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Texas could be too hot to handle
JASON LLOYD, Morning Journal Writer
09/09/2006
http://www.zwire.com/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=1699&dept_id=46370&newsid=17172684
The Ohio State players certainly have plenty of experience playing in front of hostile crowds. They're also used to playing at night -- although they haven't had much success at it. But the one variable OSU is unfamiliar with is the extreme heat that is expected to accompany tonight's kickoff.
The temperature at kickoff is expected to be near 90 degrees, and it likely won't drop much as the night goes on.
That could give Texas a slight edge, since the Buckeyes have practiced and played in fairly mild weather this year. Last week's game against Northern Illinois was played in cool and rainy weather at Ohio Stadium.
''Hopefully everybody has attacked our hydration situation the same way,'' quarterback Troy Smith said. ''That's one of the different ways that we've tried to prepare for the heat, in our hydration. Going about it and attacking it and drinking as much water as we can, which we try to emphasize every week. But I'm sure it will be overemphasized this week.''
Aside from drinking a lot of water and trying to keep from cramping up, coach Jim Tressel said there was no way to simulate the weather in practice this week. Coaches often blare rock music during one day of practice before loud road games so players can get accustomed to using hand signals and not being able to hear each other. But there is no way to duplicate weather. That means more players might be rotating at positions across the field.
''You have to be committed in that type of heat to substituting,'' Tressel said. ''You're kidding yourself if you think someone is going to just rise up and handle things just because they're tough. The body is the body. So I think we've got to do a good job with our substitutions.''
Advantage?
It's obvious Texas' big question on offense is the uncertainty surrounding inexperienced redshirt freshman quarterback Colt McCoy. But then again, one of the big concerns for Ohio State is the inexperienced defense.
So who really has the advantage when an inexperienced quarterback is facing an inexperienced secondary?
''The group that has the advantage is the group that's coaching staff asks that young person to do what they're capable of,'' Tressel said. ''We need to do a good job of asking our young players ... to do the things they're capable of doing versus the competition we're playing and I'm sure the same is true in their case. I suppose that won't be answered until after the game, but usually a young player can progress if what we're asking him to do he really genuinely understands.''
Texas coach Mack Brown admitted Ohio State had a decided advantage at quarterback this year, but there's not much he can do about it.
''Our two quarterbacks have limited experience,'' Brown said. ''We can't change that. We'll play to our strengths and do our best not to let Troy hurt us.''
No revenge
A number of the players said this week they weren't heading to Austin looking for revenge. They are more worried about this season than last.
''It's not so much revenge as it is a reminder that you didn't do so well,'' right tackle Kirk Barton said. ''This game pretty much means everything for our season.''
Stay put
Tressel called just one running play for Smith last week, an option that went nowhere.
Texas coach Mack Brown isn't surprised by that, since he asked quarterback Vince Young not to run around so much last year. The reason is obvious -- the more a player runs, the more susceptible they are to an injury.
''Especially after the Ohio State game, we asked him to run less,'' Brown said. ''There were games we had without one called run. He was so important to our program, we didn't want him running and having someone taking extra shots at him.''
Injury report
Roy Hall's sprained ankle will keep him out of tonight's game, too. He also missed the game last week against Northern Illinois.
That thrusts redshirt freshmen Brian Hartline and Brian Robiskie into a more prominent role tonight.
For Texas, the only significant injury is to Brown, who continues to recover from a knee replacement surgery he had on his left leg during the offseason.
''Thank goodness I'm not playing. It's sore and swollen,'' Brown said. ''It gets stiff standing for 3 1/2 hours. I have a little stool, but I couldn't force myself to sit on it (last week).. It was a tough afternoon for me, but I sucked it up.''
Brown said the medical staff checked on him throughout the afternoon during the Longhorns' win over North Texas.
''They asked if I needed to sit down. I said ?I'll make it,''' Brown said. ''Those poor kids are fighting their guts out on the field and they're worrying about my knee.''
As for those actually playing tonight, Texas center Kyle Sendlein sprained his ankle in last week's game and didn't return, but he's expected to play tonight.
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All or nothing ... again
JASON LLOYD, Morning Journal Writer
The Texas grass has been trimmed and painted, fans' hearts are filled with anticipation and the eyes of the country are focused on Austin, Texas this weekend.
It's not the national championship, but then again, maybe it is.
When Ohio State players pulled off their grass-stained jerseys in the locker room following last year's 25-22 loss to the Longhorns, everyone in there realized their national championship hopes had just been delivered a staggering blow before OSU students even returned for fall quarter.
Here we are, 364 days later, and the same holds true.
It's No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Texas. The winner takes an early stranglehold on the top spot in college football. The strangled loser begins gasping for air with a lot of football left to be played
''If your goal is going to the national title game, with this system, you have to win them all,'' OSU right tackle Kirk Barton said. ''There will probably be two undefeated teams at the end of the road, and if you're not one of them, you're probably not going to be playing for the championship. You've got to treat every game like it's the Super Bowl. You only get one opportunity.''
History supports Barton.
Since the BCS has evolved into what we know today, 12 of the 16 teams from BCS conferences ended the season undefeated (Auburn was unbeaten in '04, but got shut out of the title game). Only five of the 16 teams over the last eight years qualified for the championship game with one loss. In the last two years and four of the eight, both teams were undefeated.
That's why Ohio State's home loss to Texas last year was so devastating. As it turned out, the Buckeyes really were eliminated from the national championship on Sept. 10, although no one knew it at the time. Those hopes were officially killed in October after a loss to Penn State.
''Last year we really had very high expectations and Week Two they were kind of dashed,'' Barton said. ''We finished well, but it really wasn't what we wanted.''
In an age where I-AA teams keep appearing on schedules of college football's heavyweights -- for guaranteed wins and easy revenue -- Ohio State continues to seek out the bullies. It certainly doesn't win them any extra bonus points in the eyes of the BCS -- if anything it's a hindrance -- but it's coach Jim Tressel's goal to always have one game against another college heavyweight every year.
Next year that means a trip to Washington in a return game of the 2003 home opener in Columbus, then things really begin to heat up. Ohio State travels to USC in '08, the Trojans return with a trip to Columbus in '09 and then a two-game series with the Miami Hurricanes begins in 2010.
''We're always going to be part of a marquee intersectional matchup,'' Tressel said. ''Those things about running the table and having risks ... shoot, we've got a good league. There's not too many people who have run the table in our league lately. So absolutely I like being a part of this.''
The difficulty of surviving the Big Ten season unbeaten only underscores the dangers of playing big-time non-conference opponents. Since the inception of the BCS in 1998, the only time the Big Ten champion survived the conference season undefeated was 2002, when Ohio State and Iowa both did it because a scheduling quirk kept them from playing each other.
A loss to Penn State or Iowa later this month would do enough to cripple Ohio State's national title chances. But a loss to a Big Ten team, combined with a loss to a top non-conference opponent, and the Buckeyes will be in the exact same position they were in last year -- an ultra talented team eliminated from the national championship race before November.
''There will be a lot going on afterwards,'' defensive end Jay Richardson said. ''Someone has to lose and there will be a big storm in the wake when that happens.''
Many of the players said this week they try to block out the hype and the hoopla throughout the week, instead focusing on practice and film study. But tonight, when they step on the field in front of 85,000 burnt orange Texans looking for a Buckeye barbecue, ignoring the scene will no longer be possible.
Then it will be No. 1 vs. No. 2 for the entire country to see.
''This has all the bells and whistles, everything you could ask for,'' Richardson said. ''That's why it's going to be a big one.''
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Texas could be too hot to handle
JASON LLOYD, Morning Journal Writer
09/09/2006
http://www.zwire.com/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=1699&dept_id=46370&newsid=17172684
The Ohio State players certainly have plenty of experience playing in front of hostile crowds. They're also used to playing at night -- although they haven't had much success at it. But the one variable OSU is unfamiliar with is the extreme heat that is expected to accompany tonight's kickoff.
The temperature at kickoff is expected to be near 90 degrees, and it likely won't drop much as the night goes on.
That could give Texas a slight edge, since the Buckeyes have practiced and played in fairly mild weather this year. Last week's game against Northern Illinois was played in cool and rainy weather at Ohio Stadium.
''Hopefully everybody has attacked our hydration situation the same way,'' quarterback Troy Smith said. ''That's one of the different ways that we've tried to prepare for the heat, in our hydration. Going about it and attacking it and drinking as much water as we can, which we try to emphasize every week. But I'm sure it will be overemphasized this week.''
Aside from drinking a lot of water and trying to keep from cramping up, coach Jim Tressel said there was no way to simulate the weather in practice this week. Coaches often blare rock music during one day of practice before loud road games so players can get accustomed to using hand signals and not being able to hear each other. But there is no way to duplicate weather. That means more players might be rotating at positions across the field.
''You have to be committed in that type of heat to substituting,'' Tressel said. ''You're kidding yourself if you think someone is going to just rise up and handle things just because they're tough. The body is the body. So I think we've got to do a good job with our substitutions.''
Advantage?
It's obvious Texas' big question on offense is the uncertainty surrounding inexperienced redshirt freshman quarterback Colt McCoy. But then again, one of the big concerns for Ohio State is the inexperienced defense.
So who really has the advantage when an inexperienced quarterback is facing an inexperienced secondary?
''The group that has the advantage is the group that's coaching staff asks that young person to do what they're capable of,'' Tressel said. ''We need to do a good job of asking our young players ... to do the things they're capable of doing versus the competition we're playing and I'm sure the same is true in their case. I suppose that won't be answered until after the game, but usually a young player can progress if what we're asking him to do he really genuinely understands.''
Texas coach Mack Brown admitted Ohio State had a decided advantage at quarterback this year, but there's not much he can do about it.
''Our two quarterbacks have limited experience,'' Brown said. ''We can't change that. We'll play to our strengths and do our best not to let Troy hurt us.''
No revenge
A number of the players said this week they weren't heading to Austin looking for revenge. They are more worried about this season than last.
''It's not so much revenge as it is a reminder that you didn't do so well,'' right tackle Kirk Barton said. ''This game pretty much means everything for our season.''
Stay put
Tressel called just one running play for Smith last week, an option that went nowhere.
Texas coach Mack Brown isn't surprised by that, since he asked quarterback Vince Young not to run around so much last year. The reason is obvious -- the more a player runs, the more susceptible they are to an injury.
''Especially after the Ohio State game, we asked him to run less,'' Brown said. ''There were games we had without one called run. He was so important to our program, we didn't want him running and having someone taking extra shots at him.''
Injury report
Roy Hall's sprained ankle will keep him out of tonight's game, too. He also missed the game last week against Northern Illinois.
That thrusts redshirt freshmen Brian Hartline and Brian Robiskie into a more prominent role tonight.
For Texas, the only significant injury is to Brown, who continues to recover from a knee replacement surgery he had on his left leg during the offseason.
''Thank goodness I'm not playing. It's sore and swollen,'' Brown said. ''It gets stiff standing for 3 1/2 hours. I have a little stool, but I couldn't force myself to sit on it (last week).. It was a tough afternoon for me, but I sucked it up.''
Brown said the medical staff checked on him throughout the afternoon during the Longhorns' win over North Texas.
''They asked if I needed to sit down. I said ?I'll make it,''' Brown said. ''Those poor kids are fighting their guts out on the field and they're worrying about my knee.''
As for those actually playing tonight, Texas center Kyle Sendlein sprained his ankle in last week's game and didn't return, but he's expected to play tonight.
[email protected]
Link
All or nothing ... again
JASON LLOYD, Morning Journal Writer
The Texas grass has been trimmed and painted, fans' hearts are filled with anticipation and the eyes of the country are focused on Austin, Texas this weekend.
It's not the national championship, but then again, maybe it is.
When Ohio State players pulled off their grass-stained jerseys in the locker room following last year's 25-22 loss to the Longhorns, everyone in there realized their national championship hopes had just been delivered a staggering blow before OSU students even returned for fall quarter.
Here we are, 364 days later, and the same holds true.
It's No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Texas. The winner takes an early stranglehold on the top spot in college football. The strangled loser begins gasping for air with a lot of football left to be played
''If your goal is going to the national title game, with this system, you have to win them all,'' OSU right tackle Kirk Barton said. ''There will probably be two undefeated teams at the end of the road, and if you're not one of them, you're probably not going to be playing for the championship. You've got to treat every game like it's the Super Bowl. You only get one opportunity.''
History supports Barton.
Since the BCS has evolved into what we know today, 12 of the 16 teams from BCS conferences ended the season undefeated (Auburn was unbeaten in '04, but got shut out of the title game). Only five of the 16 teams over the last eight years qualified for the championship game with one loss. In the last two years and four of the eight, both teams were undefeated.
That's why Ohio State's home loss to Texas last year was so devastating. As it turned out, the Buckeyes really were eliminated from the national championship on Sept. 10, although no one knew it at the time. Those hopes were officially killed in October after a loss to Penn State.
''Last year we really had very high expectations and Week Two they were kind of dashed,'' Barton said. ''We finished well, but it really wasn't what we wanted.''
In an age where I-AA teams keep appearing on schedules of college football's heavyweights -- for guaranteed wins and easy revenue -- Ohio State continues to seek out the bullies. It certainly doesn't win them any extra bonus points in the eyes of the BCS -- if anything it's a hindrance -- but it's coach Jim Tressel's goal to always have one game against another college heavyweight every year.
Next year that means a trip to Washington in a return game of the 2003 home opener in Columbus, then things really begin to heat up. Ohio State travels to USC in '08, the Trojans return with a trip to Columbus in '09 and then a two-game series with the Miami Hurricanes begins in 2010.
''We're always going to be part of a marquee intersectional matchup,'' Tressel said. ''Those things about running the table and having risks ... shoot, we've got a good league. There's not too many people who have run the table in our league lately. So absolutely I like being a part of this.''
The difficulty of surviving the Big Ten season unbeaten only underscores the dangers of playing big-time non-conference opponents. Since the inception of the BCS in 1998, the only time the Big Ten champion survived the conference season undefeated was 2002, when Ohio State and Iowa both did it because a scheduling quirk kept them from playing each other.
A loss to Penn State or Iowa later this month would do enough to cripple Ohio State's national title chances. But a loss to a Big Ten team, combined with a loss to a top non-conference opponent, and the Buckeyes will be in the exact same position they were in last year -- an ultra talented team eliminated from the national championship race before November.
''There will be a lot going on afterwards,'' defensive end Jay Richardson said. ''Someone has to lose and there will be a big storm in the wake when that happens.''
Many of the players said this week they try to block out the hype and the hoopla throughout the week, instead focusing on practice and film study. But tonight, when they step on the field in front of 85,000 burnt orange Texans looking for a Buckeye barbecue, ignoring the scene will no longer be possible.
Then it will be No. 1 vs. No. 2 for the entire country to see.
''This has all the bells and whistles, everything you could ask for,'' Richardson said. ''That's why it's going to be a big one.''
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