Game Thread Game Seven: #1 Ohio State 38, Michigan State 7 (10/14/06)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Published October 15, 2006
MSU-Ohio State notebook: Buckeyes add to MSU's pain

Stanton, Cooper among Spartans injured Saturday

By Tim Kirby and Todd Schulz
Lansing State Journal


EAST LANSING - A bruised and beaten Michigan State football team took a few more lumps in Saturday's 38-7 loss to No.1-ranked Ohio State.
Senior quarterback Drew Stanton, who was nursing sore ribs before the game, left with a strained neck. Senior cornerback Greg Cooper suffered a "mild head injury," associate athletic director John Lewandowski said.
Neither injury was considered serious.


Stanton injured his back when he was sacked by Ohio State's Quinn Pitcock in the second quarter. Stanton returned to the game and played until MSU's second series of the third quarter, when he was hurt on a third-down scramble. Tackled on the Buckeyes' sideline, Stanton slid into a plastic cooler and had to leave the game.
He was replaced by Brian Hoyer for the remainder of the game.
"I just got whiplashed," Stanton said afterward.
Cooper was injured while attempting to make a tackle late in the third quarter. He left the field on a cart but acknowledged the crowd's concern as he was being driven off.
"I'm praying for him," sophomore safety Otis Wiley said. "He's a warrior. Hopefully, he'll get back as soon as possible."
Wiley also played with a cast on his right wrist and thumb, which he injured last week against Michigan.
"It's throbbing," he said his hand injuries. "Middle of the game, I was saying, 'I don't care if it breaks, I'm just going to play hard.' "
The Spartans also played without senior receiver Matt Trannon (ankle), as well as running back Javon Ringer (knee) and left guard Daniel Zynn (broken ankle), both of whom are lost for the season.
Senior defensive tackle Clifton Ryan played despite having a strained calf muscle.
"We didn't even think I was going to be able to play a half," Ryan said. "I definitely wasn't 100 percent out there. I just felt I owed the team, the coaching staff and the program - to give them everything I had - so that's what I did."
LINE NOT FINE: The Spartans were forced to use their fourth different offensive line combination of the season due to a shoulder injury to junior tackle Mike Gyetvai.
Junior Pete Clifford, who missed two games earlier this season with a knee injury, started for Gyetvai. Clifford had played left guard for the majority of the season.
Junior Kenny Shane, who also missed two games this season with a back injury, started at left guard.
"You can't cry about it, because it's not gonna get any better," offensive line coach Dave Stoutland said of the injury situation earlier this week.
Junior center John Masters and redshirt freshman tackle Rocco Cironi entered the game for Kyle Cook and Clifford with the Spartans trailing 38-0.
STILL OUT: Injuries weren't the only issue for the Spartans.
Junior tight ends Kellen Davis and Eric Andino didn't dress for the second straight game because of disciplinary reasons.
Sophomore Dwayne Holmes started for the second straight week. Redshirt freshman Brandon Moss, a converted tackle, played extensively in the first half as a blocking tight end.
Junior Derrick Johnson, a converted linebacker, was listed as a tight end in the Spartans depth chart.
REAL GENIUS: Credit Buckeye wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez for calling his own number during a timeout that led to his touchdown catch in the second quarter.
Buckeyes quarterback Troy Smith threw to an open Gonzalez in the back of the end zone. Gonzalez made a leaping catch and managed to get one foot inbounds.
"That's why we call him 'The Wizard,' " Smith said. "If you give him a chance, he is going to do things that will just mesmerize you."
HONORARY SPARTAN: MSU sophomore David Nagy was given star treatment Saturday.
Nagy, 19, won a contest and had the MSU-Ohio State game named in his honor. He received on-field passes for himself and 10 friends, a free tailgate party and had his name displayed on the video board during halftime.
"As a lifelong Spartans fan, this is truly the ultimate football experience," Nagy said.
QUICK HITS: Sophomore quarterback Hoyer had career highs in passing yards (81), completions (11) and attempts (14). ... The attendance was 73,498. ... Senior receiver Jerramy Scott had three catches and now is tied for eighth in all-time receptions with 126.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

TheMorningJournal

Shredded Spartans
JASON LLOYD, Morning Journal Writer

10/15/2006


Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendly


EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Drew Stanton ran backwards 16 yards on Michigan State's first crucial play. By the end of the third quarter, he was on the bench, a winter hat on his head and an ice bag on the back of his neck.


It perfectly illustrated the woes of Michigan State this year, and the two vastly different directions these programs are headed. With another emphatic 38-7 win, Ohio State is well on its way to playing for a national championship. The Spartans -- and coach John L. Smith -- are just trying to survive this year with their jobs and health intact.

That didn't happen for Stanton. Already struggling with bruised ribs, he was battered by Ohio State's relentless defense, getting sacked three times and hit countless others. The final blow came from Jay Richardson in the third quarter, when he shoved Stanton out of bounds. Stanton skidded along Ohio State's sideline, slammed the back of his head into a cooler and didn't return.

By the time he left, the game was over.

Michigan State's best scoring chance came on the opening possession, when Chris Wells fumbled on third-and-short and the Spartans recovered on the 31.

They were ready to strike quickly. A throwback pass to tailback Jehuu Caulcrick on first down took the ball to the goal line, but a holding call on the play pushed it back to the 24. Still, Michigan State had a first down on the Ohio State 24, but couldn't score because Stanton tried eluding the blitz from Richardson and James Laurinaitis on third down and instead ran the Spartans right out of field goal range.

Laurinaitis eventually caught Stanton, back at the 41, and the Spartans were forced to punt. They never threatened again.

Stanton entered second in the Big Ten in total offense. He left yesterday 8-of-16 passing for 54 yards and an interception.

''That was the first time we'd done that in a while, put (the defense) in a predicament like that. They didn't blink,'' coach Jim Tressel said. ''They went out and flat stopped them to the point they couldn't kick a field goal. Then the offense took over and went down and scored. You talk about the tables being turned, that was huge.''

The stop was a clear momentum change for both sides. Ohio State escaped without allowing points, then marched 80 yards on 12 plays and took a 7-0 lead on Antonio Pittman's 2-yard touchdown run.

Ted Ginn added his first punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter, Anthony Gonzalez caught another touchdown and the Buckeyes had a 24-0 lead at halftime. The score sent some Michigan State fans to the exits early and left the rest booing inside Spartan Stadium.

''We had an opportunity or two early that we needed to capitalize on and we didn't, which made for a long day,'' Spartans coach John L. Smith said. ''I told my football team we're going to pull together. We've got five games left. If we prepare and play right ... and if we get a guy or two back (healthy), we're looking forward to the next five football games.''

So are the Buckeyes.

Michigan State appeared to be the last remaining viable roadblock until Michigan. The Buckeyes host Indiana next week, which pulled a stunning upset of Iowa yesterday, then they host Minnesota. Two road games follow against Northwestern and Illinois. Not counting the Illini's game against Ohio last night, the combined record of the next four opponents is 10-17. The only team with a winning record out of that group is Indiana at 4-3.

Ginn's 60-yard punt return was his first big play this year on special teams -- partly because it was one of the first times an opponent kicked to him. Michigan State punter Brandon Fields was successful in kicking away from Ginn in a strong 20 mph wind the rest of the day. But the one time he kicked to him, Ginn matched the 60-yard punt return for a touchdown he had two years ago on the same field.

''The return was called a right return and we returned it left for a touchdown. That shows you the design was extraordinary,'' Tressel joked. ''You give Teddy some space, he's as good as it gets.''

Ginn said he started to go right, but Michigan State's coverage dictated he cut it back left. In fact, Ginn wasn't even touched on the return. He received a block at the start from Gonzalez to free him, then was off down the left sideline. Fifteen of Ginn's 22 touchdowns at Ohio State have been for 56 yards or longer.

''I was so happy Gonzo picked up that one block for me,'' Ginn said. ''Then when I looked up, I saw all those green shirts and thought ?I can't go that way.' Then I just cut it back, saw a lane and took it.''

Troy Smith battled the gusty winds to go 15-of-22 for 234 yards and two touchdowns. As a team, the Buckeyes ran for 192 yards, although that was aided greatly by consecutive reverses run by Gonzalez and Ginn, which netted 45 of the 53 yards on the Buckeyes' fourth touchdown drive. It ended when Troy Smith shook out of the grasp of defensive end Ervin Baldwin and fired a strike to Brian Robiskie in the back of the end zone as linebacker David Herron Jr. was charging.

With another win, combined with the broken collarbone suffered by Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson yesterday, Smith's odds of winning the Heisman appear about as great as the Buckeyes' chances of winning the next four games. Smith now has 17 touchdown passes and just two interceptions while directing the No. 1 team in the country.

''The Heisman ordinarily goes to the best player on the best team,'' Gonzalez said. ''So if we're the best team, which I hope we are, I suppose he is the front runner.''

Troy Smith and Ohio State. Both appear to be runaway trains heading for destiny.

[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Spartans

NO. 1 OHIO STATE 38, MICHIGAN STATE 7: Lean green

Spartans overwhelmed, Stanton knocked out as skid hits four

October 15, 2006


BY SHANNON SHELTON
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

EAST LANSING -- Drew Stanton warned of this possibility last week.
If Michigan State played as poorly against Ohio State as it did against Michigan, Stanton said the game against the No. 1 Buckeyes "could get ugly."
The Spartan quarterback proved to be prophetic.
Ugly was falling behind, 24-0, at halftime on the way to a 38-7 loss. Only A.J. Jimmerson's late touchdown run saved the Spartans from an even uglier result.
Ugly was Stanton accidentally slamming his head against a Gatorade stand on the sidelines in the third quarter, forcing him to leave the game with a neck injury.
Ugly was cornerback Greg Cooper being carted off on a stretcher after taking a hit in the third quarter that left him briefly unconscious and questionable for next week.
And ugly was seeing entire sections of Spartan Stadium empty after disgusted fans began to leave their seats at halftime.
It was evident early that there would be no repeat of 1974 and 1998, when the Spartans upset No. 1 Buckeye teams caught off-guard or overly confident in their abilities. This Ohio State squad was ready, applying plenty of defensive pressure and moving the ball at will under the guidance of Heisman Trophy candidate Troy Smith.
Ohio State recorded four sacks of Stanton and his backup, Brian Hoyer, taking advantage of MSU's weakened offensive line, which was forced to start left guard Pete Clifford at left tackle in place of Mike Gyetvai, who injured his shoulder against Michigan. MSU's banged-up defense allowed 421 yards of offense to Ohio State, including Smith's 15-of-22 performance for 234 yards and two touchdowns.
MSU squandered the little bit of momentum it had early, setting the stage for Ohio State's scoring blitz in the second quarter.
The Spartans forced a turnover on the Buckeyes' first possession when linebacker David Herron forced freshman Chris Wells' fumble and Cooper made the recovery. But a dropped pass by Terry Love and a holding penalty killed MSU's possession.
Ohio State went ahead 7-0 on its next drive, and MSU again missed a chance to get in scoring position when the Spartans picked up two penalties on their next series and Dwayne Holmes dropped a pass.
"You're not gonna get many opportunities against that caliber of football team," said MSU coach John L. Smith. "You need something positive to happen to you, which the turnover was. We needed to capitalize on that, and when we didn't, we lost a little wind."
Those mistakes effectively took MSU out of the game. Ohio State scored three times in the second quarter to take a 24-0 halftime lead, then cruised through the second half.
Despite the gruesomeness of the hits Stanton took -- one in the back on a sack by Quinn Pitcock and the hit on the sidelines -- he appeared lucid while chatting with reporters after the game. Smith expects him to be ready against Northwestern on Saturday.
"He's a tough nut, he really is," Smith said.
Cooper was taken to a local hospital after his injury, but a signal he gave his teammates make them confident about his recovery.
"We're just praying for him," free safety Otis Wiley said. "He gave us a thumbs-up, and I know he's a warrior. I know he's doing good."
By that time, however, most of the fans were gone. Good thing -- it was as ugly as Stanton predicted.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Scout.com (Free)

Game wrap-up by Steve Helwagen.

Scout.com (Free)

Game picture gallery.

Scout.com$ (Steve Helwagen)

Smith, Gonzalez Help Power Offense At MSU.....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Rivals.com$ (Kevin Noon)

Game wrap-up.

Rivals.com$

Game photo gallery.

 

[Buckin' A]

What a great game to watch! I really enjoyed listening to those announcers...they acted like a bunch of kids they were having so much fun.

My favorite..."They better put somebody on Gonzo." "Heck, I'd even have somebody setting beside him when he is on the bench!"

 

[Best Buckeye]

I watched Aub vs, Fla, and Meech vs PS, and Wisc and the highlights of WV and USC and Louis.
This team LOOKed the most like the N01 team. No one else looked even close in execution. I hope Pittman's ankle was the run problem, we will need to run a lot better against tsun.

 

[Best Buckeye]

What a great game to watch! I really enjoyed listening to those announcers...they acted like a bunch of kids they were having so much fun.

My favorite..."They better put somebody on Gonzo." "Heck, I'd even have somebody setting beside him when he is on the bench!"

It's fun to watch the Bucks play
Mine was Mcguire (I think) saying
What a predicament for the Sparties. The buckeyes have the ball, 1st and goal from the 3 yard line, and they dont know which of 48 weapons is going to bet the ball.

 

[BearBuck27]

What a great game to watch! I really enjoyed listening to those announcers...they acted like a bunch of kids they were having so much fun.

My favorite..."They better put somebody on Gonzo." "Heck, I'd even have somebody setting beside him when he is on the bench!"

I like this crew a lot. Not that many like McGuire. I'm a big fan of his because he adds so much personality to the game. I like Nessler as the broadcast man as well, but I'm not a big fan of Griese.

 

[Best Buckeye]

I like this crew a lot. Not that many like McGuire. I'm a big fan of his because he adds so much personality to the game. I like Nessler as the broadcast man as well, but I'm not a big fan of Griese.

You probably dont like griese because of your well defined ability to use Esp to sniff out Purdue grads!

 

[sandgk]

Bob Griese graduated from Purdue.

 

[Best Buckeye]

Bob Griese graduated from Purdue.

Thanks for the correction.

 

[Zurp]

I like this crew a lot. Not that many like McGuire. I'm a big fan of his because he adds so much personality to the game. I like Nessler as the broadcast man as well, but I'm not a big fan of Griese.

There are definitely worse guys to broadcast a game. I'm of the opinion that most of those broadcast guys can only annoy me. If I'm not annoyed by the broadcasters, they're doing a decent job. I don't remember being annoyed with the guys yesterday.

 

[7 45 33 48]

I like this crew a lot. Not that many like McGuire. I'm a big fan of his because he adds so much personality to the game. I like Nessler as the broadcast man as well, but I'm not a big fan of Griese.

It is a pretty good crew. I use to hate McGuire when he was on ESPN games with Theisman and Patrick. It must have been Theisman and Patrick bringing him down. He has actually been tolerable since he left that crew. McGuire was gushing about the Buckeyes all day. I don't hate Griese as much as some people do and Nessler is one of the best play-by-play men in college football.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Ginn, OSU blow by Spartans
By ED PUSKAS Tribune Chronicle Sports Editor


EAST LANSING, Mich. ? The 1974 and 1998 Ohio State football teams didn?t show up at Spartan Stadium Saturday, but the 2006 Buckeyes and perhaps 30,000 of their fans did.

Top-ranked and unbeaten Ohio State avoided stumbling against Michigan State as those previous Buckeyes teams did, beating the fading Spartans, 38-7.

Quarterback Troy Smith passed for 234 yards and two touchdowns.

Five Ohio State players scored touchdowns, including Smith?s former Cleveland Glenville teammate Ted Ginn Jr., who returned a second-quarter punt 60 yards for a score.

??We did a lot of productive things, offensively and defensively,?? said Smith, who was 15-of-22 and survived a few early passes that were affected by a 20-mph wind.

Ohio State (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten Conference) led just 10-0 late in the first half, but Ginn?s punt return and Smith?s 12-yard pass to Gonzalez helped the Buckeyes to a 24-0 halftime lead.

Michigan State (3-4, 0-3), which has lost four in a row after a 3-0 start, had a chance to deliver an early blow against the nation?s No. 1 team.

Backup tailback Chris Wells fumbled after a hit by Spartans linebacker David Herron Jr. ? a Warren G. Harding High School graduate ? on Ohio State?s first possession. Michigan State?s Greg Cooper recovered at the Buckeyes? 31.

Spartans quarterback Drew Stanton hit running back Jehuu Caulcrick for a 17-yard gain to the 14 on the next play, but a holding call pushed Michigan State back to the 24.

Caulcrick lost a yard on a first-down run, Stanton threw incomplete on second down and took a 16-yard sack on third down. The sack took the Spartans out of field-goal range and forced them to punt.

??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,?? Michgan State coach John L. Smith said.

??We got something positive with the fumble, but we needed to capitalize on it.?

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said the series was critical in a game that, at first glance, wouldn?t seem to feature many benchmark moments.

??Our defense did a great job of turning them away with nothing,?? he said. ??From that point on, we took over the tempo of the game.?

The Buckeyes started with a 12-play, 80-yard drive on their next possession. Tailback Antonio Pittman capped the nearly six-minute drive with a two-yard touchdown.

Aaron Pettrey added a 32-yard field goal early in the second quarter to cap a drive aided by a 32-yard Smith-to-Gonzalez pass.

Exactly seven minutes later, Ginn returned Brandon Fields? booming 50-yard punt for a touchdown ? his Big Ten-record sixth punt return for a score ? and the rout was on.

Ginn had shared the record with former Iowa star Tim Dwight since last season. Gonzalez made a key block on the return to spring Ginn. The speedster started upfield to his right, then cut back inside the block by his teammate.

??I was just happy that Gonzalez picked up that one block for me,?? Ginn said. ??When I looked up, I saw all of those green shirts and I knew I couldn?t go that way. I cut it back, found a landing and took it.?

Gonzalez said Ginn called the punt return.

??We were sitting on the sidelines and Ted says, ?I am going to score,? ?? Gonzalez said. ??He got everyone up and was getting us going and excited. Sure enough, he catches the ball and goes.?

Gonzalez can catch the ball, too. He finished with seven receptions for 118 yards. His touchdown catch just before the half put the game out of reach for the reeling Spartans.

On third-and-10 from the 12, Smith stepped up in the pocket and delivered a strike ? directly over the outstretched arm of Herron ? to Gonzalez.

??I think the big thing with that is that it was such a great throw,?? Gonzalez said. ??It was one of those things where it was in a spot that only I could get it. That?s what is rewarding about playing with the best player in the country.?

Smith threw a 7-yard touchdown by to Brian Robiskie early in the third quarter to make it 31-0. Wells had a 5-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

The burly freshman led Ohio State with 53 yards on 12 carries, despite fumbling the first time he touched the ball Saturday.

Pittman had 48 yards on 18 carries.

The Buckeyes defense nearly took a shutout into the game?s final minute. The Spartans scored a meaningless touchdown with 1:07 to play on a 6-yard run by A.J. Jimmerson.

Ohio State played without starting defensive tackle David Patterson, who had arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday.

Fellow defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock had two of the Buckeyes? four sacks of Stanton and backup quarterback Brian Hoyer. Stanton appeared to injure his back after one of Pitcock?s sacks, and was knocked out of the game on a brutal ? and clean ? hit by linebacker Marcus Freeman midway through the third quarter.

Stanton was 8-of-16 for just 54 yards. Hoyer was 11-of-14 for 81 yards. The Spartans finished with just 198 total yards.

Ohio State hosts Indiana at noon next Saturday. The Hoosiers upset Iowa, 31-28, Saturday. Michigan State visits Northwestern at noon on Saturday.