Big Ten Network : Ohio State Top Stories

Ohio St. beats Michigan, wins outright title

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:26:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Terrelle Pryor is thankful he chose to play at Ohio State, instead of for Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines. Pryor threw a touchdown for the final score in the third quarter and avoided making many mistakes to help the ninth-ranked Buckeyes beat Michigan 21-10 Saturday for its sixth straight win in the series and an outright Big Ten title. "I'm glad I'm on this side," Pryor said. Ohio State (10-2, 7-1) has won five straight conference championships and will play in the Rose Bowl with a five-game winning streak. "When you're undefeated in November, good things are going to happen over the holidays," coach Jim Tressel said. Michigan wouldn't know. The Wolverines lost their last five games and beat only Delaware State after September to finish 5-7. College football's winningest program has endured consecutive losing years for the first time since the 1962-63 seasons. Freshman Tate Forcier threw four interceptions and fumbled in his end zone, spoiling Michigan's chances of an upset it needed to become bowl-eligible. "I lost that game," Forcier wrote in a text message to The Associated Press about an hour after the game. "This offseason, I'm gonna make sure myself and every single person on this team works the hardest we have ever worked. "We're gonna come back a a new team. I'm not going to let this happen again." Michigan's flop followed a school-record nine-loss year in Rodriguez's debut in Ann Arbor. "I'm tired of being humbled," Rodriguez said. He said earlier in the week the Wolverines would not be "doomed" if they were shut out of the bowl picture. But he desperately needed the feel-good victory to take some heat off him -- especially with an NCAA investigation looming over his program. Does Rodriguez fear losing his job? "No," he said. Tressel, meanwhile, can probably coach the Buckeyes as long as he wants with the success he's had overall and especially against their rival. He improved to 8-1 against Michigan and extended Ohio State's longest winning streak that matches the best run in the rivalry since Michigan also won six in a row in the 1920s. Forcier fumbled on his first drive and Cameron Heyward recovered to give Ohio State a 7-0 lead. He threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter. "Turnovers and rushing game are always going to be the key to this game," Tressel said. Ohio State turned the ball over only once, on Pryor's deflected pass, and outrushed Michigan 251-80. Dan Herron had 96 yards rushing, Brandon Saine ran for 84 yards and scored on a 29-yard run on a play in which his team was misaligned, and Pryor finished with 74 yards on the ground. "They couldn't stop the run," Pryor said. Pryor wasn't spectacular -- 9 of 17 for 67 yards with a TD and an interception -- when Tressel asked him to throw, but the sophomore made some smart plays such as throwing the ball out of bounds instead of taking a sack. He perfectly lofted a screen pass to Herron, whose 12-yard touchdown gave the Buckeyes a 21-10 lead. "It was a momentum-changer," Pryor said. "We needed that touchdown or maybe Tate Forcier would've taken them right back down the field again." Or, not. Forcier, who made two game-winning passes in September, had not thrown more than one interception in a game and entered the game with just six this season. Ohio State's Kurt Coleman made two interceptions, the second coming after a video review at the Buckeyes 6 early in the fourth quarter. Forcier threw his third interception on the ensuing drive, making an ill-advised pass that cornerback Devon Torrence caught in the end zone with 8 minutes left. Perhaps fittingly, the Wolverines were flagged for having five men in the backfield on their final snap. The Buckeyes ran out the clock much to the delight of thousands of their fans who were at the Big House to witness the scarlet-and-gray seniors sweep the Wolverines in their careers. "This is what you dream of," Coleman said. "I'm able to say I left a lasting legacy against Michigan."

Seniors help send Purdue past Ohio State, 3-1

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:58:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - It was a big night for the Boilermaker seniors as Purdue downed Ohio State 3-1 Saturday night in the final home match of their careers. Outside hitter Carrie Gurnell eclipsed the 1,000 kill mark, while pacing the team with 20 kills and adding nine digs. Outside hitter/setter Sam Ainsworth pounded down four kills and added three blocks in her third start of the season. Freshman Ariel Turner and sophomore Tiffany Fisher joined Gurnell in double-digits with kill tallies of 12 and 11 respectively. Junior Jaclyn Hart narrowly missed a double-double with nine kills and 48 assists, while freshman Anna Drewry chipped in seven kills and a match-high eight blocks. Defensively, redshirt sophomore Blair Bashen led the way with 18 digs. Gurnell added nine, while sophomore Emily Ehlers and freshman Carly Cramer each pulled up eight. Ehlers also served up two aces. The Boilermakers owned the first half of the opening set, taking an early 3-0 lead and going on to lead 8-5. A block by Gurnell and Drewry and back-to-back aces by Ehlers accounted for the first three points. Three OSU miscues coupled with kills by Fisher and Hart brought about the latter score. The Buckeyes scored five of the next six points to go ahead 10-9. After a tie at 10, Ohio State pushed its advantage to five at 17-12. Purdue chipped away, cutting the margin to one at 22-21 after an overpass kill by Gurnell and an ace by Bashen. The Buckeyes got the first shot at the set at 24-22, but a Gurnell kill and a block by Fisher and Turner knotted the score at 24. A Kristen Dozier kill set OSU up again, but a Fisher putaway thwarted the effort. A stuff by Drewry and Turner put Purdue on the hill at 26-25. A Buckeye kill kept the set going, but a Turner kill and a block by Turner and 5-foot-6 defensive specialist Carly Cramer, who was in the front row after the Boilermakers used up its substitutions. Gurnell racked up six kills in the 28-26 win. Purdue led the second set front start to finish, allowing only a tie at 1-1 and boasting an advantage of as many as seven. The Boilermakers started the stanza with an 11-5 lead as Hart racked up three kills and senior Sam Ainsworth chipped in two. A solo stuff by Drewry capped the early rally. OSU cut the deficit to four at 13-9, but Purdue pushed ahead to a 17-10 margin after two Buckeye miscues and kills from Fisher and Hart. Ohio State crept back into the game, pulling within one at 19-18. A kill and a block by Drewry and Gurnell made it a three-point game, but OSU countered with a pair of kills. The Boilermaker seniors, Gurnell and Ainsworth put down kills to stretch the Purdue lead to 23-20. A Purdue error and an OSU putaway kept things going. Ainsworth tallied another kill to make it 24-22 Boilermakers, and Gurnell put the final nail in the 25-23 win two serves later. The senior duo and Hart tallied four kills apiece as Purdue outhit the Buckeyes .469 to .243 in the set. The Boilermakers led 4-2 in the third set after a pair of Gurnell kills and another from Drewry, but OSU quickly charged back to go up 5-4. Purdue tied it up at five and six, but soon trailed the Buckeyes by six at 13-6. Gurnell then tallied her 1,000th career kill to kick off a Boilermaker rally including four killls off her hand, which pulled Purdue within four at 15-11. Down 17-11, an OSU service error and a Turner putaway made it a four-point game again, but that is as close as the Boilermakers would come. Ohio State won the set 25-16. Gurnell racked up six kills in the set, but the Buckeyes outhit Purdue .591 to .231 in the stanza. Set four again belonged to the Boilermakers. Purdue jumped out to a 9-3 advantage as Fisher put down three kills and contributed on a block. Three Buckeye errors and a solo block by Drewry also aided in the run. OSU cut the margin to three at 15-12, prompting a Boilermaker timeout. Purdue scored three of the next five points, two on Gurnell kills and another by Drewry to go up 18-14. Ohio State scored seven of the next nine to vault into the lead at 21-20. The Boilermakers countered with five of the next eight points, two on Hart putaways, to regain the lead at 25-24. A Buckeye kill thwarted Purdue's first match point attempt, but back-to-back blocks clinched the 27-25 win. A solo block from Drewry and a combined effort by Fisher and Ainsworth capped the victory. Purdue posted a .310 hitting percentage in the stanza, while Gurnell and Fisher each tallied five kills and Turner added four. The Boilermakers (13-16, 5-13 Big Ten) wrap up the regular season at Iowa and Wisconsin next weekend.

Ohio State falls to Ferris State in overtime

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:13:00 +0000

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The Ohio State men's hockey team lost to Ferris State in overtime, 6-5, Saturday in game two of a CCHA series. The Buckeyes (5-8-1, 4-5-1-1 CCHA) led 5-2 early in the third period but the Bulldogs (9-3-2, 4-2-2-2 CCHA) scored four unanswered for the win. The game-tying goal came on the power play at 19:09 and the winner was put home at 4:38 of overtime, also with the man advantage. The Buckeyes were led by the line of Zac Dalpe, Sergio Somma and Peter Boyd who combined for 11 points. Dalpe posted a career-best and four points on two goals and two assists. Somma had two goals and a helper for a personal-best three-point night and Boyd recorded helpers on all four goals scored by the line for a personal-high four assists and points. Ohio State led 2-0 after the first. Taylor Stefishen put the Buckeyes on the board at 8:04, putting a shot over the FSU goalie who was on the ice. John Albert and Ian Boots picked up the helpers on the goal, marking Boots' first point of the season. Somma made the score 2-0 when he got to a rebound of a Dalpe shot and scored his fourth goal of the season shortside, with Boyd getting the second assist. The Buckeyes had an extended 5-on-3 power play late in the period, but did not convert. Buckeye sophomore goalie Cal Heeter had 13 saves in the period. Ohio State put nine shots on net in the stanza. Somma extended the Buckeye lead to 3-0 at 3:36 of the second, taking a pass from Boyd who was behind the net and scoring on a quick shot. Dalpe picked up the second helper on the goal, which chased starting goalie Pat Nagle. The Bulldogs scored at 8:54 when Justin Menke tallied on the power play but Ohio State responded 1:01 later (9:55) when Dalpe found the back of the net after work down low by Boyd. Matthew Kirzinger followed with a goal at 12:31 after a scramble by the Buckeye net to cut the lead to 4-2. Shots were 12-6 in favor of Ferris State. Dalpe scored his second of the night 2:45 into the third period to make the score 5-2, putting the rebound of a Somma shot home, with Boyd on the second assist. The Bulldogs converted on the power play less than three minutes later when Cody Chupp scored at 5:42. Chupp got his second of the night at 11:47 to draw the Bulldogs within one. The Buckeyes thought they had gained another two-goal edge when a power-play shot was called a goal on the ice, but an overhead review reversed the call, saying the puck had been knocked in with a high stick. With time winding down a Buckeye was assessed a penalty with 1:06 remaining and the Bulldogs tied the game when Blair Riley scored on the rebound with 51 seconds left in regulation. The Bulldogs outshot the Buckeyes, 16-9, in the period. The teams were nearly through overtime when a penalty was called on Ohio State with 28 seconds remaining. The Bulldogs wasted no time getting the winner, scoring just six seconds later following a faceoff win. Each team had two shots in OT. The Bulldogs outshot the Buckeyes, 43-26, a Buckeye opponent season-high this year. Heeter ended the night with 37 saves in 64:28. Taylor Nelson, who came in during the second period, got the win, making 14 saves in 41:16. Starter Pat Nagle had seven stops and allowed three goals in 23:33. The Buckeyes had one power-play goal on six chances. The Bulldogs were 4-for-6 with the man advantage. The Buckeyes will take a break from conference action next week when they travel to Grand Forks, N.D., for the Subway Holiday Classic. The Buckeyes will take on host North Dakota at 7:37 CT Friday and Bemidji State at 4:07 p.m. CT Saturday. Postgame Notes Dalpe, the Buckeyes' leading scorer with eight goals, eight assists and 16 points, had the first four-point game of his Buckeye career. He has nine points in his last four games combined and is on a five-game scoring streak, with points in 10 of his last 11 outings. He was a personal-best +4 in the contest. Boyd had a career-high four assists after eight games with two assists as a Buckeye. It was his first career four-point game after six three-point nights. He is on a four-game scoring streak, with three goals and four assists for seven points in the stretch. His +4 rating was a career high. It was the first four-assist game since Andrew Schembri against Michigan Feb. 24, 2007. Somma had two goals for the third time in his career, adding an assist for a career-best three points. He had nine games with two points. He was +4 in the game to mark a personal best. Freshman defenseman Devon Krogh and Stefishen were each a personal-best +3 in the win. The Buckeyes were swept in a road series for the first time since losing two games at Michigan Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2008. This was the Buckeyes' second overtime game of the year. The team tied at Notre Dame Oct. 31 and won the shootout. It was the squad's first OT loss since Feb. 6 vs. Notre Dame. Ferris State had a Buckeye opponent season-high 43 goals, the first time the Buckeyes gave up 40 or more shots since Jan. 17, also at Ferris State.

Buckeyes overcome Lehigh

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:00:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The coaches of the third-ranked Ohio State wrestling team (1-0) knew they would have their hands full against a talented Lehigh squad, which came into the match Friday in St. John Arena No. 16 in the nation. With that said, a fast start was crucial to the Buckeyes' success and that is exactly what they got when Nikko Triggas scored six team points on a pin en route to an Ohio State 22-12 victory to open up action in the Buckeyes' home opener. In all, Ohio State won six of 10 bouts, including a crucial major decision by Colt Sponseller at 165 pounds and back-to-back 4-3 decisions by No. 3 Mike Pucillo and Cody Magrum at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively. Also registering in the "win" column was No. 1 Reece Humphrey with a 7-1 victory, as well as No. 3 Lance Palmer, who also was a 7-1 winner. Triggas, a junior from Moraga, Calif., and John McDonald entered the third period knotted up at 5-all at 125 pounds. However, Triggas quickly took control in the final stanza, recording a takedown and 3-point nearfall before finally pinning McDonald 5:50 into the bout. True freshman Ian Paddock, a native of Warsaw, N.Y., suffered an 8-3 setback at 133 pounds. In his first collegiate dual match, Paddock trailed No. 12 Matt Fisk throughout the match. At 141 pounds, senior tri-captain Humphrey, who hails from Indianapolis, Ind., was the second Buckeye to put points on the board. Up, 2-0 after the first period and 4-1 following the second against 15th-ranked Seth Ciasulli, Humphrey's takedown and riding time of 1:38 in the final two minutes gave the Buckeyes a 9-3 lead. While also preparing to wrestle in the 44th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic Sunday, Palmer, a captain from Columbia Station, Ohio, made his case for participation in the prestigious tournament Friday after handing Brian Tanen a 7-1 loss at 149 pounds. With a slim 2-1 lead in the first period, Palmer scored a reversal, 2-point nearfall and compiled a riding time of 3:33 to finish off the Mountain Hawk. Palmer will take off for Cal State Fullerton Saturday for the All-Star Classic and will wrestle fifth-ranked Kyle Borshoff of American. With Ohio State owning a 12-6 lead, redshirt-freshman Tony Jameson, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, held a 9-3 advantage heading into the third period at 157 pounds. However, Sean Bilodeau was able to rally, recording a takedown, 2-point nearfall and reversal before registering a 3-point nearfall in the final seconds of the period to win 12-11. Up next at 165 pounds, Sponseller gave the Buckeyes a crucial four points as he defeated Brandon Hatchett, 19-7. For the match, the Buckeye from Glenmont, Ohio, amassed nine takedowns and a 2:48 riding time to lift the Buckeyes to a 16-6 lead. Senior Dave Rella lost a heartbreaker to Robert Hamlin on 11 seconds of riding time at 174 pounds. The bout was a closely contested match that exhausted all overtime opportunities. Coming off a loss in the final of the Oklahoma Gold Classic, 184-pounded Pucillo rebounded nicely against No. 12 David Craig with his 4-3 victory. The senior captain from Strongsville, Ohio, secured a late takedown in the third period for the win. After seeing frequent action in open tournaments last season as a redshirt-freshman, Magrum completed his first collegiate dual meet with a 4-3 win and most importantly a 22-9 Ohio State lead. Following a scoreless tie after the first, Magrum, who hails from Oak Harbor, Ohio, took a 3-0 lead into the third before locking in the victory at 197 pounds courtesy of a 1:18 riding time. Senior Corey Morrison nearly pulled off the rally and upset at heavyweight as he was going up against No. 5 Zach Rey. Trailing 5-2 after the second, Morrison, who is from Shaker Heights, Ohio, scored an early escape and took advantage of consecutive warning calls on Rey. Down just 5-4, Morrison quickly scored a takedown for the 6-5 lead. However, Morrison was called for a technical violation, which automatically gave Rey a point for the 6-6 tie. Rey also had compiled 1:02 of riding time that gave him the 7-6 win.

Buckeyes fall to Ferris State, 8-1

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:57:00 +0000

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The Ohio State men's hockey team gave up three goals in the first 10 minutes of the game en route to an 8-1 loss to Ferris State Friday in Ewigleben Ice Arena. The Buckeyes (5-7-1, 4-4-1-1 CCHA), who ended a three-game winning streak, and Bulldogs (8-3-2, 3-2-2- CCHA) will close out the series at 5:05 p.m. Saturday. The Bulldogs scored three goals in a 3:44 span in the first. Blair Riley put Ferris State on the board with an unassisted shorthanded goal at 5:11. Cody Chupp added a power-play goal at 7:31 when his wraparound trickled into the Buckeye net. Mike Embach added the third goal at 8:55, scoring on the short side from in close. Shots were 11-9 in favor of the Buckeyes in the first. Zac Dalpe put Ohio State on the board just 54 seconds into the second period with his team-best seventh goal of the year. The Bulldogs followed with a power-play goal at 4:27 and scored three more to close out the period. Riley scored at 10:05 and 14:04 to complete a hat trick, with the second goal 5-on-3 after Dalpe was given a major and game misconduct for checking from behind and a Buckeye penalty killer took a penalty. Matthew Kirzinger tallied just 16 seconds after Riley's third goal, this time on a 5-on-4. Ferris put 15 shots on net in the period, Ohio State 10. In the third Bulldog Eric Alexander scored the only goal with 3:37 left. Buckeye goalie Dustin Carlson stopped 9-of-10 shots in the period. Ferris State outshot the Buckeyes, 34-27, in the game. Carlson started for Ohio State and played the first 8:55 before he was replaced by Heeter. Heeter played the next 25:25 but was then replaced by Carlson at 14:20 of the second. Carlson played 34:35 and had 17 saves, allowing four goals. Heeter had nine saves in 25:25, giving up four goals. Ferris starter Taylor Nelson recorded the win, playing the first two periods and posting 20 saves, giving up one goal. Jordan Barber played the third and had six saves. Ohio State was 0-for-5 on the power play. Ferris converted 4-of-8 chances.

Buckeyes score 3-1 win over Hoosiers

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:48:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State (22-8 overall, 10-7 Big Ten) women's volleyball team had four players record double-figure kills in the 3-1 (25-16, 25-20, 20-25, 25-22) victory at Indiana (15-16, 4-13) Friday night. OSU's Kristen Dozier had a match-high 15 kills against the Hoosiers with Katie Dull and Anna Szerszen posting 13 each and Emily Danks adding 10. Indiana's Kelsey Hall posted a team-high 13 kills with Ashley Benson adding 11 and Jordan Haverly 10. Ohio State held an early 9-6 lead before kills from Taylor Wittmer and Hall and an OSU error tied set one at nine. The Buckeyes responded with two kills from Dull and one from Dozier to take a 12-9 lead. At 14-11, a Jordan Haverly kill and an OSU error cut the lead to one at 14-13. Two Indiana errors and an ace serve from Dull gave Ohio State a 16-13 lead. After an Indiana timeout, a Hoosier error and a solo block from Danks opened a five-point lead for Ohio State at 18-13. At 20-15, two kills from Dozier and two Indiana errors gave the Buckeyes set point at 24-15. An OSU error stopped the set point at 24-16. Ohio State won the set, 25-16, with a Szerszen kill to take a 1-0 lead in the match. The Buckeyes hit .333 for the set to .188 for Indiana. A Sarah Mignin ace serve and an IU error opened set two for Ohio State with a 2-0 lead. A Hall kill cut the Buckeye lead to one at 7-6. Ohio State scored the next seven points starting with kills from Szerszen and Dozier and two Hoosier errors to make it 11-6. The run continued with two ace serves from Danks and a Szerszen kill to make the lead, 14-6. Ohio State held the lead reaching set point at 24-19 with a kill from Dozier. A kill from Hall stopped the set point at 24-20. OSU won the set, 25-20, on an Ashley Hughes kill to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Buckeyes hit .353 for the set to .303 for Indiana. Set three saw 10 ties and three lead changes before a final tie at 13-all. Indiana scored the next three points with an OSU error, a Haverly kill and an ace serve from Benson to take a 16-13 lead. A Kelli Barhorst-Danks block and an Indiana error cut the lead to one at 16-15. Hoosier kills from Wittmer and Hall and an OSU error opened a 19-15 Indiana lead. At 23-19, a Laura Matula ace serve made it set point for Indiana. An IU error stopped the set point at 24-20. Indiana won the set, 25-20, with a kill from Benson to cut the Ohio State lead in the match to 2-1. The Hoosiers hit .158 for the set to .152 for the Buckeyes. Tied at two in set four, kills from Szerszen and Danks gave Ohio State a 4-2 lead. A Benson kill cut the margin to 4-3. The Buckeyes, with two kills from Szerszen, an ace serve from Danks and an Indiana error gave Ohio State an 8-3 lead. Ohio State held a 14-10 lead when a Haverly kill, a Wittmer-Kelci Marschall block and an OSU error cut the margin to one at 14-13. At 15-14, an IU error, a Barhorst block and a kill from Dull gave Ohio State an 18-14 lead. Trailing, 21-16, two OSU errors and a Mary Chaudoin-Benson block cut the lead to two at 21-19. At 22-20, kills from Danks and Dozier gave Ohio State match point at 24-20. Indiana stopped two match points with a Haverly kill and a Wittmer-Haverly block to cut the lead to 24-22. The Buckeyes, with a kill from Szerszen, won the set, 25-22, to win the match, 3-1. Ohio State hit .282 for the set to .275 for Indiana. Ohio State hit .278 for the match to .231 for Indiana. OSU had a 55-51 advantage in kills and an eight-to-four margin in ace serves. OSU's Danks collected a match-high three ace serves. Indiana gave up 12 service errors to seven for Ohio State. At setter, OSU's Hughes recorded 44 assists in the match. IU's Whitney Granado had 22 and Chaudoin, 21 assists. Defensively, Ohio State had a 63-53 advantage in digs. OSU's Chelsea Noble recorded a match-high 20 digs against the Hoosiers. At the net, Indiana had a nine-to-five advantage in team blocks. Wittmer (one solo, three assists) and Benson (two solos, two assists) shared match-high honors with four blocks each.

Turner leads No. 15 Ohio State over No. 13 Cal

JIM O'CONNELL — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:22:00 +0000

NEW YORK (AP)—Evan Turner had 26 points and 14 rebounds, his fourth double-double in as many games, and No. 15 Ohio State beat No. 13 California 76-70 on Friday night in the third-place game of the 2K Sports Classic. The Buckeyes (3-1) went through an opposite experience from their 77-73 loss to No. 6 North Carolina in the semifinals of the tournament that benefits Coaches vs. Cancer. Ohio State trailed by 19 points in the second half against the Tar Heels and was able to finally start hitting from long range and get within two in the final seconds. Against the Golden Bears (2-2), the Buckeyes used a 21-3 run spanning halftime to take a 52-28 lead with 15:40 to play. California answered right away with a 17-4 run—two of Ohio State's points came on a technical foul against Cal coach Mike Montgomery—to get within single digits with 11:28 to go. The Bears took advantage of Ohio State suddenly having trouble taking care of the ball to get within 63-57 with 5:09 left, but Turner, who had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 turnovers against North Carolina, scored eight of the Buckeyes' next 10 points. Jon Diebler added 14 points for Ohio State and Dallas Lauderdale had eight points and seven blocked shots. Jerome Randle had 26 points for California, one more than he had in the 95-73 loss to Syracuse in the semifinals. He was 6 of 12 from 3-point range. Turner, who opened the season with a triple-double against Alcorn State, had six assists and four turnovers. The Buckeyes led 38-25 at halftime behind a long-range shooting performance that was a world away from the first half against North Carolina. Against the Tar Heels the Buckeyes missed their first nine 3-point attempts and North Carolina took advantage to build a 14-point halftime lead. Ohio State finally started hitting from the outside late before running out of time. Against the Golden Bears, Ohio State made five of 11 3-point attempts and was able to close the half with a 7-0 run—started with a 3 by William Buford— for the 13-point lead. Randle hit a 3 to open the second half but the Buckeyes went on a 14-0 run as the Bears missed eight straight shots.

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

No. 6 N. Carolina beats No. 15 Ohio St 77-73

JIM O'CONNELL — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:32:00 +0000

NEW YORK (AP)—Deon Thompson had 15 points and 12 rebounds and No. 6 North Carolina managed to hold on for a 77-73 victory over No. 15 Ohio State in the 2K Sports Classic semifinals on Thursday night. The Tar Heels (4-0), who led by 19 points with 10:23 to play, will face Syracuse, which beat No. 13 California 95-73, in Friday night's championship game of the tournament that benefits Coaches vs. Cancer. North Carolina coach Roy Williams hadn't been overly pleased with the Tar Heels' play in their three double-digit victories, including ones over Florida International and North Carolina Central, to advance to New York. He couldn't find much to be upset with early against Ohio State (2-1) as the defending national champions—only one starter returned from the team that beat Michigan State in April—were in charge for most of the game. The Buckeyes finally started hitting from the outside at the same time the Tar Heels starting missing free throws, and Ohio State was within 75-73 on a 3 by Jon Diebler with 11 seconds left. Larry Drew II, who missed four of his previous six free throws in the final minute, then made two from the line with 11 seconds left for the final margin. Evan Turner, who had a triple-double in Ohio State's opening win over Alcorn State with 14 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists, matched that feat against the Tar Heels but it was a lot different as he finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 turnovers. The 6-foot-7 junior swingman, who had 17 rebounds in each of the first two games, couldn't go anywhere on the court without Marcus Ginyard, North Carolina's defensive specialist who missed most of last season with a stress fracture in his left foot. Turner's time was limited as well by foul trouble, and his second personal was an offensive drawn by Ginyard. Ohio State chipped away at the lead and were finally within single digits when David Lighty scored on a drive that made it 68-60 with 2:09 to go. Ginyard hit a 3 with the shot clock winding down to make it 71-60 with 1:36 to go, but the Buckeyes finally hit from the outside as William Buford and Lighty hit 3s as Drew struggled at the line. Will Graves had 14 points for North Carolina, and Drew finished with 11 points and eight assists and was 6 of 10 from the line. Diebler had 17 points for Ohio State, which finished 6 of 21 from 3-point range after going 1 of 10 in the first half. The Tar Heels had the lead to 10 points within the first 6 minutes, and it reached 16 points three times, the first at 29-13 on a 3-pointer by Ginyard with 5:40 left in the half. Ohio State missed its first nine 3-point attempts, and the Buckeyes finished 1 of 10 from beyond the arc and shot just 29 percent (9 for 31) overall in falling behind 38-24 at the half.

Prahalis leads No. 3 Ohio State past West Virginia

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:17:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)—Samantha Prahalis had 14 points and 12 assists, and No. 3 Ohio State scored the first 17 points to roll past West Virginia 92-69 Thursday night in the semifinals of the Preseason WNIT. The Buckeyes (3-0) will host Oklahoma State on Sunday in the championship game. Jantel Lavender led Ohio State with 19 points, and freshman Tayler Hill added 14. Brittany Johnson had 13, Shavelle Little 11 and Maria Moeller 10 for the balanced Buckeyes, who shot 60 percent from the field. Johnson hit two 3-pointers, Hill had five points and Prahalis four in the 17-0 burst during the first 4 minutes. The Mountaineers (2-1), who got 23 points from Liz Repella, pulled to 27-19 before the Buckeyes went on an 11-0 run.

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.

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

Lavender's 30 lead Ohio State past UAB

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:01:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Jantel Lavender scored 21 of her 30 points in the first half and No. 3 Ohio State beat Alabama-Birmingham 88-55 on Tuesday night. Lavender came close to outscoring the Blazers in the first half when she hit 10 of 11 field goals en route to a 43-24 advantage for the Buckeyes. She made both of her shots in the second half and added five free throws before leaving the game with 10 1/2 minutes remaining and Ohio State comfortably ahead. Brittany Johnson had 15 points and Samantha Prahalis added 13 for the Buckeyes (3-0). Tamika Dukes led the Blazers (1-1) with 20 points and Amber Jones scored 11. UAB was within 19-17 before the Buckeyes gradually pulled away, helped by hitting nine straight field goals in the final seven minutes before halftime. The Buckeyes host West Virginia on Thursday in the semifinals of the Preseason WNIT. The Buckeyes gave up a few offensive rebounds early which helped keep the Blazers close with eight second-chance points. However, the Buckeyes now own a 25-15 lead on the boards.

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

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.''

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.

Forcier's promise provides intrigue against Ohio State

Ken Gordon — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

From the mouth of a freshman comes the kind of spark that could rekindle the flickering flame of The Game. Ohio State heads to Michigan this week, and unlike in past years, relatively little will be at stake. The Buckeyes (9-2, 6-1) already have clinched a share of the Big Ten title and accepted the conference's invitation to the Rose Bowl. (Barring some cataclysmic event, the Buckeyes will not play in the national championship game.) But after Michigan's loss to Wisconsin on Saturday, which dropped the Wolverines to 5-6 (1-6 Big Ten), quarterback Tate Forcier had this to say: "I am going to get (my teammates) to a bowl game," he told the Detroit News. "If it means spending 10 hours in film this week, then I am going to do it. But we are going to get them to a bowl game." Michigan has to beat OSU to have the requisite six victories to be bowl eligible. OSU players were unaware of that remark Saturday immediately after their 27-24 overtime win over Iowa. But they already had their own motivations in mind. "To win (the Big Ten) outright, we've got to win up there," senior defensive tackle Todd Denlinger said. The Buckeyes have won 34 Big Ten titles, including five straight. But only half of those (17) have been outright championships. Of coach Jim Tressel's five previous titles, just two were outright -- 2006 and 2007. Even the 2002 national-title team had to share the conference championship, with Iowa. "For the senior class to go out as outright Big Ten champions is huge," Denlinger said. "There haven't been nearly as many outrights. ... It's a lot harder to do." Under Tressel, Ohio State has won seven of eight games against Michigan, but it seems the stakes have been diminishing in recent years. The Game can never be any bigger than it was in 2006, when for the first time, it pitted the nation's two top-ranked teams (OSU was No. 1). In 2007, victory at Ann Arbor was necessary to clinch a Rose Bowl spot, although the Buckeyes wound up in the national championship game. Last season, despite Michigan's 3-8 mark coming in, OSU needed a win to claim a share of the Big Ten title and keep its hopes alive for a Bowl Championship Series at-large spot. This year, the only drama remaining in the season is watching the Pacific-10 to see who Ohio State will meet in the Rose Bowl. Of the four teams in the hunt, Oregon is the only one that controls its own fate. If the Ducks beat Arizona and Oregon State, they will be heading to Pasadena. Oregon State might have the next-best shot, followed by Stanford and Arizona. With its third Pac-10 loss Saturday, Southern California was eliminated from contention. Ohio State will be shooting for its fourth win in Ann Arbor in the past five tries. The Buckeyes won there in 2001, 2005 and 2007. The Wolverines have lost six of their past seven games after a 4-0 start. But when it comes to The Game, players quickly dismiss the numbers. "There's always so much on the line at Michigan," receiver Dane Sanzenbacher said. "It's its own season in itself. We never take the importance off that game." kgordon@dispatch.com Copyright 2009 The Columbus DispatchAll Rights Reserved

Big Ten champ OSU, 4 others, make NCAA tourney

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Fresh off winning the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships, the Ohio State men's soccer team earned the fourth seed in the NCAA Tournament, announced Monday on ESPNews. Big Ten rivals Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern and Penn State join the Buckeyes in the field. With its highest seed in program history, Ohio State a bye in the first round and will face the winner of Drake vs. Western Illinois Sunday. The time will be announced later this week. "To get a top seed is recognition of the season we have had and the run we had at the end of the season," head coach John Bluem said. "With winning the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships, beating the teams that we did at the end of the season, the RPI just kept get better and better." On the opposite side of the bracket, Boston College and Dartmouth face off in the first round and then take on 13th-seeded St. John's, winner of the Big East Tournament. Undefeated Akron earned the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament, followed by Virginia and Wake Forest with the second and third spots, respectively. With a Top 4 seed, teams earn the right to host through the first four rounds of competition as long as it keeps winning. The Buckeyes are on a four-game winning streak, including two wins as the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament against Indiana and Penn State. With the semifinal win over the Hoosiers, they became the first team to beat IU on its home field twice in one season after having done so just 12 days earlier. Also included in the winning streak of late was a regular-season finale victory against Michigan to clinch the Big Ten Championship. "I'm dumbfounded right now," senior captain Doug Verhoff said. "It's unbelievable how in the middle of the year we were talking about hopefully making the tournament and jumping back on the right track with things. I think a lot of teams -- we had this my sophomore year when we had that run -- a big loss gets to you, and I think our Northwestern loss and our Wisconsin loss kind of got under our skin a little bit and woke us up and since then we've been on the right track." Bluem echoed Verhoff's sentiments on the Wisconsin loss. "We lost that game at Wisconsin and then we won four-straight games against the best teams on our schedule," Bluem said. "The team has found a nice rhythm and the wins have just improved the confidence and belief that the team has in itself to a very good level. At the same time, we are working with them to keep their heads on straight and take it one game at a time." This is the third-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament and seventh overall for the Ohio State men's soccer program, all of which have come under Bluem's reign. As the No. 5 seed, the Buckeyes advanced to the College Cup final in 2007 before falling to Wake Forest. The previous best finish was a trip to the third round in 2004 where they fell to eventual semifinalist Duke. Tickets for all rounds of NCAA competition hosted by Ohio State will be $5 for adults and $3 for children 18 and younger. Stay tuned to OhioStateBuckeyes.com for the second-round game time.

3-game stretch hasn't worn out Buckeyes

Rusty Miller — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:39:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio(AP) Ohio State had to beat Penn State to stay in the Big Ten race. The next week the Buckeyes needed to beat Iowa to win the conference and go to the Rose Bowl. With those missions accomplished the last two weeks, the ninth-ranked Buckeyes now face another big game against archrival Michigan on Saturday. What's on the line for Ohio State this week? "I don't think I can have a good Thanksgiving without winning this game,'' defensive tackle Doug Worthington said Monday. The month of November has brought three consecutive high-pressure games for the Buckeyes (9-2, 6-1), who have wrapped up at least a share of their fifth consecutive Big Ten title. When offensive tackle Jim Cordle walked into Ohio State's practice facility on Monday morning, he was greeted by the team's strength and conditioning director, Eric Lichter. Lichter looked at Cordle, still limping slightly from a midseason foot injury and said, ``I think you peaked last week.'' Cordle looked at him with a smile and responded, ``No, I still have one more game in me and this team has one more game in us.'' The Buckeyes can lock up an outright conference crown by beating their bitter rivals, but that's about it. Michigan (5-6, 1-6) has much more at stake. The Wolverines need a win to qualify for a bowl game, to end a five-game losing skid in conference play, to snap a five-game losing skid to Ohio State, to avoid the basement in the Big Ten and to take some of the heat off embattled second-year head coach Rich Rodriguez. Ohio State's players and coaches swear they haven't been beaten down by the past two grueling games against the best the Big Ten can throw at them. The Buckeyes needed overtime to beat Iowa 27-24 in Columbus on Saturday. "Someone described this month as tough, tougher and toughest,'' coach Jim Tressel said. "We've battled through the tough and the tougher, and now we're excited about the toughest.'' With two-thirds of those hurdles behind them, the Buckeyes find it easier to concentrate on the task at hand. "We knew that this was how our November was going to go,'' wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher said. "We talked about it - all three are huge games and we were going to have to take them one at a time. The week leading up to (each) game we knew it was going to be the most important game of our year. (We were) able to take care of the Penn State and Iowa games, and now all the focus goes onto Michigan.'' Having come through so much, the Buckeyes recognize they have just one game left before getting some time off to nurse their bruises and to catch up on their sleep. "It wears you down, that tough stretch, but what energizes you is this game,'' Cordle said. "There's no way we won't be up for this game.'' The wear and tear has been as much mental as physical. After losing at Purdue on Oct. 17, the Buckeyes have had no margin for error in the Big Ten race. "We couldn't turn the ball over, we could miss assignments. We had to be perfect,'' tight end Jake Ballard said. "We did just about everything to come out with a win against Iowa and Penn State.'' Players and coaches who are a part of Ohio State teams that beat Michigan receive a small, gold charm in the shape of a pair of football pants. It's a prized possession for a Buckeye. In addition to getting yet another one of the trinkets for beating their rivals, the Buckeyes would like nothing more than to deprive the Wolverines of a bowl trip. "I don't think we're going to have any problem with this game as far as getting up for it or being ready for it,'' Worthington said. "It's something that we need, something we want. We're hungry for it. ... Their seniors will go to a bowl game if they beat us, so we don't want to be the guys who lose those gold pants or catapult them to a nice little sunny trip.''