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

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Was Skinner playing in place of Barton in the BG game? I thought it was Schafer. Whoever it was I thought most of our protection problems came from the right side which forced Smith to step up into the DT's pass rush. If it was Schafer (and he was having problems) a whole week of practice on the right side would help him out a lot since he's used to the left side and would take a little bit to adjust.

But that all might be irrelevant if Skinner plays there, in which case how big is the PT that the second string line has gotten in big games like Texas this year. You gotta love how deep the Buckeyes are becoming (even though the sooner Barton is 100% again the better).
 
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Spartans can save season vs. OSU

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Posted: October 9, 2006

Associated Press

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- John L. Smith knows opportunity is knocking for his Michigan State players and coaches.
He also knows the next opponent, No. 1-ranked Ohio State, can knock the Spartans out if they don't play better than they have the last three weeks.
And if Michigan State (3-3, 0-2 Big Ten) doesn't turn things around and at least make a bowl game, Smith understands he could be out of a job as head coach.
"I think we have to show up," Smith said Monday. "That's pretty evident, isn't it. I kind of believe that. That's the word that has been passed on, isn't it?"
Smith said he hasn't been told that by anyone who could make a coaching change. But with a 131-81 record in 17 1/2 seasons, including a 21-21 mark with the Spartans, he has been around long enough to recognize reality.
Michigan State was 3-0, held a 37-21 lead over Notre Dame and had a combined 154-81 edge in scoring after 15 quarters this season. Over the past nine quarters it is 0-3 and has been outscored 73-33.
"I told our players, 'Look at when we play right. Look at when we execute,"' Smith said at his weekly press conference. "But we can't afford to drop five balls. We have to be more disciplined and not have an offside or a motion penalty. We have to play more correctly. Then, we can play with people."
The Spartans had 11 penalties in losing to Michigan 31-13 Saturday for the 29th time in the last 37 meetings. And it won't be easy to play with the elite when several of his people are injured or suspended.
Before and after praising the 6-0 Buckeyes in every way, Smith said no decision will be made for six to eight weeks on a second knee surgery for another Ohioan, star running back Javon Ringer.
Smith also said the team's No. 2 receiver, Matt Trannon, is doubtful for this game with an ankle injury, while the No. 1 and No. 3 tight ends, Kellen Davis and Eric Andino, remain suspended indefinitely.
"I think we're battered and bruised a little bit," Smith said. "But I think our attitude (Sunday) night was good. I think we went to the field and worked out as well as we can. I know they're thinking, 'OK, we're all going to have to play a little more and play a little harder."'
Michigan State has beaten a top-ranked Ohio State team twice -- 16-13 in 1974, one of wildest finishes in college football history when the result wasn't known for 45 minutes after the game, and 28-24 in 1998, when the Spartans rallied from a 24-9 deficit in Columbus.
Last season in Ohio Stadium, Michigan State led 17-7, then botched a field goal in every way possible and had it returned for a touchdown on the last play of the half.
Even after a televised meltdown heading into the locker room, Smith saw his team lead 24-21 with 4:57 left. But the Buckeyes scored on a long pass, forced a turnover and added an insurance TD in a misleading 35-24 triumph that the Spartans dominated statistically.
 
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Trannon out for OSU game

Ryan, Herron both probable, Ringer might redshirt


By STEVE HIGHFIELD

The State News
After losing three consecutive games, it doesn't get any easier for the MSU football team. The Spartans host No. 1 Ohio State this weekend, and they'll be doing so with several key players either out or injured. Senior wide receiver Matt Trannon was carted off the field with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 31-13 loss to Michigan. Although the injury isn't severe, it's unlikely he'll suit up against the Buckeyes.
"Trannon is probably a week away," head coach John L. Smith said Monday at his weekly press conference. "I would not expect him to be ready."
Freshman T.J. Williams was listed as the starter in Trannon's place on Monday's depth chart.
Three other defensive starters who were banged up in last week's game appear to be healthy enough to play this week.
Senior defensive tackle Clifton Ryan suffered a calf contusion Saturday, but he was able to return and play through it before exiting in the fourth quarter.
"He'll be ready," Smith said. "He got a lot of the swelling out. It's looking like he should be ready to go."
Sophomore free safety Otis Wiley sprained his thumb early in the U-M game but was able to play through it and record eight tackles. He wore a cast on it during the second half and said he'll play against Ohio State wearing a similar cast.
Despite suffering a concussion in Saturday's game, senior linebacker David Herron Jr. told the coaches Sunday that he'd be able to play against the nation's No. 1 team, Smith said.
Senior quarterback Drew Stanton, who was nursing bruised ribs, avoided any further injury despite rushing seven times and getting sacked once.
"My body feels real good," Stanton said. "My overall health is as good as it's been all season long."
Still suspended
Juniors Kellen Davis and Eric Andino ? MSU's first- and second-string tight ends ? both remain suspended from the team after being late scratches from the U-M game.
"They're not with the football team at this point," Smith said. "They're suspended until further notice."
Smith didn't elaborate on what caused the suspensions.
With Davis out, sophomore Dwayne Holmes was called upon more against U-M and will step into the starting role against Ohio State.
"You've never played 50 plays before ? you've played 20," Smith said, referring to Holmes. "But you're going to have to play 50."
Smith also was forced to use freshman offensive tackle Rocci Cironi as a backup tight end against U-M.
Redshirting Ringer?
Sophomore running back Javon Ringer might not need surgery on the right knee he injured in the first half of the Illinois game, Smith said.
Ringer, who tore the same ACL in high school, will wait six to eight weeks to see how his knee feels and will then make a decision.
"If it's tight, no surgery," Smith said. "If it's not, we're no worse for wear. We've got to go back in and do (the surgery)."
Ringer will not play this season, whether he undergoes surgery or not.
Under NCAA rules, players who suffer season-ending injuries in the first half of a season are eligible for a medical redshirt. Ringer's injury occurred in the fifth game of the year, so he could be granted a redshirt and have three years of eligibility left. Smith said MSU will pursue that option.
 
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Without Trannon I like the way our DBs match-up with their recievers...I'd be surprised if Stanton throws under 30 times this game, and maybe even 40. If our front four can continue to get pressure, our secondary may be able to add to their amazing interception total.
 
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Buckeyes could make NCAA history
By JON SPENCER
For The Marion Star

COLUMBUS - Ohio State football historian Jack Park was on the Ohio Stadium sidelines snapping photographs eight years ago when one of the greatest seasons in school history went black.
The 8-0 and top-ranked Buckeyes blew a 24-9 lead to 28-point underdog Michigan State, falling 28-24. Thus ended what had appeared to be an inexorable drive to the 1998 national championship.
It's a nightmare that will be dredged up over and over again this week as Ohio State puts its No. 1 ranking and 13-game winning streak on the line against the Spartans in East Lansing on Saturday.

"I was taking pictures for the encyclopedia I was putting together," said Park, recalling Nov. 7, 1998. "The last thing on anybody's mind was that they'd lose that game. After the loss, I didn't want to use any of the pictures."

Park's mood is considerably brighter now. This season has pretty much been one Kodak moment after another, a collage of greatness.

This Ohio State team could become the first at the school to go wire-to-wire No. 1. In the process, it would also become the first two-time BCS national champion and, at 13-0, would finish with the best five-year winning percentage (.875, 56-8) in OSU history.

And if the Buckeyes finish 13-0 and win the national championship, they will have done so by winning two No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups along the way - and possibly three.

A number of different polls have been used down through the years to determine team rankings and national champions, making research difficult.

But according to information provided by NCAA assistant director of statistics J.D. Hamilton, based solely on the Associated Press rankings, only four schools - Notre Dame (1943), Army (1945), Texas (1963) and Nebraska (1971) - have won two No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdowns in the same season.

No team has ever won three.

The Buckeyes could become the first. They've already got that 24-7 win at No. 2 Texas in the books. Michigan has climbed into the top 5 and could be No. 2 by the time they renew their storied rivalry on Nov. 18. If OSU wins that, another No. 2 will be waiting in the BCS title game on Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz.

If the Buckeyes pull off that hat trick, they should shower coach Jim Tressel in bronze instead of Gatorade. That would be OK with Park.

"I expected him to do well and I had high expectations," said Park, who recommended Tressel by letter to Archie Griffin and former athletic director Andy Geiger when they were searching for John Cooper's replacement. "My wife is from Youngstown (where Tressel won four national titles with Youngstown State) and my mother-in-law told me five years before Jim was hired that he should be Ohio State's next coach, and she was right."

"His program is like a big corporation. It continues to churn out profits."

There's a better chance of Tressel trading in his sweater vests for tie-dye tank tops than reflecting on what might await at the end of the rainbow.

"We don't talk big picture outside of the first day we report," he said last week. "The only reason we talk big picture that day is it's the first time everyone is together."

Ohio State has already won seven national championships.

"You can never be satisfied," wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. said. "It's like being a millionaire. You want another million."
 
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Trannon to miss Ohio State

Stanton feeling back to strength after rib injury

By Tim Kirby
For the Lansing State Journal
EAST LANSING - Senior wide receiver Matt Trannon likely will not play on Saturday against Ohio State at Spartan Stadium.
True freshman T.J. Williams will replace Trannon, who was taken off on a cart in the fourth quarter during last Saturday's 31-13 loss to Michigan with an ankle injury.
"Trannon is probably a week away," coach John L. Smith said at his press conference Monday. "I would not expect Trannon to be able to go."

Senior defensive tackle Clifton Ryan (calf), sophomore safety Otis Wiley (thumb) and senior linebacker David Herron Jr. (concussion) all should be available against the Buckeyes.
"(Ryan) made sure to grab me and smack me around a little bit (Sunday) night and told me he'd be ready to go," Smith joked.
Wiley, who sprained his thumb on the second play against the Wolverines, will wear a cast this week.
"I didn't really know it was messed up like it is now," Wiley said. "But the second half, I put a cast on and am probably going to do the same thing this game."
Senior quarterback Drew Stanton, who suffered a rib injury two weeks ago against Illinois, said he is at full strength.
"My overall health is as good as its been all season long," Stanton said.
SUSPENSIONS: Starting tight end Kellen Davis, No. 3 tight end Eric Andino, and walk-on receivers Barre Mackie and Jeremy McGinnis have been suspended indefinitely for failing to meet team expectations, associate athletic director John Lewandowski said.
MSU coach John L. Smith provided no details when asked about his missing players. Davis and Andino were late scratches before Saturday's contest.
"They're not with the football team at this point," Smith said. "They're suspended until further notice, and I don't know when that will be."
Neither Davis nor Andino could be reached. Their phone numbers are restricted in MSU's campus information database, and their hometown numbers are unpublished.
Davis, a 6-foot-6, 253-pound junior from Adrian, has five catches for 48 yards and a TD this season. Andino (6-4, 233), of Arlington Heights, Ill., is a converted linebacker who has no receptions, but he has seen some action as a blocker.
Without them Saturday, MSU used backup tight end Dwayne Holmes extensively. Reserve tackle Rocco Cironi also came in as a tight end on a few plays. Smith said it's possible MSU will look to move someone from another position while Davis and Andino are suspended.
EXTRA YEAR: Sophomore running back Javon Ringer may receive a redshirt year even though he played in five games this season for the Spartans.
"I believe we'll get him his year back, I think, if it's in the first half of the season (a player is eligible to apply for a medical redshirt)," Smith said.
The Big Ten Conference handles each medical redshirt on a case-by-case basis.
Ringer injured his right knee against Illinois and may not need surgery. He already had surgery on that knee during his senior year of high school.
Smith said Ringer's knee will be immobilized in a cast for 6-to-8 weeks. If it heals fully, he will not need surgery.
REVIEWING REPLAY: Smith argued for a change in the replay system used in the Big Ten, particularly because of the first touchdown scored by Michigan last Saturday.
Wolverines receiver Adrian Arrington made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone, giving the Wolverines a 7-0 lead. There was no replay review of the play.
Smith said he didn't challenge the call because he thought it would be an automatic review.
"If you talk about any play in the game that should be reviewed, it's that play," Smith said. "I went out and talked with the official on our sideline, and he totally believed it was going to be reviewed as well."
Smith said he was in favor of using replays, but only if the guidelines were more clearly defined.
"I think the officials are struggling with it. I think the coaches are struggling with the whole deal. ... Is it being more definitive of the plays that we look at? Do we have to look at every scoring play and every change in possession play to make sure its right? I'm not sure what the answer is," Smith said.
UPSET REVISITED: Stanton said he watched the last time the Spartans played the Buckeyes as a No. 1-ranked team.
In 1998, the Spartans beat the Buckeyes 28-24 and gave Ohio State its only loss of the season.
Stanton, who watched that game while living in Oregon, said the circumstances this year aren't quite the same.
"You'd like to (repeat the upset). But it's eight years later, and you have to prepare for the No. 1 team in the nation coming up to your place," Stanton said.
Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said he would mention that game to his team.
"We always talk about the history of a series that goes way back," Tressel said at a press conference following their 35-7 win over Bowling Green. "I think that's part of our history - that that is the one lone loss on a great team - so I'm sure it will be brought up in the context of the series."
Joe Rexrode contributed to this story.
 
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Schulz: Mediocre season not good enough

If .500 is target, MSU set the bar too low for Smith
EAST LANSING - Well, now we know where John L. Smith sees the bar.
During the telecast of Saturday's 31-13 loss to Michigan, an ESPN broadcaster said Smith confided that he felt he needed to get the Michigan State team to a bowl game to keep his job.
On Monday, Smith said he didn't recall making the statement, but acknowledged the Spartans probably need to win six games and reach a bowl to have a chance of returning.

"We have to show up, that's pretty evident isn't it?" Smith said. "We kind of believe that. That's kind of the word that's been passed on, I guess. That's the word I get from most everybody."
"Everybody" doesn't include MSU officials. For the record, spokesman Terry Denbow said the school is sticking to earlier statements by president Lou Anna Simon, who has said she expects the Spartans to "compete for championships and go to bowl games," and athletic director Ron Mason, who's said he won't make mid-season evaluations.
Three thoughts:
? At least Smith is living in the real world.
? Mason has made midseason evaluations before. Just ask Bobby Williams.
? If 6-6 is the bar for Smith, it's set too low.
With this quarterback, this schedule and four years of recruiting classes in the rearview mirror, breaking even would be a huge disappointment.
A 6-6 record would get MSU to a bowl, maybe even one in a decent location such as Tempe, Ariz., and fulfill half of Simon's expectations. But unless they run the table, starting with an upset of No.1-ranked Ohio State on Saturday, the Spartans won't be competing for a championship.
The Spartans (3-3, 0-2 Big Ten) can get to 6-6 by, in Smith's words, "showing up" and beating Northwestern and Indiana on the road and either Minnesota or Purdue at home.
If that's how it plays out, Smith would finish four seasons (and he should be allowed to finish) at 24-24 overall, 14-18 in the Big Ten and 0-8 against Michigan and Ohio State.
Pretty mediocre. And in that case, MSU wouldn't be merely settling for mediocrity. The school would probably have to reward it by giving Smith some type of contract extension.
The question here isn't whether Smith simply can hang on for another season. It's whether he's the right man for the long haul. Finishing this season .500 with no big wins would not provide a convincing answer.
Suspensions come at a critical time
The suspensions of tight ends Kellen Davis and Eric Andino certainly won't help Smith.
We'll wait for the facts to emerge before passing judgment. But timing is everything in these matters (just ask Williams).
And the timing could not be any worse for Smith.
Depending upon what Davis and Andino did or did not do, it could be that much harder for Smith to argue he's improving the team's off-the-field character, even if it's true.
Give coaches more leeway with replay
Officials should have reviewed a controversial 13-yard touchdown catch by Michigan's Adrian Arrington in the first quarter of Saturday's loss. But the officating crew's replay technical adviser - who makes the decision to review a play if he sees "reasonable" evidence the call was incorrect - didn't stop the game.
Smith said officials assured him the call would go to replay. Still, when the coach realized officials weren't going to do so, he should have called timeout to challenge the ruling. Smith said he hesitated in part to preserve his one challenge.
An easy change to help coaches: Allow coaches to make unlimited challenges as long as they're proven correct.
Pleas are answered: hoops starts Friday
When optimism runs short at Spartan Stadium, you can always walk west to find a fresh supply at the Breslin Center.
OK, this might not look like your typical year for Tom Izzo's team, which seemingly lost everyone but Drew Neitzel and, well . . . Tom Izzo. But, hey, the Spartans unveil their squad to the media today, which is always interesting. We get to see who's bulked up, who's poised to break out and what the new guys (Tom Herzog, Isaiah Dahlman and Raymar Morgan) look like.
Practice starts with Friday's midnight madness event, featuring a Halloween theme (anybody have Matt Trannon's mask from last season?). It's just what MSU fans need to take their minds off what's been a scary football season so far.
 
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Detroit News

Smith acknowledges the pressure
Embattled coach understands turning the Spartans' season around vital to his job security.
Dave Dye / The Detroit News

When asked if he must reach a bowl game to save his job, MSU coach John L. Smith said, "I think that's pretty evident, isn't it?"

Ohio State at Michigan State
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Spartan Stadium, East Lansing
Records: Ohio State 6-0, 2-0 Big Ten; Michigan State 3-3, 0-2
TV/radio: Channel 7/WJR 760
Series: Ohio State leads 24-12
Line: Ohio State by 15 1/2

EAST LANSING -- On Saturday, ESPN broadcaster Sean McDonough reported Michigan State coach John L. Smith had confided he felt he needed to get to a bowl game to keep his job.
Smith, who has two years remaining and is owed more than $4 million on his contract, said Monday he didn't remember saying that combut agrees with the assessment.
"Yeah, I think we have to show up," Smith said. "I think that's pretty evident, isn't it? We kind of believe that. That's kind of the word that's been passed on, I guess."
Smith said he hasn't been given that type of ultimatum by anyone at Michigan State, but has heard through the grapevine -- media, etc. -- he needs to produce or else his job will be in jeopardy.
This is the first time he has acknowledged that type of pressure.
"I've only got six more (regular-season) games left in my Michigan State career," said quarterback Drew Stanton, who leads Michigan State and its three-game losing streak into Saturday's game against Ohio State at Spartan Stadium.
"I think he's going to be here for that. I'm counting on him being here for all six games. That's all I can worry about.
"To say I'd fight for his job and do whatever it takes, I'm going to, but I don't think it's necessarily for him. It's for my teammates, this community and it's for everybody that's involved with Michigan State, not just him. It's him, but it's everybody in a sense."
Michigan State needs at least three victories in its final six games to become bowl-eligible.
Four suspended
Tight ends Kellen Davis and Eric Andino remain suspended for disciplinary reasons, along with walk-on receivers Barre Mackie and Jeremy McGinnis .
Smith did not give details on the reason for the suspensions.
Lt. Kevin Daley of the East Lansing police department confirmed a fight took place late Thursday/early Friday near student housing and some of the participants were identified as football players. Daley, however, did not identify Davis, Andino, Mackie and McGinnis as participants.
Police are still investigating.
Injury update
Smith said he expects receiver Matt Trannon (sprained ankle) to miss at least one game, but defensive end Clifton Ryan (calf) and linebacker David Herron Jr. (concussion) likely will play.
Linebackers coach Mike Cox said Herron was in "La La Land" after the game.
"We watched the film (Sunday), and he didn't remember a whole lot of the stuff," Cox said. "He said, 'I don't remember none of this.' I said, 'That's refreshing.' "
Early judgment
Some of the Michigan State players are getting tired of being judged so harshly at midseason when they have six games left.
"People want to say what the end-result is going to be," Stanton said. "When the final product is done, then analyze it. That's when you're going to be able to really analyze everything that went on and truly get a good feel for where this program is headed and what direction. Until that comes, there's really no sense in talking about it."
 
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