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BG coach true believer in Buckeye greatness
The Falcons' Brandon points to the program's prestige and its individual standouts.
By Doug Harris
Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
COLUMBUS ? Bowling Green had a sobering task in 2003 when it last faced Ohio State, a football team coming off a national title with most of its starters back.
But while the challenge figured to be less daunting this season ? after all, the Buckeyes were replacing 12 regulars ? fourth-year coach Gregg Brandon didn't get his hopes up.
"I don't think they ever have a down year there," he said. "They're as good as any football team I've seen on film this season. They have no weak spots from top to bottom. They've got players up for every individual award.
"It's one of the top-five (coaching) jobs in the country. They've got great resources and great support."
The numbers this year tell the tale:
? The Buckeyes are fifth nationally in points allowed (9.8 per game) and second in turnover margin (plus-1.8).
? They've scored at least 24 points in 12 consecutive games.
? Quarterback Troy Smith has thrown for 36 touchdowns with just nine interceptions in his career.
? Tailback Antonio Pittman has tallied at least one TD in 10 straight games.
? Ted Ginn Jr. has had two or more catches in 22 consecutive outings.
? Linebacker James Laurinaitis leads the Big Ten with four interceptions.
? The Buckeyes are 55-13 under sixth-year coach Jim Tressel, including a 40-3 mark when leading at the half.
? Safety Brandon Mitchell collected his first interception of the season at Iowa after getting one each in 2003, '04 and '05.
BG coach true believer in Buckeye greatness
The Falcons' Brandon points to the program's prestige and its individual standouts.
By Doug Harris
Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
COLUMBUS ? Bowling Green had a sobering task in 2003 when it last faced Ohio State, a football team coming off a national title with most of its starters back.
But while the challenge figured to be less daunting this season ? after all, the Buckeyes were replacing 12 regulars ? fourth-year coach Gregg Brandon didn't get his hopes up.
"I don't think they ever have a down year there," he said. "They're as good as any football team I've seen on film this season. They have no weak spots from top to bottom. They've got players up for every individual award.
"It's one of the top-five (coaching) jobs in the country. They've got great resources and great support."
The numbers this year tell the tale:
? The Buckeyes are fifth nationally in points allowed (9.8 per game) and second in turnover margin (plus-1.8).
? They've scored at least 24 points in 12 consecutive games.
? Quarterback Troy Smith has thrown for 36 touchdowns with just nine interceptions in his career.
? Tailback Antonio Pittman has tallied at least one TD in 10 straight games.
? Ted Ginn Jr. has had two or more catches in 22 consecutive outings.
? Linebacker James Laurinaitis leads the Big Ten with four interceptions.
? The Buckeyes are 55-13 under sixth-year coach Jim Tressel, including a 40-3 mark when leading at the half.
? Safety Brandon Mitchell collected his first interception of the season at Iowa after getting one each in 2003, '04 and '05.
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Good stuff in this week's release...Jenkins as Captain:
Official Site
No. 1 Buckeyes Return Home to Host Bowling Green
Junior receiver Anthony Gonzalez caught a pair of touchdown passes in
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Top-ranked Ohio State closes out the non-conference portion of its schedule Saturday by hosting Mid-American Conference foe Bowling Green. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:40 p.m. EDT in Ohio Stadium where a capacity crowd of more than 105,000 will be on hand for just the fourth meeting ever between the teams. ESPN Plus will televise the game in the Big Ten area and WBNS Radio will broadcast it to its 73-affiliate stations around the state of Ohio.
Jim Tressel's Ohio State team enters the BG game with a 5-0 record, the No. 1 ranking in the USA Today, the Associated Press and the Harris Interactive polls, and the nation's longest winning streak at 12 in a row.
The Buckeyes are coming off a convincing 38-17 victory over Iowa this past Saturday, their third win of the season over a ranked opponent.
Bowling Green is 3-2 on the year after a 21-9 win at Ohio on Saturday.
BUCKEYES STILL CONSENSUS NO. 1
For the sixth-consecutive week, Ohio State continues to hold down the No. 1 spot in both major polls. The Buckeyes received 62 of 63 first-place votes in the coaches' poll and 62 of a possible 65 in the voting by the Associated Press writers this week. Additionally, for the second week in a row, Ohio State is No. 1 in the Harris Interactive poll with 110 of a possible 113 first-place votes. The Buckeyes have been in the weekly polls for 19-consecutive weeks, have held down a Top 10 spot in seven straight polls and have been No. 1 in the past six, beginning with the preseason voting.
BUCKEYES DOWN HAWKEYES
Led by senior quarterback Troy Smith's career-high four touchdown passes and a spirited defense that came up with four takeaways, top-ranked Ohio State downed No. 13 Iowa, 38-17, Saturday in Iowa City, knocking the Hawkeyes from the unbeaten ranks in front of a highly-partisan Kinnick Stadium crowd of 70,585.
With the win, OSU improved to 5-0 on the year and 2-0 in Big Ten play. It was the Buckeyes third win of the year over a Top 25 team (No. 2 Texas and No. 24 Penn State were the other two) and their second win in prime time on the road and on national TV.
Smith, who ran his record as a starter to 18-2, put the Buckeyes ahead to stay with a 12-yard pass to split end Anthony Gonzalez with 11:34 to play in the first quarter.
The senior signal caller added a 6-yard strike to Roy Hall in the second quarter, teamed up again with Gonzalez from 30 yards out in the third period and capped off the scoring with a 12-yard toss to Brian Robiskie with 4:23 to play in the fourth. In addition to completing 16 of 25 passes for 186 yards and the four TD tosses, Smith also rushed for 20 yards in another near flawless performance at the OSU helm.
Gonzalez was on the receiving end of five of those passes, all going for first downs. On his 30-yard touchdown grab, Gonzalez had the first down, but then reversed his field and circled around right end and somehow tight roped down the sideline and into the end zone on one of the more spectacular plays of the season. Ted Ginn Jr. led all receivers with seven receptions for 69 yards.
Tailback Antonio Pittman rushed 25 times for 117 yards and a touchdown, while freshman Chris "Beanie" Wells added 78 yards for the Buckeyes who rolled up a season-high 214 yards on the ground.
The OSU defense, meanwhile, recorded three interceptions and a fumble recovery to keep the Iowa offense in check.
Safety Brandon Mitchell played a role in two of those takeaways, snagging a second quarter interception that led to Pittman's touchdown and recovering a fourth-quarter fumble that halted an Iowa drive.
Linebackers Marcus Freeman and James Laurinaitis also had interceptions, both of those coming in the fourth quarter as Iowa turned the ball over on its final three possessions of the night.
The OSU defense also recorded five tackles-for-loss, including sacks by Freeman and Laurinaitis, and limited Iowa to 87 yards on the ground.
TRESSEL ON THE IOWA GAME
"We played with a lot of intensity and emotion against a very good team. The atmosphere in Kinnick Stadium was electric and loud, but our players stayed focused on the job at hand. The 89-yard touchdown drive after Iowa had scored to cut the lead to 14-10 showed what kind of senior leadership we have on this team. Then, our 80-yard drive at the start of the second half put them in a pretty big hole. We played the game mistake free (in terms of turnovers) and they weren't able to do that. That's a big factor in who wins and who loses."
Tressel is 3-1 against the Hawkeyes.
OHIO STATE AT HOME
Entering the game with Bowling Green this week, the Buckeyes have an all-time record of 369-104-20 in Ohio Stadium and have won eight straight, and 12 of their last 13, starts in the Horseshoe. In their three home games this year, the Buckeyes have averaged 104,733 fans.
OHIO STATE IN BIG TEN PLAY
Over the years, Ohio State has either won outright or shared 30 Big Ten titles. Last year's co-championship was OSU's second under Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes also shared the title in 2002, notching a perfect 8-0 record. On the heels of last week's victory at Iowa, Ohio State owns an all-time Big Ten record stands at 429-187-28 in 94 seasons of league competition.
Ohio State vs.WLT Chicago1022 Illinois59294 Indiana64125 Iowa44143 Michigan39576 Michigan St.24120 Minnesota3870 Northwestern56141 Penn State11110 Purdue35122 Wisconsin50175 TOTAL42918728
SERIES INFORMATION
Ohio State and Bowling Green have met three times previously - 1992, 1997 and 2003. All three games were played in Columbus. The Buckeyes are 3-0 against the Falcons, recording a 17-6 win in '92, a 44-13 triumph in '97 and a hard-fought 24-17 victory in '03.
Bowling Green is the second MAC team the Buckeyes have played this year. OSU opened the season with a 35-12 win over visiting Northern Illinois. As a result of that victory, the Buckeyes head into the BG game with an all-time record of 21-1 against Mid-American Conference teams.
Ohio State vs. The Mid-American EAST Akron5-1 Bowling Green3-0 Buffalo0-0 Kent State1-0 Marshall1-0 Miami (Ohio)4-0 Ohio5-0 WEST Ball State0-0 Central Michigan0-0 Eastern Michigan0-0 Northern Illinois1-0 Toledo1-0 Western Michigan0-0 Totals21-1
TRESSEL NOTCHES WIN NO. 190
Jim Tressel is in his sixth season as head coach at Ohio State. His record with the Buckeyes is 55-13, including a 32-10 slate in the Big Ten, and his career ledger now stands at 190-70-2 (.729) in his 21st season as a head coach.
Tressel took over the Buckeyes in 2001, directing them to a 7-5 record that year. In 2002, he led Ohio State to a 14-0 record and the school's first consensus national championship since 1968 and was nearly everyone's choice as National Coach of the Year following the season. In 2003, the Buckeyes won their first five games to extend their winning streak to 19 and finished with an 11-2 record. The 2004 squad, which had to replace 14 NFL drafted players, won five of its last six games en route to an 8-4 finish.
A season ago, Tressel guided the Buckeyes to a 10-2 overall record with seven-consecutive victories down the stretch, which included a 34-20 victory over Notre Dame in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in January. The current 12-game win streak is second only to the 19-consecutive wins under Tressel in 2002 (14-0) and 2003 (5-0 to start season).
Tressel's teams have appeared in five bowl games and are 4-1 in those contests, including three BCS wins in the Fiesta Bowl over the last four seasons. They also are 4-1 against Michigan in one of the most intense and storied rivalries in all of sports.
Eleven of Tressel's players have won first-team All-America honors and four have won major awards, including linebacker A.J. Hawk, the recipient of the 2005 Lombardi Award.
Tressel is a master in close games. Since coming to Ohio State, he is 17-9 in games decided by a touchdown or less and 4-1 in overtime games.
He is at his best against the best with a 24-7 record against teams ranked in the Top 25 and a 7-2 mark against teams ranked in the Top 10.
The 53-year-old Tressel is a 1975 graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College.
MORE TRESSEL TALK
Jim Tressel recorded his 55th victory as Ohio State's head coach Saturday. He reached that figure in 68 games. By way of comparison, Earle Bruce recorded his 55th win in 70 games, Woody Hayes notched No. 55 in game 74 and John Wilce did so in game 77. Both Bruce and Hayes were in their eighth years at Ohio State. Wilce was in his 11th season.
OHIO STATE AWARDS CANDIDATES
Several Ohio State players are listed on the various postseason awards watch lists. Senior Troy Smith and junior Ted Ginn Jr. both are preseason Heisman Trophy candidates. The pair also is listed on the 2006 Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list. Additionally, senior center Doug Datish (Rimington, Lombardi), Ginn Jr. (Biletnikoff), Smith (Manning), sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis (Bednarik and Lombardi), junior offensive tackle Kirk Barton and senior defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock (Lombardi), and junior running back Antonio Pittman (Doak Walker) are listed on various watch lists as major awards candidates.
SMITH, GINN MOVE UP OSU CAREER CHARTS
Quarterback Troy Smith is the all-time completion percentage leader in Ohio State history, connecting on 61.8 percent of his passes (301-487). He also ranks ninth in both career passing yardage (4,247 yards) and career total offense (5,236) entering the game this week. Smith has thrown for 200 or more yards in nine of his last 12 games.
Receiver Ted Ginn Jr. has moved into a tie for 12th place on the all-time OSU receiving list with 99 receptions. He currently is tied with Jeff Graham (1988-90). Ginn also ranks 12th in career receiving yards with 1,499, for an average of 15.1 yards per reception.
The speedy Ginn has caught at least one pass in 24-consecutive games (beginning with Iowa in 2004) and has multiple catches in 22-consecutive games.
Ginn, who led the nation in punt returns as a freshman and kick returns last year, has returned six kicks for touchdowns - five punts and one kickoff. He needs three more scores on punt returns to break the NCAA record in that category.
SACRED TURF
Through the first five games of the 2006 campaign, the young, and ever-improving, Ohio State defense has allowed just five touchdowns - four passing and one via the rush. The latter came this past Saturday at Iowa. The Buckeyes are allowing 9.8 points a game and have held three of their first five opponents to seven points or less.
OSU PLAYERS OF THE GAME
The Ohio State coaching staff has selected Anthony Gonzalez as this week's offensive player of the week, Brandon Mitchell as the defensive player of the week, T. J. Downing as the offensive lineman of the week and Aaron Pettrey as the special teams player of the week. Linebacker James Laurinaitis was the attack force player of the week.
Scout team recognition went to Ray Small on offense, Tyler Moeller on defense and Marcus Williams with the special teams.
BUCKEYE OFFENSE PUTS UP SEASON HIGH PERFORMANCES
Through the first five games of 2006, the Ohio State offense is averaging 32.4 points and 386.6 yards per game. Ohio State has scored at least 24 points in every game this year, including a season-high 38 in the win over 13th-ranked Iowa last Saturday. The Buckeyes have outscored their opponents in every quarter and have a commanding 62-16 edge in the fourth stanza. Ohio State has scored 24 or more points in each of the past 12 games. The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in passing efficiency with a 165.4 figure.
MEN OF TROY
Asked following the Iowa game if quarterback Troy Smith's four-touchdown performance augmented him as one of the nation's elite players, OSU coach Jim Tressel replied, "I already felt that Troy was one of the elite players in college football. If you watched him out there tonight, it was obvious that he was in total command of everything we did. He has worked hard, studied a lot of film and is the leader of this team."
Smith completed 16 of 25 passes against Iowa, good for 186 yards and four touchdowns - his fourth multiple touchdown game of the year. He also ran seven times for 20 yards.
The 6-1, 215-pound Smith, who made his first collegiate start against Indiana in 2004, is now 18-2 starter.
SMITH BIG TEN LEADER
Buckeye quarterback Troy Smith is completing 65.6 percent of his passes (84 of 128) and has thrown for 1,070 yards and 12 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He leads the Big Ten in passing efficiency for all games with an average of 163.66, as well as touchdown passes. With 36 career touchdown passes, he is now tied with Jim Karsatos (1983-86) for fifth place on the OSU career list. Smith had 16 touchdown passes all of last year and did not pass the 1,000-yard mark until week seven.
OSU "FUN BUNCH" CUTTING UP
The Buckeye "Fun Bunch" of quarterback Troy Smith, wide receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez and tailback Antonio Pittman is off to a rollicking start. Smith has completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 1,070 yards and 12 touchdowns. The 6-1 senior has thrown for 200 or more yards in nine of his last 12 starts, including the first three games this year. Ginn has a team-high five touchdown grabs on 23 receptions and is averaging 14.7 yards per catch, while Gonzalez leads the team in receptions with 24, is averaging 15.5 yards per catch and has four TD receptions. Pittman is the Buckeyes' leading ground gainer with 567 yards on 96 carries and has five touchdowns to his credit. The hard-running junior has four 100-yard games this year and is averaging 113.4 yards per game and 5.9 yards per carry. A fifth member of the group, split end Roy Hall, who missed the first two games of the season with a high ankle sprain, hauled in his first touchdown catch of the year Saturday at Iowa.
POSSESSION RECEIVER
Junior split end Anthony Gonzalez leads the Buckeyes with 24 catches. Twenty-two of those receptions, including all five catches in Saturday's win over Iowa, have resulted in first downs by the sure-handed speedster. Gonzalez needs four receptions to equal his entire output of 2005. He already has tied his yardage total of a year ago (373) and surpassed his touchdown total (4 to 3). Gonzalez is third in the Big Ten in receptions per game (4.8) and fourth in receiving yardage per game (74.6).
DEFENSIVE TACKLES SET TONE
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel likes what he has seen from defensive tackles Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson, the Buckeyes' lone two returning starters from last year's 10-2 team.
"As far as I am concerned they are the best two defensive tackles in the country," noted Tressel prior to OSU's win over Penn State. "And in addition to being terrific players, they are both excellent leaders. Our front four is the strength of our defense and Quinn and David set the tone."
Pitcock has 5.5 tackles-for-loss, four sacks and 17 tackles on the season. Patterson, who was credited with a career-high seven tackles against Penn State, has 14 stops on the year, including three tackles-for-loss.
PITTMAN PACES GROUND GAME
Junior tailback Antonio Pittman leads Ohio State in rushing with 572 yards and five touchdowns on 96 carries, an average of 5.9 yards per attempt and 113.4 yards per game. Pittman has topped the 100-yard mark in four of the Buckeyes' first five games this year, giving him 12 games over the century mark as a Buckeye.
Pittman has five touchdowns for the Buckeyes so far this year - one in every game. He rushed for seven scores last year, but his first touchdown did not come until Minnesota in the eighth week of the season.
Pittman currently ranks third in the Big Ten in average rushing yards per game.
BUCKEYE DEFENSE STANDS TALL
The Ohio State defense, which has nine new starters from a year ago, has surrendered just 49 points, is allowing a respectable 293.0 yards per game, has recorded 43 tackles-for-loss, including 18 sacks, and has 13 takeaways to its credit. The Buckeyes already have more interceptions (11) and takeaways than they did all of last year. Ohio State's takeaways have resulted in 52 points for the OSU offense. OSU's opponents have managed but four takeaways and have no points to show for those miscues. The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in scoring defense (9.8), turnover margin (1.80) and sacks (18). They are second nationally in turnover margin and fifth in average points allowed.
LAURINAITIS LEADS BIG TEN
Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis leads the Big Ten in interceptions with four and is tied for the league lead in forced fumbles with two. He is tied for fifth in tackles with 41 stops, including 22 solos, 3.5 tackles-for-loss and two sacks. The four picks by Laurinaitis are the most by an Ohio State linebacker since Andy Katzenmoyer's four in 1996. The OSU single-season record for interceptions by a linebacker is six, set in 1986 by Chris Spielman. Laurinaitis has at least one pick in each of the last four games. He is the first Buckeye to record an interception in four-consecutive games in the same season since Derek Ross nabbed six opponent pass attempts during a four-game stretch in 2001. Ross recorded an INT vs. Northwestern (10/6) and Wisconsin (10/13) and had two interceptions in games vs. both SDSU (10/20) and Penn State (10/27) that season.
OSU IMPROVES RECORD AS NO. 1
With the victory over Iowa, Ohio State is now 56-8-1 when ranked as the nation's No. 1 team. Overall, the Buckeyes are 288-68-9 when carrying a Top 10 ranking and 395-123-14 as a Top 25 team. Ohio State has opened the season No. 1 seven times, second only to Oklahoma (9). The Buckeyes own the record for most appearances (53) in the first 57 years of the Associated Press poll.
BUCKEYES STAY PERFECT IN NO. 1 VS. NO. 2 SHOWDOWNS
The Sept. 9 showdown in Austin between top-ranked Ohio State and second-ranked Texas was the earliest regular-season match-up in college football annals between a No. 1 and a No. 2 team. Ohio State has been involved in two such games previously, the first in the 1969 Rose Bowl and the second in the 2002 national championship game at the 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. OSU won both, downing the University of Southern California, 27-16, in the former and Miami of Florida, 31-24 in two overtimes, in the latter. On both occasions, the Buckeyes were the No. 2 ranked team.
BUCKEYES RECORD IMPRESSIVE WINS
In their last seven games, Jim Tressel's Buckeyes have recorded wins over five of college football's most successful programs - Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Penn State and Iowa. Michigan tops the all-time victories list with 854 wins (854-280-36), Notre Dame is second at 815-267-42 and Texas ranks third at 804-311-33. The Buckeyes are fifth all-time with 780 wins, followed by No. 6 Alabama (777 wins) and No. 7 Penn State (773-341-42). Iowa ranks No. 41 on the all-time wins list (550-494-39).
SEPTEMBER SUCCESS
The Buckeyes are now 22-2 under Jim Tressel in the month of September, the only setbacks coming at UCLA (9/22/01) and to visiting Texas (9/10) last year.
BUCKEYES GET HIGH GRADES
A league-best 18 Ohio State football players were named to the Big Ten's All-Academic team last fall, marking the fourth year in a row the Buckeyes have led the conference in that area. Additionally, a record 46 Ohio State football players qualified for last spring's annual OSU Scholar-Athlete Dinner, which requires a grade-point average of 3.00 or better for the past academic year. As a team, the Buckeyes have an overall GPA of 2.83. A total of 52 football student-athletes earned a 3.00 or better during Ohio State's spring quarter and 46 had a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 after spring grades were calculated.
BUCKEYE GRADUATES
Quarterback Troy Smith (communication), center Doug Datish (history), strong safety Brandon Mitchell (political science) and fullback Stan White Jr. (finance) all are working toward graduate degrees while playing football for the Buckeyes this season. Two most recent student-athletes to earn their degrees are All-America linebacker A.J. Hawk and Richard Schafrath, who lettered from 1956-58. Both were awarded degrees following the 2006 summer quarter. Other 2005-06 graduates include Bobby Carpenter, Angelo Chattams, R.J. Coleman, John Conroy, Ryan Hamby, Rob Harley, Mike Roberts, Anthony Schlegel, Brandon Schnittker, Rob Sims, Steve Winner and Ashton Youboty.
THE BUCKEYES ALL-TIME
Ohio State enters this week with an all-time record of 780-300-53 in 116 seasons of competition. That includes a Big Ten record of 429-187-28 since 1913, an Ohio Stadium slate of 369-104-20 since 1922 and a bowl mark of 18-19. The Buckeyes have winning records against 91 of the 105 opponents they have played.
OSU COACHES IN THE PRESS BOX
Offensive coordinator Jim Bollman and quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels will be in the press box for the Buckeyes during the game as will cornerbacks coach Tim Beckman and co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell.
BUCKEYE NOTES
Brian Robiskie has touchdown catches in each of the last two games ... Senior Roy Hall grabbed the second touchdown catch of his career Saturday against Iowa. His first came against Marshall in 2004 ... Defensive end Vernon Gholston has taken over the team lead in tackles-for-loss with seven. Gholston had a pair of TFLs at Iowa ... Sophomore cornerback Malcolm Jenkins has interceptions in each of the last two game. ... Senior defensive back Antonio Smith had his first career interception against Penn State two weeks ago, taking the ball back 55 yards for a touchdown. In Saturday's win at Iowa, Smith recorded another first, leading the team in tackles for the first time in a game. Smith was credited with six stops against the Hawkeyes ... Safety Anderson Russell injured his right knee at Iowa and is not expected to return this season. Russell, a redshirt freshman, had started the last four games and had 16 tackles on the year.
BUCKEYES STEER BY TEXAS
Led by Troy Smith, Ted Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez and Antonio Pittman on offense and bolstered by a young but quickly coming-of-age defense, top-ranked Ohio State solidified its place in the polls with its 17-point victory over the defending national champion Longhorns.
Smith enhanced his early season Heisman Trophy status by completing 17 of 26 passes for 269 yards and a pair of touchdowns against a veteran Texas defense, giving him five touchdown passes and 566 passing yards in his first two games. After two games, the 6-1, 215-pound quarterback has completed 68.4 percent of his passes and leads the Big Ten in passing efficiency with a 194.2 figure.
Ginn, the Buckeyes' other Heisman hopeful, was on the receiving end of five passes for 97 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown grab just before halftime that put Ohio State in front 14-7 going into the locker room. Ginn's grab capped off a business-like 5-play, 66-yard drive that began with 1:55 remaining in the second quarter. The speedy flanker set the tone early with a 46-yard catch-and-run on the Buckeyes' second play from scrimmage.
The Buckeyes also received a career-best performance from Gonzalez, who hauled in eight catches for 142 yards. The junior split end and honor student got Ohio State on the board with 1:04 to play in the first quarter by latching on to a 14-yard pass from Smith that put the icing on a 50-yard drive.
Pittman led the Buckeyes in rushing for the second consecutive week, finishing with 74 yards on 16 carries, an average of 4.6 yards per attempt. His 2-yard touchdown run with 6:31 to play capped off the scoring and put the game out of reach. The Buckeyes, who took over the ball at their own 28-yard line after a missed Texas field goal, marched 72 yards in 10 plays for the score.
The Buckeye defense limited the Texas offense to 326 total yards and just the one touchdown and set up two OSU scores with timely takeaways.
Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis was involved in both turnovers. First, he forced a first-quarter fumble at the OSU 1-yard line that cornerback Donald Washington scooped up and returned 49 yards to set up the Smith-to-Ginn touchdown pass. Then, on the first play of the third quarter, he intercepted a Colt McCoy pass and ran it back 25 yards to the Texas 31-yard line. Kicker Aaron Pettrey gave the Buckeyes a 10-point cushion with a 31-yard field goal.
With the aggressive defensive front keeping the pressure on throughout the evening, Laurinaitis finished with a game-best and career-high 13 tackles to go along with two forced fumbles, his first career interception and a pass broken up. Safety Brandon Mitchell was credited with nine stops, while Washington, who was making his first start at corner, had five. Cover corner Malcolm Jenkins and nickel back Antonio Smith each had five stops as Ohio State kept Texas under 40 points for the first time in 13 games.
Sophomore punter A. J. Trapasso kept the Longhorns corralled in their own territory by averaging 50.8 yards per punt on six kicks - the third best single-game performance in Ohio State history. That average includes a 39-yard punt at the end of the game that rolled out-of-bounds on the Texas 6-yard line. The Longhorns' average field position after a Trapasso thumper was their own 21-yard line.
The victory squared the series at 1-1 and gave Ohio State an all-time record of 4-0 in the Lone Star state.
BUCKEYES DOWN BEARCATS
Ohio State ran its record to 3-0 with a 37-7 victory over visiting Cincinnati. The win was the Buckeyes' 10th in a row.
After falling behind 7-3 at the end of the first quarter (the first time all year that OSU has trailed), the Buckeyes scored 34 unanswered points en route to their seventh consecutive win in Ohio Stadium.
Quarterback Troy Smith again led the Buckeyes to victory, completing 21 of 30 passes for 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns. OSU rolled up 444 yards in total offense and scoring drives of 85, 80 and 72 yards - their three longest drives of the year.
Smith connected with Ted Ginn Jr. on a pair of scoring strikes in the second and third quarters to give OSU a comfortable 20-7 lead. But it was Antonio Pittman who put the game out of reach with a 48-yard scoring jaunt with just over nine minutes to go in the fourth period. Pittman finished his afternoon with 155 yards on 16 carries, an impressive 9.7 yards per attempt. Backup tailback Maurice Wells scored the other OSU touchdown on a nine-yard run. Aaron Pettrey added field goals of 47 and 43 yards and Ryan Pretorius hit from 52-yards away to complete the scoring.
Gonzalez and Ginn each had five receptions to pace the receiving corps as four different quarterbacks hooked up with 11 different receivers.
The Ohio State defense limited the Bearcats to 212 yards of total offense, including a scant 64 in the second half. Senior tackle Quinn Pitcock had a career-high three sacks and narrowly missed two more. He finished the day with five tackles. With Pitcock leading the way, the Buckeyes recorded eight sacks, 10 tackles for loss and had three interceptions.
Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis led the Buckeyes with nine tackles, including a sack, and picked off his second interception of the year.
BUCKEYES TAME LIONS
Ohio State opened its Big Ten season with a 28-6 win over visiting Penn State. In winning their third straight conference home opener, the Buckeyes needed a pair of fourth-quarter interception returns for touchdowns to salt the game away.
Holding on to a less-than-comfortable 14-6 lead, the Buckeyes got a lift from cornerback Malcolm Jenkins whose 61-yard return gave them a 21-6 lead with 2:31 to play. Moments later cornerback Antonio Smith picked off his first career interception and returned it 55 yards to the north end zone and the game was officially over.
The Buckeyes also had an interception earlier in the game by linebacker James Laurinaitis, giving them eight on the year to that point, three more than all of last year. The OSU defense limited Penn State to 248 yards and allowed the Nittany Lions to convert just three of 14 third-down opportunities.
Ohio State's other two touchdowns came on a 12-yard run by Antonio Pittman, who finished the game with 110 yards, and a 37-yard pass from Troy Smith to Brian Robiskie. The former gave the Buckeyes their first lead at 7-3 after the Nittany Lions had taken a 3-0 lead into the locker room at intermission. On the latter, Smith rolled to his right, reversed his field and somehow threw a perfect strike to Robiskie, giving the Buckeyes a 14-3 lead.
The two teams combined for just 501 yards in total offense on a rainy, windy afternoon in Ohio Stadium.
PITCOCK HAS CAREER DAY
Defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock came within a shoestring of tying and perhaps setting the Ohio State single-game record for sacks against Cincinnati. The 6-3, 295-pound senior bull rushed his way through the Bearcats' offensive line en route to a career-high three sacks for minus 24 yards. Pitcock narrowly missed two other sacks, UC quarterback Dustin Grutza somehow slipping out of his grasp. The OSU single-game sack record of four is shared by Bobby Carpenter (Michigan State, 2005) and Jason Simmons (Washington State, 1991). Pitcock had one sack all of last year.
BUCKEYE CAPTAINS
Seniors Troy Smith, Doug Datish, Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson were voted by their teammates as captains of the 2006 Ohio State football team. Smith (QB) and Datish (C) will lead from the offensive side while Pitcock and Patterson represent the defense from the defensive tackle spot. The four entered the season with 128 games of combined experience as Buckeyes.
HONORARY CAPTAIN
Michael Jenkins will serve as this week's honorary captain. Jenkins, who currently plays for the Atlanta Falcons, was a four-year letterman and three-year starter at wide receiver for the Buckeyes between 2000 and 2003. He is the Buckeyes all-time leader in receiving yardage with 2,898 yards and ranks third in career receptions with 165. In 2002, he hauled in 61 passes for 1,076 yards to become the fourth receiver in OSU annals to top the 1,000-yard mark in a season.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
Bowling Green moved its record to 3-2 with a 21-9 victory over Ohio University last Saturday in Athens. After opening the season with a 35-14 loss to Wisconsin at Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Falcons won two games, beating Buffalo 48-40 in overtime and Florida International, 33-28, before a 38-3 loss to Kent State.
The Falcons are averaging 23.8 points and 362.4 yards of offense each game and their 208.2 rushing yards per game ranks 12th in the nation. Freddie Barnes has scored seven of the team's 10 rushing touchdowns and has 87 carries for 392 yards, an average of 78.4 per game. Chris Bullock, Dan Macon and Anthony Turner had the other rushing TDs. Anthony Turner has completed 37 of 64 passes for 466 yards and four touchdowns. He is averaging 155.3 yards per game. Zach Charles has 14 catches for 50 yards and Corey Partridge has 11 catches for 124 yards. Ruben Ruiz has 10 catches for 123 yards and has scored a pair of touchdowns.
Defensively, Bowling Green is allowing 30 points and 299 yards per game. Opponents are averaging 151.8 yards rushing and 147.2 yards passing. The unit has recorded six interceptions, recovered three fumbles and sacked the opposing quarterback 10 times for 89 yards. Erique Dozier and Terrel White each have 49 tackles to pace the Falcons. Dozier has three tackles-for-loss, including one sack, while White has 4.5 tackles-for-loss and a forced fumble. Brad Williams also has 4.5 tackles-for-loss, while Diyral Briggs has 3.5 sacks to lead the team. Kenny Lewis and Jerett Sanderson each have two interceptions.
BOWLING GREEN'S LAST GAME
Leading by five late in the third quarter, Bowling Green running back Chris Bullock scored his first collegiate touchdown from 5 yards out with a little more than two minutes to play in the stanza as the Falcons claimed a 21-9 road win at Ohio University last Saturday in Athens. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter. Bullock had a career-day, rushing for 114 yards on 21 carries. It was the first 100-yard effort of his career. Freddie Barnes caught a career-high four passes for 68 yards and rushed for 37 more. The Bowling Green defense had two interceptions, recovered one fumble and had four sacks.
COACH GREGG BRANDON
Gregg Brandon (Northern Colorado, 1978) is coaching his fourth season at Bowling Green and is 29-13. Last year, Bowling Green shared the MAC East title after guiding the Falcons to back-to-back bowl wins for just the second time in school history in 2003 and 2004. Bowling Green defeated Northwestern, 28-24, at the Motor City Bowl and Memphis, 52-35 in the GMAC Bowl. Brandon was hired in December 2002 with more than 22 years of experience at the Division I level, including two years at Bowling Green where he served as assistant head coach and directed the Falcons' offense. He spent two seasons at Colorado, where he was a member of Gary Barnett's staff. He also coached with Barnett at Northwestern from 1992-98. He also has coached at Utah State, Wyoming and Weber State.
NEXT WEEK
Ohio State resumes Big Ten play at Michigan State. Game time is 3:30 p.m. on ABC.
Official Site
No. 1 Buckeyes Return Home to Host Bowling Green
Junior receiver Anthony Gonzalez caught a pair of touchdown passes in
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Top-ranked Ohio State closes out the non-conference portion of its schedule Saturday by hosting Mid-American Conference foe Bowling Green. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:40 p.m. EDT in Ohio Stadium where a capacity crowd of more than 105,000 will be on hand for just the fourth meeting ever between the teams. ESPN Plus will televise the game in the Big Ten area and WBNS Radio will broadcast it to its 73-affiliate stations around the state of Ohio.
Jim Tressel's Ohio State team enters the BG game with a 5-0 record, the No. 1 ranking in the USA Today, the Associated Press and the Harris Interactive polls, and the nation's longest winning streak at 12 in a row.
The Buckeyes are coming off a convincing 38-17 victory over Iowa this past Saturday, their third win of the season over a ranked opponent.
Bowling Green is 3-2 on the year after a 21-9 win at Ohio on Saturday.
BUCKEYES STILL CONSENSUS NO. 1
For the sixth-consecutive week, Ohio State continues to hold down the No. 1 spot in both major polls. The Buckeyes received 62 of 63 first-place votes in the coaches' poll and 62 of a possible 65 in the voting by the Associated Press writers this week. Additionally, for the second week in a row, Ohio State is No. 1 in the Harris Interactive poll with 110 of a possible 113 first-place votes. The Buckeyes have been in the weekly polls for 19-consecutive weeks, have held down a Top 10 spot in seven straight polls and have been No. 1 in the past six, beginning with the preseason voting.
BUCKEYES DOWN HAWKEYES
Led by senior quarterback Troy Smith's career-high four touchdown passes and a spirited defense that came up with four takeaways, top-ranked Ohio State downed No. 13 Iowa, 38-17, Saturday in Iowa City, knocking the Hawkeyes from the unbeaten ranks in front of a highly-partisan Kinnick Stadium crowd of 70,585.
With the win, OSU improved to 5-0 on the year and 2-0 in Big Ten play. It was the Buckeyes third win of the year over a Top 25 team (No. 2 Texas and No. 24 Penn State were the other two) and their second win in prime time on the road and on national TV.
Smith, who ran his record as a starter to 18-2, put the Buckeyes ahead to stay with a 12-yard pass to split end Anthony Gonzalez with 11:34 to play in the first quarter.
The senior signal caller added a 6-yard strike to Roy Hall in the second quarter, teamed up again with Gonzalez from 30 yards out in the third period and capped off the scoring with a 12-yard toss to Brian Robiskie with 4:23 to play in the fourth. In addition to completing 16 of 25 passes for 186 yards and the four TD tosses, Smith also rushed for 20 yards in another near flawless performance at the OSU helm.
Gonzalez was on the receiving end of five of those passes, all going for first downs. On his 30-yard touchdown grab, Gonzalez had the first down, but then reversed his field and circled around right end and somehow tight roped down the sideline and into the end zone on one of the more spectacular plays of the season. Ted Ginn Jr. led all receivers with seven receptions for 69 yards.
Tailback Antonio Pittman rushed 25 times for 117 yards and a touchdown, while freshman Chris "Beanie" Wells added 78 yards for the Buckeyes who rolled up a season-high 214 yards on the ground.
The OSU defense, meanwhile, recorded three interceptions and a fumble recovery to keep the Iowa offense in check.
Safety Brandon Mitchell played a role in two of those takeaways, snagging a second quarter interception that led to Pittman's touchdown and recovering a fourth-quarter fumble that halted an Iowa drive.
Linebackers Marcus Freeman and James Laurinaitis also had interceptions, both of those coming in the fourth quarter as Iowa turned the ball over on its final three possessions of the night.
The OSU defense also recorded five tackles-for-loss, including sacks by Freeman and Laurinaitis, and limited Iowa to 87 yards on the ground.
TRESSEL ON THE IOWA GAME
"We played with a lot of intensity and emotion against a very good team. The atmosphere in Kinnick Stadium was electric and loud, but our players stayed focused on the job at hand. The 89-yard touchdown drive after Iowa had scored to cut the lead to 14-10 showed what kind of senior leadership we have on this team. Then, our 80-yard drive at the start of the second half put them in a pretty big hole. We played the game mistake free (in terms of turnovers) and they weren't able to do that. That's a big factor in who wins and who loses."
Tressel is 3-1 against the Hawkeyes.
OHIO STATE AT HOME
Entering the game with Bowling Green this week, the Buckeyes have an all-time record of 369-104-20 in Ohio Stadium and have won eight straight, and 12 of their last 13, starts in the Horseshoe. In their three home games this year, the Buckeyes have averaged 104,733 fans.
OHIO STATE IN BIG TEN PLAY
Over the years, Ohio State has either won outright or shared 30 Big Ten titles. Last year's co-championship was OSU's second under Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes also shared the title in 2002, notching a perfect 8-0 record. On the heels of last week's victory at Iowa, Ohio State owns an all-time Big Ten record stands at 429-187-28 in 94 seasons of league competition.
Ohio State vs.WLT Chicago1022 Illinois59294 Indiana64125 Iowa44143 Michigan39576 Michigan St.24120 Minnesota3870 Northwestern56141 Penn State11110 Purdue35122 Wisconsin50175 TOTAL42918728
SERIES INFORMATION
Ohio State and Bowling Green have met three times previously - 1992, 1997 and 2003. All three games were played in Columbus. The Buckeyes are 3-0 against the Falcons, recording a 17-6 win in '92, a 44-13 triumph in '97 and a hard-fought 24-17 victory in '03.
Bowling Green is the second MAC team the Buckeyes have played this year. OSU opened the season with a 35-12 win over visiting Northern Illinois. As a result of that victory, the Buckeyes head into the BG game with an all-time record of 21-1 against Mid-American Conference teams.
Ohio State vs. The Mid-American EAST Akron5-1 Bowling Green3-0 Buffalo0-0 Kent State1-0 Marshall1-0 Miami (Ohio)4-0 Ohio5-0 WEST Ball State0-0 Central Michigan0-0 Eastern Michigan0-0 Northern Illinois1-0 Toledo1-0 Western Michigan0-0 Totals21-1
TRESSEL NOTCHES WIN NO. 190
Jim Tressel is in his sixth season as head coach at Ohio State. His record with the Buckeyes is 55-13, including a 32-10 slate in the Big Ten, and his career ledger now stands at 190-70-2 (.729) in his 21st season as a head coach.
Tressel took over the Buckeyes in 2001, directing them to a 7-5 record that year. In 2002, he led Ohio State to a 14-0 record and the school's first consensus national championship since 1968 and was nearly everyone's choice as National Coach of the Year following the season. In 2003, the Buckeyes won their first five games to extend their winning streak to 19 and finished with an 11-2 record. The 2004 squad, which had to replace 14 NFL drafted players, won five of its last six games en route to an 8-4 finish.
A season ago, Tressel guided the Buckeyes to a 10-2 overall record with seven-consecutive victories down the stretch, which included a 34-20 victory over Notre Dame in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in January. The current 12-game win streak is second only to the 19-consecutive wins under Tressel in 2002 (14-0) and 2003 (5-0 to start season).
Tressel's teams have appeared in five bowl games and are 4-1 in those contests, including three BCS wins in the Fiesta Bowl over the last four seasons. They also are 4-1 against Michigan in one of the most intense and storied rivalries in all of sports.
Eleven of Tressel's players have won first-team All-America honors and four have won major awards, including linebacker A.J. Hawk, the recipient of the 2005 Lombardi Award.
Tressel is a master in close games. Since coming to Ohio State, he is 17-9 in games decided by a touchdown or less and 4-1 in overtime games.
He is at his best against the best with a 24-7 record against teams ranked in the Top 25 and a 7-2 mark against teams ranked in the Top 10.
The 53-year-old Tressel is a 1975 graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College.
MORE TRESSEL TALK
Jim Tressel recorded his 55th victory as Ohio State's head coach Saturday. He reached that figure in 68 games. By way of comparison, Earle Bruce recorded his 55th win in 70 games, Woody Hayes notched No. 55 in game 74 and John Wilce did so in game 77. Both Bruce and Hayes were in their eighth years at Ohio State. Wilce was in his 11th season.
OHIO STATE AWARDS CANDIDATES
Several Ohio State players are listed on the various postseason awards watch lists. Senior Troy Smith and junior Ted Ginn Jr. both are preseason Heisman Trophy candidates. The pair also is listed on the 2006 Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list. Additionally, senior center Doug Datish (Rimington, Lombardi), Ginn Jr. (Biletnikoff), Smith (Manning), sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis (Bednarik and Lombardi), junior offensive tackle Kirk Barton and senior defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock (Lombardi), and junior running back Antonio Pittman (Doak Walker) are listed on various watch lists as major awards candidates.
SMITH, GINN MOVE UP OSU CAREER CHARTS
Quarterback Troy Smith is the all-time completion percentage leader in Ohio State history, connecting on 61.8 percent of his passes (301-487). He also ranks ninth in both career passing yardage (4,247 yards) and career total offense (5,236) entering the game this week. Smith has thrown for 200 or more yards in nine of his last 12 games.
Receiver Ted Ginn Jr. has moved into a tie for 12th place on the all-time OSU receiving list with 99 receptions. He currently is tied with Jeff Graham (1988-90). Ginn also ranks 12th in career receiving yards with 1,499, for an average of 15.1 yards per reception.
The speedy Ginn has caught at least one pass in 24-consecutive games (beginning with Iowa in 2004) and has multiple catches in 22-consecutive games.
Ginn, who led the nation in punt returns as a freshman and kick returns last year, has returned six kicks for touchdowns - five punts and one kickoff. He needs three more scores on punt returns to break the NCAA record in that category.
SACRED TURF
Through the first five games of the 2006 campaign, the young, and ever-improving, Ohio State defense has allowed just five touchdowns - four passing and one via the rush. The latter came this past Saturday at Iowa. The Buckeyes are allowing 9.8 points a game and have held three of their first five opponents to seven points or less.
OSU PLAYERS OF THE GAME
The Ohio State coaching staff has selected Anthony Gonzalez as this week's offensive player of the week, Brandon Mitchell as the defensive player of the week, T. J. Downing as the offensive lineman of the week and Aaron Pettrey as the special teams player of the week. Linebacker James Laurinaitis was the attack force player of the week.
Scout team recognition went to Ray Small on offense, Tyler Moeller on defense and Marcus Williams with the special teams.
BUCKEYE OFFENSE PUTS UP SEASON HIGH PERFORMANCES
Through the first five games of 2006, the Ohio State offense is averaging 32.4 points and 386.6 yards per game. Ohio State has scored at least 24 points in every game this year, including a season-high 38 in the win over 13th-ranked Iowa last Saturday. The Buckeyes have outscored their opponents in every quarter and have a commanding 62-16 edge in the fourth stanza. Ohio State has scored 24 or more points in each of the past 12 games. The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in passing efficiency with a 165.4 figure.
MEN OF TROY
Asked following the Iowa game if quarterback Troy Smith's four-touchdown performance augmented him as one of the nation's elite players, OSU coach Jim Tressel replied, "I already felt that Troy was one of the elite players in college football. If you watched him out there tonight, it was obvious that he was in total command of everything we did. He has worked hard, studied a lot of film and is the leader of this team."
Smith completed 16 of 25 passes against Iowa, good for 186 yards and four touchdowns - his fourth multiple touchdown game of the year. He also ran seven times for 20 yards.
The 6-1, 215-pound Smith, who made his first collegiate start against Indiana in 2004, is now 18-2 starter.
SMITH BIG TEN LEADER
Buckeye quarterback Troy Smith is completing 65.6 percent of his passes (84 of 128) and has thrown for 1,070 yards and 12 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He leads the Big Ten in passing efficiency for all games with an average of 163.66, as well as touchdown passes. With 36 career touchdown passes, he is now tied with Jim Karsatos (1983-86) for fifth place on the OSU career list. Smith had 16 touchdown passes all of last year and did not pass the 1,000-yard mark until week seven.
OSU "FUN BUNCH" CUTTING UP
The Buckeye "Fun Bunch" of quarterback Troy Smith, wide receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez and tailback Antonio Pittman is off to a rollicking start. Smith has completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 1,070 yards and 12 touchdowns. The 6-1 senior has thrown for 200 or more yards in nine of his last 12 starts, including the first three games this year. Ginn has a team-high five touchdown grabs on 23 receptions and is averaging 14.7 yards per catch, while Gonzalez leads the team in receptions with 24, is averaging 15.5 yards per catch and has four TD receptions. Pittman is the Buckeyes' leading ground gainer with 567 yards on 96 carries and has five touchdowns to his credit. The hard-running junior has four 100-yard games this year and is averaging 113.4 yards per game and 5.9 yards per carry. A fifth member of the group, split end Roy Hall, who missed the first two games of the season with a high ankle sprain, hauled in his first touchdown catch of the year Saturday at Iowa.
POSSESSION RECEIVER
Junior split end Anthony Gonzalez leads the Buckeyes with 24 catches. Twenty-two of those receptions, including all five catches in Saturday's win over Iowa, have resulted in first downs by the sure-handed speedster. Gonzalez needs four receptions to equal his entire output of 2005. He already has tied his yardage total of a year ago (373) and surpassed his touchdown total (4 to 3). Gonzalez is third in the Big Ten in receptions per game (4.8) and fourth in receiving yardage per game (74.6).
DEFENSIVE TACKLES SET TONE
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel likes what he has seen from defensive tackles Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson, the Buckeyes' lone two returning starters from last year's 10-2 team.
"As far as I am concerned they are the best two defensive tackles in the country," noted Tressel prior to OSU's win over Penn State. "And in addition to being terrific players, they are both excellent leaders. Our front four is the strength of our defense and Quinn and David set the tone."
Pitcock has 5.5 tackles-for-loss, four sacks and 17 tackles on the season. Patterson, who was credited with a career-high seven tackles against Penn State, has 14 stops on the year, including three tackles-for-loss.
PITTMAN PACES GROUND GAME
Junior tailback Antonio Pittman leads Ohio State in rushing with 572 yards and five touchdowns on 96 carries, an average of 5.9 yards per attempt and 113.4 yards per game. Pittman has topped the 100-yard mark in four of the Buckeyes' first five games this year, giving him 12 games over the century mark as a Buckeye.
Pittman has five touchdowns for the Buckeyes so far this year - one in every game. He rushed for seven scores last year, but his first touchdown did not come until Minnesota in the eighth week of the season.
Pittman currently ranks third in the Big Ten in average rushing yards per game.
BUCKEYE DEFENSE STANDS TALL
The Ohio State defense, which has nine new starters from a year ago, has surrendered just 49 points, is allowing a respectable 293.0 yards per game, has recorded 43 tackles-for-loss, including 18 sacks, and has 13 takeaways to its credit. The Buckeyes already have more interceptions (11) and takeaways than they did all of last year. Ohio State's takeaways have resulted in 52 points for the OSU offense. OSU's opponents have managed but four takeaways and have no points to show for those miscues. The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in scoring defense (9.8), turnover margin (1.80) and sacks (18). They are second nationally in turnover margin and fifth in average points allowed.
LAURINAITIS LEADS BIG TEN
Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis leads the Big Ten in interceptions with four and is tied for the league lead in forced fumbles with two. He is tied for fifth in tackles with 41 stops, including 22 solos, 3.5 tackles-for-loss and two sacks. The four picks by Laurinaitis are the most by an Ohio State linebacker since Andy Katzenmoyer's four in 1996. The OSU single-season record for interceptions by a linebacker is six, set in 1986 by Chris Spielman. Laurinaitis has at least one pick in each of the last four games. He is the first Buckeye to record an interception in four-consecutive games in the same season since Derek Ross nabbed six opponent pass attempts during a four-game stretch in 2001. Ross recorded an INT vs. Northwestern (10/6) and Wisconsin (10/13) and had two interceptions in games vs. both SDSU (10/20) and Penn State (10/27) that season.
OSU IMPROVES RECORD AS NO. 1
With the victory over Iowa, Ohio State is now 56-8-1 when ranked as the nation's No. 1 team. Overall, the Buckeyes are 288-68-9 when carrying a Top 10 ranking and 395-123-14 as a Top 25 team. Ohio State has opened the season No. 1 seven times, second only to Oklahoma (9). The Buckeyes own the record for most appearances (53) in the first 57 years of the Associated Press poll.
BUCKEYES STAY PERFECT IN NO. 1 VS. NO. 2 SHOWDOWNS
The Sept. 9 showdown in Austin between top-ranked Ohio State and second-ranked Texas was the earliest regular-season match-up in college football annals between a No. 1 and a No. 2 team. Ohio State has been involved in two such games previously, the first in the 1969 Rose Bowl and the second in the 2002 national championship game at the 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. OSU won both, downing the University of Southern California, 27-16, in the former and Miami of Florida, 31-24 in two overtimes, in the latter. On both occasions, the Buckeyes were the No. 2 ranked team.
BUCKEYES RECORD IMPRESSIVE WINS
In their last seven games, Jim Tressel's Buckeyes have recorded wins over five of college football's most successful programs - Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Penn State and Iowa. Michigan tops the all-time victories list with 854 wins (854-280-36), Notre Dame is second at 815-267-42 and Texas ranks third at 804-311-33. The Buckeyes are fifth all-time with 780 wins, followed by No. 6 Alabama (777 wins) and No. 7 Penn State (773-341-42). Iowa ranks No. 41 on the all-time wins list (550-494-39).
SEPTEMBER SUCCESS
The Buckeyes are now 22-2 under Jim Tressel in the month of September, the only setbacks coming at UCLA (9/22/01) and to visiting Texas (9/10) last year.
BUCKEYES GET HIGH GRADES
A league-best 18 Ohio State football players were named to the Big Ten's All-Academic team last fall, marking the fourth year in a row the Buckeyes have led the conference in that area. Additionally, a record 46 Ohio State football players qualified for last spring's annual OSU Scholar-Athlete Dinner, which requires a grade-point average of 3.00 or better for the past academic year. As a team, the Buckeyes have an overall GPA of 2.83. A total of 52 football student-athletes earned a 3.00 or better during Ohio State's spring quarter and 46 had a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 after spring grades were calculated.
BUCKEYE GRADUATES
Quarterback Troy Smith (communication), center Doug Datish (history), strong safety Brandon Mitchell (political science) and fullback Stan White Jr. (finance) all are working toward graduate degrees while playing football for the Buckeyes this season. Two most recent student-athletes to earn their degrees are All-America linebacker A.J. Hawk and Richard Schafrath, who lettered from 1956-58. Both were awarded degrees following the 2006 summer quarter. Other 2005-06 graduates include Bobby Carpenter, Angelo Chattams, R.J. Coleman, John Conroy, Ryan Hamby, Rob Harley, Mike Roberts, Anthony Schlegel, Brandon Schnittker, Rob Sims, Steve Winner and Ashton Youboty.
THE BUCKEYES ALL-TIME
Ohio State enters this week with an all-time record of 780-300-53 in 116 seasons of competition. That includes a Big Ten record of 429-187-28 since 1913, an Ohio Stadium slate of 369-104-20 since 1922 and a bowl mark of 18-19. The Buckeyes have winning records against 91 of the 105 opponents they have played.
OSU COACHES IN THE PRESS BOX
Offensive coordinator Jim Bollman and quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels will be in the press box for the Buckeyes during the game as will cornerbacks coach Tim Beckman and co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell.
BUCKEYE NOTES
Brian Robiskie has touchdown catches in each of the last two games ... Senior Roy Hall grabbed the second touchdown catch of his career Saturday against Iowa. His first came against Marshall in 2004 ... Defensive end Vernon Gholston has taken over the team lead in tackles-for-loss with seven. Gholston had a pair of TFLs at Iowa ... Sophomore cornerback Malcolm Jenkins has interceptions in each of the last two game. ... Senior defensive back Antonio Smith had his first career interception against Penn State two weeks ago, taking the ball back 55 yards for a touchdown. In Saturday's win at Iowa, Smith recorded another first, leading the team in tackles for the first time in a game. Smith was credited with six stops against the Hawkeyes ... Safety Anderson Russell injured his right knee at Iowa and is not expected to return this season. Russell, a redshirt freshman, had started the last four games and had 16 tackles on the year.
BUCKEYES STEER BY TEXAS
Led by Troy Smith, Ted Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez and Antonio Pittman on offense and bolstered by a young but quickly coming-of-age defense, top-ranked Ohio State solidified its place in the polls with its 17-point victory over the defending national champion Longhorns.
Smith enhanced his early season Heisman Trophy status by completing 17 of 26 passes for 269 yards and a pair of touchdowns against a veteran Texas defense, giving him five touchdown passes and 566 passing yards in his first two games. After two games, the 6-1, 215-pound quarterback has completed 68.4 percent of his passes and leads the Big Ten in passing efficiency with a 194.2 figure.
Ginn, the Buckeyes' other Heisman hopeful, was on the receiving end of five passes for 97 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown grab just before halftime that put Ohio State in front 14-7 going into the locker room. Ginn's grab capped off a business-like 5-play, 66-yard drive that began with 1:55 remaining in the second quarter. The speedy flanker set the tone early with a 46-yard catch-and-run on the Buckeyes' second play from scrimmage.
The Buckeyes also received a career-best performance from Gonzalez, who hauled in eight catches for 142 yards. The junior split end and honor student got Ohio State on the board with 1:04 to play in the first quarter by latching on to a 14-yard pass from Smith that put the icing on a 50-yard drive.
Pittman led the Buckeyes in rushing for the second consecutive week, finishing with 74 yards on 16 carries, an average of 4.6 yards per attempt. His 2-yard touchdown run with 6:31 to play capped off the scoring and put the game out of reach. The Buckeyes, who took over the ball at their own 28-yard line after a missed Texas field goal, marched 72 yards in 10 plays for the score.
The Buckeye defense limited the Texas offense to 326 total yards and just the one touchdown and set up two OSU scores with timely takeaways.
Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis was involved in both turnovers. First, he forced a first-quarter fumble at the OSU 1-yard line that cornerback Donald Washington scooped up and returned 49 yards to set up the Smith-to-Ginn touchdown pass. Then, on the first play of the third quarter, he intercepted a Colt McCoy pass and ran it back 25 yards to the Texas 31-yard line. Kicker Aaron Pettrey gave the Buckeyes a 10-point cushion with a 31-yard field goal.
With the aggressive defensive front keeping the pressure on throughout the evening, Laurinaitis finished with a game-best and career-high 13 tackles to go along with two forced fumbles, his first career interception and a pass broken up. Safety Brandon Mitchell was credited with nine stops, while Washington, who was making his first start at corner, had five. Cover corner Malcolm Jenkins and nickel back Antonio Smith each had five stops as Ohio State kept Texas under 40 points for the first time in 13 games.
Sophomore punter A. J. Trapasso kept the Longhorns corralled in their own territory by averaging 50.8 yards per punt on six kicks - the third best single-game performance in Ohio State history. That average includes a 39-yard punt at the end of the game that rolled out-of-bounds on the Texas 6-yard line. The Longhorns' average field position after a Trapasso thumper was their own 21-yard line.
The victory squared the series at 1-1 and gave Ohio State an all-time record of 4-0 in the Lone Star state.
BUCKEYES DOWN BEARCATS
Ohio State ran its record to 3-0 with a 37-7 victory over visiting Cincinnati. The win was the Buckeyes' 10th in a row.
After falling behind 7-3 at the end of the first quarter (the first time all year that OSU has trailed), the Buckeyes scored 34 unanswered points en route to their seventh consecutive win in Ohio Stadium.
Quarterback Troy Smith again led the Buckeyes to victory, completing 21 of 30 passes for 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns. OSU rolled up 444 yards in total offense and scoring drives of 85, 80 and 72 yards - their three longest drives of the year.
Smith connected with Ted Ginn Jr. on a pair of scoring strikes in the second and third quarters to give OSU a comfortable 20-7 lead. But it was Antonio Pittman who put the game out of reach with a 48-yard scoring jaunt with just over nine minutes to go in the fourth period. Pittman finished his afternoon with 155 yards on 16 carries, an impressive 9.7 yards per attempt. Backup tailback Maurice Wells scored the other OSU touchdown on a nine-yard run. Aaron Pettrey added field goals of 47 and 43 yards and Ryan Pretorius hit from 52-yards away to complete the scoring.
Gonzalez and Ginn each had five receptions to pace the receiving corps as four different quarterbacks hooked up with 11 different receivers.
The Ohio State defense limited the Bearcats to 212 yards of total offense, including a scant 64 in the second half. Senior tackle Quinn Pitcock had a career-high three sacks and narrowly missed two more. He finished the day with five tackles. With Pitcock leading the way, the Buckeyes recorded eight sacks, 10 tackles for loss and had three interceptions.
Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis led the Buckeyes with nine tackles, including a sack, and picked off his second interception of the year.
BUCKEYES TAME LIONS
Ohio State opened its Big Ten season with a 28-6 win over visiting Penn State. In winning their third straight conference home opener, the Buckeyes needed a pair of fourth-quarter interception returns for touchdowns to salt the game away.
Holding on to a less-than-comfortable 14-6 lead, the Buckeyes got a lift from cornerback Malcolm Jenkins whose 61-yard return gave them a 21-6 lead with 2:31 to play. Moments later cornerback Antonio Smith picked off his first career interception and returned it 55 yards to the north end zone and the game was officially over.
The Buckeyes also had an interception earlier in the game by linebacker James Laurinaitis, giving them eight on the year to that point, three more than all of last year. The OSU defense limited Penn State to 248 yards and allowed the Nittany Lions to convert just three of 14 third-down opportunities.
Ohio State's other two touchdowns came on a 12-yard run by Antonio Pittman, who finished the game with 110 yards, and a 37-yard pass from Troy Smith to Brian Robiskie. The former gave the Buckeyes their first lead at 7-3 after the Nittany Lions had taken a 3-0 lead into the locker room at intermission. On the latter, Smith rolled to his right, reversed his field and somehow threw a perfect strike to Robiskie, giving the Buckeyes a 14-3 lead.
The two teams combined for just 501 yards in total offense on a rainy, windy afternoon in Ohio Stadium.
PITCOCK HAS CAREER DAY
Defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock came within a shoestring of tying and perhaps setting the Ohio State single-game record for sacks against Cincinnati. The 6-3, 295-pound senior bull rushed his way through the Bearcats' offensive line en route to a career-high three sacks for minus 24 yards. Pitcock narrowly missed two other sacks, UC quarterback Dustin Grutza somehow slipping out of his grasp. The OSU single-game sack record of four is shared by Bobby Carpenter (Michigan State, 2005) and Jason Simmons (Washington State, 1991). Pitcock had one sack all of last year.
BUCKEYE CAPTAINS
Seniors Troy Smith, Doug Datish, Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson were voted by their teammates as captains of the 2006 Ohio State football team. Smith (QB) and Datish (C) will lead from the offensive side while Pitcock and Patterson represent the defense from the defensive tackle spot. The four entered the season with 128 games of combined experience as Buckeyes.
HONORARY CAPTAIN
Michael Jenkins will serve as this week's honorary captain. Jenkins, who currently plays for the Atlanta Falcons, was a four-year letterman and three-year starter at wide receiver for the Buckeyes between 2000 and 2003. He is the Buckeyes all-time leader in receiving yardage with 2,898 yards and ranks third in career receptions with 165. In 2002, he hauled in 61 passes for 1,076 yards to become the fourth receiver in OSU annals to top the 1,000-yard mark in a season.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
Bowling Green moved its record to 3-2 with a 21-9 victory over Ohio University last Saturday in Athens. After opening the season with a 35-14 loss to Wisconsin at Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Falcons won two games, beating Buffalo 48-40 in overtime and Florida International, 33-28, before a 38-3 loss to Kent State.
The Falcons are averaging 23.8 points and 362.4 yards of offense each game and their 208.2 rushing yards per game ranks 12th in the nation. Freddie Barnes has scored seven of the team's 10 rushing touchdowns and has 87 carries for 392 yards, an average of 78.4 per game. Chris Bullock, Dan Macon and Anthony Turner had the other rushing TDs. Anthony Turner has completed 37 of 64 passes for 466 yards and four touchdowns. He is averaging 155.3 yards per game. Zach Charles has 14 catches for 50 yards and Corey Partridge has 11 catches for 124 yards. Ruben Ruiz has 10 catches for 123 yards and has scored a pair of touchdowns.
Defensively, Bowling Green is allowing 30 points and 299 yards per game. Opponents are averaging 151.8 yards rushing and 147.2 yards passing. The unit has recorded six interceptions, recovered three fumbles and sacked the opposing quarterback 10 times for 89 yards. Erique Dozier and Terrel White each have 49 tackles to pace the Falcons. Dozier has three tackles-for-loss, including one sack, while White has 4.5 tackles-for-loss and a forced fumble. Brad Williams also has 4.5 tackles-for-loss, while Diyral Briggs has 3.5 sacks to lead the team. Kenny Lewis and Jerett Sanderson each have two interceptions.
BOWLING GREEN'S LAST GAME
Leading by five late in the third quarter, Bowling Green running back Chris Bullock scored his first collegiate touchdown from 5 yards out with a little more than two minutes to play in the stanza as the Falcons claimed a 21-9 road win at Ohio University last Saturday in Athens. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter. Bullock had a career-day, rushing for 114 yards on 21 carries. It was the first 100-yard effort of his career. Freddie Barnes caught a career-high four passes for 68 yards and rushed for 37 more. The Bowling Green defense had two interceptions, recovered one fumble and had four sacks.
COACH GREGG BRANDON
Gregg Brandon (Northern Colorado, 1978) is coaching his fourth season at Bowling Green and is 29-13. Last year, Bowling Green shared the MAC East title after guiding the Falcons to back-to-back bowl wins for just the second time in school history in 2003 and 2004. Bowling Green defeated Northwestern, 28-24, at the Motor City Bowl and Memphis, 52-35 in the GMAC Bowl. Brandon was hired in December 2002 with more than 22 years of experience at the Division I level, including two years at Bowling Green where he served as assistant head coach and directed the Falcons' offense. He spent two seasons at Colorado, where he was a member of Gary Barnett's staff. He also coached with Barnett at Northwestern from 1992-98. He also has coached at Utah State, Wyoming and Weber State.
NEXT WEEK
Ohio State resumes Big Ten play at Michigan State. Game time is 3:30 p.m. on ABC.
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Blade
BGSU trying to stay positive against OSU
Falcons huge underdogs against the No. 1 Buckeyes
By MAUREEN FULTON
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
BOWLING GREEN - Gregg Brandon is trying to be as positive about this as possible.
Bowling Green State University, a team working to achieve consistency in conference play, goes out-of-league this week to play Ohio State, a team working to achieve perfection. The Buckeyes' record against Mid-American Conference teams in Ohio Stadium proves the Falcons' task is almost an impossibility. OSU's 5-0 record pushes that theory even further.
But Brandon, BGSU's coach, prefers to look at Saturday as an opportunity. It's the first time in school history the Falcons will play the No. 1 team. "We have a shot to play the No. 1-ranked team in the country," Brandon said. "If we take advantage of that, then good things will happen. "It's a great opportunity to play against a great program [in] a great venue. I told our players this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime shot, to play a game like this." The coaches' task this week is to prepare the Falcons (3-2) for the noisy atmosphere in Columbus. The roster's had almost full turnover since BGSU played at Ohio State in 2003, a 24-17 Buckeyes win. "Only five players remain that went to Columbus in '03," Brandon said. "We're going to have to do a good job working on all the distractions that go along with playing in a venue like this with all our young players. "Hopefully we can manage that, and it will give us a chance." BRIGGS WINS HONORS: Sophomore defensive end Diyral Briggs won the MAC East defensive player of the week award yesterday. In the Falcons' win over Ohio on Saturday, Briggs had 3 1/2 tackles for losses, two sacks, and forced a fumble. He had seven tackles overall. It's the second time a BGSU player has won the award this year. NAME GAME: Ohio State and BGSU both have starting cornerbacks named Antonio Smith. BGSU's Antonio Smith is a sophomore from Miami who started every game last season as a true freshman. The Buckeyes' Smith is a senior from Columbus, a former walk-on who earned a scholarship, and a starting spot, in the spring. The Buckeyes' Smith (5-foot-9, 195 pounds) has had more of an impact this year. He returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown against Penn State and forced a fumble in the Iowa game. The Falcons' Smith (5-10, 175), hampered by an ankle injury for most of the year, has recorded one sack and recovered a fumble. JONES LEAVES TEAM: Senior receiver Brandon Jones has voluntarily left the program, a BGSU spokesman said yesterday. Jones caught three passes for 33 yards this year, including a 25-yard touchdown reception in double overtime against Buffalo. He also returned seven kicks for an average of 20.6 yards. STATS UPDATE: Five games in, BGSU is still among the national leaders in rushing offense, ranking 12th at 208 yards per game. The Falcons are also 12th in pass defense, allowing 147 yards per game in the air. Senior linebacker Terrel White ranks third in the country in tackles, averaging 11.75 per game.
BGSU trying to stay positive against OSU
Falcons huge underdogs against the No. 1 Buckeyes
By MAUREEN FULTON
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
BOWLING GREEN - Gregg Brandon is trying to be as positive about this as possible.
Bowling Green State University, a team working to achieve consistency in conference play, goes out-of-league this week to play Ohio State, a team working to achieve perfection. The Buckeyes' record against Mid-American Conference teams in Ohio Stadium proves the Falcons' task is almost an impossibility. OSU's 5-0 record pushes that theory even further.
But Brandon, BGSU's coach, prefers to look at Saturday as an opportunity. It's the first time in school history the Falcons will play the No. 1 team. "We have a shot to play the No. 1-ranked team in the country," Brandon said. "If we take advantage of that, then good things will happen. "It's a great opportunity to play against a great program [in] a great venue. I told our players this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime shot, to play a game like this." The coaches' task this week is to prepare the Falcons (3-2) for the noisy atmosphere in Columbus. The roster's had almost full turnover since BGSU played at Ohio State in 2003, a 24-17 Buckeyes win. "Only five players remain that went to Columbus in '03," Brandon said. "We're going to have to do a good job working on all the distractions that go along with playing in a venue like this with all our young players. "Hopefully we can manage that, and it will give us a chance." BRIGGS WINS HONORS: Sophomore defensive end Diyral Briggs won the MAC East defensive player of the week award yesterday. In the Falcons' win over Ohio on Saturday, Briggs had 3 1/2 tackles for losses, two sacks, and forced a fumble. He had seven tackles overall. It's the second time a BGSU player has won the award this year. NAME GAME: Ohio State and BGSU both have starting cornerbacks named Antonio Smith. BGSU's Antonio Smith is a sophomore from Miami who started every game last season as a true freshman. The Buckeyes' Smith is a senior from Columbus, a former walk-on who earned a scholarship, and a starting spot, in the spring. The Buckeyes' Smith (5-foot-9, 195 pounds) has had more of an impact this year. He returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown against Penn State and forced a fumble in the Iowa game. The Falcons' Smith (5-10, 175), hampered by an ankle injury for most of the year, has recorded one sack and recovered a fumble. JONES LEAVES TEAM: Senior receiver Brandon Jones has voluntarily left the program, a BGSU spokesman said yesterday. Jones caught three passes for 33 yards this year, including a 25-yard touchdown reception in double overtime against Buffalo. He also returned seven kicks for an average of 20.6 yards. STATS UPDATE: Five games in, BGSU is still among the national leaders in rushing offense, ranking 12th at 208 yards per game. The Falcons are also 12th in pass defense, allowing 147 yards per game in the air. Senior linebacker Terrel White ranks third in the country in tackles, averaging 11.75 per game.
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
OHIO COLLEGES
Bowling Green doesn?t look like 2003 bunch
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Mark Znidar
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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The last time Bowling Green played in Ohio Stadium, Ohio State needed an interception in the final minute to come away with a 24-17 victory.
The Falcons went on to win the Mid-American Conference West Division championship that year and defeat Northwestern in the Motor City Bowl.
Coach Gregg Brandon says the 2003 game against Ohio State is ancient history and that the current team bears little resemblance to that bunch, which included record-setting quarterback Josh Harris, receiver Cole Magner, linebacker Mitch Hewitt and defensive back Janssen Patton.
"That team we brought in there in ?03 was a veteran team," Brandon said. "We had 23 seniors. ? Only five players remain from that team."
The Falcons are in a rebuilding mode and have played three quarterbacks because of injuries and a suspension. Ohio State, meanwhile, is ranked No. 1 in the nation.
"It?s going to be a really big challenge for our football team, not just because of Ohio State but because of the youth of our football team," said Brandon, who will bring his team to Ohio Stadium on Saturday. "I?ve played 15 true freshmen this season. I challenge anyone in the country to say they?ve done that."
It has been a topsy-turvy ride for Bowling Green (3-2). There have been blowout losses to Wisconsin and Kent State, a narrow win over Florida International, an overtime victory over Buffalo and a solid win this past Saturday over Ohio University.
Playing the Buckeyes, Brandon has told his players, should be viewed an opportunity of a lifetime and not a chore. What he didn?t tell them is the timing couldn?t be worse. Next week, Bowling Green faces Eastern Michigan in a key MAC game.
"If you?re playing a nonconference opponent you want to play them early and get the bugs out of your schemes," he said. "It seems our league gets saddled with some of these games (in midseason). You have to be a road warrior."
Ohio State (5-0), Brandon said, is loaded.
"They have no weak links," he said. "They just change the name on the back of their uniforms with the name of one great player for the name of another great player."
History lesson
Kent State coach Doug Martin used his experiences to caution his team about a letdown after victories over Miami University, Bowling Green and Akron. Kent State plays Temple, which has lost 17 straight games, on Saturday in Philadelphia.
In 2002, Martin was East Carolina?s offensive coordinator in a 23-16 loss to Duke. The Blue Devils had dropped 23 straight games and were being compared to the worst Division I teams ever.
"We sat there and watched them tear the goalposts down," Martin said. "It was all over ESPN that night, and our players got to watch it for a good week. I said that we were in Temple?s situation not too long ago, desperate for a win. We have a lot of things to play for. We?re the last people who should be overconfident."
Kent State hasn?t won a nonconference game against a Division I-A opponent since 1987.
Hold that line
Ohio University has scored three touchdowns the past three games, and coach Frank Solich pins some of the blame on the offensive line.
In the 21-9 loss to Bowling Green, the Bobcats rushed for 54 yards and gave up four sacks. "It?s obvious when a team starts to struggle, it can happen up front," Solich said. "(Bowling Green) was bigger than us and stronger than us up front. We?re capable of playing better with our up-front people. It doesn?t just come back at them, though."
Sophomore Josh Leuck has been moved from defensive tackle to guard, but Solich said it would be awhile before he?ll see action.
[email protected]
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gregorylee
I'd rather be napping!!
Best Buckeye;624277; said:Trivia question buckeye fans.
What is the song the Falcons sing after every win?
Aye Ziggy Zoomba or something to that effect. It is also the domain name of their website.
edit, no "E" it appears
http://www.ay-ziggy-zoomba.com/
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BuckeyeRyn
Calling all friends & people I met on the way down
R0CK3TM4NN;624441; said:
I was posting there under BKB's name since he had a registered account until I could get my own account there.. they were BRUTAL!!!!!!!!! Almost as bad as the Bearcats fans... I was scared, LOL.....
Good thing BP has toughened my skin over the past few months or I might have needed therapy. 
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BuckeyeRyn
Calling all friends & people I met on the way down
gregorylee;624305; said:
I can't stress this enough.......... ENTER THAT WEBSITE WITH CAUTION!! Those people HATE, LOATHE, DESPISE anything and all things related to tOSU!!!!
(jealousy, jealousy, jealousy)
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Dublin Buckeyes
All-American
buckeyeryn you going to be going to the game? I wanted to say hello for being nice to me when i was a newer n00b.
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Wow. Just got my first look at the BG two deep. They start four Frosh and seven Sophs - half their team. But their second teams conist of 13 Frosh and 4 Sophs.
All Sophs and Frosh in the entire two-deep in the secondary.
For this game they need to involve the fans in some sort of 'thumbs-up/thumbs-down' system.
All Sophs and Frosh in the entire two-deep in the secondary.
For this game they need to involve the fans in some sort of 'thumbs-up/thumbs-down' system.
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