In a weekend full of Top 10 upsets, which included No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 West Virginia, and No. 7 Texas all losing, and even though it wasn’t an overly impressive win, Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel summed it up best. “All in all, we did what we had to do to get a Big Ten road win. We know we’re going to have to do better than this though a week from now.”

Survive and advance, to live another day while keeping your BCS title hopes alive is just what Ohio State did as Chris “Beanie” Wells rushed for 116 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns to lead the eighth-ranked Buckeyes to a 30-7 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers in front of 51,611 fans at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Saturday night.

It was the last time Ohio State will play in the Metrodome as Minnesota is in the process of building TCF Bank Stadium, an on-campus facility set to open for the 2009 season. Since 1982, the Buckeyes are a perfect 11-0 in the Metrodome.

While the Ohio State offense amassed 459 yards, with 250 of those coming on the ground, the staunch Buckeye defense gave up a good chunk of real estate in the first half.

Minnesota, which finished the game with 277 yards of total offense, could only manage to get 78 of those in the second half. Whatever adjustments and pep talks were given by the defensive coaches at the intermission break seemed to work.

Ohio State scored on two of their first three possessions in the first quarter to take a 14-0 lead, and it appeared that the rout was on.

After Minnesota drove 52 yards in 10 plays during the game’s opening possession, the Golden Gophers came away without any points when Joel Monroe’s 42-yard field goal attempt sailed wide-right.

It took Ohio State four minuets and 12 seconds to cover 74 yards in the 12 play drive that resulted in a six-yard touchdown run by Beanie Wells.

The key play during the drive came on a fumbled snap/fake punt on fourth-and-6 at the OSU 30 yard line.

Ohio State’s A.J. Trapasso dropped back in punt formation, took the snapped, fumbled it, then bolted around right end for a gain of 28 yards and a first down.

“I don’t know if we planned it for the first punt coming in, but we had planned to do it and I asked Coach Fickell if he was going to get the courage to call it and he did,” Tressel said following the game. “It was a message to us that we’re going to do whatever we have to do and we aren’t going to be afraid to go after this victory.”

One thing Coach Tressel and the offensive coaches must have noticed about the Minnesota defense is the fact that they don’t cover the tight ends very well, especially on short to intermediate routes in the middle of the field. Ohio State quarterback Todd Boeckman exploited that weakness on the very next play when he connected with tight end Jake Ballard for a gain of 20 yards and another first down.

Two plays later, Dane Sanzenbacher made a diving catch at the Minnesota six yard line on a third-and-4 play before Beanie ran untouched on the next snap from center to put Ohio State ahead 7-0 with 6:52 left in the first quarter.

Twelve plays and three punts later, Ohio State set up shop at their own 46 yard line.

It would take four plays to cover the 52 yards to paydirt, which all came on the ground, including 37 on a reverse by flanker Ray Small, who seems to have a sixth gear that can burn right past the defense.

Two plays later, Beanie barged in from the four yard line, and just like that, Ohio State was on top 14-0 with 15 ticks left in the opening stanza.

The Buckeye defense held the Gophers to just three plays before punting. Then Ohio State moved the ball down to the Minnesota 36 yard line, but facing a fourth-and-3, Boeckman was hit as he lofted a high pass towards the end zone that fell incomplete.

Minnesota then mounted their only scoring drive of the game following the change of possession.

After two plays netted 11 yards and a first down, the next two resulted in zero, forcing the Gophers’ to a third-and-10 situation at their own 47 yard line.

Minnesota quarterback Adam Weber completed a three-yard pass to wide receiver Tray Herndon, but a 10-yard holding penalty on Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins kept the drive alive.

Five plays later, Minnesota faced a fourth-and-1 at the OSU 12, and Weber gained six on a naked bootleg that gave the Gophers a first down.

Running back Duane Bennett lost a yard on the next play, then Weber found wide receiver Ralph Spry open on an out route near the pylon for a four-yard touchdown that trimmed Ohio State’s lead down to 14-7 with 6:48 left in the second quarter.

The porous Minnesota defense held firm, forcing Ohio State to punt after eight plays, and the Golden Gophers took over at their own 22 yard line looking for the equalizer.

Minnesota marched down to the OSU 22 yard line, covering 56 yards in seven plays before the Golden Gophers made a series of mistakes that put them out of reach.

Mistake number one was when the Gophers were facing a third-and-13, Weber tried to zip a pass into the end zone that was picked off by Jenkins.

“I threw it behind him and it was an interception,” said Weber, who was 27-of-44 for 232 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. “It’s one of those things that could have changed the game. If it was 14-14 right there, who knows what could have happened?”

With Ohio State in possession following the turnover, a quarterback sneak by Boeckman on the next play resulted in a gain of two, and Beanie Wells netted two more yards rushing on second down. With the Buckeyes facing a third-and-6 at their own 6 yard line, both teams called timeout in succession the set up their strategy.

Minnesota’s mistake number two was when they allowed Beanie Wells to gain 27 yards on a run around left end that included several stiff-arms. Mistake number three was when cornerback Jamal Harris hit Wells late when he was out-of-bounds. The personal foul penalty that was tacked on after the run put the ball at the OSU 48 yard line.

As if he was psychic, ESPN2’s commentator Bob Davie said it would be a good time for the Buckeyes to use a play-action pass and go deep. That’s exactly what happened as Boeckman faked a handoff to Wells and threw a deep pass to Brian Robiskie, who made an incredible leaping catch in the end zone over a stumbling Harris for a 52-yard touchdown with 1:16 remaining until intermission.

Ohio State drove 98 yards in just four plays and took only 57 seconds off the clock, and that was basically the game.

“We had the interception, and then unfortunately the penalty, and then the big run on third down, and then the big throw,” Tressel said. “All of a sudden we were 99 yards away and we score. So yeah, it was huge.”

The PAT was blocked, which was one of the few blemishes during the contest, and after the Ohio State defense held Minnesota to a three-and-out, the Buckeyes headed in the locker room leading 20-7.

Ohio State added three points on a 43-yard field goal by Ryan Pretorius on the first possession of the second half.

The Buckeyes upped their lead to 30-7 in the fourth quarter when Boeckman tossed a perfectly thrown pass to Brian Hartline, who made a great catch as he leaped up and hauled it in while landing on his back in the end zone.

The closest Minnesota got to the second half was when they stripped Beanie Wells of the ball at the OSU 7 yard line.

After Amir Pinnix lost three yards on first-and-goal, Weber connected on a six yard pass to Herndon, but two straight incompletions resulted in a turnover on downs and no points for the Gophers.

For the game, Boeckman was 18-of-29 for 209 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

Robiskie was OSU’s leading receiver with five catches for 99 yards and a score.

Linebacker James Laurinaitis has a team-high 14 tackles.

One other note, Jenkins needs to go to the “Larry Grant School of Returning Interceptions.” Jenkins, who picked off Weber’s pass in the first half at the 1, ran past the 10-yard line, then reversed the field and even crossed behind the goal line before being forced out-of-bounds at the OSU 4. Later in the second half, Grant intercepted a Weber pass at the OSU 26 and gained 19 yards on a dazzling return.

Up next, Ohio State travels to West Lafayette, Indiana, to take on the Purdue Boilermakers, next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 pm ET, and the game will be televised by ABC Sports.

Tags: Buckeye Football by Matt Barker
No Comments »

No. 8/8 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0) vs. Minnesota (1-3, 0-1)
Date: Saturday, September 29
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Place: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome - capacity 64,172
TV: ESPN2 will televise the game to a national audience. Mark Jones will call the play-by-play and he will be joined in the booth by Bob Davies. Stacey Dales is the sideline reporter.
Radio: WBNS-AM 1460 The Fan is the flagship station for the 73-station Ohio State Radio Network. The Jim Tressel Pregame Show airs 30 minutes prior to kickoff. “Big Daddy” Paul Keels will call the play-by-play and will be assisted by former Buckeye Jim Lachey in the booth and Marty Bannister on the sidelines. Also, Sirius Satellite Radio will have the game on Channel 140.
Weather: Not that it matters since it’s being played inside, but if you’re going to the game, WCCO-TV’s chief meteorologist Paul Douglas is forecasting scattered showers and thunderstorms with a high of 75 degrees.
Series History: 47th meeting, OSU owns a 39-7-0 record against Minnesota.
Last Time: Ohio State won 44-0 in Columbus last season.
Latest Line: Ohio State is favored by 23 1/2 points. O/U is 61.

The best news about this game is the fact that Ohio State will play their last game in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

Prior to the 1982 season, Minnesota played their home games on campus at the 56,562-seat Memorial Stadium.

Dedicated in 1924, the “Brick House” was the home for Golden Gopher football for 58 years until pressure from both downtown business leaders and university boosters prompted then-athletic director Paul Giel, who declared the advantages of recruiting by playing in a new NFL venue, to move the football team into the new digs.

After 24 years of playing home games two miles away from campus, the Minnesota state legislature passed a bill providing funding for a new stadium.

TCF Bank Stadium, set to open for the 2009 season, is an open-air facility that will seat approximately 50,200 fans, with possible expansion of up to 80,000 seats in the future. It will be located just three blocks away from where Memorial Stadium once stood, and it will have FieldTurf.

More good news is that Ohio State has never lost in the Metrodome, going 10-0 since 1982. The last time the Golden Gophers defeated the Buckeyes at home came during the final year at Memorial Stadium, with Minnesota winning 35-31.

Minnesota enters the game looking to right its season after suffering back-to-back losses, a 42-39 overtime defeat at the hands of Florida Atlantic, and a 45-31 setback to Purdue in the Gophers’ Big Ten opener.

Minnesota also lost in overtime to Bowling Green, 32-31, in the season-opener, before bouncing back to down another Mid-American Conference foe Miami, 41-35, a week later.

Minnesota’s offense has certainly proved to be more than capable of both moving the ball and putting points on the board, though it has been against some weak opponents.

The Gophers enter the week ranked 15th in the NCAA in rushing (229.8 ypg), 15th in total offense (487.5) and 30th in scoring (35.5 ppg). Also, Minnesota is currently one of just 19 teams in the nation averaging at least 200 yards in both rushing and passing per game.

The problem is, the Gophers’ offense has also coughed up the pigskin 14 times in four games.

Minnesota is led by redshirt freshman quarterback Adam Weber (6-3, 220). Through four games, he ranks 17th nationally and second in the Big Ten in total offense (322.0 ypg). Weber is 95-of-162 passing (58.3 percent) for 1,031 yards with 11 touchdowns, but a whooping eight interceptions. Weber has also gained 257 yards on 62 carries and two more scores.

Weber’s two primary targets have been sophomore wide receiver Eric Decker (6-2, 215) who has 30 receptions for 421 yards and 4 touchdowns, along with Columbus native and Walnut Ridge graduate, senior Ernie Wheelwright (6-5, 215) who has hauled in 16 passes for a 205 yards and five TDs.

The Gophers’ ground attack has been bolstered by senior Amir Pinnix (6-0, 205), who ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 25th nationally in rushing (109.8 ypg). For the season, Pinnix has 439 yards on 77 carries (5.7 yards per rushing attempt) and three touchdowns.

The Golden Gophers seemed to have patched together a fairly solid offensive line.

Led by two, fifth-year seniors in left tackle Steve Shidell (6-5, 290), and center Tony Brinkhaus (6-3, 305), Minnesota has allowed just three sacks on the season on 165 passing attempts. Of course, it also helps to have a mobile quarterback.

The problem with Minnesota is on the defensive side of the football. While the offense averages just over 35 points per game, the defense is allowing 38.5 points per outing, which ranks the Gophers’ 109th out of 119 Division I-A schools.

And saying that Minnesota is slightly better in defending the run than the pass would be an understatement. The Gophers’ yield on average 135.5 yards per game rushing (51st in NCAA), along with a mind-boggling 407.8 yards per contest passing, which ranks Minnesota dead-last (119th) in the NCAA.

The Gophers’ are also dead-last in turnover margin (16 total, eight fumbles lost and eight INTs), and 111th in net punting.

Senior strong safety Dominique Barber (6-0, 210) leads Minnesota and ranks second in the Big Ten with 39 total stops on the year. Senior middle linebacker Mike Sherels (6-0, 240) ranks seventh in the Big Ten in total tackles with 30.

Saturday’s game will mark the 47th time both schools have met on the gridiron, with Ohio State owning a 37-9 record.

Last year, Ohio State ran out to a 17-point halftime lead and never looked back as the Buckeyes shutout the Golden Gophers 44-0 at Ohio Stadium.

Antonio Pittman ran 21 times for 116 yards and two scores, while Troy Smith finished the game 14-of-21 for 183 yards and one touchdown, and added 43 yards on six rushing attempts.

The Ohio State offense rolled up 484 yards of total offense, as the defense held Minnesota to just 182 yards for the game.

Analysis and Prediction

Ohio State 56, Minnesota 10

Tags: Buckeye Football by Matt Barker
No Comments »

Pardon my French, but “du nord-ouest suce!” (Google tells me I just said, “Northwestern sucks.”)

This game was over shortly after it started, though it was appropriate that Joe “The Animal” Laurinaitis did the introductions of the Ohio State players for ABC Sports, since this was a smack-down of epic proportions.

Quarterback Todd Boeckman threw four touchdown passes, three to wide receiver Brian Robiskie, as eighth-ranked Ohio State defeated Northwestern 58-7 in front of 105,178 fans at Ohio Stadium, Saturday afternoon.

I don’t know if I remember such a dominating performance by the Buckeyes since, well the last time Ohio State played Northwestern last November, a 54-10 win over the Wildcats in Evanston.

Yesterday’s game marked the 500th contest played at the historic ‘Shoe, and it resembled something like the Indianapolis or Daytona 500s. Ohio State raced out to a 21-0 lead at the 7:25 mark of the first quarter, scoring on their first three possessions, going 121 yards in 11 plays, and taking just three minutes and 35 seconds off the clock.

The Buckeye defense held the Wildcats to just 120 yards of total offense and zero yards rushing. The lone touchdown scored by the Wildcats came on a 99-yard kickoff return by Stephen Simmons to begin the second half.

But the Ohio State defense, who not only kept Northwestern out of the end zone, scored a touchdown of their own when Vernon “Big Guns” Gohlston return a Wildcat fumble and raced 25 yards for a score.

It was the third game this season out of the four played that the OSU defense held their opposition out of the end zone.

The biggest mistake Northwestern might have made all day was when the Wildcats won the toss and elected to differ until the second half.

After a fine return by OSU’s Ray Small, the Buckeyes set up shop at their own 36 yard line.

The first play from scrimmage netted three yards on a run by Beanie Wells, before Ray Small took off on a flanker reverse, who gained 11 yards before coughing up the football at midfield. Luckily, guard Steve Rehring dove on the loose pigskin at the NU 42 yard line.

On the very next play, Boeckman found Robiskie wide-open down the right sideline for an easy 42-yard pitch and catch that put OSU ahead 7-0 with 13:50 left in the opening frame.

After the Ohio State defense held Northwestern to three plays before punting, including a sack by junior linebacker James Laurinaitis that loss five yards on the third down, a shanked 18-yard kick put the Buckeyes in prime real estate at the NU 36.

In just three more plays, Ohio State was ahead 14-0 after Boeckman connected with Robiskie for the second time of the day, though this one was down the left sideline for a 28-yard touchdown pass.

The Buckeyes defense held firm once again and forced another three-and-out. After a good punt return by Small, OSU took over at the NU 31 yard line.

This scoring drive took a little longer, going 31 yards in five plays and taking a 1:33 off the game clock. After an incompleted pass and a one-yard gain by Mo Wells on the ground, Boeckman found the sure-handed Brian Hartline in the middle of the field for a gain of 16 and a first down on a third-and-9 play.

Mo Wells then covered the final 14 yards by himself, including a three-yard high dive over the goal line to push OSU’s lead up to 21-0 with 7:25 left in the first quarter.

Ohio State defense scored the next points of the game during Northwestern’s next possession.

Northwestern quarter C.J. Bacher threw an incompletion before connecting on two straight plays that gain 10 yards, giving the Wildcats their first first down of the ballgame.

After a two-yard gain by running back Omar Conteh, who was subbing for an injured Tyrell Sutton, OSU’s free safety Anderson Russell came on a blitz and knocked the ball lose from the grip of Bacher, and Gohlston picked up the boucning sphere at the NU 25 and took it to the house.

Just like that, Ohio State was ahead 28-0 and the game wasn’t even 10 minutes old.

Robiskie hauled in his third touchdown pass of the day on a wobbler from Boeckman that eventually snuck between two defenders in the end zone that put the Buckeyes on top 35-0 with 14:02 left in the second quarter.

Two possessions later, Ohio State took a 42-0 advantage when Beanie Wells trucked home a 36-yard touchdown run when he bolted through on an off-tackle play and blew by the Wildcat defense with 3:39 remaining until halftime.

Ryan Pretorius tacked on three more points when he drilled a 40-yard field goal with one minute and 19 seconds before intermission.

Northwestern’s only points came on the kickoff to start the second half when Simmons returned it 99 yards of a touchdown, even though it appeared the OSU’s Donnie Evege had him stopped near NU’s 30 yard line.

Ohio State answered that score with a touchdown of their own on the Buckeyes’ next possession, going 65 yards in seven plays capped off on a 48-yard strike from Boeckman to a streaking Small to put OSU ahead 52-7 with 13:10 left in the third quarter.

The Buckeyes scored the final points of the game following a blocked punt by Larry Grant that put OSU on the doorstep at the NU 1 yard line. On the following play, Mo Wells bolted in for the score. A botched snap from center led to Pretorius running for his life with the ball and the PAT was unsuccessful. It was one of the few blemishes during the game for Ohio State, along with the poor coverage on the kickoff that resulted in Northwestern’s only points.

Ohio State gained 396 yards of total offense, with 191 of those coming on the ground, and 205 through the air.

Northwestern had just 120 yards of total offense, all of which came from passing.

Boeckman finished with 179 yards on 11-of-14 passing and three touchdowns. His only mistake came in the first quarter when he underthrew a deep pass that was intercepted.

Beanie Wells rushed for 100 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown before tweaking his left ankle and spent the remainder of the game on the sidelines.

Mo Wells gained 44 yards in 15 attempts and two scores.

Robiskie only caught three passes for the game, but they were all touchdowns (hmm, Cris Carter?) for 89 yards to be the team’s leading receiver.

The Buckeyes defense had five sacks and forced three turnovers with two interceptions by Nick Patterson and Chimdi Chekwa.

This was an impressive win, and hopefully the momentum will carry on as Ohio State travels on the road for their next two Big Ten games at Minnesota next week, followed by a trip to Purdue.

Tags: Buckeye Football by Matt Barker
No Comments »

No. 8/9 Ohio State (3-0) vs. Northwestern (2-1)
Date: Saturday, September 22
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Place: Ohio Stadium - capacity 102,329
TV: ESPN will televise the game to a national audience. Ron Franklin will call the play-by-play and be joined in the booth by Ed Cunningham. Jack Arute is the sideline reporter.
Radio: WBNS-AM 1460 The Fan is the flagship station for the 73-station Ohio State Radio Network. The Jim Tressel Pregame Show airs 30 minutes prior to kickoff. “Big Daddy” Paul Keels will call the play-by-play and will be assisted by former Buckeye Jim Lachey in the booth and Marty Bannister on the sidelines. Also, Sirius Satellite Radio will have the game on Channel 126.
Weather: Doppler 10 meteorologist Brandon Roux is forecasting sunshine mixed with a few clouds and a high of 84 degrees.
Series History: 73rd meeting, OSU owns a 57-14-1 record against Northwestern.
Last Time: Ohio State won 54-10 at Evanston last season.
Latest Line: Ohio State is favored by 23 points. O/U is 47.

by Matt Barker
September 22, 2007

After a solid performance last week in Seattle, where Ohio State defeated Washington 33-14, the Buckeyes return home to face the Northwestern Wildcats.

Today marks the 500th game at historic Ohio Stadium, where the Buckeyes own an all-time record of 375-104-20.

The Buckeyes and Wildcats are playing for the 73rd time since their first meeting in 1913. Ohio State has a 57-14-1 edge in the series, with a 31-8 advantage in Columbus.

The Buckeyes won the game last year in Evanston 54-10.

Ohio State has been ranked in the AP Top 10 each of the last six years when facing Northwestern: 5th in 2002; 4th in 2003: 7th in 2004; 10th in 2005; and No. 1 last season in a game where the Ohio State defense flexed their muscles, forcing five Northwestern turnovers which resulted in five touchdowns as the Buckeyes defeated the Wildcats 54-10 at Ryan Field in Evanston.

Eventual Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith threw four touchdown passes as Ohio State scored the most points since a 72-0 victory over Pittsburgh on September 21, 1996.

Chris Wells gained 99 yards on 11 carries and had a one-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to put Ohio State up 47-10.

Third-string quarterback Todd Boeckman added a four-yard TD run of his own to make the final score 54-10.

Currently, the Buckeyes are third nationally in total defense and first in the Big Ten, allowing on average 197.0 yards per game. Ohio State also leads the Big Ten in pass defense (120.3).

Northwestern will spread the field out with four wide receivers, and running back Tyrell Sutton will also catch a few balls out of the backfield.

This is similar to the offensive scheme used by Washington last week, though Northwestern quarterback C.J. Bacher is a little less likely to tuck the ball and run, and is not as physical as Jake Locker was when toting the rock.

The question remains, does Northwestern have anything defensively to stop the Buckeyes? The short answer is no.

Ohio State 31, Northwestern 10

Up next, Ohio State travel to take on Minnesota at the HHH Metrodome. Kickoff is slated for 8:00pm EDT.

Tags: Buckeye Football by Matt Barker
No Comments »

When a star high school football player from Ohio verbally commits, and later signs, a letter of intent with “that school up north” like Mario Manningham, Buckeye fans are fuming at the mouth. Yet when those gridiron warriors select Northwestern, the general consensus among Ohio State fans is more like, “Oh, he’s a good kid. He’ll get a good education.”

The Northwestern roster boasts two such players, with running back Tyrell Sutton (5-9, 190) and middle linebacker Adam Kadela (6-3, 240).

Sutton, a junior from Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron, was named Ohio’s Mr. Football for the 2004 season after rushing for 3,241 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Amazingly, the only other Big Ten school to offer Sutton a scholarship was Illinois, while others who also had interest in Sutton play their brand of football were in the Mid-American Conference (Akron, Kent State, Miami, Ball State, and Toledo).

Kadela, a senior from Coffman High School in Dublin, received offers from some of the more prestigious academic universities in the country, like Duke, Vanderbilt, and Indiana, but did not get one from Ohio State, though Kadela wasn’t as highly touted coming out of high school as Sutton.

Kadela was ranked 62nd nationally among inside linebackers on the Rivals.com web site, and was a first-team, all-state selection as a senior after registering 154 tackles, six sacks, five fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles in 2002 for the Shamrocks.

Sutton injured his ankle during the second quarter of Northwestern’s 36-31 win over Nevada two weeks ago, and did not play in Northwestern’s 20-14 loss to Duke, last Saturday.

Sutton, who is a Doak Walker Award candidate, and also made the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell and Walter Camp Player of the Year awards, has just 122 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown, while catching nine passes for 83 more yards.

Last season, Sutton rushed for exactly 1,000 yards on 189 carries and five touchdowns, while hauling in 40 passes for 261 yards and two additional TDs.

Sutton began this season with a solid performance, rushing for 108 rushing yards on 24 carries and a score in Northwestern’s 27-0 win over Northeastern.

Currently, the Wildcats’ leading rusher is 5-foot-9, 200-pound senior running back Brandon Roberson, who has 252 yards in 45 attempts with two touchdowns.

At the helm of the Northwestern offense is 6-foot-2, 210-pound junior quarterback C.J. Bachér, who has thrown for 838 yards on 73-of-124 passing with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

In an offense that generally used four wideouts, Bachér’s favorite target is 6-foot-3, 190-pound junior wide receiver Ross Lane, who has 14 receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns. But Bachér likes to spread the ball around, and there are three other wide receivers that have 10 catches apiece with 6-foot-1, 200-pound junior Eric Peterman (133 yards), 5-foot-11, 180-pound Rasheed Ward (93 yards), and 5-foot-11, 180-pound junior Jeff Yarbrough (67 yards).

The offensive line is anchored by three seniors, left tackle Dylan Thiry (6-8, 315), left guard Adam Crum (6-1, 285), and center Trevor Reese (6-2, 280). Junior right guard Joel Belding (6-3, 300) returns after starting his sophomore season.

Defensively, Kadela is Northwestern’s top tackler with 26 stops. Sophomore cornerback Sherrick McManis (6-1, 180) is second on the team with 22 tackles.

Kevin Mims, a 6-foot-2, 270-pound junior defensive end leads the Wildcats with two sacks.

Offensively, Northwestern is averaging 25.7 points, 168.3 yards rushing, 283.0 yards passing, and 451.3 yards of total offense per game.

On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats are yielding 17.0 points, 121.3 yards rushing, 244.7 yards passing, and 344.0 yards of total offense per game.

Tags: Buckeye Football by Matt Barker
No Comments »

Each week on Tuesday’s, head coach Jim Tressel meets with the members at the Jack Nicklaus Museum to take about both the past weekend’s and this week’s opponents.

Also on Tuesday’s following practice, Coach Tressel selects a few players who also get to field questions from the media. This week, those players are quarterback Todd Boeckman, wide receiver Brian Robiskie, defensive end Vernon Gohlston, and linebackers James Laurinaitis and Ross Homan.

On Wednesday, several assistant coaches have the opportunity to address the media. This week’s coaches are tight ends coach John Peterson, and defensive backs coach Paul Haynes.

First, I will start with general comments made by Coach Tressel about the Washington contest, then he names the players of the game against the Huskies:

“I thought they played hard. I thought we progressed. We know there’s a lot more to go and we’ve got to get a lot better in many, many areas but, again, it was a good challenge against a good team. I think all of you who watched know that that quarterback of theirs is going to be special and I’m glad we played him as a red-shirt freshman and not a red-shirt senior because he’s going to be darn good.

Donald Washington was the defensive player of the game. He continues to get better and better, did a good job playing his assignment, still mad at himself, felt like he could have broke on one, made a pick, but really played a good football team, graded out extremely well, and if he’ll continue to improve, he’s going to be a very, very good player.

The offensive player of the game was Chris “Beanie” Wells and Beanie graded out from a technique standpoint better than he has. As we mentioned after those first couple games, he had missed so much practice time that maybe he wasn’t where he’d like to be, but his technique grade was much improved and obviously he carried it for 135 yards or something and caught a ball and did a nice job on his pass protection and so forth, and he was the offensive player of the game.

The attack force player on defense was James Laurinaitis and you probably know his stats better than I do. He had a couple interceptions, a couple quarterback sacks or TFLs, and 10 or 11 tackles and just continues to be an excellent leader, an excellent producer, great awareness, and he was our attack force player, plus I think he was the co-defensive player in the Big Ten for the week.”

After naming the players from various units, Coach Tressel addressed the Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio State’s next opponent this Saturday:

“Our sights and thoughts turned to Northwestern immediately after the game, because we felt as if we needed to take some steps in that nonconference part of our schedule to prepare ourselves for the Big Ten and we talked a little bit after the ball game about the importance of beginning the Big Ten, playing better than we’d played in the nonconference portion, and I like the way that Northwestern stresses you on offense. It was a good workout for us to play against Number 10 from Washington because Number 18 from Northwestern throws it all over, runs all over the place and does an excellent job. They have four or five receivers. You can’t just say, let’s shut down Number so and so, because they spread out their throws very well. They were missing their running back last weekend and I think that hurt them a little bit. Tyrell Sutton has been an excellent leader, excellent receiver for them, and when you lose one of your top folks, that has a little effect on you. I’m sure he’ll be back this weekend.

Northwestern has always done a great job preparing for us and so it will be a great challenge for our defense. They always are very creative in the special teams. One of the most creative teams in the league and so our awareness and execution there is going to have to be very, very good. And defensively, they bring back seven or eight starters, and a number of back-ups. They probably play more guys on defense than any of the first three teams that we’ve faced. You see their rotation is constant, a lot of guys getting in the game and doing what needs to be done, and so our people know they better prepare for an excellent Northwestern team, and especially one coming off a tough loss that they could have won. And usually with good people, that makes them even better the next week when they face some adversity, so we’ve got to be ready.”

Coach Tressel was asked about what made Beanie Wells such a different player against Washington, as oppose to his first two showings against Youngstown State and Akron:

“It starts with the guys up front. I thought the guys up front, loud situation, very multiple defense, Washington moved a lot. I thought their front was very good, so it starts there. I think the fact that he could get 24 reps carrying the ball certainly was a good thing for him in a lot of ways. It allowed him to learn on the run, but it also allowed him to — everyone as a running back says, I can carry it 30 times, I can carry it 40 times. Well, you carry it 24 times and you learn a little bit about what it takes to carry it 24 times. But as we’ve said from the last two or three weeks, you need to play this game to get good at it. And unfortunately, he missed a little bit of time, nothing we can do about that, just keep working on it, and he got a lot of reps on Saturday.”

So coach, what’s up with Ray Small?:

“He made a mistake on the alignment one time where we hit Brian Hartline and he had an alignment problem, which again, you have to practice to be at your best, and he missed probably from, I don’t know, practice three or four all the way through practiced a decent amount at the Akron game, but I think Ray will come along.”

After practice on Tuesday, the players talked with reporters.:

Todd Boeckman, junior quarterback:

On Brian Robiskie’s play this season
“We had two first rounders (NFL Draft) last year, so someone had to step up. Robo definitely has. We threw in the winter and during the rest of the off season. We’ve established a rhythm together.”

On Brian Robiskie’s break away speed
“He’s definitely got speed. He is always able to get open. We’re excited about the wide receivers’ ability (as a unit).”

Vernon Gholston, junior defensive end:

On the 500th game at Ohio Stadium Saturday vs. Northwestern
“It’s all a part of the great tradition at Ohio State. That’s why guys come here to play. You just want to be a part of that tradition.”

On the possibility of overlooking Northwestern
“You can’t do that. We can’t look down upon them, they’ll be ready. Maybe they were looking ahead and didn’t give Duke their best shot. I know they had some turnovers and other mistakes. If we’re the team that does that this week, we can lose.”

On Cameron Heyward, freshman defensive end
“He has more potential that I do. He’s a freshman and he’s playing a lot. He’s big and once he develops more in the weight room and gets more work under his belt, he will be a great player.”

James Laurinaitis, junior linebacker:

On Donald Washington being Ohio State’s defensive player of the game against Washington
“Donald definitely deserved that. He’s one of the most underrated players in the country. He played a phenomenal game [against Washington].”

On the defensive line
“Our defensive line has been phenomenal. Everyone across the board has been putting pressure on the quarterback.”

On improving the defense
“We dropped two interceptions, and we could have forced fumbles. There is always something that you can do better.”

On starting the Big Ten season
“You have to be ready when playing in the Big Ten. It is a totally different brand of football.”

On Northwestern
“They have a tough team. Offensively, their backs are strong and fast.”

Ross Homan, sophomore linebacker:

On what he’s learned playing collegiate football
“Preparation is the difference. You watch a lot more film. You have to know the game. You can’t just go out and play.”

On Tyrell Sutton, Northwestern running back
“Sutton can do everything for them. He runs well and can catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s a great running back.”

On his performance this season
“I’ve done alright, but I’m not satisfied. I know that I can do a lot better.”

Brian Robiskie, junior wide receiver:

On the play of the offense during the second half vs. Washington
“It definitely benefited the offense. The Washington defense posed challenges and we were able to adjust and overcome them. It boosted our confidence.”

On the Northwestern game
“It’s the Big Ten opener, so both teams are going to be fired up. Northwestern has been pointing toward this game.”

On Wednesday, two assistant coaches chimed in.

John Peterson, tight ends coach:

On Jake Ballard, sophomore tight end
“He’s getting better every single day. He’s a young strong powerful player with explosive hips. As he learns the blocking schemes and gets stronger he gets better.”

On the play of the tight ends
“We have two starting tight ends (Rory Nicol and Jake Ballard) and Brandon Smith is right there and is getting ready to step in.

On the play of Rory Nicol and Jake Ballard
Both have the ability to be dominant blockers. Both of them are front side back side, so you can’t get a pinpoint on where the plays going and they both compliment each other well.”

On if the team will overlook Northwestern
“No, I think the reality of playing in the Big Ten and how you have to be at your peak will motivate them. This is the new first game of our season.”

Paul Haynes, defensive backs coach:

On Northwestern’s offense
“They have a great running attack, great running backs. They have great balance and try to spread you out. They have good control passing the ball, so a lot of times pressuring doesn’t help.”

On the battle for the third safety position
“Jamario (O’Neal) will probably be the first guy to go in the game just because he has a lot of experience. Aaron (Gant) is still young, he’s still learning.”

On the 2004 Northwestern game, an Ohio State loss in overtime in Evanston
“We watched the ’04 game this week. We wanted to remind everyone and a lot of the guys were not here in ’04.”

Tags: Buckeye Football by Matt Barker
No Comments »

Ohio State’s offense reminds me a lot of my car on a cold, winter morning. After it takes 30 minutes to warm up, it’s chugging along on all cylinders.

For the second straight week, the Buckeyes’ managed to score just a field goal before halftime, but rattled off 24 unanswered points in the second half to stun the 74,921 fans at Husky Stadium as 10th-ranked Ohio State defeated Washington 33-14, Saturday afternoon.

The Buckeyes marched 45 yards in seven plays on their opening possession, aided by a 15-yard pass interference penalty on a under-thrown pass by OSU quarterback Todd Boeckman.

On a first-and-10 at the Washington 33 yard line, Ohio State could only managed to gain six yards after a a gain of three yards by Beanie Wells, an incomplete pass, and a three yard run by Boeckman.

Ohio State settled on a 44-yard field goal attempt by Ryan Pretorius that hooked just left of the upright and the Buckeyes came away with no points.

The first crooked number put on the scoreboard came in the second quarter as Ohio State went 69 yards in 14 plays aided by another penalty.

With the Buckeyes facing a third-and-1 at the OSU 41 yard line, Beanie Wells was stuffed for a loss of two, forcing Ohio State to punt. But a five-yard running into the kicker penalty gave the Buckeyes a first-and-10 at the OSU 44.

Beanie Wells gained 23 yards around the left end, and three plays later on third down, Boeckman found Brian Hartline wide-open in the middle of the field for a 14-yard pitch and catch moving the chains.

Three plays netted just six yards before Pretorius drilled a 28-yard field with 3:48 remaining in the second quarter that put the Buckeyes ahead 3-0.

After forcing the Huskies to punt, Jared Ballman’s kick sailed out of bounds at the OSU 21 yard line.

The first play from scrimmage, Beanie Wells gained five yards on the ground, but Ohio State was flagged 15 yards on a holding penalty, making it first-and-15 at the OSU 16 yard line.

On the very next play, Boeckman took a short drop and it appeared that the pass never quite made it out of his hand, and that the pass was actually backward. But thanks to great Pac-10 officiating, the play was ruled incomplete, not a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

Two plays netted just five yards, and the Buckeyes were forced to punt, leading 3-0.

With 2:40 left in the second quarter, Ohio State went 27 yards in five plays, but a 28-yard field goal attempt by Pretorius was blocked by Jordan Reffett and the ball caromed into the end zone of a touchback.

The momentum seemed to change in favor of Washington, as the Huskies drove 80 yards in nine plays, capped off on a 23-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jake Locker to wide receiver Anthony Russo with just three seconds left until halftime putting UW ahead 7-3 at intermission.

Since Ohio State won the toss and elected to receive in the first half, Washington began the second stanza with good field position at the UW 41 yard line after a 35-yard kick return by Curtis Shaw.

Washington’s offense churned out just 30 yards in 11 plays, and had to settle on a 46-yard field goal attempt by Ryan Perkins that was blocked by OSU’s Kurt Coleman, and the Buckeyes’ took over at their own 29 yard line.

That sswung the momentum in favor of Ohio State because two plays later, Boeckman lobbed a perfect pass to Brian Robiskie down the nearside who caught it in stride for a 68-yard TD strike. Pretorius’ PAT put the Buckeyes ahead for good at 10-7 with 9:36 left in the third quarter.

Ohio State benefited by another Washington miscue as the Buckeyes’ recovered Shaw’s fumble on the kick return at the UW 25 yard line.

It took Ohio State just two plays to put more points on the board, an 11-yard run by Beanie Wells up the middle, and a 14-yard touchdown burst around the left end.

In a span of one minute and 28 seconds when it appeared that Washington was going to take a 10-3 lead, Ohio State rattled off 14 points to claim a 17-7 advantage.

To take a line from the movie Caddyshack, “That’s all she wrote.”

After both teams traded punts, Washington moved from their own 20 yard line down to the OSU 23, before Locker made a critical mistake.

Instead of blitzing, Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis dropped back into pass coverage and Locker never saw him. Laurinaitis intercepted his second pass of the day at the OSU 22 and returned it 14 yards.

That turnover resulted in a 23-yard field goal by Pretorius that put OSU ahead 20-7 with 14:05 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Ohio State defense held their ground during Washington’s next two possessions, allowing just nine yards in six plays.

Ray Small, playing in his first game after a high ankle sprain in fall camp prevented him from seeing any action against Youngstown State and Akron, gained 10 yards on a punt return following a short kick, and Ohio State began on their next scoring drive at the UW 37 yard line.

After two running plays by Maurice Wells netted a yard, Boeckman connected with Brian Hartline for a 36-yard touchdown pass, giving OSU a 27-7 lead with 3:30 left to play in the game.

Both teams added touchdowns after the contest had been already decided.

Wsahington’s Louis Rankin had a two-yard TD run with 58 ticks left on the clock, before Ohio State’s Brandon Saine scored on a 37-yard run on the final play of the game.

Ohio State finished the game with 481 yards of total offense, while Washignton netted 346 yards.

The Buckeyes had 263 yards on the ground, and 218 through the air.

The Huskies had 142 rushing, and 204 net passing yards.

But one of the biggest statistics of the game, Washington had four turnovers, Ohio State had zero.

Another key statistic, time of possession: OSU - 32:56, UW - 27:04.

Beanie Wells rushed for 135 yards in 24 attempts and a touchdown.

Saine had 83 yards in nine carries for an average of 9.2 yard per touch and a score.

Boeckman was 14-of-25 passing for 218 yards and two touchdowns without an inteception, even though he threw a couple of bad passes that should of been picked off, but were dropped by Washington defenders.

Hartline had the most receptions with six, which went for 88 yards, while Robiskie has the most yardage with 104 on four catches. Each had a touchdown.

The offensive line played far better than they did the last two games, and they did not allowed a sack.

The defense, though giving up a fair amount of yardage, forced three interceptions, while tallying six tackles for loss and two sacks.

But this was a huge win in a hostile enviroment, and it should give the Buckeyes’ plenty of confidence heading into the Big Ten portion of the schedule that begins next Saturday against Northwestern.

Tags: Buckeye Football by Matt Barker
No Comments »