Game Thread Game Three: #1 Ohio State 37, Cincinnati 7 (9/16/06)

[OSUsushichic]

where?

Check out any thread on the Bearcat Banter that involves OSU. You'll see what she's talking about.

 

[jlb1705]

I think the liberal defensive rotation will continue. I think some players are beginning to assert themselves and solidify their hold on starting spots. Against an opponent like UC, Tressel should be able to afford to put in a lot of different people and get them reps without affecting the outcome of the game. I think that's the way it will go. You have to remember that with young players, the grind of a 12-game season can take its toll by the time November rolls around. Plus when you have a unit like this defense that is so inexperienced, you have to take every chance available to "manufacture" experience and depth. Tressel will continue to rotate liberally because it will pay huge dividends at the end of the season against teams like M*ch*g*n.

I watched the UC game from last week, and thier offense is tenative and prone to mistakes. I look for this game to be an opportunity for the defense to build on the confidence that comes with their performance in Austin. That confidence comes from going to Texas and holding the defending champs to 7 points on the home field. It will continue to grow with the disruptive plays this defense will create against UC. There will be sacks, fumbles, and interceptions. The young defenders will be assertive and will play their best game of the year.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Nice post, jlb... I didn't watch the UC Pitt game closely, but from the bits I did see, it looks like their DBs are just plain going to get abused by TG, Gonzo and company. Since you watched it closer (from the sounds of it) what's you're understanding of what UC's D will look like on the whole?

 

[Honor&Glory]

My favorite quote from their site:



I loved the hang-dog looks on the Texas fans at the end of the game Saturday. It isn't much fun beating up on somebody when nobody cares.

Unfortunately, nobody cares about UC football regardless of who the opponent is. It is the same for Miami football too, with the only exception being that the tens of fans that care about Miami football are more passionate.

I guess you can label me the resident 'UC' fan on the board since I am a UC alumn who is working on an M.A. at UC. (I do hope to obtain my PhD from OSU, however.) Mark Dantonio has done a remarkable job at UC but, like the old saying: if a tree falls in the woods and nobody was around to hear it, would it make a sound?

UC fans, more than any other school in the country, are not actual graduates of the school or have any significant ties to the program. (before anybody asks: I have 7 cousins and two uncles who are OSU grads and my father raised me to root for the Scarlet and Gray before I ever knew what a Bearcat was.) This was evidenced during the firing of Bob Huggins when many gave up their basketball tickets and stoped supporting the school. It was shameful, to be honest...and it breaks my heart a little that nobody has noticed that Dantonio is building a program that is taking the top of the 2nd tier talent from Ohio that used to disburse to the MAC schools and centralizing the talent at UC. It is my belief that UC will compete for the BE title next season and could, as commical as it may sound to most, wind up in a BCS bowl because of it...but that is a conversation for another day.

OSU has too much talent for UC to compete this year with Ohio State. More to the point, they don't have the team speed to play on the same field. UC could play its best game and OSU its worst and UC will still lose by 4 TD's...

I will be rooting for the Bucks on Saturday as I always do...But I wouldn't mind seeing Colerain grad, Dominick Goodman have a good game for UC.

...by the way: to the poster who wondered why UC fans hate OSU so much...jealousy. UC fans want their program, the 2nd largest public school in the state, to be as good as OSU. Take it as a sign of flattery.

 

[jlb1705]

Nice post, jlb... I didn't watch the UC Pitt game closely, but from the bits I did see, it looks like their DBs are just plain going to get abused by TG, Gonzo and company. Since you watched it closer (from the sounds of it) what's you're understanding of what UC's D will look like on the whole?

In my opinion, the UC defense looked well-coached. With Dantonio there, what else would you expect? For the most part, they tackle well, but against Pitt, they were prone to mental lapses, which led to big plays. I think we can expect UC to look more like NIU than Texas on defense. That sounds really stupid when I say it, but hear me out. What I mean by that, is that I think the defensive playcalling will be sound (which I think was more the case with NIU than Texas in the secondary), but the Bearcats will suffer from lapses in execution. I think the Buckeyes' big plays on offense will come from plays that look more like the the bomb to Ginn against NIU (where the defender tried but failed to jam Ginn at the line of scrimmage) rather than Ginn's TD against Texas (where Ginn was able to capitalize on an isolated mismatch.

I think Pittman and C. Wells are going to have a big game. I think Dantonio will commit the safeties to helping cover Ginn AND Gonzalez. Gonzalez's performance against Texas will pay huge dividends in the running game the rest of the season. We all knew he was dangerous, but now ever defensive coordinator left on the schedule knows it too. I think before they may have felt they could roll one safety on to Ginn and keep the other in run support - at least until the run of play dictated that they abandon that. Now I think we're going to see safeties outside of run support from the start of the game, and that's going to allow Tressel to spread the seven man defensive front in singleback sets or allow blockers like Stan White and Dionte Johnson to be more effective in the second level.

 

[osugrad21]

Official Site

New Depth Chart:

Russell over Patterson at FS
Washington now at NB
Robiskie is the starter at SE
Homan is not co-starter anymore

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Dantonio views OSU with rose-colored glasses


Tuesday, September 12, 2006BY BRENT JOHNSON
Star-Ledger Staff
Though the result reads differently on paper, Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio swears his team responded well to its first real challenge of the season Friday against Pittsburgh.
Okay, but how's this for a follow-up: The Bearcats now take to the road to face the country's top program -- a team whose last victory literally led to fire in the streets.
After losing to Pitt 33-15 this weekend in its Big East opener, Cincy will face an even greater challenge when it travels to take on No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday.
Oh, and the Buckeyes just happen to be hot off their huge victory over No. 2 Texas -- a win that sparked many students in Columbus to celebrate by setting fire to couches and mattresses around campus.
"I think we're energized," Dantonio said of the game during the Big East coaches' conference call yesterday. "Anytime you're from Ohio, this is a special game -- that's No. 1.
"The second thing is ... (this is an opportunity) where the nation focuses not only on the Buckeyes, but also on the University of Cincinnati," said the third-year head coach, who was Ohio State's defensive coordinator for three years -- including their 2002 national championship season -- before leaving for Cincinnati. "From that standpoint, it's a very exciting time."
Using the Pitt game as an indication of how much Cincinnati has improved since last season, Dantonio said he was happy with the Bearcats' performance against the Panthers -- even though his team managed just 35 net rushing yards on 30 carries and committed three turnovers after posting zero in its season-opening 31-0 win over Eastern Kentucky.
"If you look at us last year against Pittsburgh, we're a much-improved football team (this year)," said Dantonio, whose Bearcats lost to the Panthers, 38-20, last season. "On third- down conversions (on Friday), Pitt was 1-of-11. What they did was they hurt us on deep balls. You take away three plays on first-and-10 on deep balls..."
Granted, the game was scoreless until Pitt went up 7-0 just before halftime, and the Bearcats did outgain the Panthers, 398 yards to 344, in total offense.
Cincy also answered a major question after the game, when Dantonio said he secured the starting quarterback spot for sophomore Dustin Grutza, who started all 11 games as a true freshman last season.

Dantonio used both Grutza and senior Nick Davila as a two-pronged QB tandem the past two games. But while Grutza struggled in the first half against Pitt, Davila failed to do much of anything when inserted at the start of the second half -- other than intentionally ground the ball in his own end zone. Grutza finished the game 21-of-34 for 189 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
As far as this Saturday is concerned, though, Ohio State is in another stratosphere, even compared to Pitt. The Buckeyes downed Texas, 24-7, Saturday in Austin, snapping the Longhorns' national-best 21-game winning streak.
"Obviously, they're a great football team," Dantonio said, downplaying the game ever so slightly. "They're a solid football team in every respect.
"With that being said, we have a lot of players from Ohio, and they'll take this game very personally. So, we expect a great effort, and we'll go up there expecting to win."

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

OSU, UC staffs have to be wary of giving away secrets

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - What's brewing today with the 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes ...
BUCKEYE BUZZ: One can almost imagine the awkward moments around the table at the last Tressel reunion.
(Mike Tressel: So how are things going, Uncle Jim? Jim Tressel: I was just getting ready to ask YOU that, Mike.)
Let's see: Jim Tressel is the head coach at Ohio State and his older brother, Dick, is the running backs coach. No problem there. But Dick's son, Mike, is the linebackers and special teams coach for the University of Cincinnati - which happens to be on the Buckeyes' menu this Saturday at noon at Ohio Stadium.
Oh, and Mike was a graduate assistant at Ohio State from 2002-2003.
To add to the intrigue, UC head coach Mark Dantonio was Ohio State's defensive coordinator in 2001-2003, and also assisted Jim at Youngstown State from 1986-1990. Bearcats offensive coordinator Don Treadwell worked for the guy in the sweatervest from 1986-1991 at YSU. UC running backs coach Tim Hinton was a grad assistant at Ohio State in 1985-86, and Ohio State tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator John Peterson was a GA at UC in 1991 and 1992. Whew!
HONOREES: It's Hall of Fame weekend at Ohio State, with the newest inductees introduced to the crowd during the game. Two former football stars are among the honorees - cornerback Ted Provost (All-Big Ten 1968-69) and 1995 Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George.
HONOREES II: The Big Ten players of the week included LB James Laurinaitis, who had a career-best 13 tackles and a tackle for a loss, forced two fumbles and had an interception in the Buckeyes' 24-7 win over Texas on Saturday night. A.J. Trapasso was the special-teams winner, averaging 50.8 yards on six punts. Michigan State's Matt Trannon (14 catches, 151 yards, 2 TDs) in a win over Eastern Michigan won offensive honors.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Playing Bucks incentive enough
BY BILL KOCH | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The University of Cincinnati's 33-15 loss to Pittsburgh Friday at Nippert Stadium was a sobering dose of reality for the Bearcat football program.
The crowd was small, the final score was lopsided and the program's immediate future looked a little bleaker after the game was over.
To make matters worse, the Bearcats (1-1) face the prospect of playing at No. 1 Ohio State (2-0) Saturday, the week after the Buckeyes knocked off No. 2 Texas fairly easily.

UC has played only one other game against a top-ranked team. On Oct. 18, 1986, the Bearcats lost 45-13 to the Miami Hurricanes at Nippert Stadium.
So how does UC prepare for what most observers believe will be an Ohio State blowout?
Not a problem, said UC coach Mark Dantonio, who worked as the Buckeyes' defensive coordinator from 2001 through 2003.
"I think we're energized," Dantonio said Monday. "I don't see that as a problem at all. Anytime you're from Ohio, this is a special game. This is an opportunity where the national focus will not only be on the Buckeyes but on the University of Cincinnati."
"That's a positive thing," Dantonio said. "We have quite a few players who have played against the players up there (in high school) and have had success. All of those things get the adrenaline going. We need to put the Pitt game behind us. We need to be able to move forward. It's a huge challenge, but life's about challenges."
This will be Dantonio's second shot at his old school. His debut as the UC head coach was against the Buckeyes in 2004. The Bearcats trailed just 10-3 in that game at halftime before succumbing, 27-6.
UC fans will remember OSU's 23-19 victory over UC at Paul Brown Stadium as a game the Bearcats would have won if not for two dropped passes in the end zone in the closing minutes. UC played well in a 34-20 loss to Ohio State in Columbus in 1999.
On the surface, the Bearcats should be better equipped to face the Buckeyes this time. After all, this is the first time UC has played Ohio State as a member of the Big East Conference and as a fellow member of the Bowl Championship Series.
But this UC team doesn't have the experience that those other teams had, nor does it have a proven quarterback such as Gino Guidugli, who ran the Bearcat offense the last two times UC and Ohio State met.
Instead, the Bearcats will go with sophomore Dustin Grutza, who seems to have won the job more by default than anything else. Grutza was anointed by Dantonio as UC's quarterback after he completed 21 of 35 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown last week against Pitt, while Nick Davila was ineffective during the brief time that he played.
But Grutza also overthrew a wide open receiver in the end zone with the game still on the line, then was intercepted near the end of the game, which allowed Pitt to seal the victory. It was one of two interceptions he threw, both of which led to Pitt touchdowns.
"The plan now is that Dustin is our guy," Dantonio said. "He played well enough in the game. The last interception I was a little upset about, but I think he played pretty well ... I thought he played solid. He hung in there."
The UC players, who have played before a total of less than 40,000 fans in their first two games at Nippert Stadium, will perform Saturday in front of 100,000-plus at Ohio Stadium. In that kind of environment, they could get overwhelmed quickly if things go wrong.
"The environment is special before the game," Dantonio said, "but once the game starts, you concentrate on the game at hand.
"It will be very difficult because of Ohio State's skill, but as far as the awe of playing in that environment, I think our players are past that."

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

CINCINNATI
OSU nothing like team Dantonio knew
Offense more potent than one UC saw in 2004

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




Much has changed since the last time Mark Dantonio visited Ohio Stadium on a Saturday in September.
Two years ago, it was a sentimental homecoming for him. It was his first game as coach at Cincinnati after three years as Ohio State defensive coordinator.
"I knew so many of the players, almost all of them," he said. "This year, a lot of the names have changed; I only know a few of them. Some of the coaches have also changed."
The biggest change Dantonio will see in the Buckeyes on Saturday, when they renew acquaintances in the Horseshoe, will be at quarterback.
Two years ago, Justin Zwick made his first career start and Troy Smith threw his first career pass in the season opener against Cincinnati. Zwick?s debut included two interceptions and four fumbles, which helped the Bearcats stay close (10-6) deep into the third quarter before the Buckeyes pulled away for a 27-6 victory.
Two years later, Smith enters the game as a Heisman Trophy favorite and power source of an Ohio State offense that is much more explosive than the one Dantonio saw as an OSU assistant and prepared for as UC coach.
"Coach Tressel and his offensive staff have done a tremendous job moving forward with a variety of different formations and concepts since 2004," Dantonio said yesterday. "You go back to 2002, ?03 and ?04, they were a little more two-backoriented and standard-oneback passing team. This offense uses option, a lot of play-action, a lot of quarterback runs with Troy being almost like a tailback in the backfield.
"They?ve added another dimension ... and that?s what makes them even more explosive and harder to prepare for, because they have the ability to be more of a power football team but they have skill at almost every position. ... They?ve got things going."
Ohio State solidified its No. 1 ranking Saturday night with a convincing 24-7 win at then-No. 2 Texas.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, lost Friday night at home to Pittsburgh, 33-15. The game was scoreless late in the first half before Pitt scored 23 points in less than nine minutes with the help of UC mistakes: an interception, a safety and bad coverage on two long touchdown passes.
"I think we?re an improved football team" from the one that finished 4-7 last season, Dantonio said. "But when it gets close, we need to play perfect."
[email protected]

 

[Best Buckeye]

like the old saying: if a tree falls in the woods and nobody was around to hear it, would it make a sound?.

Yes because otherwise you would not have not been able to hear it!!

 

[Best Buckeye]

I bet cinci beats the spread. 1.Jt has Class 2. Dantonio

GO BUCKS

 

[osuguy0301]

I hate to say it but I am very uninterested in this game. I will be watching it on TV and everything but I hope the Bucks aren't mailing it in like me. We are obviously going to dominate this game, I just hope we don't see them looking past UC or thinking its going to be a walk over game. I don't think JT or Smith will allow that to happen. Its just hard to get up for UC when ya just smacked Texas in the mouth.

Go Bucks!!

 

[martinss01]

at the very least this is another test for the defense before the big 10 season starts. that in and of itself is exciting.

 

[Taosman]

Game is listed as the Big East Game of the Week.
Those that get Big East coverage may see the game.
New York stations may carry it.
I get the East coast Directv feed, maybe I'll get to see it free!