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- Thread starter 3yardsandacloud
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t_BuckeyeScott;641454; said:Wisconsin game? We don't play Wisconsin.
Badgers? We don't need no stinkin' Badgers!!
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bucknut11;641863; said:
Certainly they can get better, but to the naked eye, the only thing that is truly missing at the moment is a run of over 60 yards...literally...
We have the short passing game, we have the deep threat, we've gotten the Tight Ends involved...
Maybe they can get sharper, but there isn't a lot more to be featured.
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sandgk
Watson, Crick & A Twist
It is possible in one convincing way - score early and score often. No 4 passes to hit the groove. No punts early. Simply score and keep on doing it.R0CK3TM4NN;641868; said:
And, by the way, the same argument could be made about the Inidana game cementing this Defense - so no more scoring for our opponents either. (They definitely came out pretty riled up after that Field Goal). :tongue2:
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Official Site
No. 1 Buckeyes Conclude Home Stand with Gophers
THIS WEEK
Ohio State concludes its two-game home stand this week by hosting Minnesota. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:36 p.m. EDT, Saturday, in sold out Ohio Stadium (102,329). The game will be telecast by ABC (Channel 6 Columbus) and broadcast by WBNS Radio (1460 AM and 97.1 FM).
This week is Homecoming at Ohio State and the Buckeyes' 1956 and 1961 football teams will hold reunions and be introduced at the game. The annual Captains' Breakfast will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Blackwell Hotel.
Ohio State enters the game with a perfect 8-0 record and the No. 1 spot in the three major polls and the BCS standings. The Buckeyes are coming off a 44-3 victory over Indiana this past weekend in which Heisman Trophy candidate Troy Smith threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns as OSU extended the nation's longest winning streak to 15 in a row. During that stretch, Jim Tressel's team has won 11-consecutive Big Ten games and 10 straight home contests.
The win over the Hoosiers gives the Buckeyes a 4-0 Big Ten record at the halfway point of the eight-game conference season.
Minnesota, coached by former Ohio State player and assistant coach Glen Mason, is 3-5 on the year and 0-4 in the Big Ten.
SPECIAL "I" DOTTER
Ohio State's alumnus and professional golfing great Jack Nicklaus will dot the "I" during Script Ohio at Saturday's game. Nicklaus is just the fifth non-band member to be accorded that honor. The others are: Ohio State President Novice G. Fawcett, actor/comedian Bob Hope, Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes and OSU ticket director Bob Ries. Script Ohio will take place at halftime.
BUCKEYES ATOP THE POLLS
Ohio State continues to hold down the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press, USA Today-Coaches and Harris Interactive polls. The Buckeyes received all 63 first-place votes from the coaches, 63 of 65 from the writers and 112 of 114 in the Harris poll.
The Buckeyes have been in the Top 25 for 22-consecutive weeks, including 10 straight appearances in the Top 10 and nine straight at No. 1.
Ohio State also is No. 1 in the Bowl Championship Series ranking with an average of 9.764. Michigan is second at 9.451 and Southern Cal is third at 9.430.
BUCKEYE DUO WIN BIG TEN HONORS
Quarterback Troy Smith and cornerback Antonio Smith of Ohio State have been selected as this week's Big Ten co-offensive and co-defensive players of the week, respectively, following their performances against Indiana.
Troy Smith completed 15 of 19 passes fro 220 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half in the Buckeyes' 44-3 win.
Antonio Smith recorded a career-high 12 tackles, had four tackles-for-loss including a 10-yard sack and forced a fumble. His 11 solo tackles are the most by any Ohio State player this year. In his first year as a starter, Smith, a former walk-on who was converted to scholarship in the spring, is the Buckeyes' second leading tackler with 43 stops.
SMITH CONTINUES STELLAR PLAY
Quarterback Troy Smith turned in another Heisman-type performance in Saturday's 44-3 win over Indiana. The 6-1 senior completed 15 of 23 passes against the Hoosiers, good for 220 yards and four touchdowns. He also picked up 38 yards on the ground in running his record to 21-2 as a starter.
Smith has thrown for 21 touchdowns on the year, five more than he had all of last season and eight shy of Bobby Hoying's school record 29 in 1995. He has 13 touchdown tosses in his last four games and has not suffered an interception in 99 consecutive passes. His four touchdown passes against Indiana, all of which came in the first half, matched his career high set earlier in the year at Iowa.
Smith boasts the lowest career interception rate in the nation among active quarterbacks with a 1.63 figure (9 interceptions in 552 attempts). He leads the Big Ten and is fourth nationally in passing efficiency with a mark of 176.4. His 21 touchdown passes also lead the conference.
OSU "FUN BUNCH" CUTTING UP
The Buckeye "Fun Bunch" of quarterback Troy Smith, wide receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez and tailback Antonio Pittman continues to excel.
Smith has completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 1,715 yards and 21 touchdowns. The 6-1 senior has thrown for 200 or more yards in 11 of his last 15 starts, including a 220-yard effort against Indiana this past Saturday.
Ginn has a team-high seven touchdown grabs on 41 receptions and is averaging 14.4 yards per catch, while Gonzalez has 38 receptions, is averaging a team-high 15.6 yards per catch and has six TD receptions.
Pittman is the Buckeyes' leading ground gainer with 778 yards on 142 carries and has a team-leading eight touchdowns to his credit. The hard-running junior has five 100-yard games this year and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
A fifth member of the group, split end Roy Hall, who missed the first two games of the season with a high ankle sprain, hauled in his first touchdown catch of the year at Iowa and had a season-high four receptions against Bowling Green.
OHIO STATE AWARDS CANDIDATES
Seven Ohio State players are listed on the various postseason awards watch lists. Senior Troy Smith and junior Ted Ginn Jr. both are preseason Heisman Trophy candidates. The pair also is listed on the 2006 Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list. Additionally, senior center Doug Datish (Rimington, Lombardi), Ginn Jr. (Biletnikoff), Smith (Manning), sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis (Bednarik, Lombardi and Butkus), junior offensive tackle Kirk Barton and senior defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock (Lombardi, Lott), and junior running back Antonio Pittman (Doak Walker) are listed on various watch lists as major awards candidates.
BUCKEYES ROAR BACK TO DOWN IU
Ohio State staked Indiana to an early 3-0 lead then rolled up 44 unanswered points on the way to their 14th-consecutive victory over the Hoosiers. The 44 points were the most scored by the Buckeyes this season and the most since a 48-point effort against Northwestern in Game 10 last year. The three points by the Hoosiers were the fewest this year by an opponent and marked the sixth time this season the defense has held an opponent to seven points or less.
Led by quarterback Troy Smith and running back Antonio Pittman, the Buckeyes rolled up a season-high 540 yards in total offense - 270 rushing and the same number passing against the IU defense.
Smith completed 15 of 23 passes, including 15 of his last 19, for 220 yards and four touchdown passes. Pittman ran for 105 yards on 16 carries and received ample support from backups Chris Wells and Maurice Wells, each of whom rushed for 62 yards. Chris Wells scored the Buckeyes' lone rushing touchdown of the day on a 21-yard run.
Ted Ginn Jr. led the OSU receiving corps with five catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. Ginn also threw a 38-yard touchdown pass, the first completion of his career. Tight end Rory Nicol had his first two-touchdown day, catching a 23-yard score from Smith and a 38-yard bullet from Ginn. Freshman tight end Jake Ballard also got in on the act with a 1-yard TD reception from Smith.
"When a senior quarterback throws it to a freshman you better catch it," said Ballard who made a diving grab of Smith's perfectly thrown toss.
Aaron Pettrey added a career-long 51-yard field goal to the OSU cause and has now made six of his last seven attempts.
The Ohio State defense recorded 10 tackles-for-loss, including four sacks, and held Indiana to just 7 yards rushing.
Senior cornerback Antonio Smith had a career-high 12 tackles, including four tackles-for-loss and a sack. Senior defensive end Jay Richardson had a pair of sacks and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins and safety Andre Amos each had interceptions, giving the Buckeyes at least one interception in every game this year.
SOME STREAKS OF NOTE
Ohio State's current 15-game winning streak is the longest in the nation and the third longest in school history. Between 1967 and 1969, the Buckeyes reeled off 22-consecutive victories, including 17 straight Big Ten wins, for the longest streak in OSU annals. In 2002 and 2003, Jim Tressel's Buckeyes rolled to 19-consecutive victories, including a perfect 14-0 record and the national championship in 2002. The current streak began last year against Michigan State.
ELITE COMPANY
This year's Ohio State team is just the 15th Buckeye unit to begin the season with an 8-0 record. Only nine have started at 9-0. Five Buckeye squads have gone 10-0 and four (1975, 1979, 1995 and 2002) have notched 11 straight victories to start the season. Three of those four - the 1975, '79 and '95 teams - lost their 12th game. The 2002 team went on to finish the season at 14-0.
A LOOK AT THE BUCKEYES
The Ohio State offense is averaging 34.9 points and 410.1 yards per game. The Buckeyes are throwing for 240 yards a game and rushing for 170.1. Ohio State leads the Big Ten in scoring offense and is second in total offense. OSU is 29-of-35 in the red zone with 25 touchdowns and four field goals. The Buckeyes have committed just six turnovers (four lost fumbles and two interceptions) and have converted 49 percent of their third-down opportunities.
OSU has outscored its opponents in every quarter and has a commanding 89-23 edge in the fourth stanza. Ohio State has scored 24 or more points in each of the past 15 games and has topped the 35-point mark six times this year. The Buckeyes are defeating their opponents by an average of 26.7 points a game. No team has come closer than 17 points.
The Ohio State defense, meanwhile, has surrendered just 66 points and leads the nation in average points allowed at 8.2 points per game. Only two of Ohio State's eight opponents have scored more than seven points and Iowa is the only opponent to have recorded two touchdowns against the Buckeyes. In the last three games, the Buckeyes have given up 17 total points.
The Buckeyes have more interceptions (15) and takeaways (17) than they had all of last season. Ohio State's takeaways have resulted in 73 points for the OSU offense. The Buckeyes rank fourth nationally in turnover margin (1.38).
The Buckeyes are allowing 270.9 yards per game in total offense. In their last two games, they have given up a total of 300 yards - 135 to Michigan State and 165 to Indiana.
OHIO STATE-MINNESOTA SERIES
Ohio State leads the series 38-7 and has won 19 of the 22 games played in Columbus. The Buckeyes have won three in a row from the Gophers since a 29-17 loss in Columbus in 2000. Jim Tressel is 3-0 against Minnesota with wins in 2001, 2002 and 2005. The Buckeyes won last year's game 45-31 behind 186 yards and two touchdowns from tailback Antonio Pittman and three touchdown passes by Troy Smith. Ted Ginn Jr. also had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The game was tied at 17 at the half, but the Buckeyes scored 14 points in each of the last two quarters.
OHIO STATE IN BIG TEN PLAY
Over the years, Ohio State has either won outright or shared 30 Big Ten titles. The co-championship last year was OSU's second under Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes also shared the title in 2002, notching a perfect 8-0 record. With a 4-0 league record this year, Ohio State owns an all-time Big Ten record of 432-187-28 in 94 seasons of league competition.
Ohio State vs.
W
L
T
Chicago1022 Illinois59294 Indiana65125 Iowa44143 Michigan39576 Michigan St25120 Minnesota3870 Northwestern56141 Penn State11110 Purdue35122 Wisconsin50175 TOTAL43218728
OHIO STATE COACH Jim Tressel
Jim Tressel is in his sixth season as head coach at Ohio State. His record with the Buckeyes is 58-13 (.816), including a 34-10 (.772) slate in the Big Ten, and his career ledger now stands at 193-70-2 (.732) in his 21st season as a head coach.
Tressel took over the Buckeyes in 2001, directing them to a 7-5 record that year. In 2002, he led Ohio State to a 14-0 record and the school's first consensus national championship since 1968.
In 2003, the Buckeyes won their first five games to extend their winning streak to 19 and finished with an 11-2 record. The 2004 squad, which had to replace 14 NFL drafted players, won five of its last six games en route to an 8-4 finish.
A season ago, Tressel guided the Buckeyes to a 10-2 overall record with seven-consecutive victories down the stretch, which included a 34-20 victory over Notre Dame in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in January. The current 13-game win streak is second only to the 19-consecutive wins under Tressel in 2002 (14-0) and 2003 (5-0 to start season).
Tressel's teams have appeared in five bowl games and are 4-1 in those contests, including three BCS wins in the Fiesta Bowl over the last four seasons. They also are 4-1 against Michigan in one of the most intense and storied rivalries in all of sports.
Eleven of Tressel's players have won first-team All-America honors and four have won major awards, including linebacker A.J. Hawk, the recipient of the 2005 Lombardi Award.
Tressel is a master in close games. Since coming to Ohio State, he is 17-9 in games decided by a touchdown or less and 4-1 in overtime games.
He is at his best against the best with a 24-7 record against teams ranked in the Top 25 and a 7-2 mark against teams ranked in the Top 10.
The 53-year-old Tressel is a 1975 graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College.
MORE ON TRESSEL
Ohio State's 38-17 victory over Iowa this year was Jim Tressel's 55th win with the Buckeyes. No Ohio State coach has reached that mark as quickly. By way of comparison, Earle Bruce recorded his 55th win in 70 games, Woody Hayes notched No. 55 in game 74 and John Wilce did so in game 77. Both Bruce and Hayes were in their eighth years at Ohio State. Wilce was in his 11th season.
SOME CAREER NUMBERS
Quarterback Troy Smith is the all-time completion percentage leader in Ohio State history, connecting on 63.0 percent of his passes (348-552).
He also ranks eighth in career passing yardage (4,893 yards) and seventh in career total offense (5,983) entering the game this week against Minnesota. Next on the total offense list are Mike Tomczak (1981-83) at 6,015, Joe Germaine (1996-98) at 6,094 and Greg Frey (1987-90) at 6,098.
Smith now has 45 career touchdown passes to his credit, the fourth highest total in Ohio State annals. The school record of 57 belongs to Bobby Hoying (1992-95).
Receiver Ted Ginn Jr. holds down eighth place on the all-time OSU receiving list with 117 receptions. He also ranks 11th in career receiving yards with 1,751, for an average of 14.9 yards per reception.
The speedy Ginn has caught at least one pass in 27-consecutive games (beginning with Iowa in 2004) and has multiple catches in 25-consecutive games. His 10 receptions against Bowling Green earlier this year represents a career best, bettering his previous high of nine set last year at Michigan.
PITTMAN OFF AND RUNNING
Tailback Antonio Pittman turned in his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the year against Indiana, picking up 105 yards on 16 carries, an average of 6.6 yards per attempt. The hard-running junior is far-and-away the Buckeyes' leading rusher with 778 yards on 142 carries, an average of 5.5 yards per rush and 97.2 yards per game.
Pittman, who rushed for 1,331 yards last year (seven 100-yard games), is bidding to become the first Ohio State running back since Eddie George (1994-95) to put together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. The only other OSU backs to accomplish that feat are Archie Griffin (1973-74-75), Tim Spencer (1981-82) and Keith Byars (1983-84).
Pittman has 15 rushing touchdowns in the Buckeyes' last 13 games, including eight this year. The 5-11 junior tallied seven touchdowns all of last year and did not find pay dirt until the eighth game of the season at Minnesota.
MR. CLUTCH
Junior split end Anthony Gonzalez had four receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown against Indiana, with all four of those catches resulting in first downs. Gonzalez has 38 receptions on the year and 33 of those have moved the chains. He has six touchdown catches and leads the Buckeyes in receiving yardage with 591. His average of 15.6 yards per catch tops the team.
GINN BIG TEN RECORD HOLDER
Ted Ginn Jr. set the Big Ten record for career touchdowns on punt returns with a 60-yard runback at Michigan State on Oct. 14. The Ohio State junior now has six touchdowns on punt returns. The NCAA career record of eight is shared by Wes Welker of Texas Tech (2000-03) and Antonio Perkins of Oklahoma (2001-04). Ginn had four punt returns for scores in 2004 and one last year.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Buckeye receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez, both juniors, have combined for 79 receptions, 1,180 yards and 13 touchdowns. Ginn leads the Buckeyes in receptions with 41 for 589 yards and seven touchdowns. Gonzalez has 38 receptions for 591 yards and six scores.
FIVE-WAY THREAT
With his 38-yard touchdown pass against Indiana, Ted Ginn Jr. now has thrown for a touchdown, run for a touchdown (2), returned a punt for a touchdown (6), returned a kickoff for a touchdown (1) and caught 13 passes for touchdowns as a Buckeye.
DEFENSIVE DANDIES
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel likes what he has seen from defensive tackles Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson, the Buckeyes' lone two returning starters from the 10-2 team in 2005.
"As far as I am concerned they are the best two defensive tackles in the country," noted Tressel. "And in addition to being terrific players, they are both excellent leaders. Our front four is the strength of our defense and Quinn and David set the tone."
Pitcock has 9.0 tackles-for-loss, including a team-high seven sacks, and 29 tackles on the season. In 12 games last year, he finished with 28 tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss and one sack.
Patterson, who has missed the past two games with an injury, has 15 tackles on the year, including three tackles-for-loss. He was credited with a career-high seven tackles against Penn State this year.
LAURINAITIS PACES BUCKEYES
Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis leads the Buckeyes in tackles with 64 and in interceptions with four. He also has 7.0 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks and has forced two fumbles. The four picks by Laurinaitis are the most by an Ohio State linebacker since Andy Katzenmoyer's four in 1996. The OSU single-season record for interceptions by a linebacker is six, set in 1986 by Chris Spielman. Laurinaitis had picks in four-consecutive games (Texas, Cincinnati, Penn State and Iowa) before having that streak ended against Bowling Green.
Laurinaitis, who is from Hamel, Minn., had two tackles against the Gophers last year as a true freshman.
BUCKEYE NOTES
Freshman tight end Jake Ballard hauled in his first career reception against Indiana, a 1-yard touchdown pass from Troy Smith. Ballard also made his first career start against the Hoosiers ... Starting tight end Roy Nicol had two touchdown receptions against the Hoosiers, one from Troy Smith and the other from flanker Ted Ginn Jr. Nicol had a career-high 61 receiving yards against IU ... Sophomore Maurice Wells recorded the longest run of his career Saturday, darting up the middle for a 32-yard gain that came within a shoestring of going for a touchdown ... Aaron Pettrey hit a career-best 51-yard field goal against Indiana and now has made six of his last seven. Pettrey's previous best effort was 47 yards against Cincinnati ... Cornerback Malcolm Jenkins kept the Buckeyes interception streak alive Saturday. Jenkins pick in the third quarter gives the Buckeyes an interception in every game this year ... Safety Andre Amos added his first career interception in the fourth quarter. Amos almost had his first pick against Penn State, but the officials ruled he had trapped the ball on his diving attempt ... Seven different receivers have caught touchdown passes this year.
BUCKEYE SACK PACK
Ohio State ranks second in the Big Ten in sacks with 28. The Buckeyes are led by defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock with 7.0, followed by Vernon Gholston with 5.5. True freshman Robert Rose has 3.5 in limited action and James Laurinaitis has 3.0.
THE GLENVILLE CONNECTION
Quarterback Troy Smith and flanker Ted Ginn Jr., both of whom prepped at Glenville High School, continue to form one of college football's most dangerous duos. When the two hooked up on a 57-yard scoring strike against Bowling Green on Oct. 7, it marked their eighth play of more than 50 yards.
OSU PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Following last week's win over Indiana, the Ohio State coaching staff selected Troy Smith as the offensive player of the game, Antonio Smith as the defensive player of the game, Brian Hartline as the special teams player of the game, Kirk Barton as the offensive lineman of the game and James Laurinaitis as the attack force player of the game. Scout team honors went to Dan Potokar on offense (for the second week in a row), Ryan Lukens on defense and De'Angelo Haslam with the scout team.
OHIO STATE AT HOME
The Buckeyes boast an all-time record of 371-104-20 (.769) in Ohio Stadium. Ohio State has won 10 straight, and 14 of the last 15, games played in the Horseshoe. Saturday's game with Indiana was the 700th home game for the Buckeyes since 1890. Ohio State's all-time record in Columbus is 514-151-35.
OSU IMPROVES RECORD AS NO. 1
Ohio State is 59-8-1 when ranked as the nation's No. 1 team. Overall, the Buckeyes are 291-68-9 when carrying a Top 10 ranking and 398-123-14 as a Top 25 team. Ohio State has opened the season No. 1 seven times, second only to Oklahoma (9). The Buckeyes own the record for most appearances (53) in the first 57 years of the Associated Press Poll.
BUCKEYES STAY PERFECT IN NO. 1 VS. NO. 2 SHOWDOWNS
The Sept. 9 showdown in Austin between top-ranked Ohio State and second-ranked Texas was the earliest regular-season match-up in college football annals between a No. 1 and a No. 2 team. Ohio State has been involved in two such games previously, the first in the 1969 Rose Bowl and the second in the 2002 national championship game at the 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. OSU won both, downing the University of Southern California, 27-16, in the former and Miami of Florida, 31-24 in two overtimes, in the latter. On both occasions, the Buckeyes were the No. 2 ranked team.
BUCKEYES RECORD IMPRESSIVE WINS
During their 15-game winning streak, Jim Tressel's Buckeyes have recorded wins over five of college football's most successful programs - Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Penn State and Iowa. Michigan tops the all-time victories list with 856 wins (857-280-36), Notre Dame is second at 817-267-42 and Texas ranks third at 807-311-33. The Buckeyes are fifth all-time with 783 wins, followed by No. 6 Alabama (779 wins) and No. 7 Penn State (775-341-42). Iowa ranks No. 41 on the all-time wins list (551-494-39).
BUCKEYES GET HIGH GRADES
A league-best 18 Ohio State football players were named to the Big Ten's All-Academic team last fall, marking the fourth year in a row the Buckeyes have led the conference in that area. Additionally, a record 46 Ohio State football players qualified for last spring's annual OSU Scholar-Athlete Dinner, which requires a grade-point average of 3.00 or better for the past academic year. As a team, the Buckeyes have an overall GPA of 2.83. A total of 52 football student-athletes earned a 3.00 or better during Ohio State's spring quarter and 46 had a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 after spring grades were calculated.
BUCKEYE GRADUATES
Quarterback Troy Smith (communication), center Doug Datish (history), strong safety Brandon Mitchell (political science) and fullback Stan White Jr. (finance) all are working toward graduate degrees while playing football for the Buckeyes this season. Two most recent student-athletes to earn their degrees are All-America linebacker A.J. Hawk and Richard Schafrath, who lettered from 1956-58. Both were awarded degrees following the 2006 summer quarter. Other 2005-06 graduates include Bobby Carpenter, Angelo Chattams, R.J. Coleman, John Conroy, Ryan Hamby, Rob Harley, Mike Roberts, Anthony Schlegel, Brandon Schnittker, Rob Sims, Steve Winner and Ashton Youboty.
THE BUCKEYES ALL-TIME
Ohio State enters the game against Minnesota with an all-time record of 783-300-53 in 116 seasons of competition. That includes a Big Ten record of 431-187-28 since 1913, an Ohio Stadium slate of 371-104-20 since 1922 and a bowl mark of 18-19.
OSU COACHES IN THE PRESS BOX
Offensive coordinator Jim Bollman and quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels will be in the press box for the Buckeyes during the game as will cornerbacks coach Tim Beckman and co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell.
OHIO STATE 24, TEXAS 7
Led by Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez and Antonio Pittman on offense and bolstered by a young but quickly coming-of-age defense, top-ranked Ohio State solidified its place in the polls with its 17-point victory over the defending national champion Longhorns.
Smith enhanced his early season Heisman Trophy status by completing 17 of 26 passes for 269 yards and a pair of touchdowns against a veteran Texas defense, giving him five touchdown passes and 566 passing yards in his first two games. After two games, the 6-1, 215-pound quarterback has completed 68.4 percent of his passes and leads the Big Ten in passing efficiency with a 194.2 figure.
Ginn, the Buckeyes' other Heisman hopeful, was on the receiving end of five passes for 97 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown grab just before halftime that put Ohio State in front 14-7 going into the locker room. Ginn's grab capped off a business-like 5-play, 66-yard drive that began with 1:55 remaining in the second quarter. The speedy flanker set the tone early with a 46-yard catch-and-run on the Buckeyes' second play from scrimmage.
The Buckeyes also received a career-best performance from Gonzalez, who hauled in eight catches for 142 yards. The junior split end and honor student got Ohio State on the board with 1:04 to play in the first quarter by latching on to a 14-yard pass from Smith that put the icing on a 50-yard drive.
Pittman led the Buckeyes in rushing for the second consecutive week, finishing with 74 yards on 16 carries, an average of 4.6 yards per attempt. His 2-yard touchdown run with 6:31 to play capped off the scoring and put the game out of reach. The Buckeyes, who took over the ball at their own 28-yard line after a missed Texas field goal, marched 72 yards in 10 plays for the score.
The Buckeye defense limited the Texas offense to 326 total yards and just the one touchdown and set up two OSU scores with timely takeaways.
Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis was involved in both turnovers. First, he forced a first-quarter fumble at the OSU 1-yard line that cornerback Donald Washington scooped up and returned 49 yards to set up the Smith-to-Ginn touchdown pass. Then, on the first play of the third quarter, he intercepted a Colt McCoy pass and ran it back 25 yards to the Texas 31-yard line. Kicker Aaron Pettrey gave the Buckeyes a 10-point cushion with a 31-yard field goal.
With the aggressive defensive front keeping the pressure on throughout the evening, Laurinaitis finished with a game-best and career-high 13 tackles to go along with two forced fumbles, his first career interception and a pass broken up. Safety Brandon Mitchell was credited with nine stops, while Washington, who was making his first start at corner, had five. Cover corner Malcolm Jenkins and nickel back Antonio Smith each had five stops as Ohio State kept Texas under 40 points for the first time in 13 games.
Sophomore punter A. J. Trapasso kept the Longhorns corralled in their own territory by averaging 50.8 yards per punt on six kicks - the third best single-game performance in Ohio State history. That average includes a 39-yard punt at the end of the game that rolled out-of-bounds on the Texas 6-yard line. The Longhorns' average field position after a Trapasso thumper was their own 21-yard line.
The victory squared the series at 1-1 and gave Ohio State an all-time record of 4-0 in the Lone Star state.
OHIO STATE 37, CINCINNATI 7
Ohio State ran its record to 3-0 with a 37-7 victory over visiting Cincinnati. The win was the Buckeyes' 10th in a row.
After falling behind 7-3 at the end of the first quarter (the first time all year that OSU has trailed), the Buckeyes scored 34 unanswered points en route to their seventh consecutive win in Ohio Stadium.
Quarterback Troy Smith again led the Buckeyes to victory, completing 21 of 30 passes for 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns. OSU rolled up 444 yards in total offense and scoring drives of 85, 80 and 72 yards - their three longest drives of the year.
Smith connected with Ted Ginn Jr. on a pair of scoring strikes in the second and third quarters to give OSU a comfortable 20-7 lead. But it was Antonio Pittman who put the game out of reach with a 48-yard scoring jaunt with just over nine minutes to go in the fourth period. Pittman finished his afternoon with 155 yards on 16 carries, an impressive 9.7 yards per attempt. Backup tailback Maurice Wells scored the other OSU touchdown on a nine-yard run. Aaron Pettrey added field goals of 47 and 43 yards and Ryan Pretorius hit from 52-yards away to complete the scoring.
Gonzalez and Ginn each had five receptions to pace the receiving corps as four different quarterbacks hooked up with 11 different receivers.
The Ohio State defense limited the Bearcats to 212 yards of total offense, including a scant 64 in the second half. Senior tackle Quinn Pitcock had a career-high three sacks and narrowly missed two more. He finished the day with five tackles. With Pitcock leading the way, the Buckeyes recorded eight sacks, 10 tackles for loss and had three interceptions.
Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis led the Buckeyes with nine tackles, including a sack, and picked off his second interception of the year.
OHIO STATE 28, PENN STATE 6
Ohio State opened its Big Ten season with a 28-6 win over visiting Penn State. In winning their third straight conference home opener, the Buckeyes needed a pair of fourth-quarter interception returns for touchdowns to salt the game away.
Holding on to a less-than-comfortable 14-6 lead, the Buckeyes got a lift from cornerback Malcolm Jenkins whose 61-yard return gave them a 21-6 lead with 2:31 to play. Moments later cornerback Antonio Smith picked off his first career interception and returned it 55 yards to the north end zone and the game was officially over.
The Buckeyes also had an interception earlier in the game by linebacker James Laurinaitis, giving them eight on the year to that point, three more than all of last year. The OSU defense limited Penn State to 248 yards and allowed the Nittany Lions to convert just three of 14 third-down opportunities.
Ohio State's other two touchdowns came on a 12-yard run by Antonio Pittman, who finished the game with 110 yards, and a 37-yard pass from Troy Smith to Brian Robiskie. The former gave the Buckeyes their first lead at 7-3 after the Nittany Lions had taken a 3-0 lead into the locker room at intermission. On the latter, Smith rolled to his right, reversed his field and somehow threw a perfect strike to Robiskie, giving the Buckeyes a 14-3 lead.
The two teams combined for just 501 yards in total offense on a rainy, windy afternoon in Ohio Stadium.
OHIO STATE 38, IOWA 17
Led by senior quarterback Troy Smith's career-high four touchdown passes and a spirited defense that came up with four takeaways, top-ranked Ohio State downed No. 13 Iowa, 38-17, in Iowa City, knocking the Hawkeyes from the unbeaten ranks in front of a highly-partisan Kinnick Stadium crowd of 70,585.
With the win, OSU improved to 5-0 on the year and 2-0 in Big Ten play. It was the Buckeyes third win of the year over a Top 25 team (No. 2 Texas and No. 24 Penn State were the other two) and their second win in prime time on the road and on national TV.
Smith, who ran his record as a starter to 18-2, put the Buckeyes ahead to stay with a 12-yard pass to split end Anthony Gonzalez with 11:34 to play in the first quarter.
The senior signal caller added a 6-yard strike to Roy Hall in the second quarter, teamed up again with Gonzalez from 30 yards out in the third period and capped off the scoring with a 12-yard toss to Brian Robiskie with 4:23 to play in the fourth. In addition to completing 16 of 25 passes for 186 yards and the four TD tosses, Smith also rushed for 20 yards in another near flawless performance at the OSU helm.
Gonzalez was on the receiving end of five of those passes, all going for first downs. On his 30-yard touchdown grab, Gonzalez had the first down, but then reversed his field and circled around right end and somehow tight roped down the sideline and into the end zone on one of the more spectacular plays of the season. Ted Ginn Jr. led all receivers with seven receptions for 69 yards.
Tailback Antonio Pittman rushed 25 times for 117 yards and a touchdown, while freshman Chris "Beanie" Wells added 78 yards for the Buckeyes who rolled up a season-high 214 yards on the ground.
The OSU defense, meanwhile, recorded three interceptions and a fumble recovery to keep the Iowa offense in check.
Safety Brandon Mitchell played a role in two of those takeaways, snagging a second quarter interception that led to Pittman's touchdown and recovering a fourth-quarter fumble that halted an Iowa drive.
Linebackers Marcus Freeman and James Laurinaitis also had interceptions, both of those coming in the fourth quarter as Iowa turned the ball over on its final three possessions of the night.
The OSU defense also recorded five tackles-for-loss, including sacks by Freeman and Laurinaitis, and limited Iowa to 87 yards on the ground.
OHIO STATE 35, BOWLING GREEN 7
Troy Smith threw for three touchdowns, Antonio Pittman ran for two and Ted Ginn Jr. caught a career-high 10 passes as Ohio State downed visiting Bowling Green, 35-7, Saturday in Ohio Stadium.
The Ohio State defense recorded its 13th takeaway of the year and held its opponent to seven points or less for the fourth time in six outings.
In addition to 13-consecutive wins, Jim Tressel's team also has won nine straight in Ohio Stadium.
Smith completed 17 of 20 passes for 191 yards, including touchdown strikes to Rory Nicol, Ted Ginn Jr. and Ray Small. It was Nicol's first touchdown catch of the year and Small's first as a collegian. Ginn's score covered 57 yards and was the longest play of the day.
Pittman carried the ball just 13 times, but scored on a pair of 8-yard runs to equal his entire touchdown output of a year ago (7).
Defensive tackle Vernon Gholston picked off his first career interception and had two tackles-for-loss and a sack. He is the team leader in tackles-for-loss with nine. His interception and 8-yard return gives the Buckeyes an interception in every game this year.
Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurinaitis paced the Buckeyes in tackles with nine. Jenkins had six solos to lead both teams. Laurinaitis now has a team-high 50 tackles on the year.
OHIO STATE 38, MICHIGAN STATE 7
The Buckeyes ran their road record to 3-0 with their methodical 38-7 dismantling of Michigan State. Jim Tressel's Buckeyes have won their last six road games, five of which have been Big Ten contests. In their three road games this year, the Buckeyes have outscored Texas, Iowa and Michigan State by a combined total of 100 to 31 and have never trailed.
At Michigan State, the Buckeyes marched 80 yards in 12 plays on their second possession of the game for a quick 7-0 lead and never looked back. Tailback Antonio Pittman put Ohio State ahead to stay with a two-yard run, giving him at least one rushing touchdown in 12 consecutive games. Troy Smith's 37-yard completion to Ted Ginn Jr. set up the score.
The Buckeyes added 17 points in the second quarter on a 32-yard field goal by Aaron Pettrey, a 60-yard punt return by Ginn and a 12-yard Smith-to-Anthony Gonzalez pass. The latter was set up by a Marcus Freeman interception that gave OSU the ball on the MSU 29 with 2:27 to play in the first half.
Smith, who improved his record as a starter to 20-2, also connected with Brian Robiskie from seven yards out in the third quarter. Freshman Beanie Wells wrapped up the scoring on a five-yard run at the start of the fourth quarter giving the Buckeyes a commanding 38-0 lead.
In addition to equaling a season point high, the Buckeyes rolled up 421 yards in total offense against the Spartans. Michigan State, conversely, managed just 198 yards against the Buckeyes' defense, including just 63 yards on the ground.
Led by senior tackle Quinn Pitcock, the Buckeyes recorded 10 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks against the Spartans. Pitcock had two sacks, while defensive end Jay Richardson and linebacker James Laurinaitis each had two tackles-for-loss. Laurinaitis led the Buckeyes in tackles with nine, the sixth time this year that he has paced the team.
Freeman's interception was the Buckeyes' 13th of the year, giving OSU at least one interception in every game this year.
PITCOCK HAS CAREER DAY
Defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock came within a shoestring of tying and perhaps setting the Ohio State single-game record for sacks against Cincinnati. The 6-3, 295-pound senior bull rushed his way through the Bearcats' offensive line en route to a career-high three sacks for minus 24 yards. Pitcock narrowly missed two other sacks, UC quarterback Dustin Grutza somehow slipping out of his grasp. The OSU single-game sack record of four is shared by Bobby Carpenter (Michigan State, 2005) and Jason Simmons (Washington State, 1991). Pitcock, who had one sack all of last year, has a team leading 7.0 this year.
BUCKEYE CAPTAINS
Seniors Troy Smith, Doug Datish, Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson were voted by their teammates as captains of the 2006 Ohio State football team. Smith (QB) and Datish (C) will lead from the offensive side while Pitcock and Patterson represent the defense from the defensive tackle spot. The four entered the season with 128 games of combined experience as Buckeyes.
ABOUT MINNESOTA
The Golden Gophers won two of their first three games, beating Kent State (44-0) and Temple (62-0) with a 42-17 loss at then-No. 22 California. Minnesota snapped losses to Purdue (27-21), Michigan (28-14), Penn State (28-27, OT) and Wisconsin (48-12) with a 10-9 victory over North Dakota State last Saturday in Minneapolis.
Minnesota is averaging 25.9 points and 359.5 yards of offense per game, including 198.5 passing. Quarterback Bryan Cupito has completed 59.4 percent (126-of-212) of his passes for 1,548 yards and 11 touchdowns. Averaging 193.5 yards per game, Cupito has been picked just four times. Logan Payne and Matt Spaeth each have 35 receptions. Payne has 468 yards and seven touchdowns, while Spaeth has 439 yards and two TDs. Eric Decker has caught the other two scores. Amir Pinnix is averaging 93.4 yards per game and has 747 yards and six touchdowns on 145 carries.
Defensively, Minnesota opponents are averaging 22.8 points and 390.1 yards per game. Opponents are averaging 223 yards passing and 167.1 yards rushing, while the unit has 15 takeaways, including eight fumbles and seven interceptions. Jamal Harris leads the team with three picks. The squad also has 16 sacks, four from Willie VanDeSteeg and 3.5 from Steve Davis. VanDeSteeg also has recovered three fumbles. Mike Sherels is the team's leading tackler with 64 stops, including 40 solo tackles. Six others have 40 or more tackles.
Jason Giannini has make 6-of-9 field goals, including a long of 41 yards against Temple. He has made 25 of 27 PATs. Justin Kucek is averaging 38.9 yards on his 38 punts, while Joel Monroe is averaging 62.3 yards on his 38 kickoffs.
MINNESOTA'S LAST GAME
Minnesota blocked a field-goal as time expired on the way to a 10-9 win over North Dakota State last Saturday at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Neither team could find the end zone in the first half and the Bison led 6-3 at intermission. Amir Pinnix ran for a 5-yard touchdown with 10:36 to play to give the Golden Gophers a 10-6 lead. NDSU added a field goal with 5:32 to play and had the potential game-winning, 42-yard attempt blocked as time expired. Pinnix led the Golden Gophers with 97 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Bryan Cupito was 14-for-24 for 150 yards.
COACH GLEN MASON
Glen Mason (Ohio State, 1972) is 61-55 in his 10th season at Minnesota. He has guided the Golden Gophers to six bowls in the last seven years. Mason's 2002 team went 8-5 and beat Arkansas in the Music City Bowl. His 2003 team went 10-3 after beating Oregon in the Sun Bowl. The 2004 squad finished 7-5 after a win over Alabama in the Music City Bowl and was 7-5 last year and played in the Music City Bowl. The 10 wins in 2003 marked the second time in his career his teams won 10 games. In 1995, his eighth of nine seasons at Kansas, his team went 10-2 and beat UCLA in the Aloha Bowl. Mason is in his 21st season as a college coach and is 120-119-1. He spent two seasons at Kent State (1986-87) in his first head coaching job. Mason spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, coaching outside linebackers and the offensive line in 1978-79 before serving as Earle Bruce's offensive coordinator from 1980-85.
NEXT WEEK
The Buckeyes open the month of November with a trip to Illinois. It is the first game of a two-game road swing for the Buckeyes who are at Northwestern on Nov. 11 before returning home Nov. 18 to host Michigan in the regular-season finale. Kickoff at Illinois is set for 2:30 p.m. CT, 3:30 p.m. ET.
No. 1 Buckeyes Conclude Home Stand with Gophers
THIS WEEK
Ohio State concludes its two-game home stand this week by hosting Minnesota. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:36 p.m. EDT, Saturday, in sold out Ohio Stadium (102,329). The game will be telecast by ABC (Channel 6 Columbus) and broadcast by WBNS Radio (1460 AM and 97.1 FM).
This week is Homecoming at Ohio State and the Buckeyes' 1956 and 1961 football teams will hold reunions and be introduced at the game. The annual Captains' Breakfast will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Blackwell Hotel.
Ohio State enters the game with a perfect 8-0 record and the No. 1 spot in the three major polls and the BCS standings. The Buckeyes are coming off a 44-3 victory over Indiana this past weekend in which Heisman Trophy candidate Troy Smith threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns as OSU extended the nation's longest winning streak to 15 in a row. During that stretch, Jim Tressel's team has won 11-consecutive Big Ten games and 10 straight home contests.
The win over the Hoosiers gives the Buckeyes a 4-0 Big Ten record at the halfway point of the eight-game conference season.
Minnesota, coached by former Ohio State player and assistant coach Glen Mason, is 3-5 on the year and 0-4 in the Big Ten.
SPECIAL "I" DOTTER
Ohio State's alumnus and professional golfing great Jack Nicklaus will dot the "I" during Script Ohio at Saturday's game. Nicklaus is just the fifth non-band member to be accorded that honor. The others are: Ohio State President Novice G. Fawcett, actor/comedian Bob Hope, Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes and OSU ticket director Bob Ries. Script Ohio will take place at halftime.
BUCKEYES ATOP THE POLLS
Ohio State continues to hold down the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press, USA Today-Coaches and Harris Interactive polls. The Buckeyes received all 63 first-place votes from the coaches, 63 of 65 from the writers and 112 of 114 in the Harris poll.
The Buckeyes have been in the Top 25 for 22-consecutive weeks, including 10 straight appearances in the Top 10 and nine straight at No. 1.
Ohio State also is No. 1 in the Bowl Championship Series ranking with an average of 9.764. Michigan is second at 9.451 and Southern Cal is third at 9.430.
BUCKEYE DUO WIN BIG TEN HONORS
Quarterback Troy Smith and cornerback Antonio Smith of Ohio State have been selected as this week's Big Ten co-offensive and co-defensive players of the week, respectively, following their performances against Indiana.
Troy Smith completed 15 of 19 passes fro 220 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half in the Buckeyes' 44-3 win.
Antonio Smith recorded a career-high 12 tackles, had four tackles-for-loss including a 10-yard sack and forced a fumble. His 11 solo tackles are the most by any Ohio State player this year. In his first year as a starter, Smith, a former walk-on who was converted to scholarship in the spring, is the Buckeyes' second leading tackler with 43 stops.
SMITH CONTINUES STELLAR PLAY
Quarterback Troy Smith turned in another Heisman-type performance in Saturday's 44-3 win over Indiana. The 6-1 senior completed 15 of 23 passes against the Hoosiers, good for 220 yards and four touchdowns. He also picked up 38 yards on the ground in running his record to 21-2 as a starter.
Smith has thrown for 21 touchdowns on the year, five more than he had all of last season and eight shy of Bobby Hoying's school record 29 in 1995. He has 13 touchdown tosses in his last four games and has not suffered an interception in 99 consecutive passes. His four touchdown passes against Indiana, all of which came in the first half, matched his career high set earlier in the year at Iowa.
Smith boasts the lowest career interception rate in the nation among active quarterbacks with a 1.63 figure (9 interceptions in 552 attempts). He leads the Big Ten and is fourth nationally in passing efficiency with a mark of 176.4. His 21 touchdown passes also lead the conference.
OSU "FUN BUNCH" CUTTING UP
The Buckeye "Fun Bunch" of quarterback Troy Smith, wide receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez and tailback Antonio Pittman continues to excel.
Smith has completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 1,715 yards and 21 touchdowns. The 6-1 senior has thrown for 200 or more yards in 11 of his last 15 starts, including a 220-yard effort against Indiana this past Saturday.
Ginn has a team-high seven touchdown grabs on 41 receptions and is averaging 14.4 yards per catch, while Gonzalez has 38 receptions, is averaging a team-high 15.6 yards per catch and has six TD receptions.
Pittman is the Buckeyes' leading ground gainer with 778 yards on 142 carries and has a team-leading eight touchdowns to his credit. The hard-running junior has five 100-yard games this year and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
A fifth member of the group, split end Roy Hall, who missed the first two games of the season with a high ankle sprain, hauled in his first touchdown catch of the year at Iowa and had a season-high four receptions against Bowling Green.
OHIO STATE AWARDS CANDIDATES
Seven Ohio State players are listed on the various postseason awards watch lists. Senior Troy Smith and junior Ted Ginn Jr. both are preseason Heisman Trophy candidates. The pair also is listed on the 2006 Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list. Additionally, senior center Doug Datish (Rimington, Lombardi), Ginn Jr. (Biletnikoff), Smith (Manning), sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis (Bednarik, Lombardi and Butkus), junior offensive tackle Kirk Barton and senior defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock (Lombardi, Lott), and junior running back Antonio Pittman (Doak Walker) are listed on various watch lists as major awards candidates.
BUCKEYES ROAR BACK TO DOWN IU
Ohio State staked Indiana to an early 3-0 lead then rolled up 44 unanswered points on the way to their 14th-consecutive victory over the Hoosiers. The 44 points were the most scored by the Buckeyes this season and the most since a 48-point effort against Northwestern in Game 10 last year. The three points by the Hoosiers were the fewest this year by an opponent and marked the sixth time this season the defense has held an opponent to seven points or less.
Led by quarterback Troy Smith and running back Antonio Pittman, the Buckeyes rolled up a season-high 540 yards in total offense - 270 rushing and the same number passing against the IU defense.
Smith completed 15 of 23 passes, including 15 of his last 19, for 220 yards and four touchdown passes. Pittman ran for 105 yards on 16 carries and received ample support from backups Chris Wells and Maurice Wells, each of whom rushed for 62 yards. Chris Wells scored the Buckeyes' lone rushing touchdown of the day on a 21-yard run.
Ted Ginn Jr. led the OSU receiving corps with five catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. Ginn also threw a 38-yard touchdown pass, the first completion of his career. Tight end Rory Nicol had his first two-touchdown day, catching a 23-yard score from Smith and a 38-yard bullet from Ginn. Freshman tight end Jake Ballard also got in on the act with a 1-yard TD reception from Smith.
"When a senior quarterback throws it to a freshman you better catch it," said Ballard who made a diving grab of Smith's perfectly thrown toss.
Aaron Pettrey added a career-long 51-yard field goal to the OSU cause and has now made six of his last seven attempts.
The Ohio State defense recorded 10 tackles-for-loss, including four sacks, and held Indiana to just 7 yards rushing.
Senior cornerback Antonio Smith had a career-high 12 tackles, including four tackles-for-loss and a sack. Senior defensive end Jay Richardson had a pair of sacks and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins and safety Andre Amos each had interceptions, giving the Buckeyes at least one interception in every game this year.
SOME STREAKS OF NOTE
Ohio State's current 15-game winning streak is the longest in the nation and the third longest in school history. Between 1967 and 1969, the Buckeyes reeled off 22-consecutive victories, including 17 straight Big Ten wins, for the longest streak in OSU annals. In 2002 and 2003, Jim Tressel's Buckeyes rolled to 19-consecutive victories, including a perfect 14-0 record and the national championship in 2002. The current streak began last year against Michigan State.
ELITE COMPANY
This year's Ohio State team is just the 15th Buckeye unit to begin the season with an 8-0 record. Only nine have started at 9-0. Five Buckeye squads have gone 10-0 and four (1975, 1979, 1995 and 2002) have notched 11 straight victories to start the season. Three of those four - the 1975, '79 and '95 teams - lost their 12th game. The 2002 team went on to finish the season at 14-0.
A LOOK AT THE BUCKEYES
The Ohio State offense is averaging 34.9 points and 410.1 yards per game. The Buckeyes are throwing for 240 yards a game and rushing for 170.1. Ohio State leads the Big Ten in scoring offense and is second in total offense. OSU is 29-of-35 in the red zone with 25 touchdowns and four field goals. The Buckeyes have committed just six turnovers (four lost fumbles and two interceptions) and have converted 49 percent of their third-down opportunities.
OSU has outscored its opponents in every quarter and has a commanding 89-23 edge in the fourth stanza. Ohio State has scored 24 or more points in each of the past 15 games and has topped the 35-point mark six times this year. The Buckeyes are defeating their opponents by an average of 26.7 points a game. No team has come closer than 17 points.
The Ohio State defense, meanwhile, has surrendered just 66 points and leads the nation in average points allowed at 8.2 points per game. Only two of Ohio State's eight opponents have scored more than seven points and Iowa is the only opponent to have recorded two touchdowns against the Buckeyes. In the last three games, the Buckeyes have given up 17 total points.
The Buckeyes have more interceptions (15) and takeaways (17) than they had all of last season. Ohio State's takeaways have resulted in 73 points for the OSU offense. The Buckeyes rank fourth nationally in turnover margin (1.38).
The Buckeyes are allowing 270.9 yards per game in total offense. In their last two games, they have given up a total of 300 yards - 135 to Michigan State and 165 to Indiana.
OHIO STATE-MINNESOTA SERIES
Ohio State leads the series 38-7 and has won 19 of the 22 games played in Columbus. The Buckeyes have won three in a row from the Gophers since a 29-17 loss in Columbus in 2000. Jim Tressel is 3-0 against Minnesota with wins in 2001, 2002 and 2005. The Buckeyes won last year's game 45-31 behind 186 yards and two touchdowns from tailback Antonio Pittman and three touchdown passes by Troy Smith. Ted Ginn Jr. also had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The game was tied at 17 at the half, but the Buckeyes scored 14 points in each of the last two quarters.
OHIO STATE IN BIG TEN PLAY
Over the years, Ohio State has either won outright or shared 30 Big Ten titles. The co-championship last year was OSU's second under Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes also shared the title in 2002, notching a perfect 8-0 record. With a 4-0 league record this year, Ohio State owns an all-time Big Ten record of 432-187-28 in 94 seasons of league competition.
Ohio State vs.
W
L
T
Chicago1022 Illinois59294 Indiana65125 Iowa44143 Michigan39576 Michigan St25120 Minnesota3870 Northwestern56141 Penn State11110 Purdue35122 Wisconsin50175 TOTAL43218728
OHIO STATE COACH Jim Tressel
Jim Tressel is in his sixth season as head coach at Ohio State. His record with the Buckeyes is 58-13 (.816), including a 34-10 (.772) slate in the Big Ten, and his career ledger now stands at 193-70-2 (.732) in his 21st season as a head coach.
Tressel took over the Buckeyes in 2001, directing them to a 7-5 record that year. In 2002, he led Ohio State to a 14-0 record and the school's first consensus national championship since 1968.
In 2003, the Buckeyes won their first five games to extend their winning streak to 19 and finished with an 11-2 record. The 2004 squad, which had to replace 14 NFL drafted players, won five of its last six games en route to an 8-4 finish.
A season ago, Tressel guided the Buckeyes to a 10-2 overall record with seven-consecutive victories down the stretch, which included a 34-20 victory over Notre Dame in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in January. The current 13-game win streak is second only to the 19-consecutive wins under Tressel in 2002 (14-0) and 2003 (5-0 to start season).
Tressel's teams have appeared in five bowl games and are 4-1 in those contests, including three BCS wins in the Fiesta Bowl over the last four seasons. They also are 4-1 against Michigan in one of the most intense and storied rivalries in all of sports.
Eleven of Tressel's players have won first-team All-America honors and four have won major awards, including linebacker A.J. Hawk, the recipient of the 2005 Lombardi Award.
Tressel is a master in close games. Since coming to Ohio State, he is 17-9 in games decided by a touchdown or less and 4-1 in overtime games.
He is at his best against the best with a 24-7 record against teams ranked in the Top 25 and a 7-2 mark against teams ranked in the Top 10.
The 53-year-old Tressel is a 1975 graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College.
MORE ON TRESSEL
Ohio State's 38-17 victory over Iowa this year was Jim Tressel's 55th win with the Buckeyes. No Ohio State coach has reached that mark as quickly. By way of comparison, Earle Bruce recorded his 55th win in 70 games, Woody Hayes notched No. 55 in game 74 and John Wilce did so in game 77. Both Bruce and Hayes were in their eighth years at Ohio State. Wilce was in his 11th season.
SOME CAREER NUMBERS
Quarterback Troy Smith is the all-time completion percentage leader in Ohio State history, connecting on 63.0 percent of his passes (348-552).
He also ranks eighth in career passing yardage (4,893 yards) and seventh in career total offense (5,983) entering the game this week against Minnesota. Next on the total offense list are Mike Tomczak (1981-83) at 6,015, Joe Germaine (1996-98) at 6,094 and Greg Frey (1987-90) at 6,098.
Smith now has 45 career touchdown passes to his credit, the fourth highest total in Ohio State annals. The school record of 57 belongs to Bobby Hoying (1992-95).
Receiver Ted Ginn Jr. holds down eighth place on the all-time OSU receiving list with 117 receptions. He also ranks 11th in career receiving yards with 1,751, for an average of 14.9 yards per reception.
The speedy Ginn has caught at least one pass in 27-consecutive games (beginning with Iowa in 2004) and has multiple catches in 25-consecutive games. His 10 receptions against Bowling Green earlier this year represents a career best, bettering his previous high of nine set last year at Michigan.
PITTMAN OFF AND RUNNING
Tailback Antonio Pittman turned in his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the year against Indiana, picking up 105 yards on 16 carries, an average of 6.6 yards per attempt. The hard-running junior is far-and-away the Buckeyes' leading rusher with 778 yards on 142 carries, an average of 5.5 yards per rush and 97.2 yards per game.
Pittman, who rushed for 1,331 yards last year (seven 100-yard games), is bidding to become the first Ohio State running back since Eddie George (1994-95) to put together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. The only other OSU backs to accomplish that feat are Archie Griffin (1973-74-75), Tim Spencer (1981-82) and Keith Byars (1983-84).
Pittman has 15 rushing touchdowns in the Buckeyes' last 13 games, including eight this year. The 5-11 junior tallied seven touchdowns all of last year and did not find pay dirt until the eighth game of the season at Minnesota.
MR. CLUTCH
Junior split end Anthony Gonzalez had four receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown against Indiana, with all four of those catches resulting in first downs. Gonzalez has 38 receptions on the year and 33 of those have moved the chains. He has six touchdown catches and leads the Buckeyes in receiving yardage with 591. His average of 15.6 yards per catch tops the team.
GINN BIG TEN RECORD HOLDER
Ted Ginn Jr. set the Big Ten record for career touchdowns on punt returns with a 60-yard runback at Michigan State on Oct. 14. The Ohio State junior now has six touchdowns on punt returns. The NCAA career record of eight is shared by Wes Welker of Texas Tech (2000-03) and Antonio Perkins of Oklahoma (2001-04). Ginn had four punt returns for scores in 2004 and one last year.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Buckeye receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez, both juniors, have combined for 79 receptions, 1,180 yards and 13 touchdowns. Ginn leads the Buckeyes in receptions with 41 for 589 yards and seven touchdowns. Gonzalez has 38 receptions for 591 yards and six scores.
FIVE-WAY THREAT
With his 38-yard touchdown pass against Indiana, Ted Ginn Jr. now has thrown for a touchdown, run for a touchdown (2), returned a punt for a touchdown (6), returned a kickoff for a touchdown (1) and caught 13 passes for touchdowns as a Buckeye.
DEFENSIVE DANDIES
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel likes what he has seen from defensive tackles Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson, the Buckeyes' lone two returning starters from the 10-2 team in 2005.
"As far as I am concerned they are the best two defensive tackles in the country," noted Tressel. "And in addition to being terrific players, they are both excellent leaders. Our front four is the strength of our defense and Quinn and David set the tone."
Pitcock has 9.0 tackles-for-loss, including a team-high seven sacks, and 29 tackles on the season. In 12 games last year, he finished with 28 tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss and one sack.
Patterson, who has missed the past two games with an injury, has 15 tackles on the year, including three tackles-for-loss. He was credited with a career-high seven tackles against Penn State this year.
LAURINAITIS PACES BUCKEYES
Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis leads the Buckeyes in tackles with 64 and in interceptions with four. He also has 7.0 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks and has forced two fumbles. The four picks by Laurinaitis are the most by an Ohio State linebacker since Andy Katzenmoyer's four in 1996. The OSU single-season record for interceptions by a linebacker is six, set in 1986 by Chris Spielman. Laurinaitis had picks in four-consecutive games (Texas, Cincinnati, Penn State and Iowa) before having that streak ended against Bowling Green.
Laurinaitis, who is from Hamel, Minn., had two tackles against the Gophers last year as a true freshman.
BUCKEYE NOTES
Freshman tight end Jake Ballard hauled in his first career reception against Indiana, a 1-yard touchdown pass from Troy Smith. Ballard also made his first career start against the Hoosiers ... Starting tight end Roy Nicol had two touchdown receptions against the Hoosiers, one from Troy Smith and the other from flanker Ted Ginn Jr. Nicol had a career-high 61 receiving yards against IU ... Sophomore Maurice Wells recorded the longest run of his career Saturday, darting up the middle for a 32-yard gain that came within a shoestring of going for a touchdown ... Aaron Pettrey hit a career-best 51-yard field goal against Indiana and now has made six of his last seven. Pettrey's previous best effort was 47 yards against Cincinnati ... Cornerback Malcolm Jenkins kept the Buckeyes interception streak alive Saturday. Jenkins pick in the third quarter gives the Buckeyes an interception in every game this year ... Safety Andre Amos added his first career interception in the fourth quarter. Amos almost had his first pick against Penn State, but the officials ruled he had trapped the ball on his diving attempt ... Seven different receivers have caught touchdown passes this year.
BUCKEYE SACK PACK
Ohio State ranks second in the Big Ten in sacks with 28. The Buckeyes are led by defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock with 7.0, followed by Vernon Gholston with 5.5. True freshman Robert Rose has 3.5 in limited action and James Laurinaitis has 3.0.
THE GLENVILLE CONNECTION
Quarterback Troy Smith and flanker Ted Ginn Jr., both of whom prepped at Glenville High School, continue to form one of college football's most dangerous duos. When the two hooked up on a 57-yard scoring strike against Bowling Green on Oct. 7, it marked their eighth play of more than 50 yards.
OSU PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Following last week's win over Indiana, the Ohio State coaching staff selected Troy Smith as the offensive player of the game, Antonio Smith as the defensive player of the game, Brian Hartline as the special teams player of the game, Kirk Barton as the offensive lineman of the game and James Laurinaitis as the attack force player of the game. Scout team honors went to Dan Potokar on offense (for the second week in a row), Ryan Lukens on defense and De'Angelo Haslam with the scout team.
OHIO STATE AT HOME
The Buckeyes boast an all-time record of 371-104-20 (.769) in Ohio Stadium. Ohio State has won 10 straight, and 14 of the last 15, games played in the Horseshoe. Saturday's game with Indiana was the 700th home game for the Buckeyes since 1890. Ohio State's all-time record in Columbus is 514-151-35.
OSU IMPROVES RECORD AS NO. 1
Ohio State is 59-8-1 when ranked as the nation's No. 1 team. Overall, the Buckeyes are 291-68-9 when carrying a Top 10 ranking and 398-123-14 as a Top 25 team. Ohio State has opened the season No. 1 seven times, second only to Oklahoma (9). The Buckeyes own the record for most appearances (53) in the first 57 years of the Associated Press Poll.
BUCKEYES STAY PERFECT IN NO. 1 VS. NO. 2 SHOWDOWNS
The Sept. 9 showdown in Austin between top-ranked Ohio State and second-ranked Texas was the earliest regular-season match-up in college football annals between a No. 1 and a No. 2 team. Ohio State has been involved in two such games previously, the first in the 1969 Rose Bowl and the second in the 2002 national championship game at the 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. OSU won both, downing the University of Southern California, 27-16, in the former and Miami of Florida, 31-24 in two overtimes, in the latter. On both occasions, the Buckeyes were the No. 2 ranked team.
BUCKEYES RECORD IMPRESSIVE WINS
During their 15-game winning streak, Jim Tressel's Buckeyes have recorded wins over five of college football's most successful programs - Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Penn State and Iowa. Michigan tops the all-time victories list with 856 wins (857-280-36), Notre Dame is second at 817-267-42 and Texas ranks third at 807-311-33. The Buckeyes are fifth all-time with 783 wins, followed by No. 6 Alabama (779 wins) and No. 7 Penn State (775-341-42). Iowa ranks No. 41 on the all-time wins list (551-494-39).
BUCKEYES GET HIGH GRADES
A league-best 18 Ohio State football players were named to the Big Ten's All-Academic team last fall, marking the fourth year in a row the Buckeyes have led the conference in that area. Additionally, a record 46 Ohio State football players qualified for last spring's annual OSU Scholar-Athlete Dinner, which requires a grade-point average of 3.00 or better for the past academic year. As a team, the Buckeyes have an overall GPA of 2.83. A total of 52 football student-athletes earned a 3.00 or better during Ohio State's spring quarter and 46 had a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 after spring grades were calculated.
BUCKEYE GRADUATES
Quarterback Troy Smith (communication), center Doug Datish (history), strong safety Brandon Mitchell (political science) and fullback Stan White Jr. (finance) all are working toward graduate degrees while playing football for the Buckeyes this season. Two most recent student-athletes to earn their degrees are All-America linebacker A.J. Hawk and Richard Schafrath, who lettered from 1956-58. Both were awarded degrees following the 2006 summer quarter. Other 2005-06 graduates include Bobby Carpenter, Angelo Chattams, R.J. Coleman, John Conroy, Ryan Hamby, Rob Harley, Mike Roberts, Anthony Schlegel, Brandon Schnittker, Rob Sims, Steve Winner and Ashton Youboty.
THE BUCKEYES ALL-TIME
Ohio State enters the game against Minnesota with an all-time record of 783-300-53 in 116 seasons of competition. That includes a Big Ten record of 431-187-28 since 1913, an Ohio Stadium slate of 371-104-20 since 1922 and a bowl mark of 18-19.
OSU COACHES IN THE PRESS BOX
Offensive coordinator Jim Bollman and quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels will be in the press box for the Buckeyes during the game as will cornerbacks coach Tim Beckman and co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell.
OHIO STATE 24, TEXAS 7
Led by Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez and Antonio Pittman on offense and bolstered by a young but quickly coming-of-age defense, top-ranked Ohio State solidified its place in the polls with its 17-point victory over the defending national champion Longhorns.
Smith enhanced his early season Heisman Trophy status by completing 17 of 26 passes for 269 yards and a pair of touchdowns against a veteran Texas defense, giving him five touchdown passes and 566 passing yards in his first two games. After two games, the 6-1, 215-pound quarterback has completed 68.4 percent of his passes and leads the Big Ten in passing efficiency with a 194.2 figure.
Ginn, the Buckeyes' other Heisman hopeful, was on the receiving end of five passes for 97 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown grab just before halftime that put Ohio State in front 14-7 going into the locker room. Ginn's grab capped off a business-like 5-play, 66-yard drive that began with 1:55 remaining in the second quarter. The speedy flanker set the tone early with a 46-yard catch-and-run on the Buckeyes' second play from scrimmage.
The Buckeyes also received a career-best performance from Gonzalez, who hauled in eight catches for 142 yards. The junior split end and honor student got Ohio State on the board with 1:04 to play in the first quarter by latching on to a 14-yard pass from Smith that put the icing on a 50-yard drive.
Pittman led the Buckeyes in rushing for the second consecutive week, finishing with 74 yards on 16 carries, an average of 4.6 yards per attempt. His 2-yard touchdown run with 6:31 to play capped off the scoring and put the game out of reach. The Buckeyes, who took over the ball at their own 28-yard line after a missed Texas field goal, marched 72 yards in 10 plays for the score.
The Buckeye defense limited the Texas offense to 326 total yards and just the one touchdown and set up two OSU scores with timely takeaways.
Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis was involved in both turnovers. First, he forced a first-quarter fumble at the OSU 1-yard line that cornerback Donald Washington scooped up and returned 49 yards to set up the Smith-to-Ginn touchdown pass. Then, on the first play of the third quarter, he intercepted a Colt McCoy pass and ran it back 25 yards to the Texas 31-yard line. Kicker Aaron Pettrey gave the Buckeyes a 10-point cushion with a 31-yard field goal.
With the aggressive defensive front keeping the pressure on throughout the evening, Laurinaitis finished with a game-best and career-high 13 tackles to go along with two forced fumbles, his first career interception and a pass broken up. Safety Brandon Mitchell was credited with nine stops, while Washington, who was making his first start at corner, had five. Cover corner Malcolm Jenkins and nickel back Antonio Smith each had five stops as Ohio State kept Texas under 40 points for the first time in 13 games.
Sophomore punter A. J. Trapasso kept the Longhorns corralled in their own territory by averaging 50.8 yards per punt on six kicks - the third best single-game performance in Ohio State history. That average includes a 39-yard punt at the end of the game that rolled out-of-bounds on the Texas 6-yard line. The Longhorns' average field position after a Trapasso thumper was their own 21-yard line.
The victory squared the series at 1-1 and gave Ohio State an all-time record of 4-0 in the Lone Star state.
OHIO STATE 37, CINCINNATI 7
Ohio State ran its record to 3-0 with a 37-7 victory over visiting Cincinnati. The win was the Buckeyes' 10th in a row.
After falling behind 7-3 at the end of the first quarter (the first time all year that OSU has trailed), the Buckeyes scored 34 unanswered points en route to their seventh consecutive win in Ohio Stadium.
Quarterback Troy Smith again led the Buckeyes to victory, completing 21 of 30 passes for 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns. OSU rolled up 444 yards in total offense and scoring drives of 85, 80 and 72 yards - their three longest drives of the year.
Smith connected with Ted Ginn Jr. on a pair of scoring strikes in the second and third quarters to give OSU a comfortable 20-7 lead. But it was Antonio Pittman who put the game out of reach with a 48-yard scoring jaunt with just over nine minutes to go in the fourth period. Pittman finished his afternoon with 155 yards on 16 carries, an impressive 9.7 yards per attempt. Backup tailback Maurice Wells scored the other OSU touchdown on a nine-yard run. Aaron Pettrey added field goals of 47 and 43 yards and Ryan Pretorius hit from 52-yards away to complete the scoring.
Gonzalez and Ginn each had five receptions to pace the receiving corps as four different quarterbacks hooked up with 11 different receivers.
The Ohio State defense limited the Bearcats to 212 yards of total offense, including a scant 64 in the second half. Senior tackle Quinn Pitcock had a career-high three sacks and narrowly missed two more. He finished the day with five tackles. With Pitcock leading the way, the Buckeyes recorded eight sacks, 10 tackles for loss and had three interceptions.
Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis led the Buckeyes with nine tackles, including a sack, and picked off his second interception of the year.
OHIO STATE 28, PENN STATE 6
Ohio State opened its Big Ten season with a 28-6 win over visiting Penn State. In winning their third straight conference home opener, the Buckeyes needed a pair of fourth-quarter interception returns for touchdowns to salt the game away.
Holding on to a less-than-comfortable 14-6 lead, the Buckeyes got a lift from cornerback Malcolm Jenkins whose 61-yard return gave them a 21-6 lead with 2:31 to play. Moments later cornerback Antonio Smith picked off his first career interception and returned it 55 yards to the north end zone and the game was officially over.
The Buckeyes also had an interception earlier in the game by linebacker James Laurinaitis, giving them eight on the year to that point, three more than all of last year. The OSU defense limited Penn State to 248 yards and allowed the Nittany Lions to convert just three of 14 third-down opportunities.
Ohio State's other two touchdowns came on a 12-yard run by Antonio Pittman, who finished the game with 110 yards, and a 37-yard pass from Troy Smith to Brian Robiskie. The former gave the Buckeyes their first lead at 7-3 after the Nittany Lions had taken a 3-0 lead into the locker room at intermission. On the latter, Smith rolled to his right, reversed his field and somehow threw a perfect strike to Robiskie, giving the Buckeyes a 14-3 lead.
The two teams combined for just 501 yards in total offense on a rainy, windy afternoon in Ohio Stadium.
OHIO STATE 38, IOWA 17
Led by senior quarterback Troy Smith's career-high four touchdown passes and a spirited defense that came up with four takeaways, top-ranked Ohio State downed No. 13 Iowa, 38-17, in Iowa City, knocking the Hawkeyes from the unbeaten ranks in front of a highly-partisan Kinnick Stadium crowd of 70,585.
With the win, OSU improved to 5-0 on the year and 2-0 in Big Ten play. It was the Buckeyes third win of the year over a Top 25 team (No. 2 Texas and No. 24 Penn State were the other two) and their second win in prime time on the road and on national TV.
Smith, who ran his record as a starter to 18-2, put the Buckeyes ahead to stay with a 12-yard pass to split end Anthony Gonzalez with 11:34 to play in the first quarter.
The senior signal caller added a 6-yard strike to Roy Hall in the second quarter, teamed up again with Gonzalez from 30 yards out in the third period and capped off the scoring with a 12-yard toss to Brian Robiskie with 4:23 to play in the fourth. In addition to completing 16 of 25 passes for 186 yards and the four TD tosses, Smith also rushed for 20 yards in another near flawless performance at the OSU helm.
Gonzalez was on the receiving end of five of those passes, all going for first downs. On his 30-yard touchdown grab, Gonzalez had the first down, but then reversed his field and circled around right end and somehow tight roped down the sideline and into the end zone on one of the more spectacular plays of the season. Ted Ginn Jr. led all receivers with seven receptions for 69 yards.
Tailback Antonio Pittman rushed 25 times for 117 yards and a touchdown, while freshman Chris "Beanie" Wells added 78 yards for the Buckeyes who rolled up a season-high 214 yards on the ground.
The OSU defense, meanwhile, recorded three interceptions and a fumble recovery to keep the Iowa offense in check.
Safety Brandon Mitchell played a role in two of those takeaways, snagging a second quarter interception that led to Pittman's touchdown and recovering a fourth-quarter fumble that halted an Iowa drive.
Linebackers Marcus Freeman and James Laurinaitis also had interceptions, both of those coming in the fourth quarter as Iowa turned the ball over on its final three possessions of the night.
The OSU defense also recorded five tackles-for-loss, including sacks by Freeman and Laurinaitis, and limited Iowa to 87 yards on the ground.
OHIO STATE 35, BOWLING GREEN 7
Troy Smith threw for three touchdowns, Antonio Pittman ran for two and Ted Ginn Jr. caught a career-high 10 passes as Ohio State downed visiting Bowling Green, 35-7, Saturday in Ohio Stadium.
The Ohio State defense recorded its 13th takeaway of the year and held its opponent to seven points or less for the fourth time in six outings.
In addition to 13-consecutive wins, Jim Tressel's team also has won nine straight in Ohio Stadium.
Smith completed 17 of 20 passes for 191 yards, including touchdown strikes to Rory Nicol, Ted Ginn Jr. and Ray Small. It was Nicol's first touchdown catch of the year and Small's first as a collegian. Ginn's score covered 57 yards and was the longest play of the day.
Pittman carried the ball just 13 times, but scored on a pair of 8-yard runs to equal his entire touchdown output of a year ago (7).
Defensive tackle Vernon Gholston picked off his first career interception and had two tackles-for-loss and a sack. He is the team leader in tackles-for-loss with nine. His interception and 8-yard return gives the Buckeyes an interception in every game this year.
Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurinaitis paced the Buckeyes in tackles with nine. Jenkins had six solos to lead both teams. Laurinaitis now has a team-high 50 tackles on the year.
OHIO STATE 38, MICHIGAN STATE 7
The Buckeyes ran their road record to 3-0 with their methodical 38-7 dismantling of Michigan State. Jim Tressel's Buckeyes have won their last six road games, five of which have been Big Ten contests. In their three road games this year, the Buckeyes have outscored Texas, Iowa and Michigan State by a combined total of 100 to 31 and have never trailed.
At Michigan State, the Buckeyes marched 80 yards in 12 plays on their second possession of the game for a quick 7-0 lead and never looked back. Tailback Antonio Pittman put Ohio State ahead to stay with a two-yard run, giving him at least one rushing touchdown in 12 consecutive games. Troy Smith's 37-yard completion to Ted Ginn Jr. set up the score.
The Buckeyes added 17 points in the second quarter on a 32-yard field goal by Aaron Pettrey, a 60-yard punt return by Ginn and a 12-yard Smith-to-Anthony Gonzalez pass. The latter was set up by a Marcus Freeman interception that gave OSU the ball on the MSU 29 with 2:27 to play in the first half.
Smith, who improved his record as a starter to 20-2, also connected with Brian Robiskie from seven yards out in the third quarter. Freshman Beanie Wells wrapped up the scoring on a five-yard run at the start of the fourth quarter giving the Buckeyes a commanding 38-0 lead.
In addition to equaling a season point high, the Buckeyes rolled up 421 yards in total offense against the Spartans. Michigan State, conversely, managed just 198 yards against the Buckeyes' defense, including just 63 yards on the ground.
Led by senior tackle Quinn Pitcock, the Buckeyes recorded 10 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks against the Spartans. Pitcock had two sacks, while defensive end Jay Richardson and linebacker James Laurinaitis each had two tackles-for-loss. Laurinaitis led the Buckeyes in tackles with nine, the sixth time this year that he has paced the team.
Freeman's interception was the Buckeyes' 13th of the year, giving OSU at least one interception in every game this year.
PITCOCK HAS CAREER DAY
Defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock came within a shoestring of tying and perhaps setting the Ohio State single-game record for sacks against Cincinnati. The 6-3, 295-pound senior bull rushed his way through the Bearcats' offensive line en route to a career-high three sacks for minus 24 yards. Pitcock narrowly missed two other sacks, UC quarterback Dustin Grutza somehow slipping out of his grasp. The OSU single-game sack record of four is shared by Bobby Carpenter (Michigan State, 2005) and Jason Simmons (Washington State, 1991). Pitcock, who had one sack all of last year, has a team leading 7.0 this year.
BUCKEYE CAPTAINS
Seniors Troy Smith, Doug Datish, Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson were voted by their teammates as captains of the 2006 Ohio State football team. Smith (QB) and Datish (C) will lead from the offensive side while Pitcock and Patterson represent the defense from the defensive tackle spot. The four entered the season with 128 games of combined experience as Buckeyes.
ABOUT MINNESOTA
The Golden Gophers won two of their first three games, beating Kent State (44-0) and Temple (62-0) with a 42-17 loss at then-No. 22 California. Minnesota snapped losses to Purdue (27-21), Michigan (28-14), Penn State (28-27, OT) and Wisconsin (48-12) with a 10-9 victory over North Dakota State last Saturday in Minneapolis.
Minnesota is averaging 25.9 points and 359.5 yards of offense per game, including 198.5 passing. Quarterback Bryan Cupito has completed 59.4 percent (126-of-212) of his passes for 1,548 yards and 11 touchdowns. Averaging 193.5 yards per game, Cupito has been picked just four times. Logan Payne and Matt Spaeth each have 35 receptions. Payne has 468 yards and seven touchdowns, while Spaeth has 439 yards and two TDs. Eric Decker has caught the other two scores. Amir Pinnix is averaging 93.4 yards per game and has 747 yards and six touchdowns on 145 carries.
Defensively, Minnesota opponents are averaging 22.8 points and 390.1 yards per game. Opponents are averaging 223 yards passing and 167.1 yards rushing, while the unit has 15 takeaways, including eight fumbles and seven interceptions. Jamal Harris leads the team with three picks. The squad also has 16 sacks, four from Willie VanDeSteeg and 3.5 from Steve Davis. VanDeSteeg also has recovered three fumbles. Mike Sherels is the team's leading tackler with 64 stops, including 40 solo tackles. Six others have 40 or more tackles.
Jason Giannini has make 6-of-9 field goals, including a long of 41 yards against Temple. He has made 25 of 27 PATs. Justin Kucek is averaging 38.9 yards on his 38 punts, while Joel Monroe is averaging 62.3 yards on his 38 kickoffs.
MINNESOTA'S LAST GAME
Minnesota blocked a field-goal as time expired on the way to a 10-9 win over North Dakota State last Saturday at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Neither team could find the end zone in the first half and the Bison led 6-3 at intermission. Amir Pinnix ran for a 5-yard touchdown with 10:36 to play to give the Golden Gophers a 10-6 lead. NDSU added a field goal with 5:32 to play and had the potential game-winning, 42-yard attempt blocked as time expired. Pinnix led the Golden Gophers with 97 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Bryan Cupito was 14-for-24 for 150 yards.
COACH GLEN MASON
Glen Mason (Ohio State, 1972) is 61-55 in his 10th season at Minnesota. He has guided the Golden Gophers to six bowls in the last seven years. Mason's 2002 team went 8-5 and beat Arkansas in the Music City Bowl. His 2003 team went 10-3 after beating Oregon in the Sun Bowl. The 2004 squad finished 7-5 after a win over Alabama in the Music City Bowl and was 7-5 last year and played in the Music City Bowl. The 10 wins in 2003 marked the second time in his career his teams won 10 games. In 1995, his eighth of nine seasons at Kansas, his team went 10-2 and beat UCLA in the Aloha Bowl. Mason is in his 21st season as a college coach and is 120-119-1. He spent two seasons at Kent State (1986-87) in his first head coaching job. Mason spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, coaching outside linebackers and the offensive line in 1978-79 before serving as Earle Bruce's offensive coordinator from 1980-85.
NEXT WEEK
The Buckeyes open the month of November with a trip to Illinois. It is the first game of a two-game road swing for the Buckeyes who are at Northwestern on Nov. 11 before returning home Nov. 18 to host Michigan in the regular-season finale. Kickoff at Illinois is set for 2:30 p.m. CT, 3:30 p.m. ET.
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The RB's could be doing better in the middle, a yard or two better per carry. We will have to have it against tsun.bucknut11;641863; said:
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Revised Depth Chart
Beanie is now clear no. 2 (no more "or" with MoW)
Freeman is now clear no. 1 (no more "or" with Terry)
Beanie is now clear no. 2 (no more "or" with MoW)
Freeman is now clear no. 1 (no more "or" with Terry)
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Dispatch
Inflated and ready to rumble
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
While many Columbus residents probably agree that Ohio State football players are larger than life, No. 88 certainly fits the bill. Joe O?Rourke, of SuperGames in Worthington, tended the burly Buckeye and the attached end zone obstacle course during homecoming activities yesterday on the South Oval at OSU.
Inflated and ready to rumble
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
While many Columbus residents probably agree that Ohio State football players are larger than life, No. 88 certainly fits the bill. Joe O?Rourke, of SuperGames in Worthington, tended the burly Buckeye and the attached end zone obstacle course during homecoming activities yesterday on the South Oval at OSU.
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BuckeyeKnights
Knights
Ohio State has been great this year. They have exceded all expectations about their defense and if their offense would carry them this year. The Bucks have had a great year defensively including their line and LB James Laurinaitis. The Bucks offense has been fantastic including Troy Smith, RB Antonio Pittman, Alex Gonzalez, and Ted Ginn Jr. All I know is that the Bucks better be on TV for the rest of the season. Bucks will win against Minnesota 45-3. Go Bucks!
Jack Jordan
Jack Jordan
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