2007: Beanie and the “D” bring title home
Right: Beanie Wells rushed for 222 yards in Ohio State’s 14-3 win over Michigan last season.
(AP Photo)
From last year’s Ohio State-Michigan game:
A Michigan fan told me that the raindrops falling down at Michigan Stadium were actually tears from former head coach Bo Schembechler, who had to witness another loss to Ohio State from heaven.
Chris “Beanie” Wells rushed for 222 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Buckeyes to an outright Big Ten title as Ohio State defeated Michigan 14-3, Saturday afternoon.
The win moved Ohio State up to No. 5 in all of the major polls including the BCS standings, which were released last night.
Also with the win over Michigan, the Buckeyes will, at the very least, play in the Rose Bowl against a yet-to-be determined opponent. Currently, No. 7 Arizona State tops the Pac-10 with a one-game lead over USC and Oregon, though the Sun Devils still have to play Southern Cal and Arizona.
And thanks to losses by Oregon and Oklahoma, the Buckeyes still have a slim chance to make it to the BCS title game.
LSU is first in the latest BCS standings, but the Tigers still have to play Arkansas and the SEC Championship game, which will either be Tennessee or Georgia. If Tennessee beats Kentucky next Saturday, the Volunteers are in the SEC title game, but if they lose, Georgia is in.
Coming in at Nos. 2 and 4 respectively, Kansas and Missouri play against each other at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, this Saturday. Then the winner will likely play Oklahoma in the Big XII Championship game.
Third in the BCS standings is West Virginia, who still has to play No. 20 Connecticut and Pittsburgh. The Big East does not have a championship game.
Granted, losing to Illinois hurt Ohio State’s chances, but what I think hurt more is how far they fell, going from first to seventh in the polls. Plus I think the Buckeyes are better than most of the teams that are ahead of them. Can you honestly say that West Virginia, Missouri, or Kansas are better than Ohio State?
The Buckeyes finished their season with a record of 11-1, 7-1 in the Big Ten after dominating the Wolverines.
The Ohio State defense held Michigan to just 91 yards of total offense, including 15 yards rushing and eight first downs for the entire game.
Michigan quarterback Chad Henne was just 11-of-34 passing for 68 yards, while tailback Mike Hart has 44 yards in 18 carries.
Think they are glad they came for their senior season now?
The best running back in the Big Ten, Beanie Wells, gained 222 yards on 39 carries. His longest gain was a 62-yard touchdown run through the left-side of the line in the third quarter than put Ohio state ahead 14-3.
Beanie’s other touchdown run came in the second quarter when the Buckeyes drove 44 yards in eight plays that was capped off on a one-yard run by Wells.
Due to the rain and the slippery field conditions, Ohio State quarterback Todd Boeckman was just 7-of-13 for 50 yards and an interception. Boeckman attempted just two passes the entire second half.
Earlier last week when I posted an article entitled, “Scouting the Wolverine defense,” this is what I predicted:
“Every time I predict what Ohio State will do offensively, Coach Tressel does the opposite. So with that, I will say that the Buckeyes must establish the run early. Beanie to the left, Beanie to the right, Beanie up the middle until Michigan can prove they can stop it.”
I guess I was finally right, and Michigan couldn’t stop Beanie.
On Sunday, Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr announced his retirement.
