No. 10 Ohio State (7-1, 4-0) vs. No. 3 Penn State (8-0, 4-0)

Date: Saturday, October 25
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Place: Ohio Stadium - capacity 101,568
TV: ABC will televise the game. Brent Musburger will call the play-by-play and will be joined in the booth by Kirk Herbstreit. Lisa Salters is the sideline reporter.
Radio: WBNS-AM 1460 The Fan in Columbus 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.
Weather from AccuWeather.com: Cloudy skies and a game time temperature of 47 degrees.
Latest Line: Penn State is an 2-point favorite. The Over & Under is 42.5.
Series History: This is the 24th meeting between the two schools. Ohio State owns a 12-11 record against Penn State, and the Buckeyes are 7-0 in games played at Ohio Stadium since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten Conference.
Last Season at Penn State: Chris Wells ran for 133 yards while quarterback Todd Boeckman threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns as the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes handily defeated No. 24 Penn State 37-17.

The tough Buckeye defense held the Nittany Lions to just 14 first downs and 263 yards of total offense.

Penn State actually held a 7-3 lead with 8:25 left in the first quarter after the Nittany Lions drove 78 yards in nine plays capped off on a 2-yard run by Rodney Kinlaw.

It took just six offensive plays, though, for Ohio State to claim the lead for good as Boeckman hit wide receiver Brian Robiskie on a 9-yard TD strike with 4:59 remaining in the opening period.

The biggest play during that drive and the longest of the game was when Boeckman connected on a 60-yard bomb to Ray Small.

Ohio State took a 17-7 lead early in the second quarter when Boeckman floated a pass to Brian Hartline on a jailbreak screen, who than ran untouched the rest of the way on a 16-yard scoring play.

Probably the turning point of the game came later in the second quarter after Penn State linebacker Dan Connor intercepted a Boeckman pass as the PSU 41.

The Nittany Lions drove 21 yards in five plays and faced a fourth-and-2 and the OSU 38. But Penn State head coach Joe Paterno elected to punt instead of going for it on fourth down and the kick sailed into the end zone for a touchback.

Ohio State ran out the clock in the first half and the Buckeyes led 17-7 at intermission.

After seven plays into the second half, the Ohio State defense forced Penn State to punt and the Buckeyes went the distance on their longest scoring drive of the night, going 87 yards in 13 plays capped off on a 15-yard pass from Boeckman to tight end Jake Ballard.

Both teams traded field goals, and with 9:52 left in the game, Ohio State led 27-10.

It took just 16 seconds for Ohio State to put another touchdown on the board when Malcolm Jenkins intercepted a wounded duck thrown by Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli and returned it 24 yards for a score that made it 34-10.

Analysis and Prediction: I really don’t think this game is going to be that close. So far this season, Penn State is 8-0 and ranked third in both polls as well as the first BCS standings. But who have they played? No one. According to the Saragin ratings, the Nittany Lions strength of schedule is 82, and Penn State has played just one game against a top-30 team.

The only teams Penn State has played that currently have winning records are Oregon State (4-3) and Illinois (4-3), and the combined record of their opponents is 22-35.

Sure, Penn State has a nice offense, but out of Penn State’s six Division I-A (FBS) opponents, only two are presently ranked in the top-half out of all 119 teams in total defense.

I also think that Ohio State’s offense is just as good.

The bottom line is this, defense wins championships, the Buckeyes have a better one, who have effectively shut down both the run (97.1 ypg) and the pass this year (168.2 ypg), while recording 21 takeaways, including 12 INTs.


Ohio State 38, Penn State 24

Tags: Buckeye Football, Football Friday, Recruiting by Matt Barker
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Right: Penn State head coach Joe Paterno after realizing that the game was taking longer than expected and he’ll miss out on the senior dinner discount at the local Denny’s.
AP Photo

Did you know that Penn State’s Joe Paterno is entering his 59th year patrolling the sidelines and practice fields in some capacity for the Nittany Lions, and his 43rd as head coach?

Back in 1966, when the average price of a gallon of gas was 32 cents, the average price for a home was $14,200, the average worker made $6,900 per year, and some guy named Cassius Clay defeated some guy named Henry Cooper in two heavyweight title fights in London, Paterno took over the head coaching duties from Hall of Famer, Rip Engle. That’s how long Paterno has been in charge.

Joe Pa went just 5-5 that year in his first season as head coach, but went 8-2-1 the next year before rattling off back-to-back undefeated seasons in both 1968 and ‘69, posting records of 11-0 each year, though the Nittany Lions did not finish No. 1 in any poll.

Following the ‘69 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers made an offer to Paterno, but he turned them down, and they eventually hired some guy by the name of Chuck Noll. Michigan also beckoned, but Joe Pa turned them down as well, and the Wolverines went on to hire some guy named Bo Schembechler.

And he’s been there ever since, even when the New England Patriots made him an offer to not only be the head coach, but tossed in a minority stake in the team back in 1972.

In those 43 years, Joe Pa as won 372 games and two national titles, his first in 1982 and the other coming in 1986.

Since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993 and through the 2007 season, the Nittany Lions had a record of 73-47, which is a winning percentage of .609. In those 15 seasons as a member of the conference, Penn State has won just two Big Ten titles and one outright championship.

If you do the math, 73 wins in the Big Ten over 15 seasons averages out to almost five per season, and in those 15 seasons they have finished 5-3 five times, while eclipsing that mark on five occasions (6-2 in ‘93, ‘96 & ‘97; 7-1 in 2005, and 8-0 in ‘94). Of course, the Lions have finished .500 or less in the five other years, too.

So far this season, Penn State is 8-0 and ranked third in both polls as well as the first BCS standings. But who have they played? No one. The only teams Penn State has played that currently have winning records are Oregon State (4-3) and Illinois (4-3), and the combined record of their opponents is 22-35. Also, out of Penn State’s six Division I-A (FBS) opponents, only two are presently ranked in the top-half out of all 119 teams in total defense.

Unfortunately for Buckeye fans, Anthony Morelli is out of eligibility. Joe Pa’s starting quarterback is junior Darryl Clark, who has passed for 1,531 yards while completing 63.3 percent of his throws with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Pretty good numbers, but that’s what you should have playing against Pop Warner teams.

The Nittany Lions will have a capable back toting the rock with sophomore Evan Royster, who has rushed for 893 yards on 116 carries while averaging of 7.7 yards per rushing attempt to go along with 10 touchdowns.

The top three wide receivers are seniors Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood. All three have at least 25 catches. Butler leads the team in receptions (30) and yards (486), while Norwood tops the list with five TDs.

The top returning tackler form last season, linebacker Sean Lee, tore the ACL in his right knee during spring practice and is out of the year. Leading the Lions in tackles this season is sophomore linebacker Navorro Bowman with 71 stops. Sophomore defensive end Aaron Maybin lead the team in sacks (10) and tackles for loss (14.5).

Oh, one more thing, since 2002, 46 Penn State football players have faced 163 criminal charges, according to an ESPN analysis of Pennsylvania court records and reports. Twenty-seven players have been convicted of or have pleaded guilty to a combined 45 counts.

Tags: Buckeye Football, First Look by Matt Barker
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Right: Coach Tressel spoke with the media on Tuesday. (Correction: The person in the photo is actually former San Francisco 49ers’ head coach Mike Nolan, not Jim Tressel)
AP Photo

It’s that time of the week as Lord James Patrick Tressel addressed a panel of media members, most of which have fat asses clad in goofy golf shirts, at the Chick-fil-A in the food court inside The Mall at Tuttle Crossing. For a shameless plug, Chick-fil-A is having a “Mascot Movers” contest. Every week, Chick-fil-A and ESPN are offering one lucky fan Chick-fil-A for a year and a V.I.P. trip to the Chick-fil-A bowl. Anyone can enter once a week online here.

Now we have learned over the years that Coach Tressel talks about the previous game along with mentioning the top players from that game. Then he ballyhoos the upcoming opponent as if Tressel was going to face the 1985 Chicago Bears on Saturday.

When speaking of Joe Paterno, does he say, “the old man probably hasn’t had a boner in 20 years?” No. When given his thoughts on Penn State quarterback Darryl Clark, does he say, “he couldn’t carry Terrelle’s jockstrap?” No. So basically the entire press conference is a bunch a fluff with little substance. But here we go.

In Coach Tressel’s opening statements, he mentions that James Laurinaitis was the Defensive Player of the Week, and Beanie Wells was the Offensive Player of the Week vs. Michigan State. Austin Spitler was the Special Units Player of the Game, Alex Boone, won the Jim Parker Offensive Line Award, and the Attack Force Player of the Week was Ross Homan.

Later he states:

As we move forward, we understand the difficulty of the challenge. Penn State’s an excellent football team. I think anyone that’s watched them play knows that, number one, they’re veteran laden across the board, very talented offensively, defensively and special units. If you look at the Big Ten statistics or the national statistics, you see Penn State at or near the top in many, many of the categories, that’s the way they’re playing.”

When Coach Tressel opens the floor for questions, the first one out of the pie hole of Joe Q. Sportswriter asked what was the difference between the Purdue game and the Michigan State game:

Well, I think that our guys have been preparing hard all along and executing to a certain degree at times and then all of a sudden you have one guy that doesn’t and you look like you’re not quite the same team, but I think we came out and seized the momentum early in the game and that really does something for you. And when the defense is flying around like that and all of a sudden Michigan State has to be a little different team than they really are.”

A later question was about Terrelle Pryor, and if there was anything more special about playing against a school from his home state:

Terrelle would never admit it if there were. I’m sure he’s excited. He loves the big stage and the big challenge. He watches that film. He sees how good they are. He knows he’s from there. Columbus is just as close as State College is. I mapped it out for him. But he’ll be excited.”

Hmm, Columbus is 208 miles from Jeanette, PA. State College is only 120 miles away. But Columbus is a big city, and State College is out in the middle of nowhere.

Later, Coach Tressel was asked about what he expects “The ‘Shoe” to be like Saturday night:

I expect it to be loud and fun and energetic and I hope it’s very difficult for the away team to hear. That would be one of my goals. I hope all they see is red and Bill’s towels waving next to the red. I hope it’s a tough environment. Now, good teams enjoy that too when they’re away from home. I know we’ve enjoyed going into those scenarios. Doesn’t make them easy.”

Tags: Buckeye Football, Tressel Talk by Matt Barker
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The Best Damn Player of the Game!

CB Malcolm Jenkins

For the second consecutive week, senior cornerback Malcolm Jenkins has been named BuckeyeBanter.com’s “The Best Damn Player of the Game” after totaling nine tackles, which included 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble in Ohio State’s 45-7 win over Michigan State.

Jenkins, the leading contender for this season’s Thorpe Award and was a first-team all-Big Ten selection as a sophomore and junior, sacked Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins in the fourth quarter which jarred the ball loose and resulted in a 69-yard fumble return for touchdown by Thaddeus Gibson.

For the season, Jenkins has 36 total tackles, 3.5 TFLs, a sack, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and a blocked punt.

Helmet Stickers!
RB Beanie Wells	LB James Laurinaitis

Junior running back Beanie Wells rushed for 140 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns vs. the Spartans. For the year, Wells had played in five games and is averaging 123.8 yards yards per contest with four scores.

Senior linebacker James Laurinaitis had 11 total tackles and 1.5 sacks against Michigan State. For the season, the Little Animal has racked 78 total tackles, including three tackles of loss and 2.5 sacks to go along with an interception.

Tags: Best Damn Player of the Game, Helmet Stickers by Matt Barker
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Right: Terrelle Pryor cruising into the end zone on his 18-yard TD run in the first quarter vs. Michigan State.
AP Photo

For about the first time all season, the offensive play-calling was imaginative, not predictable, the offensive line actually blocked, and Ohio State’s offense finally looked like the well-oiled machine everyone was expecting it to as the Buckeyes defeated Michigan State 45-7 on Saturday.

With the win, Ohio State moved up to No. 10 in both polls, and are ranked ninth in the first BCS standings, setting up a Saturday night showdown at The ‘Shoe against third-ranked Penn State.

Offensively, most of the damage against the Spartans came in the first half as the Buckeyes gained 259 of their 332 yards and scored 28 unanswered points.

Defensively, Ohio State held Michigan State to just 240 yards of total offense and limited Spartans’ running back Javon Ringer to 67 yards on 16 carries. If that’s not impressive enough, the Buckeye D forced five turnovers and scored on two touchdowns on fumble recoveries.

After both teams traded punts to begin the game, Ohio State was able to work with a short field and drive 47 yards in four plays for the first score of the day, an 18-yard run by Terrelle Pryor around the left end virtually untouched.

Three plays into Michigan State’s next possession, Kurt Coleman knocked the ball loose from Keshawn Martin and Donald Washington picked up the fumble and raced 44 yards down to the Spartans’ 17 yard line.

Five plays later Ohio State was up 14-0 when Pryor rolled out to his right, avoided a sack, and lobbed a pass to a wide-open Brian Robiskie in the end zone for the touchdown.

The Buckeye defense held the Spartans to three plays before punting, and once again had a short field to work with starting at their own 43.

It took just two snaps to go the distance as Pryor hit Brian Hartline for a 56-yard pass play and Beanie Wells punched it in from the 1. With 2:11 left in the first quarter, Ohio State was leading 21-0.

The Buckeyes added one more touchdown in the second quarter when Wells ran 12-yards and did the “Beanie Hop” into the end zone with 6:34 left until halftime.

Michigan State got on the board in the third quarter when they took the half’s opening drive and marched 85 yards in eight plays capped off on a three-yard pass from Kirk Cousins to Charlie Gantt.

The Buckeyes added 17 points in the fourth quarter on a 69-yard fumble return for touchdown by Thaddeus Gibson with 14:41 left, a 40-yard field goal by Aaron Pettrey with 5:27 remaining, and Jermale Hines scored on a 48-yard fumble return for TD with just 15 seconds to go in the game.

Beanie Rushed for 140 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns, and Pryor added 72 more yards on 12 tries and another score. Pryor was also 7-of-11 passing for 116 yards and a TD.

Tags: Buckeye Football, Sunday Film Study by Matt Barker
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FINAL	1	2	3	4	-	T
	21	7	0	17	-	45
	0	0	7	0	-	7
SCORING SUMMARY
OSU: 1st QTR: Terrelle Pryor 18-yard TD run (Ryan Pretorius PAT)
OSU: 1st QTR: Terrelle Pryor 7-yard TD pass to Brian Robiskie (Ryan Pretorius PAT)
OSU: 1st QTR: Chris Wells 1-yard TD run (Ryan Pretorius PAT)
OSU: 2nd QTR: Chris Wells 12-yard TD run (Ryan Pretorius PAT)
MSU: 3rd QTR: Kirk Cousins 3-yard TD pass to Charlie Gantt (Brett Swenson PAT)
OSU: 3rd QTR: Thaddeus Gibson 69-yard fumble return for TD (Ryan Pretorius PAT)
OSU: 4th QTR: Aaron Pettrey 40-yard FG
OSU: 4th QTR: Jermale Hines 48-yard fumble return for TD (Ryan Pretorius PAT)

Tags: Live Events by Matt Barker
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BUCKEYES vs. SPARTANS

No. 12/11 Ohio State (6-1, 3-0) vs. No. 20/17 Michigan State (6-1, 3-0)

Date: Saturday, October 18

Time: 3:30 PM ET

Place: Spartan Stadium - capacity 75,005

TV: ABC will televise the game with Brad Nessler handling the play-by-play, Bob Griese and Paul Maguire providing color commentary, and Stacey Dales serving as the sideline reporter.

Radio: WBNS-AM 1460 The Fan in Columbus 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.

Weather from AccuWeather.com: Sunny skies and a game time temperature of 58 degrees.

Latest Line: Ohio State is an 3 1/2-point favorite. The Over & Under is 42.5.

Series History: This is the 39th meeting between the two schools. Ohio State owns a 26-12 record against Michigan State, and the Buckeyes are 12-5 in games played at Spartan Stadium.

Last Season: Beanie Wells ran 221 yards on 31 carries and a touchdown while the Buckeye defense held the Spartans to just 185 yards of total offense as Ohio State won 24-17. The Buckeyes took a 24-0 lead midway through the third quarter when Todd Boeckman connected with Brian Robiskie on a 50-yard touchdown pass. The Spartans scored 17 unanswered points, with 14 of those coming off of two miscues by Boeckman, a poorly thrown pass that was intercepted by Otis Wiley and returned 54 yards for a touchdown, and a fumble as he was sacked by Jonal Saint-Dic that was recovered by SirDarean Adams and returned 25 yards for another score. On the plus side, the Buckeyes held the Spartan offense to just three points and limited running back Javon Ringer to only 49 yards on 18 carries.

Analysis and Prediction: This going to to be a knockdown, drag-out brawl similar to what the Buckeyes encountered in Madison two weeks ago. Both Wisconsin and Michigan State feature run-first offenses, and the Spartans rely heavily on Ringer, who has 1,112 yards on 247 carries with 14 touchdowns. So the key for the Buckeyes will be stopping Ringer, which they were able to do last year. If OSU can stop the run, MSU quarterback Brian Hoyer has completed only 50.3 percent of his passes, so it might be a good idea to crowd the box and make the Spartans beat you by throwing the football. The question is, will the Ohio State offense score any points this week? The good news is, Northwestern racked up 459 total yards against Michigan State last weekend and was 15-of-24 on third down conversions. The Spartans yielded 5.5 yards per carry on the ground, but the Wildcats did have three turnovers. As long as the Buckeyes can stop the run, move the chains offensively and don’t turn the ball over, they should come way with a win. Of course, the Buckeyes offense will have to play a lot better than they did last week against Purdue. It would also be a good idea to pass the ball a little more than they have in previous games, too. Ohio State 23, Michigan State 17

Tags: Buckeye Football, Football Friday by Matt Barker
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