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

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

OHIO STATE MICHIGAN
Band steps up pace as The Game nears
TBDBITL in high demand during Michigan week

Friday, November 17, 2006

Kristy Eckert
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

OSU band members touch the crest in the stairwell for luck as they head to the practice field from the band center inside Ohio Stadium. From bleaching their hair to hosting an homage to Woody Hayes, many band sections have traditions during Michigan week.

Trombonist Lee Auer sports Michigan gear ? and braves some ribbing ? to lighten up practice during an intense week. He was one of a handful of OSU band members who did so.

Schoolchildren line up behind Dan Nash, assistant drum major in the Ohio State University marching band, to form Script Ohio during a pep band concert at the OSU Newark campus. The concert is an annual tradition the week of the Michigan football game.

How many sousaphone players can fit in an Ohio Stadium elevator? At least five, as these OSU marching band members demonstrate.


The gray-haired woman with glasses and a homemade buckeye necklace sat unassumingly at a luncheon Tuesday in Newark.
Then, in the middle of an otherwise staid Rotary group, 65-year-old Nancy Reed raised her arms high into an O-HI-O at the end of Buckeye Battle Cry and pumped her fist during Fight the Team.
The musicians of The Best Damn Band in the Land, as they proudly call themselves, don?t do this for money, or for the promise that they will someday go pro. They play for the fist-pumping senior citizens, the ponytail-bopping toddlers, the shoulder-linked students. And this week, they play against Michigan. "Not many people can say, ?I?ve been on the field during one of the biggest games ever,? " senior Morgan Beal said. She is playing her baritone horn despite a marching-induced stress fracture in her left foot. "I like the honor," she said. "I?ll march through whatever."
The Ohio State University marching band offers no scholarships (except for a $500 alumni gift to some seniors). The musicians rehearse two hours each weekday, memorize new music on their own time and dry-clean uniforms at their own expense. They often pull muscles marching and strutting; they sometimes chip teeth while sharply swinging their instruments.
Then there is Michigan week.
Challenges ? the band?s weekly competition to determine who will perform in the next game ? intensify. An already busy schedule becomes hectic. Besides daily rehearsals, the band has nine performances throughout the week, not including the big ones on game day. Injuries ? from tight muscles to shin splints ? worsen.
Reveling in it all, instrument sections celebrate the week with traditions, such as percussionists holding what amounts to a Woody Hayes worship night (complete with a slide show), and a group of trumpeters bleaching their hair.
Besides daily rehearsals, the band breaks into groups across central Ohio to perform spiritboosting songs everywhere, from a private Les Wexner party to Plank?s pizza joint.
Sunday, the band played its annual private concert for the Buckeye football team in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Each player chose a musician and marched alongside to form Script Ohio. Troy Smith dotted the "i" and, afterward, several players grabbed drums and pounded out beats.
Tuesday morning, on a bus ride to performances at a Newark hotel and OSU?s Newark campus, freshman trumpet player Ben Thornton slept. Across the aisle, senior mellophone player Anora Bentley worked on an assignment in biological engineering. Senior trumpet player Timothy Curry studied a binder of this week?s music.
Curry pulled out his digital camera to show a friend a photo of him with ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, who was on campus Monday.
Curry talked about how exciting Michigan week has been the past four years, and how, barring a decision to continue his schooling, this will be his last game in Ohio Stadium.
"There are too many emotions," he said.
The band?s role in Buckeye football is heralded, particularly by the coach whose school is known for a spirited crowd.
"The camaraderie they bring, the energy they bring ? we?re part of them, they?re part of us," Jim Tressel said. "They raise the whole experience."
So they play for him ? the coach who has elevated their status by walking his players to them after games to sing Carmen Ohio.
And they play for a weekend audience of die-hards who scream as loudly for Script Ohio as they do for a touchdown.
"The most awesome thing you can experience is being in a stadium as big as this and knowing everyone?s cheering for you," said Beal, the injured baritone player.
So the senior who has marched in every game performance since freshman year has ditched her walking cast.
"I don?t care," she said. "It can hurt all it wants this week."
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

November 17, 2006


[FONT=arial,][SIZE=+1][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=arial,][SIZE=+1]Michigan plan simple but tough: Stop Smith[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=arial,][SIZE=+1][/SIZE][/FONT][SIZE=-1]By LARRY LAGE[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]THE ASSOCIATED PRESS[/SIZE]

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Bo Schembechler knows more about the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry than anybody, following college football's marquee series up close for more than a half-century.

Schembechler was a graduate assistant for the Buckeyes under Woody Hayes in the early 1950s. He returned later to be a Hayes assistant for five seasons before becoming a famed coach for the Wolverines from 1969-1989.
In all of those years, nobody has impressed him more than Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith - not even two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin.
''I have not seen a guy play so well in back-to-back, Ohio State-Michigan games,'' Schembechler said. ''We slowed down Archie Griffin, I think the second time we played him.''
If Smith can come close to matching his previous performances against Michigan tomorrow at home, he will likely lock up the Heisman Trophy.
''That's probably the last thing in my world right now,'' he said.
Smith is more focused on team goals, such as leading No. 1 Ohio State over the second-ranked Wolverines for the third straight year - a feat it hasn't accomplished since the early 1960s - and earning a spot in the national championship game.
He might get his wish if the Wolverines can't figure out - or execute - a plan to slow down one of the all-time stars in the series.
Smith has been unstoppable against Michigan the past two years, putting up gaudy numbers with his arm and legs in two come-from-behind wins.
He had a 300-yard passing game, throwing and scoring a touchdown, last year. As a sophomore he threw for 241 yards, ran for a career-high 145 and accounted for three TDs in 2004.
Despite being responsible for 700-plus yards and five TDs in those games, Smith dodges praise as if it were a Wolverine trying to tackle him.
''My success is credited to everybody else around me,'' he said. ''It's not just that I'm 2-0 against Michigan. Everybody who has played on the field against them is 2-0.
''I try to give everything to my offensive line. Without them, there are no great plays that can be made.''
Smith's linemen have allowed him to stay in the pocket at times to make plays with his strong and accurate arm. But when designed plays break down, his quick feet and sturdy 6-foot-1, 215-pound frame create headaches for the opposition.
In last year's win, which came after trailing by nine midway through the fourth quarter, Smith spun to avoid a sack and eluded another loss on two key passes to set up the game-winning score.
''There will be a lot of No. 10 jerseys and a lot of kids on Thanksgiving weekend trying to make those moves in a pile of leaves,'' Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said after the game.
Michigan hopes it finally has an answer for Smith with a new-and-improved defense directed by first-year coordinator Ron English, and led by defensive end LaMarr Woodley and cornerback Leon Hall.
English has gotten the most out of talent many thought was not used properly in previous bend-but-don't-break schemes. He has effectively mixed coverages and disguised blitzes all season, leaning on a front seven that makes it tough for teams to run or pass.
The Wolverines' defense is No. 1 in the nation against the run, giving up less than 30 yards rushing a game, and on third-down situations.
(Published: November 17, 2006)

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Herbstreit prepared to air historic clash

By JON SPENCER
For The Advocate




COLUMBUS -- As a fan, Kirk Herbstreit's fondest memory of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry was in 1979. He was 10 years old when Jim Laughlin came off the edge to block a punt that Todd Bell recovered for the winning touchdown in an 18-15 OSU victory. As a Buckeye captain and quarterback, his fondest memory has to be completing 28 passes -- an OSU record in the series -- in the 13-13 tie with the Wolverines in 1992.
As an ESPN analyst? Check back Saturday around 7 p.m. "When Woody (Hayes) and Bo (Schembechler) were here, (the rivalry) was as big as it got, just because the Big Ten and national championship always seemed to be on the line," Herbstreit said, referring to the "Ten-Year War" when Michigan and Ohio State won or shared every conference title in the 10 seasons those coaching legends met.

"Since Jim Tressel and Lloyd Carr have been here, I think we've come full circle, where it's not just Big Ten bragging rights. It always seems that one or both teams have something at stake in the BCS, and I think that's why fans beyond the local markets have great appreciation for what's at stake here."
Saturday marks the fourth time this season Herbstreit and ESPN's GameDay crew will be on hand for an Ohio State game. Herbstreit will also be part of ABC's game broadcast as the No. 1 Buckeyes and No. 2 Wolverines match 11-0 records for an undisputed Big Ten title and berth in the BCS championship game.
An ABC trench-cam might be a good idea given the weight Herbstreit is putting on the battle up front. Led by end LaMarr Woodley, a Lombardi Award finalist, and 6-foot-6, 331-pound tackle Alan Branch, Michigan leads the nation in rushing defense, giving up 30 yards on the ground per game. The Wolverines also lead the Big Ten in sacks with 41, 11 by Woodley.
Ohio State boasts the league's No. 1 scoring offense (35.8 ppg) and has surrendered the fewest sacks (13).
"What makes Michigan's defense so good under (new coordinator) Ron English is, No. 1, they play with intensity," Herbstreit said. "Of all the teams I've watched this year, the only team that has shown the same emotion and hunger every week is the Michigan defense. Is that Ron English, or is it because this team lost five games last year and is on a mission? Maybe it's a combination of both."
But do the Wolverines have an answer for Troy Smith? The Ohio State quarterback has been unstoppable the past two years, accounting for 386 yards rushing and passing in OSU's 2004 win and 337 yards last year when the Buckeyes rallied for two touchdowns in the final eight minutes in Ann Arbor.
"Michigan's front has been able to put pressure on quarterbacks all year long, which allows their secondary to focus on the pass," Herbstreit said. "It's one of the few defenses in the country to have the luxury of pressuring opposing quarterbacks without always having to blitz. But I don't think it's that simple. If they do get pressure, how does Troy Smith handle that kind of heat? He's a very creative quarterback and has shown the ability to improvise throughout his career. I think it's more about how does No. 10 respond to Branch and Woodley, once they come face to face."
Michigan's offense has struggled ever since sophomore receiver Mario Manningham suffered a knee injury six weeks ago. He had nine touchdown catches in six games before getting hurt. The Warren Harding product was sidelined for three weeks and has been quiet in the two game since his return.
Senior Steve Breaston picked up the slack in last week's 34-3 win over Indiana, catching three passes for 103 yards, including a 62-yarder for his first touchdown reception of the season. He also had a career-long 83-yard punt return for a touchdown.
"(Manningham) didn't have great games (the past two weeks), but he was able to get confidence back in his legs," Herbstreit said. "He's a big part of the puzzle. He sets the tone and gives them the threat of a big play. The game Breaston had last week gives them confidence as a group that they can execute against Ohio State.
"I'll say this, Michigan will do themselves a favor if they're aggressive with their play-calling. I remember saying that when they played at Notre Dame and on the road at night against Penn State. To their credit, they were really aggressive with the play-calling.
"It's been my theory when Michigan gets in these games where there's a lot on the line and they're in the underdog role, they come out and throw on first down, play-action, bootleg, find the tight end ... that's when they're dangerous. I personally feel it will be the kind of gameplan where they give (quarterback Chad) Henne a chance. You don't want to wait until third down to put the ball in his hands."
Although he still makes his home in Columbus and admits to being overcome with emotion when he played in this rivalry, Herbstreit says he will check his colors at the door Saturday. "After Michigan's performance in South Bend, you could tell there was something different about this team," he said. "As for Ohio State, replacing nine defensive starters is never easy to do, but after week two, when the Buckeyes went to Austin and dominated the (Texas) Longhorns, you knew, A, that Troy Smith and this offense would be tough to slow down, no matter who they played, and, B, that their nine new defensive starters had what it took to be another competitive defense."

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Whose star shall rise?
Friday, November 17, 2006
Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

</IMG> Ohio State receiver Anthony Gonzalez made a name for himself with a 68-yard touchdown reception in the Buckeyes? 37-21 win over Michigan in 2004.


Ohio State receiver Anthony Gonzalez doesn?t get it. Or maybe he does, but his modesty is so ingrained he can?t admit it. In any case, he was asked whether he ever goes back and watches the film of the Michigan game last year, in which his leaping, 26-yard catch set up OSU?s winning touchdown in the final minute.
"It?s nothing I look at that often," Gonzalez said. "At the time, I was only a sophomore. I feel like if that?s the best thing I ever do here, I haven?t progressed enough as a football player."
To which most fans probably would say: Blasphemy!
Gonzalez surely recognizes that what an Ohio State player does against Michigan can define him. After all, Gonzalez is from Cleveland, home of Cleveland Browns games referred to simply as "The Drive" and "The Fumble."
So he must know that the 2005 game will become known as "The Catch" and that the picture of him tumbling to the ground with ball in hand will grace the pages of coffeetable books for decades.
"In a game like this, anybody can kind of step up and make a name for themselves," defensive end Jay Richardson said. "If you play good in the Michigan game, you?re a legend and you?re a hero and all that stuff."
What makes the phenomenon intriguing is when it strikes someone besides the obvious stars. That was Gonzalez in 2004, when he caught a 68-yard pass from Troy Smith for the first score in Ohio State?s 37-21 upset.
It was Gonzalez?s sixth career catch.
"You never know which guys are going to step up and make the big play," Smith said. "That?s why I think every player has to be ready, because you never know when your number is going to be called."
So which lesser-known players might step up this Saturday? Based on the opinions of several Buckeyes players and recent performances, here are some candidates:
On offense, the Brians: receivers Brian Robiskie or Brian Hartline. Robiskie has been rock solid while emerging as the Buckeyes? third receiver this season, and he also has made some eye-popping plays.
He caught a third-down pass at Texas to keep alive Ohio State?s final scoring drive and help seal the victory. And he caught a touchdown pass from a scrambling Smith against Penn State that gave OSU breathing room. Those were arguably the Buckeyes? two toughest games of the season.
Hartline has been a big-play guy, averaging a team-best 17.1 yards per catch, and he?s hot, with two touchdowns last week at Northwestern.
"Hartline has made key plays through the season," Smith said.
Freshman tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells is another wild card. He has been fumble prone but had 11 successful carries last week. When he holds onto the ball, he has produced.
Defensively, the best bets on unsung players who might stand out are the ends, Richardson and Vernon Gholston.
Like Robiskie, Gholston has shown up in the team?s biggest games. He has had several straight strong games leading up to this week, bulling into the backfield and getting into quarterbacks? faces.
"The last three or four weeks, he has been playing amazing," defensive tackle David Patterson said. "I look for Jay to be a guy we can really depend on this week."
The players know what this week means to their reputations. For youngsters, it?s a chance to set themselves up as future stars. For outgoing seniors, it?s a chance to be remembered.
"Big games are a time when guys can make plays," Richardson said, smiling. "And maybe it will be me this week, who knows? "
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

OSU fans making championship plans
Friday, November 17, 2006
Steve Stephens
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH



Columbus travelers, hoping to follow the football Buckeyes to the BCS championship game, seem to expect little more than a bump in the road Saturday.
"Never have so many Buckeye fans been so confident so early," said Dave Matthews, owner of Prime Tours in Dublin.
Despite high prices, and the fact that the Buckeyes still have to beat Michigan, fans have been reserving bowl travel packages faster than they have in previous years, according to many area travel agents.
"We?ve been doing bowl tours for 10 years," Matthews said. "In nine years, we had a total of zero deposits in October. This year we sold out our 150 spaces in mid-October.
"We?re hearing a lot of people saying, ?I didn?t go in ?02 for the (national championship game). I?m not going to miss this.? Others who were there say it was the greatest experience ever, so they?re going again."
Matthews increased the number of packages he?s selling, and like most local travel agents, he still has packages available. But prices are going up almost daily, many agents said, primarily because of rising game-ticket prices.
Travelers, it?s true, are risking little by putting down a deposit that?s refundable if the Buckeyes are not invited to the BCS championship game Jan. 8 in Arizona. Still, committing to a package that in most cases is running at more than $3,000 per person for airfare, three nights at a hotel and a decent seat at the new University of Phoenix Stadium has some folks blanching as they reach for their wallets.
Ike Reynolds of Reynolds Travel in Columbus, who has taken more than 275 deposits in the past two weeks, still had plenty of space available. But he suggested hurrying.
"Typically people don?t put down a deposit for a bowl game this early because they don?t feel that is a necessity," Reynolds said.
"But this BCS championship game is a unique animal."
Played a week after the Fiesta Bowl in the same stadium, the championship game is sparking unparalleled interest across the country, which is reflected in ticket prices, Reynolds said.
"Our tickets are coming primarily from brokers," he said. "The face value is probably around $325, but they?ll probably cost us around $1,000, $1,100. If the Buckeyes win, they?ll go up from there."
Sandi Nikolaus, office manager at Bexley Travel, said many customers are confused.
"They call up and say they want to go to the Fiesta Bowl, but it?s not the Fiesta Bowl."
The new championship game "is almost on the scale of a Super Bowl game," Nikolaus said.
"But they?re shocked when they hear the prices. They?re used to (bowl packages) being around $2,000, even $2,200. When you say $2,895, they kind of gasp."
Adding to the cost is the timing of the game. Unlike a New Year?s Day bowl, the championship game is being held during prime convention season for Phoenix. Many travel agents said they?ll be working Saturday night or Sunday to handle requests after the OSU-Michigan game.
So what happens if the Buckeyes, gulp, lose?
"If the unthinkable happens," Matthews said, "we are set up with a Rose Bowl package, which is a nice consolation prize."
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Fans in Ann Arbor see game differently

Friday, November 17, 2006

Rob Oller
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




ANN ARBOR, Mich. ? Most Michigan students relaxing with lattes in any of the half-dozen campus coffee houses will tell you that winning The Game is everything in Ann Arbor. It?s just not the only thing.
The rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State is huge, to be sure, but the cultural canyon between the two schools makes for distinct differences in how fans from both places treat it.
Both sides like to sling the stereotypes ? Elitist Michigan fans vs. Ohio State rednecks ? making sure to point out that tiny truths hide inside most generalizations.
The refined label fits perfectly inside Dascola Barbers on State Street, which cuts through the Michigan campus. Classical music fills the small upstairs shop as Bob Dascola shares his two cents worth about the magnitude of Michigan-Ohio State. His words make clear he is the Barber of Civil.
"It?s two different kinds of people. The people in Columbus are a lot different than the people in Ann Arbor," Dascola said, pausing. "They?re more rowdy down there. It?s the truth."
There?s also a lot more of them. Many in Ann Arbor (population 114,024) are surprised to learn that Columbus is a city of more than 1 million. The more people a city has, the more that can go wrong.
"When we win, we don?t wreck the town. We just go back to where we came from," said Dascola, adding that he prefers to describe Michigan fans in Ann Arbor as intellectuals rather than elitists.
Dascola nods toward a TV in the shop.
"We put that on for football games by request only," he said, proudly.
Chris DeTombe spent 15 years in central Ohio before moving to Michigan in 2000. Having seen both sides of the rivalry, he said there?s no question that passions run deeper south of the border.
Part of that has to do with Michigan being a two-team state. Draw a diagonal line northeast to southwest through Lansing, and most anything west of that line belongs to Michigan State. Anything east is Wolverines country. In Ohio, the entire state loves the Buckeyes.
Michigan considers Michigan State to be the bothersome little brother and Ohio State is the neighbor from hell, an angry little devil at that.
"You don?t sense that fomenting hate here that comes from south to north," said DeTombe, who lives in Brighton, about 20 miles north of Ann Arbor. "I think some of it was Woody (Hayes), he said. "Woody pushing his car across the border (rather than stopping for gas in Michigan). ? They don?t have a story like that up here."
That?s not to say the rivalry isn?t intense among the Maize and Bluebloods.
"It?s pretty much the No. 1 game we think about. It?s always in the back of your mind," said Ben Kinder, a Michigan senior from Ann Arbor. "I?m a big Pistons and Tigers fan, but nothing comes close to Michigan football."
Still, the influence of Detroit, about 50 miles to the east, affects the fan intensity toward Michigan football. The Tigers, Lions and Red Wings sap strength from the Wolverines? following.
As former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler put it, "Ohio State is in a situation where they sit there and there are no pro teams in Columbus, other than a hockey team. You?ve got to go to Cincinnati or Cleveland, so Ohio State is everything."
Not to mention the only thing. That helps explain why the job security of Michigan coach Lloyd Carr sometimes seems to be a bigger issue in Columbus than in Ann Arbor.
"We?re happy when he?s winning, and not happy when he?s losing," was all the angst that could be drawn from Derrick Burch, 37, a lifelong Michigan fan from Ann Arbor. "It?s not like it is down in Ohio, where there?s more of an emphasis on coaching, because (Ohio State football) is all they have, so it stands out more."
Mainly, though, the difference in rivalry volume has to do with the Michigan environment, which tends to be more liberal and diverse, less consumed with athletics.
Some even see football as a threat to academics, DeTombe said.
Mike Walton won?t argue the point. The Michigan alumnus, who manages a campus sporting goods store, arrived in Ann Arbor from Detroit and immediately noticed the difference.
"There is an air (of superiority) here," he said. "Coming here from Detroit, it was, like, ?Whoa,? culture shock."
The elitist attitude even trickles into the football program.
Former Michigan defensive back Marcus Ray, who grew up in Columbus and still lives there, said, "We?re taught a level of arrogance that it?s a big deal for you to play us, not us to play you."
Ohio State students and alumni, meanwhile, are seen as being more down to earth; beer drinkers to Michigan?s wine and cheese crowd.
Truth be told, many Michigan fans fear Columbus during football season, and especially the week of The Game.
"Michigan people think Columbus is a zoo, a jungle with wild beasts," Ray said, chuckling.
Ann Arbor, on the other hand, prides itself on protesting the war more than the obvious missed holding call.
"They have a better stadium," Ann Arbor resident Meghan Dockham said. "And that?s it."
Ohio State, of course, would argue it has better fans inside that stadium, as well.
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

COMMENTARY
Two Buckeyes rooted for Michigan as kids
Friday, November 17, 2006

BOB HUNTER

</IMG>

</IMG>


It?s a name that still sticks in the throats of many Ohio State fans ? gags them to the point of retching, actually ? and not because it sounds like a phrase you might be asked to pronounce in that nightschool Swahili class.
Tshimanga Biakabutuka.
You probably remember him. He was the architect of one of the most painful losses in Ohio State football history, a 313-yard rusher in a 31-23 Michigan win in 1995 when the Buckeyes were No. 2 and on their way to a possible national championship.
If you were in Michigan Stadium that day, you probably wanted to slap the smiles off the faces of every punk kid in a Michigan shirt. You probably wanted to squeeze every last cheer out of their puny little necks or maybe even run the despicable little boogers down with your OSUwindow-flagged, Ohio-built 4x4.
If you?re one of those spit-onthe-car-with-the-Michiganlicense-plate fans, you might still be having nightmares about that day, what with all those awful Wolverines fans cheering wildly as Biakabutuka exited the stadium as a conquering hero.
I?m sorry for this unpleasant little reminder ? if you contact our legal department, maybe The Dispatch will pay for that fresh fist hole in your kitchen wall ? but all this torture is leading up to something:
Anthony Gonzalez, yeah that Anthony Gonzalez, was in Michigan Stadium that day, "probably" wearing a Michigan shirt. His father, Eduardo Gonzalez, played for Michigan, and Anthony ? Ohio State?s second leading receiver ? counts that Biakabutuka game as his favorite childhood memory of the Ohio State-Michigan game.
So tell me, would you still like to strangle the life out of him now?
"My father?s best friend is Les Miles and he was an assistant at Michigan when I was growing up," Gonzalez said. "And Les would get us tickets a lot of times. So growing up I went to a fair share of Ohio State-Michigan games. I just remember being very excited going to those games. I never came to a game at Ohio State, but I always went to the ones that were at Michigan, and it?s something that I have vivid memories of."
But the Biakabutuka game?
"The Biakabatuka game, the 313-yard performance," he said, "that?s the one I remember the most."
And he celebrated?
"I did," Gonzalez said. "I was a Michigan fan. So it was something I was excited about. Michigan was having a down year that year and I think Ohio State was having a really good year."
Hang on, Michigan hater. It gets worse. T.J. Downing, one of Ohio State?s main men down there in the trenches, also was a big fan of Biakabutuka growing up.
"I used to be Biakabutuka when I went out in the back yard," he said.
You probably aren?t going to like his favorite childhood memory of the Ohio State-Michigan series, either.
"My biggest memory was probably Charles Woodson, with the rose in his mouth," Downing said. "(Woodson) taking (a punt return) back (for a touchdown)."
He laughed. Downing?s father, Walt, was also a former Michigan player, an All-American, in fact. Walt Downing has been an Ohio State fan since T.J. got there, and will be until his son?s career ends after the bowl games.
But back in 1997, the entire Downing family enjoyed the heck out of the upset that Michigan pulled off that year, when Woodson intercepted a pass in the end zone, returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown and also set up the Wolves? only offensive touchdown with an impressive catch-and-run.
"It was fun, you know?" T.J. Downing said. "Even living in Ohio, it was still fun to cheer for the Wolverines and have all of your friends and buddies cheering against you."
Downing smiled. For guys such as he and Gonzalez, the rivalry isn?t about trying to go to ridiculous extremes to prove their loyalty to one side or the other. It isn?t about screaming expletives at opposing fans, tearing up their property or picking fights with them as a proud display of support for Ohio State or Michigan.
Gonzalez and Downing know and understand this rivalry. Some of us never will.

Bob Hunter is a sports columnist for The Dispatch
.
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Final bow on seniors? minds
Keeping emotions in check will be hard to do for many
Friday, November 17, 2006
Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

</IMG> KIICHIRO SATO ASSOCIATED PRESS Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and his players wait to run onto the field in Ohio Stadium. For senior center Doug Datish, second from left, Saturday will be his last chance to perform in the Horseshoe. Even so, he says he is trying to keep his focus on the game.

</IMG>


For 19 Ohio State seniors, this week must be sensory overload.
When the seniors take on No. 2 Michigan on Saturday in Ohio Stadium, No. 1 Ohio State will participate in a game with an outright Big Ten title at stake, a spot in the national championship game and, just like any time it comes to the Michigan game, bragging rights in perpetuity.
And it will be the seniors? final home game, their last four quarters to leave a lasting impression on the home crowd.
In many ways, it?s just too much, senior center Doug Datish said.
"I?m trying not to think about that, to be honest with you," he said. "I don?t know if it is something you can really wrap your head around in a week, or until it happens, or after it happens. We are so wrapped up in this season, I think it?s something that will take a little time to sink in."
He?s not the only senior thinking that way.
"It hasn?t sunk in yet, because I?ll probably get emotional about it," safety Brandon Mitchell said. "Hopefully, it won?t sink in until after the game.
"But I have had a little time to reflect on my time here, and (the day) is going to be amazing. I can?t wait for the tunnel of pride and things like that on senior day."
Yet it would be tough to try to focus on the Wolverines, he said, with tears in his eyes.
"It?s going to be crazy. It?s going to be a real emotional moment," Mitchell said. "Hopefully, I can control those things until after the game."
The seniors won?t be the only ones caught up in the moment, junior running back Antonio Pittman said.
"You want those seniors to go out winners, no doubt," he said. "It?s a great group of guys and we don?t want to let them down."
Or as coach Jim Tressel put it: "This has been an outstanding group, and this is their last opportunity to play in Ohio Stadium, this is their last opportunity to play in the greatest game that there is, and we?re excited."
The group includes 16 fifth-year players, led by quarterback Troy Smith, the Heisman Trophy front-runner, and defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock, a Lombardi Award finalist. They were nonplaying freshmen in 2002 when the Buckeyes went 14-0 and won the national championship, and have witnessed at least 54 wins.
That includes the 11-0 start this season that has put the team on the cusp of being considered one of the school?s greats.
"I think that is neat, that?s an aspect of (what Saturday will mean to them)," Datish said. "But I also think that it is still the Ohio State-Michigan game. It doesn?t really matter what the records are in a lot of ways, at least for us it doesn?t. It?s just a tremendous honor to be a part of the game.
"Right now, I?m just trying to worry about playing in the game. If you let that other stuff affect you, it won?t work out for you."
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Tressel says his voice is doing fine

Friday, November 17, 2006

Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




Ohio State coach Jim Tressel put the Buckeye Nation in a tizzy yesterday with his weekly radio call-in show. He could barely talk.
"He?s got a sore throat, a little laryngitis, that?s all," athletic department spokesman Steve Snapp said.
It was a matter of at least minor concern, because Tressel doesn?t have the reputation of being a screamer. Also, there is the matter of calling plays on what is expected to be a chilly, damp Saturday afternoon, when No. 1 Ohio State plays host to No. 2 Michigan.
Tressel made himself offlimits to the media after his news conference Monday, when his voice was fine.
Yesterday when a caller asked him about his hoarseness on WBNS-AM (1460), he didn?t hesitate with his answer.
"I feel good, believe me," Tressel said.
Clock is ticking

The Buckeyes are on their pregame clock. It started at 3:42 p.m. yesterday and will go off at 3:42 p.m. Saturday, the scheduled kickoff for The Game. It?s a 48-hour scheme introduced to the defense by coordinator Jim Heacock at the beginning of the season and adopted by the entire team five games later.
"That?s when coach Tressel brought it up to the whole team," center and co-captain Doug Datish said. "It?s something I have kind of subscribed to after reading about it, learning about it. It makes a lot of sense to me."
The idea is a steppingstone psychological rise to kickoff.
"As each hour goes by, you?re supposed to ratchet it up a little more, a little more, so finally when you?re done, your spring is completely wound and you?re ready to go," Datish said.
Asked whether he noticed a difference, he said, "I don?t know if you can really put your finger on it, but we?ve been successful thus far this year, so something is working."
Playing smart

Six Buckeyes were named to the Academic All-District team, including four first-teamers, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Datish, junior receiver Anthony Gonzalez, sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis and senior fullback Stan White Jr. made the first team. They will be considered along with firstteamers from seven other districts for the Academic All-American team, to be announced Nov. 30.
Senior defensive tackle Joel Penton and sophomore receiver Brian Robiskie made the second team.
The last Buckeye named Academic All-American was quarterback Craig Krenzel in 2003.
Meanwhile, Laurinaitis, one of three finalists for the Butkus Award, was named one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Award, which goes to the nation?s outstanding defensive player.
Joining him were Michigan defensive back Leon Hall, Florida defensive back Reggie Nelson, Clemson defensive lineman Gaines Adams and Mississippi linebacker Patrick Willis, also a Butkus finalist.
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Hart breathes life into Wolverines
Tailback has ?burning passion to compete? that offsets his small size

Friday, November 17, 2006

Rob Oller
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Michigan teammates congratulate tailback Mike Hart after one of his 11 touchdowns this season.

The high school tailback stood motionless in the end zone, like the statues scattered behind him.
The linebacker seemed locked to the ground. The safety? Unable to move. It was as if Mike Hart had turned them to stone. In reality, he had just given them life.
Holes had been there. Big holes. Ten-foot-wide openings created by a bullish offensive line. But Onondaga Central High in upstate New York lacked a running back talented enough to take advantage of the situation. In the first scrimmage of the 2001 season, the Tigers? starting tailback gained only 5 yards on his first carry through those hot-air-balloon-sized holes before being tackled. The second-string tailback also gained 5 yards.
Then came Hart, the freshman thirdstringer who had been allowed to play varsity only because his mother convinced the coach that it would be good for her son.
Turns out it was good for the Tigers, too.
Hart took the handoff and ?
"The next thing I know he?s standing in the end zone. From that point forward, I knew who our tailback was," said Bill Spicer, who coached Onondaga Central for seven seasons before leaving in April for an assistant job at Hamilton College in New York.
During Hart?s four seasons at Onondaga Central, located just outside Syracuse, the Tigers were 46-1, including a 43-game winning streak, and won three consecutive small-school state titles.
Hart?s individual numbers were even more mind-blowing: national high school career records for touchdowns (204), 100-yard rushing games (47) and points (1,246) while running for 11,232 yards.
Despite the gaudy stats, skeptics considered Hart too small, at 5 feet 9, 175 pounds, and too untested against bigtime competition to be much of a college player.
Michigan thought differently. The Wolverines swooped in on him during an unofficial visit to Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame. Before leaving Michigan, the tailback decided to stake his tent in Ann Arbor.
Hart quickly proved his doubters wrong, rushing for 1,455 yards and nine touchdowns on a team-leading 282 carries as a true freshman. The accolades poured in, including Big Ten Freshman of the Year; a pretty big deal for a kid who was one of only 60 in his high school graduating class.
After a disappointing sophomore season (662 yards) when he was bothered by hamstring and ankle injuries, Hart is back where he was two years ago, which helps explain why the No. 2 Wolverines are 11-0 this season instead of the 7-5 of last year. A healthy Hart (1,373 yards, 124.8 per game, career-best 11 TDs) does wonders for the entire body of blue and maize believers. Hart will be in their lungs Saturday as Michigan visits Ohio State.
"It?s probably going to be the biggest game of everybody?s life, at least on our team," Hart said last week. "I don?t think there?s a bigger game out there."
Hart?s physical abilities include an explosive first step and incredible field vision. "He sees things others don?t see," Spicer said.
That vision is one of the reasons new Michigan offensive coordinator Mike DeBord switched to a zone blocking scheme this season. Instead of having a back hit a designated hole, zone blocking creates more than one opening and lets the back choose the best option.
More than physical talent, however, what sets Hart apart is inner drive, Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr said.
"He?s got a burning passion to compete. When he first got here and I looked at him, I?m thinking it?s going to take him a year or two to get big enough and strong enough to take the pounding," Carr said. "But when you look back at what this kid did as a true freshman, it?s astounding. As many times as he carried the ball, and his incredible ability to be tackled and hit and not fumble the football."
There may be no better indication of Hart?s win-at-all-costs mentality than this: he has fumbled only three times during his career.
The kid from Onondaga Central knows what to do with the ball when he gets it.
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

MICHIGAN NOTEBOOK
Carr puts a little fight in his team

Friday, November 17, 2006

Rob Oller
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




ANN ARBOR, Mich. ? Let the Lloyd Carr-Russell Crowe comparisons begin.
Say what?
No, Carr is not guilty of throwing phones at hotel clerks, but the Michigan coach did choose a Crowe film, Cinderella Man, as a motivational tool for his Wolverines after their 7-5 debacle last season.
The movie centers on the life of boxer James J. Braddock, but Carr cautioned not to be fooled by the individuality of the sport of boxing.
"There were so many things in that movie that spoke to team," said Carr, whose other favorite sports film is Hoosiers. "It?s really a story about a guy who?s trying to provide for his family, so it?s a team-oriented film even though you don?t consider boxing a team-oriented sport."
Carr then showed his creative side by going Roger Ebert on the media.
"I think the casting is incredible," he said. "The guy in the corner ? the guy that played Jimmy Braddock?s wife was wonderful."
Wife? That is acting.
Michigan players said the movie fit perfectly with the team?s attitude coming off a disappointing season.
"Just coming back from a very uncomfortable season last year, to having things go the way we wanted it to this year; it?s that Cinderella story," offensive lineman Rueben Riley said.
Clothes call in Columbus

Offensive tackle Jake Long said his first trip to Ohio Stadium was an eye-opener.
"I went with one of my buddies, sophomore year in high school," said Long, who is from Lapeer, Mich. "He actually wore a red coat, so we were getting booed and yelled at the whole game, which wasn?t cool."
At least it wasn?t a blue coat.
The stress in the stands still doesn?t compare to the intensity on the field, Long said.
"Because you still have to deal with all the crowd ? and have to play against great players," he said.
Down on the farm

Mark Bihl?s future is secure, whether it?s playing on a field or harvesting one. Even if the senior center from Washington Court House plays in the NFL, he expects his career to end back on his family alfalfa farm.
"It?s in my blood," he said of farming.
Bihl related where he first got to know his future coach. Carr visited the farm and hung out in the barn as Bihl did chores.
Hash marks

Eleven Wolverines hail from Ohio. Offensive lineman Justin Boren of Pickerington is the closest to Columbus. ? Michigan shouldn?t be intimidated by the size of the crowd Saturay, because it leads the nation with an average attendance of 110,026. ? The Wolverines have won seven straight road games.
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

In a region that has all but lost its mind over the Ohio State-Michigan game, here?s a little jolt of sanity:
Late last month, word leaked that Michigan linebacker Prescott Burgess had a warrant for his arrest still pending from a 1998 juvenile theft case here ? a record that reportedly could be accessed only by cops and court officials.
Columbus cops asked the Franklin County prosecutor?s office what to do. They feared humiliation for arresting Burgess as he stepped off the team bus. Burgess was charged with stealing five CDs from a campus-area music store when he was 14.
Though most prosecutors are avowed Ohio State fans, civil servants who deal with teenage killers, street gangs and rapists were left with a juvenile charge now applied to an adult and the owners of the defunct Vibes Music nowhere to be found. They dismissed the charges and the arrest warrant was withdrawn.
Where do celebrities go in Columbus on Ohio State-Michigan weekend?
Not the Varsity Club, certainly. We hear that New York Yankees star Derek Jeter and actress Jennifer Beals have tables reserved in the red-hot Bar of Modern Art for Friday and Saturday nights. Actress Tara Reid, who once dated Blue Jackets star Sergei Fedorov, is also expected to make the scene this week at BoMA, 583 E. Broad St., in the former First Baptist Church. We hear that Michael Jordan is on the club?s "possible" list. Jordan?s appearance might not be as far-fetched as it seems. Local sports agent Brett Adams is one of BoMA?s owners, and he has strong NBA connections, having represented NBA coach George Karl for several years.

In Ann Arbor this week , Bo Schembechler offered up a juicy rumbling that is 55 years late but still worth repeating.
The former Michigan coach was on Woody Hayes’ first Ohio State staff in 1951. Hayes, not a popular choice for the job in the first place, was in danger of being run out of town several times that season, particularly after the Buckeyes started 1-2-1.
Schembechler didn’t specify exactly when this happened that year, but we’ll let him tell it from here:
"(Assistant coach) Ernie Godfrey came in, this is like a Monday or Tuesday meeting, and he says, ‘Woody, the people downtown who have the jobs are pulling the jobs out. We’re going to lose most of our jobs downtown.’ And you know back then, you worked for your room and board and stuff.
"And I’ll never forget, Woody said, ‘Well, now, they wouldn’t take the jobs away if I resigned, would they?’ (And) he says, ‘No, they wouldn’t.’ "
"(Hayes) says, ‘Well, you tell them, (by) damn, I’ll pay the players myself, I’ll mortgage the damn house, I’ll borrow the money, I’ll pay them myself, but I’m not resigning!’ And that was in 1951, and in 1954 he won the national championship. "He was a tough son of a gun. You don’t run him out of town that easily."

 

[DCBuckFan]

#2 Tippy Dye went 3-0 against tsun.

I believe I read that Tippy Dye though wasn't really the primary QB, or didn't play the majority of the games. Something like that.

Regardless, Troy can really put the icing on the cake of his legacy at OSU (maybe place a few candles on Jan 8)

 

[OSUBuckeye4Life]

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

Yeah mikey D. one of my favorite buckeyes ever.