It's here ... read on

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Well it's here. The day I love, the day I dread. The day before the Michigan game.

I love it because in less than 24 hours The Game begins. I dread it because ... well I'm still waiting. I've been waiting all week, all season, in fact, since the last Game. I get no work done this week. It's hard to concentrate. It never changes. I feel a bit sick to my stomach, nervous, edgy. The Game can't get here soon enough ... then it ends all to quickly, and I'm waiting again.

That's the unending cycle. Each year, the same as before. Oh sure, it was somewhat different once. Growing up with Woody and the boys, I came to understand the War ... the 10 Year War. (My apologies, in advance, for any offense I'm sure to cause by using terms related to war. It is not my intention to belittle or tarnish in any way those that serve our country. I simply need to use the terms that I associate with this game) Each game a battle with 2 generals prowling the sidelines. At that young age I really thought this was as close to war as one could get without guns. Everything mattered. You despised them ... they despised you. While you respected their abilities and strengths, they could be NO common ground. ALL that mattered was 60 minutes on Saturday ... only then could you determine victory or defeat in the crucible of The Game.

Enter Earle Bruce, and a somewhat older me. The day before the game is slightly different, but still no sleep. I understand that this is merely a poor reflection of real war. Many important things were still on the line. Pride, dignity, honor, class ... everything that mattered to self esteem was there for the taking. All won or lost in 60 minutes. Too long to wait, too long. This isn't about the only team that matters. It's about the only 2 teams that matter. I know it's special ... it's The Game.

John Cooper. What can I say. I get sick before the game. Seriously, I'm nauseated and sometimes I vomit. Nothing has changed. It all comes down to this game ... and the wait. The intolerable wait. It mocks me ... taunts me ... abuses me. I can't take it anymore. Nothing can quench the fire except victory. A victory that comes not often enough. The college football world has grown. There are many teams, but none that can claim ... The Game.

Today. I'm sick. Sick of waiting. I don't get sick to my stomach anymore. Well, not often anyway. The Game still means everything. After some years when I wondered if the rest of college football was gaining ground on our tradition ... I'm amazed. Nothing compares. No where does the entire year boil down to one moment. All the work, the effort, the heartache, the joy, the study ... the waiting ... all of it made worthwhile in 60 minutes. It can NOT arrive soon enough. 60 minutes later, I'll begin the wait once again.

Go Bucks ... Beat Michigan.



Here's some reading material for your wait ...

 

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OSU-Michigan matchups - NN of Central Ohio •FB

OSU-Michigan matchups

Buckeye Trivia

The Ohio State-Michigan series has been an even affair the last 50 years, with each program claiming 24 victories apiece with two ties.

The Series

OSU is 3-1 under Jim Tressel, but the Wolverines have won seven of the last eight meetings in Ann Arbor and hold an overall edge of 57-38-6. The two have met every year since 1918 and have ended their conference seasons against each other since 1935.

Buckeye data

Coach Jim Tressel: 48-13 (5th year/OSU); 183-70-2 overall

Statistical leaders

QB Troy Smith: 103 of 172 passing, 59.9 pct., 1,640 yds., 13 TDs, 4 INTs

TB Antonio Pittman: 1,110 yards, 199 carries, 5.6 avg., 5 TDs

WR Santonio Holmes: 42 catches, 781 yards, 18.6 avg., 9 TDs

WR Ted Ginn Jr.: 34 catches, 547 yards, 16.1 avg., 3 TDs

LB A.J. Hawk: 102 tackles, 12 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, 1 INT

LB Anthony Schlegel: 65 tackles, 7 TFLs, 2 sacks

PK Josh Huston: 18 of 21 field goals, 18 of 19 inside 50 yards

Wolverine data

Coach Lloyd Carr: 102-32 (11th year/Michigan)

Statistical leaders

QB Chad Henne: 177 of 303 passing, 58.4 pct., 2,033 yds., 19 TDs, 7 INTs

TB Mike Hart: 573 yards, 122 carries, 4.7 avg., 4 TDs

TB Kevin Grady: 465 yards, 110 caries, 4.1 avg., 4 TDs

WR Jason Avant: 70 catches, 900 yards, 12.9 avg., 7 TDs

WR Mario Manningham: 20 catches, 341 yards, 17.0 avg., 5 TDs

WR Steve Breaston: 18 catches, 230 yards, 12.8 avg., 2 TDs

LB David Harris: 72 tackles, 5 TFLs, 2 forced fumbles

CB Grant Mason: 72 tackles, 2 INTs, 7 pass break ups

PK Garrett Rivas: 17 of 23 field goal, 3 of 7 beyond 39 yards

The Matchups

Quarterbacks

In their second year at the controls, Michigan's Chad Henne and Ohio State's Troy Smith have picked it up the last month after slow starts. Smith's excuse was rustiness from serving an NCAA suspension. Henne's excuse was loneliness. He missed last year's go-to guy, Braylon Edwards. All is fine now. Henne has paired off with Jason Avant and Smith with Santonio Holmes. Smith is more mobile, but Henne has more moxie and the homefield advantage this time around. After the way he played at Penn State, Smith still needs to prove he can beat the Big Ten's elite on the road. No, Minnesota doesn't count.

EDGE: Michigan

RUNNING BACKS

The Wolverines seem to be a different team with Mike Hart at tailback. He's been bothered by hamstring and ankle injuries all season, but vows to play against the Buckeyes. Hart is a Tyrell Sutton clone and Sutton was on his way to a big game against the Buckeyes until Northwestern fell in a 21-point hole. After what happened last year, the Wolverines might be preoccupied with Troy Smith, so Ohio State's best strategy might be to pound away with tailback Antonio Pittman. He's been as good as any Big Ten ballcarrier down the stretch, topping 100 yards in four of the last five games and falling just shy (96) in the other. Because of Hart's injuries, Michigan has developed better depth. Backups Kevin Grady and Jerome Jackson have combined for 683 yards and seven scores, so Michigan can keep attacking with fresh legs.

EDGE: Michigan

RECEIVERS

The two best receiving corps in the Big Ten will be on display. Michigan's Jason Avant is vying for the Big Ten receiving title with 70 catches, complemented by freshman Mario Manningham, who had the last-second grab in the win over Penn State, and multi-threat Steve Breaston. He was Ted Ginn Jr. before Junior arrived on the Big Ten scene for the Buckeyes. Santonio Holmes, probably playing in his last regular season game Saturday, is averaging 18.6 yards per catch and has caught nine touchdowns. It's never a matter of Holmes, Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez getting open. It all comes down to Troy Smith making the proper reads and releasing the ball on time. Can he do it with 112,000 fans rooting for him to fail?

EDGE: Even

OFFENSIVE LINE

Gee, what happened to all the gripes about OSU's front five? Seemed to me all along that the perceived problems came down to an unfounded lack of faith by the coaches in tailback Antonio Pittman and too much trust in an erratic Troy Smith. The line has been solid all yearand might be able to push around a mammoth but very average defensive front. Fifth-year seniors Adam Stenavich (6-5, 321) and Matt Lentz (6-6, 311) are OL stalwarts for the Wolverines, bur right tackle Jake Long (6-7, 330) has been hurt quite a bit and can't be counted on against the Buckeyes. How well Michigan keeps Mike Kudla and Bobby Carpenter out of Chad Henne's face could be a huge factor in the outcome.

EDGE: Even

DEFENSIVE LINE

Ohio State has 38 sacks to Michigan's 18. If form holds, with the Buckeyes rattlnig Chad Henne and affording Troy Smith excellent protection, the Wolverines don't have a chance. Seniors Gabe Watson (6-4, 331) and Pat Massey (6-8, 283) look more imposing than they play. Michigan's most productive lineman has been junior Lamarr Woodley. He plays sort of a hybrid end/linebacker position and has 14 tackles for loss, including a team-high five sacks. With 6.5 sacks, OSU end Mike Kudla still has a chance to overtake Bobby Carpenter (8) and A.J. Hawk (7.5) for the team lead.

EDGE: OSU

LINEBACKERS

A huge game should sew up the Butkus Award for A.J. Hawk, if the award isn't already wrapped with his name on it. It would be nice to see Hawk score another TD and then strike the Butkus pose in the end zone, 14 years after Michigan's Desmond Howard did the Heisman stiff-arm to celebrate scoring on a punt against the Buckeyes. One problem: What's the Butkus pose? All Butkus ever did was glare and snarl. Maybe Hawk can do a chin-up off the crossbar, pulling himself up by his hair. OSU can't afford another slow start like last week, when Northwestern marched 80 yards with the opening kickoff. OSU fans will keep an eye on Michigan linebacker Prescott Burgess. He's third on the team in tackles and was Maurice Clarett's teammate at Warren Harding, the same school that produced wideout Mario Manningham.

EDGE: OSU

DEFENSIVE BACKS

OSU and Michigan rank one-two, respectively, in Big Ten pass defense. The Buckeyes have allowed a league-low seven touchdowns, but also have a league-low six interceptions. No Wolverine has more than two picks, but four members of the secondary have a pair. Cornerback Grant Mason shares the team lead in tackles with 72. OSU corner Ashton Youboty had a big interception last year and could be ready to inflict more damage after making his first pick of the year last week against Northwestern. Corner Tyler Everett looked great, showing no ill effects from the neck injury that kept him sidelined for three weeks.

EDGE: Even

SPECIAL TEAMS

Ted Ginn Jr. vs. Steve Breaston. Josh Huston vs. Garrettt Rivas. The special units offer some of the more intriguing matchups. Breaston has a kickoff return TD and a 72-yard punt return for the Wolverines. Ginn has returned a punt and kickoff for TDs and has scored six times in his career on returns, including an 82-yarder that broke open last year's game with Michigan. Huston leads the Big Ten with 18 field goals and Rivas is right behind with 17. Here's the difference: Santonio Holmes and Ginn give the Buckeyes a better one-two punch on returns and Rivas has converted only three of his 10 field goals beyond 39 yards. Huston, by comparison, is 18 of 19 inside the 50.

EDGE: OSU

 

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Gold pants always in style at Ohio State - NN of Central Ohio •FB

Gold pants always in style at Ohio State

By JON SPENCER
Gannett News Service

Jim Langhurst, Class of 1941, owns the distinction of being the oldest living Ohio State football captain.

He owns a Big Ten championship, having played linebacker and fullback on the 1939 team that shut out every team it beat.

He owns three varsity letters.and Scarlet and Gray-tinged memories that are priceless.

But one of gentleman Jim's few regrets over 86 years is that he doesn't own a pair of gold pants.

Now there's a sentence you'll never read in GQ.

We're not talking gold pants you might find hugging the hips of a sequin-splashed figure skater or hanging in Deion Sander's closet. We're talking about the miniature gold pants you might find dangling from a necklace or chain or socked away in a box of mementos

The charm is given to each Buckeye after a victory over Michigan. Inscribed on the pants are the year and final score.

Placekicker Josh Huston is going after his fourth pair Saturday, which would be quite a feat, even though he admits to "cheating" by getting hurt and sticking around -- with the NCAA's blessing -- for six years.

The incomparable Archie Griffin has three pairs, a 10-10 tie in 1973 ruining his shot at a complete set.

If it makes Langhurst feel any better, there are three senior classes who went through OSU during the John Cooper Era without, um, pants.

"I had to play against Tom Harmon my three years," Langhurst lamented.

That's all the explanation needed. Harmon was his generation's Michael Jordan in cleats. He was the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 1939 before winning the award for Michigan in 1940, the season Langhurst captained the Buckeyes.

"I met (Harmon) at a speaking engagement one year and told him, 'It's nice to meet you in person. I was always chasing your butt,' " Langhurst said. "He told me that he would give up his Heisman for two things I had -- a Big Ten championship and being named captain. I walked away with tears in my eyes."

It was a remark by Langhurst's coach, Francis Schmidt, that sparked the gold pants tradition in 1934. Vowing to beat Michigan, he said, "Those guys put their pants on one leg at a time, the same way you do." Schmidt started out 4-0 against the Wolverines, but then lost three straight, costing him his job.

"The rivalry was just as big back then," Langhurst said. "If you didn't beat Michigan, you were out."

Bob Thornton, one of Langhurst's dearest friends in their hometown of Willard, played fullback and linebacker on Woody Hayes' undefeated 1954 national championship team. He owns two pairs of gold pants.

"I treasure them, but I don't do anything with them other than fend off my kids who think they get them after I'm gone," Thornton, 73, joked. "Since I have five kids, I can't even give a leg to each kid."

He's willing to share, though, with his old buddy Jim.

"Tell him," Thornton teased, "he can borrow my pants anytime ... as long as he promises to give 'em back."

Prediction: Michigan 30, Ohio State 24

 

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Onus is on Michigan to beat Tressel - NN of Central Ohio •FB

Onus is on Michigan to beat Tressel

By DAVE PURPURA
Gannett News Service

Good morning, Buckeye Nation.

We're one day from the annual reckoning, and a single question is keeping me on edge -- is Jethro Tull a Michigan football fan?

Must be, because Wolverines fans have been living in the past for quite some time now.

Selective amnesia? Protective, more likely. Talk of Ohio State's 3-1 record against Michigan under Jim Tressel is far less soothing than the Wolverines' 10-2-1 owning of our beloved locals between 1988 and 2000 -- a streak that ended five years ago.

But to hear the Michigan fans in this office and beyond -- yes, we have to put up with them too -- the past is their best friend. They're fretting as much as we used to.

Ranked 17th, they're 7-3 and need a win and some help to clinch the Big Ten championship. If history has taught us anything, it's that combination and this rivalry are a perfect menu for one of the states falling flat on its collective face.

Just look north. Those dark blue clouds don't signal snow flurries, and isn't it unbelievable that we're thinking of those this week?

No, that's the color of pressure, if not a thoroughly morose outlook. It brings to mind a thought-provoking episode of "The Twilight Zone," in which man's hatred toward man grows so out of control that it can only be manifested in total darkness that covers areas of particular strife.

This situation is hardly as dire, but the similarities remain.

One Detroit newspaper article on Michigan this week was headlined "Tick ... Tick ... Tick ..." with a subhead "Time now for U-M to solve OSU."

Lloyd Carr groused admittance last weekend that he devotes a few moments every day to thinking of Ohio State. Kudos go out to Michigan reporters for managing to understand Carr.

It's amazing, if not satisfying. Not to live in the past, but we must remember Michigan's all-time ownership of Ohio State -- 57 wins, 38 losses and 6 ties overall. The Wolverines are 30-17-4 against the Buckeyes at home. Yet the confidence of the local and inherently displaced Michigan fans ebbs like a stream from melting ice in March.

To paraphrase a co-worker's comments Monday afternoon, "We're gonna get our butts kicked."

I remember a time when it was like that around here, for the locals instead of the treacherous infidels. Ten years ago, if you bumped into an Ohio State fan during Michigan week you'd come away with whiplash. We were so wound with anxiety and inferiority that it was like hitting a car or a deer.

Funny thing was then that based on talent alone, Ohio State should have beaten Michigan at least six times in the 1990s. Only a few of those Wolverines teams were out and out better, like the Charles Woodson-led squad of 1997 and the 1999 team that squeaked by 6-6 Ohio State by just a touchdown.

This Ohio State team is better than Michigan, but just barely. It's been fun to watch four straight 40-point performances, but remember the competition. The Buckeyes haven't beaten the two superior teams they've played, Texas and Penn State, nor did Michigan knock off Wisconsin or Notre Dame.

It did, however, benefit from Penn State's last-second absence of mind.

My take it to the bank prediction for this weekend -- Ohio State's special teams decide this one, whether on a blocked punt returned for a touchdown or a late field goal.

Let's just hope the Buckeyes don't bungle in the jungle of Ann Arbor.

Ohio State 28, Michigan 27. Go Bucks.

 

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Wolverines ready to strike pose against unlucky Bucks - NN of Central Ohio •FB

Wolverines ready to strike pose against unlucky Bucks

By JOSH HACHAT
Contributing Writer

The last time I wrote one of these columns, ESPN Classic showed the Michigan-Ohio State game from 1997, which might be my favorite of the duels.

If you don't remember, it was where Charles Woodson wrapped up his Heisman Trophy -- though his Heisman pose wasn't quite as good as Desmond Howard's, another good memory I might add -- and carried Michigan to a national championship.

Anyway, I wrote the column as I gleefully watched that game and two days later, Chris Perry ran all over the Muckeyes' vaunted defense in a dominating 2003 win.

Well, guess what replay was on again yesterday, Luckeye fans?

So, yes, come Saturday, Michigan will win in Ann Arbor, ruining all this Ohio Stooge vs. Notre Dame Fiesta Bowl blabber I've been hearing about.

Suddenly, the Luckeyes are a dominant team, or at least that's what the red and silver fans are saying lately. Huh?

They beat a Northwestern team Michigan also throttled -- on the road -- gave up 500 yards to Minnesota and needed a bone-headed decision by bone-headed coach John L. Smith to beat Michigan State at home.

Oh yeah, they also beat Indiana and Illinois, which could both be mistaken for junior-high teams.

So tell me again what good team Ohio Stump has beaten?

Texas? Oh wait, Vince Young might have won the Heisman that night -- thank you Bobby Carpenter.

Penn State? Whoops, I forgot that was the game Troy Smith did his best Stanley Jackson impersonation.

So that leaves zero current-ranked teams Ohio Stale has beaten this year, a trend that continues this week.

Michigan, by the way, beat Penn State, which I'll remind Yuckeye fans, didn't happen when Ohio Slump went to Happy Valley.

So, no, the Luckeyes aren't rolling along and they've already proven they can't beat top-tier teams this year.

Michigan isn't top-tier -- and I'm certainly disappointed in that this year -- but it won't matter come Saturday.

Recent history can also take a backseat in this one. Sure, Jim Tressel is 3-1 vs. Michigan, but Lloyd Carr is coaching like someone who might be on the hot seat.

The Wolverines will play with a sense of urgency, but don't mistake it with a sense of panic that Ohio Scared players showed during the glorious Cooper years.

Sure, that attitude has changed with Tressel around, but it's suddenly gone too far this year.

Anxiety and fear were initially replaced with confidence, but now it's gone to full-blown arrogance when it comes to Michigan week.

I can't say I'm surprised -- I've lived among these fans, to put it nicely, for two decades -- but this year feels even more ridiculous.

Sure, Michigan has struggled -- what team wouldn't if it lost its best player (Mike Hart) to a nagging injury -- but Saturday's win will give the Wolverines two top-15 wins -- again, two more than the Luckeyes -- the same record and a better bowl berth.

You have your odd fascination/crush with kickers, punters and sweater vests. I'll take a healthy Hart over that any day.

I'll even grant you this year's defense is good -- I didn't mention A.J. Hawk until now because I didn't want you slobbering all over this article -- but the Luckeyes have yet to beat a team like Michigan this year.

Hart, Chad Henne, Jason Avant and a steadily improving defense will see that trend continue.

So as Saturday comes and goes, new memories will joins Charles Woodson's and I can play Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days" in the background.

And, yes, Sports Editor Bill Bender approves of this message.

Final Score: Michigan 24, Ohio State 20.

 

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Can OSU take it to the Big House? - NN of Central Ohio •FB

Can OSU take it to the Big House?
One-play series could make difference for Ohio State, Michigan on Saturday

By JON SPENCER
Gannett News Service

COLUMBUS -- Go ahead, roll your eyes and snicker whenever Ohio State coach Jim Tressel says with a straight face that the punt -- all together now -- "is the most important play in football."

Just don't expect Michigan coach Lloyd Carr to see the humor. Not this week. Not in Ann Arbor where talk about OSU's special teams is causing more belly aches than belly laughs.

"From a return standpoint, (Santonio) Holmes and (Ted) Ginn are explosive and have the ability to make a big play every time they touch the ball," Carr said. "They have a great punter and a great field goal and kickoff guy who has been incredible in terms of kicking the ball out of the end zone.

"The field position they have been able to create through their special teams is ... I don't think anybody has done a better job."

Last year, Ginn's 82-yard punt return in the third quarter broke open a close game and the Buckeyes went on to spoil Michigan's bid for an outright Big Ten championship with a 37-21 victory.

In Saturday's 102nd meeting between archrivals, Ohio State enters Michigan Stadium leading the Big Ten in kickoff returns, net punting, field goals, kick scoring, touchbacks and field goal percentage.

The winner will be the league's BCS representative should Penn State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) fall at Michigan State. If ninth-ranked Ohio State (8-2, 6-1) prevails, it is guaranteed a share of the conference championship.

"Coach Tressel always says great players make great plays against Michigan and that's a challenge to everyone that plays, whether you're tackling someone or kicking a ball," OSU placekicker Josh Huston said.

Huston has lived up to the lofty standards set by predecessor Mike Nugent, converting 18-of-21 field goal attempts. The sixth-year senior has shown an even stronger leg in booming 45 of his 64 kickoffs for touchbacks, including an incredible 18 in a row.

Counterpart Garrett Rivas has made only 3-of-10 field goals beyond 39 yards, but is right behind Huston on the Big Ten charts with 17 field goals and 35 touchbacks.

If they kick deep, they can't make it playable. Ginn had a 100-yard kickoff return against Minnesota after his 98-yarder at Indiana was negated by penalty. Michigan's Steve Breaston, who has surpassed 1,000 all-purpose yards for the third straight year, had a 95-yard kickoff return against the Gophers.

Both players are even more dangerous as punt returners, but kick away from Ginn and the ball goes to Holmes. He scored on a punt return last year against Northwestern and has an even better return average this season (14.7 yards) than Breaston (12.9) or Ginn (12.2).

"I think when you look at the kicking game historically, it impacts in some way or another every game," Carr said. "Certainly when you have skilled people like Ohio State has, like we have, you have an opportunity to create great field position and great momentum shifts. Those coverage teams are up against it this week."

Only a sophomore, Ginn already shares the Big Ten career record with five punt return TDs, including one this year against Indiana. Breaston is Michigan's career punt return leader and second all-time in the Big Ten.

Michigan would love nothing more Saturday than to see Breaston duplicate the feats of the school's two most recent Heisman Trophy winners.

Desmond Howard struck a prophetic Heisman pose with his punt return TD in a 1991 win over the Buckeyes and Charles Woodson secured his own Heisman in 1997 with an equally deflating coast-to-coast return.

In turn, Ohio State wouldn't mind if Huston turned into Tom Klaban or linebacker A.J. Hawk became Jim Laughlin.

In 1974, Klaban kicked four field goals as the Buckeyes erased a 10-0 deficit for a 12-10 win over Michigan and trip to the Rose Bowl. In the 1979 showdown, Laughlin blocked a punt with less than five minutes to play and Todd Bell ran it in from the 18 to give the Buckeyes and first-year head coach Earle Bruce an 18-15 win and outright Big Ten title.

Hawk's "Laughlin moment" might have come last week when he scooped up a blocked punt by Quinn Pitcock and ran eight yards for his second collegiate TD in the 48-7 rout of Northwestern.

It was Ohio State's fourth special teams touchdown in the last five weeks.

Do the Buckeyes have another one or two in them?

"There's no doubt about it, both teams spend an extraordinary amount of time preparing in the special teams," Tressel said. "I find it's a one-play series. On offense, if you throw incomplete on first down, you've got two more tries. On special teams, you'd better do it right on that play. That's the fun of it, I guess."

 

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Buckeyes hoping for big success in confines of the Big House - NN of Central Ohio •FB

Buckeyes hoping for big success in confines of the Big House

By JON SPENCER
Gannett News Service

COLUMBUS -- When the noise reaches ear-splitting levels Saturday in Michigan Stadium -- and it will -- Ohio State coach Jim Tressel might shut his eyes and let his imagination carry him to a faraway place called the 'Shoe.

"If you close your eyes, you think they're rooting for you," Tressel said. "That's what you try to pretend."

If only Ohio State's 1-7 record in Ann Arbor since 1989 was make-believe. Alas, it's sobering reality and one of the reasons linebacker Bobby Carpenter said Michigan is the toughest pl end Mike Kudla said. "There are so few Ohio State fans you get to fit in there and about 112,000 Michigan fans. They're just packed in there.

"It's one of those deals where if they get a little momentum that stadium really gets going and they thrive off it ... just like we do in the 'Shoe."

With an undisputed Big Ten championship on the line for both teams in 2003, the Wolverines jumped out to a 21-0 lead and prevailed 35-21 before a Michigan Stadium-record crowd of 112,118.

That crowd and Michigan's average attendance last season of 111,025 stand as NCAA records. Penn State's Beaver Stadium (106,537) is second-largest in the nation, followed by Tennessee's Neyland Stadium (104,079), Ohio Stadium (101,568) and the Rose Bowl (95,000).

"I don't call any of the Big Ten stadiums the worst or the loudest," Tressel said. "Michigan is one of the fun places, just like Penn State."

Sophomore tailback Antonio Pittman looked dressed for his first trip to Michigan when he showed up in the interview room after last Saturday's 48-7 rout of Northwestern. Pittman was wearing a T-shirt that said "Buckeyes Rock Michigan."

"It's what you come here for, big games like this," Pittman said. "It doesn't get any bigger than this. It's gonna be a lot like the 'Shoe ... not better, though."

 

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Buckeyes go up north - The Lantern •FB

Buckeyes go up north
102nd meeting has meaning, even after teams' early struggles
By: David Briggs

Back on Oct. 8, The Game just wasn't looking like The Game.

The once-promising seasons of Ohio State and Michigan were teetering on the brink of disaster. The Buckeyes had been dealt a final blow to their national title hopes after falling at Penn State, while Michigan was off to its worst start in 38 years, at 3-3, and was out of the national polls for the first time since 1998. OSU's Nov. 19 trip north to Ann Arbor was losing its luster by the minute.

Flash forward six weeks and neither team has lost since. Nonetheless, both, No. 9 OSU (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten) and the No. 17 Wolverines (7-3, 5-2 Big Ten) know their successful turnarounds mean a lot less without a win tomorrow.

"For both teams, I think this season will be a major disappointment with a loss," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "I can't think of anything less because there is a lot at stake."

As usual, the conference title will be on the line. A Buckeye win assures them of at least a shared Big Ten crown with Penn State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten). Should the Nittany Lions go down at Michigan State, the championship and automatic Bowl Championship Series bid will go to the winner in Ann Arbor.

Even in front of a hostile crowd of more than 110,000, an OSU team averaging more than 40 points during the last five games would appear to have the edge talent-wise, and they enter as three point favorites. But on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, things don't always follow the script. In four of the schools' last five meetings, the team with the better record has fallen.

The roads the teams have traveled to get to tomorrow's game appear similar, but no turnaround in college football has been as pronounced as Michigan's.

Hobbled by injuries to sophomore tailback Mike Hart and senior wideout Steve Breaston - their two main offensive threats - and without the departed Braylon Edwards to bail out sophomore quarterback Chad Henne, Michigan sputtered.

"People didn't give us much hope," Michigan senior tight end Tim Massaquoi said. "They really cast our season away."

It was not until a last-second comeback win over then-unbeaten Penn State on Oct. 15 that salvaged their season and propelled them to wins against Iowa, Northwestern and Indiana.

"I think (the players) proved what they are made of," Carr said. "They have strong fiber and they fought back. There is no question that their road was a real, real hard one because of the hole we put ourselves in early. We have beat some very good football teams and have come together as a team. We're excited."

After a rocky start, Henne has come on to toss for more than 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns. Now healthy, Breaston has emerged as one of the league's top all-purpose threats and lines up alongside senior wideout Jason Avant. Breaston, the Biletnikoff Award candidate leads the team in receiving with 70 receptions for 900 yards and seven touchdowns.

But it's a player from Warren, Ohio, that has increasingly become Michigan's big-play threat. True freshman wideout Mario Manningham has just 20 catches, but they have been for 341 yards and five touchdowns, including his game-winning score against Penn State.

"Even with Avant and Breaston, he's been the one you see making the very key plays," senior safety Nate Salley said. "When he caught the ball in the back of the end zone (at Penn State), that definitely turned their season around and got their swagger back."

The game may rest, though, on Hart's effectiveness. Banged up all season, Hart has not even come close to his breakout season of a year ago, rushing for just 573 yards in six games. But after two weeks of resting his tender right ankle, the Buckeyes know not to overlook him.

"Hart is just one of those electric guys," OSU coach Jim Tressel said. "He has a chance to bring along the people that are around him."

So it all comes down to Saturday at the Big House. With the memory of their 2003 loss in Ann Arbor lingering, the Buckeyes will try to do something only one OSU squad has been able to do in the last 16 years: win at Michigan.

Even senior receiver Santonio Holmes, who grew up in Belle Glade, Fla., where the Miami-Florida State rivalry is king, has come to understand Ohio's obsession with The Game and knows how much a win tomorrow would mean.

"This is what you live and die for," Holmes said.

Quick slants

The accolades continue to pour in for senior linebacker A.J. Hawk. This week, Hawk was announced as one of four finalists for the Lombardi Award, given annually to the nation's best defensive player. Joining Hawk are Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil, Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny and Texas defensive tackle Rod Wright. ... Michigan leads the all-time series 57-38-6. During the past 54 seasons, the two schools are deadlocked at 26-26-2. ... OSU does not have a win this season against a team currently ranked in the top 25.

 

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Jeff Svoboda's Breakdown - The Lantern •FB

Jeff Svoboda's Breakdown
By: Jeff Svoboda

OSU offense vs. U-M defense

The Ohio State offense has found its stride during the past four games thanks to the play of quarterback Troy Smith and tailback Antonio Pittman. Michigan could not control Smith a year ago even when it had Ernest Shazor and Marlin Jackson in the secondary. Safeties Willis Barringer (2 interceptions) and Brandent Englemon have missed time with injuries and need to be 100 percent. Cornerbacks Grant Mason and Leon Hall have been serviceable. Michigan uses a 3-4 defense and linebackers Prescott Burgess, David Harris and LaMarr Woodley are solid if not spectacular players. Up front, nose tackle Gabe Watson, at 331 pounds, gets most of the press, but end Pat Massey is just as integral to the line. The Michigan defense came into the season much-maligned, but at third in total defense and fourth in scoring defense, they haven't been the cause of the losses.

U-M offense vs. OSU defense

Surprisingly, it has been the Michigan offense that has struggled this season. At the start of the season, quarterback Chad Henne struggled without receiver Braylon Edwards as a fail-safe measure. Now, Jason Avant has stepped up as a go-to receiver and Steve Breaston appears to be healthy for the first time this year. The health of big-play threat Mario Manningham will be critical to the Wolverines' success. Running the ball, the Wolverine offense has been beset by injuries, and if tailback Mike Hart is hurt, the Wolverines have no chance. The Buckeye defense, led by A.J. Hawk (right) should be able to stop the Wolverine running game, leaving the game in Henne's hands.


Kicking game and returns

Steve Breaston has been one of the Big Ten's most explosive players returning kicks, but if kicker Josh Huston can keep racking up touchbacks, that advantage becomes nullified. The Buckeyes also have excellent punt coverage, with only 11 returns allowed on 40 punts by A.J. Trapasso. Michigan's Ryan Ross is just as adept at sending the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs and keeping punt returns to a minimum. On field goals, Huston is a Lou Groza Award candidate who has made 18 of 21 field goals on the year and has not missed from inside 40. Wolverine Garrett Rivas is 17 of 23, but is only 3 of 7 from beyond 40 yards and missed a 27-yarder with 48 seconds left against Michigan State.


Intangibles and coaching

It is no secret almost everyone in Columbus would take Jim Tressel over Lloyd Carr. Tressel is the anti-John Cooper, with a 6-2 record combined against Michigan and in bowl games. His emphasis on the end-of-season games has been in direct contrast to Cooper. However, Buckeye fans thought the same thing two years ago going into Ann Arbor, and the Wolverines blitzed the Buckeyes 35-21. Both teams assuredly want to make amends for early-season losses, especially with a possible Big Ten championship on the line. The Wolverines will come out inspired with the home crowd behind it.

It's almost impossible to say what will happen in this game. It's simply The Game. Ohio State-Michigan delivers incredible plays and performances, and they're not always from expected sources.

 

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Mysterious material hits locker room - Columbus Dispatch$ •FB

OHIO STATE | NOTEBOOK
Mysterious material hits locker room

Friday, November 18, 2005

Ken Gordon and Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Who knows where it came from, but apparently some mysterious motivational material has been posted on the Buckeyes’ bulletin boards this week.

Ohio State receiver Santonio Holmes revealed it when he was asked whether he was conscious of not providing any inflammatory remarks.

"We’ve already got a little stuff from those guys (Michigan)," he said.

What did they say?

"It’s just some stuff that was said about one of the guys," he said, refusing to reveal details. "It was posted around the locker room."

A check with some reporters who cover Michigan revealed no hint of a controversial quote coming out of Ann Arbor recently.

Holmes unintentionally fired up Illinois players with a quote two weeks ago. He said that if the Buckeyes went out and put up 40 points on the Illini in the first quarter, it would show everyone that Ohio State was not taking them lightly.

The statement wasn’t a prediction, but the Fighting Illini conveniently twisted it. Not that it mattered in their 40-2 loss.

Down doesn’t mean out

Even when Michigan started 3-3 and fell out of the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 1998, Buckeyes linebacker Anthony Schlegel said he had no doubts that the Wolverines would right themselves. They did, beating Big Ten leader Penn State on the last play, reeling off four straight wins and climbing back to No. 17.

"They had too much pride in their program to have a down year," Schlegel said. "We were in the same boat last year when we came back hard at the end of the season."

What’s a few thousand ?

Ohio State played in front of more than 107,000 in its loss at Penn State on Oct. 8. On Saturday in Michigan Stadium, the Buckeyes and Wolverines might break the NCAA attendance record of 112,118 set the last time they played there. But can players tell the difference between 107,000 and 112,000.

"I can’t," guard Rob Sims said. "There is a difference between 50,000 and 55,000. And between 55,000 and 107,000, there’s a huge difference. But after that, just like a lineman, if he’s 300 pounds, if he puts on five more pounds, you can’t tell. But you can tell on these little receivers."

Nearing milestones

Several players have a chance to move up in the school record books.

Linebacker A.J. Hawk has 375 career tackles and needs five to pass Pepper Johnson (379) for fifth place. Steve Tovar is fourth with 408.

Holmes has 129 career receptions and needs four to pass Dee Miller (132) into fifth place. Gary Williams is fourth with 154.

Troy Smith has 10 rushing touchdowns this year, fourth best in school history for a quarterback. He needs two to tie Cornelius Greene (12 in 1973) for third. The record is 14 by Les Horvath in 1944, followed by Art Schlichter’s 13 in 1978.

 

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Huston has come a long way - Columbus Dispatch$ •FB

Huston has come a long way
Sixth-year senior makes most of chance to play

Friday, November 18, 2005

Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

If Ohio State kicker Josh Huston had gone into this season with a personal checklist, it might have looked something like this by now:

1. Lead Big Ten in kick scoring — 93 points, including 18 of 21 on field-goal attempts — check.

2. Bang most of kickoffs deep into the end zone resulting in touchbacks — 45 of 64 so far, including streak of 18 — check.

3. Match a school record, such as most field goals in a game — five in the loss to Texas, tying Mike Nugent and Bob Atha — check.

4. Prove that, despite sitting behind Nugent for most of four years, he has one of the stronger kicking legs in the country — see above, especially No. 2 — check.

5. Make a winning field goal — pending.

"I’d like to do that, but you’ve got to get the chance," Huston said.

If that chance comes Saturday in the 102 nd renewal of the Ohio State-Michigan game and he makes it, officials might even put his picture on a building in his hometown of Findlay. It might even go next to the one of native son Ben Roethlisberger, his former high school teammate, Miami University standout and current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.

"Nah, I think it would take a lot more than that to see me up on a billboard," Huston said. "They don’t do those things for kickers."

You get the impression, though, that Findlay mayor Tony Iriti just might make it happen.

Iriti treasures his picture of the Findlay Alvada Construction, a baseball team of 14-year-olds he coached years ago. The group shot includes his son Mike, Roethlisberger and Huston.

"There was something special about those kids even then," Iriti said. "Of course, they were great athletes."

Everyone knows the story of Roethlisberger’s rise. Meanwhile, Iriti played a major role in getting Huston to his current spot. During his junior year at Findlay High School, the football team needed a kicker, and Iriti pushed for Huston to be brought over from the soccer team.

"There was no rule for it, so the superintendent made one," Iriti said. "For a player to do both, he had to have at least a 3.0 GPA through the season and pick a primary sport, so if a conflict arose, like in the playoffs, there would be no argument which team he’d play for."

Call it the Huston rule, but it seems strange to think of Huston wanting to do anything but kick footballs. Just watching him kick off this season has been akin to watching John Daly smack his driver. They’ve usually been long, high and arcing, with at least four going through the uprights.

"I’m not surprised at all by what Josh has done," Iriti said. "I’ve always known he had an exceptionally strong leg."

It just took Huston almost six years for a chance to show everybody else. His second season at OSU, his redshirt freshman year, he was beaten out by Nugent. That might have been a blessing in retrospect, because the next two years Huston was beset by injuries that necessitated hip surgery.

That allowed him to petition the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility. It also put him on the spot. He had one year to produce. But as the checklist shows, he has done that.

"This is what I expected out of myself, and this is what I prepared for for six years," Huston said "Coach (Jim) Tressel, myself and everyone else probably would be disappointed if I waited six years to have an average or subpar season."

Now comes his only shot at being the kicker of record for Ohio State in the Michigan game. A billboard back home could be riding on his efforts, although Iriti made no promises. Because, as he pointed out, Nike paid for the Roethlisberger display.

"No matter what, though, we are really proud of Josh," Iriti said. "I hope just for him that he does get to the kick that winning field goal at Michigan."

 

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OSU-Michigan is often unrivaled in television ratings - Columbus Dispatch$ •FB

OSU-Michigan is often unrivaled in television ratings

Friday, November 18, 2005

Tim Feran
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

When the Buckeyes and Wolverines meet Saturday, the schools will be vying for the 2005 national title — in the Nielsen ratings.

The Game plays well on television in Ohio and Michigan, of course, but also far beyond.

In two of the past five years, the matchup — listed No. 1 in a ranking of college-football rivalries released this week by Fox Sports — has drawn the most viewers among six nationally televised contests between long-standing rivals.

"The reason this game always does so well is the same reason people are hooked on Cleveland Browns football or St. Louis baseball or Boston Celtics basketball," said Gary Danielson, who with Brent Musburger will call the 1 p.m. game for ABC. "The history adds to the enjoyment. People take ownership; it’s their game."

The main competitor to OSU-Michigan: the Notre Dame-USC rivalry, which also topped the ratings twice in the past five years.

The Irish-Trojan showdown finished first in the Nielsens in 2004 and narrowly edged out OSU-Michigan in 2002, the season the Buckeyes won the national championship.

The Oct. 15 game between Notre Dame and the University of Southern California — both top 10 teams — drew more than 10 million viewers.

Saturday’s game will feature the No. 9 Buckeyes against the No. 17 Wolverines, with both teams on a roll.

Yet the strength of the teams doesn’t necessarily explain viewership. The OSU-UM pairing led the ratings in 2003, when the Buckeyes were making a run at a title repeat, but also in 2000, when neither the Buckeyes nor the Wolverines was highly ranked.

Other rivalries examined by Fox Sports: Miami-Florida State, Texas-Oklahoma, Auburn-Alabama and Army-Navy. Fox Sports identified the six matchups (counting OSU-UM and Notre Dame-USC) as the best in college football, based on "how much they’ve mattered, the bitterness of the feud, and what they mean to the college football landscape."

On television, Auburn-Alabama and Army-Navy don’t stack up. In the past five years, the games typically attracted the least number of viewers among the six.

One big exception: In the aftermath of Sept. 11, the Dec. 1 Army-Navy matchup — attended by President Bush — drew the most viewers in 2001, surpassing that year’s OSUMichigan game by almost 2 million.

Kathy Bickel, vice president of outreach for the OSU Alumni Association, has an easy explanation for the widespread interest in The Game.

"We’re one of the largest alumni associations in the country," she said.

At least 90 alumni clubs plan to host game-watching parties on Saturday, according to the association’s Web site. At least 42 Michigan alumni clubs will do the same.

Notable alumni gatherings outside Ohio will include large groups in Florida — "we call that ‘Columbus South,’ " Bickel said — and in Atlanta, where as many as 1,000 fans will gather.

In Alaska, 1979 graduate Ron Rucker — who lives in a gray house with red and white trim on Buckeye Lane — won’t miss the game.

"There are Buckeye house gatherings all over the state," he said. "There’s people in Juneau, Seward, Fairbanks, a bunch in Anchorage. I’m in Wasilla, about 40 miles from Anchorage, and there’s quite a group of us here."

They’ll be watching, too, in West Des Moines, Iowa, where Kevin Huerkamp hopes 60 or more alumni will invade their usual game-day meeting spot: Champps restaurant.

"We try not to associate with Wolverines," said Huerkamp, 46, a 1983 graduate. "We’re surrounded by Hawkeyes here. We have our hands full with them."

Advertisers, too, want a piece of The Game.

"Locally, this is the biggest game of the year regardless of how the team is doing," said Kathleen Ramirez, senior vice president and media director of Fahlgren Inc., a Columbus communication agency.

"It’s a large buy on a national basis as well because the rivalry is not just about Ohio and Michigan," she said. "It’s a nationally followed game.

"The history goes back so many years with so many strong personalities involved, and Ohio State has one of the largest alumni associations in the country — so the passion will affect both coasts in addition to this part of the country."

 

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The Game gets ratings - Columbus Dispatch$ •FB

 

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Not just a passing grade - Columbus Dispatch$ •FB

Not just a passing grade
Wanting to be seen as more than just a runner, Troy Smith has risen to the occasion as a passer

Friday, November 18, 2005
Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith bristles whenever someone praises his scrambling ability.

He understands that his running sets him apart, but he doesn’t want to be shoved into that "athlete" box. It comes with a lid, one that can hide his considerable passing skills.

Last season, when he and Justin Zwick were competing for a job, he sensed he was in danger of being stereotyped as a glorified running back.

"When he first started playing, everybody expected Troy just to run the ball and Justin to throw the ball," receiver Santonio Holmes said.

Smith believed people viewed him as nothing more than a pair of legs.

"Don’t get me wrong, you’ve got guys who can make plays with their feet, but what defines a quarterback is his arm," Smith said.

"If that wasn’t the case, we’d have (receiver) Ted (Ginn Jr.) back there just doing what he can do — run all day. But that’s what I thrive on, throwing the ball."

Smith is thriving on that now. He has lifted the lid.

Smith leads the Big Ten and is sixth in the nation in passing efficiency. His completion percentage, passing yards per game and touchdown-to-interception ratio have improved this season.

In a four-game stretch from Oct. 15 to Nov. 5, Smith topped 200 yards in each game, totaling 1,006 yards with 10 TDs and one interception. He set career highs for yards (298 against Illinois) and TDs (three, three times).

"I’m just much more mature," he said. "Knowing that I have to learn more, the hunger for learning the offense, learning every position on the field, that’s where I’m at."

Smith first showed his full potential last season against Michigan, when he threw for 241 yards and ran for 145 in an upset victory.

That was both a blessing and a problem, because it created expectations that Smith had "made it" and the good times would keep rolling each week.

But Smith wasn’t far enough along in his understanding of coverages and defenses. The Michigan game papered over that fact.

"The general population is a highlight population," coach Jim Tressel said. "They don’t sit and watch the film, and they don’t sit and watch practice and see the things that we don’t do well. . . . (On highlights) they see the same play time after time after time and that becomes, ‘Oh, that’s what they do.’ "

What they do in real life is improve slowly, incrementally. Although Smith talked about spending hours in the film room, Tressel wasn’t sure Smith was getting the big picture.

"Sometimes film watching . . . you become like you’re in front of a TV set, and you’re looking for a big hit or something," Tressel said. "I call that recreational study. And that’s not the way you learn the game.

"You learn the game by trying to figure out the whys and the wherefores, and that takes time. And the older you get, the more you understand it."

Tressel recommended extra film sessions to Smith earlier this season, and both men credit that for a large part of Smith’s improvement.

Early this season, Smith seemed to take off running too soon at times, not waiting for plays to develop. He did not appear to "look off" his primary receiver enough.

Slowly, the film study started to pay off. He began to trust his offensive line and his receivers and not take matters into his own feet.

"Film study allows you to understand that two and three (second and third options) will come open once you stand back there," Smith said.

One intangible benefit of that maturity is that his receivers and linemen appreciate the trust Smith has shown them. They no longer feel like extras in Smith’s one-man show.

"I think he’s settled down, I think he’s gained a lot of confidence," tackle Doug Datish said. "I think he’s trusting us on the O-line to stay in the pocket more and find (receivers) instead of looking to run more often than not."

He hasn’t forgotten how to run, though. He had 127 yards rushing against Iowa, and his 10 rushing TDs lead the team.

"When it’s third-and-short, sometimes you’ve just got to make it happen," Smith said.

The difference this season is that’s not the only way he makes it happen.

 

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Carr a curmudgeon to the core, but Michigan players know that he cares - Columbus Dispatch$ •FB

COMMENTARY
Carr a curmudgeon to the core, but Michigan players know that he cares

Friday, November 18, 2005

ROB OLLER

He often wears the grim expression of ancestors captured on tintype.

Behind that grumpy exterior, however, Lloyd Carr is, well, grouchy.

Some people do not suffer fools gladly. Carr, Michigan’s football coach, does not suffer them at all, which explains why former Michigan safety Marcus Ray knew he would pay the piper for wearing a scarlet Ohio State pullover to a news conference after the Wolverines’ 20-14 win over the Buckeyes in 1997.

Ray thought his stunt funny. The Eastmoor product knew his coach would think otherwise.

"He made me run at 5:30 in the morning, in the cold," recalled Ray, who coaches defensive backs at Ohio Dominican. "He’s all about not representing Michigan in the wrong way."

Larry Stevens broke that unwritten rule in 2001 as a Michigan linebacker who was not up to speed on Carr’s keep-it-clean code of conduct. After brawling at a campus-area coffee shop in Ann Arbor, Mich., Stevens and another player pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace.

Carr then disturbed Stevens’ peace, making him walk the steps inside Michigan Stadium for 90 mornings, the same number that the player could have spent in jail.

"It was kind of like going home to your mom after you get in trouble in school," said Stevens, a secondyear linebacker with the Cincinnati Bengals. "It’s like, ‘Coach Carr is mean. What’s he going to do?’ "

Stevens’ legs soon found out.

"That’s when you realize it really is the Big House," Stevens said.

Carr didn’t miss one day of the punishment, showing up at 6 a.m. and walking his black Labrador retriever for an hour while Stevens sweated.

"He said he wanted to see how bad we wanted to be there," Stevens said.

Even when Carr lets down his guard, usually to keep his players loose, he does so in a way that lets no one off the hook. During practices, the 60-yearold Tennessee native walks around singing Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, a tradition he began after Michigan lost to Washington early in the 2001 season.

"I don’t sing that loud. I just sing very well," he said, showing a comic side he usually keeps hidden behind locker-room doors.

The interesting aspect of Carr’s strict discipline is that it eventually wins over those who suffer under it.

Initially, Ray and Stevens struggled to appreciate Carr and his methods.

"I didn’t understand him until I left the program," said Ray, who more than once butted heads with his coach. "Now, I see that he makes sense, and I’d love to work for him someday."

Stevens considers Carr a father figure who cares deeply about his players.

"A lot of people don’t get a chance to see what a good guy he is. He’ll fight for you. He’ll stick up for you. That’s why I love coach Carr."

Carr’s behind-the-scenes approach, which includes the stereotypical bunker mentality, hurts him with those alumni who see only the gruff side of a giving personality.

Carr is different than Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, against whom he is 1-3, in that while Tress can be loquacious while saying a lot of nothing, Carr says nothing in far fewer words. Any question he dislikes, he ignores, resulting in awkward silence. Or he comments when it would seem safer to remain silent.

Who can forget Carr’s "dumb question" response to ABC sideline reporter Todd Harris at halftime of the 2003 Ohio State-Michigan game? Unlike Tressel, Carr isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers and confront critics when he senses stupidity or believes his program is being threatened. This week, he repeated his stance that Ohio State showed no class in having bomb-sniffing dogs greet the Michigan players before entering Ohio Stadium last November.

"There is a difference between gamesmanship and disrespect," he said in his typically succinct style that is short on elaboration.

Critics who consider Carr’s crankiness inappropriately use it against him, clouding his record by promoting style and a winsome personality over substance and just plain winning.

So far Michigan has been smart enough to tune out those who want another Bo Schembechler, the icon who failed to achieve what his protege accomplished in 1997 by leading the Wolverines to their first national title since 1948.

Carr faces the constant struggle, though he would never call it that, of working in the shadow of Schembechler, who still has an office in the same building as Carr — Schembechler Hall.

But Carr can hold his own against the best of Bo. He has a 102-32 record in 11 seasons at Michigan, where he spent 15 years as an assistant to Schembechler and Gary Moeller. Carr has the fifth best winning percentage (.761) among active Division I-A coaches, is the third coach in Wolverines history and 11 th in Big Ten history to collect 100 wins at one school, and has guided the program to five conference titles in the past eight years. He could make it six in nine Saturday if Michigan beats Ohio State and Penn State loses to Michigan State.

Most programs stumble here and there, but Michigan under Carr has avoided the down cycles that are thought to be inevitable. Plus he’s 6-4 against the Buckeyes overall.

Despite those impressive credentials, Carr continues to fly under the radar, making news only when he criticizes announcers and officials, gaining camera time not because he is charismatic but because he has forced his way five yards onto the field while arguing a call that went against the Maize and Blue.

He offers no apologies for his persona and provides little explanation for his lack of national notoriety.

"The most important thing is Michigan," he said.

Only a fool would think otherwise.