hoat
I lick windows. What's your point?
No fury like a Gopher scorned
By JON SPENCER Gannett News Service
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Minnesota 17, Michigan 10.
In terms of sheer numbers, Big Ten rosters show the Gophers have been doing a better job than the Wolverines of raiding Ohio for football players.<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ad align=middle></TD><TD width=10></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Michigan is still stealing more blue-chip recruits, but Minnesota coach Glen Mason isn't complaining about his 17 transplants. Slighted by Ohio State, they've turned into major contributors awaiting the Buckeyes on Saturday.
"For them, it's like revenge; they've been pumped up for this game for a long time," OSU tailback Antonio Pittman said. "I know Jared Ellerson (wide receiver from Akron Copley). When I go back home, there's words between him and me. Now it's time to play."
Sophomore wideout Ernie Wheelwright from Columbus Walnut Ridge isn't carrying a chip on his shoulder.
"Growing up in Ohio and watching Ohio State, you either wanted to play with them or against them," Wheelwright said. "Most kids wanted to play with them, but even playing against them is an honor."
Freshman safety/punt returner Dominic Jones out of reigning state champ Columbus Brookhaven is taking it more personally.
"We all made the right decision coming here," Jones said. "All the negative things -- them not recruiting us or recruiting us too late -- it doesn't really matter now.
"It hit all of us hard knowing that our own Buckeyes couldn't recruit us as hard as someone outside the state could. That's what makes this game more intriguing, just to go out there and prove to ourselves that we have just as much talent as they do."
As much? No. But watch out if tailback Laurence Maroney and sidekick Gary Russell -- a sophomore out of Walnut Ridge -- chew up synthetic turf against the nation's No. 1 run defense.
Worse case scenario: The Gophers snap a nine-game Dome losing streak in this series, with an Ohio kid -- or kids -- inflicting the most damage.
Jim Tressel's staff will never hear the end of it, just like it's hearing how it missed badly on Michigan State tailback Javon Ringer (Dayton) and Northwestern tailback Tyrell Sutton (Akron) and Michigan wideout Mario Manningham (Warren).
"It's the nature of the beast," co-recruiting coordinator Greg Gillum said. "Whenever there's a good Ohio player out there not on our roster, people are going to ask why he isn't here. Unfortunately, we can only give out 85 scholarships. We can't get them all."
There are 89 Ohio kids on the other 10 Big Ten rosters, with Minnesota's 17 leading the way. The pipeline to Minneapolis was built by Mason, an OSU alum and ex-Buckeye coach, and the three Ohio natives on his staff.
"One thing's for sure, there's good football here, excellent coaches, excellent training and, culturally, our people love the game," Tressel said. "We take a lot of pride in the guys from Ohio except the day we play them."
That's fine as long as "the one that got away" is a player and not a victory. The Gophers are too one-dimensional and have lost 30 of the last 32 to OSU. If shaky quarterback Steve Bellisari can win in the Dome (twice, mind you), so can Troy Smith. Prediction: OSU 24, Minnesota 17
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By JON SPENCER Gannett News Service
<HR noShade SIZE=1><!-- ARTICLE SIDEBAR --><!--ARTICLE LAYOUT - SIDEBAR--><!-- ARTICLE TEXT --><!--ARTICLE TEXT-->
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=300 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=caption vAlign=top align=middle><!-- ARTICLE SIDEBAR --><!--ARTICLE LAYOUT - SIDEBAR--></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- ARTICLE TEXT --><!--ARTICLE TEXT-->
Minnesota 17, Michigan 10.
In terms of sheer numbers, Big Ten rosters show the Gophers have been doing a better job than the Wolverines of raiding Ohio for football players.<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ad align=middle></TD><TD width=10></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Michigan is still stealing more blue-chip recruits, but Minnesota coach Glen Mason isn't complaining about his 17 transplants. Slighted by Ohio State, they've turned into major contributors awaiting the Buckeyes on Saturday.
"For them, it's like revenge; they've been pumped up for this game for a long time," OSU tailback Antonio Pittman said. "I know Jared Ellerson (wide receiver from Akron Copley). When I go back home, there's words between him and me. Now it's time to play."
Sophomore wideout Ernie Wheelwright from Columbus Walnut Ridge isn't carrying a chip on his shoulder.
"Growing up in Ohio and watching Ohio State, you either wanted to play with them or against them," Wheelwright said. "Most kids wanted to play with them, but even playing against them is an honor."
Freshman safety/punt returner Dominic Jones out of reigning state champ Columbus Brookhaven is taking it more personally.
"We all made the right decision coming here," Jones said. "All the negative things -- them not recruiting us or recruiting us too late -- it doesn't really matter now.
"It hit all of us hard knowing that our own Buckeyes couldn't recruit us as hard as someone outside the state could. That's what makes this game more intriguing, just to go out there and prove to ourselves that we have just as much talent as they do."
As much? No. But watch out if tailback Laurence Maroney and sidekick Gary Russell -- a sophomore out of Walnut Ridge -- chew up synthetic turf against the nation's No. 1 run defense.
Worse case scenario: The Gophers snap a nine-game Dome losing streak in this series, with an Ohio kid -- or kids -- inflicting the most damage.
Jim Tressel's staff will never hear the end of it, just like it's hearing how it missed badly on Michigan State tailback Javon Ringer (Dayton) and Northwestern tailback Tyrell Sutton (Akron) and Michigan wideout Mario Manningham (Warren).
"It's the nature of the beast," co-recruiting coordinator Greg Gillum said. "Whenever there's a good Ohio player out there not on our roster, people are going to ask why he isn't here. Unfortunately, we can only give out 85 scholarships. We can't get them all."
There are 89 Ohio kids on the other 10 Big Ten rosters, with Minnesota's 17 leading the way. The pipeline to Minneapolis was built by Mason, an OSU alum and ex-Buckeye coach, and the three Ohio natives on his staff.
"One thing's for sure, there's good football here, excellent coaches, excellent training and, culturally, our people love the game," Tressel said. "We take a lot of pride in the guys from Ohio except the day we play them."
That's fine as long as "the one that got away" is a player and not a victory. The Gophers are too one-dimensional and have lost 30 of the last 32 to OSU. If shaky quarterback Steve Bellisari can win in the Dome (twice, mind you), so can Troy Smith. Prediction: OSU 24, Minnesota 17
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