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Game Thread Game Nine: #1 tOSU 44, Minnesota 0 (10/28/06)

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BuckeyeKnights;642647; said:
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
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Yeah, that Alex Gonzalez is one helluva shortstop. :roll1:
 
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Big Plays

Q: In what way is OSU most dangerous?
A: The capacity to make Big Plays.

Q: In what way is Minnesota most vulnerable?
A: The propensity to give up Big Plays.


In examining why Minnesota's stats varied so widely this year, I looked over their play-by-play stats for the games where they struggled defensively. What I found is that when they are not playing Kent State, Temple or North Dakota State they give up Big Plays by the barrelful.

Against the 5 other teams on their schedule, Minnesota has given up:
  • 44 plays of 15 or more yards
    • All but 8 were passes
    • At least 7 such plays in each game
    • Wisconsin would have had more, but after opening the second half with a scoring drive of a 41 yard pass and a 40 yard pass, they buttoned it up and just battered the Gophers.
  • 24 of those plays went for 22 or more yards
    • All but 3 were passes
    • At least 4 such plays in each game
  • 13 of those plays covered 31 or more yards
  • Each of the 5 teams had at least one play in excess of 40 yards
  • Several other plays resulted in long pass interference calls
There is a metaphor that describes perfectly what is about to happen to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, but it belongs in the RR.


Edit: Stat to keep in mind during this game - OSU's longest ever play from scrimmage went for 89 yards.
Edit II: Just learned from 3yards that Senior CB Trumaine Banks is out with a broken arm. They are moving a Safety over to Corner and promoting the back-up safety. And this is a team that already had trouble with big plays. holy crap
 
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DaddyBigBucks;642714; said:
Edit: Stat to keep in mind during this game - OSU's longest ever play from scrimmage went for 89 yards.
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Courtesy of a man named Troy Smith who threw a pass to another man named Santonio Holmes, way back in January 2006...

EDIT: Probably wrong on that as it might have just been a Fiesta Bowl record but whatever...
 
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R0CK3TM4NN;642729; said:
Courtesy of a man named Troy Smith who threw a pass to another man named Santonio Holmes, way back in January 2006...
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...not to nitpick, that was 85 yards...

I'm pretty sure the guy that threw the 89 yarder was John Borton...

EDIT: WRONG... Gene Fekete RAN the 89 yarder in 1942 vs. Pittsburgh. He did not score. Morris Bradshaw scored the longest touchdown (88 yards) against Wisconsin in 1971. Art Schlichter and Calvin Murray teamed up for the longest pass in OSU history (86 yards) against Washington State in 1979.
 
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DaddyBigBucks;642733; said:
EDIT: WRONG... Gene Fekete RAN the 89 yarder in 1942 vs. Pittsburgh. He did not score. Morris Bradshaw scored the longest touchdown (88 yards) against Wisconsin in 1971. Art Schlichter and Calvin Murray teamed up for the longest pass in OSU history (86 yards) against Washington State in 1979.
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Looks like I got to this party a little late. :wink2:

But you reminded me that I owe Oh8ch an answer.
 
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Gophers football: Injured Spaeth won't play Saturday
Chip Scoggins, Star Tribune
Last update: October 24, 2006 ? 9:38 PM

A tough task became even more difficult for the Gophers football team Tuesday when coach Glen Mason announced that tight end Matt Spaeth will not play against top-ranked Ohio State on Saturday because of what is believed to be a shoulder injury.
Mason did not disclose the nature of Spaeth's injury or give a timetable for his return, but his absence is a huge blow for an offense that has looked completely out of sync the past two weeks.

"He's the best player on our whole team," quarterback Bryan Cupito said. "There's no doubt about that. When you have a player like that, it's tough to lose him. We have no answer for losing him."

Spaeth, who had started a team-high 37 consecutive games, will be replaced by sophomore Jack Simmons. Spaeth is tied for the team lead with 35 catches and averages 54.9 receiving yards per game. He also is widely regarded as one of the top blocking tight ends in college football.

Mason reaction II

Based on Mason's comments about fan reaction, underage drinking and various other topics last week, it's not surprising that it came up again at Tuesday's press conference.

Asked about the criticism and "unrest" among fans, Mason replied: "What unrest?" Mason then defended his record again and made another reference to students booing.

"When I say that I don't worry about that, it's probably not totally true, but I worry about it a heck of a lot less than you guys think because I worry about those kids," he said. "I mean that. That's the challenge that you have to keep working through. My job is to keep doing what I think is right by those kids and trying to improve them.

"The fun part is going some places that most people wouldn't go because they feared failure," he continued. "And going some places and having success where other people haven't had success. And going places and making it better. Maybe not as fast as everybody would like and maybe not to the degree, but you're making it better and putting it all together. Most people would be too timid and too gutless to even try it.

"And let's face it, people have short memories. I've been here 10 years. Some of those [students] were 8 years old that might be booing me. Where was this program when they were 8 years old? Huh? Where was it?"

Reporters attempted to ask a few of Mason's players about the growing criticism surrounding him, but a member of the sports information department cut off those questions.

Third-down problems

The Gophers are one of the worst teams nationally in both converting on third down and stopping opponents on third down. They rank 97th nationally out of 119 teams in third-down efficiency on offense at 33.3 percent.

They rank 99th nationally in third-down defense, allowing teams to convert 44.1 percent of their opportunities.

"Third down is everything," linebacker Mike Sherels said. "It's definitely your statement down. It's the down that you have to be able to take pride in if you want to be a good defense."

Third down has long been a problem area for the defense, but the offense's production on third down also has fallen dramatically this season. The Gophers finished second nationally in 2005 at 54.1 percent, behind only USC.

"Third down has been our biggest down for mistakes," Cupito said. "The last game I think six or seven of our worst plays of the game were on third down. That kills us because it gets us off the field and gives them the ball back."

Etc.

? The Gophers have not had a 100-yard rusher in four consecutive games, which is the longest such streak since 1998 when they went seven consecutive games without someone rushing for 100 yards.

? Several Gophers players have tickets to the Vikings' Monday night game against New England to watch former teammate Laurence Maroney, who is a rookie running back for the Patriots.


Chip Scoggins ? [email protected]
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http://www.startribune.com/512/story/764338.html
 
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CPD

OHIO STATE INSIDER

Buckeyes back at full strength

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Doug Lesmerises

Plain Dealer Reporter

Columbus- David Patterson, coming off surgery, and Ray Small, coming out of the doghouse, should both be back on the field Saturday, and despite walking around in a soft boot, Ted Ginn Jr. will be there, too.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said Tuesday that Patterson, a starting defensive tackle who had arthroscopic surgery after spraining a ligament in his knee against Bowling Green, is back at full speed after sitting out wins over Michigan State and Indiana. And Small, a freshman receiver, will return to face Minnesota after missing last week's game because of a disciplinary suspension handed down by Tressel.
Then there's Ginn, Ohio State's leading receiver who managed to catch five passes for 72 yards against Indiana despite playing with a broken toe on his right foot suffered in practice last Wednesday.
"That didn't affect his play Saturday and I'm sure it won't affect his play this Saturday," Tressel said, "but people do see him walking around with a little boot on.
"I'm not the doctor. I'm the coach. He's playing. I can be trumped by the doctor, but all indications are he'll be fine."
Ginn leads the Buckeyes with 41 catches and seven receiving touchdowns. With 589 receiving yards, he's 2 yards behind teammate Anthony Gonzalez.
Hartline wins:
After a failed campaign for the award several weeks ago, when he blocked two Iowa Hawkeyes on a Gonzalez touchdown, Brian Hartline finally won the Jack Tatum hit of the week for his tackle on Indiana's Marcus Thigpen on a kickoff return Saturday. The hit knocked Thigpen out of the game.
"He is 150 pounds wet, running down the field to drill somebody," OSU linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "He knocked a guy 5 yards back and took one of their playmakers out of the game, so it was a huge momentum swing. He definitely deserved the award for that hit."
Defensive end Jay Richardson and cornerback Antonio Smith also were put up for hits against the Hoosiers.
Laurinaitis loses:
Laurinaitis was shaking his head over Saturday's call that ruled he hit Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis out of bounds, resulting in a 15-yard penalty.
"I was trying to hold up, but I tripped over Curtis [Terry]," Laurinaitis said. "The coaches told me if I'm going to get a late-hit penalty, at least hit him. You can see me jump and then I kind of hold back, and he's 170 pounds, so he fell over. But you've got to play smart. It was a late hit, they called it, and I'm not going to fight with the refs."
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LINK

Preview: Minnesota at No. 1 Ohio State
Associated Press
Wed, Oct 25, 2006

Ohio State is headed for a Big Ten showdown that could put it in the national championship game. The top-ranked Buckeyes, though, know they have plenty of work to do before that happens.
The Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0) look to extend the longest winning streak in the country when they host struggling Minnesota (3-5, 0-4) on Saturday. The Buckeyes are 27-point favorites and the total is set at 50.
Ohio State has won its last 15 games, including Saturday`s 44-3 rout of Indiana. The Buckeyes are ranked first in the BCS standings and have been atop the AP poll for nine straight weeks, one shy of the school record to start a season set in 1969.
Unbeaten Michigan is ranked No. 2 in both the AP poll and the BCS standings. The Buckeyes and Wolverines wrap up their season with a highly anticipated matchup in Columbus that will likely earn the winner a trip to the BCS championship game - provided both teams remain undefeated until then.
The Buckeyes face the Golden Gophers, Illinois and Northwestern, who have a combined seven wins, in the weeks leading up to the Michigan matchup, and the Wolverines have a similarly easy schedule. Ohio State, however, knows that a lot could happen in those three weeks.
``We learned early that every team will give you its best,`` quarterback Troy Smith said. ``You can never take a game or a week off en route to get to the national championship game.``
Wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez agreed.
``As great as it feels now, it would feel twice as bad if we lost, you know?`` he said. ``Yeah, it feels great right now, but in all honesty, we haven`t done anything yet. Nobody`s getting a ring for what we`ve done thus far.``
Smith threw touchdowns to four receivers against the Hoosiers, and has thrown for 21 TDs and just two interceptions this season. The Heisman candidate trails only Bobby Hoying (29) and Joe Germaine (25) on the school`s all-time list for touchdown passes in a season.
``We`re an equal-opportunity employer,`` said coach Jim Tressel, whose team recorded 270 yards passing and 270 rushing. ``We`ll throw it to whoever`s open.``
The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten with 34.9 points per game and rank second in the league with 410.1 yards per contest. The defense has been equally impressive, and is tied with LSU for first in the nation with 8.3 points allowed per game.
Cornerback Antonio Smith recorded a career-high 12 tackles, four for a loss, one sack and one forced fumble against the Hoosiers. Ohio State, which has posted wins over then-No. 2 Texas, then-No. 24 Penn State and then-No. 13 Iowa, has outscored opponents by 26.6 points per game and has not let a team come within 17 points.
``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.``
The Gophers snapped a four-game losing streak with Saturday`s 10-9 win over North Dakota State. Minnesota, however, needed a blocked field goal to earn the narrow victory over a Division I-AA team.
``Well, I don`t really know where to start,`` coach Glen Mason said. ``It`s one of those games where you`ve been outcoached and been outplayed but you win the football game. I`ve been on the other side.``
Minnesota was outgained 380-249 by NDSU and has managed just 22 points in its last two games. The Gophers` losing streak included defeats to Michigan, Penn State and No. 17 Wisconsin.
The Gophers, who still have games against Michigan State and Iowa, must go 3-1 to finish the season to be eligible for a bowl game.
``We are going to have to play like NDSU did today when we play Ohio State,`` center Tony Brinkhaus said. ``We have to go in thinking that we have a chance. Nobody is going to give us a chance, just like nobody gave (NDSU) a chance.``
Ohio State leads the series with Minnesota 38-7 and has won the last three meetings.
Mason, a former Ohio State player, was one of two finalists for the Ohio State job when Jim Tressel was hired in 2001.
``The Minnesota coach would love to beat Ohio State,`` Buckeyes 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.``
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DDN

Buckeyes looking ahead? Maybe just a little

By Kyle Nagel
Staff Writer

Wednesday, October 25, 2006
COLUMBUS ? Just as a fan of college football, Antonio Smith knows about Michigan. A defensive back for top-ranked and 8-0 Ohio State, Smith said he realizes that Michigan is ranked No. 2 and also is 8-0.
"You know Michigan is a great football team, and after the game you might catch up on some games, maybe where they play Saturday," Smith said. "We see the rankings, but that doesn't mean anything to us. We have to get better as a team."


With three games left ? beginning with 3-5 Minnesota on Saturday at Ohio Stadium ? until the Nov. 18 matchup between Ohio State and Michigan in Columbus, you would understand if some stray thoughts from the Buckeyes focused on the maize and blue.
Even OSU coach Jim Tressel would understand.
"I think there's a little part of them that that's the reason they came to Ohio State or that's the reason they went to Michigan, was to play in games like that," Tressel said. "So, yeah, humans sometimes ask themselves why they're up at six in the morning working like mad and things flash through your mind like games like that.
"But then quickly you need to say, OK, I've got to get back and have proper technique on this set of squats. But I think humans do that. We all do."
 
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