OSUsushichic
Fired up! Ready to go!
Some fans on one of the Gopher boards are predicting the score. Here's my favorite:
Loch Ness Gopher said:
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sandgk
Watson, Crick & A Twist
Against CAL they netted 109 yards on the ground and could get little done through the air, 243 yards, no TDs, 2 INTs.
Looked better against Purdue, but I suspect that is a function of the opposition. 194 ground, 227 air, 1 INT 2 TDs.
Michigan held their ground game just over a hundred (108) but gave up two TDs through the air on 215 passing.
Against Penn State 68 by ground, 347 through the air with 2 TDs by each route. Lost in OT.
Against Wisconsin it was double. Kept under 100 by air (94) with Zero Tds, by ground 106, with 1 TD.
Against North Dakota 99 yards by ground - 1TD, by air 150 and no TDs.
My surmise - if you can stem the rushing game by Minny they cannot get the job done through the air.
If you have a defense that feasts on the Interception then stem the ground game and eat up Cupito's ill-advised throws.
Looked better against Purdue, but I suspect that is a function of the opposition. 194 ground, 227 air, 1 INT 2 TDs.
Michigan held their ground game just over a hundred (108) but gave up two TDs through the air on 215 passing.
Against Penn State 68 by ground, 347 through the air with 2 TDs by each route. Lost in OT.
Against Wisconsin it was double. Kept under 100 by air (94) with Zero Tds, by ground 106, with 1 TD.
Against North Dakota 99 yards by ground - 1TD, by air 150 and no TDs.
My surmise - if you can stem the rushing game by Minny they cannot get the job done through the air.
If you have a defense that feasts on the Interception then stem the ground game and eat up Cupito's ill-advised throws.
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Ohio State readies for ninth game in as many weeks
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Posted: October 22, 2006
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Top-ranked Ohio State's long season all comes down to four more Saturdays.
The Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) are two-thirds of the way through a 12-week string of games with no break, no chance for a breather, no week to get healthy.
"We learned early that every team will give you it's best," quarterback Troy Smith said Saturday after the Buckeyes beat Indiana 44-3. "You can never take a game or a week off en route to get to the national championship game."
Four matchups remain for Ohio State, which has been No. 1 since the preseason and has so far lived up to that ranking. The Buckeyes play Minnesota (3-5, 0-4) on Saturday at home, then hit the road for games at Illinois (2-6, 1-3) and Northwestern (2-6, 0-4).
The prize at the end is a date with No. 2-ranked Michigan (8-0, 5-0) for supremacy in the Big Ten, the polls and the Bowl Championship Series rankings.
As dominant as they have been, the Buckeyes know that one slip would take all of it off the table.
"As great as it feels now, it would feel twice as bad if we lost, you know?" wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez said after the Indiana victory. "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."
The Buckeyes have played well all season, with few extreme highs or lows. In September, they took on and methodically dispatched three ranked teams (No. 2 Texas, No. 24 Penn State and No. 13 Iowa). After that they began a stretch of six games, each opponent having lost at least four times -- none currently with a winning record. They are now halfway through that second phase of their season.
Smith punched up his Heisman Trophy resume with four first-half touchdown passes and Ted Ginn Jr. threw one TD pass and caught another against Indiana.
Smith wasn't all that sharp but didn't have to be against an Indiana defense that came in ranked next to last in the Big Ten in points allowed. Mixing play-fakes and passes with an occasional scramble, he propelled the Buckeyes to their 15th win in a row, the longest streak in the nation.
Despite incompletions on his first four attempts, he finished 15-of-23 passing for 230 yards without an interception. His scoring strikes covered 23 yards to Rory Nicol, 31 yards to Ginn, 5 yards to Gonzalez and 1 yard to Jake Ballard -- giving Smith 21 TD passes this season with just two interceptions.
Ginn had five catches for 72 yards and also completed a 38-yard toss-back pass to Nicol for a score.
Ohio State scored on its final four possessions of the half for a 28-3 lead, all on Smith touchdown passes -- and on three of the four the receiver was almost alone.
"I've voted them No. 1 and nothing today changed my opinion," Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner said after the Buckeyes outgained his Hoosiers 540-165.
Throughout the season, the Buckeyes have been driven by not just beating teams but by a higher standard. They've attained perfection with their record, but not in any other area.
"We need to continue to get better," linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "We have a good running team coming in in Minnesota, so we all need to keep improving."
Golden Gophers coach Glen Mason was one of the two finalists for the Ohio State job when Jim Tressel was hired in 2001. Mason, a former player for the Buckeyes, always takes special notice of his alma mater on the schedule.
"The Minnesota coach would love to beat Ohio State," offensive tackle Kirk Barton said. "They run the ball well and they have a good (offensive) scheme. Our common denominator is that we will be ready for anybody."
Tressel is expecting another tough game with no opportunity for the Buckeyes to take a break.
"We know that every time we've played them it's been a battle," he said. "It's going to be all we can stand."
Ohio State readies for ninth game in as many weeks
Print this | E-mail this | Comments on this article: 0
Posted: October 22, 2006
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Top-ranked Ohio State's long season all comes down to four more Saturdays.
The Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) are two-thirds of the way through a 12-week string of games with no break, no chance for a breather, no week to get healthy.
"We learned early that every team will give you it's best," quarterback Troy Smith said Saturday after the Buckeyes beat Indiana 44-3. "You can never take a game or a week off en route to get to the national championship game."
Four matchups remain for Ohio State, which has been No. 1 since the preseason and has so far lived up to that ranking. The Buckeyes play Minnesota (3-5, 0-4) on Saturday at home, then hit the road for games at Illinois (2-6, 1-3) and Northwestern (2-6, 0-4).
The prize at the end is a date with No. 2-ranked Michigan (8-0, 5-0) for supremacy in the Big Ten, the polls and the Bowl Championship Series rankings.
As dominant as they have been, the Buckeyes know that one slip would take all of it off the table.
"As great as it feels now, it would feel twice as bad if we lost, you know?" wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez said after the Indiana victory. "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."
The Buckeyes have played well all season, with few extreme highs or lows. In September, they took on and methodically dispatched three ranked teams (No. 2 Texas, No. 24 Penn State and No. 13 Iowa). After that they began a stretch of six games, each opponent having lost at least four times -- none currently with a winning record. They are now halfway through that second phase of their season.
Smith punched up his Heisman Trophy resume with four first-half touchdown passes and Ted Ginn Jr. threw one TD pass and caught another against Indiana.
Smith wasn't all that sharp but didn't have to be against an Indiana defense that came in ranked next to last in the Big Ten in points allowed. Mixing play-fakes and passes with an occasional scramble, he propelled the Buckeyes to their 15th win in a row, the longest streak in the nation.
Despite incompletions on his first four attempts, he finished 15-of-23 passing for 230 yards without an interception. His scoring strikes covered 23 yards to Rory Nicol, 31 yards to Ginn, 5 yards to Gonzalez and 1 yard to Jake Ballard -- giving Smith 21 TD passes this season with just two interceptions.
Ginn had five catches for 72 yards and also completed a 38-yard toss-back pass to Nicol for a score.
Ohio State scored on its final four possessions of the half for a 28-3 lead, all on Smith touchdown passes -- and on three of the four the receiver was almost alone.
"I've voted them No. 1 and nothing today changed my opinion," Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner said after the Buckeyes outgained his Hoosiers 540-165.
Throughout the season, the Buckeyes have been driven by not just beating teams but by a higher standard. They've attained perfection with their record, but not in any other area.
"We need to continue to get better," linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "We have a good running team coming in in Minnesota, so we all need to keep improving."
Golden Gophers coach Glen Mason was one of the two finalists for the Ohio State job when Jim Tressel was hired in 2001. Mason, a former player for the Buckeyes, always takes special notice of his alma mater on the schedule.
"The Minnesota coach would love to beat Ohio State," offensive tackle Kirk Barton said. "They run the ball well and they have a good (offensive) scheme. Our common denominator is that we will be ready for anybody."
Tressel is expecting another tough game with no opportunity for the Buckeyes to take a break.
"We know that every time we've played them it's been a battle," he said. "It's going to be all we can stand."
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sandgk;640714; said:
Could there be a Vbucks thing about the O/U on the number of rushing yards allowed Saturday?
Clearly that is the key to the game.
Minny is ranked like 49th in total offense and SI.com only went down to the top 50 on total defense and Minnesota was nowhere to be found....
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BuckBackHome
Wolverine is largest member of weasel family
Tressel's nephew coaches for Minny? Will Coach T keep it close? Nope. If he can get a 28 point lead and run with it he will. Screw any love loss any Thanksgiving dinner.
I am expecting lots of articles this week about how Lil Animal left Minn.
PS I bet the fans on that site are feeling like GopherHell.
I am expecting lots of articles this week about how Lil Animal left Minn.
PS I bet the fans on that site are feeling like GopherHell.
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JohnnyCockfight
Beer is God's proof that he loves us.
Here's an article on the diminishing effectiveness of Minnesota's run offense. Note that Alex Daniels did not play a single down against NDSU. You've got to think that he is either injured or is in the doghouse.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/colleges/15818951.htm
U's ground game in shambles
BY JOHN SHIPLEY
Pioneer Press
Minnesota has earned a reputation as a team with an unparalleled will to run. Wind, rain, sleet or climate-controlled dome, the Gophers want to establish a ground game and pound defenses into submission.
More often than not, that modus operandi has been wildly successful the past few seasons. With tailbacks such as Marion Barber and Laurence Maroney, and linemen such as Greg Eslinger and Mark Setterstrom, the Gophers became one of the best non-option rushing teams in the nation.
So what happened?
The obvious answer is that all those players are now in the NFL. Still, no one expected the running game to roll over and die the way it has this season.
"We have some different parts in there," coach Glen Mason said, "but it doesn't matter. It's how you move the ball and score points. At least the last couple of weeks, we've not done very well."
Against North Dakota State on Saturday, the Gophers were held to 99 rushing yards. Their rushing yards for the past four games are 99, 106, 68 and 108; Maroney and Gary Russell routinely gained more than that themselves last season.
Maroney and Russell last season made Minnesota the only team in NCAA history with two 1,000-yard rushers in three consecutive seasons. This year, the Gophers have had just two games with a 100-yard rusher.
"I don't think we're getting away from it; I just don't think it's working," Mason said.
The Gophers moved the ball early in a 48-12 loss at Wisconsin last week but were shut down in the final three quarters. Center Tony Brinkhaus, the team's best lineman, was out with a foot injury for that game, forcing other players to move out of position.
But Brinkhaus was back Saturday, and Minnesota still couldn't run with consistency.
"I'm not going to really understand what happened today until we see it on film, but it seems like we were getting swarmed at the line and could never really get any rhythm in the running game today," Brinkhaus said. "Obviously it's something that needs to be fixed, fast, because that's the first thing we want to do in this offense.... It's messing everything up."
Pinnix finally has earned the top tailback spot after splitting time with converted linebacker Alex Daniels. They each rushed for more than 100 yards in a 44-0 season-opening victory at Kent State, but Daniels hasn't played much recently. He didn't play a down Saturday.
Mason said one key is success on first down, pointing out that Minnesota rarely set up in second-and-long last season. That's happening a lot this year, and Mason wondered Saturday if there might need to be a change.
"Sometimes they say, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it,' " he said. "The other way to look at it sometimes is, 'If it ain't broke, break it.' Because if you don't watch out, people are catching up to you. I don't know what the case is right now."
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/colleges/15818951.htm
U's ground game in shambles
BY JOHN SHIPLEY
Pioneer Press
Minnesota has earned a reputation as a team with an unparalleled will to run. Wind, rain, sleet or climate-controlled dome, the Gophers want to establish a ground game and pound defenses into submission.
More often than not, that modus operandi has been wildly successful the past few seasons. With tailbacks such as Marion Barber and Laurence Maroney, and linemen such as Greg Eslinger and Mark Setterstrom, the Gophers became one of the best non-option rushing teams in the nation.
So what happened?
The obvious answer is that all those players are now in the NFL. Still, no one expected the running game to roll over and die the way it has this season.
"We have some different parts in there," coach Glen Mason said, "but it doesn't matter. It's how you move the ball and score points. At least the last couple of weeks, we've not done very well."
Against North Dakota State on Saturday, the Gophers were held to 99 rushing yards. Their rushing yards for the past four games are 99, 106, 68 and 108; Maroney and Gary Russell routinely gained more than that themselves last season.
Maroney and Russell last season made Minnesota the only team in NCAA history with two 1,000-yard rushers in three consecutive seasons. This year, the Gophers have had just two games with a 100-yard rusher.
"I don't think we're getting away from it; I just don't think it's working," Mason said.
The Gophers moved the ball early in a 48-12 loss at Wisconsin last week but were shut down in the final three quarters. Center Tony Brinkhaus, the team's best lineman, was out with a foot injury for that game, forcing other players to move out of position.
But Brinkhaus was back Saturday, and Minnesota still couldn't run with consistency.
"I'm not going to really understand what happened today until we see it on film, but it seems like we were getting swarmed at the line and could never really get any rhythm in the running game today," Brinkhaus said. "Obviously it's something that needs to be fixed, fast, because that's the first thing we want to do in this offense.... It's messing everything up."
Pinnix finally has earned the top tailback spot after splitting time with converted linebacker Alex Daniels. They each rushed for more than 100 yards in a 44-0 season-opening victory at Kent State, but Daniels hasn't played much recently. He didn't play a down Saturday.
Mason said one key is success on first down, pointing out that Minnesota rarely set up in second-and-long last season. That's happening a lot this year, and Mason wondered Saturday if there might need to be a change.
"Sometimes they say, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it,' " he said. "The other way to look at it sometimes is, 'If it ain't broke, break it.' Because if you don't watch out, people are catching up to you. I don't know what the case is right now."
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JohnnyCockfight;640867; said:
I think they are screaming that down in Florida State land too....
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OhioState49
Hall of Fame
Man I am getting butterflies! This will be my 2nd Buckeye game! I could have gone like 10 times, but since I play JV too, I have to go to my games. My dad goes every year, and we dont have a JV game this week! That means I can go. It's my early birthday gift, and I cannot wait! Oh and the last time I went was in 2002! We went to the NC. This year we are looking good, and I am going. Maybe this means I am a good luck charm eh? lol
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Yes , of course you are a good luck charm. You couldn't be anything else but.OhioState49;640966; said:
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Hi Buck , How's Korea?NFBuck;641020; said:
I don't think JT will be too hard on relation, the womenfolk would beat him up about it. The bucks may not cover If Jt decides to go this route and run every play.
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