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Bucknuts Mag Excerpts: Marv Homan - Bucknuts •FB
Bucknuts Mag Excerpts: Marv Homan
By Bucknuts.com Staff
Date: Nov 18, 2005
When it comes to the growth of the OSU-Michigan rivalry, Marv Homan, the one-time Sports Information Director at OSU, saw it all. From the Snow Bowl to the 1968 blowout to the 2002 Fiesta Bowl clincher, Homan has been there throughout the years to see it all transpire. In our special OSU/UM 100th anniversary issue published in 2003, we ran an in-depth interview with Homan about his time at OSU and what he saw from the rivalry. Check it out in this week's version of Bucknuts Magazine Excerpts.
Each week, we post a new excerpt from the latest edition of Bucknuts The Magazine.
Headline: Homan A Part of OSU History
(From Nov. 2003)
By Charles Babb
Marv Homan worked in the Ohio State athletic department for almost four full decades. He served as the sports information director at the university as well as in other capacities. In 1988, he was given the Arch Ward Award by his peers. The award is annually presented to someone who has enhanced their profession through their contributions and conduct.
We caught up with Homan recently to chat about the OSU/Michigan rivalry and take a look back at his days at Ohio State.
Bucknuts the Magazine: What is it like behind the scenes at OSU leading up to the game?
Marvin Homan: “For some reason, and I guess I could give the answer to that, the Michigan-Ohio State game was always something special. By special, I mean from my point of view in all the years I was in the sports information office, the press and radio -- and then to a certain extent I will throw television into that -- was always the heaviest for the Michigan game. I don’t think it was strictly because of the rivalry. I think that looking back on it so many times, the Big Ten championship and the Rose Bowl was at stake, and frequently both teams were in the same position. In other words, the winner was going to win the Big Ten championship and was going to go to the Rose Bowl. Then, almost invariably in other years, one or the other team would be so involved. So, it always had a very special meaning beyond the rivalry that has developed.”
BTM: When was your first Michigan game?
MH: “When I was a freshman in 1944.”
BTM: What do you remember about that game?
MH: “Well, that was a very memorable game because Ohio State went into the game undefeated, and I think I am right… that the winner of the Ohio State-Michigan game would be the Big Ten champions. I believe Michigan was in the picture, although they had had at least one conference loss, and I am kind of hazy on that, but it was of a huge game for Ohio State. I think it was also nearly an equally big game for Michigan. Well, it was a typical Ohio-Michigan game with the thing going back and forth. Ohio put together a fourth quarter drive and scored a touchdown and ultimately won the game, it seems to me something like 18-14, although you would have to look.”
[Editors note: After speaking to Marv, I looked it up. The final score was 18-14 and Michigan had only one conference loss up to that point.]
BTM: How many games have you seen at Ohio Stadium given that your first year was 1944?
MH: “I have seen every home game since then with the exception of 1948, and I have seen most of the road games. I retired after the 1987 season and have not been to Michigan since and very frankly do not plan to go back again. That is not my favorite place.”
BTM: Have you missed any home games since 1948?
MH: “I have missed one home game in 54 years. That was after the September 11 episode. If you recall, Ohio State was to have played San Diego State, and by coincidence, and it was a huge coincidence, both teams had an off date in October. Well, we had made plans to go to Florida, and it was just too complicated to change it, so we went ahead and consequently I missed the San Diego State game on the rescheduled date.”
BTM: Have you ever thought about the fact that this year you have seen 60 of the 100 Ohio State-Michigan games?
MH: “No, it really hasn’t until you mention it. That number would be substantial. I never even bothered to count them up.”
BTM: Since you were someone who was actually there, could you indulge us and talk about the Snow Bowl?
MH: “Well, that was a nightmare, and it was a real shame. There was a case of an Ohio State football team that was better than Michigan, and by all odds deserved to go to the Rose Bowl, but the many offensive weapons that they had were just taken away from them because of the weather. The game itself was just a farce. Can you imagine a team winning a football game that one, never completed a pass, and (two) never made a first down? That was Michigan. They did two things: they blocked two kicks and one of them was recovered in the end zone, and one of them went out of the end zone, and that was it.”
BTM: What happened that they even played that game?
MH: “Well, something happened that I don’t know that a visitor can really do legally, but Michigan was coached by Fritz Crisler, and he was also the athletic director. He made a remark before the game, ‘We will play the game or we will cancel the game. We will not postpone it.’ In other words, Michigan would not come back to Ohio State a week later. I would imagine if the game were to be postponed, they would have said they would play it one week later. Well, he said he would refuse to do that. I am not real sure that a visitor can do that, but he did it and got away with it. There were other factors. The refund situation would have been absolutely calamitous. That, along with -- in this case -- the visiting team said they would either cancel it or we’ll play it, but that’s it. I don’t know that they are in position to make those demands, but they did it, and I guess you would say they got away with it.”
BTM: After the game, thousands had to be put up places there in Columbus since they were stuck. Was the athletic department involved with that effort?
MH: “I don’t know directly. I don’t think that was the case, but oh yes, thousands of people were stranded. They couldn’t get out of Columbus. It was just inundated with snow. Undoubtedly, that included thousands of Michigan fans who had intended to go back to Ann Arbor after the game but couldn’t do it. It created all kinds of weird situations. I think I can say without precedent, we have never had a situation equal to that. My lands, I hope we never have another one.”
BTM: What is the most extraordinary performance you have ever seen in The Game by an Ohio State player?
MH: “I guess Hop Cassady’s performance in the game that wound up 17-0 up at Ann Arbor (1955). That was one of the most memorable Ohio State wins I have ever seen. There again, it came against Michigan and with the championship at stake. Cassady just had an exceptional game. I am sure that maybe there have been others that in terms of statistics did more, but that one stands out.”
BTM: How about for a Michigan player? The one I think of is (Tim) Biakabatuka in 1995.
MH: “Yeah. I would agree. I would almost say that was the – well, I don’t ever remember anything exceeding that. We certainly made his professional career, which as it turns out did not amount to much, but we got him a good contract.”
BTM: What is the single greatest coaching performance you ever witnessed in this series?
MH: “Well, I think of Earle Bruce’s last game as the head coach at Ohio State. There is no kidding anybody -- Michigan figured to win that game, and Michigan undoubtedly had the better team. Then, to make it even more remarkable, it was up at Ann Arbor… just an outstanding game up there. That score was 23-20.”
BTM: What was the atmosphere in the athletic department in the week leading up to that game?
MH: “Well, I guess you would describe things as being rather gloomy. One, there was a great deal of sentiment for Earle Bruce. That was a decision that was basically made by the president, and it was forced upon Rick Bay, who was then the athletic director. He just couldn’t bring himself to almost deceiving Earle and his coaching staff the week of the game, and then, regardless of the outcome, telling them after the game, ‘By the way, you’re fired.’ So, in protest of the president’s decision, Rick Bay resigned as well. Many in the athletic department had a very empty feeling because Earle was gone for all intents and purposes, the assistant coaching staff was gone, and so was the athletic director. The general feeling was that they just didn’t deserve that, so it was kind of an empty feeling among the athletic department, and frankly, I almost sensed a defeatest attitude regarding the final game with Michigan because in all sincerity, Michigan probably had a better football team. I don’t remember if they were in the championship picture then or not; if not, they were certainly one of the top teams in the Big Ten. Of course, that was just unfortunate all the way around because after Ohio State beat Michigan, they had to turn down several bowl bids because they didn’t have a coach, and technically, in all probability, didn’t have a coaching staff and no athletic director. In other words, it was literally a ship without a rudder. As a result, the team that had really rallied superbly around Earle was left high and dry and was definitely cheated out of a bowl appearance. But anyway, the effort I thought was a real tribute to that football team and the coaching staff, despite a gloomy outlook, hung in there and did a great job. There have been other upsets of course, but that one really stands out.”
BTM: What is the most disappointing loss to Michigan that you can remember?
MH: “Well, there have been a lot of them. Let’s see, in 1996 there was the 13-9 loss. That team was undefeated going into the Michigan game, and boy, they had just annihilated some teams. You remember Pittsburgh and Rice, and they walloped Purdue, shut out Minnesota and Illinois. I mean, that was really a great football team. Somehow or another they managed to lose the Michigan game 13-9. They had a measure of revenge in that they got to go to the Rose Bowl and defeat Arizona State. That was, in my opinion, absolutely a national championship caliber team, but of course the Michigan game did them in. They had a great team in 1995, maybe not quite as good as ’96. That was a thrilling football game. It was up at Ann Arbor, and we lost it 31-23, but in reality that was a very disappointing loss, because I really think we had a better football team than Michigan did.”
BTM: How close do you work with the coaching staff?
MH: “I had an almost daily contact with the coaching staff starting with Woody. Not so much in 1951, 1952, or 1953, it really picked up in ’54 when we had that great team that went undefeated and went on to win the Rose Bowl. That was a national championship team, and I had a daily contact with the coaching staff.”
BTM: What is the temperament of the coaching staff during the week leading up to The Game?
MH: “It would vary with the situation. You could go into the meeting room say on a Monday following a game, and if the team had performed well, you could kind of sense that in the general attitude of the assistants. If they had played poorly and lost, or if they had had an injury or two to a key man who in all likelihood was going to be out the following week, you could sense that. So, it was really a week-by-week proposition. A lot of it hinged on the way the team had played the preceding week and the general health of the team.”
BTM: What was Woody like after a loss to Michigan?
MH: “One, there was no question but that you could tell things did not come out the way he wanted them or the way he thought they ought to… he took so much of that personally. In other words, he felt that probably the biggest single reason they lost is he did not do a good job of getting them ready. That very frankly was not true, but that was what he at least conveyed to outsiders. Oh, he was gloomy and kind of shot down, but goodness, you could talk to him, and if there was some kind of a request that you felt was of an important nature either to him or to Ohio State or to the football program, you could certainly broach it to him. Generally, he was very receptive.”
BTM: Is there anything that sticks out to you about Woody and the Michigan game?
MH: “I guess one of the stories that always amused me – and this is true – it did happen. The week before a Michigan game, and this is hard to believe, but he was to make an appearance somewhere. I don’t remember whether it was recruiting or a speech or what it was – up in the Toledo area. For some reason, he got across the state line and was actually in Michigan, and his gas tank on his car registered empty. He told a sports writer (with him) that under no conditions were we going to stop and get gas in Michigan and give them our money and pay the gas tax, etc. They were going to get across the line whether or not. It turns out that they made it, but they just made it. The car quit going into a gas station, and that sort of reflected his emotional thinking at the time that they were not going to spend any money in Michigan unless it was absolutely necessary. Well, it nearly was, but as it turned out, he managed to get back across the line and got back into Ohio.”
BTM: How much of that with Woody was real? I think what was missed is that he could be a great actor when he chose to be.
MH: “In that case it was all real because he didn’t have any audience. Oh yes, he was the actor. No question about it. A lot of things were done for a certain effect. He was a very calculating individual.”
BTM: So was most of it real or was most of it acting?
MH: “I think it was both. He really – he worked himself up deliberately into a feeling that, well, how can I say it? ‘Now it’s time to play football. We’re going to put everything else aside and we have one objective in mind and that is to beat Michigan in football.’ That was not an act. But, some of the things leading up to that were. He had a clear-cut objective. He knew how he wanted to be, but he wanted others to be – namely members of the team and coaching staff – to be in the same general mood. There is no doubt he would work himself up into a certain mental stance before not really just Michigan, but other football games. Especially when there was a championship at stake or a major non-conference opponent or something like that. He had a variety of ways of working himself up in that position, but he expected the coaching staff to do the same thing. Well, in some cases that was natural in other cases it was not.”
BTM: What was the media coverage like during the stretch of 1968-1975 when Ohio State and Michigan came into The Game both in top 5?
MH: “I don’t think there was really a great deal of difference.”
BTM: Every year, fans want to win a national title and beat Michigan in Columbus, can you talk about that?
MH: “The expectations at Ohio State I think over the years have been unrealistically high, and this has put the coach and the coaching staff at a distinct disadvantage. There were some years in there where we were not a bad football team but by no means were we of championship caliber. You wouldn’t know that by some of the external writings and some of the preseason publications, etc. It just seemed like Ohio State and Michigan were always down as the favorites to win the Big Ten, and if they didn’t there certainly was widespread disappointment. Well, yes there was – but that was magnified and was really kind of drawn out of proportion. So, over all of those years we had some … certainly some down years. Not so much in terms of losing records, but we certainly had a losing record in I am going to say 1959.
BTM: With Woody, losing seasons were rare; can you talk about that team in 1959?
MH: “The interesting part of that was that was a good Ohio State football team, but the second game of the season they went out to Southern California and there were 17 injuries in that game. I don’t think we have ever had a game equal that, and to be honest, the season ended out there the second game of the season. They were never able to get anything approaching their regular lineup back on the field. That happened the second game of the season. Well, you look at that and that team won 3, lost 5, and tied 1 and you would say, ‘My that was a poor season!’ Well, yes it was, but there was no doubt why. They had some prominent football players, I mean really good, who were out from the second – they were injured the second game – and either never returned or were never the same after the injury in that particular game. So, I remember that was one of Woody’s two losing seasons. Starting the season that was a good football team and was a legitimate contender for the Big Ten Championship. Now, you don’t know how they would have done because unfortunately they were never able to play as a unit. So, it is problematic, but that was a good football team. By no means was there any indication that that was going to be a down year.”
BTM: Have you stayed in touch with any of the teams?
MH: “Oh some of them yes. Sure.”
BTM: What caused you to do that?
MH: “Well you get to know them. You get to know many of them when they are here and you want to stay in touch. I mean, you develop friendships and that does not end with their final game. Oh yes, I have many, many, many friendships or fond memories. There was a time when as these reunions were held, very frankly I was always invited back as kind of one of the unofficial team members. I always took pride in that.”
BTM: When he was hired, was there talk about John Cooper’s victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl when he was hired?
MH: “I was retired then, so I don’t really know. I think from what I can gather John was a very cooperative individual and was not at all difficult to work with. But, well … it is just a strange thing. That (Michigan) was just a team that just literally had a hex on him because you look at his overall won and lost record, and it is rather impressive. It isn’t as good as Woody’s, and it isn’t as good as Earle’s, but it certainly isn’t bad. But, he just was not able to beat Michigan, and I often wondered if it was the fact that he was not an Ohio State person and deep down inside didn’t quite understand that rivalry. But maybe that isn’t the case. I don’t know. It is hard to say. John was liked by members of the athletic department as far as I can see.”
BTM: Have the game day traditions changed at all since you have been associated with The Game?
MH: “Oh, not nearly as much as you would think.”
BTM: What about the media coverage; can you compare and contrast the media coverage from decades ago compared to today?
MH: “It is much greater now. I remember when we used to have special drivers who would take writers – more writers than television or radio people – out to the airport. They had special passes and that sort of thing, and I think that is still done although now the after game file is probably heavier in the press box – well not probably is – heavier now than it was when I remember it. Then when that is over, the writers are literally on their own. There does not seem to be quite the press after the game that there used to be. It is kind of hard to explain and yet it is true, but that is just (part of) evolution. I don’t think it has changed a great deal. The number has. It is substantially more now.
BTM: How does a journalist of today differ from those of decades ago?
MH: “I suppose it is more of a business. I suppose the present day journalists pride themselves on being totally objective, but that implies that they weren’t back in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and I don’t think that was true. I think there is more of a tendency now to…criticize and to find fault with the head coach, his style, certain players, what they do, what they don’t do, what they can’t do, and that sort of thing. I don’t believe that was nearly the case before. I think that maybe is the biggest difference. There are more self-styled critics now than there used to be. I don’t mean that entirely in a derogatory nature, yet in a way it is.”
BTM: When you started in the sports information department, how many people were on staff?
MH: “Only two of us. When I started as an assistant in 1951, there were just two of us. The director was a man by the name of Bill Snypp and myself and that was it. That is all we had.”
BTM: How many were on staff when you retired?
MH: “Two full time. Then, two more that worked with women’s sports. That would be four, and a secretary.”
BTM: Finally, who has been your favorite Ohio State coach to work with out of all the sports – male, female, etc.?
MH: “Really that is tougher to answer than you might think, but I suppose Fred Taylor, the (men’s) basketball coach, was the easiest and for all intents was just totally cooperative. In other words, if I felt that it was important either to basketball or indirectly to Fred or to the player than that’s it. That is the way it is going to be. You can’t ask for anything more than that.”
Bucknuts Mag Excerpts: Marv Homan
By Bucknuts.com Staff
Date: Nov 18, 2005
When it comes to the growth of the OSU-Michigan rivalry, Marv Homan, the one-time Sports Information Director at OSU, saw it all. From the Snow Bowl to the 1968 blowout to the 2002 Fiesta Bowl clincher, Homan has been there throughout the years to see it all transpire. In our special OSU/UM 100th anniversary issue published in 2003, we ran an in-depth interview with Homan about his time at OSU and what he saw from the rivalry. Check it out in this week's version of Bucknuts Magazine Excerpts.
Each week, we post a new excerpt from the latest edition of Bucknuts The Magazine.
Headline: Homan A Part of OSU History
(From Nov. 2003)
By Charles Babb
Marv Homan worked in the Ohio State athletic department for almost four full decades. He served as the sports information director at the university as well as in other capacities. In 1988, he was given the Arch Ward Award by his peers. The award is annually presented to someone who has enhanced their profession through their contributions and conduct.
We caught up with Homan recently to chat about the OSU/Michigan rivalry and take a look back at his days at Ohio State.
Bucknuts the Magazine: What is it like behind the scenes at OSU leading up to the game?
Marvin Homan: “For some reason, and I guess I could give the answer to that, the Michigan-Ohio State game was always something special. By special, I mean from my point of view in all the years I was in the sports information office, the press and radio -- and then to a certain extent I will throw television into that -- was always the heaviest for the Michigan game. I don’t think it was strictly because of the rivalry. I think that looking back on it so many times, the Big Ten championship and the Rose Bowl was at stake, and frequently both teams were in the same position. In other words, the winner was going to win the Big Ten championship and was going to go to the Rose Bowl. Then, almost invariably in other years, one or the other team would be so involved. So, it always had a very special meaning beyond the rivalry that has developed.”
BTM: When was your first Michigan game?
MH: “When I was a freshman in 1944.”
BTM: What do you remember about that game?
MH: “Well, that was a very memorable game because Ohio State went into the game undefeated, and I think I am right… that the winner of the Ohio State-Michigan game would be the Big Ten champions. I believe Michigan was in the picture, although they had had at least one conference loss, and I am kind of hazy on that, but it was of a huge game for Ohio State. I think it was also nearly an equally big game for Michigan. Well, it was a typical Ohio-Michigan game with the thing going back and forth. Ohio put together a fourth quarter drive and scored a touchdown and ultimately won the game, it seems to me something like 18-14, although you would have to look.”
[Editors note: After speaking to Marv, I looked it up. The final score was 18-14 and Michigan had only one conference loss up to that point.]
BTM: How many games have you seen at Ohio Stadium given that your first year was 1944?
MH: “I have seen every home game since then with the exception of 1948, and I have seen most of the road games. I retired after the 1987 season and have not been to Michigan since and very frankly do not plan to go back again. That is not my favorite place.”
BTM: Have you missed any home games since 1948?
MH: “I have missed one home game in 54 years. That was after the September 11 episode. If you recall, Ohio State was to have played San Diego State, and by coincidence, and it was a huge coincidence, both teams had an off date in October. Well, we had made plans to go to Florida, and it was just too complicated to change it, so we went ahead and consequently I missed the San Diego State game on the rescheduled date.”
BTM: Have you ever thought about the fact that this year you have seen 60 of the 100 Ohio State-Michigan games?
MH: “No, it really hasn’t until you mention it. That number would be substantial. I never even bothered to count them up.”
BTM: Since you were someone who was actually there, could you indulge us and talk about the Snow Bowl?
MH: “Well, that was a nightmare, and it was a real shame. There was a case of an Ohio State football team that was better than Michigan, and by all odds deserved to go to the Rose Bowl, but the many offensive weapons that they had were just taken away from them because of the weather. The game itself was just a farce. Can you imagine a team winning a football game that one, never completed a pass, and (two) never made a first down? That was Michigan. They did two things: they blocked two kicks and one of them was recovered in the end zone, and one of them went out of the end zone, and that was it.”
BTM: What happened that they even played that game?
MH: “Well, something happened that I don’t know that a visitor can really do legally, but Michigan was coached by Fritz Crisler, and he was also the athletic director. He made a remark before the game, ‘We will play the game or we will cancel the game. We will not postpone it.’ In other words, Michigan would not come back to Ohio State a week later. I would imagine if the game were to be postponed, they would have said they would play it one week later. Well, he said he would refuse to do that. I am not real sure that a visitor can do that, but he did it and got away with it. There were other factors. The refund situation would have been absolutely calamitous. That, along with -- in this case -- the visiting team said they would either cancel it or we’ll play it, but that’s it. I don’t know that they are in position to make those demands, but they did it, and I guess you would say they got away with it.”
BTM: After the game, thousands had to be put up places there in Columbus since they were stuck. Was the athletic department involved with that effort?
MH: “I don’t know directly. I don’t think that was the case, but oh yes, thousands of people were stranded. They couldn’t get out of Columbus. It was just inundated with snow. Undoubtedly, that included thousands of Michigan fans who had intended to go back to Ann Arbor after the game but couldn’t do it. It created all kinds of weird situations. I think I can say without precedent, we have never had a situation equal to that. My lands, I hope we never have another one.”
BTM: What is the most extraordinary performance you have ever seen in The Game by an Ohio State player?
MH: “I guess Hop Cassady’s performance in the game that wound up 17-0 up at Ann Arbor (1955). That was one of the most memorable Ohio State wins I have ever seen. There again, it came against Michigan and with the championship at stake. Cassady just had an exceptional game. I am sure that maybe there have been others that in terms of statistics did more, but that one stands out.”
BTM: How about for a Michigan player? The one I think of is (Tim) Biakabatuka in 1995.
MH: “Yeah. I would agree. I would almost say that was the – well, I don’t ever remember anything exceeding that. We certainly made his professional career, which as it turns out did not amount to much, but we got him a good contract.”
BTM: What is the single greatest coaching performance you ever witnessed in this series?
MH: “Well, I think of Earle Bruce’s last game as the head coach at Ohio State. There is no kidding anybody -- Michigan figured to win that game, and Michigan undoubtedly had the better team. Then, to make it even more remarkable, it was up at Ann Arbor… just an outstanding game up there. That score was 23-20.”
BTM: What was the atmosphere in the athletic department in the week leading up to that game?
MH: “Well, I guess you would describe things as being rather gloomy. One, there was a great deal of sentiment for Earle Bruce. That was a decision that was basically made by the president, and it was forced upon Rick Bay, who was then the athletic director. He just couldn’t bring himself to almost deceiving Earle and his coaching staff the week of the game, and then, regardless of the outcome, telling them after the game, ‘By the way, you’re fired.’ So, in protest of the president’s decision, Rick Bay resigned as well. Many in the athletic department had a very empty feeling because Earle was gone for all intents and purposes, the assistant coaching staff was gone, and so was the athletic director. The general feeling was that they just didn’t deserve that, so it was kind of an empty feeling among the athletic department, and frankly, I almost sensed a defeatest attitude regarding the final game with Michigan because in all sincerity, Michigan probably had a better football team. I don’t remember if they were in the championship picture then or not; if not, they were certainly one of the top teams in the Big Ten. Of course, that was just unfortunate all the way around because after Ohio State beat Michigan, they had to turn down several bowl bids because they didn’t have a coach, and technically, in all probability, didn’t have a coaching staff and no athletic director. In other words, it was literally a ship without a rudder. As a result, the team that had really rallied superbly around Earle was left high and dry and was definitely cheated out of a bowl appearance. But anyway, the effort I thought was a real tribute to that football team and the coaching staff, despite a gloomy outlook, hung in there and did a great job. There have been other upsets of course, but that one really stands out.”
BTM: What is the most disappointing loss to Michigan that you can remember?
MH: “Well, there have been a lot of them. Let’s see, in 1996 there was the 13-9 loss. That team was undefeated going into the Michigan game, and boy, they had just annihilated some teams. You remember Pittsburgh and Rice, and they walloped Purdue, shut out Minnesota and Illinois. I mean, that was really a great football team. Somehow or another they managed to lose the Michigan game 13-9. They had a measure of revenge in that they got to go to the Rose Bowl and defeat Arizona State. That was, in my opinion, absolutely a national championship caliber team, but of course the Michigan game did them in. They had a great team in 1995, maybe not quite as good as ’96. That was a thrilling football game. It was up at Ann Arbor, and we lost it 31-23, but in reality that was a very disappointing loss, because I really think we had a better football team than Michigan did.”
BTM: How close do you work with the coaching staff?
MH: “I had an almost daily contact with the coaching staff starting with Woody. Not so much in 1951, 1952, or 1953, it really picked up in ’54 when we had that great team that went undefeated and went on to win the Rose Bowl. That was a national championship team, and I had a daily contact with the coaching staff.”
BTM: What is the temperament of the coaching staff during the week leading up to The Game?
MH: “It would vary with the situation. You could go into the meeting room say on a Monday following a game, and if the team had performed well, you could kind of sense that in the general attitude of the assistants. If they had played poorly and lost, or if they had had an injury or two to a key man who in all likelihood was going to be out the following week, you could sense that. So, it was really a week-by-week proposition. A lot of it hinged on the way the team had played the preceding week and the general health of the team.”
BTM: What was Woody like after a loss to Michigan?
MH: “One, there was no question but that you could tell things did not come out the way he wanted them or the way he thought they ought to… he took so much of that personally. In other words, he felt that probably the biggest single reason they lost is he did not do a good job of getting them ready. That very frankly was not true, but that was what he at least conveyed to outsiders. Oh, he was gloomy and kind of shot down, but goodness, you could talk to him, and if there was some kind of a request that you felt was of an important nature either to him or to Ohio State or to the football program, you could certainly broach it to him. Generally, he was very receptive.”
BTM: Is there anything that sticks out to you about Woody and the Michigan game?
MH: “I guess one of the stories that always amused me – and this is true – it did happen. The week before a Michigan game, and this is hard to believe, but he was to make an appearance somewhere. I don’t remember whether it was recruiting or a speech or what it was – up in the Toledo area. For some reason, he got across the state line and was actually in Michigan, and his gas tank on his car registered empty. He told a sports writer (with him) that under no conditions were we going to stop and get gas in Michigan and give them our money and pay the gas tax, etc. They were going to get across the line whether or not. It turns out that they made it, but they just made it. The car quit going into a gas station, and that sort of reflected his emotional thinking at the time that they were not going to spend any money in Michigan unless it was absolutely necessary. Well, it nearly was, but as it turned out, he managed to get back across the line and got back into Ohio.”
BTM: How much of that with Woody was real? I think what was missed is that he could be a great actor when he chose to be.
MH: “In that case it was all real because he didn’t have any audience. Oh yes, he was the actor. No question about it. A lot of things were done for a certain effect. He was a very calculating individual.”
BTM: So was most of it real or was most of it acting?
MH: “I think it was both. He really – he worked himself up deliberately into a feeling that, well, how can I say it? ‘Now it’s time to play football. We’re going to put everything else aside and we have one objective in mind and that is to beat Michigan in football.’ That was not an act. But, some of the things leading up to that were. He had a clear-cut objective. He knew how he wanted to be, but he wanted others to be – namely members of the team and coaching staff – to be in the same general mood. There is no doubt he would work himself up into a certain mental stance before not really just Michigan, but other football games. Especially when there was a championship at stake or a major non-conference opponent or something like that. He had a variety of ways of working himself up in that position, but he expected the coaching staff to do the same thing. Well, in some cases that was natural in other cases it was not.”
BTM: What was the media coverage like during the stretch of 1968-1975 when Ohio State and Michigan came into The Game both in top 5?
MH: “I don’t think there was really a great deal of difference.”
BTM: Every year, fans want to win a national title and beat Michigan in Columbus, can you talk about that?
MH: “The expectations at Ohio State I think over the years have been unrealistically high, and this has put the coach and the coaching staff at a distinct disadvantage. There were some years in there where we were not a bad football team but by no means were we of championship caliber. You wouldn’t know that by some of the external writings and some of the preseason publications, etc. It just seemed like Ohio State and Michigan were always down as the favorites to win the Big Ten, and if they didn’t there certainly was widespread disappointment. Well, yes there was – but that was magnified and was really kind of drawn out of proportion. So, over all of those years we had some … certainly some down years. Not so much in terms of losing records, but we certainly had a losing record in I am going to say 1959.
BTM: With Woody, losing seasons were rare; can you talk about that team in 1959?
MH: “The interesting part of that was that was a good Ohio State football team, but the second game of the season they went out to Southern California and there were 17 injuries in that game. I don’t think we have ever had a game equal that, and to be honest, the season ended out there the second game of the season. They were never able to get anything approaching their regular lineup back on the field. That happened the second game of the season. Well, you look at that and that team won 3, lost 5, and tied 1 and you would say, ‘My that was a poor season!’ Well, yes it was, but there was no doubt why. They had some prominent football players, I mean really good, who were out from the second – they were injured the second game – and either never returned or were never the same after the injury in that particular game. So, I remember that was one of Woody’s two losing seasons. Starting the season that was a good football team and was a legitimate contender for the Big Ten Championship. Now, you don’t know how they would have done because unfortunately they were never able to play as a unit. So, it is problematic, but that was a good football team. By no means was there any indication that that was going to be a down year.”
BTM: Have you stayed in touch with any of the teams?
MH: “Oh some of them yes. Sure.”
BTM: What caused you to do that?
MH: “Well you get to know them. You get to know many of them when they are here and you want to stay in touch. I mean, you develop friendships and that does not end with their final game. Oh yes, I have many, many, many friendships or fond memories. There was a time when as these reunions were held, very frankly I was always invited back as kind of one of the unofficial team members. I always took pride in that.”
BTM: When he was hired, was there talk about John Cooper’s victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl when he was hired?
MH: “I was retired then, so I don’t really know. I think from what I can gather John was a very cooperative individual and was not at all difficult to work with. But, well … it is just a strange thing. That (Michigan) was just a team that just literally had a hex on him because you look at his overall won and lost record, and it is rather impressive. It isn’t as good as Woody’s, and it isn’t as good as Earle’s, but it certainly isn’t bad. But, he just was not able to beat Michigan, and I often wondered if it was the fact that he was not an Ohio State person and deep down inside didn’t quite understand that rivalry. But maybe that isn’t the case. I don’t know. It is hard to say. John was liked by members of the athletic department as far as I can see.”
BTM: Have the game day traditions changed at all since you have been associated with The Game?
MH: “Oh, not nearly as much as you would think.”
BTM: What about the media coverage; can you compare and contrast the media coverage from decades ago compared to today?
MH: “It is much greater now. I remember when we used to have special drivers who would take writers – more writers than television or radio people – out to the airport. They had special passes and that sort of thing, and I think that is still done although now the after game file is probably heavier in the press box – well not probably is – heavier now than it was when I remember it. Then when that is over, the writers are literally on their own. There does not seem to be quite the press after the game that there used to be. It is kind of hard to explain and yet it is true, but that is just (part of) evolution. I don’t think it has changed a great deal. The number has. It is substantially more now.
BTM: How does a journalist of today differ from those of decades ago?
MH: “I suppose it is more of a business. I suppose the present day journalists pride themselves on being totally objective, but that implies that they weren’t back in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and I don’t think that was true. I think there is more of a tendency now to…criticize and to find fault with the head coach, his style, certain players, what they do, what they don’t do, what they can’t do, and that sort of thing. I don’t believe that was nearly the case before. I think that maybe is the biggest difference. There are more self-styled critics now than there used to be. I don’t mean that entirely in a derogatory nature, yet in a way it is.”
BTM: When you started in the sports information department, how many people were on staff?
MH: “Only two of us. When I started as an assistant in 1951, there were just two of us. The director was a man by the name of Bill Snypp and myself and that was it. That is all we had.”
BTM: How many were on staff when you retired?
MH: “Two full time. Then, two more that worked with women’s sports. That would be four, and a secretary.”
BTM: Finally, who has been your favorite Ohio State coach to work with out of all the sports – male, female, etc.?
MH: “Really that is tougher to answer than you might think, but I suppose Fred Taylor, the (men’s) basketball coach, was the easiest and for all intents was just totally cooperative. In other words, if I felt that it was important either to basketball or indirectly to Fred or to the player than that’s it. That is the way it is going to be. You can’t ask for anything more than that.”
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Offensive Quotebook: Will Progress Continue? - Bucknuts •FB
Offensive Quotebook: Will Progress Continue?
By Steve Helwagen
Managing Editor
Date: Nov 18, 2005
We have comments from OSU coaches and players (including Santonio Holmes) on the team's late-season emergence on offense as well as the challenge the Buckeyes face for Saturday's game at Michigan (1 p.m., ABC). Plus, this story contains to links to all of our coverage of The Game this week. Click this free link for more.
As Ohio State prepares to visit Michigan on Saturday (1 p.m., ABC), one match-up of note will pit OSU’s emerging offense against Michigan’s improving defense.
After four consecutive games of 40 points or more, OSU has risen to 24th nationally and fifth in the Big Ten in scoring offense at 33.3 points per game. After being mired near the bottom of the total offense rankings earlier this year, OSU has moved up to seventh in the Big Ten at 403.3 yards per game.
At the same time, the Michigan defense has been rebuilt, so to speak, without standout defensive backs like Marlin Jackson and Ernest Shazor. The young secondary has melded well with improved play on the defensive line and solid work from the linebackers.
The Wolverines have risen to third in the Big Ten in total defense at 340.6 yards per game. (Ohio State and Penn State are 1-2 in that category within the conference.)
In today’s offensive quotebook, we share comments from OSU coach Jim Tressel and several players on OSU’s offensive improvement as well as what they expect to see from the Michigan defense.
Jim Tressel, head coach
* On what’s gone well for the offense -- “We've made a lot of big plays but I don't think you can discount where we've had a chance to start drives. Our defense has been very good, our special teams have had some returns and the punt block last week was a great thing for us to all of a sudden have a two-touchdown lead after we were down by a touchdown. I think if you add all those things together -- but we've had some guys come up and make some plays.”
* On the match-up with the UM defense -- “If we can keep improving, we feel like we can compete offensively. Their defense keeps getting better. They have powerful guys that can really run. They are skilled in the back end, but our guys feel as if it comes down to how we execute. You know they're up there saying well it's going to come down to how they execute, and we're both right.”
* On having a 1,000-yard rusher like Antonio Pittman -- “It was our goal as we went into the year is to move toward being able to be a balanced football team. We've talked about that often here.
“In fact, I said to Pitt before the season that if we want to reach a lot of the goals that we say we would like to do, we need a guy that can rush for 1,500 yards. Because if we've got a 1500-yard rusher, we probably are going to be able to throw it a little bit, too. We're not there, and it might be hard to get there. But I feel good about our progress and I think it helps us.”
Rob Sims, left guard
* On whether the team’s two losses haunt him -- “I think the seniors, it’s really haunting us. But I think that makes us play a little better too. Anytime you have a bad game, or didn’t play well, you go out there and make sure you go out there and bust your butt on the practice field and get better. So, I think after doing that, (the two losses) are driving us to do better.”
* On the UM defense -- "They had some people hurt all year. They had some bad breaks, it's a long year. They just battled back. They're kind of like a machine now. They've got everything going for them. We're going to make sure our offense is going, too. They're kind of like our defense. They fly around the ball, they swarm very well, they pursue.”
* On OSU going over 200 yards on the ground against UM last year -- "I'm very confident what we can do, as far as run the ball. We've got a back that ran for 1,100 this year. We've got a line that's played better than it has in a long time. So we're excited about running the ball. Anytime Troy (Smith) gets a chance to step up there he makes a couple of people miss. I think we can run for 200, at least.”
Nick Mangold, center
* On whether the Buckeyes are peaking at the right time -- “I would hope so. That’s our goal is to be at our best when we have to play Michigan. I think our guys have been doing a great job keeping level-headed throughout the season. I think we’re really coming together when we need to.”
* On what excites him the most about the offense at this point -- “I think the way we’ve been executing. That’s what really excites me is that no matter what play comes in there, we’re going to get the job done. We all know what we’re doing and we all know that everyone else can get it done. We’re getting it done, so that’s the biggest thing is the execution.”
* On whether it is fair to have so much riding on one game -- “I think so, because it’s such a great rivalry and it’s been going on forever. So many great games have been played between Ohio State and Michigan. So, I think it’s definitely fair that the fans – on both sides of the ball – look towards this game as being the great finale of the season.”
* On his match-up with 331-pound UM DT Gabe Watson -- “It’s a pain. But it’s really like an epic battle. I look forward to it because it’s going to be a blast and it’s going to be one of those hard-fought, clean battles that’s going to go 60 minutes and never end. He is a big guy, but he can still move too, which makes him a good player.”
* On the strength of the UM defense -- “They’re big. They’ve got a bunch of big guys up front and their linebackers are able to use the fact that they’ve got to double up guys to be able to fly around and make tackles. So, I think the fact that they are a big team really helps them out.
“They’ve been improving just like any team would like. I think they’ve been doing a great job at it. They keep getting better and getting ready for this game.”
* On the key to victory for OSU’s offense -- “We’ve got to execute. Going up to a hostile environment, you can’t have penalties and you can’t have turnovers, because they will make great opportunities for them. And we’ve got to be able to block everybody. So, I think execution will be the biggest part.”
* On his advice for young players that have never been to UM -- “You’ve got to be ready for a real hostile environment. It’s a tough place to play, especially being from Ohio State and they kind of get more amped than usual. You just have to go out there and play your game. You can’t let it affect you and you’ve got to fight through the whole game.”
* On what happened in the 2003 loss at Ann Arbor -- “We’ve talked a lot about that and we did through that spring. We didn’t execute at all. We didn’t run the same play the same way twice. I don’t know why we didn’t. We’ve been working on that consistency. We didn’t do the things we were capable of doing.
“It was tough. It was a disappointment for us and our seniors who had worked so hard. It wasn’t the way we wanted to finish that season.”
* On whether OSU, which has won three of the last four meetings, has taken control of the rivalry -- “Are we in their heads? I wouldn’t think so, especially going into their house. We lost the last time there.”
Santonio Holmes, split end
* On OSU’s improvement -- "It's very exciting, I can tell you that. These last four games, putting up 40 points, that's what every team dreams of. When you're offense is doing so well, your defense really has nothing to worry about.”
* On playing alongside receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez -- "Those guys are very exciting to be around. Knowing that they're capable of making the plays, no matter what the situation is. They never really get down on themselves. They never look at themselves and think, man, it's my time to make another play. I just like being around those guys. They're a lot of fun to be around.”
* On his play this year (Holmes has 42 catches for 781 yards and nine touchdowns) – “I think I’ve been very productive. I've been doing the things that the coaches have been asking for: blocking, making big plays. I'm pretty satisfied with it. Finishing the season with a win against Michigan will just top it off.”
* On whether he has thought about his future -- "Probably at the end of the season it'll be talked about.”
* On how OSU bounced back from a 3-2 start -- “I guess it’s just the determination of the guys we have now and how they want to finish their season. I just think our seniors don’t want to be at the bottom of that list of guys who did not get the job done their senior year. Guys are really playing well together right now.”
Darrell Hazell, receivers coach
* On Holmes’ play this year -- “He’s been really rock steady. He’s been the guy on offense all year long. He probably hasn’t gotten the credit he’s due. Week in and week out, he’s been the guy who’s been the most productive guy. It’s been fun having him around.
“He’s a team guy. He really is. He wants success for everybody. He likes returning punts and kickoffs as much as anybody, but he understands where we are as a team.”
Offensive Quotebook: Will Progress Continue?
By Steve Helwagen
Managing Editor
Date: Nov 18, 2005
We have comments from OSU coaches and players (including Santonio Holmes) on the team's late-season emergence on offense as well as the challenge the Buckeyes face for Saturday's game at Michigan (1 p.m., ABC). Plus, this story contains to links to all of our coverage of The Game this week. Click this free link for more.
As Ohio State prepares to visit Michigan on Saturday (1 p.m., ABC), one match-up of note will pit OSU’s emerging offense against Michigan’s improving defense.
After four consecutive games of 40 points or more, OSU has risen to 24th nationally and fifth in the Big Ten in scoring offense at 33.3 points per game. After being mired near the bottom of the total offense rankings earlier this year, OSU has moved up to seventh in the Big Ten at 403.3 yards per game.
At the same time, the Michigan defense has been rebuilt, so to speak, without standout defensive backs like Marlin Jackson and Ernest Shazor. The young secondary has melded well with improved play on the defensive line and solid work from the linebackers.
The Wolverines have risen to third in the Big Ten in total defense at 340.6 yards per game. (Ohio State and Penn State are 1-2 in that category within the conference.)
In today’s offensive quotebook, we share comments from OSU coach Jim Tressel and several players on OSU’s offensive improvement as well as what they expect to see from the Michigan defense.
Jim Tressel, head coach
* On what’s gone well for the offense -- “We've made a lot of big plays but I don't think you can discount where we've had a chance to start drives. Our defense has been very good, our special teams have had some returns and the punt block last week was a great thing for us to all of a sudden have a two-touchdown lead after we were down by a touchdown. I think if you add all those things together -- but we've had some guys come up and make some plays.”
* On the match-up with the UM defense -- “If we can keep improving, we feel like we can compete offensively. Their defense keeps getting better. They have powerful guys that can really run. They are skilled in the back end, but our guys feel as if it comes down to how we execute. You know they're up there saying well it's going to come down to how they execute, and we're both right.”
* On having a 1,000-yard rusher like Antonio Pittman -- “It was our goal as we went into the year is to move toward being able to be a balanced football team. We've talked about that often here.
“In fact, I said to Pitt before the season that if we want to reach a lot of the goals that we say we would like to do, we need a guy that can rush for 1,500 yards. Because if we've got a 1500-yard rusher, we probably are going to be able to throw it a little bit, too. We're not there, and it might be hard to get there. But I feel good about our progress and I think it helps us.”
Rob Sims, left guard
* On whether the team’s two losses haunt him -- “I think the seniors, it’s really haunting us. But I think that makes us play a little better too. Anytime you have a bad game, or didn’t play well, you go out there and make sure you go out there and bust your butt on the practice field and get better. So, I think after doing that, (the two losses) are driving us to do better.”
* On the UM defense -- "They had some people hurt all year. They had some bad breaks, it's a long year. They just battled back. They're kind of like a machine now. They've got everything going for them. We're going to make sure our offense is going, too. They're kind of like our defense. They fly around the ball, they swarm very well, they pursue.”
* On OSU going over 200 yards on the ground against UM last year -- "I'm very confident what we can do, as far as run the ball. We've got a back that ran for 1,100 this year. We've got a line that's played better than it has in a long time. So we're excited about running the ball. Anytime Troy (Smith) gets a chance to step up there he makes a couple of people miss. I think we can run for 200, at least.”
Nick Mangold, center
* On whether the Buckeyes are peaking at the right time -- “I would hope so. That’s our goal is to be at our best when we have to play Michigan. I think our guys have been doing a great job keeping level-headed throughout the season. I think we’re really coming together when we need to.”
* On what excites him the most about the offense at this point -- “I think the way we’ve been executing. That’s what really excites me is that no matter what play comes in there, we’re going to get the job done. We all know what we’re doing and we all know that everyone else can get it done. We’re getting it done, so that’s the biggest thing is the execution.”
* On whether it is fair to have so much riding on one game -- “I think so, because it’s such a great rivalry and it’s been going on forever. So many great games have been played between Ohio State and Michigan. So, I think it’s definitely fair that the fans – on both sides of the ball – look towards this game as being the great finale of the season.”
* On his match-up with 331-pound UM DT Gabe Watson -- “It’s a pain. But it’s really like an epic battle. I look forward to it because it’s going to be a blast and it’s going to be one of those hard-fought, clean battles that’s going to go 60 minutes and never end. He is a big guy, but he can still move too, which makes him a good player.”
* On the strength of the UM defense -- “They’re big. They’ve got a bunch of big guys up front and their linebackers are able to use the fact that they’ve got to double up guys to be able to fly around and make tackles. So, I think the fact that they are a big team really helps them out.
“They’ve been improving just like any team would like. I think they’ve been doing a great job at it. They keep getting better and getting ready for this game.”
* On the key to victory for OSU’s offense -- “We’ve got to execute. Going up to a hostile environment, you can’t have penalties and you can’t have turnovers, because they will make great opportunities for them. And we’ve got to be able to block everybody. So, I think execution will be the biggest part.”
* On his advice for young players that have never been to UM -- “You’ve got to be ready for a real hostile environment. It’s a tough place to play, especially being from Ohio State and they kind of get more amped than usual. You just have to go out there and play your game. You can’t let it affect you and you’ve got to fight through the whole game.”
* On what happened in the 2003 loss at Ann Arbor -- “We’ve talked a lot about that and we did through that spring. We didn’t execute at all. We didn’t run the same play the same way twice. I don’t know why we didn’t. We’ve been working on that consistency. We didn’t do the things we were capable of doing.
“It was tough. It was a disappointment for us and our seniors who had worked so hard. It wasn’t the way we wanted to finish that season.”
* On whether OSU, which has won three of the last four meetings, has taken control of the rivalry -- “Are we in their heads? I wouldn’t think so, especially going into their house. We lost the last time there.”
Santonio Holmes, split end
* On OSU’s improvement -- "It's very exciting, I can tell you that. These last four games, putting up 40 points, that's what every team dreams of. When you're offense is doing so well, your defense really has nothing to worry about.”
* On playing alongside receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez -- "Those guys are very exciting to be around. Knowing that they're capable of making the plays, no matter what the situation is. They never really get down on themselves. They never look at themselves and think, man, it's my time to make another play. I just like being around those guys. They're a lot of fun to be around.”
* On his play this year (Holmes has 42 catches for 781 yards and nine touchdowns) – “I think I’ve been very productive. I've been doing the things that the coaches have been asking for: blocking, making big plays. I'm pretty satisfied with it. Finishing the season with a win against Michigan will just top it off.”
* On whether he has thought about his future -- "Probably at the end of the season it'll be talked about.”
* On how OSU bounced back from a 3-2 start -- “I guess it’s just the determination of the guys we have now and how they want to finish their season. I just think our seniors don’t want to be at the bottom of that list of guys who did not get the job done their senior year. Guys are really playing well together right now.”
Darrell Hazell, receivers coach
* On Holmes’ play this year -- “He’s been really rock steady. He’s been the guy on offense all year long. He probably hasn’t gotten the credit he’s due. Week in and week out, he’s been the guy who’s been the most productive guy. It’s been fun having him around.
“He’s a team guy. He really is. He wants success for everybody. He likes returning punts and kickoffs as much as anybody, but he understands where we are as a team.”
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3yardsandacloud
Administrator Emeritus
OSU nuts preaching to choir of enemy - Cleveland Plain Dealer •FB
OSU nuts preaching to choir of enemy
Buckeyes make best of living up north
Friday, November 18, 2005
T.C. Brown
Plain Dealer Bureau
Columbus
-- They are missionaries, preaching the Old Testament -- Woody's three yards and a cloud of dust -- and the New Testament -- Tressel ball -- deep in hostile and heathen territory.
The few, the proud, the strong, they belong to Buckeye Nation, bleeding scarlet and gray while living in the heart of enemy surroundings in that state up north, aka Michigan. And this week, in the lead-up to Saturday's Big Game, they do their loudest proselytizing.
"We are missionaries trying to raise the cultural level," said Earl Ward, former president of the Ohio State University Alumni Club of Detroit. "God, it is difficult."
Against the odds, they successfully reversed a television blackout of Ohio State football games. Every year, they "roast" Wolverines and hold a Great Debate on the Thursday before the Michigan game. They blitzed and took over a local watering hole on fall Saturdays, encouraged by Cleveland Browns fans who swarm the bar on Sundays.
And though they live far from the friendly environs of the land of Brutus Buckeye, their dedication to the old alma mater -- even if OSU isn't their alma mater -- remains strong.
Steve Badenhop graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1997, but Buckeye Fever drove him to sweat out 2,000 hours over two years snapping 12,000 Legos into a replica of OSU's stadium, The Shoe.
Badenhop's Auburn Hills, Mich., neighbors think he has too much time on his hands.
"They think I'm crazy," Badenhop said. He removed the upper deck and outside wall of the 3-foot-by-4-foot stadium to get it from his basement to the Alumni Club's spring banquet.
The club has over 200 dues- paying members from more than 3,000 OSU alums in the Detroit tri-county area. Annually, the club recognizes OSU students from Michigan, dubbing them Buckeye Hometown Heroes, said club president Paul Shapiro. They are sent south with an annual Wolverine "roast," Shapiro noted.
"Wolverine, it's a little feisty animal. I'm not sure there are any in Michigan anymore," he said.
Club members are feisty, though. David Emerling, a past president who grew up in South Euclid, took on Detroit's ABC-TV affiliate after it blacked out OSU games in favor of Michigan State, even on pay-for-view. Emerling, using a run-and-shoot offense, worked the phones until he reached ABC's vice president of sports. Now, Detroit-area Buckeyes fans can cheer for their favorite team, and many of them do at Hi Tops 101/2, a bar north of the city in Royal Oak.
Bar manager Crysty Huet said Michigan fans get the bar stools on Saturday, but Buckeyes take over the rest of the establishment.
"Our regulars don't care for the Buckeyes, but I'll be wearing my red," Huet said.
When Giancarlo Tasso, president of Flint's OSU alumni club, first moved to Michigan, pranksters constantly filled his answering machine with U of M's fight song. Sporting Ohio State's colors, he is often asked if he is lost. "My wife takes a beating daily," Tasso said. "She works for the University of Michigan."
Mostly, the barbs are in good fun, former club president Ward said. But it's a serious rivalry. He once proudly displayed allegiances in a van tricked out in OSU regalia. But Wolverines stuffed those runs.
"The van was stolen," Ward said.
What it feels like to be a recruit on the fence - Cleveland Plain Dealer •FB
What it feels like to be a recruit on the fence
Friday, November 18, 2005
Thaddeus Gibson
Special to The Plain Dealer
I'm still considering Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee and maybe Penn State. I have my framed offers from Ohio State and Michigan on the wall in my room.
I'm actually taking my official visit to Michigan for this game. My plane leaves tonight at 7. They said this was a big weekend for them, for all the fans, and they said it's a great time to be there, just to see how much people love their football, and it's a big game for them in the Big House.
This will be my first official visit. I have one set up with Tennessee on Dec. 3. I don't have my visit to Ohio State scheduled but it will be in December.
I was in attendance at the Michigan game last year at Ohio State. I went with my coaches. It's a real big game -- you can't hear yourself think, it's so loud. I wasn't really rooting for any team. This year, I don't know -- I just want to see both teams scrap it out. Both of them are great teams. It doesn't get any bigger than that.
Michigan has great tradition and football-wise it's a great program. And my uncle likes Michigan a lot. He told me a lot of good things about Michigan. I went to Michigan on an unofficial visit, and they have a great coaching staff. Coach [Lloyd] Carr is a great coach and a great person, and he sat down and talked to me a little bit.
One of my teachers, she's a big Michigan fan, and she'll be at the game with all her friends who went to school at Michigan. She said she's going to send them e- mails with pictures of me so they know what I look like and they can tell me to stay here and not go to Ohio State.
Ohio State, as an Ohio boy, I've got to love it. Coach [Jim] Tressel came in a few times to see me in school and check on me. And my former teammate Brandon Smith plays tight end for Ohio State now. I played with him when I was a sophomore and he was a senior, and I talk to him a lot and he tells me a lot of stuff. And it's right in my backyard, so you can't beat that.
It's great having such good programs after me. It's hard as well, too. But either way, you're going to end up at a good school, playing good football. It's crazy. But most definitely, it's a blessing.
It's a big decision, a real big decision. My coaches actually wanted me to commit before the season started. I still ask them about where I should go. And I go to my mom, and she says it's all on me. Wherever I go, she and my brother are going to relocate there. So I ask people what they think about this program or that program, but it's really on me.
Whoever wins Saturday, it wouldn't probably affect my decision that much, because I know they are both good football teams and I know they'll both give it their all. I probably won't look at one program more than the other, but I'll probably give a clap for the team who wins.
They're both good programs, win or lose.
-- Thaddeus Gibson is a senior at Euclid High School. The Internet recruiting service rivals.com ranks him as the nation's eighth-best outside linebacker in the Class of 2006.
Out front under center - Cleveland Plain Dealer •FB
Out front under center
With 5, Michigan unmatched in nurturing NFL quarterbacks
Friday, November 18, 2005
Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus -- From Texas Heisman Trophy contender Vince Young to Michigan State's Drew Stanton, from Northwestern's Brett Basanez to Penn State's Michael Robinson -- even teammate Troy Smith in practice -- Ohio State's defense has spent a season watching versatile quarterbacks who can throw and run.
Not Saturday. Not against Quarterback U.
Michigan has produced five current NFL quarterbacks, four more than the Buckeyes's lone rep, Craig Krenzel, and more than any college in the country. That's part of the reason sophomore Chad Henne chose the Wolverines over Penn State when he was one of the top three quarterback recruits in the country out of Pennsylvania.
Henne, at 6-2, 226 pounds, could be on track to join New England Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, injured Tampa Bay starter Brian Griese and three backups -- Arizona's John Navarre, Kansas City's Todd Collins and Dallas' Drew Henson -- in Michigan's NFL club someday.
Michigan's first priority isn't staying ahead of Boston College and Washington in nurturing quarterbacks.
While Ohio State and several other Big Ten teams shift to a spread offense, the Wolverines keep trying to win with an offensive design that gets their quarterbacks ready to move on.
Six Big Ten offenses have used their quarterbacks to rush for at least 250 yards this season, led by 695 from Robinson and 508 from Smith.
Henne drops back and slings it. He has gained 79 yards rushing this season, but lost another 93 yards while getting dropped behind the line of scrimmage, leaving his rushing total at negative-14.
It's the Michigan way.
"It was definitely a pro-style offense," said Navarre, a third-stringer who made one start as a rookie for Arizona last year. "We had a lot of audibles and variations. We took a lot of stuff we ran there from pro-style offenses and that helps you at the next level. I was ahead of the game."
"We expected the kids to make all different kinds of throws," said Stan Parrish, who coached Brady, Griese and Henson as Michigan's quarterbacks coach from 1996-2001. "They had to be able to change plays and read defenses."
Former Buckeye Craig Krenzel was taken in the fifth round of the NFL draft in 2004, two rounds ahead of Navarre. Drafted by the Chicago Bears, he started five games as a rookie, but was released and signed by Cincinnati and is now the No. 3 quarterback for the Bengals. His NFL adjustment was different coming out of Ohio State's offense.
"I think our offense was relatively simple," Krenzel said. "I wouldn't call it complex by any means. We were going to try to run the ball and throw the ball when we needed to, and the coaches emphasized not turning the ball over since we had a good defense and special teams."
The Buckeyes have opened up their offense in some ways with the spread, and Ohio State has gained 2,066 yards through the air this season, close to Michigan's 2,179 passing yards. Ohio State averages just 23 passes per game, while the Wolverines have thrown it nearly 33 times per game.
"Everybody thinks Troy can run the ball," Ohio State receiver Santonio Holmes said, "but he can throw the ball at the same time. He's capable of putting up 200 yards passing the ball."
But it's his combination of skills that make the offense go. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel sets 50 rushing yards and zero interceptions as the numbers for his quarterback to reach each game. Even though Smith has hit big throws to Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr., the passing game is still largely about not making mistakes. Henne is relied upon more to complete a variety of passes to move the Wolverines down the field.
Smith, who had to win his job back this season from Justin Zwick, has thrown 13 touchdown passes and four interceptions this year. Henne, who last season became the first full-time freshman quarterback at Michigan and has started every game he has played in since ninth grade, has thrown 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Like Smith, Henne faced his share of criticism early in the year but has played better as the Wolverines went on a four-game winning streak, looking more like the next in the NFL line.
"Michigan has another kid right now who could go far," Parrish said. "We just hit a stretch of guys. Drew was a national recruit, but Brady and Griese were not national recruits. We just recruited guys like that and the system was built around developing those guys."
Ohio State has had some recent NFL quarterback presence. Kent Graham, an eighth round pick in 1992, Bobby Hoying (third round, 1996) and Joe Germaine (fourth round, 1999), all made careers in the NFL. But all of them are out of the league now, and none of them were Tom Brady.
But all of them shared one thing as college quarterbacks at Ohio State and Michigan, which comes out in the Big Game most of all.
"The pressure you have to deal with playing at Ohio State, when you're expected to win every year and you're expected to win every game, playing in that pressure cooker gets you ready for the NFL," Krenzel said.
"You're in the fish bowl and everybody's eyes are on you," Navarre said. "You're out in that situation and expected to perform and succeed. Michigan doesn't bring in guys to prepare them for the NFL. They bring them in to prepare to win at Michigan."
OSU nuts preaching to choir of enemy
Buckeyes make best of living up north
Friday, November 18, 2005
T.C. Brown
Plain Dealer Bureau
Columbus
-- They are missionaries, preaching the Old Testament -- Woody's three yards and a cloud of dust -- and the New Testament -- Tressel ball -- deep in hostile and heathen territory.
The few, the proud, the strong, they belong to Buckeye Nation, bleeding scarlet and gray while living in the heart of enemy surroundings in that state up north, aka Michigan. And this week, in the lead-up to Saturday's Big Game, they do their loudest proselytizing.
"We are missionaries trying to raise the cultural level," said Earl Ward, former president of the Ohio State University Alumni Club of Detroit. "God, it is difficult."
Against the odds, they successfully reversed a television blackout of Ohio State football games. Every year, they "roast" Wolverines and hold a Great Debate on the Thursday before the Michigan game. They blitzed and took over a local watering hole on fall Saturdays, encouraged by Cleveland Browns fans who swarm the bar on Sundays.
And though they live far from the friendly environs of the land of Brutus Buckeye, their dedication to the old alma mater -- even if OSU isn't their alma mater -- remains strong.
Steve Badenhop graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1997, but Buckeye Fever drove him to sweat out 2,000 hours over two years snapping 12,000 Legos into a replica of OSU's stadium, The Shoe.
Badenhop's Auburn Hills, Mich., neighbors think he has too much time on his hands.
"They think I'm crazy," Badenhop said. He removed the upper deck and outside wall of the 3-foot-by-4-foot stadium to get it from his basement to the Alumni Club's spring banquet.
The club has over 200 dues- paying members from more than 3,000 OSU alums in the Detroit tri-county area. Annually, the club recognizes OSU students from Michigan, dubbing them Buckeye Hometown Heroes, said club president Paul Shapiro. They are sent south with an annual Wolverine "roast," Shapiro noted.
"Wolverine, it's a little feisty animal. I'm not sure there are any in Michigan anymore," he said.
Club members are feisty, though. David Emerling, a past president who grew up in South Euclid, took on Detroit's ABC-TV affiliate after it blacked out OSU games in favor of Michigan State, even on pay-for-view. Emerling, using a run-and-shoot offense, worked the phones until he reached ABC's vice president of sports. Now, Detroit-area Buckeyes fans can cheer for their favorite team, and many of them do at Hi Tops 101/2, a bar north of the city in Royal Oak.
Bar manager Crysty Huet said Michigan fans get the bar stools on Saturday, but Buckeyes take over the rest of the establishment.
"Our regulars don't care for the Buckeyes, but I'll be wearing my red," Huet said.
When Giancarlo Tasso, president of Flint's OSU alumni club, first moved to Michigan, pranksters constantly filled his answering machine with U of M's fight song. Sporting Ohio State's colors, he is often asked if he is lost. "My wife takes a beating daily," Tasso said. "She works for the University of Michigan."
Mostly, the barbs are in good fun, former club president Ward said. But it's a serious rivalry. He once proudly displayed allegiances in a van tricked out in OSU regalia. But Wolverines stuffed those runs.
"The van was stolen," Ward said.
What it feels like to be a recruit on the fence - Cleveland Plain Dealer •FB
What it feels like to be a recruit on the fence
Friday, November 18, 2005
Thaddeus Gibson
Special to The Plain Dealer
I'm still considering Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee and maybe Penn State. I have my framed offers from Ohio State and Michigan on the wall in my room.
I'm actually taking my official visit to Michigan for this game. My plane leaves tonight at 7. They said this was a big weekend for them, for all the fans, and they said it's a great time to be there, just to see how much people love their football, and it's a big game for them in the Big House.
This will be my first official visit. I have one set up with Tennessee on Dec. 3. I don't have my visit to Ohio State scheduled but it will be in December.
I was in attendance at the Michigan game last year at Ohio State. I went with my coaches. It's a real big game -- you can't hear yourself think, it's so loud. I wasn't really rooting for any team. This year, I don't know -- I just want to see both teams scrap it out. Both of them are great teams. It doesn't get any bigger than that.
Michigan has great tradition and football-wise it's a great program. And my uncle likes Michigan a lot. He told me a lot of good things about Michigan. I went to Michigan on an unofficial visit, and they have a great coaching staff. Coach [Lloyd] Carr is a great coach and a great person, and he sat down and talked to me a little bit.
One of my teachers, she's a big Michigan fan, and she'll be at the game with all her friends who went to school at Michigan. She said she's going to send them e- mails with pictures of me so they know what I look like and they can tell me to stay here and not go to Ohio State.
Ohio State, as an Ohio boy, I've got to love it. Coach [Jim] Tressel came in a few times to see me in school and check on me. And my former teammate Brandon Smith plays tight end for Ohio State now. I played with him when I was a sophomore and he was a senior, and I talk to him a lot and he tells me a lot of stuff. And it's right in my backyard, so you can't beat that.
It's great having such good programs after me. It's hard as well, too. But either way, you're going to end up at a good school, playing good football. It's crazy. But most definitely, it's a blessing.
It's a big decision, a real big decision. My coaches actually wanted me to commit before the season started. I still ask them about where I should go. And I go to my mom, and she says it's all on me. Wherever I go, she and my brother are going to relocate there. So I ask people what they think about this program or that program, but it's really on me.
Whoever wins Saturday, it wouldn't probably affect my decision that much, because I know they are both good football teams and I know they'll both give it their all. I probably won't look at one program more than the other, but I'll probably give a clap for the team who wins.
They're both good programs, win or lose.
-- Thaddeus Gibson is a senior at Euclid High School. The Internet recruiting service rivals.com ranks him as the nation's eighth-best outside linebacker in the Class of 2006.
Out front under center - Cleveland Plain Dealer •FB
Out front under center
With 5, Michigan unmatched in nurturing NFL quarterbacks
Friday, November 18, 2005
Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus -- From Texas Heisman Trophy contender Vince Young to Michigan State's Drew Stanton, from Northwestern's Brett Basanez to Penn State's Michael Robinson -- even teammate Troy Smith in practice -- Ohio State's defense has spent a season watching versatile quarterbacks who can throw and run.
Not Saturday. Not against Quarterback U.
Michigan has produced five current NFL quarterbacks, four more than the Buckeyes's lone rep, Craig Krenzel, and more than any college in the country. That's part of the reason sophomore Chad Henne chose the Wolverines over Penn State when he was one of the top three quarterback recruits in the country out of Pennsylvania.
Henne, at 6-2, 226 pounds, could be on track to join New England Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, injured Tampa Bay starter Brian Griese and three backups -- Arizona's John Navarre, Kansas City's Todd Collins and Dallas' Drew Henson -- in Michigan's NFL club someday.
Michigan's first priority isn't staying ahead of Boston College and Washington in nurturing quarterbacks.
While Ohio State and several other Big Ten teams shift to a spread offense, the Wolverines keep trying to win with an offensive design that gets their quarterbacks ready to move on.
Six Big Ten offenses have used their quarterbacks to rush for at least 250 yards this season, led by 695 from Robinson and 508 from Smith.
Henne drops back and slings it. He has gained 79 yards rushing this season, but lost another 93 yards while getting dropped behind the line of scrimmage, leaving his rushing total at negative-14.
It's the Michigan way.
"It was definitely a pro-style offense," said Navarre, a third-stringer who made one start as a rookie for Arizona last year. "We had a lot of audibles and variations. We took a lot of stuff we ran there from pro-style offenses and that helps you at the next level. I was ahead of the game."
"We expected the kids to make all different kinds of throws," said Stan Parrish, who coached Brady, Griese and Henson as Michigan's quarterbacks coach from 1996-2001. "They had to be able to change plays and read defenses."
Former Buckeye Craig Krenzel was taken in the fifth round of the NFL draft in 2004, two rounds ahead of Navarre. Drafted by the Chicago Bears, he started five games as a rookie, but was released and signed by Cincinnati and is now the No. 3 quarterback for the Bengals. His NFL adjustment was different coming out of Ohio State's offense.
"I think our offense was relatively simple," Krenzel said. "I wouldn't call it complex by any means. We were going to try to run the ball and throw the ball when we needed to, and the coaches emphasized not turning the ball over since we had a good defense and special teams."
The Buckeyes have opened up their offense in some ways with the spread, and Ohio State has gained 2,066 yards through the air this season, close to Michigan's 2,179 passing yards. Ohio State averages just 23 passes per game, while the Wolverines have thrown it nearly 33 times per game.
"Everybody thinks Troy can run the ball," Ohio State receiver Santonio Holmes said, "but he can throw the ball at the same time. He's capable of putting up 200 yards passing the ball."
But it's his combination of skills that make the offense go. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel sets 50 rushing yards and zero interceptions as the numbers for his quarterback to reach each game. Even though Smith has hit big throws to Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr., the passing game is still largely about not making mistakes. Henne is relied upon more to complete a variety of passes to move the Wolverines down the field.
Smith, who had to win his job back this season from Justin Zwick, has thrown 13 touchdown passes and four interceptions this year. Henne, who last season became the first full-time freshman quarterback at Michigan and has started every game he has played in since ninth grade, has thrown 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Like Smith, Henne faced his share of criticism early in the year but has played better as the Wolverines went on a four-game winning streak, looking more like the next in the NFL line.
"Michigan has another kid right now who could go far," Parrish said. "We just hit a stretch of guys. Drew was a national recruit, but Brady and Griese were not national recruits. We just recruited guys like that and the system was built around developing those guys."
Ohio State has had some recent NFL quarterback presence. Kent Graham, an eighth round pick in 1992, Bobby Hoying (third round, 1996) and Joe Germaine (fourth round, 1999), all made careers in the NFL. But all of them are out of the league now, and none of them were Tom Brady.
But all of them shared one thing as college quarterbacks at Ohio State and Michigan, which comes out in the Big Game most of all.
"The pressure you have to deal with playing at Ohio State, when you're expected to win every year and you're expected to win every game, playing in that pressure cooker gets you ready for the NFL," Krenzel said.
"You're in the fish bowl and everybody's eyes are on you," Navarre said. "You're out in that situation and expected to perform and succeed. Michigan doesn't bring in guys to prepare them for the NFL. They bring them in to prepare to win at Michigan."
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A penalty for clipping - Akron Beacon Journal •FB
A penalty for clipping
Hair care among topics shared by shaggy OSU seniors
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
COLUMBUS - Before they hit the showers this week, Ohio State linebackers A.J. Hawk, Anthony Schlegel and Bobby Carpenter and center Nick Mangold might not be talking about how they're going to thump Michigan.
The four seniors could be discussing what shampoo they'll use today.
As a sign of unity this season, the linebacking trio made a pact to let their hair grow. Coach Jim Tressel went along because he didn't sport his current short-clipped style when he attended college at Baldwin-Wallace. Mangold said he wasn't a follower -- he insists the whole thing was his idea.
``I believe I was the originator of the hair fad and they don't want to give me any credit,'' Mangold said.
But now that Carpenter's hair measures 10 inches long in the back and seven inches on the layered sides, not just any shampoo will do.
``We talk about shampoos. We share shampoos,'' Carpenter said. ``You can't just use the stuff in the locker room. That doesn't cut it. You need something volumnizing, thickening. You can never have hair that's too thick when you're a guy.''
The consensus choice is Pantene Pro-V, although Schlegel said he prefers a shampoo and conditioner in one.
``I've also made the transition to Head and Shoulders after practice, it's got the moisturizing we all need,'' Mangold said. ``I have a bottle in the locker room and they're free to use it.''
Mangold said all need the extra volume formula but him.
``I'm a very thick individual. If I used it, I might end up with a 'fro,' '' he said. ``A.J. needs it. He's thinning out quickly.''
Hawk would probably agree. When he sported a few whiskers above his lip on Monday, he was asked if he was growing a mustache for Michigan.
``No, I couldn't do it if I wanted to,'' Hawk said.
The Buckeye hair club plans nothing special for Saturday's showdown with the Wolverines. But the postseason is another matter.
``I've talked to some of the guys. We're thinking about braiding it for the bowl game,'' Carpenter said. ``We'll see what happens.''
History made on run - Akron Beacon Journal •FB
History made on run
Buckeyes know ground victory key to happy bus ride
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
COLUMBUS - They all remember the bus ride.
Five hours back from Ann Arbor, Mich., in total silence.
``Most of the guys were asleep, didn't have anything to talk to anybody about,'' junior split end Santonio Holmes said.
``Probably the worst feeling ever, kind of like when I was in high school and we lost the state game in triple overtime,'' senior free safety Nate Salley said.
``Anytime you lose to anybody it hurts, but Michigan hurts a little bit more,'' senior linebacker A.J. Hawk said.
For Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and his seniors, that 35-21 loss in Michigan Stadium on Nov. 22, 2003, is the only blemish on their record against the Wolverines. Tressel's first recruiting class is 2-1 against Michigan, with Tressel 3-1 overall.
The Buckeyes have used history for motivation already this season. Tressel plastered the practice facility with pictures of the scoreboard from a 33-7 setback at Iowa that was the low point of 2004, and the players responded with a 31-6 romp. Mention was made of last year's overtime loss to Northwestern, the first against the Wildcats after 24 consecutive victories in 33 years, and the Buckeyes rolled last week 48-7.
Nothing special would be necessary for Saturday's showdown at Michigan, which Tressel spends all year pointing toward. No. 9 OSU (8-2, 6-1) can wrap up a share of the Big Ten title with Penn State and earn a possible at-large BCS bowl selection. No. 17 Michigan (7-3, 5-2) would capture the league's automatic BCS bid if Penn State (9-1, 6-1) falls at Michigan State and the Wolverines end up in a three-way tie at 6-2. In that scenario, Michigan would have beaten Penn State and OSU.
But Tressel wouldn't let his players forget 2003. Senior linebacker Anthony Schlegel said Tressel put up a board asking what went wrong in that game and ``all the guys put their two cents in.''
``It all boils down to who's going to be more physical and who wants it more,'' Schlegel said.
``We came out and let 'em run the ball on us,'' Hawks said. ``That hurt us a lot. We weren't ready to play right off the bat for some reason.''
``You have to run the ball against them. That was our downfall the last time we went up there,'' Holmes said.
Tressel would probably agree with all three, but Holmes and Hawk seemed to hit on the root of the problem. Since Tressel became coach, the team that had the statistical edge in rushing in the OSU-Michigan game has won every time.
In 2003, the imbalance was the most pronounced, with Michigan holding a 170-54 edge in yardage. Wolverines quarterback John Navarre threw touchdown passes to Braylon Edwards and Steve Breaston to gain a 21-0 advantage, but tailback Chris Perry picked up 154 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns to salt it away. OSU's leading rusher was senior Lydell Ross with 22 yards on nine attempts and a touchdown.
``That was one of our biggest disappointments all year, especially offensively, not being able to run the ball,'' quarterback Craig Krenzel said from Cincinnati, where he is now No. 3 on the Bengals' depth chart. ``We came out in the Michigan game and tried to establish our running game and did a very poor job. Conversely for some reason, even though I thought we had one of the best defenses in the country, we had trouble stopping the run. A lot of guys talked about missed tackles.
``We came out flat as a team. Not flat of emotion, but we didn't play well, didn't execute. When you fall behind 21-0 against any good team, you seal your own fate.''
The running game could again be pivotal this weekend. Michigan expects the return of tailback Mike Hart, who has played in just six games because of hamstring and ankle injuries and has missed the past 11 quarters. But he must face Hawk -- ``I'll be glad to see him leave,'' Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said -- and an OSU defense that ranks second in the nation against the run (78.7 yards per game). Michigan's defense is fourth in the league in that category (137.9), and OSU sophomore tailback Antonio Pittman ranks 18th in the country (111.0) in rushing.
History isn't likely to play a part after Saturday's 1:06 p.m. kickoff. But the Buckeyes are busing again, which will give them time to reflect on their last trip.
``People on this team need to realize how tough it is to go into a place like Michigan and win,'' Hawk said. ``If you let 'em get on you early, it's tough to come back. The good thing about this team is we have a lot of guys who did experience that.''
A penalty for clipping
Hair care among topics shared by shaggy OSU seniors
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
COLUMBUS - Before they hit the showers this week, Ohio State linebackers A.J. Hawk, Anthony Schlegel and Bobby Carpenter and center Nick Mangold might not be talking about how they're going to thump Michigan.
The four seniors could be discussing what shampoo they'll use today.
As a sign of unity this season, the linebacking trio made a pact to let their hair grow. Coach Jim Tressel went along because he didn't sport his current short-clipped style when he attended college at Baldwin-Wallace. Mangold said he wasn't a follower -- he insists the whole thing was his idea.
``I believe I was the originator of the hair fad and they don't want to give me any credit,'' Mangold said.
But now that Carpenter's hair measures 10 inches long in the back and seven inches on the layered sides, not just any shampoo will do.
``We talk about shampoos. We share shampoos,'' Carpenter said. ``You can't just use the stuff in the locker room. That doesn't cut it. You need something volumnizing, thickening. You can never have hair that's too thick when you're a guy.''
The consensus choice is Pantene Pro-V, although Schlegel said he prefers a shampoo and conditioner in one.
``I've also made the transition to Head and Shoulders after practice, it's got the moisturizing we all need,'' Mangold said. ``I have a bottle in the locker room and they're free to use it.''
Mangold said all need the extra volume formula but him.
``I'm a very thick individual. If I used it, I might end up with a 'fro,' '' he said. ``A.J. needs it. He's thinning out quickly.''
Hawk would probably agree. When he sported a few whiskers above his lip on Monday, he was asked if he was growing a mustache for Michigan.
``No, I couldn't do it if I wanted to,'' Hawk said.
The Buckeye hair club plans nothing special for Saturday's showdown with the Wolverines. But the postseason is another matter.
``I've talked to some of the guys. We're thinking about braiding it for the bowl game,'' Carpenter said. ``We'll see what happens.''
History made on run - Akron Beacon Journal •FB
History made on run
Buckeyes know ground victory key to happy bus ride
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
COLUMBUS - They all remember the bus ride.
Five hours back from Ann Arbor, Mich., in total silence.
``Most of the guys were asleep, didn't have anything to talk to anybody about,'' junior split end Santonio Holmes said.
``Probably the worst feeling ever, kind of like when I was in high school and we lost the state game in triple overtime,'' senior free safety Nate Salley said.
``Anytime you lose to anybody it hurts, but Michigan hurts a little bit more,'' senior linebacker A.J. Hawk said.
For Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and his seniors, that 35-21 loss in Michigan Stadium on Nov. 22, 2003, is the only blemish on their record against the Wolverines. Tressel's first recruiting class is 2-1 against Michigan, with Tressel 3-1 overall.
The Buckeyes have used history for motivation already this season. Tressel plastered the practice facility with pictures of the scoreboard from a 33-7 setback at Iowa that was the low point of 2004, and the players responded with a 31-6 romp. Mention was made of last year's overtime loss to Northwestern, the first against the Wildcats after 24 consecutive victories in 33 years, and the Buckeyes rolled last week 48-7.
Nothing special would be necessary for Saturday's showdown at Michigan, which Tressel spends all year pointing toward. No. 9 OSU (8-2, 6-1) can wrap up a share of the Big Ten title with Penn State and earn a possible at-large BCS bowl selection. No. 17 Michigan (7-3, 5-2) would capture the league's automatic BCS bid if Penn State (9-1, 6-1) falls at Michigan State and the Wolverines end up in a three-way tie at 6-2. In that scenario, Michigan would have beaten Penn State and OSU.
But Tressel wouldn't let his players forget 2003. Senior linebacker Anthony Schlegel said Tressel put up a board asking what went wrong in that game and ``all the guys put their two cents in.''
``It all boils down to who's going to be more physical and who wants it more,'' Schlegel said.
``We came out and let 'em run the ball on us,'' Hawks said. ``That hurt us a lot. We weren't ready to play right off the bat for some reason.''
``You have to run the ball against them. That was our downfall the last time we went up there,'' Holmes said.
Tressel would probably agree with all three, but Holmes and Hawk seemed to hit on the root of the problem. Since Tressel became coach, the team that had the statistical edge in rushing in the OSU-Michigan game has won every time.
In 2003, the imbalance was the most pronounced, with Michigan holding a 170-54 edge in yardage. Wolverines quarterback John Navarre threw touchdown passes to Braylon Edwards and Steve Breaston to gain a 21-0 advantage, but tailback Chris Perry picked up 154 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns to salt it away. OSU's leading rusher was senior Lydell Ross with 22 yards on nine attempts and a touchdown.
``That was one of our biggest disappointments all year, especially offensively, not being able to run the ball,'' quarterback Craig Krenzel said from Cincinnati, where he is now No. 3 on the Bengals' depth chart. ``We came out in the Michigan game and tried to establish our running game and did a very poor job. Conversely for some reason, even though I thought we had one of the best defenses in the country, we had trouble stopping the run. A lot of guys talked about missed tackles.
``We came out flat as a team. Not flat of emotion, but we didn't play well, didn't execute. When you fall behind 21-0 against any good team, you seal your own fate.''
The running game could again be pivotal this weekend. Michigan expects the return of tailback Mike Hart, who has played in just six games because of hamstring and ankle injuries and has missed the past 11 quarters. But he must face Hawk -- ``I'll be glad to see him leave,'' Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said -- and an OSU defense that ranks second in the nation against the run (78.7 yards per game). Michigan's defense is fourth in the league in that category (137.9), and OSU sophomore tailback Antonio Pittman ranks 18th in the country (111.0) in rushing.
History isn't likely to play a part after Saturday's 1:06 p.m. kickoff. But the Buckeyes are busing again, which will give them time to reflect on their last trip.
``People on this team need to realize how tough it is to go into a place like Michigan and win,'' Hawk said. ``If you let 'em get on you early, it's tough to come back. The good thing about this team is we have a lot of guys who did experience that.''
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Buckeyes have not spent any time on Michigan until this week - Canton Repository (AP) •FB
Buckeyes have not spent any time on Michigan until this week
Friday, November 18, 2005
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — What’s brewing today with the 2005 Ohio State Buckeyes ...
BUCKEYE BUZZ: Legend has it that Woody Hayes would have the Buckeyes practice on Michigan a little bit every week, despite the upcoming opponent or how many weeks it was until The Game.
Jim Tressel was an assistant under Earle Bruce and has been the Ohio State head coach for five years. Despite the importance of the rivalry, Tressel said he’s never seen anyone look that far ahead.
“The only team I worry about is ours and the only team I evaluate is ours until we get ready to play someone,” said Tressel, who has seen video on Michigan three times when it played against an Ohio State opponent. “The folklore about practicing for this game or studying this game for weeks on end prior to the game — I’ve never experienced that.”
NOTEWORTHY: Since the 1992 tie that Ohio State President Gordon Gee heralded as “our greatest victory,” the team ranked higher in The Associated Press poll has lost eight of the 12 meetings. Ohio State is No. 9, Michigan No. 17 in the most recent wire poll.
LEAVES ENVY: The guys who own the most buckeye-leaves stickers have the highest status on the Ohio State football team.
“You go through the year and see how they build up,” defensive end Mike Kudla said. “Guys are like, ’Hey, I’ve got more than you!’ ... After a loss, nothing happens. Everything stays neutral. If you know you’re getting leaves on there, you know good things are happening. The more leaves, the better.”
Tressel realizes importance of michigan week - Canton Repository •FB
Tressel realizes importance of michigan week
Friday, November 18, 2005
SPORTS SPOTLIGHT TODD PORTER
COLUMBUS - In the final minutes of last week’s trouncing of Illinois on Saturday, those who remained of 105,000-plus at Ohio Stadium began to chant. “We don’t give a damn for the whole state of Michigan ...” went around the stadium. The popular Ohio State Marching Band song died down as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Unfazed, Jim Tressel shook Illinois Coach Ron Zook’s hand and shortly joined his team in front of the band to sing the alma mater. Michigan Week had arrived, and Tressel
wasn’t anything but Tressel.
He jogged up the ramp leading to the locker room and tapped a reporter on his right shoulder while running past on his left. He smiled the way a schoolboy would smile having just pulled a friendly prank.
Tressel was joking and Michigan week had arrived in Columbus. He isn’t uptight, nervous, anxious or any of the above. He’s having fun because this is the most enjoyable week of the season to the 52-year-old mild-mannered coach.
He gets it. Tressels knows two things about his job at Ohio State: He won’t last long unless he beats Michigan; and he better not lose many in-state difference-makers to the Wolverines. A 3-1 record against Michigan is cause enough to make a coach smile as The Week arrives.
Chances are, though, Tressel embraces Michigan week for deeper reasons. Two weeks shy of his 53rd birthday, Tressel is as young as his players this week.
His late father, Lee Tressel, became something of a legend in small-college football. He coached at Baldwin-Wallace for 23 years. In 1943, Lee Tressel played in the spring game at Ohio State. Before that season started, however, Tressel was moved from Columbus to Baldwin-Wallace as a member of World War II’s V-12 program. He never played nor coached at Ohio State, but now his son does. That’s a fact not lost on Jim Tressel.
Football coaches, no matter the level, do not spend much time at home between August and November.
“You don’t see your dad much during football, and about the time the Ohio State-Michigan game rolled around was the first time you saw him for more than five minutes during the course of the season,” Tressel said. “You got to sit down and watch a game with him. You can talk about that in all the households in Ohio State and Michigan. It’s one of those special things that people enjoy together.”
If Ohio State wins Saturday in Ann Arbor, Tressel will become the first Buckeye coach to win four of his first five Michigan games since Francis Schmidt won his first four (1934-37) and lost his last three (1938-40).
His success against the Wolverines is one of the reasons he’s endeared himself to OSU fans. Ask Tressel any given week of the year how many days until the Michigan game, and he’ll tell you.
Despite his 111-43-4 record in 13 seasons, John Cooper was not liked by fans because of his 2-10-1 record against Michigan. Cooper failed to win his first six games against the Wolverines. It is a slight miracle he made it 13 seasons.
Cooper wasn’t an “Ohio guy.” Tressel will disagree, but it’s hard to make an argument that he understood the enormity of the Ohio State-Michigan game.
“I’m not sure that’s fair to say that John didn’t understand that,” Tressel said. “He’s a Tennessee guy, and everyone that is reared in SEC country understands the importance.”
No, they don’t. SEC people rarely respect Big Ten football.
“A guy that’s around the game like he was his whole life, he understood that,” Tressel said, again in Cooper’s defense. “He played against some great Michigan teams, and had some really tight football games.”
Maybe.
But Cooper’s teams were 11-7 in November his final five seasons. Tressel is 14-3 his first five seasons. During his 13 seasons, Cooper won 67 percent of the time in November. Tressel has won 82 percent.
“Do I intimately understand how privleged we are to be a part of it? Perhaps,” Tressel said. “I think it’s a little unfair to say that John or anyone else doesn’t comprehend. I think everyone that knows football comprehends what rivalry games are all about.”
But not to the degree that Tressel does.
Lee Tressel and Woody Hayes were close friends. Tressel grew up being fed the importance of winning this game. He grew up with an understanding of the disappointment when Ohio State loses to Michigan. Hayes lost 11 times with one tie in 28 games against “that school up north.” In the 10-year war against Bo Schembechler, Hayes was 4-5-1.
As a boy, Tressel understood what this game felt like. Couple that early experience with his years on Earle Bruce’s staff, and how could anyone in college football understand it better? There is a reason Tressel brings Bruce in to speak to his team the Sunday before every Michigan game since he bacame head coach in 2001.
There is a closet in the Ohio State locker room that counts down the time before the Michigan game. It’ll be reset Monday morning. And Jim Tressel won’t even have to glance at it in a week, month, three months, whatever. He’ll still be able to tell you how many days are left before the next Michigan game.
Buckeyes have not spent any time on Michigan until this week
Friday, November 18, 2005
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — What’s brewing today with the 2005 Ohio State Buckeyes ...
BUCKEYE BUZZ: Legend has it that Woody Hayes would have the Buckeyes practice on Michigan a little bit every week, despite the upcoming opponent or how many weeks it was until The Game.
Jim Tressel was an assistant under Earle Bruce and has been the Ohio State head coach for five years. Despite the importance of the rivalry, Tressel said he’s never seen anyone look that far ahead.
“The only team I worry about is ours and the only team I evaluate is ours until we get ready to play someone,” said Tressel, who has seen video on Michigan three times when it played against an Ohio State opponent. “The folklore about practicing for this game or studying this game for weeks on end prior to the game — I’ve never experienced that.”
NOTEWORTHY: Since the 1992 tie that Ohio State President Gordon Gee heralded as “our greatest victory,” the team ranked higher in The Associated Press poll has lost eight of the 12 meetings. Ohio State is No. 9, Michigan No. 17 in the most recent wire poll.
LEAVES ENVY: The guys who own the most buckeye-leaves stickers have the highest status on the Ohio State football team.
“You go through the year and see how they build up,” defensive end Mike Kudla said. “Guys are like, ’Hey, I’ve got more than you!’ ... After a loss, nothing happens. Everything stays neutral. If you know you’re getting leaves on there, you know good things are happening. The more leaves, the better.”
Tressel realizes importance of michigan week - Canton Repository •FB
Tressel realizes importance of michigan week
Friday, November 18, 2005
SPORTS SPOTLIGHT TODD PORTER
COLUMBUS - In the final minutes of last week’s trouncing of Illinois on Saturday, those who remained of 105,000-plus at Ohio Stadium began to chant. “We don’t give a damn for the whole state of Michigan ...” went around the stadium. The popular Ohio State Marching Band song died down as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Unfazed, Jim Tressel shook Illinois Coach Ron Zook’s hand and shortly joined his team in front of the band to sing the alma mater. Michigan Week had arrived, and Tressel
wasn’t anything but Tressel.
He jogged up the ramp leading to the locker room and tapped a reporter on his right shoulder while running past on his left. He smiled the way a schoolboy would smile having just pulled a friendly prank.
Tressel was joking and Michigan week had arrived in Columbus. He isn’t uptight, nervous, anxious or any of the above. He’s having fun because this is the most enjoyable week of the season to the 52-year-old mild-mannered coach.
He gets it. Tressels knows two things about his job at Ohio State: He won’t last long unless he beats Michigan; and he better not lose many in-state difference-makers to the Wolverines. A 3-1 record against Michigan is cause enough to make a coach smile as The Week arrives.
Chances are, though, Tressel embraces Michigan week for deeper reasons. Two weeks shy of his 53rd birthday, Tressel is as young as his players this week.
His late father, Lee Tressel, became something of a legend in small-college football. He coached at Baldwin-Wallace for 23 years. In 1943, Lee Tressel played in the spring game at Ohio State. Before that season started, however, Tressel was moved from Columbus to Baldwin-Wallace as a member of World War II’s V-12 program. He never played nor coached at Ohio State, but now his son does. That’s a fact not lost on Jim Tressel.
Football coaches, no matter the level, do not spend much time at home between August and November.
“You don’t see your dad much during football, and about the time the Ohio State-Michigan game rolled around was the first time you saw him for more than five minutes during the course of the season,” Tressel said. “You got to sit down and watch a game with him. You can talk about that in all the households in Ohio State and Michigan. It’s one of those special things that people enjoy together.”
If Ohio State wins Saturday in Ann Arbor, Tressel will become the first Buckeye coach to win four of his first five Michigan games since Francis Schmidt won his first four (1934-37) and lost his last three (1938-40).
His success against the Wolverines is one of the reasons he’s endeared himself to OSU fans. Ask Tressel any given week of the year how many days until the Michigan game, and he’ll tell you.
Despite his 111-43-4 record in 13 seasons, John Cooper was not liked by fans because of his 2-10-1 record against Michigan. Cooper failed to win his first six games against the Wolverines. It is a slight miracle he made it 13 seasons.
Cooper wasn’t an “Ohio guy.” Tressel will disagree, but it’s hard to make an argument that he understood the enormity of the Ohio State-Michigan game.
“I’m not sure that’s fair to say that John didn’t understand that,” Tressel said. “He’s a Tennessee guy, and everyone that is reared in SEC country understands the importance.”
No, they don’t. SEC people rarely respect Big Ten football.
“A guy that’s around the game like he was his whole life, he understood that,” Tressel said, again in Cooper’s defense. “He played against some great Michigan teams, and had some really tight football games.”
Maybe.
But Cooper’s teams were 11-7 in November his final five seasons. Tressel is 14-3 his first five seasons. During his 13 seasons, Cooper won 67 percent of the time in November. Tressel has won 82 percent.
“Do I intimately understand how privleged we are to be a part of it? Perhaps,” Tressel said. “I think it’s a little unfair to say that John or anyone else doesn’t comprehend. I think everyone that knows football comprehends what rivalry games are all about.”
But not to the degree that Tressel does.
Lee Tressel and Woody Hayes were close friends. Tressel grew up being fed the importance of winning this game. He grew up with an understanding of the disappointment when Ohio State loses to Michigan. Hayes lost 11 times with one tie in 28 games against “that school up north.” In the 10-year war against Bo Schembechler, Hayes was 4-5-1.
As a boy, Tressel understood what this game felt like. Couple that early experience with his years on Earle Bruce’s staff, and how could anyone in college football understand it better? There is a reason Tressel brings Bruce in to speak to his team the Sunday before every Michigan game since he bacame head coach in 2001.
There is a closet in the Ohio State locker room that counts down the time before the Michigan game. It’ll be reset Monday morning. And Jim Tressel won’t even have to glance at it in a week, month, three months, whatever. He’ll still be able to tell you how many days are left before the next Michigan game.
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Administrator Emeritus
Tom Archdeacon: Who wears the pants in this rivalry? - Dayton Daily News •FB
COMMENTARY
Tom Archdeacon: Who wears the pants in this rivalry?
By Tom Archdeacon
Dayton Daily News
COLUMBUS | Bill Myles is not Cupid.
"I had a guy call me up claiming he was on this certain team that beat Michigan and he needed a favor," said Ohio State's Associate Athletics Director. "He said his wife lost his gold pants, and now their marriage was on the rocks. But maybe — since those pants meant so much to them — if he could just get them replaced, they could save the marriage.
"And like I do a lot of times, I asked him, 'So what was the score that year?' When he couldn't tell me, I said, 'Well, at least where was it played?' When he missed that, too, I didn't even have to go to my list of letter-winners."
No Cupid for this guy.
He wasn't deserving of one of the cherished gold pants charms given to every Ohio State football player who beats rival Michigan.
As for the guys who have, well, sometimes they don't need Cupid as much as a good divorce lawyer.
"I won't drop his name, but he's a real famous athlete here," Myles laughed. "He told his wife, 'If we split up, you can have the house, the car, the furniture ... but I want those gold pants back."
Myles hears them all as the guardian of the gold, the hardware haberdasher, if you will. He and former Buckeye All-American lineman and NFL All-Pro Jim Lachey, president of the Gold Pants Club, are the main guys who make sure the pants get to the right guys.
The Ohio State-Michigan game — chosen by ESPN as the greatest rivalry in sports — plays out for the 102nd time Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich. The gold pants tradition began in 1934 soon after Ohio State hired a loud, profane, tobacco-chewing coach named Francis Schmidt. He had been a World War I bayonet instructor, and he used the same approach on the football field.
Before his arrival, the Bucks had lost nine of their last 12 games against Michigan, but Schmidt was nonplussed, and when pressed about his team's chances against the Wolverines that first season, he offered one of the most famous lines ever:
"They put their pants on one leg at a time, same as everybody else."
Ohio State won that game, 34-0. Schmidt's words had been golden, so much so that Buckeye backers made sure they'd stay that way. Several prominent businessmen started the Gold Pants Club, and every player — as well as coaches, administrators and trainers today — was given a small charm that resembled the Wolverines football pants. On the front were the player's initials. On the rear, the winning score and date.
Schmidt's teams didn't just beat the Wolverines four years straight, they shut them out by a combined score of 114-0. The coach — who used the single wing, double wing, his newly invented I-formation and even a pass-happy precursor of the West Coast offense — was considered a mad genius.
His only fall during that time came when he took his car to the shop to have the oil changed. He was so engrossed in diagramming plays that he stayed behind the wheel as the auto was hoisted some 8 feet up on a lift. That was fine until he decided to put down his playbook and step out of the car. The fall left him limping through part of the season.
A bigger stumble came from 1938-40 when he lost three straight to Michigan and was forced out of his job. The gold pants tradition remained, and up into the 1960s, the charms were awarded at a big banquet. While that practice has ended, the gold pants have lost none of their prominence. They were on the mind of every Bucks player this week.
"It's a great tradition," said senior safety Nate Salley. "My mom and dad both have one of the gold pants I've won. This next one will go to me. It's kind of like our trophy for winning the game. I know when players come back here after they've been gone, that's what they're measured by. Everybody wants to know 'How many gold pants you got? How many times did you beat Michigan?'"
The guy who had the most gold pants was Esco Sarkkinen, who won one pair as a player in 1937 and 14 more as an assistant coach under Woody Hayes. Myles has nine, four as an Earle Bruce assistant and now five as an administrator.
On the other hand, there are prominent Buckeyes players — from 1950 Heisman Trophy winner Vic Janowicz to 1990s quarterback Kirk Herbstreit from Centerville — who never won against the Wolverines and are pants-less.
Lachey — who as club president has to line up funds to pay for each gold pants issuance — ended up with three gold charms during his playing days.
"We won three of four, and it still burns me that we lost up there in '83," he said. "Otherwise, I'd have had a perfect four-pants set.
"I gave one of mine to mom, and come Saturday they better be around her neck up there in St. Henry. My sister Jayne, who lives in Dayton, has another pair, and my wife, Ann, has the third. Luckily, my sister Karen married a former player (Craig Pack), so all the Lachey girls are taken care of.
"When my wife wears them, people sometimes think it's a molar or a pair of ballet slippers. That's what they look like from afar."
Senior linebacker A.J. Hawk from Centerville has gold pants from his freshman and junior years: "I know you're supposed to give your first pair to your mom, so I gave her both of mine. I'm not too into jewelry, but maybe when I get older I'll get them back because they'll be so special."
That "special" feeling is why some players — as did coach Jim Tressel — got miffed when three years ago a pair of gold pants showed up on eBay and garnered bids of $2,500. Although it was by a former player — current players would break an NCAA rule doing so — Santonio Holmes still called it "real ridiculous to give up something you worked that hard for, something that means that much to the team. Why would anybody do that?"
Myles knew of one sad story from the past: "Again no name, but he was homeless, living under a bridge in Columbus. You've got to be in dire straits to part with them that way."
For the the flip side, listen to linebacker Anthony Schlegel talk about a good-times parting:
"When I gave mine to my wife, it was like, 'Here, Baby.' And she was like 'These are awesome!' "
Yet, for others, that kind of reaction can sometimes spell trouble, Lachey said with a laugh:
"I know there are guys who — back in college — gave the girl they were dating their gold pants. Then they ended up marrying somebody else. And then one night the guy and his wife are out, and they run into another player whose wife is wearing his gold pants. So the guy's wife says, 'Hey. I'd like to wear yours.' And the guy mumbles around, "Aaah, sure, they're in a box somewhere.'
"And then the next day, we're getting one of those calls."
The Game is always on in Ohio - Dayton Daily News •FB
OSU NOTES
The Game is always on in Ohio
By Kyle Nagel
Dayton Daily News
COLUMBUS | — The Ohio State-Michigan game has always been the most important thing in Columbus or Ann Arbor on game day.
It also finds its way into most other cities in these two states — including other college football stadiums.
In 2001, as the unranked Buckeyes were on their way to defeating No. 11 Michigan 26-20 in Jim Tressel's first season as coach, future OSU linebacker A.J. Hawk had the game pumping into his ear through a radio. Hawk sat in Dix Stadium in Kent, Ohio, watching Miami University play Kent State.
Hawk's older brother, Ryan, was a quarterback for the RedHawks.
"I wanted to watch my brother, but I couldn't miss the (OSU-Michigan) game," Hawk said.
Neither could many others in attendance.
"A lot of other people had radios or kept asking for updates," Hawk said. "When they would announce a score that Ohio State was winning, the crowd would start cheering."
While Hawk had the radio in the stands, future teammate Nick Mangold was at home thinking about upcoming seasons.
"I remember we had just lost a playoff game the night before," said Mangold, the Buckeyes' center and an Alter High School product. "Then I turned the game on the next day, and it just helped me feel a little better, knowing I was going to be playing in that game."
And, on Saturday, plenty of people will be watching and listening. Even the future Buckeyes.
Thinking Michigan
There need be no further discussion about whether the Ohio State football team spends its entire season thinking about Michigan.
During the Buckeyes' summer practices, a portion of each session is dedicated the "Maize and Blue" period. It's expected, during this time, to run drills with a little extra effort.
"You run a few extra sprints or do a few extra fumble drills," said OSU offensive lineman Rob Sims. "It's just something we do every practice during camp."
Watch party
The Ohio State alumni of Dayton and Montgomery County are gathering to watch the game at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Marriott (Bar & Grill) on Patterson Boulevard
The public is welcome. For information, call alumni club president Nancy Dougherty at 434-7584 after 2 p.m.
Last trip to Ann Arbor one to forget for OSU - Dayton Daily News •FB
Last trip to Ann Arbor one to forget for OSU
Wolverines derailed Buckeyes' hopes of national title game
By Kyle Nagel
Dayton Daily News
After about 24 minutes against Michigan, the Wolverines led 21-0 and those hopes were mostly moot.
Ohio State will return to Ann Arbor on Saturday, the site of the 2003 game that cost the Buckeyes a chance to defend their national championship. For the OSU players who participated in that game, and others who have moved on, bad memories linger, considering the Buckeyes were ranked No. 4 nationally and Michigan was No. 5.
The Wolverines ended up 35-21 winners, the only loss a Jim Tressel-coached team has suffered in four tries against Michigan.
"We won, that's about it," said Chris Perry, the current Bengals running back who had 154 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries for Michigan in '03. "That's all that matters."
But, doesn't anything stick out?
"We had some parties afterward," Perry said with a grin. "And it was a pretty good time."
Craig Krenzel didn't have a good time. The former OSU quarterback, now the Bengals' third-stringer, looked over to Perry's locker — just a few down in the Cincinnati locker room — when asked about the 2003 game.
"I think Chris had 180-something yards," Krenzel said, evoking the tradition of increasing the yard output myth by 10 each year. "He just killed us."
Krenzel, for the moment, turned back to studying the plays in his locker. Then he turned back.
"Man," said Krenzel, who completed 20 of 33 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns in the game, "we just couldn't get going. And when we did, it was too late."
Ohio State began that season ranked No. 2 and won its first five. A 17-10 loss at Wisconsin on Oct. 11 dropped the Buckeyes, momentarily, from any thoughts of defending their championship.
But five straight wins later — including a 16-13 victory against No. 11 Purdue the week before — sent OSU into Michigan week with the possibility of returning to the season's top game.
That didn't last long once the game started.
"Those are memories you don't really want to think about," said senior safety Nate Salley, who had 11 tackles that day. "We felt good going in, but they got on us in a hurry."
Braylon Edwards' second touchdown catch, of 23 yards after a 64-yard scoring reception earlier in the game, gave Michigan a 21-0 lead with 5:49 left in the second quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, OSU running back Lydell Ross scored on a 2-yard run to cut the Michigan lead to 28-21. But Perry's 15-yard touchdown with 7:55 left effectively ended it and sent Ohio State to the Fiesta Bowl.
"It seemed like we would stop them pretty well on first and second down, but they would make a big play on third-and-10 or third-and-12," said OSU linebacker A.J. Hawk said. "We felt like we had them stopped, then they would get a first down.
"It's definitely not fun to think about."
COMMENTARY
Tom Archdeacon: Who wears the pants in this rivalry?
By Tom Archdeacon
Dayton Daily News
COLUMBUS | Bill Myles is not Cupid.
"I had a guy call me up claiming he was on this certain team that beat Michigan and he needed a favor," said Ohio State's Associate Athletics Director. "He said his wife lost his gold pants, and now their marriage was on the rocks. But maybe — since those pants meant so much to them — if he could just get them replaced, they could save the marriage.
"And like I do a lot of times, I asked him, 'So what was the score that year?' When he couldn't tell me, I said, 'Well, at least where was it played?' When he missed that, too, I didn't even have to go to my list of letter-winners."
No Cupid for this guy.
He wasn't deserving of one of the cherished gold pants charms given to every Ohio State football player who beats rival Michigan.
As for the guys who have, well, sometimes they don't need Cupid as much as a good divorce lawyer.
"I won't drop his name, but he's a real famous athlete here," Myles laughed. "He told his wife, 'If we split up, you can have the house, the car, the furniture ... but I want those gold pants back."
Myles hears them all as the guardian of the gold, the hardware haberdasher, if you will. He and former Buckeye All-American lineman and NFL All-Pro Jim Lachey, president of the Gold Pants Club, are the main guys who make sure the pants get to the right guys.
The Ohio State-Michigan game — chosen by ESPN as the greatest rivalry in sports — plays out for the 102nd time Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich. The gold pants tradition began in 1934 soon after Ohio State hired a loud, profane, tobacco-chewing coach named Francis Schmidt. He had been a World War I bayonet instructor, and he used the same approach on the football field.
Before his arrival, the Bucks had lost nine of their last 12 games against Michigan, but Schmidt was nonplussed, and when pressed about his team's chances against the Wolverines that first season, he offered one of the most famous lines ever:
"They put their pants on one leg at a time, same as everybody else."
Ohio State won that game, 34-0. Schmidt's words had been golden, so much so that Buckeye backers made sure they'd stay that way. Several prominent businessmen started the Gold Pants Club, and every player — as well as coaches, administrators and trainers today — was given a small charm that resembled the Wolverines football pants. On the front were the player's initials. On the rear, the winning score and date.
Schmidt's teams didn't just beat the Wolverines four years straight, they shut them out by a combined score of 114-0. The coach — who used the single wing, double wing, his newly invented I-formation and even a pass-happy precursor of the West Coast offense — was considered a mad genius.
His only fall during that time came when he took his car to the shop to have the oil changed. He was so engrossed in diagramming plays that he stayed behind the wheel as the auto was hoisted some 8 feet up on a lift. That was fine until he decided to put down his playbook and step out of the car. The fall left him limping through part of the season.
A bigger stumble came from 1938-40 when he lost three straight to Michigan and was forced out of his job. The gold pants tradition remained, and up into the 1960s, the charms were awarded at a big banquet. While that practice has ended, the gold pants have lost none of their prominence. They were on the mind of every Bucks player this week.
"It's a great tradition," said senior safety Nate Salley. "My mom and dad both have one of the gold pants I've won. This next one will go to me. It's kind of like our trophy for winning the game. I know when players come back here after they've been gone, that's what they're measured by. Everybody wants to know 'How many gold pants you got? How many times did you beat Michigan?'"
The guy who had the most gold pants was Esco Sarkkinen, who won one pair as a player in 1937 and 14 more as an assistant coach under Woody Hayes. Myles has nine, four as an Earle Bruce assistant and now five as an administrator.
On the other hand, there are prominent Buckeyes players — from 1950 Heisman Trophy winner Vic Janowicz to 1990s quarterback Kirk Herbstreit from Centerville — who never won against the Wolverines and are pants-less.
Lachey — who as club president has to line up funds to pay for each gold pants issuance — ended up with three gold charms during his playing days.
"We won three of four, and it still burns me that we lost up there in '83," he said. "Otherwise, I'd have had a perfect four-pants set.
"I gave one of mine to mom, and come Saturday they better be around her neck up there in St. Henry. My sister Jayne, who lives in Dayton, has another pair, and my wife, Ann, has the third. Luckily, my sister Karen married a former player (Craig Pack), so all the Lachey girls are taken care of.
"When my wife wears them, people sometimes think it's a molar or a pair of ballet slippers. That's what they look like from afar."
Senior linebacker A.J. Hawk from Centerville has gold pants from his freshman and junior years: "I know you're supposed to give your first pair to your mom, so I gave her both of mine. I'm not too into jewelry, but maybe when I get older I'll get them back because they'll be so special."
That "special" feeling is why some players — as did coach Jim Tressel — got miffed when three years ago a pair of gold pants showed up on eBay and garnered bids of $2,500. Although it was by a former player — current players would break an NCAA rule doing so — Santonio Holmes still called it "real ridiculous to give up something you worked that hard for, something that means that much to the team. Why would anybody do that?"
Myles knew of one sad story from the past: "Again no name, but he was homeless, living under a bridge in Columbus. You've got to be in dire straits to part with them that way."
For the the flip side, listen to linebacker Anthony Schlegel talk about a good-times parting:
"When I gave mine to my wife, it was like, 'Here, Baby.' And she was like 'These are awesome!' "
Yet, for others, that kind of reaction can sometimes spell trouble, Lachey said with a laugh:
"I know there are guys who — back in college — gave the girl they were dating their gold pants. Then they ended up marrying somebody else. And then one night the guy and his wife are out, and they run into another player whose wife is wearing his gold pants. So the guy's wife says, 'Hey. I'd like to wear yours.' And the guy mumbles around, "Aaah, sure, they're in a box somewhere.'
"And then the next day, we're getting one of those calls."
The Game is always on in Ohio - Dayton Daily News •FB
OSU NOTES
The Game is always on in Ohio
By Kyle Nagel
Dayton Daily News
COLUMBUS | — The Ohio State-Michigan game has always been the most important thing in Columbus or Ann Arbor on game day.
It also finds its way into most other cities in these two states — including other college football stadiums.
In 2001, as the unranked Buckeyes were on their way to defeating No. 11 Michigan 26-20 in Jim Tressel's first season as coach, future OSU linebacker A.J. Hawk had the game pumping into his ear through a radio. Hawk sat in Dix Stadium in Kent, Ohio, watching Miami University play Kent State.
Hawk's older brother, Ryan, was a quarterback for the RedHawks.
"I wanted to watch my brother, but I couldn't miss the (OSU-Michigan) game," Hawk said.
Neither could many others in attendance.
"A lot of other people had radios or kept asking for updates," Hawk said. "When they would announce a score that Ohio State was winning, the crowd would start cheering."
While Hawk had the radio in the stands, future teammate Nick Mangold was at home thinking about upcoming seasons.
"I remember we had just lost a playoff game the night before," said Mangold, the Buckeyes' center and an Alter High School product. "Then I turned the game on the next day, and it just helped me feel a little better, knowing I was going to be playing in that game."
And, on Saturday, plenty of people will be watching and listening. Even the future Buckeyes.
Thinking Michigan
There need be no further discussion about whether the Ohio State football team spends its entire season thinking about Michigan.
During the Buckeyes' summer practices, a portion of each session is dedicated the "Maize and Blue" period. It's expected, during this time, to run drills with a little extra effort.
"You run a few extra sprints or do a few extra fumble drills," said OSU offensive lineman Rob Sims. "It's just something we do every practice during camp."
Watch party
The Ohio State alumni of Dayton and Montgomery County are gathering to watch the game at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Marriott (Bar & Grill) on Patterson Boulevard
The public is welcome. For information, call alumni club president Nancy Dougherty at 434-7584 after 2 p.m.
Last trip to Ann Arbor one to forget for OSU - Dayton Daily News •FB
Last trip to Ann Arbor one to forget for OSU
Wolverines derailed Buckeyes' hopes of national title game
By Kyle Nagel
Dayton Daily News
After about 24 minutes against Michigan, the Wolverines led 21-0 and those hopes were mostly moot.
Ohio State will return to Ann Arbor on Saturday, the site of the 2003 game that cost the Buckeyes a chance to defend their national championship. For the OSU players who participated in that game, and others who have moved on, bad memories linger, considering the Buckeyes were ranked No. 4 nationally and Michigan was No. 5.
The Wolverines ended up 35-21 winners, the only loss a Jim Tressel-coached team has suffered in four tries against Michigan.
"We won, that's about it," said Chris Perry, the current Bengals running back who had 154 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries for Michigan in '03. "That's all that matters."
But, doesn't anything stick out?
"We had some parties afterward," Perry said with a grin. "And it was a pretty good time."
Craig Krenzel didn't have a good time. The former OSU quarterback, now the Bengals' third-stringer, looked over to Perry's locker — just a few down in the Cincinnati locker room — when asked about the 2003 game.
"I think Chris had 180-something yards," Krenzel said, evoking the tradition of increasing the yard output myth by 10 each year. "He just killed us."
Krenzel, for the moment, turned back to studying the plays in his locker. Then he turned back.
"Man," said Krenzel, who completed 20 of 33 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns in the game, "we just couldn't get going. And when we did, it was too late."
Ohio State began that season ranked No. 2 and won its first five. A 17-10 loss at Wisconsin on Oct. 11 dropped the Buckeyes, momentarily, from any thoughts of defending their championship.
But five straight wins later — including a 16-13 victory against No. 11 Purdue the week before — sent OSU into Michigan week with the possibility of returning to the season's top game.
That didn't last long once the game started.
"Those are memories you don't really want to think about," said senior safety Nate Salley, who had 11 tackles that day. "We felt good going in, but they got on us in a hurry."
Braylon Edwards' second touchdown catch, of 23 yards after a 64-yard scoring reception earlier in the game, gave Michigan a 21-0 lead with 5:49 left in the second quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, OSU running back Lydell Ross scored on a 2-yard run to cut the Michigan lead to 28-21. But Perry's 15-yard touchdown with 7:55 left effectively ended it and sent Ohio State to the Fiesta Bowl.
"It seemed like we would stop them pretty well on first and second down, but they would make a big play on third-and-10 or third-and-12," said OSU linebacker A.J. Hawk said. "We felt like we had them stopped, then they would get a first down.
"It's definitely not fun to think about."
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Quiet Avant leads Wolverines - Toledo Blade •FB
Quiet Avant leads Wolverines
Co-captain lets performance do all of his talking
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
ANN ARBOR - A month into the football season, Jason Avant appeared to be a broken man on a broken football team. The senior wide receiver at Michigan did not like where his team was after a loss at Wisconsin, and he said so.
"We've showed signs that we could be a good team, but we just don't make the plays that we need to," Avant said. "We make plays at certain times of the game, but we're not consistent."
The Wolverines, who play host to Ohio State tomorrow with the Big Ten championship potentially on the line, were a far cry from a contender at that point, in Avant's eyes. While he spoke softly, his body language screamed out about the mounting frustration of a 2-2 start.
"We just don't make plays. At some point, we just have to make plays," Avant said. "We're not going to have people on our side. We've got to come together as a team, because we're all we've got right now."
Since that point Michigan has gone 5-1, and won its last four in a row. The despair in Avant's voice has been replaced with the optimism of others, since a win over the Buckeyes, coupled with a Penn State loss to Michigan State later in the afternoon, would give the Wolverines a third straight Big Ten title.
That outcome seemed too far-fetched to discuss back when Avant bared his soul after the loss to the Badgers, and since then, for all intents and purposes, he has not been heard from again - except when he has his helmet on.
Avant, one of the Michigan co-captains, has not attended the weekly Monday press conferences with the news media. He has been absent from the post-game interviews. Avant has left it to fellow captain Pat Massey to carry the public relations ball.
All Avant has done is just played. The Chicago product, who has started every game this season at flanker, and 28 games in his UM career, is second in the Big Ten in receptions with 70, and his 900 receiving yards lead the conference.
While Avant has not been the front man and the spokesman for the program that most captains usually are, his contributions on the field and away from the media spotlight have been plenty good enough for his teammates.
"He's a great leader who sets an example for everyone by the way he goes about his work, his preparation for a game, and his practice routine," Michigan sophomore quarterback Chad Henne said.
"As a receiver, Jason's as good as they come. He's a guy who makes the quarterback look good. You put the ball anywhere close, and he is going to go get it. He's a great athlete, and that's why he has so many catches."
Safety Jamar Adams said so much of Avant's leadership with the team comes in the form of soft-spoken words, and actions that speak volumes about his character.
"Jason talks about how important it is to play your best in big games, and then he goes out and does it," Adams said. "As one of the team's leaders, he talks about the responsibility to make the right choices when we're off the field, and that's exactly what he does. As a younger player, it really hits home when you see a senior set an example like that."
Avant, an honor student at Michigan who has earned Academic All-Big Ten honors the past two seasons, has also been chosen by the league's coaches as an All-Big Ten second-team selection the past two years for his accomplishments on the field.
Avant comes from a broken family and did not meet his mother until his freshman year at Michigan. He has played hurt more than once in his prolific career. Going into the final regular season game of his career, Avant clearly has what Michigan coach Lloyd Carr was looking for in a captain.
"I think the first characteristic you look for in athletics from a leadership standpoint is a guy that plays with great intensity and has a great will to win, because ultimately in a team game your best players have to perform," Carr said.
"It all comes down to performing. And it's hard to be an outstanding leader if you are not performing your part in the play. Jason has been an exceptional leader. I think that's one of the reasons, one of the primary reasons, he was selected because he brings his work ethic every single day. And his will to compete is exceptional. It has been that way since the day he got here."
Huston finally gets a shot - Toledo Blade •FB
Huston finally gets a shot
OSU's kicker wants his own UM memories
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
COLUMBUS - Josh Huston knows he gets just this one shot. The bulk of the Ohio State versus Michigan memories he will carry for the rest of his life will be made tomorrow afternoon, on the tarmac of Michigan Stadium.
If patience is a virtue, then Huston, a senior kicker for Ohio State, is a candidate for sainthood. He has waited an awfully long time for the opportunity to hit a field goal to beat Michigan, kick an extra point to send the game to overtime, or play some other decisive role in the biggest game of this year, and every year.
"I have to admit I've been looking forward to this game for a really long time," Huston said, "and I'm excited that it is finally here. Every guy who has played for Ohio State over the years talks about playing in the Michigan game, and wanting to make a difference in that game."
Huston is a rare sixth year senior who was awarded extra eligibility by the NCAA since he missed two full years with injuries. After sitting out all of 2000 with a knee injury, he handled some of the kickoff duty in 2001 while working behind Ohio State standout kicker Mike Nugent.
A hip injury kept Huston sidelined in 2002, and he did not see any action in 2003. Last year, while Nugent was completing a record-breaking career and winning the Lou Groza award as the nation's top kicker, Huston saw very limited duty on kickoffs in two games.
"I got to kick off against Michigan back in 2001 when we beat them up there," Huston said. "I didn't play a big role in the game, but it was still a great feeling."
Huston said he has developed a deep understanding of the rivalry and an appreciation for the Ohio State - Michigan game from his time spent as an on-the-field observer.
"I've probably seen more Ohio State - Michigan games from the sideline than anybody else out there in uniform," Huston said. "Almost all of that time was spent just watching, but this year, I at least have the chance to be involved in the outcome. The atmosphere, the energy, the whole event is pretty amazing."
Huston, a Findlay High grad who leads the Big Ten in every kicking category, has hit all 39 of his extra point attempts, and 18-of-21 field goal tries (86 percent). His most valuable stat in a number of games has been his ability to handcuff the opposition on kickoffs. Huston has made 45 of his 64 kickoffs unreturnable by driving the ball deep into the end zone - and beyond.
"I'm proud of that, because field position is such a big part of the game and putting the ball through the end zone guarantees they won't bring it back," Huston said. "If the other team is starting on the 20 yard line every time, with this defense we have, I like our chances."
Huston, who is a semifinalist for the Groza Award this season, said his preparation for this game began a long time ago, but it intensified early this year when he learned officially that the NCAA would permit him to return and compete for a final season.
"I'm not going to lie - the thoughts about Michigan slip into your head throughout the year," Huston said. "Ever since I was sure I would be back for this season, that's' been part of my preparation. To go up there and to win this year would mean so much."
Huston, who played on the same high school team with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was his holder at Findlay, was an all-state soccer player for the Trojans, and still considers himself an athlete more than a football player.
"I know my role, and how important it is that I perform well in this game," Huston said. "All the time I've been thinking about Michigan coming up, then I think about my team is really going to need me, so I want to get really focused and try and do everything perfectly."
A number of times this season, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has cited Huston's value to the team, and his admiration for Huston for persevering through those two years lost to injuries, and finally getting a Michigan game that is all his.
"He's one of those real feel-good stories in college football," Tressel said. "Josh went through 2 1/2 years of injuries and adversities, and was always in the deep shadow of an outstanding kicker like Mike Nugent.
You have to really appreciate him sticking to it, and enjoy the great success he's had."
Michigan's Detwiler loved to drill Ohio State - Toledo Blade •FB
Michigan's Detwiler loved to drill Ohio State
Jim Detwiler was an All-Everything running back at the former DeVilbiss High School.
As a senior in the fall of 1962, he earned All-City, All-Ohio and All-American honors.
Detwiler's skills were dazzling.
He was one of the most sought-after players in the state.
More than 60 colleges were interested in Detwiler, including bitter rivals Michigan and Ohio State.
Detwiler chose the Wolverines' famous winged helmet over Woody and Brutus Buckeye.
His decision wasn't all that unusual during that period.
"My freshman year at Michigan, 21 of the top 30 guys on our team were from Ohio," said the 60-year-old Detwiler, who is a dentist in Perrysburg. "We had a huge contingent, I think, primarily because Woody was a little bit off the deep end in those years.
"For two or three seasons there, he had just kind of lost his touch in recruiting in Ohio."
Detwiler was a standout on Michigan's freshman team in 1963, and the 6-3, 215-pound halfback earned a starting job in the backfield with the big boys as a sophomore.
He always seemed to be at his best against Ohio State.
The sight of a Scarlet and Gray uniform made Detwiler run harder and faster, especially in Columbus.
On a bone-chilling afternoon in 1964, Detwiler accounted for the game's only touchdown at Ohio Stadium.
He snagged an 18-yard reception from quarterback Bob Timberlake in the final minute of the first half, and Michigan blanked Ohio State 10-0 to snap a four-game losing streak against the Buckeyes.
Detwiler helped punch Michigan's first ticket to the Rose Bowl in 14 years, and the Wolverines captured their only Big Ten title in Bump Elliott's 10 seasons as coach.
Michigan finished No. 4 in the country that year - its highest ranking since winning the national title in 1948.
Detwiler missed The Game in Ann Arbor his junior year due to a knee injury, but he served as a spotter in the booth for ABC announcer Bill Fleming during Ohio State's 9-7 triumph.
Detwiler's balky knee limited his playing time early in his senior season in 1966, but he recovered in time to shred the Buckeyes' defense for a career-high 140 yards and a touchdown in the Wolverines' 17-3 win at the Horseshoe.
Detwiler averaged a career-high 7.0 yards on 20 carries that day, but his performance was overshadowed by the epic 10-10 tie involving Notre Dame and Michigan State.
"We had instituted the I-formation a couple of weeks before the Ohio State game, and they put me at tailback," Detwiler said. "I ran the ball more times in the first half than I had ever run it before, but I ran out of gas. The coach very kindly told the media that I had the flu. I actually was rubber-legged and couldn't play much after that."
Detwiler was a first-team All-Big Ten pick, then rushed for more than 100 yards and was named most valuable back of the Blue-Gray All-Star game.
He was one of two first-round draft picks of the Baltimore Colts in 1967 - Bubba Smith was the other - but Detwiler's knee continued to limit his abilities on the field.
After being waived in the preseason two consecutive years, he used his $50,000 signing bonus to segue into a career in dentistry, which he has been practicing for the last 30 years.
Detwiler, who pre-dates Bo Schembechler at Michigan, still follows the riveting rivalry with Ohio State very closely.
He and his family plan to be in the Big House tomorrow for the 102nd installment of the storied series.
"The rivalry has changed a lot since the 1960s," Detwiler said. "Bo was a gentleman, he would never get into anything personal involving Ohio State. Woody took it very seriously. He wouldn't even talk to Bo when he was at Michigan, although Bo used to play for Woody and work for him.
"Woody carried it a little bit to the extreme, as far as I was concerned."
The Buckeyes' recent domination in the series - Ohio State coach Jim Tressel owns a 3-1 record against Michigan's Lloyd Carr - disturbs Detwiler more than a little bit.
So does Carr's conservative coaching style.
"I like coach Carr, but it seems to me like he plays not to lose instead of playing to win, kind of like coach Tressel," Detwiler said. "I think when you have so many good teams scattered throughout the country, you have to be more aggressive. I think coach Carr needs to change his philosophy."
Detwiler knows that will be a lot harder than pulling teeth.
Henne faces hairy linebacker situation - Toledo Blade •FB
THE GAME: OFFENSE/DEFENSE
Henne faces hairy linebacker situation
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
When Michigan quarterback Chad Henne lines up over center and faces the Ohio State defense for the first time in a year, he will notice something different. Something subtle, but definitely different about those linebackers staring him down from just a few yards away.
Last year, those three guys had a lot shorter hair.
But 12 months after A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel helped frustrate Henne and dispatch the Wolverines 37-21 in Ohio Stadium, they will be here on Henne's home turf, with the same skills and tenacity, prepared to do it again. Only this time with significantly more extensive coiffures.
Well before the start of the 2005 season, the three Ohio State senior linebackers made a pact to grow their hair long as a tribute to Pat Tillman, the former NFL star who, inspired by the events of Sept. 11, 2001, gave up the wealth and the spotlight of life as a pro football player and joined the elite Army Rangers. Tillman was killed in 2004 while on duty in Afghanistan.
Tillman, who wore his hair long while he was a player with a reputation as a hard-hitter and a hard worker, was a former walk-on at Arizona State who ended up being the Pac-10 defensive player of the year. The Ohio State trio read his story in the Winner's Manual, a handbook they received from Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.
"Pat Tillman played football the way the game is supposed to be played," Hawk said. "Since we wanted to pattern our approach to the game after his, we thought this would be a neat thing to do to kind of honor him and everything he stood for."
Hawk, Carpenter and Schlegel, with those long strands of hair bouncing around at shoulder length, have been the scourge of the Big Ten, and the heart of the OSU defense. Hawk leads the Buckeyes with 102 tackles, while Schlegel is second with 65 and Carpenter has 49 with a team-high eight sacks. They share a motor that never stops running.
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr is aware that both Hawk and Carpenter are projected as high picks in the next NFL draft, while Schlegel would be an All-Big Ten candidate were it not for his outstanding teammates. Carr knows the sophomore Henne will need some security to keep Ohio State's three senior linebackers off him.
"They have got wonderful athletes and guys at linebacker that can blitz very effectively," Carr said. "They play coverage very well, and they also zone blitz you as well as anybody. I think you certainly have to be able to protect the passer, because, if you can't, then it doesn't matter what the receivers are doing or what the quarterback is doing."
Henne said he expects pressure from both the fans and the Buckeyes defenders since this game carries such significance, but he is confident the Wolverines have a game plan that will work, if properly executed.
"I'm sure people are going to put pressure on us and decide whether this team is as good as it was expected to be just based on this game," Henne said. "But we just have to come out and play our game, and just do the right things."
Schlegel, a transfer to Ohio State from Air Force who is making his first trip to Michigan Stadium,said the Buckeyes' defense has to force Henne and Michigan to turn the ball over.
"Really, the game boils down to who wants it more and who is going to be more physical," Schlegel said. "You've got to have ball security and you have to get turnovers. You think that's what every game boils down to, but more so in this game."
Carpenter, who will move to defensive end when Ohio State puts an extra defensive back on the field in passing situations, said Michigan presents a number of offensive options that will test the Buckeyes. Henne has a dangerous deep threat in wide receiver Steve Breaston, and a difficult to track down running back in Mike Hart.
"They do a lot of things and they do them well," he said. "Henne's got another year of experience and maturity back there, and he's got good running backs behind him and outstanding wide receivers to throw to. They mix it up, so you have to be active and you can't focus on any one aspect."
Henne, who has thrown for 2,033 yards and 19 touchdowns this season, had great numbers in last year's loss to the Buckeyes with 328 yards passing on a 27-of-54 performance, good for two touchdowns. The sophomore from Pennsylvania said the Wolverines have weathered a number of injuries on offense while winning their last four in a row.
"When everybody is on the right page and we're making plays and we're scoring in the red zone, it really shows how our offense is coming along," Henne said. "We know that some of the players aren't in that might be in, but whoever is in, we support them."
Carr hopes Henne, a finally healthy Hart, and the rest of his offensive cast can be efficient and effective against that trio of outstanding linebackers, and the Big Ten's top defense.
"We've played against some outstanding defenses, and yet I think this defense from an experience standpoint and from the standpoint of having almost every starter back, that makes it special," Carr said. "I think when you look at statistically- those defensive statistics - scoring defense, defense against the run, total defense, I think it's the best defense we have played against."
Quiet Avant leads Wolverines
Co-captain lets performance do all of his talking
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
ANN ARBOR - A month into the football season, Jason Avant appeared to be a broken man on a broken football team. The senior wide receiver at Michigan did not like where his team was after a loss at Wisconsin, and he said so.
"We've showed signs that we could be a good team, but we just don't make the plays that we need to," Avant said. "We make plays at certain times of the game, but we're not consistent."
The Wolverines, who play host to Ohio State tomorrow with the Big Ten championship potentially on the line, were a far cry from a contender at that point, in Avant's eyes. While he spoke softly, his body language screamed out about the mounting frustration of a 2-2 start.
"We just don't make plays. At some point, we just have to make plays," Avant said. "We're not going to have people on our side. We've got to come together as a team, because we're all we've got right now."
Since that point Michigan has gone 5-1, and won its last four in a row. The despair in Avant's voice has been replaced with the optimism of others, since a win over the Buckeyes, coupled with a Penn State loss to Michigan State later in the afternoon, would give the Wolverines a third straight Big Ten title.
That outcome seemed too far-fetched to discuss back when Avant bared his soul after the loss to the Badgers, and since then, for all intents and purposes, he has not been heard from again - except when he has his helmet on.
Avant, one of the Michigan co-captains, has not attended the weekly Monday press conferences with the news media. He has been absent from the post-game interviews. Avant has left it to fellow captain Pat Massey to carry the public relations ball.
All Avant has done is just played. The Chicago product, who has started every game this season at flanker, and 28 games in his UM career, is second in the Big Ten in receptions with 70, and his 900 receiving yards lead the conference.
While Avant has not been the front man and the spokesman for the program that most captains usually are, his contributions on the field and away from the media spotlight have been plenty good enough for his teammates.
"He's a great leader who sets an example for everyone by the way he goes about his work, his preparation for a game, and his practice routine," Michigan sophomore quarterback Chad Henne said.
"As a receiver, Jason's as good as they come. He's a guy who makes the quarterback look good. You put the ball anywhere close, and he is going to go get it. He's a great athlete, and that's why he has so many catches."
Safety Jamar Adams said so much of Avant's leadership with the team comes in the form of soft-spoken words, and actions that speak volumes about his character.
"Jason talks about how important it is to play your best in big games, and then he goes out and does it," Adams said. "As one of the team's leaders, he talks about the responsibility to make the right choices when we're off the field, and that's exactly what he does. As a younger player, it really hits home when you see a senior set an example like that."
Avant, an honor student at Michigan who has earned Academic All-Big Ten honors the past two seasons, has also been chosen by the league's coaches as an All-Big Ten second-team selection the past two years for his accomplishments on the field.
Avant comes from a broken family and did not meet his mother until his freshman year at Michigan. He has played hurt more than once in his prolific career. Going into the final regular season game of his career, Avant clearly has what Michigan coach Lloyd Carr was looking for in a captain.
"I think the first characteristic you look for in athletics from a leadership standpoint is a guy that plays with great intensity and has a great will to win, because ultimately in a team game your best players have to perform," Carr said.
"It all comes down to performing. And it's hard to be an outstanding leader if you are not performing your part in the play. Jason has been an exceptional leader. I think that's one of the reasons, one of the primary reasons, he was selected because he brings his work ethic every single day. And his will to compete is exceptional. It has been that way since the day he got here."
Huston finally gets a shot - Toledo Blade •FB
Huston finally gets a shot
OSU's kicker wants his own UM memories
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
COLUMBUS - Josh Huston knows he gets just this one shot. The bulk of the Ohio State versus Michigan memories he will carry for the rest of his life will be made tomorrow afternoon, on the tarmac of Michigan Stadium.
If patience is a virtue, then Huston, a senior kicker for Ohio State, is a candidate for sainthood. He has waited an awfully long time for the opportunity to hit a field goal to beat Michigan, kick an extra point to send the game to overtime, or play some other decisive role in the biggest game of this year, and every year.
"I have to admit I've been looking forward to this game for a really long time," Huston said, "and I'm excited that it is finally here. Every guy who has played for Ohio State over the years talks about playing in the Michigan game, and wanting to make a difference in that game."
Huston is a rare sixth year senior who was awarded extra eligibility by the NCAA since he missed two full years with injuries. After sitting out all of 2000 with a knee injury, he handled some of the kickoff duty in 2001 while working behind Ohio State standout kicker Mike Nugent.
A hip injury kept Huston sidelined in 2002, and he did not see any action in 2003. Last year, while Nugent was completing a record-breaking career and winning the Lou Groza award as the nation's top kicker, Huston saw very limited duty on kickoffs in two games.
"I got to kick off against Michigan back in 2001 when we beat them up there," Huston said. "I didn't play a big role in the game, but it was still a great feeling."
Huston said he has developed a deep understanding of the rivalry and an appreciation for the Ohio State - Michigan game from his time spent as an on-the-field observer.
"I've probably seen more Ohio State - Michigan games from the sideline than anybody else out there in uniform," Huston said. "Almost all of that time was spent just watching, but this year, I at least have the chance to be involved in the outcome. The atmosphere, the energy, the whole event is pretty amazing."
Huston, a Findlay High grad who leads the Big Ten in every kicking category, has hit all 39 of his extra point attempts, and 18-of-21 field goal tries (86 percent). His most valuable stat in a number of games has been his ability to handcuff the opposition on kickoffs. Huston has made 45 of his 64 kickoffs unreturnable by driving the ball deep into the end zone - and beyond.
"I'm proud of that, because field position is such a big part of the game and putting the ball through the end zone guarantees they won't bring it back," Huston said. "If the other team is starting on the 20 yard line every time, with this defense we have, I like our chances."
Huston, who is a semifinalist for the Groza Award this season, said his preparation for this game began a long time ago, but it intensified early this year when he learned officially that the NCAA would permit him to return and compete for a final season.
"I'm not going to lie - the thoughts about Michigan slip into your head throughout the year," Huston said. "Ever since I was sure I would be back for this season, that's' been part of my preparation. To go up there and to win this year would mean so much."
Huston, who played on the same high school team with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was his holder at Findlay, was an all-state soccer player for the Trojans, and still considers himself an athlete more than a football player.
"I know my role, and how important it is that I perform well in this game," Huston said. "All the time I've been thinking about Michigan coming up, then I think about my team is really going to need me, so I want to get really focused and try and do everything perfectly."
A number of times this season, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has cited Huston's value to the team, and his admiration for Huston for persevering through those two years lost to injuries, and finally getting a Michigan game that is all his.
"He's one of those real feel-good stories in college football," Tressel said. "Josh went through 2 1/2 years of injuries and adversities, and was always in the deep shadow of an outstanding kicker like Mike Nugent.
You have to really appreciate him sticking to it, and enjoy the great success he's had."
Michigan's Detwiler loved to drill Ohio State - Toledo Blade •FB
Michigan's Detwiler loved to drill Ohio State
Jim Detwiler was an All-Everything running back at the former DeVilbiss High School.
As a senior in the fall of 1962, he earned All-City, All-Ohio and All-American honors.
Detwiler's skills were dazzling.
He was one of the most sought-after players in the state.
More than 60 colleges were interested in Detwiler, including bitter rivals Michigan and Ohio State.
Detwiler chose the Wolverines' famous winged helmet over Woody and Brutus Buckeye.
His decision wasn't all that unusual during that period.
"My freshman year at Michigan, 21 of the top 30 guys on our team were from Ohio," said the 60-year-old Detwiler, who is a dentist in Perrysburg. "We had a huge contingent, I think, primarily because Woody was a little bit off the deep end in those years.
"For two or three seasons there, he had just kind of lost his touch in recruiting in Ohio."
Detwiler was a standout on Michigan's freshman team in 1963, and the 6-3, 215-pound halfback earned a starting job in the backfield with the big boys as a sophomore.
He always seemed to be at his best against Ohio State.
The sight of a Scarlet and Gray uniform made Detwiler run harder and faster, especially in Columbus.
On a bone-chilling afternoon in 1964, Detwiler accounted for the game's only touchdown at Ohio Stadium.
He snagged an 18-yard reception from quarterback Bob Timberlake in the final minute of the first half, and Michigan blanked Ohio State 10-0 to snap a four-game losing streak against the Buckeyes.
Detwiler helped punch Michigan's first ticket to the Rose Bowl in 14 years, and the Wolverines captured their only Big Ten title in Bump Elliott's 10 seasons as coach.
Michigan finished No. 4 in the country that year - its highest ranking since winning the national title in 1948.
Detwiler missed The Game in Ann Arbor his junior year due to a knee injury, but he served as a spotter in the booth for ABC announcer Bill Fleming during Ohio State's 9-7 triumph.
Detwiler's balky knee limited his playing time early in his senior season in 1966, but he recovered in time to shred the Buckeyes' defense for a career-high 140 yards and a touchdown in the Wolverines' 17-3 win at the Horseshoe.
Detwiler averaged a career-high 7.0 yards on 20 carries that day, but his performance was overshadowed by the epic 10-10 tie involving Notre Dame and Michigan State.
"We had instituted the I-formation a couple of weeks before the Ohio State game, and they put me at tailback," Detwiler said. "I ran the ball more times in the first half than I had ever run it before, but I ran out of gas. The coach very kindly told the media that I had the flu. I actually was rubber-legged and couldn't play much after that."
Detwiler was a first-team All-Big Ten pick, then rushed for more than 100 yards and was named most valuable back of the Blue-Gray All-Star game.
He was one of two first-round draft picks of the Baltimore Colts in 1967 - Bubba Smith was the other - but Detwiler's knee continued to limit his abilities on the field.
After being waived in the preseason two consecutive years, he used his $50,000 signing bonus to segue into a career in dentistry, which he has been practicing for the last 30 years.
Detwiler, who pre-dates Bo Schembechler at Michigan, still follows the riveting rivalry with Ohio State very closely.
He and his family plan to be in the Big House tomorrow for the 102nd installment of the storied series.
"The rivalry has changed a lot since the 1960s," Detwiler said. "Bo was a gentleman, he would never get into anything personal involving Ohio State. Woody took it very seriously. He wouldn't even talk to Bo when he was at Michigan, although Bo used to play for Woody and work for him.
"Woody carried it a little bit to the extreme, as far as I was concerned."
The Buckeyes' recent domination in the series - Ohio State coach Jim Tressel owns a 3-1 record against Michigan's Lloyd Carr - disturbs Detwiler more than a little bit.
So does Carr's conservative coaching style.
"I like coach Carr, but it seems to me like he plays not to lose instead of playing to win, kind of like coach Tressel," Detwiler said. "I think when you have so many good teams scattered throughout the country, you have to be more aggressive. I think coach Carr needs to change his philosophy."
Detwiler knows that will be a lot harder than pulling teeth.
Henne faces hairy linebacker situation - Toledo Blade •FB
THE GAME: OFFENSE/DEFENSE
Henne faces hairy linebacker situation
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
When Michigan quarterback Chad Henne lines up over center and faces the Ohio State defense for the first time in a year, he will notice something different. Something subtle, but definitely different about those linebackers staring him down from just a few yards away.
Last year, those three guys had a lot shorter hair.
But 12 months after A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel helped frustrate Henne and dispatch the Wolverines 37-21 in Ohio Stadium, they will be here on Henne's home turf, with the same skills and tenacity, prepared to do it again. Only this time with significantly more extensive coiffures.
Well before the start of the 2005 season, the three Ohio State senior linebackers made a pact to grow their hair long as a tribute to Pat Tillman, the former NFL star who, inspired by the events of Sept. 11, 2001, gave up the wealth and the spotlight of life as a pro football player and joined the elite Army Rangers. Tillman was killed in 2004 while on duty in Afghanistan.
Tillman, who wore his hair long while he was a player with a reputation as a hard-hitter and a hard worker, was a former walk-on at Arizona State who ended up being the Pac-10 defensive player of the year. The Ohio State trio read his story in the Winner's Manual, a handbook they received from Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.
"Pat Tillman played football the way the game is supposed to be played," Hawk said. "Since we wanted to pattern our approach to the game after his, we thought this would be a neat thing to do to kind of honor him and everything he stood for."
Hawk, Carpenter and Schlegel, with those long strands of hair bouncing around at shoulder length, have been the scourge of the Big Ten, and the heart of the OSU defense. Hawk leads the Buckeyes with 102 tackles, while Schlegel is second with 65 and Carpenter has 49 with a team-high eight sacks. They share a motor that never stops running.
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr is aware that both Hawk and Carpenter are projected as high picks in the next NFL draft, while Schlegel would be an All-Big Ten candidate were it not for his outstanding teammates. Carr knows the sophomore Henne will need some security to keep Ohio State's three senior linebackers off him.
"They have got wonderful athletes and guys at linebacker that can blitz very effectively," Carr said. "They play coverage very well, and they also zone blitz you as well as anybody. I think you certainly have to be able to protect the passer, because, if you can't, then it doesn't matter what the receivers are doing or what the quarterback is doing."
Henne said he expects pressure from both the fans and the Buckeyes defenders since this game carries such significance, but he is confident the Wolverines have a game plan that will work, if properly executed.
"I'm sure people are going to put pressure on us and decide whether this team is as good as it was expected to be just based on this game," Henne said. "But we just have to come out and play our game, and just do the right things."
Schlegel, a transfer to Ohio State from Air Force who is making his first trip to Michigan Stadium,said the Buckeyes' defense has to force Henne and Michigan to turn the ball over.
"Really, the game boils down to who wants it more and who is going to be more physical," Schlegel said. "You've got to have ball security and you have to get turnovers. You think that's what every game boils down to, but more so in this game."
Carpenter, who will move to defensive end when Ohio State puts an extra defensive back on the field in passing situations, said Michigan presents a number of offensive options that will test the Buckeyes. Henne has a dangerous deep threat in wide receiver Steve Breaston, and a difficult to track down running back in Mike Hart.
"They do a lot of things and they do them well," he said. "Henne's got another year of experience and maturity back there, and he's got good running backs behind him and outstanding wide receivers to throw to. They mix it up, so you have to be active and you can't focus on any one aspect."
Henne, who has thrown for 2,033 yards and 19 touchdowns this season, had great numbers in last year's loss to the Buckeyes with 328 yards passing on a 27-of-54 performance, good for two touchdowns. The sophomore from Pennsylvania said the Wolverines have weathered a number of injuries on offense while winning their last four in a row.
"When everybody is on the right page and we're making plays and we're scoring in the red zone, it really shows how our offense is coming along," Henne said. "We know that some of the players aren't in that might be in, but whoever is in, we support them."
Carr hopes Henne, a finally healthy Hart, and the rest of his offensive cast can be efficient and effective against that trio of outstanding linebackers, and the Big Ten's top defense.
"We've played against some outstanding defenses, and yet I think this defense from an experience standpoint and from the standpoint of having almost every starter back, that makes it special," Carr said. "I think when you look at statistically- those defensive statistics - scoring defense, defense against the run, total defense, I think it's the best defense we have played against."
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Stakes high again for big game - Lima News •FB
Stakes high again for big game
By JIM NAVEAU
11/18/2005
A look at the matchups between No. 9 Ohio State (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten) and No. 17 Michigan (7-3, 5-2 Big Ten) when they play on Saturday at Michigan Stadium:
Quarterbacks
Michigan quarterback Chad Henne (2,033 yards passing, 19 TDs, 7 interceptions) has been labeled as having a sophomore slump season, but only because of the freshman season he had (2,743 yards, 25 touchdowns, 12 interceptions).
Ohio State’s Troy Smith had a career game with 386 yards total offense, two touchdowns passing and another running against Michigan in a 37-21 win last year. Smith (1,640 yards passing, 508 yards rushing) has reduced his turnovers and has done a good job of getting the ball to his receivers during the five-game winning streak OSU is riding.
Advantage: Michigan
Running backs
Antonio Pittman (1,110 yards rushing) has run for 100 yards or more in five of his last seven games. The sophomore gives Ohio State its best running threat since Maurice Clarett was healthy in 2002.
When Michigan’s Mike Hart is healthy, he is one of the Big Ten’s best runners. But Hart (573 yards, 4 touchdowns) has battled inuries most of the season. He was rested in a 41-14 rout of Indiana last week. The last time he played was on Oct. 22 against Iowa when he gained 17 yards. Maybe Hart’s most amazing statistic is that he has fumbled only once in his college career.
Jerome Jackson (105 yards against Northwestern) and Kevin Grady (94 yards against Indiana) have provided depth late in the season.
Advantage: Michigan
Receivers
Steve Breaston was projected as Michigan’s top receiver before the season began but Jason Avant (70 catches, 900 yards, 7 touchdowns) is 52 catches and five touchdowns ahead of him. Freshman Mario Manningham, who caught the game-winning pass against Penn State, is second on the team with 20 catches for 341 yards and five TDs.
Santonio Holmes might be under six feet tall but he is definitely a big-play receiver for Ohio State. Eighteen of his 39 catches have been plays of 20 yards or more. He also gives Ohio State another excellent kick returner to go with Ted Ginn Jr.
Advantage: Even
Offensive line
Even in some of its best years, like the national championship season in 2002 and 2003, Ohio State ranked closer to the bottom of the national rushing statistics than to the top. This year, it is 25th in NCAA Division I-A in rushing offense and has allowed only 16 sacks. With Kirk Barton’s return, the line is at full strength.
Tackle Adam Stenavich and guard Matt Lentz have been the standouts on the Michigan line. Tackle Jake Long, one of the Wolverines’ best lineman, returned from preseason ankle surgery against Northwestern but left last week’s game against Indiana early.
Only three Big Ten teams average fewer yards per carry than Michigan. The Wolverines have allowed 19 sacks.
Advantage: Ohio State
Defensive line
Michigan’s Gabe Watson, a 331-pound nose tackle, could go high in the NFL draft. He has three quarterback sacks this season. End LaMarr Woodley has 14 tackles for losses and five sacks. Pat Massey has been a steady performer at tackle.
Ohio State limited Northwestern’s high-scoring offense to 251 yards total offense in a 48-7 win last Saturday, less than half of the 508 yards it was getting coming into the game. End Mike Kudla has 6Z|x sacks, third on the team. He also leads OSU’s defensive linemen in tackles with 32.
Advantage: Even
Linebackers
A.J. Hawk is one of four finalists for the Butkus Award, which goes to the player voted the top linebacker in college football. OSU linebackers Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Schlegel and Bobby Carpenter have combined for 29 tackles for losses and 17 sacks.
Ted Harris (72 tackles, five for losses) and Prescott Burgess (67 tackles, four for losses) lead Michigan’s linebackers.
Advantage: Ohio State
Defensive backs
No Michigan or Ohio State defensive back has intercepted more than two passes this season. But the Buckeyes rank No. 1 in the Big Ten in pass defense (198 yards a game) and Michigan is second (202 yards a game).
The Wolverines have 10 interceptions. Ohio State has six, which ranks the Buckeyes ahead of only Illinois in the Big Ten.
Michigan cornerback Grant Mason is tied for the team lead in tackles with 72 and has two interceptions. The other cornerback Leon Hall has two interceptions and two sacks. Safety Willis Barringer also has two interceptions. Donte Whitner’s two interceptions lead OSU. Ashton Youboty got his first pick of the season against Northwestern.
Advantage: Even
Special teams
It’s hard to imagine a team that can match the kick return game Ohio State has with Ginn (six career kick returns for touchdowns) and Holmes. But Michigan can come close with Breaston, who is second all-time in career punt return yards in the Big Ten.
Ohio State kicker Josh Huston (16 of 19 on field goals) and punter A.J. Trapasso (40.9) are both slightly ahead of Michigan’s kicker Garrett Rivas (17 of 23 on field goals) and punter Ross Ryan (38.6).
Advantage: Ohio State
One play can make or break a season - Lima News •FB
One play can make or break a season
By JIM NAVEAU
11/18/2005
It probably still rings in the ears of football players even if they haven’t worn a uniform in years.
“You can’t take a play off,” coaches will say. “You can’t take a play off.”
But Michigan has demonstrated that you can turn that old exhortation around. The Wolverines have proved that one play can be a booster rocket that makes you take off.
No. 9 Ohio State (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten) will go into its annual football showdown with Michigan on Saturday on a five-game winning streak. No. 17 Michigan (7-3, 5-2 Big Ten) will bring a four-game winning streak into the game.
It’s probably not exaggerating too much to say one play, a 10-yard touchdown pass from Chad Henne to Mario Manningham as time ran out to beat Penn State, turned around Michigan’s season.
Without that play, Michigan would have fallen to 3-4. Four losses by mid-October in Ann Arbor or Columbus means the sky is falling, the rivers are filled with fire and plagues of locusts have been spotted on the outskirts of town.
Instead, Michigan could win a share of the Big Ten title if it beats Ohio State and Michigan State upsets Penn State on Saturday.
“The way we won that game, that certainly got us going in the right direction,” Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said earlier this week about the end of the Penn State game.
Offensive lineman Adam Stenavich said that single play “turned it around” for the Wolverines. “I’d have to say that’s what changed our season,” he said.
Even though Ohio State has a chance to win at least a share of the Big Ten title and maybe a trip to a Bowl Championship Series bowl, the Buckeyes have had to change their goals since close losses to Texas and Penn State.
The national championship OSU talked so much about disappeared for lack of a key play here or there.
“I still say to this day we can be the best team in the nation but we’ve got two losses,” Ohio State offensive lineman Rob Sims said. “If we had played a little better or done things a little better, we might be singing a different tune. We might be looking at a whole different situation.”
That’s why you can’t take a play off.
First time lasts a lifetime - Lima News •FB
First time lasts a lifetime
By JIM NAVEAU
11/18/2005
When it comes to the Ohio State-Michigan football game and the stories people tell about the first time they got to be there, the variations are as numerous as the yard lines on the field.
Some went with their dads. Others shared the day with mom.
Some married the people they went with. Others never saw the person sitting next to them again.
Some got their tickets for free. Others made deals with scalpers.
One person remembers the sting of pepper spray in a post-game celebration. Another, who shall remain nameless, claims he went pantsless and streaked the Michigan band his first time at the big game.
The Lima News asked readers to submit their memories of the first time they attended an OSU-Michigan game.
Responses came back from around the state and around the country.
Bob Thompson, of Lima, got an early start at going to the big game. In 1947, he won a contest at the YMCA for selling the most memberships of any elementary student in the city.
The prize? Two tickets to the Ohio State-Michigan game in Ann Arbor.
“When we got there my dad bought a program. Here I am, 10 years old or so, and I was looking at this program and I noticed there were Ohio guys playing on Michigan’s team. I asked my dad about this and said, ‘I thought this was supposed to be Ohio against Michigan,’” Thompson said.
Gary Evans, of Lima, was a freshman at Bowling Green State University in 1953 when he and a friend decided on a whim to drive up to Ann Arbor to go to the OSU-Michigan game.
They accomplished something probably no one at Saturday’s 102nd Ohio State-Michigan game will.
“We got up there and had no idea about tickets, didn’t have any tickets. Outside the stadium, we found a bunch of guys selling tickets for below face value. They weren’t the greatest tickets but they were decent,” Evans said.
The first OSU-Michigan game for Dewey Boecker, of Findlay, was when he was a freshman at Ohio State in 1994. That game produced John Cooper’s first win over the Wolverines at OSU.
“I was amazed by all the hype, hoopla and activities around campus and the game lived up to all of it. The most memorable thing for me was storming the field with thousands of students and fans and getting my first — and hopefully last — taste of pepper spray,” he said.
Gary Bolyard, of Bellefontaine, has more reasons than most people to remember the first time he went to the big game. It was the first date for him with his wife Julie. He also turned down a big-money offer for his tickets for what was the final home game of a national championship season.
“It was the magical season of 1968, my first on campus. I had purchased five tickets through the OSU ticket office after the Buckeyes upset No. 1 Purdue for $3 apiece. I asked some friends to come to the game, not knowing it would be as important as it later would become.
“The week of the game, my roommate’s uncle offered me $150 for all five tickets — 10 times face value. I declined the offer,” Bolyard said.
Robert Krites, of Lima, spent his first OSU-Michigan game with his future father-in-law in 1989.
“After a few dates, my future wife (Cindie) mentioned that her father had season tickets for Michigan football,” Krites said. “She said he would probably take you with him and I thought this was the greatest. It was only later I started to think of the long drive to Ann Arbor with my girlfriend’s father who I had met only once.”
Krites said his fears disappeared when his future father-in-law, Ned Nuttle, made him feel at ease. And his concerns about being an Ohio State fan in the middle of a Michigan season ticket section didn’t matter when the Wolverines were in control all the way in a 28-18 win.
Kim Wright, of Lima, remembers her then-9-year-old son David telling her Ohio State was where he wanted to go to college after she took him to his first OSU-Michigan game in 1994.
Her response? “We’ll see.” His eventual response? He’s currently an Ohio State sophomore.
Bob Rogers, who grew up in Sandusky and lives in western North Carolina now, recalls his first trip to this storied rivalry game because it was the 1971 matchup in Ann Arbor when OSU coach Woody Hayes attacked the first down marker after he thought pass interference should have been called on Michigan’s Thom Darden.
“The funny thing about it was that Darden was a friend of mine from high school,” said Rogers, who was in the Ohio State band that day.
Craig Bland, of Medina, was 13 when he saw his first OSU-UM game and learned right away how seriously fans take it.
“My dad and I went to the game. During the second quarter the P.A. announcer came on and said, “It is my duty to inform you that the FBI has told us they have received a bomb threat in the stadium and they are investigating. But the game will go on.
“My dad looked at me and said, ‘If we’ve got to go, what better place to go?’”
More than 100,000 at Michigan Stadium on Saturday afternoon and many more who have gone to the Ohio State-Michigan game through the years would agree with him. What better place can you go on a fall afternoon during football season than this game? Especially for the first time.
Stakes high again for big game
By JIM NAVEAU
11/18/2005
A look at the matchups between No. 9 Ohio State (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten) and No. 17 Michigan (7-3, 5-2 Big Ten) when they play on Saturday at Michigan Stadium:
Quarterbacks
Michigan quarterback Chad Henne (2,033 yards passing, 19 TDs, 7 interceptions) has been labeled as having a sophomore slump season, but only because of the freshman season he had (2,743 yards, 25 touchdowns, 12 interceptions).
Ohio State’s Troy Smith had a career game with 386 yards total offense, two touchdowns passing and another running against Michigan in a 37-21 win last year. Smith (1,640 yards passing, 508 yards rushing) has reduced his turnovers and has done a good job of getting the ball to his receivers during the five-game winning streak OSU is riding.
Advantage: Michigan
Running backs
Antonio Pittman (1,110 yards rushing) has run for 100 yards or more in five of his last seven games. The sophomore gives Ohio State its best running threat since Maurice Clarett was healthy in 2002.
When Michigan’s Mike Hart is healthy, he is one of the Big Ten’s best runners. But Hart (573 yards, 4 touchdowns) has battled inuries most of the season. He was rested in a 41-14 rout of Indiana last week. The last time he played was on Oct. 22 against Iowa when he gained 17 yards. Maybe Hart’s most amazing statistic is that he has fumbled only once in his college career.
Jerome Jackson (105 yards against Northwestern) and Kevin Grady (94 yards against Indiana) have provided depth late in the season.
Advantage: Michigan
Receivers
Steve Breaston was projected as Michigan’s top receiver before the season began but Jason Avant (70 catches, 900 yards, 7 touchdowns) is 52 catches and five touchdowns ahead of him. Freshman Mario Manningham, who caught the game-winning pass against Penn State, is second on the team with 20 catches for 341 yards and five TDs.
Santonio Holmes might be under six feet tall but he is definitely a big-play receiver for Ohio State. Eighteen of his 39 catches have been plays of 20 yards or more. He also gives Ohio State another excellent kick returner to go with Ted Ginn Jr.
Advantage: Even
Offensive line
Even in some of its best years, like the national championship season in 2002 and 2003, Ohio State ranked closer to the bottom of the national rushing statistics than to the top. This year, it is 25th in NCAA Division I-A in rushing offense and has allowed only 16 sacks. With Kirk Barton’s return, the line is at full strength.
Tackle Adam Stenavich and guard Matt Lentz have been the standouts on the Michigan line. Tackle Jake Long, one of the Wolverines’ best lineman, returned from preseason ankle surgery against Northwestern but left last week’s game against Indiana early.
Only three Big Ten teams average fewer yards per carry than Michigan. The Wolverines have allowed 19 sacks.
Advantage: Ohio State
Defensive line
Michigan’s Gabe Watson, a 331-pound nose tackle, could go high in the NFL draft. He has three quarterback sacks this season. End LaMarr Woodley has 14 tackles for losses and five sacks. Pat Massey has been a steady performer at tackle.
Ohio State limited Northwestern’s high-scoring offense to 251 yards total offense in a 48-7 win last Saturday, less than half of the 508 yards it was getting coming into the game. End Mike Kudla has 6Z|x sacks, third on the team. He also leads OSU’s defensive linemen in tackles with 32.
Advantage: Even
Linebackers
A.J. Hawk is one of four finalists for the Butkus Award, which goes to the player voted the top linebacker in college football. OSU linebackers Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Schlegel and Bobby Carpenter have combined for 29 tackles for losses and 17 sacks.
Ted Harris (72 tackles, five for losses) and Prescott Burgess (67 tackles, four for losses) lead Michigan’s linebackers.
Advantage: Ohio State
Defensive backs
No Michigan or Ohio State defensive back has intercepted more than two passes this season. But the Buckeyes rank No. 1 in the Big Ten in pass defense (198 yards a game) and Michigan is second (202 yards a game).
The Wolverines have 10 interceptions. Ohio State has six, which ranks the Buckeyes ahead of only Illinois in the Big Ten.
Michigan cornerback Grant Mason is tied for the team lead in tackles with 72 and has two interceptions. The other cornerback Leon Hall has two interceptions and two sacks. Safety Willis Barringer also has two interceptions. Donte Whitner’s two interceptions lead OSU. Ashton Youboty got his first pick of the season against Northwestern.
Advantage: Even
Special teams
It’s hard to imagine a team that can match the kick return game Ohio State has with Ginn (six career kick returns for touchdowns) and Holmes. But Michigan can come close with Breaston, who is second all-time in career punt return yards in the Big Ten.
Ohio State kicker Josh Huston (16 of 19 on field goals) and punter A.J. Trapasso (40.9) are both slightly ahead of Michigan’s kicker Garrett Rivas (17 of 23 on field goals) and punter Ross Ryan (38.6).
Advantage: Ohio State
One play can make or break a season - Lima News •FB
One play can make or break a season
By JIM NAVEAU
11/18/2005
It probably still rings in the ears of football players even if they haven’t worn a uniform in years.
“You can’t take a play off,” coaches will say. “You can’t take a play off.”
But Michigan has demonstrated that you can turn that old exhortation around. The Wolverines have proved that one play can be a booster rocket that makes you take off.
No. 9 Ohio State (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten) will go into its annual football showdown with Michigan on Saturday on a five-game winning streak. No. 17 Michigan (7-3, 5-2 Big Ten) will bring a four-game winning streak into the game.
It’s probably not exaggerating too much to say one play, a 10-yard touchdown pass from Chad Henne to Mario Manningham as time ran out to beat Penn State, turned around Michigan’s season.
Without that play, Michigan would have fallen to 3-4. Four losses by mid-October in Ann Arbor or Columbus means the sky is falling, the rivers are filled with fire and plagues of locusts have been spotted on the outskirts of town.
Instead, Michigan could win a share of the Big Ten title if it beats Ohio State and Michigan State upsets Penn State on Saturday.
“The way we won that game, that certainly got us going in the right direction,” Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said earlier this week about the end of the Penn State game.
Offensive lineman Adam Stenavich said that single play “turned it around” for the Wolverines. “I’d have to say that’s what changed our season,” he said.
Even though Ohio State has a chance to win at least a share of the Big Ten title and maybe a trip to a Bowl Championship Series bowl, the Buckeyes have had to change their goals since close losses to Texas and Penn State.
The national championship OSU talked so much about disappeared for lack of a key play here or there.
“I still say to this day we can be the best team in the nation but we’ve got two losses,” Ohio State offensive lineman Rob Sims said. “If we had played a little better or done things a little better, we might be singing a different tune. We might be looking at a whole different situation.”
That’s why you can’t take a play off.
First time lasts a lifetime - Lima News •FB
First time lasts a lifetime
By JIM NAVEAU
11/18/2005
When it comes to the Ohio State-Michigan football game and the stories people tell about the first time they got to be there, the variations are as numerous as the yard lines on the field.
Some went with their dads. Others shared the day with mom.
Some married the people they went with. Others never saw the person sitting next to them again.
Some got their tickets for free. Others made deals with scalpers.
One person remembers the sting of pepper spray in a post-game celebration. Another, who shall remain nameless, claims he went pantsless and streaked the Michigan band his first time at the big game.
The Lima News asked readers to submit their memories of the first time they attended an OSU-Michigan game.
Responses came back from around the state and around the country.
Bob Thompson, of Lima, got an early start at going to the big game. In 1947, he won a contest at the YMCA for selling the most memberships of any elementary student in the city.
The prize? Two tickets to the Ohio State-Michigan game in Ann Arbor.
“When we got there my dad bought a program. Here I am, 10 years old or so, and I was looking at this program and I noticed there were Ohio guys playing on Michigan’s team. I asked my dad about this and said, ‘I thought this was supposed to be Ohio against Michigan,’” Thompson said.
Gary Evans, of Lima, was a freshman at Bowling Green State University in 1953 when he and a friend decided on a whim to drive up to Ann Arbor to go to the OSU-Michigan game.
They accomplished something probably no one at Saturday’s 102nd Ohio State-Michigan game will.
“We got up there and had no idea about tickets, didn’t have any tickets. Outside the stadium, we found a bunch of guys selling tickets for below face value. They weren’t the greatest tickets but they were decent,” Evans said.
The first OSU-Michigan game for Dewey Boecker, of Findlay, was when he was a freshman at Ohio State in 1994. That game produced John Cooper’s first win over the Wolverines at OSU.
“I was amazed by all the hype, hoopla and activities around campus and the game lived up to all of it. The most memorable thing for me was storming the field with thousands of students and fans and getting my first — and hopefully last — taste of pepper spray,” he said.
Gary Bolyard, of Bellefontaine, has more reasons than most people to remember the first time he went to the big game. It was the first date for him with his wife Julie. He also turned down a big-money offer for his tickets for what was the final home game of a national championship season.
“It was the magical season of 1968, my first on campus. I had purchased five tickets through the OSU ticket office after the Buckeyes upset No. 1 Purdue for $3 apiece. I asked some friends to come to the game, not knowing it would be as important as it later would become.
“The week of the game, my roommate’s uncle offered me $150 for all five tickets — 10 times face value. I declined the offer,” Bolyard said.
Robert Krites, of Lima, spent his first OSU-Michigan game with his future father-in-law in 1989.
“After a few dates, my future wife (Cindie) mentioned that her father had season tickets for Michigan football,” Krites said. “She said he would probably take you with him and I thought this was the greatest. It was only later I started to think of the long drive to Ann Arbor with my girlfriend’s father who I had met only once.”
Krites said his fears disappeared when his future father-in-law, Ned Nuttle, made him feel at ease. And his concerns about being an Ohio State fan in the middle of a Michigan season ticket section didn’t matter when the Wolverines were in control all the way in a 28-18 win.
Kim Wright, of Lima, remembers her then-9-year-old son David telling her Ohio State was where he wanted to go to college after she took him to his first OSU-Michigan game in 1994.
Her response? “We’ll see.” His eventual response? He’s currently an Ohio State sophomore.
Bob Rogers, who grew up in Sandusky and lives in western North Carolina now, recalls his first trip to this storied rivalry game because it was the 1971 matchup in Ann Arbor when OSU coach Woody Hayes attacked the first down marker after he thought pass interference should have been called on Michigan’s Thom Darden.
“The funny thing about it was that Darden was a friend of mine from high school,” said Rogers, who was in the Ohio State band that day.
Craig Bland, of Medina, was 13 when he saw his first OSU-UM game and learned right away how seriously fans take it.
“My dad and I went to the game. During the second quarter the P.A. announcer came on and said, “It is my duty to inform you that the FBI has told us they have received a bomb threat in the stadium and they are investigating. But the game will go on.
“My dad looked at me and said, ‘If we’ve got to go, what better place to go?’”
More than 100,000 at Michigan Stadium on Saturday afternoon and many more who have gone to the Ohio State-Michigan game through the years would agree with him. What better place can you go on a fall afternoon during football season than this game? Especially for the first time.
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3yardsandacloud
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Browns talking about OSU-Michigan game - Lorain Morning Journal •FB
Browns talking about OSU-Michigan game
JEFF SCHUDEL, Morning Journal Writer
11/18/2005
BEREA -- Former Michigan Wolverines Aaron Shea and Braylon Edwards are having fun in the locker room this week, but former Buckeye Simon Fraser is convinced he'll get the last laugh when Ohio State and Michigan meet tomorrow in Ann Arbor.
''Ohio State, 17-10,'' Fraser said when asked for a score. ''Both teams are good. It should be a good game, but we'll win.''
Shea and Edwards are not convinced. Shea got hold of a poster from some bar in Michigan proclaiming Michigan as an 11-time national champion, four better than Ohio State. Research shows Michigan has won two AP national championships and the Buckeyes four.
The poster did have one fact correct; Michigan leads the series 57-38-6. Michigan had a decided edge in the pre-Woody Hayes days.
''This is exhibit A,'' Shea said. ''We're 19 games ahead of y'all. The truth hurts. Forty-two Big Ten championships to 29 ... Wait until we come up with Exhibit B.
''Ohio State is favored, but Coach (Lloyd) Carr will find a way to win this game. He's a great coach. Michigan 20, Ohio State 14.''
Edwards says the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry is pure and better than the Steelers-Browns rivalry.
So what is the wager? If Ohio State wins, Edwards and Shea have to wear Buckeyes clothing next week. If Michigan wins, Fraser has to do Wolverines clothing.
Guards still hurting
Left guard Joe Andruzzi remains doubtful for the game against Miami Sunday and right guard Cosey Coleman is still questionable with a sprained right MCL. Coleman was limping noticeably as he left the locker room yesterday.
''It's sore, but I think I'll be able to play,'' Coleman said. ''I couldn't have played last week. The doctors told me to rest.''
If Andruzzi and Coleman are out the guards will be Mike Pucillo and Dave Yovanovits. Pucillo played in the last two games but Yovanovits has not played.
What about Frye?
Romeo Crennel said earlier this week he is getting closer to playing rookie quarterback Charlie Frye in at least spot duty. He has enough faith in the reserve guards to stay with the plan if he chooses to use Frye Sunday.
''We still have faith in our system and the players knowing our system and having practiced in our system,'' Crennel said. ''We would all like the best scenario possible, but the best scenario possible is not always available. Then, you have to weigh your options.
''If I lose my guards, do I not play Charlie and not get him any experience at all because the guards are down? Do I say, ÔThese guards know the system, and they've been practicing and working, and go ahead and play Charlie some?' As a coach, you have to weigh those things because, frankly, its not going to be perfect.''
Alumni weekend
The Browns will honor the 1954 and 1955 NFL championship teams Sunday and also induct four new members -- guard Jim Ray Smith (1940s/1950s), quarterback Frank Ryan (1960s), defensive tackle Jerry Sherk (1970s) and cornerback Frank Minnifield (1980s/1990s) -- into the Cleveland Browns Legends club.
A total of 19 surviving members of the 1954 and '55 teams will be part of the ceremony, including Hall of Fame wide receiver Dante Lavelli, defensive tackle Bob Gain, offensive tackle Mike McCormack and linebacker Walt Michaels.
Wolverines could have Hart to beat Bucks - Lorain Morning Journal •FB
Wolverines could have Hart to beat Bucks
JASON LLOYD, Morning Journal Writer
11/18/2005
When Ohio State beat Michigan in 2002 to play for the national championship, they did it with a tailback that rarely stepped on the field over the second half of the season.
Now Michigan is hoping to do the same thing.
While there's no national championship at stake, U-M coach Lloyd Carr's job just might be. So Michigan is enlisting the help of tailback Mike Hart to save it. Hart could be the key to tomorrow's game, much like Maurice Clarett was in '02.
Clarett's shoulder stinger kept him sidelined for the bulk of the second half of the season. While he was healthy enough to play in the game the week before at Illinois, Jim Tressel held him out just to give him an extra week of rest and ensure he'd be ready to play the Wolverines.
Hart was deemed ready for Michigan's game last week against Indiana. But Carr took the same approach and held him back, just to make sure he's ready.
In his absence, Michigan discovered freshman Kevin Grady and junior Jerome Jackson. Grady, who rushed for more yards in high school in Michigan than any other running back in state history, and Hart have combined for 1,028 yards and eight rushing touchdowns, while Jackson rushed for 105 yards a couple weeks ago against Northwestern.
But Hart is the key.
''Hart is one of those electric guys that has a chance to bring along the people that are around him,'' Tressel said. ''That's not to say anything less about the guys they've got carrying it now. Those guys run the football well and I would imagine that we'll see a number of backs on Saturday, and I would expect Hart to be one of them.''
When healthy, Hart is arguably the best tailback in the Big Ten. He was the Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten last year after rushing for over 1,400 yards and he was already being mentioned as a Doak Walker candidate this year as the country's best tailback.
But he severely injured a hamstring in the second game of the season against Notre Dame, then injured his ankle early in a win over Iowa on Oct. 22 and hasn't played since. In short, Michigan has been without its emotional leader for about as much as it has had him -- and yet he still leads the team with 573 yards.
''I don't know exactly when it happened, but I think he is one of those rare individuals who have an opportunity, when presented with an opportunity from the beginning, to display poise and maturity,'' Carr said. ''He is an extremely bright guy and he is an extremely emotional guy. I think this team feeds off that. Even in the games where he hasn't played, he has been a factor on the sidelines. That's just the kind of guy he is. He loves to win, he loves to compete and I think those are qualities that every leader possesses.''
Last year in Ohio Stadium, Hart carried just 18 times for 61 yards. He was coming off five straight games of at least 150 yards, but Michigan got away from him in the second half after the Buckeyes took the lead.
Now he's an unknown again, if only because of the injuries. When he's in the game, quarterback Chad Henne appears incredibly better, if only because he knows he doesn't have to do it alone. Henne struggled through a miserable day at the Horseshoe last year, leaving plenty of Michigan players with plenty of motivation heading into tomorrow's kickoff.
''Anytime you get one of your big playmakers back after he's been out awhile, it's going to be a big lift,'' linebacker A.J. Hawk said. ''I'm sure they'll be excited to have him back.''
Browns talking about OSU-Michigan game
JEFF SCHUDEL, Morning Journal Writer
11/18/2005
BEREA -- Former Michigan Wolverines Aaron Shea and Braylon Edwards are having fun in the locker room this week, but former Buckeye Simon Fraser is convinced he'll get the last laugh when Ohio State and Michigan meet tomorrow in Ann Arbor.
''Ohio State, 17-10,'' Fraser said when asked for a score. ''Both teams are good. It should be a good game, but we'll win.''
Shea and Edwards are not convinced. Shea got hold of a poster from some bar in Michigan proclaiming Michigan as an 11-time national champion, four better than Ohio State. Research shows Michigan has won two AP national championships and the Buckeyes four.
The poster did have one fact correct; Michigan leads the series 57-38-6. Michigan had a decided edge in the pre-Woody Hayes days.
''This is exhibit A,'' Shea said. ''We're 19 games ahead of y'all. The truth hurts. Forty-two Big Ten championships to 29 ... Wait until we come up with Exhibit B.
''Ohio State is favored, but Coach (Lloyd) Carr will find a way to win this game. He's a great coach. Michigan 20, Ohio State 14.''
Edwards says the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry is pure and better than the Steelers-Browns rivalry.
So what is the wager? If Ohio State wins, Edwards and Shea have to wear Buckeyes clothing next week. If Michigan wins, Fraser has to do Wolverines clothing.
Guards still hurting
Left guard Joe Andruzzi remains doubtful for the game against Miami Sunday and right guard Cosey Coleman is still questionable with a sprained right MCL. Coleman was limping noticeably as he left the locker room yesterday.
''It's sore, but I think I'll be able to play,'' Coleman said. ''I couldn't have played last week. The doctors told me to rest.''
If Andruzzi and Coleman are out the guards will be Mike Pucillo and Dave Yovanovits. Pucillo played in the last two games but Yovanovits has not played.
What about Frye?
Romeo Crennel said earlier this week he is getting closer to playing rookie quarterback Charlie Frye in at least spot duty. He has enough faith in the reserve guards to stay with the plan if he chooses to use Frye Sunday.
''We still have faith in our system and the players knowing our system and having practiced in our system,'' Crennel said. ''We would all like the best scenario possible, but the best scenario possible is not always available. Then, you have to weigh your options.
''If I lose my guards, do I not play Charlie and not get him any experience at all because the guards are down? Do I say, ÔThese guards know the system, and they've been practicing and working, and go ahead and play Charlie some?' As a coach, you have to weigh those things because, frankly, its not going to be perfect.''
Alumni weekend
The Browns will honor the 1954 and 1955 NFL championship teams Sunday and also induct four new members -- guard Jim Ray Smith (1940s/1950s), quarterback Frank Ryan (1960s), defensive tackle Jerry Sherk (1970s) and cornerback Frank Minnifield (1980s/1990s) -- into the Cleveland Browns Legends club.
A total of 19 surviving members of the 1954 and '55 teams will be part of the ceremony, including Hall of Fame wide receiver Dante Lavelli, defensive tackle Bob Gain, offensive tackle Mike McCormack and linebacker Walt Michaels.
Wolverines could have Hart to beat Bucks - Lorain Morning Journal •FB
Wolverines could have Hart to beat Bucks
JASON LLOYD, Morning Journal Writer
11/18/2005
When Ohio State beat Michigan in 2002 to play for the national championship, they did it with a tailback that rarely stepped on the field over the second half of the season.
Now Michigan is hoping to do the same thing.
While there's no national championship at stake, U-M coach Lloyd Carr's job just might be. So Michigan is enlisting the help of tailback Mike Hart to save it. Hart could be the key to tomorrow's game, much like Maurice Clarett was in '02.
Clarett's shoulder stinger kept him sidelined for the bulk of the second half of the season. While he was healthy enough to play in the game the week before at Illinois, Jim Tressel held him out just to give him an extra week of rest and ensure he'd be ready to play the Wolverines.
Hart was deemed ready for Michigan's game last week against Indiana. But Carr took the same approach and held him back, just to make sure he's ready.
In his absence, Michigan discovered freshman Kevin Grady and junior Jerome Jackson. Grady, who rushed for more yards in high school in Michigan than any other running back in state history, and Hart have combined for 1,028 yards and eight rushing touchdowns, while Jackson rushed for 105 yards a couple weeks ago against Northwestern.
But Hart is the key.
''Hart is one of those electric guys that has a chance to bring along the people that are around him,'' Tressel said. ''That's not to say anything less about the guys they've got carrying it now. Those guys run the football well and I would imagine that we'll see a number of backs on Saturday, and I would expect Hart to be one of them.''
When healthy, Hart is arguably the best tailback in the Big Ten. He was the Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten last year after rushing for over 1,400 yards and he was already being mentioned as a Doak Walker candidate this year as the country's best tailback.
But he severely injured a hamstring in the second game of the season against Notre Dame, then injured his ankle early in a win over Iowa on Oct. 22 and hasn't played since. In short, Michigan has been without its emotional leader for about as much as it has had him -- and yet he still leads the team with 573 yards.
''I don't know exactly when it happened, but I think he is one of those rare individuals who have an opportunity, when presented with an opportunity from the beginning, to display poise and maturity,'' Carr said. ''He is an extremely bright guy and he is an extremely emotional guy. I think this team feeds off that. Even in the games where he hasn't played, he has been a factor on the sidelines. That's just the kind of guy he is. He loves to win, he loves to compete and I think those are qualities that every leader possesses.''
Last year in Ohio Stadium, Hart carried just 18 times for 61 yards. He was coming off five straight games of at least 150 yards, but Michigan got away from him in the second half after the Buckeyes took the lead.
Now he's an unknown again, if only because of the injuries. When he's in the game, quarterback Chad Henne appears incredibly better, if only because he knows he doesn't have to do it alone. Henne struggled through a miserable day at the Horseshoe last year, leaving plenty of Michigan players with plenty of motivation heading into tomorrow's kickoff.
''Anytime you get one of your big playmakers back after he's been out awhile, it's going to be a big lift,'' linebacker A.J. Hawk said. ''I'm sure they'll be excited to have him back.''
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Administrator Emeritus
Local officials pitted against one another in 'The Game' - Warren Tribune Chronicle •FB
Local officials pitted against one another in 'The Game'
By CHRISTOPHER BOBBY Tribune Chronicle
WARREN - When it comes to "The Game'' being staged Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich., the local legal community can become divided.
Phrases like "all rise!'' and "yes, your honor'' are replaced with "Go Bucks'' and "Go Blue'' as refined courtroom arguments turn into gridiron trash talk or game strategy among the guys wearing the robes and those representing their clients.
Attorney and State Sen. Marc Dann told a crowd of supporters Monday that it was "ironic'' that he announced his candidacy for Ohio Attorney General the same week as the big matchup.
But the politically-correct Dann, who owns an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and not wanting to offend any voter, denies flying a Michigan flag over his Liberty home.
"Flag? Well yes, I think I have one somewhere. But I don't remember flying it. Well, maybe once,'' Dann said, driving back from Columbus Wednesday after wearing his block-"M'' necktie during a lawmaking session.
Playing to the Buckeye voters though, Dann admits he's a Buckeye fan for 364 days a year.
For Trumbull Common Pleas Judge Peter Kontos - known among sports fans and friends as the eternal pessimist - Saturday's game can make or break a season. A law school graduate of The Ohio State University, Kontos has been known to overanalyze a game before it even begins.
He's been urged by many to leave a game, or his seat in front of a TV set, for fear the Kontos jinx could kick in and spoil a victory.
Still, the judge is a true fan, who along with attorney Chris Shaker (an OSU grad), retired Judge Mitchell Shaker, attorney David Boker (an OSU grad) and their friend Jim Wiand booked passage to Tempe, Ariz., for OSU's national championship game moments after the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines in November 2002.
Kontos has photos with himself and Heisman trophy winner Archie Griffin and defensive standout Michael Doss, arranged by Wiand, and the wide-angle view of the stadium hangs on the wall in his chambers.
"For me I suppose, the wins aren't as memorable as the gut-wrenching losses,'' Kontos said.
In the same Courthouse, Judge Andrew Logan, who keeps his OSU mugs and Archie Griffin bobblehead in his own office, has his tickets lined up for Saturday.
It will be the third Buckeye game this season for Logan, a 1972 Ohio State graduate who admits his chances of getting tickets are usually better when the game moves to Michigan.
Then there's 11th District Court of Appeals Judge Donald Ford, the patriarch of the local legal community, a law school graduate from the University of Michigan and a personal friend of Bo Schembechler.
"Section 22, Row 41, Seats 17 through 22,'' Ford proclaims.
"I think both teams will move the ball. I just hope Michigan's defense stacks up OK against the Buckeyes Saturday,'' said Ford, who has been known for years as an active recruiter, or scout, for his beloved Wolverines.
"Recruiting used to be easier until restrictions were imposed by the NCAA. Now I'm a scout of sorts,'' Ford admits, while giving more credit to Warren Harding basketball coach Steve Arnold, a Michigan grad, with sending the likes of Prescott Burgess and Mario Manningham to their alma mater.
Arnold, meanwhile, is swallowing his pride and heading to the game this year with a group that includes OSU grad and fan Monte Horton, Trumbull County Juvenile Court magistrate.
"I was there when Keith Byars, Robert Smith and Cris Carter played,'' said Horton, known to some of his friends as a "name dropper.''
"Hey, Pepper Johnson was my neighbor in the dorm one year,'' said Horton, who has a Chris Spielman bobblehead, large photo of a "Script Ohio'' band performance, and a Brutus snow globe in his office to compliment an original and number print of Eddie George, another Heisman winner.
Then there's avid sports fan and die-hard Michigan fan Jason Earnhart, an assistant prosecutor who hocked hot dogs for a couple of years at Jacobs Field when he went to law school. Earnhart also holds season tickets for the Cleveland Cavs.
"Going to Michigan was the best thing that ever happened to me in my life,'' said Earnhart, who is still embarrassed by the high school photo that shows him wearing an OSU sweatshirt.
When the Buckeyes win, Earnhart arrives at work with the Ohio State fight song playing on his voice mail.
When the Buckeyes won in 2002, he was forced to post a U.S. News and World Report story on the refrigerator in the prosecutor's office that showed the University of Michigan among the most prestigious and highest ranked public-ranked universities in the country.
Then there was last year, when a conspiracy among assistant prosecutors "kidnapped'' Earnhart's LeBron James Bobblehead the week before The Game.
"They took a picture of LeBron and it showed him with a blindfold on and he was flanked by Woody Hayes and Brutus bobbleheads. I was told I wouldn't get LeBron back if Michigan won. What LeBron has to do with the Ohio State-Michigan game is beyond me,'' Earnhart said.
Local officials pitted against one another in 'The Game'
By CHRISTOPHER BOBBY Tribune Chronicle
WARREN - When it comes to "The Game'' being staged Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich., the local legal community can become divided.
Phrases like "all rise!'' and "yes, your honor'' are replaced with "Go Bucks'' and "Go Blue'' as refined courtroom arguments turn into gridiron trash talk or game strategy among the guys wearing the robes and those representing their clients.
Attorney and State Sen. Marc Dann told a crowd of supporters Monday that it was "ironic'' that he announced his candidacy for Ohio Attorney General the same week as the big matchup.
But the politically-correct Dann, who owns an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and not wanting to offend any voter, denies flying a Michigan flag over his Liberty home.
"Flag? Well yes, I think I have one somewhere. But I don't remember flying it. Well, maybe once,'' Dann said, driving back from Columbus Wednesday after wearing his block-"M'' necktie during a lawmaking session.
Playing to the Buckeye voters though, Dann admits he's a Buckeye fan for 364 days a year.
For Trumbull Common Pleas Judge Peter Kontos - known among sports fans and friends as the eternal pessimist - Saturday's game can make or break a season. A law school graduate of The Ohio State University, Kontos has been known to overanalyze a game before it even begins.
He's been urged by many to leave a game, or his seat in front of a TV set, for fear the Kontos jinx could kick in and spoil a victory.
Still, the judge is a true fan, who along with attorney Chris Shaker (an OSU grad), retired Judge Mitchell Shaker, attorney David Boker (an OSU grad) and their friend Jim Wiand booked passage to Tempe, Ariz., for OSU's national championship game moments after the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines in November 2002.
Kontos has photos with himself and Heisman trophy winner Archie Griffin and defensive standout Michael Doss, arranged by Wiand, and the wide-angle view of the stadium hangs on the wall in his chambers.
"For me I suppose, the wins aren't as memorable as the gut-wrenching losses,'' Kontos said.
In the same Courthouse, Judge Andrew Logan, who keeps his OSU mugs and Archie Griffin bobblehead in his own office, has his tickets lined up for Saturday.
It will be the third Buckeye game this season for Logan, a 1972 Ohio State graduate who admits his chances of getting tickets are usually better when the game moves to Michigan.
Then there's 11th District Court of Appeals Judge Donald Ford, the patriarch of the local legal community, a law school graduate from the University of Michigan and a personal friend of Bo Schembechler.
"Section 22, Row 41, Seats 17 through 22,'' Ford proclaims.
"I think both teams will move the ball. I just hope Michigan's defense stacks up OK against the Buckeyes Saturday,'' said Ford, who has been known for years as an active recruiter, or scout, for his beloved Wolverines.
"Recruiting used to be easier until restrictions were imposed by the NCAA. Now I'm a scout of sorts,'' Ford admits, while giving more credit to Warren Harding basketball coach Steve Arnold, a Michigan grad, with sending the likes of Prescott Burgess and Mario Manningham to their alma mater.
Arnold, meanwhile, is swallowing his pride and heading to the game this year with a group that includes OSU grad and fan Monte Horton, Trumbull County Juvenile Court magistrate.
"I was there when Keith Byars, Robert Smith and Cris Carter played,'' said Horton, known to some of his friends as a "name dropper.''
"Hey, Pepper Johnson was my neighbor in the dorm one year,'' said Horton, who has a Chris Spielman bobblehead, large photo of a "Script Ohio'' band performance, and a Brutus snow globe in his office to compliment an original and number print of Eddie George, another Heisman winner.
Then there's avid sports fan and die-hard Michigan fan Jason Earnhart, an assistant prosecutor who hocked hot dogs for a couple of years at Jacobs Field when he went to law school. Earnhart also holds season tickets for the Cleveland Cavs.
"Going to Michigan was the best thing that ever happened to me in my life,'' said Earnhart, who is still embarrassed by the high school photo that shows him wearing an OSU sweatshirt.
When the Buckeyes win, Earnhart arrives at work with the Ohio State fight song playing on his voice mail.
When the Buckeyes won in 2002, he was forced to post a U.S. News and World Report story on the refrigerator in the prosecutor's office that showed the University of Michigan among the most prestigious and highest ranked public-ranked universities in the country.
Then there was last year, when a conspiracy among assistant prosecutors "kidnapped'' Earnhart's LeBron James Bobblehead the week before The Game.
"They took a picture of LeBron and it showed him with a blindfold on and he was flanked by Woody Hayes and Brutus bobbleheads. I was told I wouldn't get LeBron back if Michigan won. What LeBron has to do with the Ohio State-Michigan game is beyond me,'' Earnhart said.
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3yardsandacloud
Administrator Emeritus
Smith Has Tough act to Follow in Second Start Against Michigan - CSTV (AP) •FB
Smith Has Tough act to Follow in Second Start Against Michigan
Ohio State looks to hold of Wolverines this weekend
Nov. 17, 2005
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Troy Smith has started just one game against Michigan and already has learned that if you play well against Ohio State's archrival a lot is forgiven.
"If you do have a good game against Michigan, everything is OK for you," Smith said after the Buckeyes win last week over Northwestern.
As it turns out, Smith had much more than a good game against the Wolverines a year ago. He put up numbers that had people reaching for the record book, and can raise a player to a new level in the eyes of the fans who build their world around the rivalry.
That great game is not only the most important thing on his resume, it's also a tough act to follow as the No. 9 Buckeyes prepare to take on 17th-ranked Michigan on Saturday at The Big House.
Smith's 145 yards rushing on 18 attempts, including a touchdown, was the second-highest total for an Ohio State quarterback. He also completed 13-of-23 passes for 241 yards and two more scores while leading the unranked Buckeyes to a 37-21 upset of No. 7 Michigan.
Instantly, the sophomore from Cleveland was acclaimed as the Buckeyes' next star. But that star fell out of orbit not long after the postgame celebration ended.
Less than a month after his best game, Smith was suspended by Ohio State for accepting $500 from an Ohio State booster six months earlier. Smith, who acknowledged he accepted the money, was not permitted to travel with the team to its bowl game, and then was suspended for the 2005 opener.
The booster was banished from the program. Ohio State has a hearing in December at which time it will learn if the NCAA will levy any additional penalties.
After Smith returned from exile, the offense moved the ball in fits and starts. It took Smith four games to find his rhythm. In the meantime, the Buckeyes lost close games to Texas and Penn State, frittering away numerous scoring opportunities.
The Buckeyes are on a five-game winning streak since then heading into the 102nd meeting with their rivals.
"He made mistakes and it cost us opportunities," wide receiver Santonio Holmes said of Smith. "But we have to forget about what happened in the past. We have him now, so we just have to look forward."
Ohio State has scored 35 or more points in five games in a row, the first time that's happened since 1974. Smith directs an attack that seems to be in lockstep - the line has been protecting him and opening holes, tailback Antonio Pittman is over 1,100 rushing yards, and wide-outs Holmes, Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez are threats to score every time they touch the ball.
Coach Jim Tressel did not allow Smith to talk to reporters this week about the Michigan game. After the win over Northwestern, which put Ohio State in a position to clinch at least a share of the Big Ten title if it wins this week, Smith looked back fondly on last year's victory.
"Against Michigan, every yard is golden," Smith said. "Every one yard is worth two, every two is worth four."
Smith also said, "I'm much more mature than I was a year ago. But last year doesn't mean anything now."
If Smith hasn't been talking much, others certainly have been speaking about him.
"He's got the same athletic ability. He's got the same great arm," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "He's been in a lot of big games where he has played extremely well."
Asked if it would be difficult for Smith to live up to his performance from a year ago, Holmes said, "Not at all. The way he's been playing these last couple of games is going to carry right over to this one."
"No doubt he's the fastest quarterback we'll play against this year," Michigan inside linebacker David Harris said. "He's a great scrambler, he's capable of making any play, he's got a strong arm, he's a great leader. ... He's their man."
Tressel values Smith more for what he hasn't been doing - turning the ball over.
Smith got off to a rocky start after sitting out the opener, turning the ball over at least once in his first five games. Over the last four, he's thrown 75 passes with only two interceptions and hasn't lost a fumble.
Considered a run-first, pass-second quarterback when he first took over midway through last season, Smith leads the Big Ten in pass efficiency, and has 13 TD passes and only four interceptions.
"Man, I'm not sure what they're going to do to try to stop him," offensive guard Rob Sims said. "I know he's going to be a hard one to stop. He gets up for this game, he plays hard in this game."
Michigan's Carr Dodges Questions About Tressel and Critics - CSTV (AP) •FB
Wolverines skipper still has winning record against Ohio State
Nov. 18, 2005
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - Michigan coach Lloyd Carr looked and sounded relaxed in his office while discussing his leadership philosophies, favorite books and the rewards and challenges of his job.
But when the conversation turned to his 1-3 record against Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, or his critics, including the one who created a Web site to push for his firing, Carr dodged the topics like a juking running back.
Does Carr think those who point out his rough start against Tressel should also note he is 6-4 overall against the Buckeyes heading into Saturday's matchup at Michigan Stadium?
"The most important thing is the game right in front of you," Carr said in an interview with The Associated Press.
What is Carr's reaction to the Web site that advocates Michigan fire him?
"Benjamin Disraeli, a great prime minister of England, used to have a box on his desk and he would always write down the names of his enemies," he said following a long pause after trying to avoid the question twice.
"His observation was, years later, he would look back and those people had either died, or failed in their lives, or destroyed themselves, in their attempts to hurt other people."
During Carr's 11 seasons as head coach at Michigan - and 26 years with the program - he knows as well as anyone that being the face of the Wolverines has its pros and cons.
On one hand, the school annually attracts quality players who can also survive at one of the finest academic institutions, and that makes excellence possible.
On the other hand, some think the sky is falling in Ann Arbor after every loss.
Through it all, Carr almost always appears levelheaded in public, and chooses to let his record speak for itself.
Carr led Michigan to the 1997 Associated Press national championship, nine straight New Year's Day bowls - a streak that might end with a loss Saturday - and is 15-5 against Top-10 teams.
He is 102-32 with a .761 winning percentage that trails just four Division I-A coaches. He is 68-19 in the Big Ten, with five conference championships in the past eight years, including the past two.
Senior defensive tackle Pat Massey said it's "unbelievable" that Carr has harsh critics.
"I would like to sit down with some of those people and just talk to them," Massey said. "Coach Carr is what Michigan is all about, and I think there shouldn't be any question about it."
Piling up victories at powerhouses such as Michigan is expected, but how coaches fare in rivalry games goes a long way toward defining their legacies.
That has always been true in what is commonly called "The Game" at Michigan and Ohio State.
John Cooper won 71.5 percent of his games with the Buckeyes, but his 2-10-1 record against Carr, Gary Moeller and Bo Schembechler led to him being replaced by Tressel.
Two legendary coaches - Schembechler and Woody Hayes - were the focus of the rivalry from 1969-78 in what is known as "The 10-Year War," Schembechler going 5-4-1 against his mentor.
Tressel wasted no time letting Ohio State fans know where his focus was when he was introduced as the storied program's coach on Jan. 18, 2001. Four hours after being formally announced as Cooper's successor, Tressel sent the crowd at a Michigan-Ohio State basketball game into a frenzy.
"I can assure you that you'll be proud of our young people in the classroom, in the community - and especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan," Tressel said.
He was right.
The Buckeyes beat Michigan 26-20 on the road in Tressel's debut season, then prevailed 14-9 the following year on their way to the national championship. The Wolverines prevailed 35-21 in 2003 but Ohio State won last year's game, 37-21.
Despite his success in one of sport's greatest rivalries, Tressel is pushing for more.
Ohio State senior safety Nate Salley, whose record against Michigan is 2-1, said Tressel has made sure his players are not satisfied.
"I was on my way to the team meeting room and we were walking side by side," Salley recalled earlier this week. "And he said: `Remember what I told you. There's a big difference between being 2-2 and being 3-1."'
POINT/COUNTERPOINT: Best College Football Rivalry? - CSTV •FB
OHIO STATE-MICHIGAN.
I know all about the Alabama-Auburn hate, the in-state mudslinging in South Carolina, the battle for apples in Washington and the "heated" rivalry between USC and UCLA. But if you polled most college football fans on the best rivalry in the game, I bet a majority say Ohio State-Michigan - and they're right.
So why is the OSU-Michigan rivalry the best? Well, here are 15 reasons …
1. They've played this game 101 times.
2. No rivalry matters in the conference and national title picture more than this one. Dozens of Big Ten and national titles have been decided.
3. Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes.
4. Each school routinely goes into the others' backyard and plucks kids for its roster.
5. The bookstores at both schools carry merchandise with anti-rival school slogans.
6. Desmond Howard's TD punt-return and Heisman pose in 1991.
7. With no disrespect to Ohio University and Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan are truly their state's school, putting even more emphasis on the state vs. state battle.
8. These states really don't like one another, going back to the late 1800s when they battled over a disputed territory of land in Toledo.
9. High school students who have attended the game have made their college choice based on the outcome.
10. For many years, the winner went to the Rose Bowl, the loser went home for the holidays, making the game even more important.
11. John Cooper went 2-10-1 against Michigan and lost his job.
12. In 1969, Michigan upset No. 1 Ohio State, derailing the Buckeyes' title hopes.
13. Jim Harbaugh's 1985 prediction of victory-and it happened.
14. For some reason, the game pulls in a national audience unlike any other.
15. In the last 50 years, each team is 24-24-2 in the game.
I think Reasons Nos. 2, 3 and 15 stand out. I mean, how many times has Oregon-Oregon State decided the Pac-10 title and knocked one team out of the national title picture? Even for the vaunted Alabama-Auburn match-up, the outcome of the game may mean much to those involved but not to the national title hunt in most years. And don't get me started on South Carolina-Clemson. So not only do the schools, fans and states hate one another, but their game actually means something.
As for Schembechler and Hayes, they took the game to a whole new level. There was certainly no love lost between the former coaching mates, and the players and fans took their cues from the legendary coaches during the "Ten Year War", in which Schembechler had a 5-4-1 advantage. What had been a ferocious rivalry before them grew into hatred after them.
And for a true rivalry, it needs to be even. You can't get closer than 24-24-2 over the last 50 years.
Look, I'm just a guy with no allegiances to either school or even the Big Ten conference. I went to the University of Virginia who will lay down this weekend to our "rival", Virginia Tech. So there really is no predisposition to pick this rivalry over another. Just history.
ALABAMA-AUBURN.
A quick sweep of the national rivalries shows us: Nebraska-Oklahoma and Miami-Florida State always had the most riding on it. Ohio State-Michigan is steeped in hatred (Thanks, Woody). USC-UCLA is a battle for the city. USC-Notre Dame is the best intersectional game. And Army-Navy gets emeritus status in my book.
But nobody - and I mean nobody - has a more intense rivalry than the Tide and Tigers.
I learned the hard way.
(Personal story, for example). I was dating a young lass who lived in the panhandle of Florida a number of years back. And yes, that area of Florida is considered Alabama and Auburn territory, just like the state to the north. I was with her family watching the annual bloodbath in their living room. Everybody was wearing crimson. Next to the four children's high school graduation pictures was a framed picture of Bear Bryant, houndstooth hat and all.
Late in the back-and-forth battle, Auburn scored a touchdown to pull ahead. It was a great gadget play that came out of nowhere. Me, being sort of neutral, slightly muttered "nice call."
Little did I realize, the rest of her family heard me. And believe me, they all shot a look through me equivalent to a thousand daggers. No lie. I excused myself from the room and went to seek solace in the backyard. Not long after that, the girl and I broke up.
It's that intense.
Look people, I've got two huge things to point out. A - it's southern football, which has the most rabid fan bases in the country. And B - there is no pro team in this state. This game is it.
All those things you hear about how it pits brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor and family against family is true. If you live in the state of Alabama, you're going to be affected by this rivalry one way or another. Everyone has a stake in it. Don't open your business on this day. Don't lose a bet with your co-worker. And for God's sake, don't plan a wedding or a funeral on the same day as the battle of the Yellowhammer state… unless you like sitting in a church alone.
One of the things I like the most about this great rivalry is the nicknames some of the legendary games have been given. Kenny Stabler's "Run in the Mud" game in 1967, the "Punt Bama, Punt" game of 1972 (when Auburn blocked two punts for TDs in a 17-16 upset), the 1985 "Auburn's Got Bo, Bama's Got the Toe" game (where Van Tiffin kicked a 52-yard field goal to win it.) and Auburn's "Reverse to Victory" game of 1986 (WR Lawyer Tillman scoring the winning touchdown). It has legends built upon legends.
In pregame, the bands spell out "UA" and "AU" while playing their fight songs on the field simultaneously. The fans are usually hoarse after the first drive of the game. And fans of the losing team traditionally call in sick the next Monday. You just don't get that kind of proximity with the other rivalries. Here, you see the fans of the other team every day.
That's the biggest difference in this rivalry. That's what makes this game so do-or-die for its fans. There is no escaping the trash talk. For 364 days, you either get to gloat like a rock star who made it to the top or you've got to swallow your pride.
I'll leave this argument with what is probably the best way to describe the Alabama-Auburn series as told by a good friend of mine:
"You fear losing that game more than you enjoy winning it."
- Mark Etheridge, SEC writer.
Well said.
Smith Has Tough act to Follow in Second Start Against Michigan
Ohio State looks to hold of Wolverines this weekend
Nov. 17, 2005
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Troy Smith has started just one game against Michigan and already has learned that if you play well against Ohio State's archrival a lot is forgiven.
"If you do have a good game against Michigan, everything is OK for you," Smith said after the Buckeyes win last week over Northwestern.
As it turns out, Smith had much more than a good game against the Wolverines a year ago. He put up numbers that had people reaching for the record book, and can raise a player to a new level in the eyes of the fans who build their world around the rivalry.
That great game is not only the most important thing on his resume, it's also a tough act to follow as the No. 9 Buckeyes prepare to take on 17th-ranked Michigan on Saturday at The Big House.
Smith's 145 yards rushing on 18 attempts, including a touchdown, was the second-highest total for an Ohio State quarterback. He also completed 13-of-23 passes for 241 yards and two more scores while leading the unranked Buckeyes to a 37-21 upset of No. 7 Michigan.
Instantly, the sophomore from Cleveland was acclaimed as the Buckeyes' next star. But that star fell out of orbit not long after the postgame celebration ended.
Less than a month after his best game, Smith was suspended by Ohio State for accepting $500 from an Ohio State booster six months earlier. Smith, who acknowledged he accepted the money, was not permitted to travel with the team to its bowl game, and then was suspended for the 2005 opener.
The booster was banished from the program. Ohio State has a hearing in December at which time it will learn if the NCAA will levy any additional penalties.
After Smith returned from exile, the offense moved the ball in fits and starts. It took Smith four games to find his rhythm. In the meantime, the Buckeyes lost close games to Texas and Penn State, frittering away numerous scoring opportunities.
The Buckeyes are on a five-game winning streak since then heading into the 102nd meeting with their rivals.
"He made mistakes and it cost us opportunities," wide receiver Santonio Holmes said of Smith. "But we have to forget about what happened in the past. We have him now, so we just have to look forward."
Ohio State has scored 35 or more points in five games in a row, the first time that's happened since 1974. Smith directs an attack that seems to be in lockstep - the line has been protecting him and opening holes, tailback Antonio Pittman is over 1,100 rushing yards, and wide-outs Holmes, Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez are threats to score every time they touch the ball.
Coach Jim Tressel did not allow Smith to talk to reporters this week about the Michigan game. After the win over Northwestern, which put Ohio State in a position to clinch at least a share of the Big Ten title if it wins this week, Smith looked back fondly on last year's victory.
"Against Michigan, every yard is golden," Smith said. "Every one yard is worth two, every two is worth four."
Smith also said, "I'm much more mature than I was a year ago. But last year doesn't mean anything now."
If Smith hasn't been talking much, others certainly have been speaking about him.
"He's got the same athletic ability. He's got the same great arm," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "He's been in a lot of big games where he has played extremely well."
Asked if it would be difficult for Smith to live up to his performance from a year ago, Holmes said, "Not at all. The way he's been playing these last couple of games is going to carry right over to this one."
"No doubt he's the fastest quarterback we'll play against this year," Michigan inside linebacker David Harris said. "He's a great scrambler, he's capable of making any play, he's got a strong arm, he's a great leader. ... He's their man."
Tressel values Smith more for what he hasn't been doing - turning the ball over.
Smith got off to a rocky start after sitting out the opener, turning the ball over at least once in his first five games. Over the last four, he's thrown 75 passes with only two interceptions and hasn't lost a fumble.
Considered a run-first, pass-second quarterback when he first took over midway through last season, Smith leads the Big Ten in pass efficiency, and has 13 TD passes and only four interceptions.
"Man, I'm not sure what they're going to do to try to stop him," offensive guard Rob Sims said. "I know he's going to be a hard one to stop. He gets up for this game, he plays hard in this game."
Michigan's Carr Dodges Questions About Tressel and Critics - CSTV (AP) •FB
Wolverines skipper still has winning record against Ohio State
Nov. 18, 2005
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - Michigan coach Lloyd Carr looked and sounded relaxed in his office while discussing his leadership philosophies, favorite books and the rewards and challenges of his job.
But when the conversation turned to his 1-3 record against Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, or his critics, including the one who created a Web site to push for his firing, Carr dodged the topics like a juking running back.
Does Carr think those who point out his rough start against Tressel should also note he is 6-4 overall against the Buckeyes heading into Saturday's matchup at Michigan Stadium?
"The most important thing is the game right in front of you," Carr said in an interview with The Associated Press.
What is Carr's reaction to the Web site that advocates Michigan fire him?
"Benjamin Disraeli, a great prime minister of England, used to have a box on his desk and he would always write down the names of his enemies," he said following a long pause after trying to avoid the question twice.
"His observation was, years later, he would look back and those people had either died, or failed in their lives, or destroyed themselves, in their attempts to hurt other people."
During Carr's 11 seasons as head coach at Michigan - and 26 years with the program - he knows as well as anyone that being the face of the Wolverines has its pros and cons.
On one hand, the school annually attracts quality players who can also survive at one of the finest academic institutions, and that makes excellence possible.
On the other hand, some think the sky is falling in Ann Arbor after every loss.
Through it all, Carr almost always appears levelheaded in public, and chooses to let his record speak for itself.
Carr led Michigan to the 1997 Associated Press national championship, nine straight New Year's Day bowls - a streak that might end with a loss Saturday - and is 15-5 against Top-10 teams.
He is 102-32 with a .761 winning percentage that trails just four Division I-A coaches. He is 68-19 in the Big Ten, with five conference championships in the past eight years, including the past two.
Senior defensive tackle Pat Massey said it's "unbelievable" that Carr has harsh critics.
"I would like to sit down with some of those people and just talk to them," Massey said. "Coach Carr is what Michigan is all about, and I think there shouldn't be any question about it."
Piling up victories at powerhouses such as Michigan is expected, but how coaches fare in rivalry games goes a long way toward defining their legacies.
That has always been true in what is commonly called "The Game" at Michigan and Ohio State.
John Cooper won 71.5 percent of his games with the Buckeyes, but his 2-10-1 record against Carr, Gary Moeller and Bo Schembechler led to him being replaced by Tressel.
Two legendary coaches - Schembechler and Woody Hayes - were the focus of the rivalry from 1969-78 in what is known as "The 10-Year War," Schembechler going 5-4-1 against his mentor.
Tressel wasted no time letting Ohio State fans know where his focus was when he was introduced as the storied program's coach on Jan. 18, 2001. Four hours after being formally announced as Cooper's successor, Tressel sent the crowd at a Michigan-Ohio State basketball game into a frenzy.
"I can assure you that you'll be proud of our young people in the classroom, in the community - and especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan," Tressel said.
He was right.
The Buckeyes beat Michigan 26-20 on the road in Tressel's debut season, then prevailed 14-9 the following year on their way to the national championship. The Wolverines prevailed 35-21 in 2003 but Ohio State won last year's game, 37-21.
Despite his success in one of sport's greatest rivalries, Tressel is pushing for more.
Ohio State senior safety Nate Salley, whose record against Michigan is 2-1, said Tressel has made sure his players are not satisfied.
"I was on my way to the team meeting room and we were walking side by side," Salley recalled earlier this week. "And he said: `Remember what I told you. There's a big difference between being 2-2 and being 3-1."'
POINT/COUNTERPOINT: Best College Football Rivalry? - CSTV •FB
OHIO STATE-MICHIGAN.
I know all about the Alabama-Auburn hate, the in-state mudslinging in South Carolina, the battle for apples in Washington and the "heated" rivalry between USC and UCLA. But if you polled most college football fans on the best rivalry in the game, I bet a majority say Ohio State-Michigan - and they're right.
So why is the OSU-Michigan rivalry the best? Well, here are 15 reasons …
1. They've played this game 101 times.
2. No rivalry matters in the conference and national title picture more than this one. Dozens of Big Ten and national titles have been decided.
3. Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes.
4. Each school routinely goes into the others' backyard and plucks kids for its roster.
5. The bookstores at both schools carry merchandise with anti-rival school slogans.
6. Desmond Howard's TD punt-return and Heisman pose in 1991.
7. With no disrespect to Ohio University and Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan are truly their state's school, putting even more emphasis on the state vs. state battle.
8. These states really don't like one another, going back to the late 1800s when they battled over a disputed territory of land in Toledo.
9. High school students who have attended the game have made their college choice based on the outcome.
10. For many years, the winner went to the Rose Bowl, the loser went home for the holidays, making the game even more important.
11. John Cooper went 2-10-1 against Michigan and lost his job.
12. In 1969, Michigan upset No. 1 Ohio State, derailing the Buckeyes' title hopes.
13. Jim Harbaugh's 1985 prediction of victory-and it happened.
14. For some reason, the game pulls in a national audience unlike any other.
15. In the last 50 years, each team is 24-24-2 in the game.
I think Reasons Nos. 2, 3 and 15 stand out. I mean, how many times has Oregon-Oregon State decided the Pac-10 title and knocked one team out of the national title picture? Even for the vaunted Alabama-Auburn match-up, the outcome of the game may mean much to those involved but not to the national title hunt in most years. And don't get me started on South Carolina-Clemson. So not only do the schools, fans and states hate one another, but their game actually means something.
As for Schembechler and Hayes, they took the game to a whole new level. There was certainly no love lost between the former coaching mates, and the players and fans took their cues from the legendary coaches during the "Ten Year War", in which Schembechler had a 5-4-1 advantage. What had been a ferocious rivalry before them grew into hatred after them.
And for a true rivalry, it needs to be even. You can't get closer than 24-24-2 over the last 50 years.
Look, I'm just a guy with no allegiances to either school or even the Big Ten conference. I went to the University of Virginia who will lay down this weekend to our "rival", Virginia Tech. So there really is no predisposition to pick this rivalry over another. Just history.
ALABAMA-AUBURN.
A quick sweep of the national rivalries shows us: Nebraska-Oklahoma and Miami-Florida State always had the most riding on it. Ohio State-Michigan is steeped in hatred (Thanks, Woody). USC-UCLA is a battle for the city. USC-Notre Dame is the best intersectional game. And Army-Navy gets emeritus status in my book.
But nobody - and I mean nobody - has a more intense rivalry than the Tide and Tigers.
I learned the hard way.
(Personal story, for example). I was dating a young lass who lived in the panhandle of Florida a number of years back. And yes, that area of Florida is considered Alabama and Auburn territory, just like the state to the north. I was with her family watching the annual bloodbath in their living room. Everybody was wearing crimson. Next to the four children's high school graduation pictures was a framed picture of Bear Bryant, houndstooth hat and all.
Late in the back-and-forth battle, Auburn scored a touchdown to pull ahead. It was a great gadget play that came out of nowhere. Me, being sort of neutral, slightly muttered "nice call."
Little did I realize, the rest of her family heard me. And believe me, they all shot a look through me equivalent to a thousand daggers. No lie. I excused myself from the room and went to seek solace in the backyard. Not long after that, the girl and I broke up.
It's that intense.
Look people, I've got two huge things to point out. A - it's southern football, which has the most rabid fan bases in the country. And B - there is no pro team in this state. This game is it.
All those things you hear about how it pits brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor and family against family is true. If you live in the state of Alabama, you're going to be affected by this rivalry one way or another. Everyone has a stake in it. Don't open your business on this day. Don't lose a bet with your co-worker. And for God's sake, don't plan a wedding or a funeral on the same day as the battle of the Yellowhammer state… unless you like sitting in a church alone.
One of the things I like the most about this great rivalry is the nicknames some of the legendary games have been given. Kenny Stabler's "Run in the Mud" game in 1967, the "Punt Bama, Punt" game of 1972 (when Auburn blocked two punts for TDs in a 17-16 upset), the 1985 "Auburn's Got Bo, Bama's Got the Toe" game (where Van Tiffin kicked a 52-yard field goal to win it.) and Auburn's "Reverse to Victory" game of 1986 (WR Lawyer Tillman scoring the winning touchdown). It has legends built upon legends.
In pregame, the bands spell out "UA" and "AU" while playing their fight songs on the field simultaneously. The fans are usually hoarse after the first drive of the game. And fans of the losing team traditionally call in sick the next Monday. You just don't get that kind of proximity with the other rivalries. Here, you see the fans of the other team every day.
That's the biggest difference in this rivalry. That's what makes this game so do-or-die for its fans. There is no escaping the trash talk. For 364 days, you either get to gloat like a rock star who made it to the top or you've got to swallow your pride.
I'll leave this argument with what is probably the best way to describe the Alabama-Auburn series as told by a good friend of mine:
"You fear losing that game more than you enjoy winning it."
- Mark Etheridge, SEC writer.
Well said.
Upvote
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3yardsandacloud
Administrator Emeritus
Matt Venegoni: Dogs, chokings, golf classes. Oh my! - Michigan Daily •FB
Matt Venegoni: Dogs, chokings, golf classes. Oh my!
By Matt Venegoni: The Balls
November 18, 2005
Let’s get something out of the way right from the start. Down in Columbus, Michigan is about as well received as a venereal disease at a swingers’ party.
Knowing that, I’m about to spit some venom that I’m sure will result, at best, with nasty e-mails, and at worst, in threats to my life. But, as a great man once said, carpe diem.
Ohio State is a great football school. That’s obvious. But Michigan is better — it’s that simple. Belligerent, drunk Buckeye fans can spout off about being 3-1 with Coach Sweatervest at the helm. Well I’ve got a better stat — 57-38-6 — the series all-time record.
I may be from the land of the Boundary Waters, but I know one thing — I dislike (not hate, because I know what’s truly important in the world) the Buckeyes. Being an adopted son of Michigan has taught me this. I’ve always had a weary feeling toward Ohio State, but this feeling of extreme disgust didn’t boil over until the last 15 months — and it has nothing to do with wins and losses. For the record, I don’t want to hear people talking about how crappy Detroit is, I’m not from there, so I don’t care.
I truly believe that Ohio State, at times, runs a classless program. Look no further than last year’s dog-searching incident.
As the Wolverines entered the Toilet, err the Horseshoe, police with dogs awaited the Michigan players and coaches. Hmmm, that’s unusual, a large group from a football team entering the stadium prior to kickoff. Yeah, definitely sounds like grounds for dogs sniffing their bags. So, Lloyd Carr and crew are pissed, as I would be too. But — and this is my favorite part — the Ohio State athletic department claimed that it did the same thing to Iowa, Penn State and lowly Indiana. Funny, all three schools indicated to Carr that they didn’t deal with that BS.
Carr put it best during his Monday’s press conference.
“Well, I think there is a difference between gamesmanship and just respect,” he said.
I’m not blaming Jim Tressel or former Athletic Director Andy Griger, but the treatment for Michigan last year was ridiculous.
In my opinion, and a 22-year-old can be wrong, that is the problem with much of Ohio State — a lack of respect. I’m not saying that Michigan fans are angels. I once saw someone on State Street set a Buckeyes hat on fire and toss it onto the windshield of a moving Ohio State recreational vehicle — not the nicest thing in the world. But Buckeyes take it to a new level. Even their players get into the act.
Troy Smith, great quarterback. Sixth in the country in passing efficiency, first in the country in accepting $100 handshakes.
Those incidents were just the cherries on top of my disdain for our neighbors to the south.
There have been other off-the-field incidents this past year involving Buckeye players, including a couple marijuana problems, but my favorite incidents happened in 2003.
Oh Robert Reynolds, he was quite the linebacker. Unfortunately, he was better at choking and trying to injure opponents than tackling them. Exhibit A, the choke incident of Jim Sorgi in Madison. After a scramble, Sorgi slid and waited for the whistle. Instead, he got a choking from Reynolds. Sorgi had to leave the game, but the Badgers pulled off the victory anyway.
You’d think national scorn would dissuade the Buckeye. But no, in Michigan’s 35-21 victory in 2003, Reynolds was seen twisting Wolverine Chris Perry in a pile up after the play was over. He wasn’t embodying the words of Ron Burgundy, you know, "staying classy."
See a pattern with the Buckeyes? If not, maybe another example will help.
While we're speaking of linebackers, who remembers Andy Katzenmoyer? I know I do. He was suppose to make Dick Butkus look more like Andy Dick. But his great career was almost derailed before his junior season. Shockingly, Katzenmoyer somehow did not have the greatest of grades, even at Ohio State. I’m sure it was because the organic chemistry classes he had to be taking were just too taxing for him.
Well, the school said he had to take some summer classes to raise his GPA. You’d think maybe a psych class, English or even history. No, he took a golf class. I don’t even know what that would entail, but at least he was eligible for that season, a season in which the Buckeyes choked away (not in the Reynolds sense) a national championship.
I could reel off more reasons why Ohio State is inferior to Michigan. Its greatest tradition — dotting the “i” — is a Wolverine invention. Ten percent of Michigan’s current roster are Ohio natives, an obvious sign that they wanted out of “Riot U.” I could even talk about Maurice Clarett, but that would be just too mean.
There it is, laid out so even a Buckeye fan can comprehend (assuming he or she can read). Ohio State is a talented team, and the few players I’ve talked to (A.J. Hawk, Nate Salley and Nick Manigold) are pleasant, well-spoken dudes, so Ohio State’s not all bad. But what’s done is done, and all that matters is winning in this rivalry.
Speaking of victories, this Saturday Ohio State probably should win, but I just get the feeling that Carr’s crew knows that they have to win, and that they will. Prove me right Blue.
Matt doesn’t really care what comments he’s going to get from Ohio State fans, just like he won’t care what’s on sale at Wal-Mart, where most of those e-mailers will be working in a few years. Matt can be reached at [email protected].
Henne key to, 'The Game' - Michigan Daily •FB
Henne key to, 'The Game'
November 18, 2005
It’s the 102nd meeting of the greatest rivalry in college sports. You don’t have to be a native Midwesterner to appreciate what it means when these two storied programs meet. Ohio State comes in averaging over 40 points per game in its last four contests and sporting one of the best defenses in the country. But Michigan is on its own hot streak, winning four in a row and establishing a solid defense to go with a balanced offense.
Michigan rushing offense vs. Ohio State rushing defense:
In last week’s 41-14 victory over Indiana, the fact that Mike Hart sat out the whole game was lost in the blowout win. Resting his myriad injuries, including a sprained ankle and sore hamstring, Hart tried to get back to 100 percent for the all-important rivalry game. If right tackle Jake Long returns from injury, he should create big holes for Hart to run through.
All that sounds great, but the Buckeyes sport one of, if not the best, linebacking crews in the country. A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel represent a formidable task for the Wolverines offensive line. Hawk and Carpenter blitz often, but their true abilities lie in stuffing the run and running sideline-to-sideline to chase down ballcarriers. But these are the games that make Michigan running backs. If Hart can be close to 100 percent, he’ll have the ability and will to get 100 yards against Ohio State.
Edge: Push
Michigan passing offense vs. Ohio State passing defense:
The key to this weekend’s game probably will be the play of sophomore quarterback Chad Henne. If he can keep the Buckeyes honest, preventing them from placing an extra safety in the box, it could open running lanes for Hart. More importantly, he needs to go through his progressions rather than locking in on his primary target senior receiver Jason Avant. Part of Michigan’s success depends on if the line can pick up the blitzing Ohio State linebackers. Henne has shown that, if given time, he can make the throws necessary to win big games. Hopefully for Michigan fans, redshirt junior Steve Breaston will be on the receiving end of a couple of the throws.
Starting safety Donte Whitner is questionable for the game, which could be a help to the Michigan passing attack. But the Buckeyes are giving up just 198 yards through the air and just 14.8 points per game. Nate Salley provides big hits from the secondary while also helping with run defense. If Henne can get the ball to his playmakers, the Wolverines will be able to move the ball effectively against the stout defense.
Edge: Michigan
Ohio State passing offense vs. Michigan passing defense:
Last year in Columbus, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith torched Michigan for 390 all-purpose yards. He’s got the legs to beat the Wolverines if they let him, but he also has all the weapons: three receivers who are a threat to go deep every time they touch the ball. Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez have combined for 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, giving Smith plenty of options. The Michigan secondary is as healthy as it’s going to get — and the group has played exceptionally so far this year (see performances against Northwestern and Iowa and even Notre Dame as examples) — but the Ohio State receivers would be a test for just about any defensive secondary.
Edge: Ohio State
Ohio State rushing offense vs. Michigan rushing defense:
At the beginning of the year, it looked as if running the ball with someone other than the quarterback was going to be a difficult chore for the Buckeyes. But running back Antonio Pittman has proven everyone wrong, running for more than 1,100 yards. Still, you have to figure that if the Wolverines can stop Smith from running, they should be able to control the ground attack. Last year, that would have seemed like an impossible task, but Michigan has been superb at containing mobile quarterbacks this year.
Edge: Push
Special teams:
As much as everything else matters, this game could end up coming down to a long kickoff or punt return at a crucial moment. Last year, Ginn destroyed the Wolverines’ dreams with a punt return for a touchdown. Last week, Breaston racked up 201 all-purpose yards, most of which came on long returns. Punters beware — you don’t want to get caught in a footrace with either of these guys.
Edge: Push
Intangibles:
Both teams have a potential Big Ten Championship to play for, so they have that going for them. Plus, they’re both hot right now — neither team has lost since Oct. 8. All that lends itself towards a push, but the game will be played in a Blue’d Out Michigan Stadium, potentially a hostile environment for the Buckeyes. And, this year, Michigan has won both the games where it was the underdog.
Edge: Michigan
Prediction: Michigan 23, Ohio State 20
He Shall Overcome - Michigan Daily •FB
He Shall Overcome
Things haven’t always been easy for Prescott Burgess. If they had been, he might not be who he is today.
By Gabe Edelson, Daily Sports Writer
November 18, 2005
Prescott Burgess had been aching all season for an interception.
“Just wait for one of those days when I get a pick,” Burgess said after Michigan beat Iowa 23-20 in overtime on Oct. 22. “I’ll show you all what I’m really about.”
His chance came last week against Indiana. Burgess dropped into coverage and snared an errant pass from Hoosiers quarterback Blake Powers. The linebacker sprinted 21 yards toward the end zone, but 315-pound Indiana left guard Adam Hines squared up and leveled Burgess 16 yards shy of the goal line.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” the junior explained. “I was a little tired the play before, but in this day and age, you have to play through tiredness. … I hadn’t gotten (an interception this year). I was (thinking touchdown). My teammates said I should’ve cut all the way back, but things happen.”
Many things have happened to Burgess in his 21 years. Some have been tragic, others uplifting. But, no matter how great the odds stacked against him have been, Burgess has managed to remain resilient.
So when the Warren, Ohio, native found himself on his back, courtesy of Hines, on Saturday, there was just one thing Burgess knew how to do: hop back up. That’s exactly what he did, jumping around and celebrating with his teammates. After all, it wasn’t the first time he’d found himself on the ground. And he certainly wasn’t going to stay there.
Ghosts and Heroes
Burgess played basketball under Frank Bubba at Warren G. Harding High School. Player and coach quickly formed a strong and meaningful bond.
“He changed my whole life,” Burgess says. “Helped me be the person I am today. He just helped me out by showing me the ropes and guiding me.”
He also kept his pupil out of trouble.
“When Prescott got (to high school), Coach Bubba took a real big interest in him,” says Anthony Morgan, Burgess’s 31-year-old cousin who played for Bubba’s Raiders teams in the early 1990s. “He was like a father figure to him, a second father figure to him. He helped him out, and he was there for him.”
All that changed on Jan. 24, 2002, in the middle of basketball season during Burgess’s junior year at Harding. Bubba, who had been suffering from cystic fibrosis, died at the age of 52 from complications stemming from pneumonia. The death devastated Burgess and the rest of the community.
“That was a big blow,” Morgan says. “Coach Bubba was a great man. … (The team) had a couple more games to go. They pulled through. They still made a playoff run, but it was hard on the kids. Somebody is just there, physically teaching you, and, the next day, he’s not. It was hard.”
Burgess considers himself lucky for the time he had with Bubba, whom he calls “a mentor in life and sports.”
It might be fair to say that Bubba has, to a great extent, helped make Burgess who he is today.
On the other end of the spectrum is Korey Stringer, another of Burgess’s cousins. Burgess never got to know Stringer very well, but his impact on his younger relative remains deep. Stringer played offensive tackle for Ohio State and the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings before dying from heatstroke in 2001 at age 27.
“I planned on getting to know him like I should’ve,” Burgess says. “By me playing football, I’m just trying to follow in the right footsteps. And (Korey’s) footsteps were some of the footsteps I would like to follow in. Hopefully, I can get to where he was at.”
Burgess has been privileged to have admirable role models to look up to. Unfortunately, two were taken from him too soon.
“They’re gone, they’re passed away, but I feel them right by my side, every time I’m going through hard times or when things are good,” Burgess says of Bubba and Stringer. “They keep me motivated, knowing how good of people they were. (They) keep me motivated to keep going.”
A Young Buck
Growing up in Warren, Burgess found himself in the heart of Buckeye country. Naturally, the son of Prescott Walters and Leslie Burgess was an Ohio State fan.
“He loved Ohio State,” Morgan says. “That’s all he talked about, was, ‘Ohio State this, Ohio State that.’ ”
Burgess himself admits that he wasn’t interested in Michigan until his junior year of high school. His cousin, Alfie Burch, played cornerback at Michigan from 1991-93. Burch made sure to plant Maize and Blue seeds in Burgess’s mind with an eye to the future.
“(Burch) used to tell me things about Michigan,” Burgess says. “Back then, I was worried about playing high school football. But, after I was all done, it started to pop into my head. He helped me lean toward Michigan.”
The Wolverines pursued Burgess relentlessly. According the Morgan, Michigan recruiters attended his football and basketball games, showing substantially more interest than the Buckeyes did in the five-star prospect. Strange, considering Burgess was ranked by Rivals.com as the nation’s top safety and the sixth-best player in the entire country. Morgan, who claims to despise Ohio State, lobbied for his younger cousin to choose Ann Arbor over Columbus when it came time to pick a school.
“I said, ‘You ain’t going nowhere but Michigan,’ ” Morgan says.
Burgess ultimately selected Michigan over Ohio State, Florida, Notre Dame and Tennessee. He cites the University’s academic reputation as a deciding factor.
“I visited both (Michigan and Ohio State),” Burgess says. “My family sat down with me and told me, ‘Pick the school where you know you’ll get the best education.’ And Michigan was the place for me.”
Hitting All Over the Field
Another obstacle awaited Burgess when he arrived in Ann Arbor as a freshman. Coach Lloyd Carr decided to switch the standout safety to inside linebacker. It wasn’t an easy transition.
“(Moving) from safety to linebacker, that’s a different world,” Carr said in October. “He had a lot to learn. He had a lot of things to fight through because everything was new, and yet, he has fought through. I think he is learning how to play from the snap of the football to when the whistle blows.”
Burgess worked with strength and conditioning coach Mike Gittleson to bulk up so he would be able to sustain the extra pounding he would see as a member of Michigan’s front seven. The newly minted linebacker transformed from a wispy 215-pound freshman to a formidable 232-pound sophomore to his current rock-solid 243 pounds through lifting and eating right. Learning to cook was made easier living with 331-pound defensive tackle Gabe Watson.
Burgess also shifted from inside to outside linebacker this season.
“It was hard at first,” says Burgess of shuffling positions. “Being at safety, you weren’t used to getting a blocker on you right away. But I got used to it, and I’m loving it now. It really doesn’t matter to me (where I’m playing), as long as I’m on the field and out there having fun.”
The experiment has been a smashing success. Burgess has made a name for himself this season by laying out opponents with explosive hits. Despite having trouble shedding blockers early in the season, he currently sits third on the team with 67 tackles — just five behind co-leaders David Harris and Grant Mason — and ranks tied for first among Wolverines with two forced fumbles. Pretty good for a player who had a combined 42 tackles in 17 games heading into this season.
“Prescott is a playmaker,” linebacker Chris Graham says. “He’s a hard guy who’s going to go in there and fight each play. When Prescott’s out there, I believe he’s going to do his job. He’s going to fight with all he has.”
Burgess seems to know what’s expected of him.
“My role is to bring some swagger and hard-nosed football into the program,” Burgess says. “I am happy just bringing liveliness to the defense and just making plays when I know that it counts.”
There’s No Place Like Home
Though he spent all last year away from home, Morgan told Burgess not to come back to Ohio last summer.
“He really didn’t need to be back there in Warren,” Morgan says. “It’s too much commotion. Somebody with his type of name, or just any kid, can get in trouble — just by hanging with the wrong people. I didn’t want that for him, and I don’t think he wants that for himself.”
Burgess had plenty of doubters in his hometown when he left for college. According to Morgan, some said Burgess would fail. That he wouldn’t make it at Michigan. That he wouldn’t “grade out.” For his part, Burgess doesn’t want to hear any of it.
“I really don’t pay attention to negative comments (in Warren),” Burgess says. “I do what I want to do. I make my own decisions, and my decision to come here was the best decision I ever made.”
Burgess still has his fair share of supporters back home, though. His football coach at Harding, Thom McDaniels, is a diehard Ohio State fan, but he’s remained loyal to his former star player.
“Every time I go home, I go see him,” Burgess says of McDaniels. “The first thing he tells me is what I need to work on or the things I’m doing good. He’s still behind me.”
Morgan is proud of his cousin’s determination since coming to college, both in the classroom and on the field.
“He’s doing better than a lot of people thought he would,” Morgan says. “He’s got his grades together, (and) he’s finally on the field playing. So everything is looking up for him. He’s proving (his critics) wrong.”
In spite of all the adversity, Prescott Burgess has persevered. He’s managed to fight through trying times and emerge as a success story.
If he happens to fall to the Michigan Stadium turf on Saturday, you can bet he won’t take much time to pick himself up.
Procrastination Station - Michigan Daily •FB
Procrastination Station
November 18, 2005
Ohio State 28
Michigan 42
Before every football game this season, two of the Daily’s football writers will take the weekend’s matchup to the PlayStation 2 and then let you know what happened.
• Play of the game — After the game was started for the second time, Matt took control by throwing a play-action pass to Michigan WR#15 for a 55-yard gain to set the tone for the blowout win
• Player of the game — For the first time this year, we have co-players of the game. These two guys kept Ohio State on their heels and made Ian look pretty stupid. Michigan WR#15 had six catches for 201 yards and a touchdown. Michigan RB #20 ran 15 times for 183 yards and two touchdowns.
Press conference quotes:
Ohio State coach Ian Herbert:
“What can I say, I really hate this. Week after week I lose to Matt. It would be one thing if I was never winning, but I beat Gabe every other week. Well, I guess that says more about Gabe than it does about me."
“I think it’s come time for me to contemplate retiring. Didn’t Ohio State fire John Cooper for never beating Michigan? Maybe I should be given the same treatment for never beating Matt. He beats me every time and it hasn’t been that close."
“I will say this, if WR #7 can consistently catch the ball, he’ll be great. But he just can’t.”
Michigan coach Matt Venegoni:
“Well I was a little surprised that we had to start this game over. I mean, it was a little ridiculous that Ian thought that we should start the game over again. But hey, you gotta roll with the punches."
“I really don’t have much to say, this isn’t a surprise for me. I’ve won every game this season, and it hasn’t really been much fun. Is this what it was like for the Roman emperors? Because, honestly, this is kind of boring."
“I just want to thank the Buckeyes for being easier than a two-dollar whore today — it was that easy. Ian was a nice guy about it though. He was pretty angry at first, but oh well, when you’re better than the competition that happens.”
Five best games in college football's greatest rivalry - Michigan Daily •FB
Five best games in college football's greatest rivalry
November 18, 2005
1950
The “Snow Bowl” of 1950 is one of the most well-documented contests of the rivalry. The contest included 45 punts. Despite never notching a first down, Michigan won the game, 9-3.
1969
Bo Schembechler made the Michigan football program what it is today. And his first season gave the rivalry its spice. No. 1 Ohio State came into the game rolling over opponents — the closest anyone came was a 35-6 Buckeye victory over Northwestern. But the Wolverines didn't roll over — the defense stayed tough and gave Michigan a 24-12 win.
1974
Michigan's placekicker missed a 33-yard kick that would have given the Wolverines a 13-12 lead with 18 seconds left. Despite the Wolverines dominating yardage, Ohio State had more reliable special teams, booting four field goals in the 12-10 win for the No. 4 Buckeyes. The win gave each team a share of the Big Ten championship, but Ohio State won a vote of the athletics directors to go to the Rose Bowl.
1997
In 1997, No. 1 Michigan had one last obstacle before heading to the Rose Bowl — No. 4 Ohio State. Junior Charles Woodson already had a spectacular season but did not yet have his Heisman- defining play. But his 78-yard punt return helped clinch award for the Woodson and the game for Michigan.
2002
Going into the 2002 matchup, the Buckeyes had notched a number of last-minute wins. This game was no different. Despite dominating many parts of the game, the Wolverines lost when Ohio State safety Will Allen intercepted John Navarre’s last-second touchdown pass attempt.
As usual, media blitz precedes ‚'Big Game' - Michigan Daily •FB
As usual, media blitz precedes ‚'Big Game'
By Gabe Edelson, Daily Sports Writer
November 18, 2005
Michigan and Ohio State players aren’t the only ones who have been working extra hard in preparation for the 102nd meeting between the Wolverines and Buckeyes tomorrow. Michigan’s Athletic Media Relations personnel have also been swamped with credential requests and the immense task of preparing for the imminent press blitz.
“When they say it’s the ‘Big Game,’ it really is, in terms of the national exposure and the national and regional media that cover this game,” said David Ablauf, sports information director for football. “It’s the most visible game in college football. From a media standpoint, there’s often more media that cover the Michigan-Ohio State game than cover bowl games.”
This year, the Athletic Media Relations office has issued nearly 1,000 media credentials, a figure significantly higher than for other games on Michigan’s schedule, but typical for a contest in the storied rivalry. Ablauf expects no fewer than seven pre-game television shows to air live on location outside Michigan Stadium.
“The amount of interest in this game is enormous,” Ablauf said. “There’s always been something on the line. It’s a great border war, it’s a great rivalry game, and there’s always been a title of some nature on the line when this game is played. I think that’s what continues to add to it, as well as the fact that it’s the last game of the year for both teams.”
Ablauf cites 1997 and 2003 as the years with the most media attention in recent memory. The former was Michigan’s national championship season, and the latter was the rivalry’s 100th game. But this year’s television coverage situation is unprecedented. ABC will broadcast the game nationally to all but five states: Washington, Oregon, California, New Mexico and Nevada. If necessary, ESPN will break into its coverage of Virginia Tech at Virginia — which starts at noon — to air Michigan-Ohio State in the West Coast markets that don’t get the game on ABC.
“This is the first time that ESPN has ever done a split regional,” Ablauf said.
Even international viewers will be able to watch on television.
Westwood One will broadcast the game nationally on the radio, while out-of-town print publications — including The New York Times, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Chicago Tribune — will descend on the Big House press box en masse.
“It’s not the largest press box anymore — by any stretch — to accommodate a huge crowd,” Ablauf said. “I think that’s the one thing that’s hopefully (going to improve in) the future, is to be able to accommodate the big type of crowds. We’re getting to the point where we’re getting maxed out in terms of space in order to accommodate the media for these games.”
Several bowl game representatives will also be on-hand to watch the proceedings. Although neither Michigan nor Ohio State has any chance to contend for the national championship, the Rose Bowl will still send staffers to watch.
“The Rose Bowl always comes to the Michigan-Ohio State game, regardless if it is the national title game,” Ablauf said. “They’re very supportive of this conference, like they are with the Pac-10.”
The Orange, Fiesta, Capital One, Outback and Alamo bowls will also send delegates to Michigan Stadium.
Unlike in previous years, ESPN’s “College GameDay” on-campus studio show will stay away from Ann Arbor. Instead, the production will air from East Lansing, where Penn State can lock up an outright Big Ten title by beating Michigan State. But that won’t lessen the load too much for Athletic Media Relations.
“Our whole entire office staff pitches in and really helps,” Ablauf said. “I think that’s a huge factor in why we can put on games like this. Our offices are well-equipped and have done this so many years that everyone knows how to handle this. It’s a total team effort, from top to bottom.”
Associate athletic director Bruce Madej remembers a caravan of satellite trucks so large a few years ago that he had to park a few himself on the Friday morning before the game.
“We have huge media crowds for Notre Dame and Michigan State,” Madej said. “But remember, when we have a Michigan State media crowd, rarely do we get all the big national groups in. … The game itself is definitely high-pressure for everybody. But that’s what makes it interesting.
Michigan-Ohio State showdown may hinge on specialists - CSTV (Michigan Daily) •FB
Michigan-Ohio State showdown may hinge on specialists
By Gabe Edelson Michigan Daily
Ann Arbor, MI (U-WIRE) -- The pivotal play in last year's Michigan-Ohio State game occurred with neither Wolverines quarterback Chad Henne nor Buckeyes signal-caller Troy Smith on the field. Braylon Edwards and Mike Hart were also on the sideline. Ohio State starting running back Lydell Ross was nowhere to be found.
With just five minutes gone in the second half and the Buckeyes leading, 20-14, former Michigan punter Adam Finley booted a 48-yard bomb inside Ohio State's 20-yard line. The Buckeyes' punt returner, then-freshman Ted Ginn Jr., put some moves on a few would-be tacklers before breaking free and outrunning the rest of the Wolverines' coverage unit for an 82-yard touchdown gallop. The Buckeyes took a commanding 13-point lead and quickly widened the gap, eventually downing Michigan 37-21.
"(Ginn) ripped our hearts out when he scored," said linebacker David Harris, who saw his only action that day on the punt team. "He was the fastest man on the field, and nobody was able to catch him."
Harris's recollection calls attention to a crucial but frequently underappreciated part of football: special teams.
Well-executed punts and kickoffs can strongly influence a game's outcome by giving a team a field-position advantage. Missed tackles, poor kick-coverage and long returns can blow a game wide open in a matter of seconds. Field goals and extra points have an obvious impact on the score and can also affect the flow of a game.
Special teams have played an especially huge role in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry. The last two Wolverines to win the Heisman Trophy, Charles Woodson and Desmond Howard, are remembered largely for punt returns against the Buckeyes. Woodson's 78-yard return for a touchdown in 1997 and Howard's 93-yard scoring sprint in 1991 rank among the most memorable plays in Michigan history.
"Looking back at the history of this game since I've been in it, special teams almost always play a critical role in winning or losing," coach Lloyd Carr said. "I think every player understands that on every single play, there is an opportunity to make something happen or there is a chance to make a mistake. Everybody understands that every single play is important, and any time two teams play with that mindset, normally it means great intensity and a great football game."
Both Ohio State and Michigan boast game-breaking personnel on special teams this year. Ginn still handles the kickoff and punt return duties for the Buckeyes, and although his numbers are down from last year -- when he led the nation with 25.6 yards per punt return and scored four touchdowns, compared to this year's 12.2-yard average and one score -- he remains one of the most exciting big-play threats in the country. Ginn ranks in the top five in the Big Ten for both punt and kickoff returns, and Ohio State receiver Santonio Holmes averages an impressive 14.7 yards per punt return. The Buckeyes rank first in kickoff returns in the Big Ten.
"Ohio State has explosive returners," said receiver Carl Tabb, who returns kickoffs and plays on the kick-coverage unit. "They have their best players on special teams, which creates problems for other teams. ... Ted Ginn is probably one of the best returners I've seen. But, to be honest with you, one man doesn't make or break a unit."
Michigan's Steve Breaston picked up most of his 201 all-purpose yards in last week's game against Indiana on returns. The redshirt junior receiver provides the Wolverines with a similarly gifted athlete on special teams. After getting off to a slow start this season due to injury, Breaston has turned in some tremendous performances recently. A 52-yard touchdown catch at Iowa and a 95-yard kickoff return for a score against Minnesota provided a glimpse of what Breaston is capable of.
"I think certainly we've got to do a great job preparing for their return game, and certainly Steve is a weapon for us," Carr said. "That dimension makes for a great football game. ... Certainly when you have skilled people like Ohio State has, like we have, you have an opportunity to create great field position (and) you have an opportunity to create great momentum shifts."
When it comes to the kicking game, the Buckeyes have a couple fresh faces this season. Sixth-year senior Josh Huston has replaced last year's placekicker, Mike Nugent, who now plays for the New York Jets. Huston leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage and scoring among kickers, and he hasn't missed a field goal shorter than 49 yards all season. Redshirt freshman A.J. Trapasso has taken over punting duties from Kyle Turano, and he's averaging over 40 yards per attempt.
Michigan placekicker Garrett Rivas sits second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage and field goals per game. Kickoff specialist Ross Ryan has boomed 35 of his 59 kickoffs for touchbacks while averaging 38.6 yards per attempt as the Wolverines' punter this season.
Both Michigan and Ohio State know that errors on special teams must be minimized on Saturday.
"I can't make any mistakes," Tabb said. "My mistakes may cost my team a touchdown or the game, and that is not something that I'm willing to put on my shoulders. So when it comes to practicing this week, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I'm not the one that makes a crucial mistake at a critical time."
Matt Venegoni: Dogs, chokings, golf classes. Oh my!
By Matt Venegoni: The Balls
November 18, 2005
Let’s get something out of the way right from the start. Down in Columbus, Michigan is about as well received as a venereal disease at a swingers’ party.
Knowing that, I’m about to spit some venom that I’m sure will result, at best, with nasty e-mails, and at worst, in threats to my life. But, as a great man once said, carpe diem.
Ohio State is a great football school. That’s obvious. But Michigan is better — it’s that simple. Belligerent, drunk Buckeye fans can spout off about being 3-1 with Coach Sweatervest at the helm. Well I’ve got a better stat — 57-38-6 — the series all-time record.
I may be from the land of the Boundary Waters, but I know one thing — I dislike (not hate, because I know what’s truly important in the world) the Buckeyes. Being an adopted son of Michigan has taught me this. I’ve always had a weary feeling toward Ohio State, but this feeling of extreme disgust didn’t boil over until the last 15 months — and it has nothing to do with wins and losses. For the record, I don’t want to hear people talking about how crappy Detroit is, I’m not from there, so I don’t care.
I truly believe that Ohio State, at times, runs a classless program. Look no further than last year’s dog-searching incident.
As the Wolverines entered the Toilet, err the Horseshoe, police with dogs awaited the Michigan players and coaches. Hmmm, that’s unusual, a large group from a football team entering the stadium prior to kickoff. Yeah, definitely sounds like grounds for dogs sniffing their bags. So, Lloyd Carr and crew are pissed, as I would be too. But — and this is my favorite part — the Ohio State athletic department claimed that it did the same thing to Iowa, Penn State and lowly Indiana. Funny, all three schools indicated to Carr that they didn’t deal with that BS.
Carr put it best during his Monday’s press conference.
“Well, I think there is a difference between gamesmanship and just respect,” he said.
I’m not blaming Jim Tressel or former Athletic Director Andy Griger, but the treatment for Michigan last year was ridiculous.
In my opinion, and a 22-year-old can be wrong, that is the problem with much of Ohio State — a lack of respect. I’m not saying that Michigan fans are angels. I once saw someone on State Street set a Buckeyes hat on fire and toss it onto the windshield of a moving Ohio State recreational vehicle — not the nicest thing in the world. But Buckeyes take it to a new level. Even their players get into the act.
Troy Smith, great quarterback. Sixth in the country in passing efficiency, first in the country in accepting $100 handshakes.
Those incidents were just the cherries on top of my disdain for our neighbors to the south.
There have been other off-the-field incidents this past year involving Buckeye players, including a couple marijuana problems, but my favorite incidents happened in 2003.
Oh Robert Reynolds, he was quite the linebacker. Unfortunately, he was better at choking and trying to injure opponents than tackling them. Exhibit A, the choke incident of Jim Sorgi in Madison. After a scramble, Sorgi slid and waited for the whistle. Instead, he got a choking from Reynolds. Sorgi had to leave the game, but the Badgers pulled off the victory anyway.
You’d think national scorn would dissuade the Buckeye. But no, in Michigan’s 35-21 victory in 2003, Reynolds was seen twisting Wolverine Chris Perry in a pile up after the play was over. He wasn’t embodying the words of Ron Burgundy, you know, "staying classy."
See a pattern with the Buckeyes? If not, maybe another example will help.
While we're speaking of linebackers, who remembers Andy Katzenmoyer? I know I do. He was suppose to make Dick Butkus look more like Andy Dick. But his great career was almost derailed before his junior season. Shockingly, Katzenmoyer somehow did not have the greatest of grades, even at Ohio State. I’m sure it was because the organic chemistry classes he had to be taking were just too taxing for him.
Well, the school said he had to take some summer classes to raise his GPA. You’d think maybe a psych class, English or even history. No, he took a golf class. I don’t even know what that would entail, but at least he was eligible for that season, a season in which the Buckeyes choked away (not in the Reynolds sense) a national championship.
I could reel off more reasons why Ohio State is inferior to Michigan. Its greatest tradition — dotting the “i” — is a Wolverine invention. Ten percent of Michigan’s current roster are Ohio natives, an obvious sign that they wanted out of “Riot U.” I could even talk about Maurice Clarett, but that would be just too mean.
There it is, laid out so even a Buckeye fan can comprehend (assuming he or she can read). Ohio State is a talented team, and the few players I’ve talked to (A.J. Hawk, Nate Salley and Nick Manigold) are pleasant, well-spoken dudes, so Ohio State’s not all bad. But what’s done is done, and all that matters is winning in this rivalry.
Speaking of victories, this Saturday Ohio State probably should win, but I just get the feeling that Carr’s crew knows that they have to win, and that they will. Prove me right Blue.
Matt doesn’t really care what comments he’s going to get from Ohio State fans, just like he won’t care what’s on sale at Wal-Mart, where most of those e-mailers will be working in a few years. Matt can be reached at [email protected].
Henne key to, 'The Game' - Michigan Daily •FB
Henne key to, 'The Game'
November 18, 2005
It’s the 102nd meeting of the greatest rivalry in college sports. You don’t have to be a native Midwesterner to appreciate what it means when these two storied programs meet. Ohio State comes in averaging over 40 points per game in its last four contests and sporting one of the best defenses in the country. But Michigan is on its own hot streak, winning four in a row and establishing a solid defense to go with a balanced offense.
Michigan rushing offense vs. Ohio State rushing defense:
In last week’s 41-14 victory over Indiana, the fact that Mike Hart sat out the whole game was lost in the blowout win. Resting his myriad injuries, including a sprained ankle and sore hamstring, Hart tried to get back to 100 percent for the all-important rivalry game. If right tackle Jake Long returns from injury, he should create big holes for Hart to run through.
All that sounds great, but the Buckeyes sport one of, if not the best, linebacking crews in the country. A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel represent a formidable task for the Wolverines offensive line. Hawk and Carpenter blitz often, but their true abilities lie in stuffing the run and running sideline-to-sideline to chase down ballcarriers. But these are the games that make Michigan running backs. If Hart can be close to 100 percent, he’ll have the ability and will to get 100 yards against Ohio State.
Edge: Push
Michigan passing offense vs. Ohio State passing defense:
The key to this weekend’s game probably will be the play of sophomore quarterback Chad Henne. If he can keep the Buckeyes honest, preventing them from placing an extra safety in the box, it could open running lanes for Hart. More importantly, he needs to go through his progressions rather than locking in on his primary target senior receiver Jason Avant. Part of Michigan’s success depends on if the line can pick up the blitzing Ohio State linebackers. Henne has shown that, if given time, he can make the throws necessary to win big games. Hopefully for Michigan fans, redshirt junior Steve Breaston will be on the receiving end of a couple of the throws.
Starting safety Donte Whitner is questionable for the game, which could be a help to the Michigan passing attack. But the Buckeyes are giving up just 198 yards through the air and just 14.8 points per game. Nate Salley provides big hits from the secondary while also helping with run defense. If Henne can get the ball to his playmakers, the Wolverines will be able to move the ball effectively against the stout defense.
Edge: Michigan
Ohio State passing offense vs. Michigan passing defense:
Last year in Columbus, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith torched Michigan for 390 all-purpose yards. He’s got the legs to beat the Wolverines if they let him, but he also has all the weapons: three receivers who are a threat to go deep every time they touch the ball. Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez have combined for 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, giving Smith plenty of options. The Michigan secondary is as healthy as it’s going to get — and the group has played exceptionally so far this year (see performances against Northwestern and Iowa and even Notre Dame as examples) — but the Ohio State receivers would be a test for just about any defensive secondary.
Edge: Ohio State
Ohio State rushing offense vs. Michigan rushing defense:
At the beginning of the year, it looked as if running the ball with someone other than the quarterback was going to be a difficult chore for the Buckeyes. But running back Antonio Pittman has proven everyone wrong, running for more than 1,100 yards. Still, you have to figure that if the Wolverines can stop Smith from running, they should be able to control the ground attack. Last year, that would have seemed like an impossible task, but Michigan has been superb at containing mobile quarterbacks this year.
Edge: Push
Special teams:
As much as everything else matters, this game could end up coming down to a long kickoff or punt return at a crucial moment. Last year, Ginn destroyed the Wolverines’ dreams with a punt return for a touchdown. Last week, Breaston racked up 201 all-purpose yards, most of which came on long returns. Punters beware — you don’t want to get caught in a footrace with either of these guys.
Edge: Push
Intangibles:
Both teams have a potential Big Ten Championship to play for, so they have that going for them. Plus, they’re both hot right now — neither team has lost since Oct. 8. All that lends itself towards a push, but the game will be played in a Blue’d Out Michigan Stadium, potentially a hostile environment for the Buckeyes. And, this year, Michigan has won both the games where it was the underdog.
Edge: Michigan
Prediction: Michigan 23, Ohio State 20
He Shall Overcome - Michigan Daily •FB
He Shall Overcome
Things haven’t always been easy for Prescott Burgess. If they had been, he might not be who he is today.
By Gabe Edelson, Daily Sports Writer
November 18, 2005
Prescott Burgess had been aching all season for an interception.
“Just wait for one of those days when I get a pick,” Burgess said after Michigan beat Iowa 23-20 in overtime on Oct. 22. “I’ll show you all what I’m really about.”
His chance came last week against Indiana. Burgess dropped into coverage and snared an errant pass from Hoosiers quarterback Blake Powers. The linebacker sprinted 21 yards toward the end zone, but 315-pound Indiana left guard Adam Hines squared up and leveled Burgess 16 yards shy of the goal line.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” the junior explained. “I was a little tired the play before, but in this day and age, you have to play through tiredness. … I hadn’t gotten (an interception this year). I was (thinking touchdown). My teammates said I should’ve cut all the way back, but things happen.”
Many things have happened to Burgess in his 21 years. Some have been tragic, others uplifting. But, no matter how great the odds stacked against him have been, Burgess has managed to remain resilient.
So when the Warren, Ohio, native found himself on his back, courtesy of Hines, on Saturday, there was just one thing Burgess knew how to do: hop back up. That’s exactly what he did, jumping around and celebrating with his teammates. After all, it wasn’t the first time he’d found himself on the ground. And he certainly wasn’t going to stay there.
Ghosts and Heroes
Burgess played basketball under Frank Bubba at Warren G. Harding High School. Player and coach quickly formed a strong and meaningful bond.
“He changed my whole life,” Burgess says. “Helped me be the person I am today. He just helped me out by showing me the ropes and guiding me.”
He also kept his pupil out of trouble.
“When Prescott got (to high school), Coach Bubba took a real big interest in him,” says Anthony Morgan, Burgess’s 31-year-old cousin who played for Bubba’s Raiders teams in the early 1990s. “He was like a father figure to him, a second father figure to him. He helped him out, and he was there for him.”
All that changed on Jan. 24, 2002, in the middle of basketball season during Burgess’s junior year at Harding. Bubba, who had been suffering from cystic fibrosis, died at the age of 52 from complications stemming from pneumonia. The death devastated Burgess and the rest of the community.
“That was a big blow,” Morgan says. “Coach Bubba was a great man. … (The team) had a couple more games to go. They pulled through. They still made a playoff run, but it was hard on the kids. Somebody is just there, physically teaching you, and, the next day, he’s not. It was hard.”
Burgess considers himself lucky for the time he had with Bubba, whom he calls “a mentor in life and sports.”
It might be fair to say that Bubba has, to a great extent, helped make Burgess who he is today.
On the other end of the spectrum is Korey Stringer, another of Burgess’s cousins. Burgess never got to know Stringer very well, but his impact on his younger relative remains deep. Stringer played offensive tackle for Ohio State and the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings before dying from heatstroke in 2001 at age 27.
“I planned on getting to know him like I should’ve,” Burgess says. “By me playing football, I’m just trying to follow in the right footsteps. And (Korey’s) footsteps were some of the footsteps I would like to follow in. Hopefully, I can get to where he was at.”
Burgess has been privileged to have admirable role models to look up to. Unfortunately, two were taken from him too soon.
“They’re gone, they’re passed away, but I feel them right by my side, every time I’m going through hard times or when things are good,” Burgess says of Bubba and Stringer. “They keep me motivated, knowing how good of people they were. (They) keep me motivated to keep going.”
A Young Buck
Growing up in Warren, Burgess found himself in the heart of Buckeye country. Naturally, the son of Prescott Walters and Leslie Burgess was an Ohio State fan.
“He loved Ohio State,” Morgan says. “That’s all he talked about, was, ‘Ohio State this, Ohio State that.’ ”
Burgess himself admits that he wasn’t interested in Michigan until his junior year of high school. His cousin, Alfie Burch, played cornerback at Michigan from 1991-93. Burch made sure to plant Maize and Blue seeds in Burgess’s mind with an eye to the future.
“(Burch) used to tell me things about Michigan,” Burgess says. “Back then, I was worried about playing high school football. But, after I was all done, it started to pop into my head. He helped me lean toward Michigan.”
The Wolverines pursued Burgess relentlessly. According the Morgan, Michigan recruiters attended his football and basketball games, showing substantially more interest than the Buckeyes did in the five-star prospect. Strange, considering Burgess was ranked by Rivals.com as the nation’s top safety and the sixth-best player in the entire country. Morgan, who claims to despise Ohio State, lobbied for his younger cousin to choose Ann Arbor over Columbus when it came time to pick a school.
“I said, ‘You ain’t going nowhere but Michigan,’ ” Morgan says.
Burgess ultimately selected Michigan over Ohio State, Florida, Notre Dame and Tennessee. He cites the University’s academic reputation as a deciding factor.
“I visited both (Michigan and Ohio State),” Burgess says. “My family sat down with me and told me, ‘Pick the school where you know you’ll get the best education.’ And Michigan was the place for me.”
Hitting All Over the Field
Another obstacle awaited Burgess when he arrived in Ann Arbor as a freshman. Coach Lloyd Carr decided to switch the standout safety to inside linebacker. It wasn’t an easy transition.
“(Moving) from safety to linebacker, that’s a different world,” Carr said in October. “He had a lot to learn. He had a lot of things to fight through because everything was new, and yet, he has fought through. I think he is learning how to play from the snap of the football to when the whistle blows.”
Burgess worked with strength and conditioning coach Mike Gittleson to bulk up so he would be able to sustain the extra pounding he would see as a member of Michigan’s front seven. The newly minted linebacker transformed from a wispy 215-pound freshman to a formidable 232-pound sophomore to his current rock-solid 243 pounds through lifting and eating right. Learning to cook was made easier living with 331-pound defensive tackle Gabe Watson.
Burgess also shifted from inside to outside linebacker this season.
“It was hard at first,” says Burgess of shuffling positions. “Being at safety, you weren’t used to getting a blocker on you right away. But I got used to it, and I’m loving it now. It really doesn’t matter to me (where I’m playing), as long as I’m on the field and out there having fun.”
The experiment has been a smashing success. Burgess has made a name for himself this season by laying out opponents with explosive hits. Despite having trouble shedding blockers early in the season, he currently sits third on the team with 67 tackles — just five behind co-leaders David Harris and Grant Mason — and ranks tied for first among Wolverines with two forced fumbles. Pretty good for a player who had a combined 42 tackles in 17 games heading into this season.
“Prescott is a playmaker,” linebacker Chris Graham says. “He’s a hard guy who’s going to go in there and fight each play. When Prescott’s out there, I believe he’s going to do his job. He’s going to fight with all he has.”
Burgess seems to know what’s expected of him.
“My role is to bring some swagger and hard-nosed football into the program,” Burgess says. “I am happy just bringing liveliness to the defense and just making plays when I know that it counts.”
There’s No Place Like Home
Though he spent all last year away from home, Morgan told Burgess not to come back to Ohio last summer.
“He really didn’t need to be back there in Warren,” Morgan says. “It’s too much commotion. Somebody with his type of name, or just any kid, can get in trouble — just by hanging with the wrong people. I didn’t want that for him, and I don’t think he wants that for himself.”
Burgess had plenty of doubters in his hometown when he left for college. According to Morgan, some said Burgess would fail. That he wouldn’t make it at Michigan. That he wouldn’t “grade out.” For his part, Burgess doesn’t want to hear any of it.
“I really don’t pay attention to negative comments (in Warren),” Burgess says. “I do what I want to do. I make my own decisions, and my decision to come here was the best decision I ever made.”
Burgess still has his fair share of supporters back home, though. His football coach at Harding, Thom McDaniels, is a diehard Ohio State fan, but he’s remained loyal to his former star player.
“Every time I go home, I go see him,” Burgess says of McDaniels. “The first thing he tells me is what I need to work on or the things I’m doing good. He’s still behind me.”
Morgan is proud of his cousin’s determination since coming to college, both in the classroom and on the field.
“He’s doing better than a lot of people thought he would,” Morgan says. “He’s got his grades together, (and) he’s finally on the field playing. So everything is looking up for him. He’s proving (his critics) wrong.”
In spite of all the adversity, Prescott Burgess has persevered. He’s managed to fight through trying times and emerge as a success story.
If he happens to fall to the Michigan Stadium turf on Saturday, you can bet he won’t take much time to pick himself up.
Procrastination Station - Michigan Daily •FB
Procrastination Station
November 18, 2005
Ohio State 28
Michigan 42
Before every football game this season, two of the Daily’s football writers will take the weekend’s matchup to the PlayStation 2 and then let you know what happened.
• Play of the game — After the game was started for the second time, Matt took control by throwing a play-action pass to Michigan WR#15 for a 55-yard gain to set the tone for the blowout win
• Player of the game — For the first time this year, we have co-players of the game. These two guys kept Ohio State on their heels and made Ian look pretty stupid. Michigan WR#15 had six catches for 201 yards and a touchdown. Michigan RB #20 ran 15 times for 183 yards and two touchdowns.
Press conference quotes:
Ohio State coach Ian Herbert:
“What can I say, I really hate this. Week after week I lose to Matt. It would be one thing if I was never winning, but I beat Gabe every other week. Well, I guess that says more about Gabe than it does about me."
“I think it’s come time for me to contemplate retiring. Didn’t Ohio State fire John Cooper for never beating Michigan? Maybe I should be given the same treatment for never beating Matt. He beats me every time and it hasn’t been that close."
“I will say this, if WR #7 can consistently catch the ball, he’ll be great. But he just can’t.”
Michigan coach Matt Venegoni:
“Well I was a little surprised that we had to start this game over. I mean, it was a little ridiculous that Ian thought that we should start the game over again. But hey, you gotta roll with the punches."
“I really don’t have much to say, this isn’t a surprise for me. I’ve won every game this season, and it hasn’t really been much fun. Is this what it was like for the Roman emperors? Because, honestly, this is kind of boring."
“I just want to thank the Buckeyes for being easier than a two-dollar whore today — it was that easy. Ian was a nice guy about it though. He was pretty angry at first, but oh well, when you’re better than the competition that happens.”
Five best games in college football's greatest rivalry - Michigan Daily •FB
Five best games in college football's greatest rivalry
November 18, 2005
1950
The “Snow Bowl” of 1950 is one of the most well-documented contests of the rivalry. The contest included 45 punts. Despite never notching a first down, Michigan won the game, 9-3.
1969
Bo Schembechler made the Michigan football program what it is today. And his first season gave the rivalry its spice. No. 1 Ohio State came into the game rolling over opponents — the closest anyone came was a 35-6 Buckeye victory over Northwestern. But the Wolverines didn't roll over — the defense stayed tough and gave Michigan a 24-12 win.
1974
Michigan's placekicker missed a 33-yard kick that would have given the Wolverines a 13-12 lead with 18 seconds left. Despite the Wolverines dominating yardage, Ohio State had more reliable special teams, booting four field goals in the 12-10 win for the No. 4 Buckeyes. The win gave each team a share of the Big Ten championship, but Ohio State won a vote of the athletics directors to go to the Rose Bowl.
1997
In 1997, No. 1 Michigan had one last obstacle before heading to the Rose Bowl — No. 4 Ohio State. Junior Charles Woodson already had a spectacular season but did not yet have his Heisman- defining play. But his 78-yard punt return helped clinch award for the Woodson and the game for Michigan.
2002
Going into the 2002 matchup, the Buckeyes had notched a number of last-minute wins. This game was no different. Despite dominating many parts of the game, the Wolverines lost when Ohio State safety Will Allen intercepted John Navarre’s last-second touchdown pass attempt.
As usual, media blitz precedes ‚'Big Game' - Michigan Daily •FB
As usual, media blitz precedes ‚'Big Game'
By Gabe Edelson, Daily Sports Writer
November 18, 2005
Michigan and Ohio State players aren’t the only ones who have been working extra hard in preparation for the 102nd meeting between the Wolverines and Buckeyes tomorrow. Michigan’s Athletic Media Relations personnel have also been swamped with credential requests and the immense task of preparing for the imminent press blitz.
“When they say it’s the ‘Big Game,’ it really is, in terms of the national exposure and the national and regional media that cover this game,” said David Ablauf, sports information director for football. “It’s the most visible game in college football. From a media standpoint, there’s often more media that cover the Michigan-Ohio State game than cover bowl games.”
This year, the Athletic Media Relations office has issued nearly 1,000 media credentials, a figure significantly higher than for other games on Michigan’s schedule, but typical for a contest in the storied rivalry. Ablauf expects no fewer than seven pre-game television shows to air live on location outside Michigan Stadium.
“The amount of interest in this game is enormous,” Ablauf said. “There’s always been something on the line. It’s a great border war, it’s a great rivalry game, and there’s always been a title of some nature on the line when this game is played. I think that’s what continues to add to it, as well as the fact that it’s the last game of the year for both teams.”
Ablauf cites 1997 and 2003 as the years with the most media attention in recent memory. The former was Michigan’s national championship season, and the latter was the rivalry’s 100th game. But this year’s television coverage situation is unprecedented. ABC will broadcast the game nationally to all but five states: Washington, Oregon, California, New Mexico and Nevada. If necessary, ESPN will break into its coverage of Virginia Tech at Virginia — which starts at noon — to air Michigan-Ohio State in the West Coast markets that don’t get the game on ABC.
“This is the first time that ESPN has ever done a split regional,” Ablauf said.
Even international viewers will be able to watch on television.
Westwood One will broadcast the game nationally on the radio, while out-of-town print publications — including The New York Times, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Chicago Tribune — will descend on the Big House press box en masse.
“It’s not the largest press box anymore — by any stretch — to accommodate a huge crowd,” Ablauf said. “I think that’s the one thing that’s hopefully (going to improve in) the future, is to be able to accommodate the big type of crowds. We’re getting to the point where we’re getting maxed out in terms of space in order to accommodate the media for these games.”
Several bowl game representatives will also be on-hand to watch the proceedings. Although neither Michigan nor Ohio State has any chance to contend for the national championship, the Rose Bowl will still send staffers to watch.
“The Rose Bowl always comes to the Michigan-Ohio State game, regardless if it is the national title game,” Ablauf said. “They’re very supportive of this conference, like they are with the Pac-10.”
The Orange, Fiesta, Capital One, Outback and Alamo bowls will also send delegates to Michigan Stadium.
Unlike in previous years, ESPN’s “College GameDay” on-campus studio show will stay away from Ann Arbor. Instead, the production will air from East Lansing, where Penn State can lock up an outright Big Ten title by beating Michigan State. But that won’t lessen the load too much for Athletic Media Relations.
“Our whole entire office staff pitches in and really helps,” Ablauf said. “I think that’s a huge factor in why we can put on games like this. Our offices are well-equipped and have done this so many years that everyone knows how to handle this. It’s a total team effort, from top to bottom.”
Associate athletic director Bruce Madej remembers a caravan of satellite trucks so large a few years ago that he had to park a few himself on the Friday morning before the game.
“We have huge media crowds for Notre Dame and Michigan State,” Madej said. “But remember, when we have a Michigan State media crowd, rarely do we get all the big national groups in. … The game itself is definitely high-pressure for everybody. But that’s what makes it interesting.
Michigan-Ohio State showdown may hinge on specialists - CSTV (Michigan Daily) •FB
Michigan-Ohio State showdown may hinge on specialists
By Gabe Edelson Michigan Daily
Ann Arbor, MI (U-WIRE) -- The pivotal play in last year's Michigan-Ohio State game occurred with neither Wolverines quarterback Chad Henne nor Buckeyes signal-caller Troy Smith on the field. Braylon Edwards and Mike Hart were also on the sideline. Ohio State starting running back Lydell Ross was nowhere to be found.
With just five minutes gone in the second half and the Buckeyes leading, 20-14, former Michigan punter Adam Finley booted a 48-yard bomb inside Ohio State's 20-yard line. The Buckeyes' punt returner, then-freshman Ted Ginn Jr., put some moves on a few would-be tacklers before breaking free and outrunning the rest of the Wolverines' coverage unit for an 82-yard touchdown gallop. The Buckeyes took a commanding 13-point lead and quickly widened the gap, eventually downing Michigan 37-21.
"(Ginn) ripped our hearts out when he scored," said linebacker David Harris, who saw his only action that day on the punt team. "He was the fastest man on the field, and nobody was able to catch him."
Harris's recollection calls attention to a crucial but frequently underappreciated part of football: special teams.
Well-executed punts and kickoffs can strongly influence a game's outcome by giving a team a field-position advantage. Missed tackles, poor kick-coverage and long returns can blow a game wide open in a matter of seconds. Field goals and extra points have an obvious impact on the score and can also affect the flow of a game.
Special teams have played an especially huge role in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry. The last two Wolverines to win the Heisman Trophy, Charles Woodson and Desmond Howard, are remembered largely for punt returns against the Buckeyes. Woodson's 78-yard return for a touchdown in 1997 and Howard's 93-yard scoring sprint in 1991 rank among the most memorable plays in Michigan history.
"Looking back at the history of this game since I've been in it, special teams almost always play a critical role in winning or losing," coach Lloyd Carr said. "I think every player understands that on every single play, there is an opportunity to make something happen or there is a chance to make a mistake. Everybody understands that every single play is important, and any time two teams play with that mindset, normally it means great intensity and a great football game."
Both Ohio State and Michigan boast game-breaking personnel on special teams this year. Ginn still handles the kickoff and punt return duties for the Buckeyes, and although his numbers are down from last year -- when he led the nation with 25.6 yards per punt return and scored four touchdowns, compared to this year's 12.2-yard average and one score -- he remains one of the most exciting big-play threats in the country. Ginn ranks in the top five in the Big Ten for both punt and kickoff returns, and Ohio State receiver Santonio Holmes averages an impressive 14.7 yards per punt return. The Buckeyes rank first in kickoff returns in the Big Ten.
"Ohio State has explosive returners," said receiver Carl Tabb, who returns kickoffs and plays on the kick-coverage unit. "They have their best players on special teams, which creates problems for other teams. ... Ted Ginn is probably one of the best returners I've seen. But, to be honest with you, one man doesn't make or break a unit."
Michigan's Steve Breaston picked up most of his 201 all-purpose yards in last week's game against Indiana on returns. The redshirt junior receiver provides the Wolverines with a similarly gifted athlete on special teams. After getting off to a slow start this season due to injury, Breaston has turned in some tremendous performances recently. A 52-yard touchdown catch at Iowa and a 95-yard kickoff return for a score against Minnesota provided a glimpse of what Breaston is capable of.
"I think certainly we've got to do a great job preparing for their return game, and certainly Steve is a weapon for us," Carr said. "That dimension makes for a great football game. ... Certainly when you have skilled people like Ohio State has, like we have, you have an opportunity to create great field position (and) you have an opportunity to create great momentum shifts."
When it comes to the kicking game, the Buckeyes have a couple fresh faces this season. Sixth-year senior Josh Huston has replaced last year's placekicker, Mike Nugent, who now plays for the New York Jets. Huston leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage and scoring among kickers, and he hasn't missed a field goal shorter than 49 yards all season. Redshirt freshman A.J. Trapasso has taken over punting duties from Kyle Turano, and he's averaging over 40 yards per attempt.
Michigan placekicker Garrett Rivas sits second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage and field goals per game. Kickoff specialist Ross Ryan has boomed 35 of his 59 kickoffs for touchbacks while averaging 38.6 yards per attempt as the Wolverines' punter this season.
Both Michigan and Ohio State know that errors on special teams must be minimized on Saturday.
"I can't make any mistakes," Tabb said. "My mistakes may cost my team a touchdown or the game, and that is not something that I'm willing to put on my shoulders. So when it comes to practicing this week, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I'm not the one that makes a crucial mistake at a critical time."
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Bo and Earle - The Men Behind the Games - The Ozone •FB
Earle Bruce and Bo Schembechler on The Game
By Tom Orr and John Porentas
Bo and Earle - The Men Behind the Games
Bo Schembechler and Earle Bruce spent nine years facing each other across the field as head coaches.
Their series was every bit as tight as the 10-Year War between Schembechler and Woody Hayes; Bruce beat Michigan five times, Schembechler beat Bruce’s Buckeyes four times.
But even at the height of their rivalry, both men said there was always a great respect for the guy on the other sideline.
“I like Earle, and I respect him,” Schembechler said. “I’ll tell you one thing about Earle Bruce: Ohio State never appreciated, in my judgement, the coaching ability of Earle Bruce. He was tough to beat. He was an excellent, excellent football coach.”
Bruce was similarly impressed with Schembechler.
“I would say great respect for his ability to coach, and he and I were friendly,” Bruce said.
“Bo was a graduate assistant when I was a player. Bo had a great personality. Bo is a smiling guy that is a tough coach, a demanding coach, intimidates the officials, does everything to win a football game, a helluva competitor, teaches football, makes them tough, makes them hit, did the best job of defending our best play.
“If we had a best play, he stopped that best play. We had to have a counter to the best play every time we went into that, whether it was a pass or this or that, inside play or outside play, but we had to have something that would (work) if he shut that down.
“We would always look to him to come blitzing at us to stop us. He’d give us a complete sell-out if he had to stop us and win.”
However, Bruce said the rivalry could get in the way at times.
“I think when you’re the coach at Ohio State and the coach at Michigan there’s a little standoffishness in the sense of as soon as that’s over, you can have a close relationship.
“But it’s one of competitors, one of knowing that both sides are going to try and win that football game. And if you’re recruiting against one another, you’re (an S.O.B) and I'm (an S.O.B), because it means if you get that football player you’ll win.
“Other than that, his teams were well-coached, he coached an ethical game of football, all within the rules, no steroids, no cheating, no anything. You could look for Michigan to be everything a team could be and then some.”
That mutual respect did not, however, mean that either man was happy to see the other on the opposing sideline. In truth, it was quite the opposite.
Schembechler said, “When you asked me who I was most glad to see leave Ohio State, I was most glad to see Earle Bruce leave. He was the toughest guy I was playing against since Woody left on any of these Big Ten teams. That son of a gun could coach.”
In a separate interview, Bruce was asked which person he was happiest to see leave the Michigan program.
He thought for a while before answering, “Actually, I would rather have seen Bo go than anybody, retire, not fired, because he’s the best.”
The men had much more than that mutual admiration in common. They both also experienced the rivalry first-hand as assistants under Woody Hayes. That experience helped shape the way they approached the game.
In Schembechler’s case, he learned all about the intensity of the rivalry in his first year as a graduate assistant.
“I graduated from Miami (of Ohio), and he was my coach,” Schembechler said.
“He went to Ohio State and I went with him as a GA. I’ll never forget after the (1951) Michigan game; Michigan beat us 7-0. We’re in his house on Sunday afternoon looking at the film, and he got so mad he threw the projector and everything. I’ll never forget (him saying), ‘I will not subject the people of Columbus to a team like that.’ He was mad.
“Of course, they wanted to get rid of him after that year. That was 1951, and by 1954 he had put together a system of football and a program that won the national title.”
Schembechler said he knew what the most important part of the Michigan coach’s job was, even before taking over the program.
“When I went to Michigan, in my first staff meeting, I kept two guys from the staff,” Schembechler said.
“I brought the rest of my staff from Miami (of Ohio, where he had coached) and none of them had ever coached in the Big Ten. But I knew the Big Ten, I had coached in it; I was with Ara (Parsegian) for two years at Northwestern, and a (graduate assistant) with Woody for a year, then coached with him for five years before I went to Miami.
“I told those guys, ‘keep one thing in mind: We’re not here to beat Indiana. We’re not here to beat Northwestern. We’re here to beat one and only one team: Woody Hayes and Ohio State. So we’re going to do something every day, maybe it’s just talk about them, but we’re going to do something every day to beat Ohio State.
“And we did that. But I lost to Michigan State that year,” he said.
That level of preparation and dedication to beating the Buckeyes carried on throughout Schembechler’s Michigan career.
“During that 10-year period, Ohio State and Michigan were so dominant that we could pretty much go through that Big Ten, and we did. We kind of wiped out those guys until it came down to the last game. Not always, but most of the time.”
The story was much the same down in Columbus for Bruce and his Buckeyes.
“When Coach Hayes was alive, and that was for every one except the last football game, he wouldn't let you forget it was Michigan week, he wouldn't let me forget that Michigan was coming up, at practice, in the spring, he taught me that.
“He taught me to practice on Mondays, he taught me that everything was Michigan because Michigan is The Game! Anyone that thinks Michigan isn't The Game can't coach at Ohio State, because it is THE game.”
For Bruce, beating Michigan was a daily obsession.
“You've got to think about beating Michigan. That's the salvation of the football coach. You either walk the alleys (if you lose), or walk Broad and High (if you win). You got it?”
Q & A With Tom Orr on The Game (Part 2) - The Ozone •FB
Q & A With Tom Orr on The Game
By The O-Zone
Tom (The OZone): What do you expect out of Hart on Saturday?
Brian (mgoblog):This is more of a question about the offensive line than Hart. Hart will pick his holes well, dodge more than his fair share of tacklers, and get run down by the Buckeye linebackers if they’re unblocked. Too often this year the four yards he makes from nothing have merely prevented a four yard loss.
I don’t think Hart’s game, which relies on brilliant field vision, shifty moves, and surprising after-contact power, matches up well against the Buckeye defense and their active linebackers, but I didn’t think it matched up well against Penn State, either, and he had a very solid day against one of the nation’s best run defenses (23 for 108 and 4 catches for 40 against the #8 run D). Michigan’s favorite play for him is the draw, which minimizes the offensive line’s inability to move opponents out of holes or pull effectively and lets Hart’s vision and cutting come to the forefront. This was even effective against the Penn State front seven, which appears to be nearly OSU’s equal.
That does provide some hope, but realistically it’s going to be a tough slog for Hart and a lot of second and long. Hart was largely shut down last year by the same team behind the same offensive line. I think he’ll do better but I would be ecstatic with a 25 carry performance that just squeaks over the 100 yard barrier. I don’t expect it.
Tom (The OZone): What the heck do you think is wrong with Henne, and which one (Good Henne/Bad Henne) are we going to see this week?
Brian (mgoblog):Unfortunately I don’t think there’s a Good Henne/Bad Henne dichotomy any longer. There’s just Henne. He’s been effective when the opposing DBs are forced to play off and he can screen his opponents to death or hit Avant on slants and crossing routes, but he’s been wildly inaccurate for much of the year and has trouble finding receivers on a regular basis. He’s made a large number of inexplicably bad decisions—see the end of the Penn State game for reference—has missed enough open receivers to cost the team at least one game, and has been consistently inconsistent.
He still has a gun for an arm and has the ability to rifle the ball like the second coming of John Elway, though. And he’s got the wide receiver screen down pat. Expect more of the same from him this week. He’ll alternate brilliant throws that will make his NFL draft highlight reel with balls that sail yards off target. Loeffler was reputed to have spent the bye week(s) breaking down and reconstructing his throwing motion and he did look much better against Indiana, but we’ll have to see whether that takes or not.
Tom (The OZone): Who's the one player on that offense who you can least afford to lose?
Brian (mgoblog):Can I pick two? I can’t choose between Avant and Hart. I’ll go with Avant because I expect the running game to be unrepentantly mediocre against the Buckeye defense no matter who’s getting the carries. Avant provides critical reliability for a unit that has had a vast shortage of that quality all year. He has the ability to turn Henne’s inaccurate bullets into impossible first downs and has underrated burst after receiving the ball. He’s a terrific player who does not get nearly the credit he deserves. If Henne wasn’t bound and determined to throw it three yards wide of him whenever he gets open on a corner route in the endzone, he’d have Braylonesque statistics, though without the flair.
He also blocks like a mother (this week he hilariously claimed to be a better blocker than receiver, in which case he should replace Matt Lentz at RG), which is critical for the profusion of wide receiver screens that we’ve run all year. I don’t think there’s a more underrated player in the league.
Tom (The OZone): Where do Avant/Breaston/Manningham rank on the list of receiving units in the Big Ten?
Brian (mgoblog):High up there, but that’s partially because only OSU and maybe Iowa have excellent corps this year. I’d place them behind OSU. I’ve discussed Avant. Breaston’s proven that he’s not a tremendous downfield threat since he treats balls thrown over his shoulder like punts but he still has that ability to change direction like those motorcycles from Tron. Manningham is like a Breaston who can burn you deep but he doesn’t really know the routes yet—an interception in the Iowa game was clearly his fault and his playing time has been sparing despite his obvious ability. Collectively their numbers are not impressive, but they’ve done all they can. Henne’s missed a large number of open wide receivers this year.
They’re good. They can run after the catch and they’re a major reason that Michigan’s managed to putter through its schedule despite Henne’s disappointing year, but without Braylon they are missing the long ball in a major way. Other than Manningham’s 30-ish yard touchdown against Penn State Michigan has not completed anything that can be classified as a bomb all year, and that’s largely on the wideouts. They have their strengths but that’s their major drawback.
Tom (The OZone): What's going to run through your head when Troy Smith drops back to pass, doesn't see anyone open and tucks it to run? Panic? Confidence?
Brian (mgoblog):Compared to last year I’m much more confident—faint praise perhaps—but it’ll depend heavily on down and distance. Michigan’s implemented a delayed blitz scheme that has Michigan dropping eight momentarily and keeping David Harris as a spy on a lot the second and third and mediums that a scrambling quarterback can convert. That scheme has worked well. In those instances I welcome a Smith scramble because Harris has done a great job tracking opponents down this year and nothing good comes out of a quarterback throwing against a three-man rush.
If Michigan is not in this spy alignment, however, Smith will find success and I will curse the illegitimately gained first downs he’ll get just by improvising. I expect this will happen with some frequency, but since our safeties tend to do things like prevent 50 yard runs this year I won’t be terrified of a backbreaking giant gain. At least, I won’t until it happens a couple times.
Tom (The OZone): How is Michigan going to defend Holmes/Ginn/Gonzalez?
Brian (mgoblog):They’ll lay back. Michigan’s had some aggressive play from the corners this year but this has usually been against teams with sketchy downfield passing games and receivers that don’t have warp drive. Expect an unholy ton of zone coverages with some man mixed in. They won’t be aggressive enough for my tastes but they’ll attempt to get to the quarterback with just their defensive line. That doesn’t seem like a bad bet with Woodley, Branch, Woods, and Watson going up against what seems like a bit of a patchwork unit (one that could not handle Tamba Hali at all, for instance). Even though Alex Boone was a heavily hyped recruit, he’s still a true freshman with a major player opposite him. Michigan will have to exploit that matchup.
Another reason for the zone: to keep Smith’s scrambling in check. Expect to see a ton of it.
Tom (The OZone): If you were a Michigan coach, how much would you play John Thompson instead of Chris Graham this week?
Brian (mgoblog):Thompson would play on every down that seems to be a clear running situation and every time the Buckeyes line up in a conventional I-formation. Graham has been a disappointment this year. He can’t fight off blocks and has frequently taken the wrong hole or sat passively, waiting for the play (and the blocker) to come to him. The Iowa game was an eye opener: Albert Young gashed the Michigan defense with Graham on the field but when Thompson came on in the second half his effectiveness was greatly reduced. Thompson still missed some tackles, but even on those plays the difference between the two was apparent. Thompson would slip past a blocker and barely miss making a nice play, while Graham would wave an arm trying to fend off a blocker he can’t handle.
When the Buckeyes spread the field I would expect redshirt freshman nickelback Morgan Trent to come on in place of the third linebacker anyway. Graham may not play much at all.
Tom (The OZone): Your thoughts on kicking to Ginn/Holmes?
Brian (mgoblog):The same as your thoughts on kicking to Breaston: don’t. I think Michigan will do a much better job preventing opportunities in the return game than they did last year. The key is the new punter/kickoff guy Ross Ryan. Most of Ryan’s kickoffs get five yards into the endzone and only about a quarter of his punts are returned. Those few that are returned are not returned far: Michigan has halved the average yardage it yields per return. I’d be surprised to see Ohio State get more than a couple cracks at returning anything.
There’s a tradeoff there in that Ryan’s punts are usually quite short—don’t expect any 50 yard boomers—but I’ll take it after what happened last year.
Tom (The OZone): Take the scenario I laid out in my answers: Michigan is down 2 points in the final seconds, the wind is swirling and Garret Rivas is lining up for a potentially game-winning 44-yard field goal. How are you feeling?
Brian (mgoblog):Couldn’t it be 34 yards on a calm day? Obviously I’m panicking, as that’s right on the edge of his range and this year he’s shown that Hayden Epstein knack for missing field goals at the wrong time. That’s 50-50, maybe 60-40 in favor of Michigan. Thus I’m feeling like God owes me for injuring Mike Hart and will guide the field goal home.
Tom (The OZone): Finally, let’s hear it—what do you see happening on Saturday?
Brian (mgoblog): I also don't have a read on this game. It's hard to tell which Ohio State offense is the real Ohio State offense. I don't know if Hart and Long are healthy. I don't know if Henne's going to hit the open receivers he finds, or if he'll have time to find them.
But let's try anyway. When Michigan is on offense, I think our guards are going to get their butts kicked on a regular basis. The running game is not going to work very well, so Michigan will look elsewhere for moderate yards on first down. Expect a lot of wide receiver screens and misdirection plays like Michigan started breaking out against Northwestern and Indiana. I think Michigan will try to get the ball in Breaston, Bass, and Manningham's hands on a regular basis and see what happens. I don't think they'll be able to drive the field more than once or twice, but I think Michigan will get enough plays from their collection of fast guys to score about 20 points.
Defensively, Michigan won't give up the monster plays they did a year ago but it will be at the expense of aggressiveness. Blitzing will be infrequent. Michigan will rely on the defensive line to pressure Smith into mistakes and will task David Harris with spying on him. Lamarr Woodley and Alan Branch will have to win their matchups against the Ohio State tackles to prevent Holmes and Ginn from running downfield unfettered. I think that's the key matchup in the entire game. They'll do well but not well enough to shut down the Buckeyes entirely.
I think this one is going to be a nailbiter every step of the way. Rivas kicks a 44-yard field goal at the buzzer to win. I guide it in with my mind as I discover that I have telekinetic powers. Michigan 23-21. I levitate home.
Q & A With Tom Orr on The Game - The Ozone •FB
Q & A With Tom Orr on The Game
By The-Ozone Staff
With kickoff of The Game less than 48 hours away, the OZone decided to get the enemy’s perspective on what to expect on Saturday.
Tom Orr exchanged e-mails with Brian from Mgoblog who has managed to overcome his clear educational shortcomings (kidding… kidding) to run one of the most popular independent Michigan sites on the internet.
The topics ranged from the season on the whole, to injuries, to predictions for the game.
As the representative of the home team, Brian got to ask the first questions.
Brian (mgoblog): You've watched every Michigan game this year. What were your personal expectations going into the season? Do you think Michigan has underachieved?
Tom (The OZone): Going into the year, I thought this was a pretty typical Michigan team—probably two losses somewhere along the line, but solid on both sides of the ball. I also thought that there was a chance (not a great chance, but a chance), given their schedule, that they could run the table.
OSU at home, Penn State at home, Notre Dame at home, Minnesota at home… that’s the recipe for a great year. The only glaring landmine was playing Iowa in Kinnick Stadium.
Remember, before the year the trip to Madison didn’t look particularly daunting to most people, myself included.
Going on the basis of my expectation of a two-loss season, I don’t really think it’s fair to say this team has underachieved. There are people every year who think teams are going to run the table, then get all ticked off when it doesn’t happen.
This team had some question marks, especially on defense, and I don’t think perfection is a fair standard to hold them to. That was a miscalculation by the prognosticators, not a bad season by the team.
The notion of underachieving is particularly unfair when you consider the injuries this team has suffered this year. It’s pretty remarkable when you think about it; for at least a stretch of a few games, and in some cases for the majority of the season, this team lost its star tailback (Mike Hart), arguably its best offensive lineman (Jake Long), another offensive lineman (Mike Kolodziej), its biggest offensive play-maker (Steve Breaston, who I’m convinced was about 75% all year), one of its promising wide receivers (Adrian Arrington), its best defensive lineman (LaMarr Woodley), and three safeties (Ryan Mundy, Willis Barringer, Brandent Englemon). That doesn’t even get into losing Lawrence Reid in the spring, getting about a half of a season out of Gabe Watson, and all the other dings, bangs and bumps to guys like Jeremy Van Alstyne, Chris Graham, etc.
Looking back, I think this team has been more crippled by injuries than any Michigan team since 1984. That team never really circled the wagons and finished 6-6. This team is going into the final weekend of the season with the entirely realistic possibility of playing in a BCS bowl game.
I think the idea that they’ve underachieved is probably more than a little misguided.
Brian (mgoblog): Obviously the offense has been a major disappointment. In my tape reviews I've singled out Henne and the interior offensive line as the major sources of the problems. Do you think that's accurate?
Tom (The OZone): I think the problems for this offense all start with that line, and again, some of that has to be chalked up to losing Long for most of the year (he still hasn’t played an entire game), and losing other guys for parts of the season.
When you’ve got a guy like Rueben Riley playing right tackle, you’re going to have problems running the ball and protecting the passer, and that’s what Michigan had to deal with for a bunch of weeks in the middle of the season. Riley’s probably not a bad fit in the middle of that line somewhere, but he just looked completely out-classed against some of the better defensive ends in the league.
I think to some degree, Matt Lentz has followed David Baas’ footsteps as a guy who was highly touted, but sometimes failed to live up to the hype. Kraus (at center) has been banged up and is still in his first year as a starter. Henige at the other guard position has been okay, but far from outstanding. Stenavich has been pretty good, but he’s only one guy.
Michigan’s line is an above-average Big Ten unit, but they’re not anywhere in the neighborhood of some of the dominant, road-grader lines they’ve had in the past. That makes it tougher to run the ball, which in turn makes it tougher to throw the ball.
It seems like whenever Hart gets a handoff, he either gets hit at the line or about a yard or two downfield. To his credit, he gets low and drives through guys and always falls forward, so you look at the stat sheet and he’s averaging 4.7 per rush. But he’s really earning those yards.
In the passing game, Henne’s not getting hammered by pass rushers, but it seems like he’s getting knocked down a little more this year than in the last couple seasons (I don’t know if the stats will bear that out—it’s just something that has occurred to me at times this fall).
Certainly, Henne has had his struggles. He looked dreadful against Notre Dame and dreadful again in Wisconsin. He’s clearly got some mechanical issues that they’ve supposedly been working through (arm angle, release point and stride length have all been mentioned this year), but I remain convinced that Hart’s absence has had at least something to do with Henne’s issues.
His worst games have come on days when Hart is not playing; you can chalk that up to some mental dependence on Hart or the fact that his absence allows defenses to focus more on the passing game, but I think there’s a definite link there.
I know you’re not a big believer in that “security blanket” theory, but we keep hearing how Hart is such a commanding presence in the huddle, and how guys look into his eyes and get inspired… blah, blah, blah. If there’s any truth at all to that, one would think that when he’s not there, there would be some negative effect from the loss of that presence/ those eyes… whatever.
Brian (mgoblog): Ohio State's defense has been almost entirely impregnable save for that strange 31 point outburst by Minnesota that featured 396 yards for Brian Friggin' Cupito. How the hell did that happen? Is there anything there that Michigan will be looking to exploit?
Tom (The OZone): The Minnesota game was sort of a weird confluence of circumstances that added up to an ugly performance.
For one, the defense was obviously keyed primarily toward stopping the run, leaving the corners out on islands on a lot of plays. Also, Minnesota’s receivers (especially Ernie Wheelwright) are tall, and can create matchup problems on jump-balls, even against a 6-foot-1 corner like Ashton Youboty. Add in the fact that Bryan Cupito played the game of his life and you have a recipe for an offensive explosion.
I haven’t watched that tape since the week of that game, but I remember one of the times Youboty got beat, he tried to jump a quick out, and the guy gave him double-move and got deep for a big play. On at least one of the deep balls, Cupito just shot-putted one up into pretty good coverage, and the Minnesota receiver came back and made a great play (that was the one that got them down to the 1 and set up a touchdown). It wasn’t like he was constantly missing tackles or getting toasted deep on every other play.
Of course, what set that up was Minnesota’s ability to run the ball. Maroney had a long run and put up 100 yards before the half. That forced the Buckeyes to dedicate more guys to stopping that run game and left them vulnerable deep.
Certainly, Michigan will be looking to do the same this week. If they can get Hart established early, that could set up some big plays in the passing game.
Michigan State did the same thing, running the ball decently early then using the eerily-accurate Drew Stanton to get it downfield. If Henne plays the way Stanton did in that first half, there’s no way to defend it.
You can throw on this defense, but you need to be able to run the ball a little, and your quarterback needs to be pretty accurate. Stanton carved this team up because he was hitting guys on the numbers all day and getting time to throw.
Last week another pretty good quarterback, Brett Basanez, had about three good minutes, then spent much of the rest of the day running for his life, throwing into tight coverage and piling up wildly unimpressive numbers.
The defense is not consistently terrible like Michigan State’s, but if you can do certain things well, you can attack them.
Brian (mgoblog): It seems like Ohio State's extremely thin at corner past Youboty. Tyler Everett's a converted safety and then you guys have who exactly?
Tom (The OZone): A true freshman named Malcolm Jenkins has been playing a lot this year. He didn’t play last week, and was shuffled down the depth chart this week, but if he can go, he’s a decent cover guy.
You’ll see Brandon Mitchell, who’s one of the backup safeties, on the field as the nickelback Saturday. There’s another true freshman, Jamario O’Neal, who has played on some passing downs this year.
Generally, I would guess that the defense is going to try to keep its strength (the linebackers) on the field as much as possible, even if it means playing a 4-3-4 consistently against a three-wide receiver set.
You might not see much of that cornerback depth unless someone gets hurt.
Brian (mgoblog): Michigan's running game has been good with Hart and mediocre without him, but this week they're clashing with an entirely different animal than your Northwesterns and Indianas. Assuming Hart is fully healthy, how do you think he'll do relative to last year (around 3 YPC for 60 yards and one 40 yard screen)?
Tom (The OZone): I’m not necessarily the person to ask, because I didn’t think Chris Perry was going to be able to run on the Buckeye defense two years ago. However, assuming Hart is 100% or close to it, I think he would be hard-pressed not to match or top last year’s numbers.
There is a significant question in my mind about just how rusty he’s going to be, and how healthy he is. I know he’s probably running in practice all week, but the holes he’s seeing on Wednesday are going to look a lot different from the size of the holes he’ll see Saturday (at least I sure hope they do). He’s still relatively young and has really never gotten himself into a groove at any point this season.
Still, he’s a good back. As I mentioned before, he’s going to fall forward for a few yards even if you hit him right in the hole. If this defense form-tackles all afternoon (they have shown that they know how, but occasionally forget), they could contain him, maybe even holding him to 75-100 yards.
If Hart gets more than 130 yards, Michigan almost certainly wins.
Brian (mgoblog): How can I put this diplomatically... how in the damn hell is Troy Smith the fourth most efficient passer in the nation? His statistics are somewhat mindboggling: 10 completions for 249 yards versus MSU, 114 for 226 versus Indiana, 14 for 233 against Minnesota, 13 for 298 against Illinois. How much of that is Smith, how much is it Ginn and Holmes, and how much is four crappy defenses?
Tom (The OZone): I’m going to have to give the Abe Simpson “a little from column A, a little from column B” routine, along with another couple columns thrown into the mix as well.
Column A: It’s almost certainly partly the fact that Smith has settled in as the full-time starting quarterback, getting all the reps and “not looking over your shoulder” confidence that comes with that lofty perch.
Column B: It doesn’t hurt that guys like Ginn and Holmes have repeatedly shown the ability to take a 10-yard out and turn it into a 60-yard touchdown pass.
Column C: Part of that is the fact that Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan State, Northwestern and Illinois are not exactly the ’85 Chicago Bears on the defensive side of the field. Especially in the MSU game, it was crappy tackling that helped Smith throw for eleventy billion yards on just a handful of short routes.
Column D: Antonio Pittman’s emergence (may be somewhat linked to column C, above), which has forced defenses to respect the fact that yes, Ohio State actually has a tailback who’s good at tackle football for the first time in three years.
Frankly, I don’t think that anyone can tell you what the exact mixture of these four elements is. There’s probably at least some of each factored in there.
And with all due respect to the fine folks they’ll face on Saturday, if the offense blows up for another orgy of points and yardage, I think there will still be some lingering questions from a few corners about just how good they really are. Unless they get a chance to face Miami or some other similarly stout defensive team in a bowl game, I think it may remain one of those great unanswered questions.
If they get shut down this weekend, we will have our answer. Of course, I won’t be too concerned about that, as I’ll be on top of the press box at Michigan Stadium trying to figure out if the impact with the ground will allow me the sweet, merciful release of death or just add extreme physical pain to the mental and emotion anguish that will already be coursing through my body.
Brian (mgoblog): How good is this offense in reality? It's hard to tell with the last five games against pushover defenses. (Granted, Michigan did not burn the field up against Minnesota.)
Tom (The OZone): Well… we know they’re damn good against shaky defenses. This (and the next question) all really have the same answer as the last one.
I like the fact that the offensive line is getting a good push. I like the fact that Troy Smith now looks like he’s taking time to at least get to the second receiver on his progressions before tucking and running with the ball. I like the fact that Pittman is suddenly blowing people up, running over guys, and running past others. I like the fact that the coaches seem to be making a real effort to get guys like the tight ends and backs involved in the passing game.
I think their consistency over the last month has been an indication that they’re at least a good offense. Are they great? I’d love to be arguing this point next week with another 40 point game on the list of evidence.
Brian (mgoblog): I have essentially the same question about Antonio Pittman: is he for real? He's ran wild of late--against those sketchy defenses--but Penn State and Texas clobbered him pretty good. How would you rate him in the Big Ten?
Tom (The OZone): He’s behind Maroney, for sure. He’s behind a healthy Michael Hart (remember him?) as well. Calhoun has been so good this year, but a lot of it came against dreadful defenses.
Beyond that? I have a hard time getting too scared about Albert Young, Tony Hunt, Jarod Void, Jason Teague, or any of the other guys in that next clump of “good but not great” backs.
Based on what we’ve seen out of Pittman over the last month or so, I think you could make a decent argument that he’s number three or four on the list, and maybe even a spot higher if you take Hart’s injuries into account.
Brian (mgoblog): How has the offensive line performed, especially true freshman Alex Boone? How do you think they'll hold up against the Michigan defensive line?
Tom (The OZone): Boone has been a pleasant surprise, at least to me. All the recruitniks had him pencilled in as a first-year starter, but given the incredibly unreliable nature of recruiting and recruiting coverage, I was a little leery of lumping him in as “the next Orlando Pace” rather than “the next Derek Morris.”
I don’t know how much you’re going to see Boone. He was really playing recently because the normal RT, Kirk Barton, was banged up. He was back last week in some spot duty. You’ll probably see some combination of the two on Saturday. That could help them stay fresh against LaMarr Woodley, which would make me happy.
The line on the whole has been pretty good this year—they’re opening holes and giving Smith time to throw. I don’t think they’re going to blow Michigan’s line off the ball by any stretch of the imagination, but I think they’re going to be able to move the ball on the ground at least somewhat reliably (4 ypc, maybe? Please?).
I know Alan Branch and Gabe Watson have looked great at times, but Woodley is the guy on Michigan’s d-line that just scares the crap out of you. I would assume that OSU will keep a back or TE in to help block, at least until they can figure out how reliably they’ll be able to contain him without the extra assistance.
Brian (mgoblog): Do you think Michigan has a better handle on mobile quarterbacks?
Tom (The OZone): Better? Sure, but that’s like saying France has a better handle on defending against Germany. “Better” doesn’t set the bar very high.
Troy Smith is not going to go off for 175 rushing yards or whatever he had last year, simply because I think Michigan is going to sell out to stop that from happening. There’s going to be at least one spy on him on every play.
Mobile quarterbacks have still given that defense some problems this year, especially when they’re able to roll out and throw.
The problem is not fixed, but it won’t be nearly as glaring an issue on Saturday. My guess is that Smith should finish with 50-60 yards rushing. If he gets more than that, the Wolverines could be in trouble.
Brian (mgoblog): How do you think Ohio State will attack the Michigan defense?
Tom (The OZone): Based on the fact that I think Michigan is going to sell itself out to stop Pittman and Smith from running the ball, the Buckeyes probably have to stretch the field a little bit early to keep those safeties from creeping up. If I was Jim Tressel, I would seriously consider running Ginn and Holmes on fly routes on opposite sides of the field, and sending Gonzalez on a 20-yard post on the first play of the game. Just send a message that you’d better not get any ideas about cramming eight or nine guys in the box. You need to keep taking those shots every now and then, when you see those safeties getting nosy. It doesn’t always need to be a bomb, but a 20-yard out or slant every drive or so would go a long way toward opening things up for the run game.
If they can get those guys to back out, then look for a steady diet of runs up the gut (if they can get Watson out of the way), possibly off that fake end-around to Ginn, and plenty of those little speed option plays they’ve been running.
Tressel is still Tressel. You’re not going to see Smith putting the ball up 40 times on Saturday unless the Buckeyes fall way behind. He’ll probably run, run, run and try to set up that fake-option pass that killed MSU.
But he’s probably going to have to throw it early to get the run game going.
Brian (mgoblog): How many opportunities will Breaston get? Are Huston's kickoffs returnable? How is your punter doing?
Tom (The OZone): Huston had something like 17 kickoffs in a row that went for touchbacks this month. He had a couple that were returned last weekend, but part of that was due to the fact that he was kicking into a stiff wind. I’m also not sold on the fact that the coaches didn’t tell him to kick short once or twice, just to get the kick coverage guys some game experience.
For most of the year, they’ve been like outfielders in one of those Little League games where the pitcher has hit puberty before anyone else and is consequently just blowing the ball past everyone. You want those outfielders ready on the off-chance that one of the hitters has hit puberty, too, and Steve Breaston has a 5 o’clock shadow in the batter’s box.
The punter (redshirt freshman A.J. Trapasso) has been pretty good this year. He had one screwy play early in the year where he dropped the ball on a snap, but other than that he’s been solid. The gunners (especially #14, a backup DB named Antonio Smith) have been good this year. They need to have a great game Saturday.
It would not bother me at all if Trapasso just kicked it out of bounds 35 yards down the field all day. I think Michigan is much more dangerous with the ball in Breaston’s hands on a return than they are with the offense against the OSU defense.
Brian (mgoblog): Finally: what's your prediction?
Tom (The OZone): Ya know… I really don’t have a feel for this game. Normally, I at least have a feeling about how it’s going to turn out, even if it turns out to be completely wrong. This year, I think there are so many variables that it’s almost impossible to know how it’ll play out.
Is Hart healthy? Is the OSU offense for real? How much will it help to have Barringer and Englemon back at safety, instead of the Big Play twins? How will Michigan respond to their back-to-back bye weeks? What happens if Garret Rivas trots onto the field down two points in the final seconds, with a swirling wind, needing a 44-yarder to win the game?
I think most people would probably agree that on paper, the Buckeyes have a better team right now. I would take the OSU offense against the Michigan defense (but not by much), the OSU defense against the Michigan offense (but not by nearly as much as you might think), and the OSU special teams.
But we all know how often (2004, 2001, 1996, 1995, 1993… and maybe one or two others in between) the better team on paper loses this game.
Look at 1997 and 2002. Those teams combined to win 1.5 national championships (zing!). One needed to intercept a pass at the goal line on the final play of the game to pull out a win. The other needed a quarterback to go color-blind, then crap down his leg for 60 minutes to win.
This one is in Ann Arbor, and as nice as 2001 was, this will be my fifth time watching the Buckeyes play there in person, and I’ve already had three crappy, miserable drives home.
I guess I’m contractually obligated to pick the Buckeyes, but I get the feeling that either OSU wins by 10 or more, or Michigan finds a way to pull this out in the end.
OSU 27, Michigan 13 (If I’m wrong, I’ll be sobbing too loudly to hear about it anyway)
Next, we turned the tables, putting Brian on the hot seat.
The-Ozone Note and Quotebook - The Ozone •FB
The-Ozone Note and Quotebook
By John Porentas
Band of Road Warriors: The Buckeyes will be the visitors on Saturday when they take on the Wolverines, but OSU senior defensive tackle Marcus Green says that being on the road is really no big deal.
"The field is 100 yards, ours is 100 yards. They have two goal posts, we have to goal posts. It's football,' said Green getting right to the point.
The field may be the same, but the Buckeyes are not discounting the impact a home crowd can have.
"You go in and it's like you versus the world," said OSU senior defensive end Mike Kudla.
"There's so little Ohio State fans that they actually fit in there and 112,000 Michigan fans packed in there. It's just one of those deals where they get a little momentum and that stadium really gets going and they thrive off it just like we do the 'Shoe."
Because Ann Arbor is so close to Columbus, the Buckeyes will bus to the game. According to senior linebacker Bobby Carpenter, even the bus ride up to Ann Arbor can be hostile.
"It's something. You drive up there and you get off the bus. Their fans, you have people yelling at you," Carpenter said.
Once game day arrives, it is clear whose home field it is. That gets Carpenter pumped it.
Bobby Carpenter
"It's a great feeling walking into a place with 110,00 where every one of those people except the 2000 fans you have there, they all probably wish you would die. That's just how it is," said Carpenter.
"That's how it is when they come here. You're just blessed to be part of a huge rivalry like this."
Carpenter says the Buckeyes band together when the the odds are not in their favor.
"We only travel 64 guys up there, and every one of those guys is going up there for the same reason, and that's to win.
"Every one of them has to do everything they can, whether they're in the game or not, because we're all we have up there. There's 110 of them and 64 of us," Carpenter said.
Pants: The tradition of gold pants for winning the Michigan game continues at Ohio State. The current crop of seniors has already put together a nice collection of glittering trousers.
"I've got three," said senior defensive lineman Marcus Green.
"My mom has one and I think my dad has two. I give them to them. It's a real big to them.
"My did is probably more proud of them than I am. He shows everybody," said Green.
Green is hopeful there is still one more pair of gold pants in his future.
"I might have to keep these," Green said.
Green has a nice collection. Kicker Josh Huston also has an impressive collection of gold pants.
"I have three pair and have a chance to get a fourth one. That's pretty cool," said Huston.
"I gave my first pair to my mom, second pair to my dad, third pair I still have. I don't know what I would do with a fourth one."
Smash Mouth Game: Nobody knows what the outcome of the game will be, but senior OSU linebacker Anthony Schlegel has some idea as to what kind of game it will be and what will determine the outcome.
"The thing about this game is being more physical and wanting it more," said Schlegel.
"Watching the game in 2003 and then watching it last year, that's what it comes down to, who wants it more and who's going to be more physical," Schlegel said.
Schlegel said that tough games like the one he anticipates with the Wolverines are what gets his motor running.
" You always look forward to playing smash-mouth football when you're a linebacker," Schlegel said.
"That's always fun. Physical type games like this one are why I truly enjoy college football."
Senior offensive tackle Rob Sims agreed, and says the hitting will be consistent until the final seconds tick off the clock on both sides of the ball.
"They don't take any off, we don't take any off," said Sims.
"It's constant just playing as hard as you can.
" I'm just looking forward to it, because it's probably one of the most fun games you can play in just because it's the best rivalry in college football. We all know that, we're not ashamed to say that, not shy about saying that. We know this is THE game about college football.
"We're excited about the opportunity to play in a game like this and they want it as bad as we want it," Sims said.
I think a lot rides on this game (on whether this is a great season) because of the rivalry and tradition," added Schlegel.
"Last year we didn't really have a great season but we beat Michigan. They know that, we know that, and both teams are peaking right now. It's going to be a great battle and one that you play college football to be a part of this. That's what makes this so special."
Speakers: Both teams will pull out all the stops on the field on Saturday, but that will not be the beginning of the special effort this week. The OSU coaching staff usually has at least one or two special speakers in before the Michigan game. One of those is usually former Head Coach Earle Bruce.
"I think the greatest thing we have going is having "The Bruce" coming in and talking to us. I love it," said senior offensive lineman Nick Mangold.
"He comes in every Sunday after we have our meetings and stuff and it's great to hear him talk and how much he loves Ohio State, how much he cares about this game. I wish we could have it every day just to feel that fire," Mangold said.
According to Mangold, Bruce did not disappoint anyone this year when it comes to that fire and brimstone stuff.
"He was wild," said Mangold.
"If you were standing out here (in the WHAC) you could still hear him back there in the meeting room he gets do fired up and excited. You can't help but get excited when you hear him going crazy," Mangold said.
"It shows how much he loves the game. No matter what time of year it is, he'll always be talking about the Michigan vs. Ohio State game. When he finally gets the opportunity to talk to us before the game he just has so much emotion that you really understand how much it means to him and how much it means to everyone around them," Mangold concluded.
Bruce is not the only speaker to address the Buckeyes Michigan week.
"I remember last year Jack Tatum came back and was talking," said Anthony Schlegel.
"Honestly, it just shows how former players and coaches feel about this game and the significance of this game. That's what you come to Ohio State for, to play in this game and to be a part of it. Especially for the young guys who haven't been there, haven't been on the field, because they've got to know because it's one of those things that you don't fully understand until you start hitting people. Then you realize what the game is all about."
"We don't have people come in every day," added linebacker A. J. Hawk.
"We knew Coach Bruce was coming in, he's come in every year since I've been here before Michigan and talk to us.
"He comes in a lot during camp, we had Spielman talk to us during camp.
"They don't bring a bunch of guys in, just the guys that really mean something to Coach Tressel and this team that can help this team out."
Prognostobabblenation: In his weekly column today the-Ozone columnist Tony Gerdeman picked the Wolverines over the Buckeyes this weekend. As you might expect, Gerdeman was flayed on the-Ozone message board for his prediction. We've also gotten a few emails from people who are less-than happy with him. We gave him the chance to explain his pick. Here's what he had to say.
"I think it is obvious to everybody that Ohio State is the more talented team. You would have to be from Michigan to not see it," Gerd said in an email to the-Ozone editor.
"But, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one person to look past telling weaknesses and strengths of this team and that team, and make a pick that makes absolutely no sense. And that's what I did. And I hated doing it, and I hope to never have to do it again."
Uh-huh. Thanks for clearing that up Gerd.
Nature or Nurture?: Sports fans who grow up in the states of Ohio and Michigan just naturally seem to understand that importance of The Game. It's importance is driven hope to them at an early age, so early that the connection seem almost in the DNA.
"My first memory of this game is sitting around at home and my dad and my uncles sitting around the TV and it's the Ohio State vs. Michigan game," said defensive end Mike Kudla.
"It started then and just being from Ohio, it's just the way you grow up. I was no different. The Ohio State vs. Michigan game is the biggest game of the year. I know it meant a lot to them then and it means more to them now. I just kind of fell into that mode as a young kid and it kind of grew with me," Kudla said.
For players who have come to Ohio State from out of state, however, there is a different course of events.They come to the same conclusion, but there is definite learning curve involved for the newcomers.
"Me being from Florida I was always a big Florida State vs. Miami guy, that was my big rivalry that I paid attention to," said senior safety Nate Salley.
"When I got up here when we played them my freshman year with the national championship on the line and the Big Ten championship on the line and all that, I believe that's when it hit me.
"The fans rushed the field and it was 14-9, such a close, hard-fought game and seeing how crazy everyone was that whole week, I think that opened my eyes to see how serious it was.
"Then to go the next year and have the same opportunity, then lose, that just made me realize how serious it can be," Salley said.
The out-of-staters quickly learn the importance of the game, and to appreciate it.
"This is what you live and die for," said Florida native Santonio Holmes who has fully learned to appreciate the rivalry.
"You want to play against teams like this, you want to be in the biggest rivalry, you want to be in the spotlight, and you don't want to be on the losing end of that game."
Earle Bruce and Bo Schembechler on The Game
By Tom Orr and John Porentas
Bo and Earle - The Men Behind the Games
Bo Schembechler and Earle Bruce spent nine years facing each other across the field as head coaches.
Their series was every bit as tight as the 10-Year War between Schembechler and Woody Hayes; Bruce beat Michigan five times, Schembechler beat Bruce’s Buckeyes four times.
But even at the height of their rivalry, both men said there was always a great respect for the guy on the other sideline.
“I like Earle, and I respect him,” Schembechler said. “I’ll tell you one thing about Earle Bruce: Ohio State never appreciated, in my judgement, the coaching ability of Earle Bruce. He was tough to beat. He was an excellent, excellent football coach.”
Bruce was similarly impressed with Schembechler.
“I would say great respect for his ability to coach, and he and I were friendly,” Bruce said.
“Bo was a graduate assistant when I was a player. Bo had a great personality. Bo is a smiling guy that is a tough coach, a demanding coach, intimidates the officials, does everything to win a football game, a helluva competitor, teaches football, makes them tough, makes them hit, did the best job of defending our best play.
“If we had a best play, he stopped that best play. We had to have a counter to the best play every time we went into that, whether it was a pass or this or that, inside play or outside play, but we had to have something that would (work) if he shut that down.
“We would always look to him to come blitzing at us to stop us. He’d give us a complete sell-out if he had to stop us and win.”
However, Bruce said the rivalry could get in the way at times.
“I think when you’re the coach at Ohio State and the coach at Michigan there’s a little standoffishness in the sense of as soon as that’s over, you can have a close relationship.
“But it’s one of competitors, one of knowing that both sides are going to try and win that football game. And if you’re recruiting against one another, you’re (an S.O.B) and I'm (an S.O.B), because it means if you get that football player you’ll win.
“Other than that, his teams were well-coached, he coached an ethical game of football, all within the rules, no steroids, no cheating, no anything. You could look for Michigan to be everything a team could be and then some.”
That mutual respect did not, however, mean that either man was happy to see the other on the opposing sideline. In truth, it was quite the opposite.
Schembechler said, “When you asked me who I was most glad to see leave Ohio State, I was most glad to see Earle Bruce leave. He was the toughest guy I was playing against since Woody left on any of these Big Ten teams. That son of a gun could coach.”
In a separate interview, Bruce was asked which person he was happiest to see leave the Michigan program.
He thought for a while before answering, “Actually, I would rather have seen Bo go than anybody, retire, not fired, because he’s the best.”
The men had much more than that mutual admiration in common. They both also experienced the rivalry first-hand as assistants under Woody Hayes. That experience helped shape the way they approached the game.
In Schembechler’s case, he learned all about the intensity of the rivalry in his first year as a graduate assistant.
“I graduated from Miami (of Ohio), and he was my coach,” Schembechler said.
“He went to Ohio State and I went with him as a GA. I’ll never forget after the (1951) Michigan game; Michigan beat us 7-0. We’re in his house on Sunday afternoon looking at the film, and he got so mad he threw the projector and everything. I’ll never forget (him saying), ‘I will not subject the people of Columbus to a team like that.’ He was mad.
“Of course, they wanted to get rid of him after that year. That was 1951, and by 1954 he had put together a system of football and a program that won the national title.”
Schembechler said he knew what the most important part of the Michigan coach’s job was, even before taking over the program.
“When I went to Michigan, in my first staff meeting, I kept two guys from the staff,” Schembechler said.
“I brought the rest of my staff from Miami (of Ohio, where he had coached) and none of them had ever coached in the Big Ten. But I knew the Big Ten, I had coached in it; I was with Ara (Parsegian) for two years at Northwestern, and a (graduate assistant) with Woody for a year, then coached with him for five years before I went to Miami.
“I told those guys, ‘keep one thing in mind: We’re not here to beat Indiana. We’re not here to beat Northwestern. We’re here to beat one and only one team: Woody Hayes and Ohio State. So we’re going to do something every day, maybe it’s just talk about them, but we’re going to do something every day to beat Ohio State.
“And we did that. But I lost to Michigan State that year,” he said.
That level of preparation and dedication to beating the Buckeyes carried on throughout Schembechler’s Michigan career.
“During that 10-year period, Ohio State and Michigan were so dominant that we could pretty much go through that Big Ten, and we did. We kind of wiped out those guys until it came down to the last game. Not always, but most of the time.”
The story was much the same down in Columbus for Bruce and his Buckeyes.
“When Coach Hayes was alive, and that was for every one except the last football game, he wouldn't let you forget it was Michigan week, he wouldn't let me forget that Michigan was coming up, at practice, in the spring, he taught me that.
“He taught me to practice on Mondays, he taught me that everything was Michigan because Michigan is The Game! Anyone that thinks Michigan isn't The Game can't coach at Ohio State, because it is THE game.”
For Bruce, beating Michigan was a daily obsession.
“You've got to think about beating Michigan. That's the salvation of the football coach. You either walk the alleys (if you lose), or walk Broad and High (if you win). You got it?”
Q & A With Tom Orr on The Game (Part 2) - The Ozone •FB
Q & A With Tom Orr on The Game
By The O-Zone
Tom (The OZone): What do you expect out of Hart on Saturday?
Brian (mgoblog):This is more of a question about the offensive line than Hart. Hart will pick his holes well, dodge more than his fair share of tacklers, and get run down by the Buckeye linebackers if they’re unblocked. Too often this year the four yards he makes from nothing have merely prevented a four yard loss.
I don’t think Hart’s game, which relies on brilliant field vision, shifty moves, and surprising after-contact power, matches up well against the Buckeye defense and their active linebackers, but I didn’t think it matched up well against Penn State, either, and he had a very solid day against one of the nation’s best run defenses (23 for 108 and 4 catches for 40 against the #8 run D). Michigan’s favorite play for him is the draw, which minimizes the offensive line’s inability to move opponents out of holes or pull effectively and lets Hart’s vision and cutting come to the forefront. This was even effective against the Penn State front seven, which appears to be nearly OSU’s equal.
That does provide some hope, but realistically it’s going to be a tough slog for Hart and a lot of second and long. Hart was largely shut down last year by the same team behind the same offensive line. I think he’ll do better but I would be ecstatic with a 25 carry performance that just squeaks over the 100 yard barrier. I don’t expect it.
Tom (The OZone): What the heck do you think is wrong with Henne, and which one (Good Henne/Bad Henne) are we going to see this week?
Brian (mgoblog):Unfortunately I don’t think there’s a Good Henne/Bad Henne dichotomy any longer. There’s just Henne. He’s been effective when the opposing DBs are forced to play off and he can screen his opponents to death or hit Avant on slants and crossing routes, but he’s been wildly inaccurate for much of the year and has trouble finding receivers on a regular basis. He’s made a large number of inexplicably bad decisions—see the end of the Penn State game for reference—has missed enough open receivers to cost the team at least one game, and has been consistently inconsistent.
He still has a gun for an arm and has the ability to rifle the ball like the second coming of John Elway, though. And he’s got the wide receiver screen down pat. Expect more of the same from him this week. He’ll alternate brilliant throws that will make his NFL draft highlight reel with balls that sail yards off target. Loeffler was reputed to have spent the bye week(s) breaking down and reconstructing his throwing motion and he did look much better against Indiana, but we’ll have to see whether that takes or not.
Tom (The OZone): Who's the one player on that offense who you can least afford to lose?
Brian (mgoblog):Can I pick two? I can’t choose between Avant and Hart. I’ll go with Avant because I expect the running game to be unrepentantly mediocre against the Buckeye defense no matter who’s getting the carries. Avant provides critical reliability for a unit that has had a vast shortage of that quality all year. He has the ability to turn Henne’s inaccurate bullets into impossible first downs and has underrated burst after receiving the ball. He’s a terrific player who does not get nearly the credit he deserves. If Henne wasn’t bound and determined to throw it three yards wide of him whenever he gets open on a corner route in the endzone, he’d have Braylonesque statistics, though without the flair.
He also blocks like a mother (this week he hilariously claimed to be a better blocker than receiver, in which case he should replace Matt Lentz at RG), which is critical for the profusion of wide receiver screens that we’ve run all year. I don’t think there’s a more underrated player in the league.
Tom (The OZone): Where do Avant/Breaston/Manningham rank on the list of receiving units in the Big Ten?
Brian (mgoblog):High up there, but that’s partially because only OSU and maybe Iowa have excellent corps this year. I’d place them behind OSU. I’ve discussed Avant. Breaston’s proven that he’s not a tremendous downfield threat since he treats balls thrown over his shoulder like punts but he still has that ability to change direction like those motorcycles from Tron. Manningham is like a Breaston who can burn you deep but he doesn’t really know the routes yet—an interception in the Iowa game was clearly his fault and his playing time has been sparing despite his obvious ability. Collectively their numbers are not impressive, but they’ve done all they can. Henne’s missed a large number of open wide receivers this year.
They’re good. They can run after the catch and they’re a major reason that Michigan’s managed to putter through its schedule despite Henne’s disappointing year, but without Braylon they are missing the long ball in a major way. Other than Manningham’s 30-ish yard touchdown against Penn State Michigan has not completed anything that can be classified as a bomb all year, and that’s largely on the wideouts. They have their strengths but that’s their major drawback.
Tom (The OZone): What's going to run through your head when Troy Smith drops back to pass, doesn't see anyone open and tucks it to run? Panic? Confidence?
Brian (mgoblog):Compared to last year I’m much more confident—faint praise perhaps—but it’ll depend heavily on down and distance. Michigan’s implemented a delayed blitz scheme that has Michigan dropping eight momentarily and keeping David Harris as a spy on a lot the second and third and mediums that a scrambling quarterback can convert. That scheme has worked well. In those instances I welcome a Smith scramble because Harris has done a great job tracking opponents down this year and nothing good comes out of a quarterback throwing against a three-man rush.
If Michigan is not in this spy alignment, however, Smith will find success and I will curse the illegitimately gained first downs he’ll get just by improvising. I expect this will happen with some frequency, but since our safeties tend to do things like prevent 50 yard runs this year I won’t be terrified of a backbreaking giant gain. At least, I won’t until it happens a couple times.
Tom (The OZone): How is Michigan going to defend Holmes/Ginn/Gonzalez?
Brian (mgoblog):They’ll lay back. Michigan’s had some aggressive play from the corners this year but this has usually been against teams with sketchy downfield passing games and receivers that don’t have warp drive. Expect an unholy ton of zone coverages with some man mixed in. They won’t be aggressive enough for my tastes but they’ll attempt to get to the quarterback with just their defensive line. That doesn’t seem like a bad bet with Woodley, Branch, Woods, and Watson going up against what seems like a bit of a patchwork unit (one that could not handle Tamba Hali at all, for instance). Even though Alex Boone was a heavily hyped recruit, he’s still a true freshman with a major player opposite him. Michigan will have to exploit that matchup.
Another reason for the zone: to keep Smith’s scrambling in check. Expect to see a ton of it.
Tom (The OZone): If you were a Michigan coach, how much would you play John Thompson instead of Chris Graham this week?
Brian (mgoblog):Thompson would play on every down that seems to be a clear running situation and every time the Buckeyes line up in a conventional I-formation. Graham has been a disappointment this year. He can’t fight off blocks and has frequently taken the wrong hole or sat passively, waiting for the play (and the blocker) to come to him. The Iowa game was an eye opener: Albert Young gashed the Michigan defense with Graham on the field but when Thompson came on in the second half his effectiveness was greatly reduced. Thompson still missed some tackles, but even on those plays the difference between the two was apparent. Thompson would slip past a blocker and barely miss making a nice play, while Graham would wave an arm trying to fend off a blocker he can’t handle.
When the Buckeyes spread the field I would expect redshirt freshman nickelback Morgan Trent to come on in place of the third linebacker anyway. Graham may not play much at all.
Tom (The OZone): Your thoughts on kicking to Ginn/Holmes?
Brian (mgoblog):The same as your thoughts on kicking to Breaston: don’t. I think Michigan will do a much better job preventing opportunities in the return game than they did last year. The key is the new punter/kickoff guy Ross Ryan. Most of Ryan’s kickoffs get five yards into the endzone and only about a quarter of his punts are returned. Those few that are returned are not returned far: Michigan has halved the average yardage it yields per return. I’d be surprised to see Ohio State get more than a couple cracks at returning anything.
There’s a tradeoff there in that Ryan’s punts are usually quite short—don’t expect any 50 yard boomers—but I’ll take it after what happened last year.
Tom (The OZone): Take the scenario I laid out in my answers: Michigan is down 2 points in the final seconds, the wind is swirling and Garret Rivas is lining up for a potentially game-winning 44-yard field goal. How are you feeling?
Brian (mgoblog):Couldn’t it be 34 yards on a calm day? Obviously I’m panicking, as that’s right on the edge of his range and this year he’s shown that Hayden Epstein knack for missing field goals at the wrong time. That’s 50-50, maybe 60-40 in favor of Michigan. Thus I’m feeling like God owes me for injuring Mike Hart and will guide the field goal home.
Tom (The OZone): Finally, let’s hear it—what do you see happening on Saturday?
Brian (mgoblog): I also don't have a read on this game. It's hard to tell which Ohio State offense is the real Ohio State offense. I don't know if Hart and Long are healthy. I don't know if Henne's going to hit the open receivers he finds, or if he'll have time to find them.
But let's try anyway. When Michigan is on offense, I think our guards are going to get their butts kicked on a regular basis. The running game is not going to work very well, so Michigan will look elsewhere for moderate yards on first down. Expect a lot of wide receiver screens and misdirection plays like Michigan started breaking out against Northwestern and Indiana. I think Michigan will try to get the ball in Breaston, Bass, and Manningham's hands on a regular basis and see what happens. I don't think they'll be able to drive the field more than once or twice, but I think Michigan will get enough plays from their collection of fast guys to score about 20 points.
Defensively, Michigan won't give up the monster plays they did a year ago but it will be at the expense of aggressiveness. Blitzing will be infrequent. Michigan will rely on the defensive line to pressure Smith into mistakes and will task David Harris with spying on him. Lamarr Woodley and Alan Branch will have to win their matchups against the Ohio State tackles to prevent Holmes and Ginn from running downfield unfettered. I think that's the key matchup in the entire game. They'll do well but not well enough to shut down the Buckeyes entirely.
I think this one is going to be a nailbiter every step of the way. Rivas kicks a 44-yard field goal at the buzzer to win. I guide it in with my mind as I discover that I have telekinetic powers. Michigan 23-21. I levitate home.
Q & A With Tom Orr on The Game - The Ozone •FB
Q & A With Tom Orr on The Game
By The-Ozone Staff
With kickoff of The Game less than 48 hours away, the OZone decided to get the enemy’s perspective on what to expect on Saturday.
Tom Orr exchanged e-mails with Brian from Mgoblog who has managed to overcome his clear educational shortcomings (kidding… kidding) to run one of the most popular independent Michigan sites on the internet.
The topics ranged from the season on the whole, to injuries, to predictions for the game.
As the representative of the home team, Brian got to ask the first questions.
Brian (mgoblog): You've watched every Michigan game this year. What were your personal expectations going into the season? Do you think Michigan has underachieved?
Tom (The OZone): Going into the year, I thought this was a pretty typical Michigan team—probably two losses somewhere along the line, but solid on both sides of the ball. I also thought that there was a chance (not a great chance, but a chance), given their schedule, that they could run the table.
OSU at home, Penn State at home, Notre Dame at home, Minnesota at home… that’s the recipe for a great year. The only glaring landmine was playing Iowa in Kinnick Stadium.
Remember, before the year the trip to Madison didn’t look particularly daunting to most people, myself included.
Going on the basis of my expectation of a two-loss season, I don’t really think it’s fair to say this team has underachieved. There are people every year who think teams are going to run the table, then get all ticked off when it doesn’t happen.
This team had some question marks, especially on defense, and I don’t think perfection is a fair standard to hold them to. That was a miscalculation by the prognosticators, not a bad season by the team.
The notion of underachieving is particularly unfair when you consider the injuries this team has suffered this year. It’s pretty remarkable when you think about it; for at least a stretch of a few games, and in some cases for the majority of the season, this team lost its star tailback (Mike Hart), arguably its best offensive lineman (Jake Long), another offensive lineman (Mike Kolodziej), its biggest offensive play-maker (Steve Breaston, who I’m convinced was about 75% all year), one of its promising wide receivers (Adrian Arrington), its best defensive lineman (LaMarr Woodley), and three safeties (Ryan Mundy, Willis Barringer, Brandent Englemon). That doesn’t even get into losing Lawrence Reid in the spring, getting about a half of a season out of Gabe Watson, and all the other dings, bangs and bumps to guys like Jeremy Van Alstyne, Chris Graham, etc.
Looking back, I think this team has been more crippled by injuries than any Michigan team since 1984. That team never really circled the wagons and finished 6-6. This team is going into the final weekend of the season with the entirely realistic possibility of playing in a BCS bowl game.
I think the idea that they’ve underachieved is probably more than a little misguided.
Brian (mgoblog): Obviously the offense has been a major disappointment. In my tape reviews I've singled out Henne and the interior offensive line as the major sources of the problems. Do you think that's accurate?
Tom (The OZone): I think the problems for this offense all start with that line, and again, some of that has to be chalked up to losing Long for most of the year (he still hasn’t played an entire game), and losing other guys for parts of the season.
When you’ve got a guy like Rueben Riley playing right tackle, you’re going to have problems running the ball and protecting the passer, and that’s what Michigan had to deal with for a bunch of weeks in the middle of the season. Riley’s probably not a bad fit in the middle of that line somewhere, but he just looked completely out-classed against some of the better defensive ends in the league.
I think to some degree, Matt Lentz has followed David Baas’ footsteps as a guy who was highly touted, but sometimes failed to live up to the hype. Kraus (at center) has been banged up and is still in his first year as a starter. Henige at the other guard position has been okay, but far from outstanding. Stenavich has been pretty good, but he’s only one guy.
Michigan’s line is an above-average Big Ten unit, but they’re not anywhere in the neighborhood of some of the dominant, road-grader lines they’ve had in the past. That makes it tougher to run the ball, which in turn makes it tougher to throw the ball.
It seems like whenever Hart gets a handoff, he either gets hit at the line or about a yard or two downfield. To his credit, he gets low and drives through guys and always falls forward, so you look at the stat sheet and he’s averaging 4.7 per rush. But he’s really earning those yards.
In the passing game, Henne’s not getting hammered by pass rushers, but it seems like he’s getting knocked down a little more this year than in the last couple seasons (I don’t know if the stats will bear that out—it’s just something that has occurred to me at times this fall).
Certainly, Henne has had his struggles. He looked dreadful against Notre Dame and dreadful again in Wisconsin. He’s clearly got some mechanical issues that they’ve supposedly been working through (arm angle, release point and stride length have all been mentioned this year), but I remain convinced that Hart’s absence has had at least something to do with Henne’s issues.
His worst games have come on days when Hart is not playing; you can chalk that up to some mental dependence on Hart or the fact that his absence allows defenses to focus more on the passing game, but I think there’s a definite link there.
I know you’re not a big believer in that “security blanket” theory, but we keep hearing how Hart is such a commanding presence in the huddle, and how guys look into his eyes and get inspired… blah, blah, blah. If there’s any truth at all to that, one would think that when he’s not there, there would be some negative effect from the loss of that presence/ those eyes… whatever.
Brian (mgoblog): Ohio State's defense has been almost entirely impregnable save for that strange 31 point outburst by Minnesota that featured 396 yards for Brian Friggin' Cupito. How the hell did that happen? Is there anything there that Michigan will be looking to exploit?
Tom (The OZone): The Minnesota game was sort of a weird confluence of circumstances that added up to an ugly performance.
For one, the defense was obviously keyed primarily toward stopping the run, leaving the corners out on islands on a lot of plays. Also, Minnesota’s receivers (especially Ernie Wheelwright) are tall, and can create matchup problems on jump-balls, even against a 6-foot-1 corner like Ashton Youboty. Add in the fact that Bryan Cupito played the game of his life and you have a recipe for an offensive explosion.
I haven’t watched that tape since the week of that game, but I remember one of the times Youboty got beat, he tried to jump a quick out, and the guy gave him double-move and got deep for a big play. On at least one of the deep balls, Cupito just shot-putted one up into pretty good coverage, and the Minnesota receiver came back and made a great play (that was the one that got them down to the 1 and set up a touchdown). It wasn’t like he was constantly missing tackles or getting toasted deep on every other play.
Of course, what set that up was Minnesota’s ability to run the ball. Maroney had a long run and put up 100 yards before the half. That forced the Buckeyes to dedicate more guys to stopping that run game and left them vulnerable deep.
Certainly, Michigan will be looking to do the same this week. If they can get Hart established early, that could set up some big plays in the passing game.
Michigan State did the same thing, running the ball decently early then using the eerily-accurate Drew Stanton to get it downfield. If Henne plays the way Stanton did in that first half, there’s no way to defend it.
You can throw on this defense, but you need to be able to run the ball a little, and your quarterback needs to be pretty accurate. Stanton carved this team up because he was hitting guys on the numbers all day and getting time to throw.
Last week another pretty good quarterback, Brett Basanez, had about three good minutes, then spent much of the rest of the day running for his life, throwing into tight coverage and piling up wildly unimpressive numbers.
The defense is not consistently terrible like Michigan State’s, but if you can do certain things well, you can attack them.
Brian (mgoblog): It seems like Ohio State's extremely thin at corner past Youboty. Tyler Everett's a converted safety and then you guys have who exactly?
Tom (The OZone): A true freshman named Malcolm Jenkins has been playing a lot this year. He didn’t play last week, and was shuffled down the depth chart this week, but if he can go, he’s a decent cover guy.
You’ll see Brandon Mitchell, who’s one of the backup safeties, on the field as the nickelback Saturday. There’s another true freshman, Jamario O’Neal, who has played on some passing downs this year.
Generally, I would guess that the defense is going to try to keep its strength (the linebackers) on the field as much as possible, even if it means playing a 4-3-4 consistently against a three-wide receiver set.
You might not see much of that cornerback depth unless someone gets hurt.
Brian (mgoblog): Michigan's running game has been good with Hart and mediocre without him, but this week they're clashing with an entirely different animal than your Northwesterns and Indianas. Assuming Hart is fully healthy, how do you think he'll do relative to last year (around 3 YPC for 60 yards and one 40 yard screen)?
Tom (The OZone): I’m not necessarily the person to ask, because I didn’t think Chris Perry was going to be able to run on the Buckeye defense two years ago. However, assuming Hart is 100% or close to it, I think he would be hard-pressed not to match or top last year’s numbers.
There is a significant question in my mind about just how rusty he’s going to be, and how healthy he is. I know he’s probably running in practice all week, but the holes he’s seeing on Wednesday are going to look a lot different from the size of the holes he’ll see Saturday (at least I sure hope they do). He’s still relatively young and has really never gotten himself into a groove at any point this season.
Still, he’s a good back. As I mentioned before, he’s going to fall forward for a few yards even if you hit him right in the hole. If this defense form-tackles all afternoon (they have shown that they know how, but occasionally forget), they could contain him, maybe even holding him to 75-100 yards.
If Hart gets more than 130 yards, Michigan almost certainly wins.
Brian (mgoblog): How can I put this diplomatically... how in the damn hell is Troy Smith the fourth most efficient passer in the nation? His statistics are somewhat mindboggling: 10 completions for 249 yards versus MSU, 114 for 226 versus Indiana, 14 for 233 against Minnesota, 13 for 298 against Illinois. How much of that is Smith, how much is it Ginn and Holmes, and how much is four crappy defenses?
Tom (The OZone): I’m going to have to give the Abe Simpson “a little from column A, a little from column B” routine, along with another couple columns thrown into the mix as well.
Column A: It’s almost certainly partly the fact that Smith has settled in as the full-time starting quarterback, getting all the reps and “not looking over your shoulder” confidence that comes with that lofty perch.
Column B: It doesn’t hurt that guys like Ginn and Holmes have repeatedly shown the ability to take a 10-yard out and turn it into a 60-yard touchdown pass.
Column C: Part of that is the fact that Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan State, Northwestern and Illinois are not exactly the ’85 Chicago Bears on the defensive side of the field. Especially in the MSU game, it was crappy tackling that helped Smith throw for eleventy billion yards on just a handful of short routes.
Column D: Antonio Pittman’s emergence (may be somewhat linked to column C, above), which has forced defenses to respect the fact that yes, Ohio State actually has a tailback who’s good at tackle football for the first time in three years.
Frankly, I don’t think that anyone can tell you what the exact mixture of these four elements is. There’s probably at least some of each factored in there.
And with all due respect to the fine folks they’ll face on Saturday, if the offense blows up for another orgy of points and yardage, I think there will still be some lingering questions from a few corners about just how good they really are. Unless they get a chance to face Miami or some other similarly stout defensive team in a bowl game, I think it may remain one of those great unanswered questions.
If they get shut down this weekend, we will have our answer. Of course, I won’t be too concerned about that, as I’ll be on top of the press box at Michigan Stadium trying to figure out if the impact with the ground will allow me the sweet, merciful release of death or just add extreme physical pain to the mental and emotion anguish that will already be coursing through my body.
Brian (mgoblog): How good is this offense in reality? It's hard to tell with the last five games against pushover defenses. (Granted, Michigan did not burn the field up against Minnesota.)
Tom (The OZone): Well… we know they’re damn good against shaky defenses. This (and the next question) all really have the same answer as the last one.
I like the fact that the offensive line is getting a good push. I like the fact that Troy Smith now looks like he’s taking time to at least get to the second receiver on his progressions before tucking and running with the ball. I like the fact that Pittman is suddenly blowing people up, running over guys, and running past others. I like the fact that the coaches seem to be making a real effort to get guys like the tight ends and backs involved in the passing game.
I think their consistency over the last month has been an indication that they’re at least a good offense. Are they great? I’d love to be arguing this point next week with another 40 point game on the list of evidence.
Brian (mgoblog): I have essentially the same question about Antonio Pittman: is he for real? He's ran wild of late--against those sketchy defenses--but Penn State and Texas clobbered him pretty good. How would you rate him in the Big Ten?
Tom (The OZone): He’s behind Maroney, for sure. He’s behind a healthy Michael Hart (remember him?) as well. Calhoun has been so good this year, but a lot of it came against dreadful defenses.
Beyond that? I have a hard time getting too scared about Albert Young, Tony Hunt, Jarod Void, Jason Teague, or any of the other guys in that next clump of “good but not great” backs.
Based on what we’ve seen out of Pittman over the last month or so, I think you could make a decent argument that he’s number three or four on the list, and maybe even a spot higher if you take Hart’s injuries into account.
Brian (mgoblog): How has the offensive line performed, especially true freshman Alex Boone? How do you think they'll hold up against the Michigan defensive line?
Tom (The OZone): Boone has been a pleasant surprise, at least to me. All the recruitniks had him pencilled in as a first-year starter, but given the incredibly unreliable nature of recruiting and recruiting coverage, I was a little leery of lumping him in as “the next Orlando Pace” rather than “the next Derek Morris.”
I don’t know how much you’re going to see Boone. He was really playing recently because the normal RT, Kirk Barton, was banged up. He was back last week in some spot duty. You’ll probably see some combination of the two on Saturday. That could help them stay fresh against LaMarr Woodley, which would make me happy.
The line on the whole has been pretty good this year—they’re opening holes and giving Smith time to throw. I don’t think they’re going to blow Michigan’s line off the ball by any stretch of the imagination, but I think they’re going to be able to move the ball on the ground at least somewhat reliably (4 ypc, maybe? Please?).
I know Alan Branch and Gabe Watson have looked great at times, but Woodley is the guy on Michigan’s d-line that just scares the crap out of you. I would assume that OSU will keep a back or TE in to help block, at least until they can figure out how reliably they’ll be able to contain him without the extra assistance.
Brian (mgoblog): Do you think Michigan has a better handle on mobile quarterbacks?
Tom (The OZone): Better? Sure, but that’s like saying France has a better handle on defending against Germany. “Better” doesn’t set the bar very high.
Troy Smith is not going to go off for 175 rushing yards or whatever he had last year, simply because I think Michigan is going to sell out to stop that from happening. There’s going to be at least one spy on him on every play.
Mobile quarterbacks have still given that defense some problems this year, especially when they’re able to roll out and throw.
The problem is not fixed, but it won’t be nearly as glaring an issue on Saturday. My guess is that Smith should finish with 50-60 yards rushing. If he gets more than that, the Wolverines could be in trouble.
Brian (mgoblog): How do you think Ohio State will attack the Michigan defense?
Tom (The OZone): Based on the fact that I think Michigan is going to sell itself out to stop Pittman and Smith from running the ball, the Buckeyes probably have to stretch the field a little bit early to keep those safeties from creeping up. If I was Jim Tressel, I would seriously consider running Ginn and Holmes on fly routes on opposite sides of the field, and sending Gonzalez on a 20-yard post on the first play of the game. Just send a message that you’d better not get any ideas about cramming eight or nine guys in the box. You need to keep taking those shots every now and then, when you see those safeties getting nosy. It doesn’t always need to be a bomb, but a 20-yard out or slant every drive or so would go a long way toward opening things up for the run game.
If they can get those guys to back out, then look for a steady diet of runs up the gut (if they can get Watson out of the way), possibly off that fake end-around to Ginn, and plenty of those little speed option plays they’ve been running.
Tressel is still Tressel. You’re not going to see Smith putting the ball up 40 times on Saturday unless the Buckeyes fall way behind. He’ll probably run, run, run and try to set up that fake-option pass that killed MSU.
But he’s probably going to have to throw it early to get the run game going.
Brian (mgoblog): How many opportunities will Breaston get? Are Huston's kickoffs returnable? How is your punter doing?
Tom (The OZone): Huston had something like 17 kickoffs in a row that went for touchbacks this month. He had a couple that were returned last weekend, but part of that was due to the fact that he was kicking into a stiff wind. I’m also not sold on the fact that the coaches didn’t tell him to kick short once or twice, just to get the kick coverage guys some game experience.
For most of the year, they’ve been like outfielders in one of those Little League games where the pitcher has hit puberty before anyone else and is consequently just blowing the ball past everyone. You want those outfielders ready on the off-chance that one of the hitters has hit puberty, too, and Steve Breaston has a 5 o’clock shadow in the batter’s box.
The punter (redshirt freshman A.J. Trapasso) has been pretty good this year. He had one screwy play early in the year where he dropped the ball on a snap, but other than that he’s been solid. The gunners (especially #14, a backup DB named Antonio Smith) have been good this year. They need to have a great game Saturday.
It would not bother me at all if Trapasso just kicked it out of bounds 35 yards down the field all day. I think Michigan is much more dangerous with the ball in Breaston’s hands on a return than they are with the offense against the OSU defense.
Brian (mgoblog): Finally: what's your prediction?
Tom (The OZone): Ya know… I really don’t have a feel for this game. Normally, I at least have a feeling about how it’s going to turn out, even if it turns out to be completely wrong. This year, I think there are so many variables that it’s almost impossible to know how it’ll play out.
Is Hart healthy? Is the OSU offense for real? How much will it help to have Barringer and Englemon back at safety, instead of the Big Play twins? How will Michigan respond to their back-to-back bye weeks? What happens if Garret Rivas trots onto the field down two points in the final seconds, with a swirling wind, needing a 44-yarder to win the game?
I think most people would probably agree that on paper, the Buckeyes have a better team right now. I would take the OSU offense against the Michigan defense (but not by much), the OSU defense against the Michigan offense (but not by nearly as much as you might think), and the OSU special teams.
But we all know how often (2004, 2001, 1996, 1995, 1993… and maybe one or two others in between) the better team on paper loses this game.
Look at 1997 and 2002. Those teams combined to win 1.5 national championships (zing!). One needed to intercept a pass at the goal line on the final play of the game to pull out a win. The other needed a quarterback to go color-blind, then crap down his leg for 60 minutes to win.
This one is in Ann Arbor, and as nice as 2001 was, this will be my fifth time watching the Buckeyes play there in person, and I’ve already had three crappy, miserable drives home.
I guess I’m contractually obligated to pick the Buckeyes, but I get the feeling that either OSU wins by 10 or more, or Michigan finds a way to pull this out in the end.
OSU 27, Michigan 13 (If I’m wrong, I’ll be sobbing too loudly to hear about it anyway)
Next, we turned the tables, putting Brian on the hot seat.
The-Ozone Note and Quotebook - The Ozone •FB
The-Ozone Note and Quotebook
By John Porentas
Band of Road Warriors: The Buckeyes will be the visitors on Saturday when they take on the Wolverines, but OSU senior defensive tackle Marcus Green says that being on the road is really no big deal.
"The field is 100 yards, ours is 100 yards. They have two goal posts, we have to goal posts. It's football,' said Green getting right to the point.
The field may be the same, but the Buckeyes are not discounting the impact a home crowd can have.
"You go in and it's like you versus the world," said OSU senior defensive end Mike Kudla.
"There's so little Ohio State fans that they actually fit in there and 112,000 Michigan fans packed in there. It's just one of those deals where they get a little momentum and that stadium really gets going and they thrive off it just like we do the 'Shoe."
Because Ann Arbor is so close to Columbus, the Buckeyes will bus to the game. According to senior linebacker Bobby Carpenter, even the bus ride up to Ann Arbor can be hostile.
"It's something. You drive up there and you get off the bus. Their fans, you have people yelling at you," Carpenter said.
Once game day arrives, it is clear whose home field it is. That gets Carpenter pumped it.
Bobby Carpenter
"It's a great feeling walking into a place with 110,00 where every one of those people except the 2000 fans you have there, they all probably wish you would die. That's just how it is," said Carpenter.
"That's how it is when they come here. You're just blessed to be part of a huge rivalry like this."
Carpenter says the Buckeyes band together when the the odds are not in their favor.
"We only travel 64 guys up there, and every one of those guys is going up there for the same reason, and that's to win.
"Every one of them has to do everything they can, whether they're in the game or not, because we're all we have up there. There's 110 of them and 64 of us," Carpenter said.
Pants: The tradition of gold pants for winning the Michigan game continues at Ohio State. The current crop of seniors has already put together a nice collection of glittering trousers.
"I've got three," said senior defensive lineman Marcus Green.
"My mom has one and I think my dad has two. I give them to them. It's a real big to them.
"My did is probably more proud of them than I am. He shows everybody," said Green.
Green is hopeful there is still one more pair of gold pants in his future.
"I might have to keep these," Green said.
Green has a nice collection. Kicker Josh Huston also has an impressive collection of gold pants.
"I have three pair and have a chance to get a fourth one. That's pretty cool," said Huston.
"I gave my first pair to my mom, second pair to my dad, third pair I still have. I don't know what I would do with a fourth one."
Smash Mouth Game: Nobody knows what the outcome of the game will be, but senior OSU linebacker Anthony Schlegel has some idea as to what kind of game it will be and what will determine the outcome.
"The thing about this game is being more physical and wanting it more," said Schlegel.
"Watching the game in 2003 and then watching it last year, that's what it comes down to, who wants it more and who's going to be more physical," Schlegel said.
Schlegel said that tough games like the one he anticipates with the Wolverines are what gets his motor running.
" You always look forward to playing smash-mouth football when you're a linebacker," Schlegel said.
"That's always fun. Physical type games like this one are why I truly enjoy college football."
Senior offensive tackle Rob Sims agreed, and says the hitting will be consistent until the final seconds tick off the clock on both sides of the ball.
"They don't take any off, we don't take any off," said Sims.
"It's constant just playing as hard as you can.
" I'm just looking forward to it, because it's probably one of the most fun games you can play in just because it's the best rivalry in college football. We all know that, we're not ashamed to say that, not shy about saying that. We know this is THE game about college football.
"We're excited about the opportunity to play in a game like this and they want it as bad as we want it," Sims said.
I think a lot rides on this game (on whether this is a great season) because of the rivalry and tradition," added Schlegel.
"Last year we didn't really have a great season but we beat Michigan. They know that, we know that, and both teams are peaking right now. It's going to be a great battle and one that you play college football to be a part of this. That's what makes this so special."
Speakers: Both teams will pull out all the stops on the field on Saturday, but that will not be the beginning of the special effort this week. The OSU coaching staff usually has at least one or two special speakers in before the Michigan game. One of those is usually former Head Coach Earle Bruce.
"I think the greatest thing we have going is having "The Bruce" coming in and talking to us. I love it," said senior offensive lineman Nick Mangold.
"He comes in every Sunday after we have our meetings and stuff and it's great to hear him talk and how much he loves Ohio State, how much he cares about this game. I wish we could have it every day just to feel that fire," Mangold said.
According to Mangold, Bruce did not disappoint anyone this year when it comes to that fire and brimstone stuff.
"He was wild," said Mangold.
"If you were standing out here (in the WHAC) you could still hear him back there in the meeting room he gets do fired up and excited. You can't help but get excited when you hear him going crazy," Mangold said.
"It shows how much he loves the game. No matter what time of year it is, he'll always be talking about the Michigan vs. Ohio State game. When he finally gets the opportunity to talk to us before the game he just has so much emotion that you really understand how much it means to him and how much it means to everyone around them," Mangold concluded.
Bruce is not the only speaker to address the Buckeyes Michigan week.
"I remember last year Jack Tatum came back and was talking," said Anthony Schlegel.
"Honestly, it just shows how former players and coaches feel about this game and the significance of this game. That's what you come to Ohio State for, to play in this game and to be a part of it. Especially for the young guys who haven't been there, haven't been on the field, because they've got to know because it's one of those things that you don't fully understand until you start hitting people. Then you realize what the game is all about."
"We don't have people come in every day," added linebacker A. J. Hawk.
"We knew Coach Bruce was coming in, he's come in every year since I've been here before Michigan and talk to us.
"He comes in a lot during camp, we had Spielman talk to us during camp.
"They don't bring a bunch of guys in, just the guys that really mean something to Coach Tressel and this team that can help this team out."
Prognostobabblenation: In his weekly column today the-Ozone columnist Tony Gerdeman picked the Wolverines over the Buckeyes this weekend. As you might expect, Gerdeman was flayed on the-Ozone message board for his prediction. We've also gotten a few emails from people who are less-than happy with him. We gave him the chance to explain his pick. Here's what he had to say.
"I think it is obvious to everybody that Ohio State is the more talented team. You would have to be from Michigan to not see it," Gerd said in an email to the-Ozone editor.
"But, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one person to look past telling weaknesses and strengths of this team and that team, and make a pick that makes absolutely no sense. And that's what I did. And I hated doing it, and I hope to never have to do it again."
Uh-huh. Thanks for clearing that up Gerd.
Nature or Nurture?: Sports fans who grow up in the states of Ohio and Michigan just naturally seem to understand that importance of The Game. It's importance is driven hope to them at an early age, so early that the connection seem almost in the DNA.
"My first memory of this game is sitting around at home and my dad and my uncles sitting around the TV and it's the Ohio State vs. Michigan game," said defensive end Mike Kudla.
"It started then and just being from Ohio, it's just the way you grow up. I was no different. The Ohio State vs. Michigan game is the biggest game of the year. I know it meant a lot to them then and it means more to them now. I just kind of fell into that mode as a young kid and it kind of grew with me," Kudla said.
For players who have come to Ohio State from out of state, however, there is a different course of events.They come to the same conclusion, but there is definite learning curve involved for the newcomers.
"Me being from Florida I was always a big Florida State vs. Miami guy, that was my big rivalry that I paid attention to," said senior safety Nate Salley.
"When I got up here when we played them my freshman year with the national championship on the line and the Big Ten championship on the line and all that, I believe that's when it hit me.
"The fans rushed the field and it was 14-9, such a close, hard-fought game and seeing how crazy everyone was that whole week, I think that opened my eyes to see how serious it was.
"Then to go the next year and have the same opportunity, then lose, that just made me realize how serious it can be," Salley said.
The out-of-staters quickly learn the importance of the game, and to appreciate it.
"This is what you live and die for," said Florida native Santonio Holmes who has fully learned to appreciate the rivalry.
"You want to play against teams like this, you want to be in the biggest rivalry, you want to be in the spotlight, and you don't want to be on the losing end of that game."
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MITCH ALBOM: Taylor's comeback one all can admire - Detroit Free Press •FB
MITCH ALBOM: Taylor's comeback one all can admire
November 18, 2005
BY MITCH ALBOM
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
One minute he was a college football star. The next minute he was in jail, then hell. All he'd ever owned was gone. It was a hot August morning and there was a vodka bottle in his hand and an empty Detroit alley before him. Billy Taylor, at that moment, could have slipped off the radar altogether.
But he heard a voice.
He says it called his name.
"William Taylor, come forth."
He jumped up, dropped the bottle, fumbled to grab it, saw it smash. And he ran. Not the way he once ran through blocks and tackles; he ran like an alcoholic determined to rough up whoever had cost him his last drink.
By the end of that day, it really was his last drink.
Should Michigan win Saturday against Ohio State, and possibly tie for the Big Ten title after a 3-3 start, people will be talking about a major "comeback."
They don't know what comeback means.
Taylor does. Thirty-seven years ago, he was the leading rusher in Michigan's biggest win ever over Ohio State, the 1969 upset of the then No. 1-ranked Buckeyes. Taylor gained 84 yards that Saturday, including a big 28-yard burst that led to the go-ahead score.
Two years later, as a senior, he surpassed himself, scoring the winning touchdown against Ohio State in his last regular-season play as a Wolverine.
"Touchdown, Billy Taylor!" Bob Ufer exclaimed.
It became his nickname. Taylor finished his career as Michigan's all-time leading rusher.
And then his world exploded.
SERVING TIME, BUT NOT WASTING IT
Four days after the Rose Bowl, his mother died of a sudden heart attack. Then his girlfriend was stabbed to death at a roller rink. A beloved uncle shot his wife before turning the gun on himself.
"It was like everyone around me was dying," he says. "I figured I was next."
He tried pro football. It didn't pan out. He was sad, angry and deeply depressed, but back then, you didn't diagnose men that way, especially iron-tough football players. Taylor spun in directions he never imagined. He did drugs. He felt into debt. In January 1975, three years after the Rose Bowl, he was arrested for taking part in an armed robbery of a bank in his hometown. All he did was drop off the robber, but that was enough.
Soon, a small group of supporters, including his former coach, Bo Schembechler, was walking him to the entrance of a federal prison.
"Bo told me, 'Everyone is going to know who you are in there,' " Taylor says. " 'You're going to be challenged. Watch your back.' "
"I remember the door shut behind me with this big echo. I can still hear that echo today."
What happened next redefines the words "up and down." Taylor earned a master's degree while serving time. He got married once he was out. But he lost his job. His marriage crumbled. The anger and depression never left his system, and he soon returned to his old remedies: drugs and alcohol.
Before long, he was homeless. He panhandled. He slept in abandoned buildings. "I didn't shower for almost a year. I 'did my pits' in McDonald's bathrooms."
Touchdown Billy Taylor, who once dressed at a famous locker, now kept his clothes in a garbage bag.
FROM DOWN AND OUT TO A DOCTORATE
Which brings us to where we began, that hot August morning in 1997. The smashed vodka bottle. The run through the alley. Taylor was screaming for whoever yelled his name to show himself.
There was no one there.
"It was God," he says. "I know it. I walked into traffic on Jefferson, and I kept walking. I went to this group home, Family Tyes, run by a woman named Sheryl Carson. And I said, 'I need a job. God sent me.' And she said, 'Well, if God sent you, I guess I better hire you.' "
Today, less than a decade later, Billy Taylor, 56, has a doctorate from UNLV in educational leadership. He has taught at community college. He is hoping to catch on at Michigan as an advisor or instructor.
He has not, he says, had a drink or done a drug since the day that bottle smashed and he went running toward a thunderous voice.
And Saturday, shortly before kickoff, he will make another run -- this time through the tunnel with other U-M football alums. He'll wave. He'll breathe the autumn air.
And no matter what happens during the game, that will be the greatest comeback of the day.
Billy Taylor's book, 'Get Back Up', is available at umalumni.com
U-M won't let the dogs out on OSU - Detroit Free Press •FB
U-M won't let the dogs out on OSU
November 18, 2005
BY MARK SNYDER
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
When the Michigan football players and coaches got off the buses at Ohio Stadium before last year's game against Ohio State, there was a surprise.
Their bags were inspected by trained dogs, and that angered coach Lloyd Carr. His mood didn't improve after the Wolverines' 37-21 loss.
"Maybe they were trying to get in our head," offensive tackle Jake Long said. "We didn't know what was going on. They told us to drop our bags and started yelling at us and stuff. We were just standing there before getting in and the cop was like, drop your bags, and nobody knew what to do."
Asked about the situation Monday, Carr was brief, implying that the bag search was a sign of disrespect. The rival coaches went into greater detail on this week's Big Ten teleconference with two sides of the story.
"I know it's normal for our buses and bags and all the rest to be inspected," said Ohio State coach Jim Tressel. "That's just the times we live in, and when you have a venue like we have here in Columbus on the day of the Ohio State-Michigan game and like you'll have in Ann Arbor on the day of the Ohio State-Michigan game, I think that's part of what you do."
Asked if he expects a surprise this week, Tressel said no.
"Obviously, we regret if there were any surprises a year ago, and they were certainly not intended," he said. "And in this moment in history where the security of everyone, not just players and coaches, but the fans, trainers and doctors and media folk or whoever, that's part of the world we live in and we expect it."
Carr, however, was still agitated.
"I don't think we would ever treat any host school like we were treated at Ohio State," he said. "The conference, and our commissioner, Jim Delany, has instituted a new rule if you're going to have something like that, you must notify people beforehand, and that's something you would expect as a courtesy."
U-M athletic director Bill Martin said Monday that there will be no dogs Saturday at Michigan Stadium. He said the U-M athletic department would go out of its way to make the Ohio State fans feel like guests.
MICHAEL ROSENBERG: Falk on sideline, but that's not news at U-M - Detroit Free Press •FB
MICHAEL ROSENBERG: Falk on sideline, but that's not news at U-M
November 18, 2005
BY MICHAEL ROSENBERG
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
The Big Game
Matchup: No. 17 Michigan 7-3, 5-2 Big Ten; No. 9 Ohio State 8-2, 6-1.
When: 1 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor.
TV: ABC (Channel 7 in Detroit).
Line: Ohio State by 3.
BIG TEN scenarios
Ohio State: Can win the title outright with a victory and a Penn State loss at Michigan State. Could tie for the title with a loss and a Penn State loss.
Michigan: Can tie for the title with a victory and a Penn State loss.
Penn State: Can win the title outright with a victory at Michigan State and an Ohio State loss to U-M. The Nittany Lions still could tie for the title with a loss at MSU and a Michigan victory.
A long time ago, when Lloyd Carr worked at Westland Glenn and Bo Schembechler was still a young head coach, Michigan hired an equipment manager named Jon Falk.
It was 1974. A lot has happened since. Nixon resigned. Current Wolverines quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler was born. Every other person in the Michigan athletic department quit, retired or died.
But until last month, Jon Falk had never missed a football game. Heck, he rarely missed a day of work. Then, in his 264th consecutive game, Falk finally got noticed.
Iowa linebacker Abdul Hodge rumbled into Falk's leg on the sideline. Hodge tried to help Falk up. But as Falk put weight on his left leg, he realized he was seriously injured. His tibia was crushed -- a gruesome injury that left more than 20 pieces of the bone in his left leg and requires six months of rehab.
Now, for the first time in 32 years, Falk will have to watch the Michigan-Ohio State game on television. This is his favorite week, and it's killing him. He has gone from literally being on the sidelines to figuratively being on the sidelines.
But here's the odd thing: Falk is as much a part of the Michigan football program as ever.
Every coach in the program calls or visits him regularly -- some almost every day. When his wife, Cheri, drove Falk to practice for the first time after the injury, the players swarmed him, chanting, "Big Jon! Big Jon!"
And Falk's phone hasn't stopped ringing. Anthony Carter called. So did Carter's college quarterback, John Wangler, and Wangler's predecessor, Rick Leach.
Former U-M star Ron Kramer, whose No. 87 has been retired by the school, tried to visit Falk at the hospital. Kramer couldn't get in the room. Too crowded.
Falk was getting five or six visitors an hour, almost every hour. Any time somebody walked into St. Joseph's Mercy Hospital in Superior Township wearing Wolverines gear, the guy at the desk would just look up and say, "Go up to the Room 5147. He's up there."
Falk also got calls from Minnesota coach Glen Mason. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. Ball State coach Brady Hoke. And Louisiana State coach Les Miles, who played at Michigan in the '70s. Everybody from Miles' U-M days has left the program. Everybody but Falk.
A slew of equipment managers from across the country called. Keith Jackson called. Lynn Swann. Bob Griese. ESPN sideline announcer Holly Rowe sent a big book called the ESPN College Football Encyclopedia, then half-joked that Falk had been on the sidelines for most of the games in the book.
"I've gotten letters from people that I don't even know," Falk said, "who just want to say, 'We saw it on TV. We're Michigan fans. Please get well soon.' "
Michigan-Ohio State is not just about the players or the coaches. It's about everybody who is part of the school communities. It's about people like Falk.
And yes, it's about winning, too. Falk has 17 Big Ten championship rings, almost all clinched against Ohio State. When players ask him which ring is his favorite, he always says, "The next one."
It's a good line. No wonder Tom Brady stole it.
Apparently Brady wasn't the only one listening. Falk has developed a passion for Michigan that rivals anybody in the program, and now he knows the passion is mutual.
"You don't think about it while you're working, but then you start to think about it when something like this happens," said Falk, 56. "I've been here 32 years. Thirty-two Michigan football teams have come and gone."
You think about trying to get on the team plane in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when you couldn't walk, and three people had to carry you, which was fine except that with every step, your pants started sliding off. And you remember the guy who stood behind you every step of the way, holding your pants up. His name is Lloyd Carr.
And you think back to that day in 1974 when you were assistant equipment manager at Miami (Ohio) and interviewed for a job at Michigan, then went home to think it over.
"I lived in Oxford, Ohio, with my mother and grandmother," Falk said. "I told them, 'I just don't think I'm going to take that job because I just don't want to leave you two here by yourselves. You two have a tough-enough time. I'll call up tomorrow and turn that job down.'
"Well, at about 3 o'clock in the morning, my mother came in the bedroom, and she was crying. She woke me up. I said, 'What's the matter, Mother? What are you crying for?'
"She says, 'I hate to tell you this. It hurts me. It hurts me bad. But tomorrow morning, you're calling Bo Schembechler, and you're going to Michigan. I know Bo Schembechler's going to take care of you, and you gotta go.' "
OSU linebackers long on hair, talent - Detroit Free Press •FB
OSU linebackers long on hair, talent
Trio backbone of Buckeyes' stingy defense
November 18, 2005
BY SHAWN WINDSOR
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When A.J. Hawk arrived at Ohio State four years ago, he wasn't sure he would play. He had spent most of his senior year in high school injured and was never a star on the recruiting circuit.
But by the end of his freshman year at OSU, Hawk had made an impression. Now, as Hawk approaches the last regular-season game of his career Saturday at Michigan, he is a finalist for the Butkus Award, a likely first-round NFL draft choice and the leader of perhaps the most dominant set of linebackers in college football.
Ohio State's rushing defense is ranked second nationally and first in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are ranked fifth nationally and first in the Big Ten in total defense. They allow fewer than 80 rushing yards and about 14 points a game.
Along with his running mates -- Bobby Carpenter (6-feet-3, 255 pounds) and Anthony Schlegel (6-1, 251) -- Hawk has turned this into the year of the linebacker at Ohio State. Whenever the defense is mentioned, it always comes back to the longhaired trio. And it starts with Hawk.
"He doesn't say much," said linebackers coach, Luke Fickell. "He just does everything well. He never gets rattled."
Actually, that description might be an understatement. Hawk, 6-1, 240, runs 40 yards in 4.46 seconds, fast for a linebacker. He flies around the field in great whooshes. In fact, his weakness might be that he's too fast and occasionally overpursues. Still, some longtime Buckeyes followers think he might be the best linebacker the school has ever produced.
"Best ever? Hmmmm," Hawk mused earlier this week. "I take that with a grain of salt."
Of the three linebackers, Hawk is considered the quietest. Oddly, though, he's also credited with starting the flowing-locks look. His blond hair is down to his shoulders. And, at least according to Fickell, Carpenter and Schlegel followed suit when they saw the look take shape.
The style, particularly Hawk's, suggests fallen rock star Kurt Cobain, had he spent his life in the gym.
"They get a lot of publicity," Fickell said. "People like their look. The coaches don't tell them to cut it or anything."
Hair has made the linebackers cult figures in Columbus, but without their performances on the field, they would just be anonymous students.
"They love to compete," Fickell said. "They play hard and are very smart football players. They thrive off each other."
Schlegel is the energy guy, who runs around hollering in practice, and keeps tabs on Michigan.
"You always look, 'Hey, what did Michigan do this week?' " said Schlegel, from Highland Park, Texas.
He's also the trio's biggest hitter. Off the field, he's out hunting, "chasing deer or whatever, looking for something to kill," Fickell said.
Carpenter, from Lancaster, Ohio, is the wild child, right out of World Wrestling Entertainment, dancing on the field, taking down quarterbacks, quick to yank off his helmet on the sideline to better expose his sweaty mane.
"He's crazy," Fickell said.
And Hawk?
"Hawk is probably sitting back laughing," Fickell said.
Hawk, from Centerville, Ohio, is still amazed he's playing in scarlet and gray and about to lead his team into one of football's best rivalries. He remembers the last time he played at the Big House.
"They played great," Hawk said.
Ohio State beat Michigan last year in Columbus, and Hawk craves a victory in Ann Arbor. And he's aware of what he faces.
"Michigan always has a bunch of talent," he said. "We know they are going to make some plays. It's just of matter of how we react to it."
Ohio's dirty laundry doesn't soil U-M - Detroit Free Press •FB
Ohio's dirty laundry doesn't soil U-M
November 18, 2005
BY MARYANNE GEORGE
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
For a few hours Thursday morning, it sounded like a semitruck full of underwear was heading from Columbus, Ohio, to Ann Arbor, where irate Buckeyes would board a helicopter and drop the dirty laundry in Michigan Stadium.
It was part of a Michigan Stinks campaign promoted by Columbus radio station WNCI-FM (97.9) as a buildup to Saturday's football game between Michigan and Ohio State.
Buckeye fans in Columbus were delighted by the prospect of a panty raid. Alas, it was only a bit of radio theater by the station's morning crew, said program director Michael McCoy.
A truck actually did carry a few hampers of dirty underwear that listeners donated, McCoy said. A banner proclaiming "Michigan Stinks" was pasted on the truck's side as it drove around Ohio with two disc jockeys inside.
McCoy said 20 years ago, the cargo probably would have gone all the way to the Big House, site of Saturday's game.
"But after 9/11 everyone takes this seriously," he said. "I don't know where they went, but in the minds of our listeners this really happened. And nobody got arrested."
If Buckeyes had shown up, Wolverines would have been ready. The offenders could have been arrested for littering. If the laundry was indeed, ahem, dirty, they could have been arrested for littering infectious waste, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail, a $5,000 fine, or both.
On Thursday evening, all was quiet at the Big House. But U-M police were on patrol at the stadium, just as they are before every home game, spokeswoman Diane Brown said.
MITCH ALBOM: Taylor's comeback one all can admire
November 18, 2005
BY MITCH ALBOM
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
One minute he was a college football star. The next minute he was in jail, then hell. All he'd ever owned was gone. It was a hot August morning and there was a vodka bottle in his hand and an empty Detroit alley before him. Billy Taylor, at that moment, could have slipped off the radar altogether.
But he heard a voice.
He says it called his name.
"William Taylor, come forth."
He jumped up, dropped the bottle, fumbled to grab it, saw it smash. And he ran. Not the way he once ran through blocks and tackles; he ran like an alcoholic determined to rough up whoever had cost him his last drink.
By the end of that day, it really was his last drink.
Should Michigan win Saturday against Ohio State, and possibly tie for the Big Ten title after a 3-3 start, people will be talking about a major "comeback."
They don't know what comeback means.
Taylor does. Thirty-seven years ago, he was the leading rusher in Michigan's biggest win ever over Ohio State, the 1969 upset of the then No. 1-ranked Buckeyes. Taylor gained 84 yards that Saturday, including a big 28-yard burst that led to the go-ahead score.
Two years later, as a senior, he surpassed himself, scoring the winning touchdown against Ohio State in his last regular-season play as a Wolverine.
"Touchdown, Billy Taylor!" Bob Ufer exclaimed.
It became his nickname. Taylor finished his career as Michigan's all-time leading rusher.
And then his world exploded.
SERVING TIME, BUT NOT WASTING IT
Four days after the Rose Bowl, his mother died of a sudden heart attack. Then his girlfriend was stabbed to death at a roller rink. A beloved uncle shot his wife before turning the gun on himself.
"It was like everyone around me was dying," he says. "I figured I was next."
He tried pro football. It didn't pan out. He was sad, angry and deeply depressed, but back then, you didn't diagnose men that way, especially iron-tough football players. Taylor spun in directions he never imagined. He did drugs. He felt into debt. In January 1975, three years after the Rose Bowl, he was arrested for taking part in an armed robbery of a bank in his hometown. All he did was drop off the robber, but that was enough.
Soon, a small group of supporters, including his former coach, Bo Schembechler, was walking him to the entrance of a federal prison.
"Bo told me, 'Everyone is going to know who you are in there,' " Taylor says. " 'You're going to be challenged. Watch your back.' "
"I remember the door shut behind me with this big echo. I can still hear that echo today."
What happened next redefines the words "up and down." Taylor earned a master's degree while serving time. He got married once he was out. But he lost his job. His marriage crumbled. The anger and depression never left his system, and he soon returned to his old remedies: drugs and alcohol.
Before long, he was homeless. He panhandled. He slept in abandoned buildings. "I didn't shower for almost a year. I 'did my pits' in McDonald's bathrooms."
Touchdown Billy Taylor, who once dressed at a famous locker, now kept his clothes in a garbage bag.
FROM DOWN AND OUT TO A DOCTORATE
Which brings us to where we began, that hot August morning in 1997. The smashed vodka bottle. The run through the alley. Taylor was screaming for whoever yelled his name to show himself.
There was no one there.
"It was God," he says. "I know it. I walked into traffic on Jefferson, and I kept walking. I went to this group home, Family Tyes, run by a woman named Sheryl Carson. And I said, 'I need a job. God sent me.' And she said, 'Well, if God sent you, I guess I better hire you.' "
Today, less than a decade later, Billy Taylor, 56, has a doctorate from UNLV in educational leadership. He has taught at community college. He is hoping to catch on at Michigan as an advisor or instructor.
He has not, he says, had a drink or done a drug since the day that bottle smashed and he went running toward a thunderous voice.
And Saturday, shortly before kickoff, he will make another run -- this time through the tunnel with other U-M football alums. He'll wave. He'll breathe the autumn air.
And no matter what happens during the game, that will be the greatest comeback of the day.
Billy Taylor's book, 'Get Back Up', is available at umalumni.com
U-M won't let the dogs out on OSU - Detroit Free Press •FB
U-M won't let the dogs out on OSU
November 18, 2005
BY MARK SNYDER
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
When the Michigan football players and coaches got off the buses at Ohio Stadium before last year's game against Ohio State, there was a surprise.
Their bags were inspected by trained dogs, and that angered coach Lloyd Carr. His mood didn't improve after the Wolverines' 37-21 loss.
"Maybe they were trying to get in our head," offensive tackle Jake Long said. "We didn't know what was going on. They told us to drop our bags and started yelling at us and stuff. We were just standing there before getting in and the cop was like, drop your bags, and nobody knew what to do."
Asked about the situation Monday, Carr was brief, implying that the bag search was a sign of disrespect. The rival coaches went into greater detail on this week's Big Ten teleconference with two sides of the story.
"I know it's normal for our buses and bags and all the rest to be inspected," said Ohio State coach Jim Tressel. "That's just the times we live in, and when you have a venue like we have here in Columbus on the day of the Ohio State-Michigan game and like you'll have in Ann Arbor on the day of the Ohio State-Michigan game, I think that's part of what you do."
Asked if he expects a surprise this week, Tressel said no.
"Obviously, we regret if there were any surprises a year ago, and they were certainly not intended," he said. "And in this moment in history where the security of everyone, not just players and coaches, but the fans, trainers and doctors and media folk or whoever, that's part of the world we live in and we expect it."
Carr, however, was still agitated.
"I don't think we would ever treat any host school like we were treated at Ohio State," he said. "The conference, and our commissioner, Jim Delany, has instituted a new rule if you're going to have something like that, you must notify people beforehand, and that's something you would expect as a courtesy."
U-M athletic director Bill Martin said Monday that there will be no dogs Saturday at Michigan Stadium. He said the U-M athletic department would go out of its way to make the Ohio State fans feel like guests.
MICHAEL ROSENBERG: Falk on sideline, but that's not news at U-M - Detroit Free Press •FB
MICHAEL ROSENBERG: Falk on sideline, but that's not news at U-M
November 18, 2005
BY MICHAEL ROSENBERG
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
The Big Game
Matchup: No. 17 Michigan 7-3, 5-2 Big Ten; No. 9 Ohio State 8-2, 6-1.
When: 1 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor.
TV: ABC (Channel 7 in Detroit).
Line: Ohio State by 3.
BIG TEN scenarios
Ohio State: Can win the title outright with a victory and a Penn State loss at Michigan State. Could tie for the title with a loss and a Penn State loss.
Michigan: Can tie for the title with a victory and a Penn State loss.
Penn State: Can win the title outright with a victory at Michigan State and an Ohio State loss to U-M. The Nittany Lions still could tie for the title with a loss at MSU and a Michigan victory.
A long time ago, when Lloyd Carr worked at Westland Glenn and Bo Schembechler was still a young head coach, Michigan hired an equipment manager named Jon Falk.
It was 1974. A lot has happened since. Nixon resigned. Current Wolverines quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler was born. Every other person in the Michigan athletic department quit, retired or died.
But until last month, Jon Falk had never missed a football game. Heck, he rarely missed a day of work. Then, in his 264th consecutive game, Falk finally got noticed.
Iowa linebacker Abdul Hodge rumbled into Falk's leg on the sideline. Hodge tried to help Falk up. But as Falk put weight on his left leg, he realized he was seriously injured. His tibia was crushed -- a gruesome injury that left more than 20 pieces of the bone in his left leg and requires six months of rehab.
Now, for the first time in 32 years, Falk will have to watch the Michigan-Ohio State game on television. This is his favorite week, and it's killing him. He has gone from literally being on the sidelines to figuratively being on the sidelines.
But here's the odd thing: Falk is as much a part of the Michigan football program as ever.
Every coach in the program calls or visits him regularly -- some almost every day. When his wife, Cheri, drove Falk to practice for the first time after the injury, the players swarmed him, chanting, "Big Jon! Big Jon!"
And Falk's phone hasn't stopped ringing. Anthony Carter called. So did Carter's college quarterback, John Wangler, and Wangler's predecessor, Rick Leach.
Former U-M star Ron Kramer, whose No. 87 has been retired by the school, tried to visit Falk at the hospital. Kramer couldn't get in the room. Too crowded.
Falk was getting five or six visitors an hour, almost every hour. Any time somebody walked into St. Joseph's Mercy Hospital in Superior Township wearing Wolverines gear, the guy at the desk would just look up and say, "Go up to the Room 5147. He's up there."
Falk also got calls from Minnesota coach Glen Mason. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. Ball State coach Brady Hoke. And Louisiana State coach Les Miles, who played at Michigan in the '70s. Everybody from Miles' U-M days has left the program. Everybody but Falk.
A slew of equipment managers from across the country called. Keith Jackson called. Lynn Swann. Bob Griese. ESPN sideline announcer Holly Rowe sent a big book called the ESPN College Football Encyclopedia, then half-joked that Falk had been on the sidelines for most of the games in the book.
"I've gotten letters from people that I don't even know," Falk said, "who just want to say, 'We saw it on TV. We're Michigan fans. Please get well soon.' "
Michigan-Ohio State is not just about the players or the coaches. It's about everybody who is part of the school communities. It's about people like Falk.
And yes, it's about winning, too. Falk has 17 Big Ten championship rings, almost all clinched against Ohio State. When players ask him which ring is his favorite, he always says, "The next one."
It's a good line. No wonder Tom Brady stole it.
Apparently Brady wasn't the only one listening. Falk has developed a passion for Michigan that rivals anybody in the program, and now he knows the passion is mutual.
"You don't think about it while you're working, but then you start to think about it when something like this happens," said Falk, 56. "I've been here 32 years. Thirty-two Michigan football teams have come and gone."
You think about trying to get on the team plane in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when you couldn't walk, and three people had to carry you, which was fine except that with every step, your pants started sliding off. And you remember the guy who stood behind you every step of the way, holding your pants up. His name is Lloyd Carr.
And you think back to that day in 1974 when you were assistant equipment manager at Miami (Ohio) and interviewed for a job at Michigan, then went home to think it over.
"I lived in Oxford, Ohio, with my mother and grandmother," Falk said. "I told them, 'I just don't think I'm going to take that job because I just don't want to leave you two here by yourselves. You two have a tough-enough time. I'll call up tomorrow and turn that job down.'
"Well, at about 3 o'clock in the morning, my mother came in the bedroom, and she was crying. She woke me up. I said, 'What's the matter, Mother? What are you crying for?'
"She says, 'I hate to tell you this. It hurts me. It hurts me bad. But tomorrow morning, you're calling Bo Schembechler, and you're going to Michigan. I know Bo Schembechler's going to take care of you, and you gotta go.' "
OSU linebackers long on hair, talent - Detroit Free Press •FB
OSU linebackers long on hair, talent
Trio backbone of Buckeyes' stingy defense
November 18, 2005
BY SHAWN WINDSOR
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When A.J. Hawk arrived at Ohio State four years ago, he wasn't sure he would play. He had spent most of his senior year in high school injured and was never a star on the recruiting circuit.
But by the end of his freshman year at OSU, Hawk had made an impression. Now, as Hawk approaches the last regular-season game of his career Saturday at Michigan, he is a finalist for the Butkus Award, a likely first-round NFL draft choice and the leader of perhaps the most dominant set of linebackers in college football.
Ohio State's rushing defense is ranked second nationally and first in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are ranked fifth nationally and first in the Big Ten in total defense. They allow fewer than 80 rushing yards and about 14 points a game.
Along with his running mates -- Bobby Carpenter (6-feet-3, 255 pounds) and Anthony Schlegel (6-1, 251) -- Hawk has turned this into the year of the linebacker at Ohio State. Whenever the defense is mentioned, it always comes back to the longhaired trio. And it starts with Hawk.
"He doesn't say much," said linebackers coach, Luke Fickell. "He just does everything well. He never gets rattled."
Actually, that description might be an understatement. Hawk, 6-1, 240, runs 40 yards in 4.46 seconds, fast for a linebacker. He flies around the field in great whooshes. In fact, his weakness might be that he's too fast and occasionally overpursues. Still, some longtime Buckeyes followers think he might be the best linebacker the school has ever produced.
"Best ever? Hmmmm," Hawk mused earlier this week. "I take that with a grain of salt."
Of the three linebackers, Hawk is considered the quietest. Oddly, though, he's also credited with starting the flowing-locks look. His blond hair is down to his shoulders. And, at least according to Fickell, Carpenter and Schlegel followed suit when they saw the look take shape.
The style, particularly Hawk's, suggests fallen rock star Kurt Cobain, had he spent his life in the gym.
"They get a lot of publicity," Fickell said. "People like their look. The coaches don't tell them to cut it or anything."
Hair has made the linebackers cult figures in Columbus, but without their performances on the field, they would just be anonymous students.
"They love to compete," Fickell said. "They play hard and are very smart football players. They thrive off each other."
Schlegel is the energy guy, who runs around hollering in practice, and keeps tabs on Michigan.
"You always look, 'Hey, what did Michigan do this week?' " said Schlegel, from Highland Park, Texas.
He's also the trio's biggest hitter. Off the field, he's out hunting, "chasing deer or whatever, looking for something to kill," Fickell said.
Carpenter, from Lancaster, Ohio, is the wild child, right out of World Wrestling Entertainment, dancing on the field, taking down quarterbacks, quick to yank off his helmet on the sideline to better expose his sweaty mane.
"He's crazy," Fickell said.
And Hawk?
"Hawk is probably sitting back laughing," Fickell said.
Hawk, from Centerville, Ohio, is still amazed he's playing in scarlet and gray and about to lead his team into one of football's best rivalries. He remembers the last time he played at the Big House.
"They played great," Hawk said.
Ohio State beat Michigan last year in Columbus, and Hawk craves a victory in Ann Arbor. And he's aware of what he faces.
"Michigan always has a bunch of talent," he said. "We know they are going to make some plays. It's just of matter of how we react to it."
Ohio's dirty laundry doesn't soil U-M - Detroit Free Press •FB
Ohio's dirty laundry doesn't soil U-M
November 18, 2005
BY MARYANNE GEORGE
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
For a few hours Thursday morning, it sounded like a semitruck full of underwear was heading from Columbus, Ohio, to Ann Arbor, where irate Buckeyes would board a helicopter and drop the dirty laundry in Michigan Stadium.
It was part of a Michigan Stinks campaign promoted by Columbus radio station WNCI-FM (97.9) as a buildup to Saturday's football game between Michigan and Ohio State.
Buckeye fans in Columbus were delighted by the prospect of a panty raid. Alas, it was only a bit of radio theater by the station's morning crew, said program director Michael McCoy.
A truck actually did carry a few hampers of dirty underwear that listeners donated, McCoy said. A banner proclaiming "Michigan Stinks" was pasted on the truck's side as it drove around Ohio with two disc jockeys inside.
McCoy said 20 years ago, the cargo probably would have gone all the way to the Big House, site of Saturday's game.
"But after 9/11 everyone takes this seriously," he said. "I don't know where they went, but in the minds of our listeners this really happened. And nobody got arrested."
If Buckeyes had shown up, Wolverines would have been ready. The offenders could have been arrested for littering. If the laundry was indeed, ahem, dirty, they could have been arrested for littering infectious waste, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail, a $5,000 fine, or both.
On Thursday evening, all was quiet at the Big House. But U-M police were on patrol at the stadium, just as they are before every home game, spokeswoman Diane Brown said.
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