger games this season against, Texas and Iowa. Smith threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns against the Longhorns and 186 and four TDs against the Hawkeyes. He was completely dominant, worthy of Heisman Trophy praise.
Then against the Falcons, the Buckeyes led just 21-7 going into the fourth quarter with a sputtering offense before scoring two touchdowns in the final 15 minutes.
And Saturday against Indiana, it was the unveiling of the tight ends package, as Rory Nicol caught two touchdown passes and Jake Ballard one. It showed yet another weapon the Buckeyes have stored in their already powerful arsenal.
"We're an equal opportunity employer," Tressel said. "We'll throw it to whoever's open and that's what the quarterbacks are asked to do."
We have yet to see the explosive offense that smacked Notre Dame around in last season's Fiesta Bowl and probably won't until the New Year. One thing's for sure, if you are playing Ohio State for the national title, I wouldn't watch the game film from the Bowling Green, Northern Illinois or Cincinnati contests.
Look at the Notre Dame film, and maybe Texas, because that's how these Buckeyes really get down.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Up, up and away
Smith, OSU roll, but talk of flaws

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith outruns Indiana?s Keith Burrus in the first half.

Ohio State?s Rory Nicol, left, and teammate Jake Ballard celebrate in the end zone after Nicol made a touchdown catch.


After its latest exhibition of power and glory, it?s clear that Ohio State isn?t competing against its opponents as much as it is measuring itself against perfection.
Consider that the No. 1 Buckeyes blew away Indiana yesterday like a house of straw, 44-3, improving their record to 8-0 (4-0 Big Ten) and extending the nation?s longest win streak to 15.
And yet, the quarterback who threw for four touchdowns lamented a lost fumble. A kicker who just made a 51-yard field goal bemoaned his missed extra point attempt.
And the coach who oversees this destructive machine was still looking for more.
"I feel like we took one more step," Jim Tressel said, "and we have to get much, much better."
If they do, maybe opponents would be better served to forfeit than show up and risk injury.
The Buckeyes rolled to a season-high 540 yards on offense. Quarterback Troy Smith matched his career high with four touchdown passes and provided yet another Heisman moment on one of those.
Three TDs were caught by tight ends, two by Rory Nicol, including one thrown by receiver Ted Ginn Jr. Running back Antonio Pittman had 105 yards rushing.
It was so bad that kicker Aaron Pettrey said he was tired after a day in which he kicked off six times and tried six extra points and a field goal.
"My legs, yeah, I?ll get in the cold tub tomorrow," Pettrey said.
Defensively, the Buckeyes limited the Hoosiers (4-4, 2-2) to 165 yards, including 7 yards rushing. Cornerback Antonio Smith had a career day with 12 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
Quarterback Kellen Lewis threw for just 106 yards and was sacked four times, twice by Jay Richardson. Malcolm Jenkins and Andre Amos picked off passes from backup Blake Powers.
James Hardy, Indiana?s dangerous 6-foot-7 receiver, was a non-factor (six catches, 45 yards).
"I am not going to be overly critical of any individual on our team," Hoosiers coach Terry Hoeppner said. "Ohio State took away a lot of things we wanted to do. We got outplayed by a team that on this day was a lot better than we were."
And to think this all happened after the Buckeyes started slowly. Maybe knowing the game wasn?t widely available on local television, Smith gave fans time to find their favorite watering hole and settle in before he set about executing Indiana, er, the game plan.
Ohio State went three-andout on its first two possessions. Indiana took a 3-0 lead after Tracy Porter?s 34-yard punt return set up the Hoosiers at the OSU 15-yard line.
Indiana gained exactly 0 yards in three plays, a defensive stand that boosted OSU?s spirits.
"It was a critical situation where the defense was pushed back on the field, but we practice situations like that," cornerback Donald Washington said. "We try and prepare ourselves for the worst. We just tried to keep our composure."
From then on, Smith was simply shooting fish (Hoosiers) in a barrel (Ohio Stadium).
After misfiring on his first four passes, Smith threw three TDs in his next eight tosses.
The first came on a nice playfake on third-and-1 to a wideopen Nicol. The second was one of his patented scrambling improvisational masterpieces.
Spinning away from Keith Burrus, Smith flung a pass off his back foot with Josh Bailey in his face. Ginn caught it for a 31-yard score that made it 14-3.
"My thanks to our quarterback," Ginn said. "Troy just comes out and makes us go, and we?re lucky to have him."
Leading 21-3, Ohio State got the ball back at midfield with 51 seconds left in the half. Tressel went for it, and Smith complied, completing three straight throws for a TD and a 25-point halftime lead.
Asked about the aggressive play-calling, Tressel cited Indiana?s three comeback victories this season, the most dramatic after a 25-7 deficit.
"So what should make you think you shouldn?t get as many points as you can to win?" he said.
Ginn made that moot shortly after halftime. Last week at Michigan State, a Ginn pass was called, but the play broke down and he threw incomplete toward Nicol.
This week, it was designed for Nicol. Smith pitched to Ginn rolling right. Ginn threw it, and Indiana linebacker Adam McClurg fell down, leaving Nicol wide open. He gathered it in and completed the 38-yard score.
That made it 35-3.
"Special people in special places, they do special things," Smith said.
He was referring to Ginn, but yesterday, that applied to a number of Buckeyes.
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Dispatch

COMMENTARY
Buckeyes won?t allow weaker foes to dream
Sunday, October 22, 2006
BOB HUNTER

It?s all kind of amazing, if you stop to think about it.
Not Ohio State?s 44-3 win over Indiana. That was about as amazing as a piece of buttered toast at breakfast. Even though Ohio State coach Jim Tressel told us last week that the Hoosiers were "tough" and "courageous" and "a team on the rise," they sure looked like the same outmanned Indiana team OSU has been pounding like a worn-out punching bag for the past 10 years.
No, what?s amazing is the Buckeyes? consistency. What?s surprising is the way they?re able to win easily week after week, regardless of the opposition. The scores ? 35-12, 24-7, 37-7, 28-6, 38-17, 35-7, 38-7, 44-3 ? read like a pleasant stroll through the 1970s, when the traditional powers handed out scholarships like penny candy and everybody else got the cavities.
It?s easy to forget how hard it is to cruise like this in a sport in which parity delivers a scare or shock somewhere almost every week. The closest Ohio State has come was a 28-6 win over Penn State in week four that was close until early in the fourth quarter. Frankly, a 22-point win barely registers a blip on the fright meter.
Eight wins into the schedule, mental strength appears to be one of the Buckeyes? assets. The question is why?
"Our coaching is obviously a big part of it," offensive tackle Kirk Barton said. "Our strength coaches, they get on us a lot too. Eric Lichter and Butch (Reynolds) and Joe Rudolph, they get after us a lot during the week when we?re lifting, saying how "We?ve gotta leave no doubt. It has to be a clean kill. It can?t be a little straggler kind of kill. We?ve gotta get ?em early.?
"But then our coaches also do a great job of reminding us that we don?t want to mess around, (that) we don?t want to go to overtime against a team we shouldn?t have gone to overtime against, do any of the stuff that maybe used to happen. We want to get on them early and hopefully take away their hope."
There is no way to measure the importance of those reminders, of course. Ohio State might be strong mentally because it has 16 fifth-year seniors who understand how easy it is to be crushed under the weight of your own hype machine. Or maybe the Buckeyes are rolling along simply because they are that good.
To this point, quarterback Troy Smith has been spectacular enough to bring a team out of a funk in the time it takes him to find Anthony Gonzalez or Ted Ginn Jr.
"I watch film of other quarterbacks," Gonzalez said, "and I think ?Wow, they are really not that good?? Really, Troy is that much better than everybody I?ve been seeing."
Put him on the field with Ginn, Gonzalez and running back Antonio Pittman, and it?s not a stretch to say this could be the most explosive offense in school history.
On the other hand, it would be a mistake to get too carried away here. Minnesota ? "tough, courageous, a team on the rise? " ? might provide a better test than Indiana; that doesn?t mean the Gophers, Illinois or Northwestern are likely to upset the Buckeyes before OSU plays Michigan on Nov. 18.
But many a storybook season has had its cover slammed shut by one surprising loss. The 1998 OSU team was gliding through the schedule just like this one before that shocking 28-24 loss to Michigan State.
"As great as it feels now, it would feel twice as bad if we lost, you know?" Gonzalez said. "Yeah, it feels great right now, but in all honesty, we haven?t done anything yet. Nobody?s getting a ring for what we?ve done thus far, and that?s a fact."
Again, Gonzalez?s words are a sign of experience. Any Ohio State team that aspires to greatness must keep reminding itself that the history books are littered with tales of brilliant Buckeyes seasons turned ordinary by a loss to Michigan.
"If that happens, then it?s ?Who cares?? " Gonzalez said. "Then, it?s just another season."
Bob Hunter is a sports columnist for The Dispatch.
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Dispatch

OHIO STATE-INDIANA
Hoosiers hit wall against Buckeyes

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Ohio State?s Vernon Gholston pressures Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis in the first half. Lewis was called for intentional grounding.


Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner?s eyebrows rose when a reporter suggested some of quarterback Kellen Lewis? long afternoon in Ohio Stadium was caused by the Ohio State defense.
"Some of it?" Hoeppner said, smiling.
"I?m going to have a clinic and let you be a quarterback and we?re going to have guys running at you and see what you can do.
"He didn?t have a lot of time. ... He didn?t have a very good game, but he wasn?t the Lone Ranger in that."
Hoeppner spread the blame across the board after the Hoosiers? 44-3 loss yesterday.
"It?s hard to find many people on our team, starting with the old head coach, who played or coached very well today," he said.
The focus coming into the game was on Lewis, however. The redshirt freshman had led Indiana to come-from-behind victories over Illinois and Iowa the previous two weeks, the Hoosiers? first back-to-back Big Ten victories in five years. He was named Big Ten co-player of the week on offense after passing for 255 yards and three touchdowns in the upset of Iowa.
But Ohio State was a different animal. Lewis passed for 106 yards and was sacked four times in his fifth game as a starter.
"Iowa came more straight at you. Ohio State did a good job of moving around before the snap of the ball, trying to confuse you," he said. "They did an excellent job of coming with pressure and not giving me much time to throw the ball. It was a little different. You have to find your open guy a little bit faster."
Guard Pete Saxon, a Jonathan Alder High School graduate and one of two true freshmen starting on the Hoosiers? offensive line, said the OSU defensive linemen bull-rushed more than Iowa?s, whom he said were more concerned with getting off blocks.
"We had gone against a lot of small, quick guys and not as much against people with the size and strength of Ohio State," Saxon said.
Wide receiver James Hardy, who had six catches but none for longer than 10 yards, said, "There weren?t many opportunities to even get upfield. We tried to take advantage of them the best we could."
The Indiana offense failed to score a touchdown against Ohio State for the second consecutive season. The Hoosiers? touchdown in a 41-10 loss last year came on a returned fumble by a linebacker.
"Watching them on film, they don?t compare to last year (on defense)," Hardy said. "But they?re still No. 1."
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Dispatch

OHIO STATE NOTEBOOK
Tossing touchdown makes Ginn?s day

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Ken Gordon and Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

• BUCKEYE BACK TALK: With which current Ohio State football player or coach would you most like to have dinner? Where would you take him?
• Transcript of Jim Tressel's postgame news conference
• What the Buckeyes had to say
• What the Hoosiers had to say
• Put a smile on an OSU fan's mug by giving one of ours

Not that Ted Ginn Jr. is bored with reaching the end zone, but he definitely was fired up after helping someone else score yesterday.
The Ohio State receiver and former Cleveland Glenville High School quarterback threw his first collegiate touchdown pass, a 31-yard hookup with tight end Rory Nicol in a 44-3 romp over Indiana.
"To me, that is the most exciting thing I have ever done," Ginn said. "I love catching touchdowns and returning punts, but I thought I may never get to do that again and it felt great."
Ginn and Nicol failed to connect last week at Michigan State, when Ginn?s pass on a broken play was low and bounced off Nicol?s reaching hands.
This time, Indiana linebacker Adam McClurg helped by falling down and leaving Nicol all alone.
Ginn now has accounted for 22 touchdowns in five ways: rushing (1), receiving (13), passing (1), kickoff return (1) and punt return (6).
"He was happy, man," Nicol said. "That was just another stat that he can add to his plethora of whatever else he?s got here."
Touchdown for Martha

When receiver Anthony Gonzalez broke wide open in the flat for a 5-yard second-quarter touchdown catch from Troy Smith, the Indiana defense messed up big time. Or was there another force at work.
In the postgame interview room, Gonzalez pulled out a slip of paper bearing the name "Martha Shotz." He had visited with her at her request Friday in her Reynoldsburg home where the former teacher is fighting cancer.
" ?If there?s one thing you do, you have to score a touchdown for me tomorrow,? " Gonzalez said, recalling their conversation. "So that was for Martha. ? It was a relief to get in there for her, because she?s going through a tough time. She?s in great spirits, though."
Gonzalez dislikes taking bows and has never been a fan of being called a hero, but he said such a moment does put in perspective what the Buckeyes mean to some people.
"To be able to do that, it really is humbling, because I guess we are pretty important to the people in this city and around this country," Gonzalez said.
T . J . gets heated

Right guard T.J. Downing got worked up after being called for illegal motion in the second quarter. On the next play, he and Indiana defensive tackle Emile Bass were cited for offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct, and Downing was removed from the game for a time.
He didn?t go off without reason, though, right tackle Kirk Barton said. One of the Indiana defensive linemen was imitating the snap count.
"Officiating crews don?t usually call that, but T.J. was a little heated up," Barton said. "That?s T.J., though. He?s a fiery guy, and he?s fun to play with, because he?ll get after guys."
Pick it or else

When Indiana backup quarterback Blake Powers rolled left and flipped a pass midway through the fourth quarter, it headed straight for Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, who couldn?t believe it.
"They didn?t really throw that much in my direction or run my way that much today, which is why I was a little antsy about just making a play," Jenkins said. "Luckily, they finally did and I was lucky I was paying attention."
He grabbed his third interception of the season. When Andre Amos added one a couple of minutes later, the Buckeyes increased their Big Ten-leading total to 15.

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Dispatch

Tight ends? TDs another look for Buckeyes

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




Just when defenses might have thought they were getting a handle on Ohio State?s high-powered offense, the Buckeyes rolled out another wrinkle yesterday: touchdown passes to the tight ends.
Going into the game with Indiana, No. 1 tight end Rory Nicol was the only tight end with any catches this season, and he had just seven. But he added two yesterday, both for touchdowns, including a 38-yarder from receiver Ted Ginn Jr. And freshman Jake Ballard made his first catch, a diving grab in the end zone on a 1-yard lob from quarterback Troy Smith in a 44-3 win.
"If I was a senior quarterback and had a freshman tight end I haven?t thrown to before, I don?t know if I would be trusting to put that one on the line, at the goal line especially," Ballard said. "I was just honored he gave me the chance to make a big play."
Nicol, a sophomore, said the same thing. But then, Smith had no choice but to flip it to Nicol for 23 yards on his first touchdown, when he broke wide open up the right hash out of a threetight end, short-yardage power formation.
" ?Catch the ball,? " Nicol said of his initial thought on the play. "You look at it and it?s like floating. For days. So, ?Catch it. Don?t mess it up.? "
It was a quick takeoff route, but it might as well be called the streak.
"You?re buck naked running down the seam, and that ball gets up their floating a little bit," Nicol said. "You just focus in on it."
Who knew when another one would come his way. Thanks to Ginn?s tight spiral in the third quarter, another one did. Nicol again made the play.
Not that Nicol expects such calls to become habit. He understands why the tight end is often the orphan in the receiving game in an offense that includes wideouts Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez and Brian Robiskie.
"The guys who are outside of me are so explosive," he said. "Things might change in time, but for right now this is what our offense is. And until someone stops it, why change? "
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Dispatch

INDIANA NOTEBOOK
Early injury takes away one of Hoosiers? best offensive threats
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

• BUCKEYE BACK TALK: With which current Ohio State football player or coach would you most like to have dinner? Where would you take him?
• Transcript of Jim Tressel's postgame news conference
• What the Buckeyes had to say
• What the Hoosiers had to say
• Put a smile on an OSU fan's mug by giving one of ours

Not that it would have mattered much in the outcome, but Indiana played the final three quarters of its 44-3 loss to Ohio State without one of its best threats on offense.
Starting running back and return standout Marcus Thigpen remained on the sideline after Brian Hartline smacked him down on a kickoff return with less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter.
"He couldn?t play anymore," coach Terry Hoeppner said.
Thigpen apparently aggravated an ankle injury he suffered during the second half of a win over Iowa last week.
The sophomore entered the game averaging 129.6 all-purpose yards, 84.6 of those on kickoff returns. He had returned three kickoffs for touchdowns, and his average of 37 yards per return ranked second nationally.
He had two returns for 38 yards against the Buckeyes, netted no gain on his only rushing attempt and did not catch a pass.
Hello and farewell

It was the first and possibly last game in Ohio Stadium for Indiana guard Pete Saxon, a true freshman from Jonathan Alder High School.
The Hoosiers don?t play the Buckeyes the next two seasons and do not play in Columbus again until 2010. Saxon would need to redshirt a season to be back for that game.
"I?m from Ohio, so it would be nice to face them. But I don?t control the schedule."
He should be a senior in 2009 when the teams play at Indiana.
"I?ll always remember this game," Saxon said.
Squibs

Indiana is 0-15 against No. 1 teams and 0-5 against the Buckeyes when they are No. 1. ? Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis avoided an interception for the fourth consecutive game.
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