Game Eight: #1 Ohio State 44, Indiana 3 (10/21/06)

[BuckeyeRyn]

Looking for Traditions for the Preview.. do we have any Hoosier fans lurking here???

Anyone happen to have any insight???

[scooter1369]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeRyn

Looking for Traditions for the Preview.. do we have any Hoosier fans lurking here???

Anyone happen to have any insight???

Coach Hoeppner added the Hoosier walk just recently. Its similar to the Gator walk or any other walking trans campus journey to the stadium. Fans line the path and shake hands and encourage the team.

Also, they defend a rock in Bloomington. Not very well most of time, I might add.

The big tradition though is total fan apathy while awaiting basketball season.

[Oh8ch]

IU is flying high right now. They will come in here believing in themselves and it may take us into the second half to convince them that high self esteem isn't all it's cracked up to be.

We will win by two TDs, but we will not cover a 31 point spread.

[osugrad21]

Link

Upset gives Hoosiers program major boost

Bloomington - Kellen Lewis and James Hardy gave Indiana its biggest football victory in almost two decades on Saturday as the Hoosiers upset 15th-ranked Iowa 31-28. It was the highest-ranked opponent the Hoosiers (4-3, 2-1) beat since a win over Ohio State in 1987.
Players celebrated by running to the student section and jumping into the crowd.
Now, the Hoosiers must prove that the victory was more than a fluke, that it could be a defining moment in Indiana's latest rebuilding project.
Senior safety Will Meyers says "it's huge." He says the win shows the Hoosiers are as talented as anyone out there.
The Hoosiers (4-3, 2-1) get to test Meyers' theory next week at number one-ranked Ohio State.

[NightmaresDad]

Originally Posted by Oh8ch

IU is flying high right now. They will come in here believing in themselves and it may take us into the second half to convince them that high self esteem isn't all it's cracked up to be.

We will win by two TDs, but we will not cover a 31 point spread.

There is NO WAY they can hold us under 45 points.
The only one who can do that is JT.
If we give up just a field goal above our average per game, then we still cover.

[MililaniBuckeye]

Originally Posted by Zurp

Ohio State had 5 losses and 1 tie in 5 games? I'm guessing there's a typo in there. Is it 4 losses, 1 tie in 5 games? Or 5 losses, 0 ties in 5 games? Or 5 losses, 1 tie in 6 games?

Typo. 0-5-1 in first six games...

[billmac91]

inidiana looked pretty solid against iowa, but their starting safety was kicking for them last year....if im a wideout, im licking my chops hearing that

[MililaniBuckeye]

We've outscored them by an average of 37-7 over the last decade in The Shoe...I doubt this weekend will be much different.

[BuckBackHome]

Originally Posted by scooter1369

The big tradition though is total fan apathy while awaiting basketball season.

[ytownbuckeye]

"None of the guys feel like we're the hunted. We do the hunting. We have to be on top of everything and have the same mentality every week ? dominate, dominate, dominate." -Troy Smith

[UpNorthBuckeye]

I think the bad news for Indiana is this: while we have been winning, Troy has not really lit it up for a couple of weeks (I mean, he just didn't HAVE to).

I think the offense will try to get better each week by eliminating the penalties and showing how good the run game can be. Then, I see Troy throwing for over 300 yards this time.

Troy: 18/24, 315 yards, 3 TDs.
Pittman: 23 carries, 160 yards, one TD
Beanie Baby: 4 carries, 19 yards, two TDs
Turnovers: 2 picks (I agree, we will pick them off when they try to force it to Hardy) and a fumble recovery..... +3 turnover margin.
Final score: 45-9.
Before Hardy gets injured and leaves the game, he'll probably have 5 catches for 45 yards or something.

Go Bucks! One game at a time!!!!

[BuckeyeMike80]

Originally Posted by UpNorthBuckeye

I think the bad news for Indiana is this: while we have been winning, Troy has not really lit it up for a couple of weeks (I mean, he just didn't HAVE to).

I think the offense will try to get better each week by eliminating the penalties and showing how good the run game can be. Then, I see Troy throwing for over 300 yards this time.

Troy: 18/24, 315 yards, 3 TDs.
Pittman: 23 carries, 160 yards, one TD
Beanie Baby: 4 carries, 19 yards, two TDs
Turnovers: 2 picks (I agree, we will pick them off when they try to force it to Hardy) and a fumble recovery..... +3 turnover margin.
Final score: 45-9.
Before Hardy gets injured and leaves the game, he'll probably have 5 catches for 45 yards or something.

Go Bucks! One game at a time!!!!

While I agree with most of what you have, if this game is anywhere as far out of control as it probably should be in the 3rd quarter, I don't think there's any way Pittman will see anything more than 15-18 carries.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Ohio State's toughest foe may be itself

By Tom Reed

In the next month, members of Ohio State's football team will spend more time improving their lie than Caddyshack's Judge Smails playing winter rules at Bushwood Country Club.
Here is the typical question and answer you should anticipate coming out of Columbus until Nov. 18:
Reporter: Will it be tough not looking past (fill in the opponent) to the showdown against Michigan?
Random Buckeye: Absolutely not. (Pick one Indiana just beat Iowa.... Minnesota always is formidable.... Coach Tressel told us today Illinois is bringing back the Ghost of Red Grange to play in our game...
Let's be honest, the top-ranked Buckeyes are going to be their own toughest opponent. They will need to overcome the lure of complacency, bad habits and wandering minds while counting down the days to Michigan Week.
Indiana (4-3)? Minnesota (2-5)? Illinois (2-5)? Northwestern (2-5)? The only way Jim Tressel sees more dogs in his path is by entering the Iditarod.
The Buckeyes coach knows it and the thought of it makes his scarlet sweater vest feel like a straitjacket.
His team has done a brilliant job negotiating a challenging schedule to this point. These Buckeyes have been more dominating through seven weeks than the squad that won the 2002 national championship.
The '02 team's inability to blow out anyone made each game a potential land mine, and thus an easy sell in cautioning players not to look ahead.
Not so for the current Buckeyes. They have beaten what supposedly were their four toughest foes to date -- Texas, Penn State, Iowa and Michigan State -- by an average of 22.8 points.
So how does Tressel spin the next four games? President Bush might have to loan him Karl Rove.
Take, for instance, Indiana at the Horseshoe on Saturday. Buckeyes fans face a more stern test finding the game on television. (It's being broadcast exclusively on ESPNU, a cable channel that reaches a minuscule 8 million homes nationwide.)
The only consolation for Tressel is that Lloyd Carr and the Wolverines (7-0) also have an easy remaining schedule. They, too, could lose focus and fall victim to sloppy execution. Which coach does a better job keeping his team sharp could play a major role in the Nov. 18 outcome.
With each win, the buildup to Michigan-OSU will grow. Imagine if both teams go into the game undefeated and are Nos. 1-2 in the BCS standings? It will draw the kind of national media frenzy that has fans of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox wondering, ``Why doesn't our rivalry get this exposure?''
Tressel, who keeps a Countdown to Michigan clock in the team's weight room, loves the history and tradition associated with The Game. He doesn't, however, want players dealing with it four weeks prematurely.
Good luck with that battle.
Of course, if anyone is equipped to fight the hype, it's Tressel. He will sing hosannas to the next four opponents in his weekly news conferences. Hand-picked players will do likewise.
Tressel has other factors working in his favor.
? The coach has a history of leading the Buckeyes through distractions. OSU players never became consumed by the Maurice Clarett controversies of 2003-04.
? Troy Smith is a Heisman Trophy front-runner. The senior quarterback and the offense must continue to play well to buoy his candidacy. Also, Smith cannot afford any off-the-field transgressions.
? These Buckeyes don't seem fazed by outside forces. They weren't caught up defending their preseason No. 1 ranking when many questioned it. Why would they listen to the same people who now consider them bulletproof?
``Don't beat yourself.'' That becomes the Buckeye mantra until they tee it up against the Wolverines.
When a reporter asks them if the Hoosiers are a quality opponent, sit back and enjoy the show. As noted college football observer George Costanza says: It's not a lie if you believe it.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

Indiana's win gives OSU something to think about

By Jim Morris
Staff Writer

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

I was glad to see the Indiana University football team upset Iowa on Saturday for two reasons.
First, it was great to see coach Terry Hoeppner come up with such a magnificent win.
He's a good guy who has been through difficult physical challenges, so it was heartwarming to see him lead his team to victory over a difficult foe.
Second, Indiana winning on Saturday should at least give the Buckeyes something to think about this week. Until the Hoosiers knocked off 15th-ranked Iowa, the Ohio State players might have decided to mail in this week's game against Indiana, figuring it was little more than a bye.
Now, perhaps, they won't.
The only thing that can knock OSU from its lofty throne between now and its Nov. 18 clash with undefeated Michigan is complacency.
Let's face it, Indiana, Minnesota, Illinois and Northwestern can't match up. Everybody knows that.
But at the same time, no team can take another lightly.
Not only is complacency a recipe for disaster, it doesn't help the top-ranked team prepare for its ultimate challenge: Michigan. You can't improve between now and then if you're not really trying.
At the same time, Michigan can't have tunnel vision, seeing only the Buckeyes in its possible path to glory. Did Iowa look past Indiana to Michigan? Now Michigan must play host to the hostile Hawkeyes.
If Michigan can get past Iowa, it has a similar schedule to OSU's, facing Northwestern, Ball State from the Mid-American Conference and Indiana before heading to Columbus.
Michigan appears to be a formidable football team. Any team that expects to beat the Wolverines must deal with that ferocious pass rush ... yes, even the top-ranked team in the land.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2409


or jmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

[osugrad21]

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