Game Seven: #1 Ohio State 38, Michigan State 7 (10/14/06)

[VprHis]

Premature weather forecast:

Expecting rain/snow Thursday and Friday, but sunny and clear on Saturday. High of 48. Field should be in pretty good shape, in other words. Hopefully we'll have a nice, fast track.


...As far as what there is to do pregame, the Spartan Marching Band holds a pregame concert just across the river from the stadium (starts 90-120 minutes prior to kickoff). I've heard that TBDBITL will be in town, but I have NO idea what their itinerary would look like (any insight??)... Other than that, there's the tailgate scene, or just wandering the banks of the Red Cedar--if you're really bored and wish to sightsee. Fall colors should be pretty good by Saturday.

...Alternatively, you could come over to the lab, and I will put you to work

[osugrad21]

Link

Even MSU QB says game could get "ugly"


COLUMBUS, Ohio What's brewing today with the 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes ...
BUCKEYE BUZZ:@ As if the Michigan State Spartans didn't have enough to worry about _ hosting No. 1-ranked Ohio State this Saturday _ now injuries are quickly eating away any depth they once had.In a 31-13 loss at Michigan in the Big House on Saturday, they might as well have set up a M.A.S.H. unit on the visitors sideline.E Matt Trannon, already nursing a sore hamstring, injured an ankle in the fourth quarter. LB David Herron Jr., who led the Spartans in tackles, suffered a possible concussion and reportedly couldn't remember parts of the game. FS Otis Wiley (wrist) was due for X-rays and DE Clifton Ryan (calf) missed most of the second half.QB Drew Stanton has some bruised ribs.And the Spartans were already without top RB Javon Ringer (knee, gone for the season).QUOTE OF THE DAY:@ Stanton, on the Spartans taking a depleted roster and a three-game losing skid into the contest with the Buckeyes: "If we don't get prepared to play, it could get ugly."OSU INJURIES:@ RT Kirk Barton re-injured a sprained left foot and didn't play after the first quarter. DT David Patterson twisted his left knee and needed some help leaving the field. Coach Jim Tressel said he expected both to be fine.FUN FACT:@ Don't think Ohio State's in a soft part of its schedule? Four of the next five opponents lost on Saturday and the only one that didn't was Indiana, which won 34-32 against another one of the not-so-Fab Five (Illinois), 34-32.

[txbuckeye1983]

After the loss in '98, I will never take a MSU game lightly. After the way they lost last year in Columbus, you know they will be prepared and fired up. Or will they? Sparty is banged up and it seems the Michigan State train has come off the tracks. Apparently the ND loss took everything they had, as evidenced by the loss to lowly Illinois and the sound defeat in the Out House. John L. Smith, for all intents and purposes, is a lame duck coach. Their leader, Drew Stanton, is banged up and he rarely seems to come through when it counts. That said, don't you think John L. and Drew would love to get their season, and bowl aspirations, back on track? Who better to do it against than the #1 team in the land? Where better to do it than on the banks of the Red Cedar? I excpect a dogfight. I expect Michigan State to give us everything they have. And I expect them to keep it close......until they give up a huge, back-breaking play. The only question is when that play will come. I expect it to come sometime near the end of the first half. 34-17, the Good Guys.

[txbuckeye1983]

And if there is anyone out there that hasn't heard it, or wants to enjoy for a second or third time, the Michigan State guy's rant is an all-time classic.

http://houserockbuilt.hipcast.com/do...15acb69e9d.mp3

It's long, but well worth the listen.

[lvbuckeye]

Originally Posted by Jaxbuck

It was 1974 and the final was technically 13-16. We scored a TD on the final play of the game but the refs decided to not let it stand due to a playclock issue. We lost 2 fumbles and an INT in the first half and STILL led 13-9 with about 9 minutes to go in the game.

Many many parallels between the '98 game and the '74 game but in neither case did we lose soundly. I think both losses would have been easier to deal with if we had. These were both soul crushers.

word. the walk out the Shoe that evening felt a lot like a funeral...

[SanAntonioBuck]

We have the keep Jehuu Caulcrick in check. No arm tackles for this big boy. Keep Drew Staton in the pocket, stop he running plays.

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Originally Posted by SATXBuck

We have the keep Jehuu Caulcrick in check. No arm tackles for this big boy.

I agree. You have got to hit a 260 pound guy square. Still, there is a reason he doesn't normally start in front of Ringer. Honestly, I don't know much about him, but at his size, I'm betting he doesn't have much speed. If Trannon is out, there is one less worry for the D as against the spread, and that will help keep this battering ram in check. Hopefully Pitcock spends most of his time in the backfield.

Originally Posted by SATX

Keep Drew Staton in the pocket, stop he running plays.

Indeed. Worked against Drew Tate, so we know the D is up to the task. Not sure who I'd take, Stanton or Tate. If nothing else, Stanton still has the sore ribs.

[VprHis]

Originally Posted by Buckeyeskickbuttocks

Honestly, I don't know much about him, but at his size, I'm betting he doesn't have much speed.

He's fast enough. He's had a lot of success on screens and flares lately. Gets him some momentum and no big uglies in his way....

I can't wait to see Gholston take him on. Or Pitcock. He'll be a concern, but I don't think he's the kind of threat that MSU can ride to victory. Stanton is still Key. If he gets into that mode where he tries to do everything by himself, we will have a much easier time stopping this offense.

If Stanton maintains his comfort zone, we could have a very long day on defense.

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

In that case, I sure hope we cover the flat better than we did early in the year.

Some good that's come of the 1998 loss.... Everyone knows to take MSU seriously.

[JXC]

Originally Posted by txbuckeye1983

And if there is anyone out there that hasn't heard it, or wants to enjoy for a second or third time, the Michigan State guy's rant is an all-time classic.

http://houserockbuilt.hipcast.com/do...15acb69e9d.mp3

It's long, but well worth the listen.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

...the WHOLE state of Michigan!

[Taosman]

Gonna be a .........

[DaddyBigBucks]

I'd like to offer a little MSU perspective to the members of the media and the members of Buckeye Planet that are reminding us of Sparty's "win when no one expects it personality".

MSU fans would love to believe that applies this week; but they know it probably doesn't. They know that Sparty's personality with John L. Smith is, "win when no one expects it early, choke in a big game, give up on the season".

Sure, they'd love to go back to the heady days of Nick Saban and Mark Dantonio; but those guys are collecting checks south of East Lansing now. And south is where their season is headed.

From a Buckeye perspective, I'm concerned. If I were a Spartan, I'd be resigned to another game in the L column. That is, after all, the coach's middle name.

(That's not what I'm saying. That's what I'd be thinking if I were a Spartan)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Buckeyes welcome return to Big Ten
Monday, October 9, 2006
By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

Michigan State and Coach John L. Smith have lost three straight games ? to Notre Dame, Illinois and Michigan ? entering Saturday?s game against No. 1-ranked Ohio State at East Lansing, Mich.

COLUMBUS - In East Lansing, the college football season has gone to hell in a handbasket. Inside the Ohio State locker room, the Buckeyes just don?t want to get singed.
Ohio State, fresh off a ho-hum 35-7 win over Bowling Green, heads to Michigan State on Saturday. The Spartans (3-3), are in need of a season-saver.
Their head coach, John L. Smith, is under fire and slapping himself in press conferences. Since losing a double-digit lead and ultimately the game to Notre Dame, the Spartans have been in self-destruct mode, similar to last season?s collapse after Michigan State lost a lead against Ohio State, and Smith screamed into the sideline reporter?s microphone, ?the coaches are screwing it up.?
There would be few arguments from Michigan State fans. But Smith?s job security looks to be fine since it would cost the university more than $4 million to fire him. That?s not to mention the unsold luxury suites at Spartan Stadium.
Since Ohio State blocked a field goal before halftime a year ago, the Spartans are 3-7. They committed 11 penalties against Michigan in Saturday?s 31-13 loss, and dropped a half-dozen passes.
?I think we just have to go out and get it out of our system,? Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton said. ?We just need to start preparing for Ohio State. They?re just as good a football team as (Michigan), and they?re coming to our place, and they?re No. 1.
?If we don?t get prepared to play, it could get ugly.?
So Ohio State has little to worry about against Michigan State, which hasn?t beaten the Buckeyes since 1999.
Not quite.
?I don?t think so at all,? senior right guard T.J. Downing said. ?It?s back to the Big Ten and it?s against a dangerous team. The teams that have nothing to lose are sometimes the ones who have the most to play for.?
Ohio State has plenty to play for. In addition to being the No. 1 team in the country, the Buckeyes have a chance to win their first outright Big Ten title since 1984.
That was a point Ohio State players made after the Bowling Green game, and after Iowa gave Purdue its first conference loss. The Buckeyes and Wolverines are the lone two unbeatens in the Big Ten.
Tressel, for one, seemed relieved the Bowling Green game was behind his team. It?s back to Big Ten football until the end of the season.
?The Big Ten is what it?s all about for us, and you get your Big Ten focus on and then all of a sudden we?re out of the Big Ten,? Tressel said. ?We have to watch all those other teams play in our league, so I?m happy to get back, especially when you?re going against an opponent like Michigan State. You know what kind of ability they have, so, yeah, this is exciting.? Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: todd.porter@cantonrep.com

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Don't look now: No. 1 Buckeyes next up for MSU



By Tim Kirby
For the Lansing State Journal


EAST LANSING - Michigan State enters this week's game against Ohio State on a three-game losing streak, with injuries to key players, and with virtually no chance to win the Big Ten title just two games into the conference schedule.
More good news?
The No. 1-ranked Buckeyes (6-0, 2-0) have rarely been challenged this season, outscoring their six opponents 197-56.
The Buckeyes took a break in the middle of their Big Ten schedule and beat Bowling Green 35-7 on Saturday.
"The Big Ten is what it's all about for us, and you get your Big Ten focus on and then all of a sudden we're out of the Big Ten," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. "We have to watch all those other teams play in our league, so I'm happy to get back, especially when you're going against an opponent like Michigan State coming up, you know what kind of ability they have."
The Buckeyes, who received 63 of 65 first-place votes this week in the Associated Press poll, rank in the top half of the Big Ten in almost every statistical category and lead in scoring defense (9.3 ppg), turnover margin (plus-10), passing efficiency (167.7), and sacks (20).
Even with those daunting statistics, the Spartans (3-3, 0-2) don't seem overly concerned.
"We're not scared of Ohio State by any means," junior running back Jehuu Caulcrick said. "It's going to be a great challenge and we're looking forward to it."
Senior defensive tackle Clifton Ryan viewed the game as more of an opportunity than a challenge.
"Nobody is probably going to give us a shot, we're going to be a huge underdog," Ryan said. "We (pulled a 49-14 upset) in 2004 when Wisconsin was the No. 4 team in the country, so hopefully we can do it again this Saturday."
Ryan (calf), senior receiver Matt Trannon (ankle) and senior linebacker David Herron Jr. (concussion) all left Saturday's 31-13 loss at Michigan with injuries. Sophomore safety Otis Wiley injured a hand and was expected to have X-rays taken Sunday. MSU will update its injury list today.
"They're banged, they're bruised, they're hurting," MSU coach John L. Smith said. "We have to get ready for Ohio State, they're probably just as good as (Michigan), so that's where we are."
Wiley said the Spartans still have a goal within reach.
"The second half of the season we have to come out and get a bowl game," Wiley said. "That's our number one goal. The Big Ten championship is out the window."
Joe Rexrode contributed to this story.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

Buckeyes know anything can happen against the Spartans

Ohio State's surprising loss to Michigan State in 1998 cost OSU a berth in the national championship game.


By Lucas Sullivan
Staff Writer

Monday, October 09, 2006


COLUMBUS ? Dee Miller can still remember the faces of his Ohio State teammates after getting beat, 28-24, by Michigan State in 1998.
"That was one of those games that will stick with me forever," said Miller, a former standout receiver at Springfield South High School. "It was tough to take because we had everything in front of us. We weren't looking past the Spartans at all, man. It just happened."
The Buckeyes were ranked No. 1 and huge favorites against the Spartans after going unchallenged their first eight games of the season. The closest game was a 34-17 win at West Virginia.
The loss cost the Buckeyes a berth in the national title game that season, but now provides a history lesson for the current top-ranked Buckeyes, who travel to East Lansing, Mich., to take on the Spartans at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
"I think that's part of our history. That is one loss on a great team, so I'm sure it will be brought up (this week) in the context of the series," said Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, who was not around the last time the Buckeyes (6-0) were ranked No. 1 heading into the Michigan State game.
Miller caught five passes for 74 yards in the loss. The Buckeyes led the Spartans by as many as 15 points in the third quarter before coughing up the lead.
Former OSU coach John Cooper said after the game the Buckeyes were outplayed in the second half, but that's not how Miller remembers it.
"There were just a lot of freak things that happened ... ," Miller said. "You had the punt going off (current Buffalo Bill) Nate Clements' foot, and (current New York Giants receiver) Plaxico Burress had one of the best games of his career."
This year's Spartans (3-3) don't have the same weapons as the 1998 squad and have lost three straight games. There also have been rumblings that coach John L. Smith's job is in jeopardy.
"All that stuff probably won't matter for this year's (OSU) team," Miller said. "This year's team is focused, and Troy Smith has done a great job of leading this team so far."