Game Thread THE GAME: #1 Ohio State 42, #2 Michigan 39 (11/18/06)

[osugrad21]

DDN

OSU fans already making Fiesta Bowl plans

More than 100 people have paid a deposit for a travel package.


By Eric Frantz
Contributing Writer

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

DAYTON ? The fact that Ohio State hasn't yet qualified for the Bowl Championship Series title game hasn't deterred Buckeyes fans from buying tickets to the game. According to the Bucknuts Media Network, which has sold Buckeye bowl packages for five years, this season's requests are on pace to far outweigh any previous trips.
"Basically, we have already had over 100 people put a $50 deposit down to reserve a spot for the trip to the national championship," Bucknuts spokesman Matt Natali said. "With how well the Buckeyes have played this year, fans are confident enough that Ohio State will go to the national championship despite the season not even being over yet and Michigan coming to town this weekend."
Bucknuts, which sold 250 trips to last year's Fiesta Bowl and 200 to the 2002 national championship game, expects to sell more of the remaining 500 packages this week.
The packages, which range in price from $1,895 to $3,475 per person, include hotel, airfare, transportation and a ticket (which can de deducted from trips for $1,000).
Should Ohio State lose Saturday, deposits are refundable or may be put toward a trip to the bowl game for which the Buckeyes are selected.
As for Michigan fans looking to reserve national championship packages on the Wolverines' popular Go Blue Magazine Web site, they aren't offered. Read into that what you want.

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

Bengals' Perry talks some trash

Michigan alum mocks Troy Smith, says UM will win 'a blowout.'


By Chick Ludwig
Staff Writer

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

CINCINNATI ? Bengals tailback and former University of Michigan great Chris Perry added some spice to The Big Game by trashing Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith, ripping Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel and predicting a resounding Wolverines victory.
Speaking from the Bengals open locker room Monday, Perry said Smith doesn't deserve the Heisman Trophy as the nation's most outstanding player. Perry also bashed the media for hyping Smith's Heisman hopes and said Michigan will administer a decisive 31-17 triumph.
"It's a blowout," Perry said. "Ain't no ifs, ands or buts about it. (Defensive tackle Alan) Branch is going to knock the stuffing out of ? what's his name ? Troy Smith. You all set that (Heisman Trophy talk) up anyway. That's some BS to begin with.
"He shouldn't even win the Heisman. He's not going to win his league or the national championship. We all know what's going to happen. We're going to win it. It's been long overdue. Tressel's been cheating. So, hey, we're going to keep it real. There ain't nothing else to say."
Perry said two of Michigan's touchdowns "are going to be scored by the defense. (Ohio State wide receiver) Ted Ginn's going to get off, but he's not going to be able to win the game for them.
"We've got a defense with Branch. He's the D-tackle, man ? 6-foot-6, 330 (pounds). We've got (defensive end) LaMarr Woodley, (linebacker) David Harris, (cornerback) Leon Hall. You want me to keep naming names?"
Won't Michigan coach Lloyd Carr be upset with one of his former players blasting the school's No. 1 rival?
"Lloyd's not worried about me because nobody else is worried about me," Perry said. "They're (the Wolverines) going to handle their business like professionals, and go ahead and win the national championship."
Perry believes the OSU-Michigan winner will play Southern California or Notre Dame for the national title, but he wouldn't rule out a Buckeyes-Wolverines rematch in the Fiesta Bowl.
"Michigan doesn't want to see that twice, even though it would be good for us," Perry said. "I think it should be (a rematch). If No. 1 and No. 2 are undefeated, and you lose to the No. 1 or No. 2 team, then why shouldn't you be back in the national championship? It makes sense to me, but that's why we have computers doing this instead of humans."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or [email protected]

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

THE BIG GAME

Ohio State and Michigan will meet for the 103rd time on Saturday. Winner plays in the Jan. 8 national championship game.


By Kyle Nagel
Staff Writer

Monday, November 13, 2006

ANN ARBOR, Mich. ? Linda Brinker spent Saturday sitting in the cold of her downtown gift shop, Occasionally, while furnace issues were resolved.
It was somewhat ironic, considering that Brinker ? as well as all of Ohio and Michigan ? is now around one of the hottest college football games in years.
On Saturday, Ohio State and Michigan will play at Ohio Stadium in arguably the most anticipated meeting of this storied rivalry, as both teams are 11-0 and ranked Nos. 1 and 2 nationally. The winner advances to the national championship game with an outright Big Ten Conference title.
Occasionally is already out of "Michigan turns me on, Ohio State turns me off" light-switch covers, and Brinker has placed an order for Wolverines Big Ten championship T-shirts, just in case.
"This year," she said, "it just seems like more."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or [email protected].

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Historic hype for The Game

It's No. 1 vs. No. 2 for first time in storied rivalry

By Marla Ridenour

Beacon Journal sportswriter

COLUMBUS - Former Columbus Clipper and Michigan recruit Derek Jeter will be in the house.
Fellow Akron native LeBron James told OSU tailback Antonio Pittman a week ago that he was coming, apparently unaware of the 3:45 p.m. kickoff and the Cavaliers' game in Washington that night.
But The Game will be big enough without King James.
The first No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown in the 103-game series between Ohio State and Michigan on Saturday has been talked about since the beginning of October. For just the third time since 1935, both teams enter unbeaten and untied. At stake for the No. 1 Buckeyes and No. 2 Wolverines is the outright Big Ten title, which Ohio State hasn't won since 1984, and a trip to the BCS national championship game Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz.
Some have speculated that as many as 50,000 people might travel to Columbus without tickets just to be part of the frenzy. The rich and famous with local ties, like golf legend Jack Nicklaus and the band Rascal Flatts, will be at the Horseshoe.
According to the Associated Press, tickets are going for as much as $1,500.
``Unless people play in a bunch of Super Bowls, I can't imagine a bigger game than this,'' OSU junior wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez said.
``It's going to be probably the biggest game in this university's history. It's going to be one to live for,'' Pittman said.
``When Woody (Hayes) and Bo (Schembechler) were here, it was as big as it got,'' said ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, a former Buckeye quarterback and captain. ``Just because it was Ohio State-Michigan and a national championship and a Big Ten championship seemed to always be on the line, Rose Bowl implications. Since Jim Tressel has been here and Lloyd Carr's taken over, we've come full circle. Not just Big Ten bragging rights, the BCS, it always seems like one or the other team has something at stake. That's why I think the entire nation, whether you're a Pac-10 fan or an SEC fan, you have great appreciation for what's at stake here.''
Tickets on the Internet are at laughable levels. With a record 1,100 media credentials issued, up about 100 from last season's game against Texas, there is not a seat available in the massive press box. Some will watch on television in the lunch room. The New York Times is sending four reporters. Traveling the farthest is a representative from a Japanese news agency.
Steve Snapp, associate athletics director for communications, turned down a ticket request from the band Nickelback.
``I told them, `Not that I don't appreciate your music, but even if you were John Lennon and calling for four for the original Beatles, I couldn't do it,' '' Snapp said.
With a team that boasts 19 seniors, 16 in their fifth year, the huge ramifications of their final game in Ohio Stadium have them worrying how they're going to sleep Friday night.
``I may have to take some Tylenol PM to calm me down,'' said right guard T.J. Downing of GlenOak. ``If you don't get any sleep, you might be dragging with all the emotions flying around.''
Defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock said: ``I have to remind myself not to think about it. I may have to take Nyquil to help me fall asleep. I probably won't sleep at all.''
Strong safety Brandon Mitchell was also considering Downing's and Pitcock's sedatives of choice.
In a rivalry that dates to 1897, it will be the 18th time the two enter undefeated and untied, but 15 of those came before 1935. The only previous two after that came in the Hayes-Schembechler era in 1970 (won by OSU 20-9) and 1973 (10-10 tie). Michigan was unbeaten and ranked No. 4 in 1975 (a 21-14 OSU win), but had two ties.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, 4-1 against Michigan, remembered his first game against Michigan when he was an assistant under Earle Bruce in 1983 (a 24-21 loss).
``I remember thinking I was preparing for just another game, then all of a sudden, you get into the environment,'' Tressel said. ``You can feel the electricity and the energy. I wasn't worth a hoot in the first quarter because I was just in awe of the feeling. I probably wasn't worth a hoot in the fourth quarter, either.''
To get away, Gonzalez won't turn up the pressure in the high-altitude chamber around his bed because it's already set on high. But he will not be caught watching SportsCenter when OSU or Michigan is mentioned. He said it actually helps him to go to class.
``I try to stay away from it -- ignore all the hype, don't watch the TV, don't listen to the radio,'' Gonzalez said. ``Try to live as normal a week as possible so you're not all freaked out when the game starts.''
Buckeyes
Tressel said sophomore left tackle Alex Boone will play after missing two games because of a knee procedure.... Senior quarterback Troy Smith on his right thumb, which he called ``a growing pain'' last week: ``It's still on my hand. I'm good.''... Tressel said he's counting on freshman backup tailback Chris ``Beanie'' Wells of Garfield, who has fumbled four times this season, to be a big contributor. ``We need him to have a great game,'' Tressel said.

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Schembechler revels in rivalry

Ex-Michigan coach says game `as big as it gets'

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

ANN ARBOR, MICH. - Michigan coach Lloyd Carr wanted to know whether Bo Schembechler had turned up the heat on what already is the hottest college game in the country.
``I hope he didn't say anything that will screw this game up,'' Carr said with a smile.
The media has pegged Carr as a guy with a chilly demeanor who has mastered the art of giving totally innocuous quotes. And that's when the opponent is Indiana or Northwestern. During Ohio State-Michigan week, Carr isn't likely to give a straight answer to anything more provocative than, ``What time is it?''
Schembechler, on the other hand, never did much to hide his emotions. The old coach from Barberton has developed a few wrinkles and lost a little hair over the years, but he can still bring sparks to just about any subject.
One of his favorites is Woody Hayes. Schembechler was a Hayes assistant at Ohio State for six years then coached against him, posting an 11-9-1 record from 1969-89.
``I'll never forget the time we (Ohio State) beat Michigan up here, 50 to something. I believe it was 1961,'' Schembechler said. ``We had an alumni dinner in Cleveland, and when we went to the dinner, they called Woody out to tell him that the faculty had voted that Ohio State would not go to the Rose Bowl.''
The contract between the Big Ten and Pac Eight had expired. Before a new agreement was negotiated, each school's faculty council voted whether to send their team to the Rose Bowl.
``And so Woody said, `Get your coat.' Now, this banquet is packed, because we had a great year and beat Michigan. We started walking through the streets of Cleveland until it was nine o'clock.
``We talked some and walked in silence some. When we got back to the hotel, Woody went to the podium and gave one of the great speeches you ever heard. But it took him that long (walking around) to be able to go up there and say the faculty has a right to their opinion but how dastardly wrong it was.''
Hayes' temper was legendary, but few people got to see it up close.
``I'll never forget how tough that guy was,'' said Schembechler, recalling an incident that followed Ohio State's 7-0 loss to Michigan in 1951. ``Woody called a meeting at his house. We're all sitting there, and he's got the (movie) projector.
``He's running it back and forth. I'm sitting in the back of the room, trying to stay out of the way, and he's getting madder and madder. Suddenly, he picked up that projector and threw it. And he said, `I won't subject the people of Columbus to football like that.' I'll never forget him saying that.''
The winner of this year's Buckeyes-Wolverines game will play for the national championship. The loser likely will head for the Rose Bowl, a pretty good consolation prize.
Schembechler still has strong feelings about the years when the Big Ten permitted only its champion to play in a bowl game.
``When I coached, if we lost, we went nowhere,'' he said. ``We went back and licked our wounds, because we had antiquated leadership in the Big Ten Conference.''
Schembechler's most disappointing game against the Buckeyes was a 10-10 tie in 1973. Both teams had identical records, but the Big Ten sent Ohio State to the Rose Bowl.
``They literally screwed us out of the Rose Bowl,'' Schembechler said. ``And I mean it just exactly the way I said it.''
After that, Big Ten policy changed to allow more than one team to play in a bowl game.
Schembechler regards Saturday's showdown as bigger than any Ohio State-Michigan game he coached.
``I think this is about as big as it gets,'' he said. ``I don't know what else you can do. Two teams that have been dominant all year long.
``I've traveled around a little bit. I don't care who it is, there's no rivalry that compares with this. I don't see that changing.''
Carr needn't have worried about Schembechler ``screwing up the game,'' even in jest. When asked to make a prediction, Schembechler demurred.
``But I see this game as being a great classic, and I hope the weather's nice,'' he said. ``And I hope the people behave on both sides, because sometimes we get too emotional about this game. And may the best team win.''

 

[OSUBuckeye4Life]

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

OHIO STATE INSIDER
Boone to play; Bucks laud UM


Tuesday, November 14, 2006Dennis Manoloff
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus -- Ohio State starting left tackle Alex Boone is expected to play Saturday against Michigan, coach Jim Tressel said Monday. Boone, a sophomore from St. Edward, has missed the previous two games because of a knee injury.
Also, Tressel is not concerned about the right thumb of quarterback Troy Smith, who has been dealing with discomfort for several weeks.
"Troy hasn't missed a rep at all," Tressel said. "To Troy, it never bothers him. He gets it wrapped, that's obvious. But I think there will be so much adrenaline, so much flowing through his thumb down to his big toe, that he's not going to feel anything."

Given what will soon be 12 straight weeks of playing games, Tressel said he has "no complaints" about his team's injury situation.
Bowing down:
The Buckeyes are favored by a touchdown to defeat Michigan in Ohio Stadium.
Impossible to tell Monday afternoon in Columbus.
Tressel and his players praised the Wolverines as if they were the finest college football team ever assembled. As it stands, Michigan is 11-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation. Michigan might end up as one of the all-time best, but the team it needs to beat to get there is ranked No. 1.
Tressel commenced the Wolverines love fest by saying, "We're playing a great football team, everyone knows that. Michigan is an outstanding football team."
Then Tressel cited seemingly every position on both sides of the ball, plus special teams, to drive home his point. Even for Tressel, it was over the top. Lou Holtz likely would have giggled.

uckeyes center Doug Datish, running back Antonio Pittman, cornerback Antonio Smith and defensive linemen Quinn Pitcock, Jay Richardson and David Patterson were among the Buckeyes who could not say enough about the mighty Wolverines.
Patterson insisted the compliments were not part of some elaborate scheme to soften up Michigan by force-feeding its collective ego.
"We're not saying these things just to say them, we're saying them because they're true," Patterson said. "We have tremendous respect for them. When you watch them perform on film, you have to have respect for them."
Michigan features a versatile offense and has allowed a miniscule 29.9 rushing yards per game against one of the toughest schedules in the nation, so Patterson has a point. But it does not win every game, 81-0. These Wolverines defeated Ball State, 34-26, Nov. 4 at home.
And Michigan enters Saturday having lost two games in a row against Ohio State, both to Saturday's starting quarterback, Troy Smith.
Perhaps that was on the mind of right guard T.J. Downing, who gave Michigan its due, too, before adding: "We're the No. 1 team in the country. We have to remember that. They're trying to come in here and take it away from us."

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

[FONT=arial,sans-serif]UM has been working on OSU plans for weeks

5:30 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan coach Lloyd Carr admitted the unthinkable Monday: His team hasn't been taking it one game at a time. The Wolverines have, in fact, been working a little bit on Ohio State each week, keeping one eye on the season-ending meeting between No. 1 and No. 2 while preparing for other opponents.

"There was a point in our schedule where we felt we had an opportunity to get ahead," Carr said today.

He didn't elaborate on whether that point came after Game 1 in the season, or before last week's matchup against Indiana, but the admission was a departure from the typical coach-speak that Carr adheres to where he has insisted all season long that he only focuses on the upcoming game.

It was also the tiniest of admissions that the game this year in the 103-year rivalry is just a little bit different.

Even if Carr wouldn't quite admit that, Monday.

"I wish I could stand back and say, 'My God, look at what you're a part of,' " Carr said. "But there's a game coming up, and any time I spend thinking about anything not related to the game isn't good."
[/FONT]

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Wolverines, Buckeyes set for showdown

11/14/2006, 4:20 a.m. ETBy RUSTY MILLER
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? Archie Griffin has a guess why Michigan-Ohio State is the last game on each team's schedule.
"I knew that after some of those games I probably wouldn't be able to play the next week because the games were so physical," said the former Ohio State tailback and only two-time Heisman Trophy winner.
Another Michigan-Ohio State game arrives on Saturday. In a series where fans from the losing side walk around in a funk for days or weeks, this year's game could be particularly painful for those whose team ends up losing.
When the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes host No. 2 Michigan, all the teams are playing for is the inside track to a national championship, the top spot in the country and an outright Big Ten title ? not to mention bragging rights for a whole year. "You can feel the electricity and the energy," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said on Monday.
Players and coaches on both sides expressed relief that the big game ? anticipated for so long ? was now at hand and that the teams had not had a misstep along the way.
"We've played this game now, Michigan vs. Ohio State, for 102 years," Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr said. "To have this be the first time in over a century that both teams are ranked 1-2 ... It's a dream to not only coach in this rivalry, but to be able to play in a game like this certainly is very, very special."
Ohio State offensive guard T.J. Downing is the son of Walt Downing, a Michigan All-American lineman who went on to play in the NFL. T.J. grew up a Michigan fan and used to pretend he was Wolverines scatback Tim Biakabutuka ? which must have been a sight, considering Downing is now a strapping 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds.
"Obviously, we always wanted to see the Buckeyes lose," said Downing, who grew up in the football hotbed of Canton, Ohio. "It was always cool following the Wolverines. They were a huge part of my growing up. I loved the success that they had in the '90s."
Since arriving at Ohio State, however, Downing has seen the Buckeyes dominate the series by winning four of the last five meetings.
"I'm glad that I've been able to bring an end to that (Michigan) success here in the 2000s, because this is my team," he said. "I bleed scarlet and gray and I would die for these guys in this locker room."
Tressel was the son of Baldwin-Wallace College football coach Lee Tressel and said he always looked forward to the Michigan-Ohio State game because his father's Division III team was usually done playing and the two could finally spend some time together.
"That used to be about the first time I saw my dad in the light of day," Tressel said.
Michigan offensive lineman Jake Long said he once attended an Ohio State game at Michigan Stadium.
"I went with one of my buddies, I think it was sophomore year in high school, and he actually wore a red coat," he said. "We were getting booed at and yelled at the whole game, so that wasn't cool."
Tressel said he and his staff almost go into a coccoon this week. But he said he recently heard from a fan who was using the game as an excuse to reconnect with his son.
"It's just a tremendous feeling to be a part of something that so many people are excited about and so many people count special," Tressel said. "I got an e-mail from a guy who said he's flying to Las Vegas to watch the game with his son because he couldn't get tickets to the game. He's flying home that night, but he just wants to be with his son. I can relate to that and it's special."

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Rivalry leaves lasting mark

Win or lose, UM game is eternal
Tuesday, November 14, 2006Dennis Manoloff
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus -- Last Saturday night, after Ohio State waxed Northwestern by 44, fifth-year senior safety Brandon Mitchell made a routine phone call to his close friend, former Buckeye and current NFL defensive back Will Allen.
Allen immediately tweaked Mitchell for wearing long sleeves against Northwestern.
"He called me a punk," Mitchell said Monday.

Then the conversation got serious. Maize-and-blue serious.
"We talked about Michigan," Mitchell said.
Mitchell did a lot of listening, especially the part about Allen's recollection of the 2003 game, when the 10-1 Buckeyes went into Ann Arbor and lost, 35-21. Allen was a senior.
"Will told me if he could go back and change one thing in his life, it would be that Michigan game," Mitchell said. "I'm thinking, He's talking about his life.' "
Never mind that, one season previous, Allen had intercepted a pass near the goal line to seal a 14-9 victory over the Wolverines in Columbus. The Buckeyes finished 14-0 and won the national championship. Great memories, sure -- but the Michigan loss in 2003 continues to haunt Allen, even if it was followed by a victory over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl.
"He told me to remember that the Michigan game is everything -- especially for the seniors," said Mitchell, a freshman role-player on the 2003 team. "He said, You always want to go out with a win against Michigan.' I told him I understood."
The No. 1 Buckeyes face No. 2 Michigan on Saturday afternoon in Ohio Stadium.
Both teams are 11-0 overall, 7-0 in the Big Ten. It is the first time in the storied history of the series that the teams are ranked in the top two at kickoff.
No doubt Ohio State plans on winning. But even if the Buckeyes lose, they might have an outside chance to compete for the national title.
Regardless of how the season plays out, though, Mitchell maintains a defeat to Michigan would ruin it.
"Everything else would be done in vain if we lose this game," he said.
Junior tailback Antonio Pittman agreed with Mitchell. Pittman recalled hearing about the disheartening nature of the 2003 loss, which effectively overshadowed the Fiesta Bowl triumph over Kansas State. Pittman reasoned that his 8-4 team of 2004 probably enjoyed its Alamo Bowl victory more simply because it came after a 37-21 conquest of Michigan.
Center Doug Datish did not go quite as far as Mitchell and Pittman about the vital importance of beating Michigan. He hardly went soft, either.
"I don't know if a loss would necessarily ruin the season, but it would leave a black eye," he said.
Quarterback Troy Smith, the leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy, calmly listened to the question about how much the legacy of the 2006 team would be tarnished if matters went haywire against Michigan. The calm quickly turned to steely resolve when he formulated his answer. The competitor in him burned through his eyes.
"A loss would leave a bitter taste because we would not have finished what we started, but around here, we're not thinking about losing," Smith said. "It doesn't cross our mind. It's about controlling what we can control."
Why should Smith waste his time thinking about a potential problem with Michigan, anyway? Yes, the Wolverines are formidable, their numbers imposing. But Smith is 2-0 against the Wolverines, part of a 24-2 record as a starter.
Both of Smith's Michigan starts have featured spectacular performances. He amassed 386 total yards, including 145 on the ground, in the 37-21 victory in Columbus. He followed it up with 337 total yards in a 25-21 comeback at Michigan last season, engineering two long touchdown drives in the fourth quarter.
It makes sense, then, that Smith would not appear to feel pressure as the hype continues to build about the epic matchup.
"Obviously, a lot of people are talking about it, but we're going to attack the situation the same way we have every other week," he said. "We're going to prepare like we always have. You need to be consistent in your preparation."
Smith seemed as relaxed as anyone Monday in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, where select players from each side of the ball met with reporters for the final time before going into shutdown mode. Smith even found time to joke about his right thumb, which is a cause for concern for Buckeyes fans if not for the quarterback himself.
Asked about the thumb, Smith chuckled and said, "It's still on my hand.

 

[osugrad21]

Canton


Michigan week brings out best
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
By CHRIS BEAVEN

COLUMBUS A brutal Saturday afternoon of football awaits T.J. Downing. Ohio State's starting right guard can't wait. If it's going to be brutal up front that means it's time for Michigan - the one opponent all Buckeyes, especially the son of a former Wolverine, love to play against.
"You're always out there giving your hardest," Downing said. "But there's something else you find inside your body when you fire off that ball ... going against a guy in the Maize and Blue. You want to hit him that much harder, and you want to put him in the dirt. And you know what? You see blood in that type of game. That's when the sharks come out."
One of the largest sharks inside Ohio Stadium will wear No. 72 for the Scarlet and Gray - the 6-foot-4, 305-pound Downing. When the game kicks off at 3:30, the fifth-year senior from GlenOak High School will be part of a line protecting a Heisman Trophy candidate (quarterback Troy Smith) and paving the way for a 1,000-yard rusher (tailback Antonio Pittman).
The work of the Ohio State line figures to go a long way in determining how the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes fare in their showdown with No. 2 Michigan.
"They are one of the best fronts in college football," Downing said. "We've just got to get after them like we've gotten after everybody else."
This is the fifth time Downing will go through an Ohio State-Michigan Week.
"It gives you goose bumps to know you're playing in the greatest rivalry in any sport," Downing said. "To be a part of the only one that's ever been No. 1 and No. 2 sends chills down your spine."
He grew up well-versed on the rivalry. His father, Walt Downing, was All-America at Michigan and later won a Super Bowl as a lineman with the San Francisco 49ers
"I've always had a love in my heart for them," Downing said. "It's been through the family. But right now, I have to put that aside, because we've got to go out there and get a win over them."
A win puts the Buckeyes in the BCS championship game, putting them in a position to win a second national title in five years. The play of Downing up front has been an important part of their success. A third-year starter, he is enjoying his finest season.
"He's done a tremendous job for us the last couple of years, and he's really done a great job this year stepping up his game," Buckeye center Doug Datish said. "I think he's improved in all aspects of the game."
Downing's toughness and work ethic impresses Datish and others. Ohio State's star defensive tackle, Quinn Pitcock, said Downing is the one Buckeye who "has improved the most over the years."
"I know coming into this year he was in the weight room all day long," Pitcock said. "You can ask any of the coaches. He's just one of those guys that's going to give all he can the whole play. ... That's the guy that has the heart. Those are the guys with the great character that you want on your team."
Downing did not enter the year looking to prove anything to anyone other than to himself.
"I didn't have a lot of hype coming into the season," he said. "So I don't know what my expectations were except for in myself. If my name is on the map now, then I guess I have exceeded expectations."
Downing's play this season is catching the attention of others. He should earn some postseason honors, and a career in the NFL looks possible.
"I've heard a lot of NFL coaches say that anybody that's played for (Ohio State line) coach (Jim) Bollman is ready to come into the NFL as a rookie and play," Downing said. "If that's a true statement, then hopefully Doug and I will be able to put some money in our pocket next year."
But don't expect Downing to waste any time this week thinking about the NFL. His sole focus is on getting himself and his teammates ready to play in the rivalry he loves. When head coach Jim Tressel asked the seniors to tell the newcomers in 10 seconds what this rivalry is all about, Downing made the most of his time.
"It's the nastiest game they're going to be a part of. You thought Texas was crazy? It's going to be 10 times worse. So you got to be make sure your mind is in the right place so you can stay focused through all the craziness that's going to go on - in the stands, before the snap, smack talking, all that. ... And then when the ball's snapped you just got to unleash. ... It's brutal."

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Ohio State vs. Michigan: Hype, excitement, ticket prices way up
Tuesday, November 14, 2006


COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? Tickets to the football game with the highest stakes this season are selling for up to $1,500. High school games are being moved to avoid conflicts Saturday. University officials are encouraging fans to behave. It?s Michigan-Ohio State week, and the frenzy is fueled by what?s on the line between the No. 1 Buckeyes and the No. 2 Wolverines: the Big Ten title, a trip to the national championship and bragging rights in one of college football?s biggest rivalries.
?This is probably the biggest game that?s ever come to Columbus,? said Tony Mollica, general manager of the Varsity Club, a bar about 500 yards from Ohio Stadium that expects its best business ever this weekend.
On the day of ?The Game? two years ago, the Varsity Club had run out of beer by 6 p.m., Mollica said. But not this time ? a stocked, refrigerated truck will be parked outside to prevent such a shortage.
Ryan Forgacs, the owner of Main Event Ticket Service, said game tickets are fetching $550 to $1,500 ? higher prices than he?s seen for a Michigan-Ohio State game in the company?s eight years.
Tickets are more expensive than ones for the national championship game the Buckeyes won in 2002, Forgacs said.
About 2,900 students had upgraded their student tickets to regular tickets as of Friday, allowing them to give the tickets away or sell them without the recipient needing a student ID.
Sam Fretz, 19, a second-year student from Denver, is waiting to decide to go or to sell. He has a friend who sold his ticket for about $700.
?I really do want to go see the game but if in fact someone did come up to me with a good offer I would sell it, just because I?m a college student and need the money,? Fretz said. ?If somebody offered me $1,000 I?d probably take that.?
High school football playoff games scheduled for Saturday evening have been moved to earlier in the day or to Friday. The Ohio High School Athletic Association worried it would not be able to get as many fans or enough stadium workers if the playoffs overlapped with the afternoon Ohio State-Michigan game, Assistant Commissioner Bob Goldring said.
?We?ve never had anything of this magnitude that has caused us to make such drastic changes,? he said.
Concerned by rioting and couch burning after the Michigan game four years ago ? events that annually show up on TV news video highlights ? city and university officials on Monday emphasized the importance of responsible fan behavior.
Officials unveiled four public service TV announcements, dubbed Best Fans in the Land, that encourage people to cheer for Ohio State and not against Michigan.
Mitch Brown, the Columbus safety service director, promised a significant police presence on campus without divulging details for tactical reasons.
Mayor Michael Coleman, whose birthday is Saturday, said the game is a historic opportunity for the city and the campus but also warned against bad behavior.
?I want you to know that we have a game plan off the field and that game plan will be one where frankly there will be no tolerance of any inappropriate behavior,? he said.
The Frog Bear & Wild Boar Bar isn?t expecting any brawls, despite the fact that the 11,000-square-foot venue is being divided into two sides ? the Buckeye faithful and traveling Michigan fans. The bar usually has a milder crowd, said marketing director Randy Haffey.
The two groups will have separate sound systems, so each can jam to their own fight songs, and each side will be decorated accordingly.
The bar has been inundated with reservations from fans of both teams, Haffey said.
?I have a feeling there will be a lot more Michigan fans in town this time,? he said.
The Franklin County Board of Elections has decided not to open on Saturday and will wait until the next day to count 18,000 absentee and provisional ballots that will decide the tight congressional race between Republican incumbent Deborah Pryce and Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy.
Elections Director Matthew Damschroder acknowledged last week that football ? along with worker fatigue ? was a factor in the decision.
Not everybody is preparing for a big day, though. On most Saturdays, the Confluence Park Restaurant in Columbus hosts at least one or two wedding receptions, said catering sales manager Regina Myers. But not this weekend. Myers doesn?t remember hosting a wedding reception on Michigan-Ohio State game day in the past seven years.

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Michigan-Ohio State tickets don?t come cheap
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
By The Associated Press

A sampling of ticket prices for the Michigan-Ohio State game Saturday in Columbus:
? $59: Face value of a ticket to Ohio Stadium
? $550-$1,500: Price per ticket bought from Columbus broker Main Event Ticket Service
? $400-$1,000: Price per ticket the broker is paying
? $1,000: What Toledo resident Joel Ascher is asking for two tickets
? $10,000: Listed price of five game tickets on eBay (no bids as of Monday evening)
???

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Couple auctioning UM-OSU tickets to raise money for adoption


CANTON, Ohio (AP) --- As fans scramble to obtain tickets to Saturday's Michigan-Ohio State football game, a Columbus couple are auctioning off their seats on the Internet to raise money to adopt a boy from Guatemala.



Ken and Kristie Sigler have season tickets in the closed end of Ohio Stadium, about 10 rows from the field. They have put the two tickets up for sale on eBay, hoping the payout helps defray the $12,500 cost to begin processing their adoption paperwork.

They set the minimum bid at $1,000, with an option to purchase the tickets directly for $1,500. No bids had been made as of early Tuesday.The couple began discussing adoption soon after they married nine years ago and decided to adopt from Guatemala after taking mission trips there, Kristie Sigler said.

"We wanted to adopt before having biological children," she told The Repository. "We figured if we had biological children first, we would never follow through with adopting."

At first, the couple thought it would be difficult for them to sell the tickets, but with adoption fees mounting -- costs total about $30,000, including the paperwork fee -- it became easier to auction off the seats.

The top-ranked Buckeyes and second-ranked Wolverines are both undefeated, and the winner advances to the national championship game.

"It's just one day, one game, compared to changing this little boy's life with us," Kristie Sigler said.

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Will big-game crasher sneak again?


Tuesday, November 14, 2006Brian Albrecht
Plain Dealer Reporter
The fall face-off between Ohio State University and the University of Michigan has been a rivalry of legendary battles steeped in decades of tradition.
Scarlet-and-gray vs. maize-and-blue. Buckeye vs. wolverine. Woody vs. Bo. Jerry Marlowe vs. the Ohio Stadium.
In Marlowe's case, it isn't so much who will win, but, "Will he try again this year?" Marlowe is a super sneak. He has a perfect record of gate-crashing OSU/Michigan games in Columbus going back to 1970.
The 70-year-old pharmacist from Dover, who has gained illicit entry in the past disguised as a Boy Scout, nun, cheerleader, marching band leader and Superman (for a halftime show), is saying only enough to keep people guessing.
"I'm trying to come up with some ideas," Marlowe said. "I'd love to, but with all the new security since 9/11, it'd be a bear to get in there."
A bear? Is that a hint of this year's disguise?
No, a bear as in "a bigger challenge than ever before," Marlowe amended.
The possibility that he's even considering another breach may seem surprising.
Four years ago he decided to end the running gag that was inspired almost accidentally in 1954 when he was a freshman at OSU.
Marlowe, dressed in top hat and tails, bluffed his way past an attendant into the Michigan game (even though he had a ticket). He never expected a bit of British-accented bluster -- "Tickets, tickets? Who needs tickets? Rubbish!" -- to work.
It did, as did other gambits that Marlowe said aren't about getting in free. (A hefty contribution to his alma mater after each stunt more than covers the cost of a ticket.)
It's the challenge of pulling a prank that has perhaps become as traditional to Buckeye football as the band's "Script Ohio" formation.
Come 2002, however, publicity about his exploits had made the task much tougher, and Marlowe wondered if his luck and the university's patience were wearing thin.
So to bring his reign to a close in a dramatic fashion, Marlowe intentionally set out to get busted at the gate. He wore an appropriate costume - an old-fashioned, black-and-white-striped prison uniform and chains.
But when he arrived too late for a newspaper photographer to record his "capture" for posterity, Marlowe went ahead and finagled his way into the stadium. (He didn't stay, having already made plans to watch the game on TV with relatives.)
Marlowe had to miss the 2004 game due to work, yet he's apparently now back in the old spirit that got him into the stadium as an ersatz pizza deliveryman, team doctor and a phony "NBC Television News Referee." The "fake refs," Marlowe explained at the gate, are officials that TV uses when they can't get a shot of a real one on the field.
His favorite gambit was in 1988.
He slipped into the stadium as a hot dog vendor, and to honor a longtime college chum, Harry Thoman, who was dying of cancer, Marlowe arranged to have the Block O cheering section spell out "Hang on Harry" as the band played "Hang on Sloopy."
Marlowe said his success lies in a talent for acting, plus an ability to tap resources for costumes, props and assisted passage through the gate.
He also follows a few self-imposed rules of his game within the game. He does not impersonate military or police personnel, and avoids breaking any laws other than the obvious one.
And though he has utilized fake identification, he never tried to gain entry with a bogus ticket.
Otherwise, go for the obvious, he said. The more outlandish the better.
This year, Marlowe said he might just watch the game on TV with his cousin. That ritual seems to have brought the team luck in the past, he noted. (Though he's confident enough to predict an OSU win by two touchdowns.)
Or, with the right, outlandish idea, he might just take another shot at the stadium.
Marlowe said he thought of writing OSU football coach Jim Tressel and asking if he could sneak in with the team, posing as a water boy.
A water boy? You would think a guy with the audacity to pose as the head of the OSU marching band would similarly go straight to the top of the team ladder.
"Sorry, I can't let you in without a ticket Mr. Tressel - IF that's your real name!"