Game Thread Ohio State 3, Southern Cal 35 (Sept. 13)

[OCBucksFan]

 

[DGADBTWSOM]

ding-a-ling.

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

Carroll: Every game is like a title contest

Trojans say they'll prepare the same way for Buckeyes as any other opponent.

By John Nadel
Associated Press

Wednesday, September 10, 2008
LOS ANGELES ? The buildup to Saturday night's Sept. 13 Ohio State-Southern Cal game began several months ago, with college football fans drooling at the thought of a matchup of this magnitude in mid-September.
The reaction at USC?
"It's just a different team, same preparation," tailback Allen Bradford said Tuesday.
Really?
"It really is, honestly, just another game," defensive tackle Fili Moala said.
But Bradford did say he heard USC was going to play Ohio State about a year ago, and it caught his attention.
"It's almost like a national championship game," he said. "It's Ohio State, so you know it's going to be a good game."
And the records speak for themselves: coach Pete Carroll has guided the Trojans to a 71-8 record since the beginning of the 2002 season, and the Buckeyes are 69-11 under Jim Tressel during that same time span.
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[osugrad21]

CPD

Trading places? USC's Carroll, OSU's Tressel seem miles apart in everything but success

by Doug Lesmerises Tuesday September 09, 2008, 10:32 PM


Illustration by Ted Crow/The Plain DealerCould Jim Tressel flourish in the Hollywood spotlight while Pete Carroll triumphs in the staid Midwest? It's an interesting thought, but hardly seems possible.
COLUMBUS -- As the father of a big-time recruit, Steve Martinez has seen both Ohio State and USC from the inside. But he's never seen Jim Tressel with his shirt off. At a camp at USC this summer, his son, John, an offensive lineman from Utah, was in the mix with a gaggle of players as one of the Trojans' strength coaches ripped off his shirt and began firing up the players by leading them in a tribal war chant.
"You have Pete Carroll and all these other coaches saying the first thing you do before you get in a fight is you rip your shirt off," Steve Martinez recalled. "I could not see Jim Tressel in a group of men jumping up and down and screaming at the top of his lungs and ripping his shirt off."
Tressel shirtless? Carroll in a sweater vest? Tressel in Hollywood? Carroll carrying on Woody's legacy?

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[osugrad21]

CPD

Ohio State football: Earle Bruce on USC and Ohio State

by Doug Lesmerises Wednesday September 10, 2008, 12:50 AM



I had more quotes on Jim Tressel and Pete Carroll than I could squeeze into my story today. In particular, former Buckeye coach Earle Bruce was entertaining, as usual.

AP fileEarle Bruce in 1986 as head coach of Ohio State.

To me, he appreciated the fact that two coaches he hired as assistants more than 20 years ago could have so much success with different styles. He said he knew Carroll would be a great hire for USC. But he also pointed out at least one time when he thought Carroll's attitude didn't work out so well - when the Trojans lost to Stanford last season as 41-point favorites. "When they lost to Stanford last year, I said I knew what Pete was doing, he'd been playing (silly games, I'll check if I can post the real word on a family blog) all week with the football players and not coaching because he was having so much fun with them," Bruce said. "He was thinking we're going to beat these guys just because we're Southern California. Now, that's not putting him down, but he is that way."
And though Bruce appreciates former assistants like Urban Meyer and Carroll, though he has a far closer relationship with Meyer than he does with Carroll, to whom he hasn't spoken in a while, he's a Buckeye first.
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[osugrad21]

CPD

Ohio State Insider: Wells eager to roll; Tressel targets skill players for offense's woes

by Doug Lesmerises Tuesday September 09, 2008, 11:33 PM


Marvin Fong/The Plain DealerChris Wells (28, alongside quarterback Terrelle Pryor) said he's ready for a heavy workload in Saturday's showdown with top-ranked Southern California.
COLUMBUS -- Beanie Wells not only plans to play Saturday, he wants to double his usual number of carries. Walking into a meeting with head coach Jim Tressel and offensive coordinator Jim Bollman on Tuesday, Wells told them, "I'm ready to carry 45 times on Saturday."
As for whether Wells can be the same back he was before he suffered an injury at the base of his right big toe against Youngstown State on Aug. 30, Tressel said, "I'd like to think that."
Before he knows, Wells must get through a practice. He ran on the side Monday, and "I think he ran better than I thought he might," Tressel said.
The plan for was Wells to do football drills on his own Tuesday and then go through a full practice Wednesday. Tressel said the key would be what kind of soreness the practice caused in Wells' foot.
But there's no doubt right now that the idea is for Wells to be part of the plan against USC.
Wide receiver woes: Tressel laid the brunt of the offensive inefficiency Saturday on his skill players, not his offensive line.

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[osugrad21]

CPD

Buckeyes beware: Fame, tradition and glitz (and talent, too) ride inside this Trojan horse

by Bill Livingston Tuesday September 09, 2008, 10:20 PM


Matt Sayles/Associated Press fileIt wasn't true that Southern California's players could levitate past opponents during Matt Leinart's heyday as Trojans QB, but USC's starpower over the last generation places it atop a list of college football's elite programs.

COLUMBUS -- They attract celebrities with a sports jones like a red carpet attracts Joan Rivers with a microphone. They are from the "A" list in Hollywood. During the Reggie Bush era, they were from, among other places, Death Row Records. Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Warren G. of the label spent time on the Southern California sidelines then. Snoop Dogg carried a microphizzle (sorry, a microphone), picking up sound bytes for "ESPN Hollywood" during a BCS championship game.
They are the Southern California Trojans, the top-ranked team in college football and Ohio State's opponent Saturday on the road. They sell out every game at the Coliseum, which John McKay's great teams never did. Nor could Al Davis' NFL Raiders when they played at the Coliseum.
The Trojans rank below the Lakers and Dodgers in fan fervor in the nation's second-largest city. Theoretically, they share the market with crosstown rival UCLA, but it is the Trojans, not the Bruins, who have become Los Angeles' favorite football team after the NFL abandoned the city in 1995.

They are not only good, with one outright championship, one title shared with LSU, and one close title game loss to Texas, they are stylish. That is always a factor in a town where success often depends on looks.
UCLA basketball, for all its tradition, cannot compare, both because football is the top sport almost everywhere and because watching Ben Howland's teams win 55-50 is not compelling theater.
Michael Conroy/Associated Press fileReggie Bush and the Trojans drew national attention (and Hollywood stars) to games at the Los Angeles Coliseum and on the road in 2005. This year's team hopes to match that kind of passion among its fans.
The Trojans have had seven Heisman Trophy winners, as many as Ohio State and Notre Dame. USC has won three in this century. "For people of my age," said 55-year-old Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel, "it goes back to '68, to Archie's two in a row, and to Earle [Bruce's] first year and all that stuff. So I think that makes that familiarity. When you mention Southern California Trojans, if you're from Ohio State, there's respect."

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[generaladm]

Grant Tunkel, the wannabe hack-job journalist who produced this piece of crap, An early look at Ohio State - Sports , somehow got sportingnews.com to post his new preview of the USC/OSU game.

Previewing the Best Game of the Year

Why USC will win: The Trojans simply have more firepower than the Buckeyes. QB Mark Sanchez is capable of ripping the Ohio State secondary to shreds, and the receiving corps has too much speed. Last week against Ohio, far too many Bobcats receivers got lost in the Buckeyes? coverage; imagine what a much better football team can do. Defensively, USC's front seven will swarm Beanie Wells and Co., forcing Todd Boeckman to throw the ball far too much. Oh, and then there's that 90,000+ sea of cardinal-and-gold-clad Trojans fans at the Coliseum.

Why USC might lose: USC could lose if it plays undisciplined football. Drops. False starts. Bad reads. Turnovers. The Trojans will essentially have to beat themselves to drop this game. That's not to say Ohio State couldn't come in and make this a shootout, because the Buckeyes have a very potent ground game and a passing game that must be respected. But the Trojans are, at times, exceedingly good at shooting themselves in the foot, and if they put their own backs to the wall early, Ohio State is very capable of asserting itself and taking control of the game.

Player to watch on USC: RB Joe McKnight. McKnight has the talent to deliver Heisman-caliber performances every time he steps on the field, and it's possible he could have a huge day against Ohio State. The Buckeyes allowed 155 yards on the ground to Ohio, and McKnight is far superior to any of the Bobcats backs. Also look for him to be a factor in the passing game.

X-factor: The Los Angeles Coliseum experience. I know what you're going to say: Ohio State plays in front of hostile crowds everywhere it goes. But the Coliseum is no ordinary hostile crowd. The sheer aura of walking into one of America's most storied sports stadiums; the 90,000+ people screaming in unison on third own; the band. The Trojans are very, very tough to beat at the Coliseum.

Prediction: USC's defense will be too strong for Ohio State to handle, smothering the Buckeyes from the get-go and giving USC a big win. USC 27, Ohio State 17

Sporting News - Your expert source for MLB Baseball, NFL Football, NBA Basketball, NHL Hockey, NCAA Football, NCAA Basketball and Fantasy Sports scores, blogs, and articles

If you like, check out the comments I left for him under the pseudonym "StudsTerkel".

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Tressel in rebuild mode as Ohio State needs confidence boost
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
By TODD PORTER
[email protected]

COLUMBUS In order to pull off an upset, to beat the best team in college football and stun a packed L.A. Coliseum on Saturday against No. 1 Southern Cal, Ohio State will have to be of sound body, mind and soul.

Two out of three won't do it.

The bodies are healing. The bruises are evident in the Buckeyes' state of confidence.

Head Coach Jim Tressel said he expects running back Chris "Beanie" Wells to play.

The bad news?

The fifth-ranked Buckeyes have bruised egos and possibly shaken confidence.

"The thing about confidence is it becomes a collective thing," Tressel said Tuesday, three days after Ohio State escaped with a 26-14 win against Ohio. "But it's an individual thing. Is there anyone in our locker room that maybe has less confidence in themselves? Maybe.

"Is there anyone in our locker room that is thinking, 'You know what? I can do better than that, and I'm going to.' Absolutely.

"Now they all get added up, and all those series of confidence swings. If (confidence has taken a hit), there's nothing I can do about it."

If Ohio State's confidence has been shaken ? perhaps the Buckeyes aren't as good as they thought they were ? it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Wide receiver Brian Hartline, who didn't hide his disgust with the team's effort after the game against the Bobcats, said the team's confidence has taken a hit.

But that's what Ohio State needed.
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[osugrad21]

Canton

Holding back? OSU players wonder against OU
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
BY Todd Porter
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

COLUMBUS Plain Jane. That might be the chapter of Ohio State's playbook opened thus far. Eight quarters into the season and some Buckeye observers are scratching their heads. Is that it?

Ohio State's offense in wins against Youngstown State and Ohio University was as vanilla as a cheap ice cream cone. No flavor, at least not enough for some of the players.

"You know, personally, I thought we might've held some stuff back," Buckeye wide receiver Brian Hartline said with a smile when asked if Head Coach Jim Tressel held some offense back in a narrow win against Ohio University. "You didn't feel it in the game, but when I sat back and kind of thought about it, we might have. In the long run, every play looks good and works on paper. It comes down to execution."

If OSU's offense stayed basic against Ohio, then why didn't the Buckeyes execute more efficiently?

Good question.

Hartline has some ideas, but none of them, he said, was an excuse for playing the way OSU did last week.

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[osugrad21]

Blade

Buckeyes on the verge: Lots on the line as OSU heads to USC
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
COLUMBUS - The reality in the era of the Bowl Championship Series is one loss can knock you off the invitation list for the big party in January. Teams have made it to the National Championship game after a stumble during the season, but your chances certainly get reduced by some kind of intricate mathematical factor if you happen to lose along the way. That makes Saturday night's No. 1 vs. No. 5 game between Southern California and Ohio State all the weightier. Somebody could play great against a premium opponent, come up a tad short and kiss good-bye any shot at holding the crystal football trophy. Ohio State, which charged into the title game two years ago as the season-long No. 1 and then nuanced its way in last year as No. 2 when a series of events cleared the deck in front of the Buckeyes, is aware of the stakes it has exposed by going to Los Angeles to play the Trojans. "I think we go into every year expecting to win every game and knowing that if we lose we might not make the championship game," Ohio State senior quarterback Todd Boeckman said. "I guess you never know - you just have to go out there and play your games and hope you get a shot." Boeckman is part of a senior-heavy Ohio State team that has won three straight Big Ten Conference titles, and members of that group have made no secret of their final agenda as Buckeyes. They also know it would be so much easier for the Buckeyes to play Temple this week and USC to play Azusa Pacific and leave it at that. "You could schedule a bunch of teams early just to make it easy on yourself, but I don't think most guys come to Ohio State thinking they'll be playing in those kinds of games," senior offensive tackle Alex Boone said as the Buckeyes readied themselves in August. "You come here expecting to play big-time opponents and play in a lot of big games. The USC game is in line with that way of thinking."
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[osugrad21]

BN Free--Game Data: Ohio State at USC

 

[osugrad21]

OZone

Video from JT's Luncheon

 

[osugrad21]

Link

USC should be comfortable against Ohio State

By Mark Whicker / The Orange County Register
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - Added 16m ago

Jim Tressel has coached 282 college football games, none in the Los Angeles Coliseum. Hasn?t even visited, he said Tuesday.
Seventy of his Ohio State players are from Ohio itself. All but one of the coaches went to an Ohio college, including Tressel and his brother Dick (Baldwin-Wallace, where their dad Lee coached).
Although the Buckeyes recruit nationally, they run one of the most self-sufficient programs in college football. USC tried to nudge Ted Ginn Jr. out of Cleveland, but Tressel signed him.
"Chris Wells visited here," Pete Carroll said, "and then signed with them the day he got back."
That is why the past two BCS national championship losses have been so damaging. The Buckeyes looked as uncomfortable as Ralph and Alice Kramden vacationing in the Philippines.
Florida crushed them, 41-14. LSU flicked them aside, 38-24. A 23-1 record in those regular seasons drifted into vapor.
Ohio State was universally labeled too slow, too landlocked, as if Tressel were Woody Hayes.
So here comes Saturday, the Buckeyes back in a foreign land. And perhaps this is the overlooked vibe, underneath a week of torrential analysis.
USC needs to win this game because (A), well, it?s scheduled and (B) it might lead to a national title.
Ohio State needs to win this game to reclaim its own soul.
"It?s a perfect storm," Kirk Herbstreit said.
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[osugrad21]

Dispatch

OSU notebook: Suspended players back in lineup mix

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 3:08 AM
By Tim May


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH



The Ohio State depth chart on defense got deeper by two bodies this week, and maybe just in time as the No. 5 Buckeyes prepare for their game at top-ranked Southern California on Saturday night. Junior cornerback Donald Washington, a starter last season, and senior reserve safety/special teams performer Jamario O'Neal completed their two-game suspensions. They committed an unspecified violation of team rules in the spring, but that's behind them now.
"I think anytime you get people back, whether it's from injury or suspension it adds to your depth," coach Jim Tressel said. "It adds to your skill sets.
"Those are two veteran guys and they had good preseason training camps and played on the scout team for two full weeks and worked hard at it and did everything you could ask them to do."
Washington could especially be helpful, considering the explosive USC offensive talent the Buckeyes are about to face. He was listed a co-starter with Chimdi Chekwa at cornerback opposite Malcolm Jenkins this week.
Receiver Brian Hartline said he could sense Washington's excitement to be back in the plans.
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