Upset? Not this time
Buckeyes cruise after early error
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Troy Smith takes advantage of a Kirk Barton block and passes under pressure from Michigan State?s Brandon Long. He completed two touchdown passes.
Quinn Pitcock and the Ohio State defense kept the pressure on quarterback Drew Stanton, who was sacked three times and intercepted once.
EAST LANSING, Mich. ? Their resolve grew all week. Every time they heard about top-ranked Ohio State teams losing to Michigan State, the more determined the Buckeyes were that it wouldn?t happen again.
But just three plays into the game yesterday, their heart was tested. When running back Chris Wells fumbled at the OSU 31-yard line and the Spartans recovered, the specter of losses in 1974 and 1998 suddenly loomed.
"You hear all week about all the other teams that were No. 1 and lost to these guys, and we?ve been saying, ?Hey, this is a different year, this is a time for us,? " linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "And something bad like that happens on the first drive, and you?re thinking, ?Oh shoot.? "
But this is a different year and a different team, as evidenced by what happened next. The Buckeyes not only kept the Spartans out of the end zone, they pushed them out of field-goal range and forced a punt.
The Buckeyes then drove 80 yards for a touchdown. It was basically over after that, as the firedup visitors nearly pitched a shutout in a 38-7 victory in a rapidly emptying Spartan Stadium whose occupants were much more concerned about the outcome of the Detroit Tigers game than watching a thoroughly dispirited Michigan State crew.
"Our defense did a really good job of turning them away with nothing," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said, "and really from that point on, we took over the tempo of the game."
Tressel was right, which is amazing for how early in the game the turning point came.
Michigan State (3-4, 0-3) lost its fourth straight because it could not run or pass on OSU?s defense, which was missing two opening-day starters to injury but played its best game of the season.
The Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0) battered and bruised Spartans quarterback Drew Stanton (8-of-16 passing, 54 yards and an interception). He left the game after sliding headfirst into a cooler on the sideline in the third quarter.
Running back Jehuu Caulcrick also wasn?t a factor (45 yards on 15 carries), and the Spartans were limited to 198 yards. Their score came when they were down 38-0, with 1:07 left in the game, ruining the Buckeyes? chance for their first shutout since 2003.
"Our defensive staff did a good job coming up with some new concepts that maybe they hadn?t faced from us," Tressel said. "That confused them a little bit."
Offensively, everybody chipped in for Ohio State, which increased its win streak to 14, the longest in the nation. Five players scored: Anthony Gonzalez, Antonio Pittman, Wells, Brian Robiskie and Ted Ginn Jr.
Two of those touchdowns (Gonzalez and Robiskie) were on passes from Troy Smith, who was 15 of 22 for 234 yards with no interceptions. Two were rushing, by Pittman and Wells.
And one was by special teams, a 60-yard runback by Ginn in the second quarter that made it 17-0. It was Ginn?s first return touchdown of the year and sixth punt return score of his career, setting the Big Ten record.
"Someone else will come along and break it, and that?s great," Ginn said. "You?re only here for a short time in your life, so just go out and have fun with it."
But the beginning was what spelled the end for Michigan State.
On first down after recovering the fumble, Stanton completed a pass inside the Buckeyes 1. But the Spartans were called for holding.
On second down, Terry Love dropped a pass. On third, Laurinaitis sacked Stanton for a 16-yard loss.
Pushed to the 41, the Spartans punted.
"You get that opportunity ? and you?re not going to get many opportunities with that good of a football team ? you need something positive to happen to you, which the turnover was," Michigan State coach John L. Smith said. "We need to capitalize on it. We lost a little wind."
Ohio State moved 80 yards in 12 plays. Pittman squirted over from 2 yards for the 7-0 lead, and the Buckeyes were on their way. Seventeen second-quarter points ended all doubt.
It also ended any haunting thoughts about a woundedbut-dangerous Spartans team clubbing the Buckeyes? national-title hopes.
"We had heard all week about that, and it was kind of our goal or our mission, as challenged to us by Troy, to not let that happen," Gonzalez said. "This is the 2006 team, and we?re going to be different.
"I felt like people automatically assumed we were going to have a letdown. I don?t think this group of guys is going to do something like that."
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The hits just keep on coming for Stanton
QB struggles, then is knocked out of game
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Shawn Mitchell
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Spartans quarterback Drew Stanton (5) feels the pain after a sack by Quinn Pitcock in the second quarter.
EAST LANSING, Mich. ? After suffering through one of the roughest days of his otherwise impressive career at Michigan State, quarterback Drew Stanton was looking forward to the opportunity to turn his season around next week by winning at Northwestern.
He seemed pretty excited about watching some late-season football, too.
"The nice thing is that (Ohio State and Michigan) are going to play each other at the end of the season," Stanton said. "No disrespect to Ohio State, but Michigan?s defense is comparable to Ohio State?s defense of last year. Fortunately, we get to see those two teams play, and it?s going to be one heck of a football game."
Stanton and the Spartans have lost four straight, including a 31-13 defeat last Saturday at Michigan. He didn?t get to finish the game yesterday. He was replaced in the third quarter by sophomore Brian Hoyer after suffering a strained neck when he collided with a cooler on the Ohio State sideline. He was run out of bounds on the play by linebacker Marcus Freeman.
Already nursing injuries to his thumb and ribs, Stanton was hobbled in the second quarter after being sacked by defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock. That hit left him stiff and contributed to a subpar performance. The senior from Farmington Hills, Mich., entered the game averaging 198 yards per game but finished with only 54 on 8-of-16 passing.
He also threw an off-balance pass across the field that was picked off by Freeman in the second quarter. Ohio State scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession and took a 24-0 lead.
"You try not to let it affect you," Stanton said. "You have to move on and try to play the next play. I think the important thing is not to try and press. That interception, that linebacker made a great play on it."
Stanton?s fortunes weren?t helped by the rash of injuries that has hit his offensive line. The Spartans used their fourth combination of starters on the line yesterday. Stanton was sacked three times and Hoyer once.
"We had trouble blocking them, without a doubt," Michigan State coach John L. Smith said.
Although his career record as a starter fell to 11-14, Stanton is one of the nation?s most efficient passers and is expected to be an NFL draft pick. He is more concerned with preventing Michigan State (3-4) from finishing with a losing record for the third straight season.
"If you step back and look at our season, we still have a lot left to play for," Stanton said. "We have gone up against some of the best teams in the Big Ten and in the nation, and we have a better understanding of what we need to do.
"It?s not time to start hitting the panic button or start pointing fingers. We just have to stick together and do whatever it takes to win."
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Bucks roll over MSU
Sunday, October 15, 2006
[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By TIM MARTIN Associated Press Writer[/FONT]
Ohio State wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. leaves Michigan State?s Otis Wiley behind during the first quarter Saturday. Ginn returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown to help the Buckeyes win, 38-7.
EAST LANSING, Mich. Top-ranked Ohio State has Heisman Trophy contender Troy Smith, the explosive Ted Ginn Jr. and a potent running game.
The Buckeyes' defense doesn't get as much publicity, but it can be just as dominant as their offense.
The Ohio State defense battered and bruised Michigan State in a 38-7 victory Saturday. The Buckeyes (7-0, 3-0) narrowly missed a shutout, giving up a meaningless TD to the reeling Spartans (3-4, 0-3) with just more than a minute left to play.
The victory extends the nation's longest winning streak to 14 games, and the Buckeyes appear to have a fairly clear path in the Big Ten until it hosts No. 4 Michigan in the last game of the regular season Nov. 18.
The Buckeyes - despite heavy losses from last year's defense - are allowing just nine points per game.
"I face them all the time in practice," Smith said of his buddies on defehse. "They make me better every day."
Smith did nothing to hurt his Heisman Trophy candidacy, smoothly leading the Ohio State offense. He completed 15-of-22 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns.
Anthony Gonzalez caught seven passes for 118 yards and a TD, while Ginn returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown.
Michigan State entered the game averaging 31 points per contest. But the Spartans gained just 79 yards in the first half and trailed 24-0 at the break.
The Spartans had upset the Buckeyes the last two times they played with Ohio State ranked No. 1 - in 1974 and 1998.
There was no threat of a similar upset Saturday.
Michigan State won three straight to start the season, including a quality win at Pitt. But the Spartans have struggled since blowing a 16-point, fourth-quarter lead and losing to Notre Dame on Sept. 23. They've now lost four straight, making coach John L. Smith's future with the school somewhat murky.
The Spartans had an early chance to steal momentum from Ohio State, recovering Chris Wells' fumble at the Buckeyes' 31 just three plays into the game. But a holding penalty and a sack took the Spartans out of scoring range.
"We had an opportunity early," John L. Smith said. "We needed to capitalize on it. We didn't capitalize on it."
Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis made the sack on quarterback Drew Stanton, throwing him for a 16-yard loss.
"We were in control the whole game," Laurinaitis said. "But that first sack turned momentum around."
Ohio State responded with an 80-yard, 12-play drive - capped by a 2-yard touchdown run by Antonio Pittman - to take a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. A 37-yard catch by Ginn, who broke a tackle near midfield, moved the Buckeyes into Michigan State territory.
Michigan State drove to the Ohio State 36 early in the second quarter, but failed on a fourth-and-2 on a draw by Stanton.
Ohio State then marched downfield and took a 10-0 lead on Aaron Pettrey's 32-yard field goal.
Stanton was jarred by Ohio State defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock on the Spartans' next possession, appearing to hurt his back. Stanton was knocked out of the game for good midway through the third quarter, hitting his head on a large sideline Gatorade container after a hit by linebacker Marcus Freeman.
He walked back to the Michigan State sideline under his own power, but was replaced by backup Brian Hoyer on the Spartans' next possession. Stanton is expected to be OK but has a sore neck and back, Smith said.
Michigan State defensive back Greg Cooper was carted off the field in the third quarter after tackling Pittman. Cooper briefly lost consciousness but is responding and moving, Michigan State officials said. He was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
The Spartans played the entire game without leading rusher Javon Ringer (knee) and receiver Matt Trannon (ankle).
Stanton completed 8 of 16 passes for 54 yards. He was intercepted by Freeman in the second quarter.
Ginn's punt return made it 17-0 with about five minutes left in the first half, taking Michigan State out of it for good.
"Getting that punt return for a touchdown was gigantic," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. The Buckeyes have won five straight against Michigan State.
