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Game Thread Ohio State 45, Northwestern 10 (Nov. 8)

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CPD

Ohio State Insider: Will Northwestern extend Buckeyes' bye week blues?

Posted by Doug Lesmerises November 04, 2008 21:17PM

COLUMBUS -- It might be a fluke, but it can't be ignored.
Returning from an off week, Jim Tressel's Ohio State teams are 1-4 during the regular season in his eight years with the Buckeyes. In all other regular-season games, they are 75-11, a winning percentage of 87.2.
Those losses off a bye week were at No. 12 UCLA in 2001, at No. 23 Wisconsin in 2003, at Northwestern in 2004 and at No. 16 Penn State in 2005, so only one was a complete shock. But with Ohio State coming off a week away heading to their game at No. 24 Northwestern on Saturday, it's worth trying to figure out, especially since the Buckeyes were 23-1 in the previous two regular seasons when there were no off weeks.

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I thought the Boredom thread was the Northwestern thread. My mistake. :biggrin:

Eh, I think Northwestern will put up a fight. But, TP will rebound. Beanie shall as well, as Penn State was his first rough Big Ten game as a starter. Calling 38-10 Ohio State.
 
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Canton

Just what OSU needs? Bucks' offense has rolled vs. Wildcats
Ohio State vs. Northwestern preview
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
By TODD PORTER
[email protected]

COLUMBUS As games between Ohio State and Northwestern go ... well, Pat Fitzgerald would rather forget them. The Wildcats head coach has watched, helplessly, as his team was pounded by Ohio State.

But those Buckeyes aren't these struggling Buckeyes. A Jim Tressel offense had never failed to score an offensive touchdown in two straight home games at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State did just that in a win over Purdue and a loss to Penn State.

The good news ? for the OSU offense at least ? is it gets to go on the road this week. The better news for Ohio State (7-2, 4-1) is the opponent Saturday is Northwestern (7-2, 3-2).

"When you go out and get your tail whipped outside of the woodshed, there's not a whole lot of positives to draw from," Fitzgerald said of 58-7 and 54-10 losses to OSU the last two seasons. "We have not played very well in the two opportunities that we had since I've been head coach.

"Frankly, I don't know any better term to say but embarrassing. The credit goes to Ohio State."

The coaching staff evaluated the offense all last week. The players worked on fundamentals, an area that is neglected during the season.

There wasn't any epiphany about the offense. Tressel said the team is trying to identify an area the offense can hang its hat on.

"I don't know if we found out anything we didn't know," Tressel said. "I don't know that we had any startling revelation that we ... found the exact issue that we can do better and that's going to have us take off."
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Dispatch

College football: Buckeyes appear focused after bye
Players show no hangover from loss to Penn State
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 3:26 AM
By Ken Gordon


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
In recent years, Ohio State has struggled after bye weeks. But if yesterday was any indication, this year's team might buck that trend. Back in game-week preparations for the first time since an Oct. 25 loss to Penn State, the 12th-ranked Buckeyes (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) sounded nothing like a team that had seen its top two goals -- a national title and an outright Big Ten title -- go down the drain.
Instead, coach Jim Tressel was loose and relaxed, and his players talked tough. They spoke of winning out, starting Saturday at Northwestern (7-2, 3-2), and then letting a typically crazy college football season play out around them.
Safety Kurt Coleman said he felt this year's team was better than the 2007 club.
They sounded unified, as well, with tight end Rory Nicol, a fifth-year senior, emphatically supporting freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor.
When last seen, Pryor had his head in his hands on the sideline, distraught at his fourth-quarter fumble and interception that he felt were the reasons the Buckeyes lost 13-6 to Penn State.
That was his first loss in seven starts since taking over for senior Todd Boeckman. It could have caused cracks and divisions to form within the team, but Nicol nipped that thinking in the bud.
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Link
Bacher's status improving, but Kafka's getting ready
By Lindsey Willhite | Daily Herald Staff
Published: 11/5/2008 1:48 PM

If No. 24 Northwestern had to face No. 11 Ohio State today, Mike Kafka might get his second consecutive start.
That doesn't come from Kafka. Nor does it come from Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald. That's simply deciphering senior quarterback C.J. Bacher's thoughts after he and Kafka split snaps during Wednesday morning's practice in Evanston.
"I'm running a little bit," Bacher said. "I'm not going full-speed yet. I'm going to try to go as fast as I can (Thursday).
"I'm just playing it by ear, and so is Mike. I'm just trying to prepare to play and whatever happens, happens."
"It's one day better," Fitzgerald said.
Bacher, who injured his right hamstring late in the Indiana game on Oct. 25, said the "pop" occurred midway through a quarterback run that ended with him diving for a first down.
"It popped when I cut upfield a lot earlier than (the dive)," Bacher said. "That's why I went down, because I couldn't really push off of it."
Though he clutched the hamstring repeatedly, Bacher stayed in for two more plays. The second was an interception in Indiana territory (he couldn't put much weight on his back foot and the ball floated) that short-circuited NU's best chance to make up its 21-19 deficit.
"I probably should have come out of the game," Bacher said. "But I was trying to tough it out and get us down the field and score."
Kafka's troubles: Junior quarterback Mike Kafka enjoys every aspect of his increased role with the team.
Except for the time wasted discussing his new celebrity status with the media.
The Big Ten's co-offensive player of the week was the last Wildcat to leave the practice field Wednesday because he had so many media duties.
He wanted to leave sooner to get a head start to class.
"It's a pretty big distraction," Kafka said without rancor. "I've just got to get into practice and get better every day, just got to take care of the football."
Kafka enjoyed a near-perfect afternoon at Minnesota, where he rushed for 217 yards and threw for 143 yards and 2 scores. After one of his few mistakes, an interception that the Gophers' Traye Simmons returned for a touchdown, the cameras caught Kafka smiling on the sidelines.
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Dispatch
Northwestern might play two quarterbacks

Thursday, November 6, 2008 3:19 AM
By Bill Rabinowitz


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
A hamstring injury derailed Mike Kafka's budding quarterback career at Northwestern two years ago. Now a similar injury to C.J. Bacher has given Kafka an opening for his former job.
Not that Kafka would describe it that way. He's just a player ready to play -- or not play.
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald isn't ready to turn the team over to Kafka, even though the junior set a Big Ten record for quarterbacks by rushing for 217 yards in a game against Minnesota last week. Fitzgerald said Bacher is his starting quarterback.
But whether Bacher will start against Ohio State is another matter. The senior captain suffered a hamstring injury Oct. 25 against Indiana. He didn't play last week, but would have been available if needed.
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Dispatch

If U. Go: Northwestern

Thursday, November 6, 2008 3:19 AM
By Tom Reed


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
1106_IF_u_go_sp_11-06-08_C5_03BQCS9.jpg
Steve Spencer Dispatch



IN A NUTSHELL: It's a lot easier to find things to do on a Big Ten campus when you have the nation's third-largest city in the backyard. Evanston has its charms, but you'll have no shortage of excitement with Chicago as its brawny backdrop. Great blues clubs, world-class hot dogs and fun with Legos highlight the trip. Paul Keels is along for the ride with his five-star recommendation. And if you wake up Saturday with a ringing in your ears, don't worry, it's probably just the key-jingling Northwestern student body.
FLIERS' GUIDE

It's a one-hour flight to Chicago, which is perfect for the Buckeyes because they don't like to air it out. Expedia.com is listing flights for $394 to Chicago.
DRIVERS' GUIDE

According to MapQuest, Evanston is a 373-mile drive from Columbus. It should take slightly more than six hours. With the price of gas hovering at $2, you can get your scarlet and gray SUV out of storage and make the trip.
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Blast from the past............

Dispatch

Wildcats threw a scare into visiting Buckeyes in '94

Wednesday, November 5, 2008 4:31 AM
By Jack Park


BuckeyeXtra.com

george200.jpg
CHRIS RUSSELL | DISPATCH
Eddie George runs over a Northwestern defender en route to rushing for 206 yards on Oct. 1, 1994.


The Ohio State Buckeyes will be back in action Saturday when they travel to Evanston, Ill., to match up against improved Northwestern.
OSU's all-time record against the Wildcats is 58-14-1 (the tie being a scoreless battle in 1938). The Buckeyes have won 27 of the past 28 games in the series. The lone setback during this stretch came at Ryan Field in a night game -- a 33-27 overtime loss in 2004.
Northwestern, though, has had other moments, such as in 1994 when coach John Cooper's team traveled to Evanston as a solid favorite. It was the teams' Big Ten opener, and most Ohio State fans, who appeared to comprise at least half of the Dyche Stadium crowd of 34,753, totally underestimated their opponent.

Continued............
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