Big Ten Network : Football Top Stories

BIG TOP: Power rankings

Sun, 6 Sep 2009 18:11:00 +0000

Click here to view our power rankings.

OSU linebacker corps stays the course

Tim May — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Just in case Austin Spitler hadn't been paying attention for five years, former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce laid it out for him and the rest of the Buckeyes players this week. "He told us, 'If you want to be a great player, remember: Here at the Ohio State University, you have to play great versus Michigan,' " Spitler said. "It's the last regular-season game, it's the greatest rivalry of them all, it's the most fierce game of the year, and everybody strives to make that big play, and it's important to make a play that's going to impact the game." Perhaps. But making a play that helps cement a Rose Bowl bid, as Spitler did last week in an overtime win over Iowa, is memorable, too. Ross Homan had an interception, and both of them teamed with fellow linebacker Brian Rolle to help stuff the Iowa running game. This was supposed to be a fall-off season for Ohio State linebackers, with the loss of starters James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman to the NFL. Spitler, a senior, and Rolle, a junior, were thrust into starting jobs next to Homan, a junior who had played about half the time last season. Going into a game Saturday at Michigan, Ohio State is fourth nationally against the run (83.7-yard average). Rush defense is a team effort, but a team doesn't get statistics like that without great play at linebacker. "I'm not surprised at all by their play because I've been playing with those guys for four years and I've seen what they can do in practice," safety Anderson Russell said. "Ross has been playing a lot since he's been here. B-Rolle is somebody who always flew around and gave tremendous effort on special teams, so you could see he had the potential to be a special player. "And Austin, he has always been somebody who has been a leader. He was always behind the scenes as far as you guys (media and fans) were concerned, but we knew he was a good player all along. He's finally getting his chance this year." But among the players being replaced was Laurinaitis, a three-time All-American. "We didn't look at it like that," Spitler said. "We rolled into it, worked the same way we've always worked and just took it in stride." Homan and Rolle lead the Buckeyes in tackles with 84 and 82, respectively. Spitler, who often leaves the field in nickel--defense situations, is down the list with 34, though that includes five tackles for loss. Fans knew what they were getting with Homan, but Rolle and Spitler were journeymen until this season because of Laurinaitis and Freeman. "They were frustrated," defensive lineman Doug Worthington said. "I remember B-Rolle being real frustrated the last couple of years because he plays great in practice, but you have guys like Marcus Freeman and James in front of him. And there were no mistakes they made to propel them (Rolle and Spitler) onto the field." Once they finally gained starting spots, though, they brought their own flavor to the mix. "B-Rolle is a different guy, he's a funny guy, a Florida guy," Worthington said. "He goes on the field with a different kind of feeling, a different kind of swagger. He's small (5 feet 11), so he's got a lot of things to prove. "And Austin is a hard worker. He gets after it. He wants to make that play. He's hard to block and he's strong as an ox." Unlike Homan and Rolle, Spitler, a fifth-year senior, had just one season to make his mark as a starter. But he sees it more as the threesome carrying on the linebacker tradition at Ohio State. "I think we've done a fine job," Spitler said. "Obviously, it's hard to compare yourself to other players, and I would never want to do that. We're different players in many aspects. But I think we've come up to the challenge and done just fine with it." Worthington agreed, and said he wasn't surprised. "Guys like that, they're just stars in waiting," he said. "Now that they've had the chance to (play), I think they've been having a great season." tmay@dispatch.com Copyright 2009 The Columbus DispatchAll Rights Reserved

'The Game' doesn't appear to impact recruits

Mike Lucas — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

You may recognize some of the names more than others. Zoltan Mesko, for example. Best punter in the Big Ten. How about Jordan Kovacs? He might be one of the best stories in the conference. Kovacs, a starting safety, was a walk-on. Mesko and Kovacs have slightly higher profiles than Kevin Koger, the starting tight end, and Roy Roundtree, one of the many young receivers in the rotation. The common denominator? Mesko, Kovacs, Koger, and Roundtree are four of the 13 Ohio-bred players on the University of Michigan roster. That spawned the inevitable question: How much weight does the outcome of one game -- THE game between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes -- carry with high school prospects? Does the winner get a recruiting edge? "Oh, I don't think so,'' said Ohio State coach Jim Tressel on this week's Big Ten teleconference. "Recruiting in this day and age is so advanced. Kids know so much more about what they're looking for, and which place might fit their needs. And they've been out there for a couple of years looking at places, so they have pretty much in mind what they're looking for. I'm not sure they sit around waiting to see who won a game to decide where they go.'' Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez fielded the same question. "I think it's natural to feel that it would (provide an edge),'' Rodriguez said of winning a big game, an historic rivalry game, no less, on the national stage. "But I don't know if it makes that big of an impact. When you're recruiting against someone, you obviously want to see success. More than anything (though) you're selling your university and all the things that your school is about. All players want to go where they have a chance for success.'' So what is the recruiting pitch? Are the Wolverines selling the promise of better things to come or ''blue sky'' -- which is what former Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez sold during the formative years of his program -- as a means to buy some time? Said Rodriguez, "We're telling our guys in recruiting now, 'We're in a process. We're going to be there, and they can help us get there.''' Catching heat Iowa's Kirk Ferentz counts New England's Bill Belichick among his football mentors. In a twist of irony, Ferentz is getting criticized for being conservative in the closing seconds of regulation against Ohio State, while Belichick is getting ripped for taking too big of a fourth down gamble in the closing minutes against the Indianapolis Colts. "I figured both teams starting out even (in overtime) might be a better way,'' Ferentz explained of his predicament last Saturday in Columbus, "unless we had done something there -- punt return, shanked punt, or snuck a run in on them on that first play.'' Ferentz admitted that quarterback James Vandenberg's two second half interceptions (one was erased because of a penalty on the Buckeyes) factored into his decision-making. "If we had Tom Brady, I'd probably be considering the other way (gambling),'' he joked, adding of Belichick's decision, "I thought it was a great call.'' Putting everything into a coaching perspective, Ferentz concluded, "Typically, when you lose you get second-guessed and when you win you don't get second-guessed as much.'' They said it Former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce on the Michigan rivalry: "We want to beat them every year, every year, every year. I'm all for five in a row, six in a row, seven in a row, and I'd be fine with a couple of good coaches getting fired. That wouldn't be bad either.'' Bruce got fired for not beating the Wolverines enough. Did you know Purdue is on the brink of a rare college football hat trick: a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver. Quarterback Joey Elliott has thrown for 2,821 yards and running back Ralph Bolden has rushed for 931. Meanwhile, wide receiver Keith Smith has already reached 1,015 receiving yards. Only one Big Ten team has ever posted a triple-quadruple. Ohio State hit that standard in 1995 with quarterback Bobby Hoying, tailback Eddie George and wideout Terry Glenn. Hit rewind On Nov. 22, 1969, Michigan shocked Ohio State, 24-12, in Ann Arbor. The Buckeyes came into the game with a No. 1 ranking and an attitude after creaming the Wolverines, 50-14, the year before. This was the baptism for first-year head coach Bo Schembechler, a former Woody Hayes assistant. The Wolverines intercepted six passes: four from Rex Kern and two from Ron Maciejowski. Not that the ultra-conservative, Fred Flintstonesque current Ohio State coach (the Vest) would allow his quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, to attempt many more than six passes Saturday at Michigan Stadium. But there was also a Pryor on the field 40 years ago. Cecil Pryor (no relation) was a standout defensive end for the Wolverines. Rich Rod was 6 when that game was played. To this end, he seems to have aged considerably over the last two seasons in purgatory. ''Our guys know we're getting closer to where we want to be,'' Rich Rod insisted. "You can't be a revisionist and look at the history. But it's been several years since we've beat the Buckeyes. "That's always a sore point for us, and our fans and our alumni. Whether you're here a year, a month, or a day, you're going to hear about the rivalry and the importance of this ballgame.'' He really said it Minnesota coach Tim Brewster on his team bussing to Iowa City, which will save the school about $70,000: "I think it's refreshing to get on a bus. We're going to go about 2 and 1/2 hours, stop have a sandwich, walk around a little bit, get back on the bus and go 2 and 1/2 more hours to the stadium and work out. I think it's great.'' Saturday's games Michigan 21, Ohio State 20 Iowa 14, Minnesota 3 Purdue 30, Indiana 10 Michigan State 17, Penn State 14 Bye 14, Illinois 0 Fourth down 2, Bill Belichick 0 NFL 10,000, Brady Quinn 0 Paybacks 7, Mark Slobgino 0 Tears of a Clown 1, Rex Ryan 1 Posted in Football, Mike_lucas on Thursday, November 19, 2009 5:30 am Updated: 7:51 am.| Copyright 2009 Madison Newspapers, Inc.All Rights Reserved

As Clay goes, so go the Badgers

Tom Oates — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Everyone is enjoying what they see of John Clay on Saturdays. John Settle is enjoying what he sees of the University of Wisconsin's sophomore tailback the rest of the week, too. "The thing I like about him is he may look like a MASH unit on Sunday, but by the time Tuesday rolls around, he understands that he's got to be ready to go and he comes out and takes his reps in practice," said Settle, who coaches UW's running backs. "He's ready to go week in and week out." There was a time this fall when people didn't associate Clay with dependability. Whether he was banged up, fumble-prone or unsure that he even wanted to be a starter, Clay was becoming an enigma early in what was expected to be his breakout season. No more. Clay is the leading rusher in the Big Ten Conference, has gone over 1,000 yards for the season and, in many ways, is the starting point for UW's surprising 8-2 record. Challenged by everyone from the coaches to the media to the fans after he was benched against Wofford due to acute fumble-itis, the 245-pound Clay has silenced his doubters and become the workhorse tailback everyone envisioned after his highly decorated prep career at Racine Park. "I feel like he's gotten into a groove," offensive coordinator Paul Chryst said. "The thing I've liked is I see him growing and trying to step up in his preparation. I also think he knows that for us to do well, he needs to do well, and I think he doesn't shy away from that. I do think he can get so much better and that's exciting to me. But he's certainly been pivotal for us." Indeed, Clay has become the punishing, 60-minute runner UW needs to activate its ball-control offense. Since the start of the Big Ten season, a pattern has emerged. Clay, with help from backups Montee Ball and Zach Brown, runs adequately in the first half, then takes over the game in the second half after physically wearing down the opponent. The only games where that didn't happen were against Ohio State and Iowa, the only games UW lost. "The offense goes as he goes," quarterback Scott Tolzien said. "You see how he wears on teams." There have been times when Clay has worn on his coaches with his inability to stay healthy, control his weight, master the offense or assert himself in game situations. Now, Settle says Clay has improved by "leaps and bounds," especially in the three games since the bye week. Whether that's because Clay used the week off to get healthy, was motivated to join UW's prestigious 1,000-yard club or started feeling pressure from Ball, a talented freshman, he has been a physical presence in every game. In victories over Purdue, Indiana and Michigan, Clay rushed 65 times for 408 yards and five touchdowns. Better yet, he set a physical tone that allowed UW to dominate those teams on the ground in the second half. "John runs harder than anybody I've seen," guard John Moffitt said. "He's always falling forward and he's always getting yards after contact." For the record, Clay is fine with his role change from reluctant starter to offensive go-to guy. Asked if he likes getting 25 to 30 carries a game, he said, "I'm built for that." Indeed, he is. It just took him awhile to realize it. Now, he's embracing the role. "I think he's taking pride in the fact that he's been able to do that," Settle said. "When he came in during the summer and we talked and he said he wanted to be the guy, I don't know how confident he was that he could be that guy. But I like where he is. He's a guy that has grown, that has learned how to study the defenses and understand what they're trying to do and how we're trying to counter it offensively. He still misses some cuts and some reads here and there, but I like the progress he's made. And he's only going to get better." That's encouraging given the hype that accompanied Clay to UW. Back then, almost everyone thought he was bound for greatness. It took a little longer than some expected, but people are finally seeing Clay's considerable talent. "We knew that since the first day Clay stepped on campus," wide receiver Isaac Anderson said. "He has the ability, the size, the vision. If he continues to do what he's doing, there's going to be a great future for John Clay." The present isn't too shabby, either. Contact Tom Oates at toates@madison.com or 608-252-6172. Copyright 2009 Madison Newspapers, Inc.All Rights Reserved

Dislike predates football in Ohio-Michigan rivalry

Rusty Miller — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:23:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio(AP) The deep and abiding enmity between Ohio and Michigan is certainly nothing new. When teams from No. 10 Ohio State and Michigan meet on Saturday to play football for the 106th time, it'll just be the latest skirmish between two states and their residents who have despised each other for almost two centuries. "We understand how important it is, not only here as a football squad, but the state as a whole, to get that victory against Michigan for the bragging rights for the year,'' Ohio State linebacker Austin Spitler said. The first offsides call took place early in the 19th century. A disagreement over widely divergent surveys called into question the location of their border. Was Toledo in the new state of Ohio? Or in the territory of Michigan? Ohio Gov. Robert Lucas, sounding a bit like a certain grumpy football coach, refused to even negotiate the line of scrimmage. In defiance, Lucas named the county in which Toledo was located after himself and appointed a sheriff and a judge. Michigan's territorial governor, 22-year-old Stevens T. Mason, was outraged. He assembled a 250-member posse and marched south, initiating what was called the Toledo War. It really wasn't much of a war. There was only one casualty, when an Ohioan named Two Stickney stabbed a Michigan sheriff in a tavern brawl. Eventually, Michigan was forced to concede Toledo was in Ohio, but was pacified by a gift of 9,000 square miles of rich mining and timber land in the Upper Peninsula. A Michigan government Web site sniffs, "In retrospect, it's obvious who won the War.'' The two universities first met in football in 1897. They started playing annually in 1918, and since 1935 have renewed acquaintances in the final game of the season. The vitriol between the two states and their two universities was magnified from 1969-78 when curmudgeonly Woody Hayes prowled and growled on the sidelines for the Buckeyes and Michigan was coached by the similarly stubborn and hardheaded Bo Schembechler - an Ohio native and former Hayes acolyte. Hayes refused to even utter the name of ``the state up north.'' Legend has it - although no one doubts it - that the petulant, at times childish Hayes once ran out of gas in Michigan but pushed his car over the state line rather than spend his money there. Something akin to that passion is handed down from generation to generation even today. "I went to St. Mary's down in Lancaster, a little Catholic school. We had to wear our (school) uniforms, but for the Ohio State-Michigan game we got to dress up in either Ohio State or Michigan clothes,'' said Buckeyes offensive lineman Jim Cordle. ``That was fun. We got to cheer into the PA system and then they'd measure (which team's fans) had the loudest cheer. And then every year we went to an Ohio State-Michigan party to watch the game.'' The two states are so similar yet remain committed in their distaste for each other. Columbus drivers scowl at those behind the wheel of cars with Michigan plates. Graduates of the University of Michigan consider their rivals to be the Ivy League, Stanford, Cal - certainly not the agricultural school down in Columbus. Over the years, the rivalry has found been manifested in sports. -In the 1940s, the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers were two of the best teams in the American League. Fans debated who was better, Bob Feller or Hal Newhouser? Lou Boudreau or Hank Greenberg? -From 1950 to 1957, the Cleveland Browns of Otto Graham and the Detroit Lions led by Bobby Layne each won three NFL championships. (These days they are competing for the title of the league's worst team. That title will be decided on Sunday.) -The Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons have met in three physical, chippy playoff series this decade, the Pistons persevering in seven games in a second-round series in 2006, with the Cavs and LeBron James winning eight of 10 meetings in series wins in 2007 and last year. -Last spring the Columbus Blue Jackets made the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time, but the upstarts were no match for the 11-time champion Detroit Red Wings. The Winged Wheels won in a sweep. There are plenty of other ties between the states. Mark Dantonio, a former assistant coach at Ohio State, is now coach at Michigan State. Brian Kelly, a former head coach at Central Michigan, is now coach at fifth-ranked Cincinnati. Just last week, Bruce Springsteen performed in Cleveland on Wednesday night and in Auburn Hills, Mich., two nights later. "The Boss'' forgot where he was for the second gig and several times said, "Thank you, Ohio!'' to silent Michiganders. John Kerry made a similar gaffe during the 2004 presidential campaign, praising Ohio State's football team after he had crossed into Michigan. Yet he still won the state in the general election - and lost Ohio. The rivalry is clear to see when it comes to sports. And there's nothing quite like the jealousy, dislike and mistrust that seems to accompany ``The Game,'' as the annual showdown has become known. Ohio State wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher will be playing in only his third showdown with the Wolverines. But as a native of Toledo, he has a particularly vivid view of the heated rivalry on both sides. "There's always a little something extra when it comes to the Michigan game,'' he said. "It has a lot to do with the history. It goes back a long time.'' All the way back to the days of posses and Two Stickney.

All-Big Ten Football Selection Special airs Monday

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:56:00 +0000

CHICAGO – For the third year in a row, the Big Ten Network will present the exclusive, live announcement of the annual Big Ten football awards during Big Ten Tonight: All-Conference Selection Special at 8 PM ET Monday, Nov. 23. Dave Revsine will host the show, alongside analysts Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith. Select award winners will be interviewed during the 30-minute program. The show will reveal the All-Big Ten teams as selected by both the coaches and the media. Coaches will select a Big Ten Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Freshman of the Year. Media will also honor the Dave McClain Coach of the Year while the coaches will pick an Offensive and Defensive Lineman of the Year. Last year, the media and coaches both selected Iowa running back Shonn Greene as the Offensive Player of the Year, Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis as the Defensive Player of the Year and Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor as the Freshman of the Year. The conference's media selected Joe Paterno as the Dave McClain Coach of the Year.

New Penn St. tix plan to account for seat location

GENARO C. ARMAS — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:46:00 +0000

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.(AP) Penn State plans to adjust its season-ticket pricing guidelines in 2011 to account for where people sit in Beaver Stadium. Some fans might have to fork over more money to the booster club to stay in their seats, or can pay the same amount but possibly be moved to a less desirable location - say someone going from seats on the 40 to behind the end zone. Other season-ticket holders could be just fine - again, depending on if their donation to the Nittany Lion Club is commensurate to where they want to sit. The actual price of the tickets, currently $55, wouldn't change under the plan to be officially unveiled in a letter to season-ticket holders in the next week, said Greg Myford, Penn State's associate athletic director for business relations and communications. What would change is that seat location would be a new criteria to giving levels to the Nittany Lion Club, along with the number of tickets and parking. The Patriot-News of Harrisburg first reported the new policy, including up to a $600 fee per seat in between the 40-yard lines. Currently, Nittany Lion club members must contribute at least $100 a seat to renew their season tickets, regardless of location. Myford declined to comment on the dollar amounts in the Patriot-News report, though he said the new policy didn't amount to a personal seat license. "The primary difference is, usually associated with the seat license is some kind of long-term commitment,'' Myford said this week. ``We do our tickets annually, each and every year. Fans determine how many seats they want to buy, they donate accordingly, and that will continue.'' Myford said schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Texas and Florida already have similar plans in place. "The other key component, when it comes down to the primary reasons for doing it, it's finances, and it's fairness,'' Myford said. "We need to come up with a way that allows us to properly align and allocate our tickets with how someone is willing to support athletics on an annual basis, and currently we don't do that.'' All but two Big Ten schools - Indiana and Northwestern - charge minimum donations for the right to buy season tickets, according to a survey Wednesday in The Altoona Mirror. Penn State is in the middle of the Big Ten in terms of season-ticket prices. One ticket at the 45-yard line would cost $540 for an eight-game schedule; the most expensive ticket is the $1,950 at Ohio State, which includes a $1,500 minimum donation. The Penn State plan would also shuffle the student section from its current location in one quadrant of the stadium from the 40 to the south end zone, to wrapping around the entire end zone, bookended at about the 10-yard lines. That would open more desirable seats to season-ticket holders. Myford said possibly 800 more seats could be added to the student section, and that the hope is it would create a more intimidating atmosphere for opponents. Penn State's athletic department is self-supporting and does not use tuition dollars or other university funding to pay for its large athletics program, which runs 29 sports. Of those sports, only football and men's basketball operate at a profit. Revenues from football are used to help pay for other sports. The most recent filing with the Department of Education shows Penn State athletics had nearly $96 million in revenues, and roughly $77 million in expenses last year. The expense figure does not include $11.3 million of debt service. Remaining dollars are used for capital improvement projects or put in reserve, the department said in the government filing. Myford said things like fan requests to upgrade stadium concessions stands and restrooms would be the kinds of projects Penn State would look at in the future. Once athletic director, coach Joe Paterno said the school has more pressure to support scholarships in women's sports, as well improving facilities like the softball field. "We don't get a nickel from the university for anything,'' Paterno said. "(Athletics) is completely self-supporting. So they've got to do something or we've got to cut back sports, and we don't want to do that. But, that's not my bout.''

Rodriguez era at Michigan has been full of blues

LARRY LAGE — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:48:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez was handed a blue button with ``Beat Ohio State'' in maize letters when he was introduced as the new leader of college football's winningest program. Rodriguez said earlier this week he has kept the button on his desk. After being asked about the button later by a visitor to his office, Rodriguez had to do some searching. He found it tucked under some paper in the top drawer of the desk. "I put it in there one day when I got mad,'' Rodriguez said. It would be tough to figure out what day that was because there's been a lot of reasons for him to be angry during his two tumultuous seasons in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines started 4-0 this season, earning a spot on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and Rodriguez was hailed for the turnaround after losing a school-record nine games last year. Two closely contested losses on the road to Michigan State and Iowa snowballed into a skid that has included only one win - against Delaware State - in a seven-game stretch. The collapse has made Saturday's game at home against No. 9 Ohio State more important than usual, but in an unusual way for Michigan. If Michigan beats its rival for the first time since 2003, it will salvage some pride with a bowl bid and get much-needed practices. If not, the Wolverines will have a losing record in consecutive years for the first time since the 1962-63 seasons and will endure another miserable offseason that might be compounded if the NCAA delivers bad news during an investigation it plans to complete by the end of the year. Rodriguez hasn't gotten to enjoy many days since a messy divorce with West Virginia led to a turbulent transition at Michigan. He insisted, though, he doesn't regret leaving West Virginia or turning down an opportunity to be Alabama's coach. "It's taxing on my family and me, but this is a big-boy business,'' Rodriguez said in an interview with the AP. "I've been at big schools before. We had drama, but not as much as here. "It's a wonderful profession, but when things are not going the way you'd like, it certainly takes a toll.'' Rodriguez took his latest hit off the field on Monday, when an internal audit was released in untimely fashion with details about the football program failing to file forms that track how much players workout and practice. The forms are used to comply with NCAA rules. He said Wednesday the process of filing forms was corrected as soon as he learned it wasn't happening. He declined further comment because of an ongoing NCAA investigation. The office of university audits sent Rodriguez a memo on July 24, stating that forms from the 2008 regular season had not been submitted. The Detroit Free Press, citing anonymous players, reported a month later that Michigan exceeded NCAA limits regarding practices and workouts. Detroit Lions offensive lineman Jon Jansen, who helped the Wolverines win the 1997 national championship, says it's disappointing to know people with ties to the school have conspired against Rodriguez since he replaced the retiring Lloyd Carr in part because they wanted somebody else - such as LSU's Les Miles - hired. "You'd have to be blind to not see there are divisions among Michigan folk,'' Jansen said. "I think that while he's there, he should get as much support as he can get. "Whether you are for or against Rich Rod, everybody should be for Michigan. I hope he's successful because I want Michigan to be successful.'' An e-mail was sent to every member of the school's board or regents, asking for comment on Rodriguez and the program, and no one responded. University of Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman declined an interview request, but issued a statement. "As I've said before, I continue to support our coach and our football program,'' Coleman said in a statement sent by her office. If Michigan did want to fire Rodriguez - who signed a six-year deal worth $2.5 million per season - it would likely be an ugly process. According to his contract, Rodriguez can be fired for cause if the NCAA, the Big Ten or the school determines he has committed a major violation of NCAA rules or he has intentionally committed any other type of violation of NCAA rules. If the school completes a four-step process to fire Rodriguez for cause, it ``shall be without liability to Rodriguez,'' according to the contract he signed Oct. 24, 2008. Athletic director Bill Martin, who hired Rodriguez and is retiring by September at the latest, tried to voice as much support as he could as his outgoing boss. "We're in a transition and we all have to be prepared to stay the course,'' Martin said earlier this week. "Is our record a surprise? Sure. Do I totally support Rich? Absolutely. You don't want to make excuses, but take a look at our personnel. We have only 71 players who came here on scholarship. We've got freshman going against fifth-year seniors in a lot of places. "We didn't have a lot of candidates to replace Lloyd's best players in his last season.''

Michigan's Rodriguez says process has been fixed

LARRY LAGE — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:52:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich.(AP) Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez says the process of filing forms that log hours players devote to football was corrected as soon as he learned it wasn't happening. Rodriguez declined further comment Wednesday because of an ongoing NCAA investigation. An internal audit released Monday discovered the football program failed to file the school's forms that track how much players workout and practice as a tool to comply with NCAA rules. The office of university audits sent Rodriguez a memo on July 24, stating that forms from the 2008 regular season had not been submitted. The Detroit Free Press, citing anonymous players, reported a month later that Michigan exceeded NCAA limits regarding practices and workouts.

OHIO STATE FOOTBALL; Tressel: Special teams 'unsettling'; Touchdown on kickoff by Hawkeyes, poor punts draw coach's attention

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Even though Ohio State already has a Rose Bowl invitation and at least a share of a fifth straight Big Ten championship, as it prepares for the regular-season finale Saturday at Michigan, coach Jim Tressel wasn't feeling all that special. That's because of the special teams play last week in an overtime win against Iowa. Yes, a 39-yard field goal by Devin Barclay won the game, but another special teams play -- a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by the Hawkeyes' Derrell Johnson-Koulianos -- nearly ruined the Buckeyes party. And the punting game has had its issues, too. "I know what I have to do; I know I haven't been performing as well as I could," senior punter Jon Thoma said. "And we're going to get better." Under Tressel, one of the pillars is, "The punt is the most important play in football." That's why the Buckeyes knew special teams would be points of emphasis in practice this week. Tressel detests losing the special teams competitions, especially this late in the season. "It's very unsettling," Tressel said. "We call them the special units ... and we couldn't say that after that game. We didn't win the punt game. We didn't win the kickoff-cover game. "Now, we can't diminish the one we did win the game with, and that was extraordinary, that was great. But, again, we need to be at our best in all of those. You can't go on the road and lose the special teams and win the game." Until the Iowa game, things had been going well for the kickoff-coverage unit. "One of our goals is 18 yards or less on returns, and we had been doing that," senior Anderson Russell said. "But we didn't do very well against Iowa. Obviously, they got the long one. We've got to go back to the drawing board." That one 99-yarder pushed the Buckeyes' season average from 19.1 yards allowed to 20.48. No doubt, Darryl Stonum, who is third in the league in kickoff returns with a 26.6-yard average, and the Wolverines are studying what went wrong. The first thing they will notice is that Johnson-Koulianos dropped Barclay's long, high kickoff at the 1-yard line. "I really think that might have been what messed us up, because everybody's eyes got big when they saw him drop it," Russell said. "You kind of might get out of your lane thinking we're going to get this guy inside the 15- or 20-yard line. He breaks one tackle and he's out of there." Thoma had a 48-yard punt against Iowa, but the other four averaged 32.8 yards. The week before at Penn State, he hit a 55-yarder early but averaged 35.5 yards on his next seven punts. In the past four games, he has averaged 35.3 yards per punt. Those games have all been wins, but for Thoma, they've also been a run mainly of popups. "I have been so focused lately on hitting the ball high, getting no returns, that I kind of let other things, I guess, fall by the wayside," Thoma said. "I have been focusing on other things in trying to just not get returns, and that's shown. I've hit it straight up a couple of times, and that's not acceptable in any way." He not only has just one regular season game to straighten it out, he knows he will be judged against the Big Ten's gold standard for punting. The booming kicks of Zoltan Mesko are the main reason Michigan leads the Big Ten in net punting (41.3-yard average), but OSU is fourth (36.3). The pressure is on, even if the Buckeyes have the Rose in hand. "I always feel pressure," Thoma said. "And you want to feel pressure because that means what you are doing means something." tmay@dispatch.com Copyright 2009 The Columbus DispatchAll Rights Reserved

Indiana, Purdue try to salvage seasons with Bucket

MICHAEL MAROT — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:13:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.(AP) Indiana's goal was to finish this season in a bowl game. In the Hoosiers' minds, they still can. On Saturday, Indiana and Purdue will square off for the 85th Old Oaken Bucket - or in this ever-changing world, what some would dub the first Old Oaken Bucket Bowl. "This is our bowl game, right here,'' senior defensive end Jammie Kirlew said Tuesday. "This is our last game, the last time the senior class will play together.'' The Hoosiers and Boilermakers have no choice but to accept the fact that they will not be making the postseason. Indiana (4-7, 1-6 Big Ten) watched those hopes vanish with Saturday's loss at Penn State. The Hoosiers have lost four straight and seven of eight since starting 3-0, leaving them two wins short of becoming bowl-eligible with only one game left. Purdue (4-7, 3-4) also came up short, despite improving in the second half of the season. The Boilermakers rallied from a 1-5 start to win three of four, including a rare sweep of Ohio State and Michigan, before Saturday's home loss to Michigan State ended their bowl hopes. Though Purdue's players want to keep the Bucket every bit as much as the Hoosiers want it back in Bloomington, they see this game a little different. "It's been a great season. A lot of good memories, a lot of ups and downs. I think our football team has made a lot of strides in a good way,'' Purdue quarterback Joey Elliott said. "The Indiana game is always a big one on our schedule.'' The disparity in emotions may have more to do with how this series has gone over the past 12 years. Purdue holds a 10-2 advantage since 1997. Indiana's only wins during the stretch came in Antwaan Randle El's next-to-last college game in 2001 and in 2007 when Austin Starr made a 49-yard field goal with 30 seconds left to end the Hoosiers' 13-year bowl drought. The Boilermakers, meanwhile, have scored at least two dozen points in each of the series' past seven games, topping 60 twice since 2004. But this season's matchup won't come close to matching the emotions of the last two years. Starr's long kick in 2007 set off a jubilant celebration at midfield, fulfilling Terry Hoeppner's promise to play in a bowl game five months after the Hoosiers coach died of complications from a brain tumor. Last year, the Boilermakers said farewell to coach Joe Tiller with a 62-10 win, the largest victory margin in the series since 1892. Tiller celebrated by leading the band. Indiana wants to make amends after that bleak day in West Lafayette. "Yesterday, I heard it (the 62-10 score) maybe seven times,'' senior running back Bryan Payton said. "I know some of the guys have it on their lockers or pasted in their apartment rooms, so, yes, I know what those numbers mean.'' With the game moving back to Bloomington, the Hoosiers want to turn this one into a bowl-like environment. Fans will likely be clad in crimson-and-cream or old gold-and-black, much like the split seen throughout the bowl season. "The IU game this year is like a bowl game in a lot of ways,'' Boilermakers coach Danny Hope said. `"It is our last game of the season, and both teams want to finish the season strong with a win over their archrival and feel good about themselves and the bragging rights and all that stuff is a part of it.'' IU athletic director Fred Glass said more than 40,000 tickets have already been sold for Saturday's game and he is expanding the Hoosiers student section from 8,100 to 12,500. Glass said more than 10,000 student tickets have been purchased and he expects the remainder to be sold. If the crowd tops 49,000, it would be larger than the one Indiana played in front of in the 2007 Insight Bowl. At Indiana, that will have to suffice for now. "I don't want to call it the biggest game of my life, but it is our bowl game, it is my bowl game,'' Payton said. "We want to go out on a good note and regardless of how it turns out, I'm going to play my heart out and we want to win this one.''

Preview: Penn State-Michigan State

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:33:00 +0000

Penn State needs help to earn a share of a second consecutive Big Ten championship, but it may only need to beat Michigan State to find itself with a chance at grabbing an at-large BCS invitation. Another impressive performance from quarterback Daryll Clark would certainly help. The most productive game of Clark's career came against the Spartans last season, and the senior will try to bounce back from a pair of uneven performances Saturday and help the 14th-ranked Nittany Lions boost their BCS hopes in East Lansing. Clark, a first-team all-Big Ten selection in 2008, led Penn State (9-2, 5-2) to a Big Ten title and the Rose Bowl last season, but threw three of his six interceptions in its two defeats. Clark's two worst games this season also happened in losses. He threw three interceptions in a 21-10 loss to Iowa on Sept. 26, and went 12 for 28 for 125 yards and an interception Nov. 7 as Penn State fell 24-7 to Ohio State. The senior was unremarkable again Saturday against Indiana, throwing interceptions on the Nittany Lions' first two possessions, part of a four-turnover first half for coach Joe Paterno's team. Clark settled down from there, throwing for 194 yards and a touchdown, and Navorro Bowman's interception return for a score broke a 10-all tie as Penn State won 31-20. "We had to eliminate all the stupid mistakes that I did at the beginning of the game," Clark said. "There were a lot of things that I was able to do the entire football game, I just had a lot of mistakes. It messed us up a little bit." The Nittany Lions are 12-0 the past two seasons when Clark doesn't throw an interception. Penn State needs to win and have Ohio State lose at Michigan to earn a share of the conference title, but its BCS hopes are alive. Paterno's team is 14th in the BCS standings, the lowest it can finish to be considered for a BCS at-large bid. A fan base that historically packs bowl venues make the Nittany Lions an attractive option to BCS organizers - provided they first beat the Spartans (6-5, 4-3). Clark threw for 341 yards and set a career high with five touchdowns - four passing - in Penn State's 49-18 rout of Michigan State last year. Clark is second in passer rating (139.7) in the Big Ten behind the Spartans' Kirk Cousins (149.7), who has done an outstanding job of limiting his mistakes. The sophomore has thrown 10 touchdowns and one pick in his last five games, tossing three TDs Saturday at Purdue in a 40-37 victory that made Michigan State bowl eligible. "We're 2-0 in the month of November," coach Mark Dantonio said. "We'll try to make it 3-0 when Penn State comes in. And the number seven, for those who are spiritual, means completion. Finishing is something we've made a lot of since the end of last season." Senior receiver Blair White leads the Big Ten with eight touchdowns and the Spartans lead the conference in total offense (413.7 yards per game), but they'll be facing a Nittany Lions defense ranked fourth among Football Bowl Subdivision teams in points allowed (11.6 ppg) and ninth in total yards (272.0). Historically, however, Penn State's defenses haven't fared well in East Lansing. Paterno's team has allowed an average of 36.5 points and 448.3 yards in losing four of six at Spartan Stadium since 1997. Michigan State rallied from a 24-7 third-quarter deficit to win 35-31 on Nov. 17, 2007, Penn State's most recent visit. Clark won't have backup tailback Brandon Beachum (knee) and likely won't have receiver Chaz Powell (shoulder), but the Nittany Lions' biggest concern may be on special teams, where both players contributed. Penn State lost two fumbles fielding punts in the first half against the Hoosiers, and special teams problems plagued it in both losses. The Lions are 107th in punt return average (5.2 ypg), 113th in kickoff returns (18.4), and they allow 16.5 yards per punt return - third-worst in the nation. The Spartans, meanwhile, are seventh nationally in kick return average (26.8 ypg). Paterno, who ranks third in Brown University's history for punt-return yardage, joked he might take matters into his own hands to fix the special teams' issues. "I'm going to try to go out there and show those guys how I used to catch punts and run for touchdowns every time I got my hands on the ball," Paterno said. "(We'll) see if we can beat Michigan State on a punt return."

Preview: Minnesota-Iowa

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:26:00 +0000

First, Iowa's national title hopes disappeared. Next, a potential Rose Bowl spot went out the window. A third consecutive loss to end the regular season might feel just as devastating. The 15th-ranked Hawkeyes look to pick up the pieces, not to mention avoid dwelling on what might have been, as they host Minnesota on Saturday. Iowa (9-2, 5-2 Big Ten) entered this month fourth in the BCS standings, having won its first nine games for the first time in school history. The Hawkeyes continued to have their doubters because only one victory was against a ranked opponent and four were by three points or less. The skeptics were proven right Nov. 7 when the Hawkeyes were knocked out of the BCS national title picture with a shocking 17-10 home loss to Northwestern. Last Saturday, their effort was considered to be a much better one but the result was the same, falling 27-24 in overtime at then-No. 10 Ohio State. While the Buckeyes grabbed the Big Ten's bid to the Rose Bowl, the Hawkeyes' fate changed so much in just two weeks. Now they must win to have any shot of making a BCS bowl or to claim a share of the conference title - Ohio State would have to lose at Michigan for the latter to happen. "This is a big game," offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga said. "We're at two losses right now, but there's still an opportunity to get to a good bowl game if we win this game. There's a lot riding on this." A loss would prevent the Hawkeyes from posting the fourth 10-win regular season in school history and first since 2002, and there's a chance it could drop them out of the AP Top 25 for the first time since September. "We have an awful lot left to play for," coach Kirk Ferentz told the school's official Web site. "We would like to finish up on a positive note." The losses coincide with the injury to starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who hurt his ankle in the first half against Northwestern. James Vandenberg came off the bench to go 9 of 27 for 82 yards with no touchdowns and an interception, then he was picked off three times last Saturday in his first career start. The redshirt freshman also took a third-down sack that knocked Iowa out of field-goal range in overtime, but Vandenberg did help Iowa rally from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter and finished 20 of 33 for 233 yards with a touchdown. "James played with great, great poise," Ferentz said. "He showed great mental toughness and hung in there and kept competing. It was a great, great effort." Vandenberg will start again Saturday, though Stanzi may return for Iowa's bowl game. Stanzi threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns as the Hawkeyes won 55-0 at Minnesota last season for their seventh victory in the last eight meetings. The Gophers have lost four in a row at Iowa City since a 25-21 win in 1999. Minnesota (6-5, 3-4) is looking to halt a 13-game skid against ranked opponents that dates to a win at Michigan on Oct. 8, 2005. Three of those defeats have come this season by a combined 93-28 score. Another blowout could be in store considering the Gophers struggled to beat a Football Championship Subdivision opponent last Saturday, needing Eric Ellestad's 25-yard field goal with 2:22 remaining to defeat South Dakota State 16-13. "Am I pleased about how the game was played? Certainly I'm not," coach Tim Brewster said after his team was held to 231 yards of offense. Minnesota has yet to hold a Big Ten foe under 20 points and has lost three of its last four conference games. The only win in that span saw Adam Weber throw for 416 yards and five touchdowns against Michigan State. In his other five outings over the past six weeks, Weber has thrown for 602 yards with one TD and seven interceptions.

Is 'The Game' not the same?

Jeffrey Sheban — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Not long ago, Michigan players and fans were talking in the past tense about the age-old rivalry with Ohio State. After a string of seven wins against two losses, Michigan coach Gary Moeller in 1992 declared the Buckeyes no longer worthy of being called his team's nemesis. The title, he said, belonged to in-state foe Michigan State. Fans and players repeated the line throughout the decade as Michigan, led by Moeller and successor Lloyd Carr, piled up victories -- seven wins (and a tie) in the 1990s -- like cordwood. Fast-forward to 2009 -- and, wow, how times have changed. The Buckeyes have been in command since 2001, winning seven of eight against that team up north -- including the past five. With Michigan last in the Big Ten and facing the dismal prospect of a second straight losing season under head coach Rich Rodriguez, woe to the Wolverines. "I'll bet you they see us as rivals now," crowed former All-American tailback Archie Griffin, whose OSU teams went 3-0-1 against Michigan from 1972 to '75. As much as Buckeye fans might savor the current streak, though, such dominance isn't necessarily good for The Game. Conventional wisdom and retired coaches might suggest that rivalries never die, but it doesn't take a Ph.D. to realize that the OSU- Michigan series could use a maize-and-blue revival. "Most rivalries, when they become too one-sided, lose some of their appeal," said Columbus sports counselor Chris Stankovich, who has a doctorate in clinical counseling. Lopsided results, he said, can bore the casual viewer and harm the psyche of die-hard fans of both the winners and the losers. "We measure ourselves by our team's success," Stankovich said. "When the local team is winning, it's 'we' and 'us.' When they're losing, it's 'They lost; they stink.' " Buckeyes fan Bill Cooper of Granville takes the notion further. "The winning streaks by Lloyd Carr in the '90s and (coach Jim) Tressel this decade have almost killed the rivalry," lamented the computer consultant, 68. "It's actually like losing a good friend because one of the great things about sports is a great rivalry." The annual matchup -- the last game of the regular season for both teams -- was ranked by ESPN in 2000 as the greatest sports rivalry in North America. Comedian Jon Stewart has compared the game, first played in 1897, to the historical enmity between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Many fans on both sides consider the heyday of the series -- which Michigan leads 57-42-6 -- to be the period between 1969 and 1978, known as the "Ten-Year War." Ohio State and Michigan shared the Big Ten title six times in that span. The era got off to a rousing start when first-year Michigan coach Bo Schembechler's team upset an undefeated, No. 1-ranked Buckeye squad led by his mentor, Woody Hayes. "I've always thought the 1969 game was the most significant Big Ten game ever played," said Ohio State football historian Jack Park. "To this day, it's still Michigan's biggest win and our biggest loss." The downside of losing is obvious: anger, frustration and lack of self-esteem for the vanquished. Cooper remembers how it felt in the '90s to come up short year after year. "It was a case of hopelessness and bitter disappointment," he said. "You eventually get on with your life, but not for two or three weeks." Once-proud Michigan fans can relate. "How does it feel? It sucks," said Wolverines fan Chad Pridemore, a 26-year-old who lives in Sandusky County in northwestern Ohio. "The last five years, the energy level they used to have is just not there. It's frustrating." Some loyalists downplay the effects of losing. "You want us to say we go home and cry like babies?" asked defiant fan Gary Galofaro of suburban Detroit, in town last week for the Blue Jackets-Red Wings hockey game. "If we beat the Buckeyes, we can save the season and ruin theirs." Tom George, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan who specializes in sports psychology, said the dry spell is taking a toll on Wolverine fans. "Five years of losing has been very difficult on them," he said. "When you throw in the fact that Michigan has one of the worst economies in the country, it's been pretty rough around here." Even success, though, has its negative aspects: Too much winning, Stankovich said, can foster unbridled arrogance. "I'm sure there are some people in Columbus who would like to see Michigan win just to keep our fans in check," he said, adding, "I'm not one of them." Nor is Griffin. "Do I want them to beat us to make the rivalry more interesting? No," said the two-time Heisman Trophy winner, who is president and chief executive officer of the OSU Alumni Association. "I want to beat them all the time." jsheban@dispatch.com Copyright 2009 The Columbus DispatchAll Rights Reserved

Michigan in free fall from grace

Bill Rabinowitz — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Michigan had just completed another second-half collapse Saturday against Wisconsin. It was the Wolverines' sixth loss in seven games, but in an instant the past became irrelevant. According to left tackle Mark Ortmann, coach Rich Rodriguez imparted a simple message to his team. "He came off the field into the locker room and said immediately, 'We've got to start thinking about Ohio State. Wisconsin is in the past, and Ohio State is a very beatable team. We just all have to be focused. If you're not all in, don't bother showing up.'" Michigan (5-6) needs a victory Saturday to be eligible for a bowl. But that's not what's driving the Wolverines. "I know with six wins you become bowl-eligible," Ortmann said yesterday. "Me personally, that's not even on my mind. Right now, we're (tied for) last in the Big Ten. A bowl would be nice, but a victory over Ohio State would be better than any bowl we could go to." Ortmann is a fifth-year senior. No current Michigan player has been part of a victory over Ohio State. The thought of bearing that legacy stings. "It's a lot of motivation," senior defensive end Brandon Graham said. "It's a lot for the whole team. If you can't get jacked up for this one, I don't know where you've been or what you've been thinking about. This game should give you some kind of chills. I just can't wait until Saturday." Graham and Ortmann organized a players-only meeting yesterday to stress the importance of Saturday's game. "We don't have a lot of vocal leaders," Ortmann said. "We have a lot of leaders who lead by example. I think some of those individuals, including myself, will speak up a little more and try to get everybody on the same page for this last one." That the Wolverines are in this situation seemed unlikely in September. Michigan won its first four games and seemed to have put last year's 3-9 debacle in the past. But while the offense has generated the most points in the Big Ten (31.3 per game), the Wolverines' defense has been a sieve, particularly late in games. In the last four games, Michigan has been outscored 99-19 after halftime. Last year, Ohio State overwhelmed the Wolverines 42-7. This year, there's reason for Michigan to believe it can be competitive. The Wolverines have been maddeningly inconsistent, but they have shown plenty of flashes of ability. "If we play well and play within ourselves and don't make the major mistakes here and there, it's going to be a ballgame," Rodriguez said. "But we've got to play really well. Who knows, maybe they'll make a few mistakes themselves." The Wolverines will be drawing on their past to supply a little extra motivation. They are bringing back as honorary captains their players from the 1969 team that triggered the Ten Year War by upsetting top-ranked Ohio State 24-12. Rodriguez remembers watching that game. Though Rodriguez had no Michigan ties before taking over the job at the end of 2007, he said he understands the intensity of the rivalry. "The first day I got the job, someone gave me a 'Beat Ohio State' button," Rodriguez said. "I still have it on my desk. "If you follow college football, you understand the rivalry. Just because I did not coach here before and did not play here and am not from the state of Michigan does not mean I don't understand the rivalry. Trust me, I understand the rivalry as well as any coach could possibly understand it." Now it's his task to reverse Ohio State's dominance this decade. "We're not going to go there to just show up and hope it's close," Rodriguez said. "We're going to compete to win and see what we can do. It's going to be a tremendous challenge, but it's been a tremendous challenge for anybody who's played Ohio State the past several years." brabinowitz@dispatch.com Copyright 2009 The Columbus DispatchAll Rights Reserved

Ohio St OL Boren twice considered a traitor

Rusty Miller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:51:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio(AP) In these parts, people don't change sides easily. You're either born a Michigan fan or your bassinet has scarlet and gray trim. That's why, in the days leading up to No. 9 Ohio State at Michigan on Saturday, there is so much talk about the curious case of Justin Boren. Boren is from Ohio and starts at left guard for the Buckeyes. But he used to play for the Wolverines. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel did not permit Boren to speak with reporters this week. But many of his teammates, current and former, had a lot to say. "When I was a freshman he came in during one of our meetings (on a recruiting visit) - and he just fell asleep,'' said Ohio State's Jim Cordle, who now starts next to Boren at tackle and calls him one of his best friends. "This big meatball just comes in and falls asleep. You heard all the talk about him going to Michigan and stuff, and then he did.'' For the next two years, the Buckeyes seethed that a kid who grew up less than 20 miles from Ohio Stadium was now wearing maize and blue. So he was considered a turncoat - for the first time. "During the Michigan game when you go out for warmups, both teams are coming out of the same tunnel,'' Cordle said, reflecting on the 2007 game. "When we went out for warmups, he was coming back in, and I saw him and I kind of stared him down. I was like, 'There's Boren.''' But then Boren grew disenchanted with Michigan when coach Lloyd Carr retired two years ago and was replaced by Rich Rodriguez. Boren - whose father played at Michigan - stunned both states when he announced he was transferring to Ohio State because, as he put it, "family values have eroded'' in the Wolverines' program. "That was just an excuse about why he wanted to leave,'' Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham said. "He put that on himself. He didn't give (the coaches) a chance when they got here, and he was just so used to the coach Carr era, he didn't want to get used to nothing else.'' Michigan offensive lineman David Moosman clearly didn't want to discuss Boren. "Just didn't want to be here. ... Probably shouldn't have come in the first place,'' he said. "Who's fault was that?'' Asked if he would ever allow his own son - should he someday have one - to attend Ohio State, Graham scowled. "No. I wouldn't do that. I couldn't do that,'' he said. "I'm not Justin Boren. I couldn't do that.'' Once seen as a traitor by Ohio State fans, now Boren is a favorite son. Once a starter for the Wolverines, he's now seen as Benedict Arnold in shoulder pads by Michigan faithful. "He came to the good side, and here he is,'' Cordle said with a grin. Without insight from Boren, no one knows what he is thinking this week. Even his teammates are wondering. "He's going to have a lot of internal things going on,'' Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman said. "It's going to be a motivation for him to play. He's usually an animal out there with his mindset. I think this is going to be a totally different game. I would like to watch him throughout the game.'' It's almost unheard of for one player to switch uniforms in this most heated of rivalries. Yet Hall of Fame Michigan coach Bo Schembechler was from Ohio and a loyal assistant to Woody Hayes at Ohio State before becoming Hayes' nemesis in their ``Ten-year War'' from 1969-78. Gary Moeller was the captain of the 1962 Ohio State team, but later was coach of the Wolverines. Sometimes "The Game'' splits families. Perhaps the most famous matchup in the series was the 1950 ``Snow Bowl'' game played in Columbus. A blizzard with freezing temperatures and 40 mph winds hit Ohio Stadium that Saturday, paralyzing the city. The Wolverines won 9-3, thanks to a safety and Tony Momsen's blocked punt and recovery in the end zone. Momsen was the older brother of Ohio State's Bob Momsen, who had earlier blocked a punt to set up the Buckeyes' only points. Must have been an interesting postgame dinner for the Momsens. Ohio State wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher grew up in Toledo, in the middle between the schools and almost split down the middle in its allegiance this Saturday. Sanzenbacher grew up an Ohio State fan and wasn't recruited by Michigan, but felt the pull of the rivalry at a young age. "You're always split down the middle, especially in Toledo,'' he said. "There were always plenty of Michigan fans to tell you about it.'' More than most, he recognizes how a game like Ohio State-Michigan can both unify and polarize. "For both of these teams the passion from their fans runs a little bit deeper,'' he said. "They're not going to be flip-floppers about it.''

Badgers eye share of Big Ten title

ANTHONY GIORNALISTA — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:38:00 +0000

Wisconsin's rushing attack and passing game aren't accustomed to dividing the spotlight. A balanced approach, though, may help the Badgers earn a share of the Big Ten title. The 17th-ranked Badgers, with quarterback Scott Tolzien and receiver Nick Toon giving their offense a new look, have a chance to become the league's co-champion as they visit Northwestern on Saturday. Wisconsin (8-2, 5-2) is out of the running for the Big Ten's BCS bid, earned by Ohio State with its win over Iowa last Saturday, but it can finish with at least a share of the conference championship for the first time since 1999. The Badgers, Hawkeyes and Penn State can become co-champions with victories Saturday combined with a Buckeyes loss to Michigan. Ohio State earned a trip to the Rose Bowl because it holds the tiebreaker advantage over all of those teams. Wisconsin beat the Wolverines 45-24 last Saturday for its third straight win, getting an outstanding effort from Tolzien and Toon. Tolzien tied a career high with four touchdown passes - two were to Toon - and ran for a score to earn Big Ten offensive player of the week honors. Tolzien's play has been a key factor in the Badgers' success. He has a 156.4 rating in their eight wins, throwing for 14 touchdowns and four interceptions, compared to no TDs and five INTs in their two defeats. He's helped add another dimension to the Wisconsin offense after a few seasons of instability in the team's passing game. "It's good just to have another element of our offense to be able to throw the ball and not put it all on the run game," Tolzien said. "It's fun to be able to throw it, too." Toon has emerged as Tolzien's top target. The son of former Wisconsin star and NFL All-Pro Al Toon, he leads the Badgers with 42 catches for 633 yards and four TDs. With his second score against Michigan, the 6-foot-3 Toon displayed some of the skill for which his father was once known, going over the top of a cornerback to grab the ball despite being interfered with. "Yeah, he's a playmaker," Tolzien. "The best thing he has going for him is his confidence." Tolzien has the third-best passer rating in the Big Ten (138.7), but Wisconsin is still a run-first team and leads the conference with 208.0 rushing yards per contest. The Badgers have rushed for more than 200 in three straight games. They're led by John Clay, who has a Big Ten-best 1,149 yards and 12 TDs on the ground. "Welcome to Wisconsin football - that's what we do," coach Bret Bielema said. Northwestern (7-4, 4-3) gave up 212 yards rushing to Illinois last Saturday, but Mike Kafka threw for 305 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score to lead the Wildcats to a 21-16 win. The victory improved Northwestern's bowl possibilities. The Wildcats, playing their regular-season finale, will appear in consecutive bowls for the first time since the Rose and Citrus following the 1995 and '96 seasons. "We're not satisfied with seven wins," Kafka said. "We want to go out and get that eighth win." Having Kafka healthy should help. He went 23 of 37 without an interception after missing most of the previous two games due to a hamstring injury. His favorite receiver continues to be Zeke Markshausen, who had six catches for 104 yards and a TD versus the Illini. He's among the Big Ten leaders with 76 receptions and 737 yards. Northwestern lost 41-9 at Wisconsin on Oct. 7, 2006, in the last meeting between the teams. The Badgers lead the series 55-32-5 but have lost their only two games in Evanston this decade.

Ohio St. vs. Michigan: Just another game?

Rusty Miller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:53:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) For years, the annual showdown between rivals Ohio State and Michigan has been called ``The Game.'' Maybe this year it should be referred to as The ``Just Another'' Game. No. 9 Ohio State (9-2, 6-1) has already assured itself of its first spot in the Rose Bowl in 13 years after clinching at least a share of the Big Ten title and the conference's Bowl Championship Series automatic berth with Saturday's 27-24 overtime victory over 15th-ranked Iowa. "We told our guys they could have three hours to savor that, but when the clock strikes 12 o'clock, we know what week it is,'' coach Jim Tressel said. In other words, it's time for the contest with the Buckeyes' biggest rival, Michigan. The Wolverines (5-6, 1-6) have lost four in a row and six of the last seven and remain tied for last in the Big Ten after Saturday's 45-24 beating at the hands of Wisconsin. "There's no question we've got one more chance,'' embattled Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said in Madison, Wis. "I've asked the team to be extra focused. We've been focused all year, but this is the biggest game of the year. Our guys know that.'' What used to be the red-letter day on the calendar for each team has become one of relatively minor rewards. In addition to sticking it to their nemesis, the Buckeyes would like to win an outright conference title. But it's hard to imagine anyone rallying to the battle cry of "Avoid a co-championship!'' Asked if the teams' vastly different fortunes and the Buckeyes' recent accomplishments would make it difficult to get up for Michigan, Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman said, ``It's not tough at all. We want to win the championship outright and to beat Michigan. That's a lot of motivation to play well.'' The Buckeyes have beaten two top-15 teams in as many weeks, knocking off then-No. 11 Penn State 24-7 in Happy Valley two weeks ago. Those two wins gave them the Rose Bowl bid - and a Jan. 1 date against the Pac-10 winner. No. 11 Oregon (8-2, 6-1) currently leads that race, with Stanford (7-3, 6-2), Oregon State (7-3, 5-2) and Arizona (6-3, 4-2) hot on the webbed feet of the Ducks. "We're not worried about the bowl game right now, we're just worried about Michigan,'' Ohio State defensive end Lawrence Wilson said. ``Michigan is a good team and it's a huge rivalry. It's the biggest rivalry in sports.'' Besides, it's not as if Ohio State is steamrolling teams. The offense remains a question mark, with quarterback Terrelle Pryor and the rest of the Buckeyes playing adequately but not much better. Backs Brandon Saine (103 yards on 11 carries) and Dan Herron (97 on 32) combining for 200 yards rushing and three touchdowns. But Pryor totaled just 93 yards on his 14 completions. And Tressel showed little faith in his offense by basically killing time until the overtime and then using three plunges into the line to set up Devin Barclay's 39-yard game-winning field goal. "We're going to have to get better for next week,'' Tressel said. ``And we're going on the road in the big one.'' Michigan needs a win to salvage its season, but that's sort of like putting lipstick on a pig. A victory would give the Wolverines, who are coming off a 3-9 season a year ago in Rich Rodriguez's debut in Ann Arbor, the minimum requirement for playing in a bowl game - a non-losing record. The Wolverines could also avoid the Big Ten cellar, hardly a blood-boiling bit of motivation, in addition to knocking their neighbors to the south down a peg or two. Rodriguez believes the game is still, well, The Game. "It's not going to be a game that either team needs to get fired up for,'' he said. "It's Michigan and Ohio State. We got a lot at stake. It's at our place and it's our seniors' last game. The focus this week should be great, I just hope the play is great.'' One other incentive for Rodriguez and his players might be securing the coach's job. It seems unimaginable that Michigan would pull the plug on RichRod and his acclaimed spread attack after only two seasons, but then again the Wolverines hadn't missed a bowl game in 33 years before missing a year ago. The man who brought Rodriguez to Michigan, athletic director Bill Martin, has announced he is retiring effective Sept. 4, 2010. Is it possible that the new AD might want to mollify many unhappy fans and ex-players and tear the whole program up to start over with a new head coach? Usually the Ohio State-Michigan game is the ultimate winner-take-all contest in the Big Ten. Focus has never been a problem. It has been simple: See rival, beat rival, celebrate. But this year, the Buckeyes have accomplished so much already - and the Wolverines have struggled so much - it's not surprising that the focus might not be there. "We've worked so hard for this and I'm so relieved,'' Coleman said in the din of the postgame celebration. "I think we still have some unfinished business up in Michigan, but right now we're on top of the world. (This week) we've got to get back to work and get ready for Michigan.'' For once that might be hard to do.

BCS creates new executive director role

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:55:00 +0000

GREENSBORO, N.C.(AP) BCS officials have selected Bill Hancock to become the first executive director of the postseason system. BCS coordinator and Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford announced Hancock's promotion from administrator to his new position on Tuesday. Hancock will replace the BCS coordinator. The coordinator position has rotated on a two-year basis between conference commissioners since the Bowl Championship Series was implemented in 1998. Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford's two-year term as coordinator will end Jan. 7. At that point Hancock, who has been working as an administrator and spokesman for the BCS since 2005, will assume most of the coordinator's duties. Big East commissioner John Marinatto would have been the next in line to take over the role of BCS coordinator.

Penn St. sets sights on 10-2 finish

Joe Juliano; Inquirer Staff Writer — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Some of the more disenchanted members of Nittany Nation may be wondering why Penn State is even bothering to continue its season now that a Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl bid are no longer at stake. Penn State went 0-2 at home against Iowa and Ohio State, the only two nationally ranked teams on its schedule. The Lions were shut out in the second half of both games. The only use fans had for their white T-shirts after the games was to dab the tears from their eyes. But coach Joe Paterno has news for those mourning the season: It's not over yet. While there's no Rose Bowl and probably not a BCS bowl in their future, the Nittany Lions still can finish the regular season with 10 victories. The Lions (8-2 overall, 4-2 Big Ten) start that drive today at Beaver Stadium in their home finale against Indiana and can finish it off next weekend at Michigan State. Then it's probably a bowl game in Florida, not a bad place to be on Jan. 1. "You know, 8-2 isn't a disaster," Paterno said this week. "That's where we are, all right? Obviously, when you lose to a couple of good football teams at home, you don't score a point against either one of them in the second half, you've got concerns. "But I still think we have a bunch of kids that want to go out there and do well. For me to go out there and do anything but encourage them, that's just not my style. We'll practice hard this week and see how good we are. I'm not going to get into what expectations people have." Those expectations, naturally, started out with the thought the Lions would be in the mix for the national championship. That dream turned into a faint flicker after the rain-soaked loss to Iowa and was snuffed out completely last week by Ohio State. Now, the Lions must take satisfaction where they can find it. "Winning those last two games would make it a success for us," linebacker Sean Lee said. "Will we accomplish our goal of winning a national title? No. But we can win our last two games and go to a bowl. I know every game we've played our hearts out and, to me, that means we've been successful." Quarterback Daryll Clark called a 10-2 finish "our main goal right now, and we'll be extremely disappointed if we're not able to do it." It can be argued that, of all the Nittany Lions, Clark wants to erase the bitter taste of the loss to the Buckeyes most. "Either we go into the tank and lose those last two games or we work hard and win," Clark said. "The coaches aren't going to allow us to do that. With the leadership on this football team, we're going to make sure that everyone . . . focuses on Indiana." They had better. The Hoosiers (4-6, 1-5) may be the conference's unluckiest team, losing three league games by three points or fewer. They had chances to win at Michigan and at Iowa. "Our guys have played pretty well in those environments this year," Indiana coach Bill Lynch said. "They played well at Michigan and Iowa. Fortunately, our guys have been [at Beaver Stadium] and understand what they are getting into." The Hoosiers run the pistol offense, with a running back standing 3 to 4 yards behind the quarterback, who is lined up in the shotgun. Quarterback Ben Chappell is second in the Big Ten in passing yards at 237.7 per game, and receiver Tandon Doss has 65 catches for 843 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, senior end Jammie Kirlew is one of the best in the Big Ten, with 13.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. The Hoosiers, with the league's top kickoff-return man in Ray Fisher, could give the Lions' beleaguered special teams some problems. So Penn State will have its hands full today as it tries to chase down a reset but attainable goal. "I think if we end up 10-2," Paterno said, "that's a pretty good year - if we end up 10-2." Contact staff writer Joe Juliano at 215-854-4494 or jjuliano@phillynews.com . Copyright 2009 Philadelphia Newspapers, LLCAll Rights Reserved