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Game Thread Game One: #1 Ohio State 35, Northern Illinois 12 (9/2/06)

Zurp, I gotta give Mili a bit of support here. In this context, a win might mean keeping Wolfe in the national spotlight to help with the recruiting for next year. We are talking a MAC school that doesn't have many players that get this much national attention. He's a possible Heisman candidate and they will do whatever they can to keep him in that running, in my opinion, because it serves not only his interests but their other interests as well.

No, Zurp is right. Our coach is interested in winning games and our goal this year is to win the MAC. We need to keep Wolfe healthy for that, and the coach doesn't care about statistics. If we're getting drilled it would be completely silly to leave Wolfe in there. We have plenty of backup RBs that could use some playing time, that have looked good during practice. It would be good to get them some experience. Or he might let Wolfe keep playing but split carries during the game so he's not carrying the ball 30+ times like he did in a lot of games last year.
 
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No, Zurp is right. Our coach is interested in winning games and our goal this year is to win the MAC. We need to keep Wolfe healthy for that, and the coach doesn't care about statistics. If we're getting drilled it would be completely silly to leave Wolfe in there. We have plenty of backup RBs that could use some playing time, that have looked good during practice. It would be good to get them some experience. Or he might let Wolfe keep playing but split carries during the game so he's not carrying the ball 30+ times like he did in a lot of games last year.
+1
 
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Riiiiiight. 93 < 100. Word.
That definitely paints a basically-impossible picture for Wolfe reaching 100... never mind the fact that Sutton averaged 6.6 a pop and was sidelined with an injury with 13 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

I think Wolfe will have a little success, 32 carries for 118 yards... but it won't matter as the offense runs all over the defense. 37-21.
 
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Some of us have wandered over to the NIU board, but I dont think anyone is outright talking smack (although I was accused of being arrogant for thinking the Bucks would cover the spread:roll2: ) I've tried to be respectful and from what I've seen others there from here have as well.

I agree. For the most part, we have been pretty well received on the NIU board. Maybe a blip here and there, which is to be expected as there will always be those predisposed to hate tOSU, but nothing to get anyone's panties in a bunch. (I'll give G-Force a pass on his rant. It happens to the best of us every once in a while.)

I also feel that most of the posters over there have appreciated the information we have given them regarding a trip to Columbus and what to expect from fans in the Horseshoe.
 
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That definitely paints a basically-impossible picture for Wolfe reaching 100... never mind the fact that Sutton averaged 6.6 a pop and was sidelined with an injury with 13 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

I think Wolfe will have a little success, 32 carries for 118 yards... but it won't matter as the offense runs all over the defense. 37-21.
I don't think Novak would stick with the run that long if that plays out. Unless we have a late TD, a 16 point games is only 2 scores. We wouldn't give up on the run because going A. going 1 dimensional would mean certain doom and B. Wolfe's big play ability, but I think it would be around the 23-26 carry range. I don't see him getting that many carries for only that amount of yards.

I will say if Wolfe gets over 30 carries he will be around 160-200 yards, and NIU will be in it until the end.
 
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I agree. For the most part, we have been pretty well received on the NIU board. Maybe a blip here and there, which is to be expected as there will always be those predisposed to hate tOSU, but nothing to get anyone's panties in a bunch. (I'll give G-Force a pass on his rant. It happens to the best of us every once in a while.)

I also feel that most of the posters over there have appreciated the information we have given them regarding a trip to Columbus and what to expect from fans in the Horseshoe.
It is much appreciated. Thanks.

Oh and thanks for the pass on the rant. :biggrin:
 
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Link

<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td valign="top">NIU's plan: Give it to Garrett
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[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Published: Wednesday, August 23, 2006[/FONT]
<uppercase>BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS </uppercase>

DEKALB — Coach Joe Novak is taking his time in considering who starts at quarterback for Northern Illinois.
Could be Phil Horvath, could be Dan Nicholson.
The guy expected to run the ball most of the time, well, that's a no-brainer.
Garrett Wolfe, the leading returning rusher in NCAA Div. I, is the Huskies tailback, one of their captains and probably the main reason why NIU was picked to win the Mid-American Conference championship.
<table align="left"><tbody><tr><td align="center"> </td></tr> <tr><td align="center"> Click for larger view. </td> <td height="1" width="5">
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</td> </tr> </tbody></table> Wolfe, pint-sized for major college football at 5-foot-7, 177 pounds, recently was named to the 35-person watch list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. Wolfe, a senior who averaged 175.6 rushing yards a season ago and has amassed 3,286 yards in 20 career games, also is a fringe Heisman Trophy candidate. Reggie Bush won both awards a season ago.
"The Heisman talk is well-deserved," Novak said. "He's got to have 12 great games."
Wolfe usually lets others, or his actions on the field, explain his value. He doesn't talk himself up much. Except as a blocker.
"I've never given up a sack in my career," said Wolfe. "I haven't let anyone get to the quarterback. That's actually something I've come to enjoy. ... A lot of guys think, because of my size and stature, that they're going to come and run me over. When we run and meet, it's kind of a different thing."
Wolfe's "bring it on" attitude also encapsulates the Huskies as a whole. They fear little in the scheduling department. NIU upset Alabamba on the Crimson Tide's home turf a couple of seasons back, played Michigan tough in the Big House a season ago, opens this season at Ohio State and plays at Iowa in late October. Tennessee is on the horizon for 2007.
"If we catch any of 'em sleeping, you never know," Novak said.
The Huskies could be the best Division I team in the state right now. Ron Zook is rebuilding at Illinois, and NIU a season ago lost a one-point game against Northwestern after missing a late two-point conversion at Evanston.
NIU still is searching, however, for its first outright MAC title under Novak. The Huskies went 7-5 and reached the conference title game a season ago, falling to Akron by a point.
The Huskies are the media's choice this time to win the championship game. "I'd rather be the underdog," Novak said. "I remember going to media day in 1997 and sitting at a table by myself. It's nice to get attention, but it's also a bullseye."
The Huskies need to shore up their defense; their pass rush and pass defense sometimes were problematic in 2005. And they need to settle on a quarterback.
Horvath, a senior, is a good game-manager who put up 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions a season ago before breaking his left arm — his non-throwing limb — this past November. Nicholson, then a redshirt freshman, led the Huskies to three wins down the stretch. He has a stronger arm, but much less experience.

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That definitely paints a basically-impossible picture for Wolfe reaching 100... never mind the fact that Sutton averaged 6.6 a pop and was sidelined with an injury with 13 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

And he got 37 of those yards in the first drive, including 34 on one carry (IIRC there was a missed--not broken--tackle or two). I suppose that we're lucky that Basanez didn't throw for 500 yards on us, too, seeing as he led NW right down the field for a score on the first drive. :roll1:

It was pretty obvious that Sutton wasn't the primary focus of the defense, and despite that it held him in check the rest of the game after Heacock made one of his famous "post-first-drive" adjustments. I doubt that we'll be focusing on Horvath like we were on Basanez.

Now through some more don't-mean-shit stats out there, randy jr...
 
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I'm guessing you can come up with an excuse why Anthony Davis doesn't count, either. The point is gaining 100 yards is not impossible against OSU. It might not be a meaningful 100, (especially if it includes one of those long runs which never seems to count to you) but given Wolfe's homerun ability and our susceptibility on first drives, I can see it happening.

I can see him having good success on drive one (say 40 yards, perhaps w/ one 20+ run). Then he has the rest of the game to pick up 60 yards (20-25 carries = 2.4-3.0 avg run... pretty easy to accomplish, since it's not that great).

My prediction: A good day against a green set of LBs, and he gets 125. If our run D is in mid-season form, he falls just short at like 95.
 
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I'm guessing you can come up with an excuse why Anthony Davis doesn't count, either. The point is gaining 100 yards is not impossible against OSU. It might not be a meaningful 100, (especially if it includes one of those long runs which never seems to count to you) but given Wolfe's homerun ability and our susceptibility on first drives, I can see it happening.

I can see him having good success on drive one (say 40 yards, perhaps w/ one 20+ run). Then he has the rest of the game to pick up 60 yards (20-25 carries = 2.4-3.0 avg run... pretty easy to accomplish, since it's not that great).

My prediction: A good day against a green set of LBs, and he gets 125. If our run D is in mid-season form, he falls just short at like 95.
yea.. we do have 9 "green" guys on D.. some more green then others, although its a very fast and ball hawking set of inexperienced players.. and the speed may be more than enough to make up for expierence
 
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