Buckeyes head to Big House to battle Wolverines
Ann Arbor, MI (Sports Network) - One of the most storied rivalries in all of sports will add another chapter this weekend, as the ninth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines collide in Ann Arbor.
Last Saturday, Ohio State won its fifth consecutive Big Ten title with a 27-24 overtime victory over Iowa. The Buckeyes earned a trip to the Rose Bowl, as head coach Jim Tressel continues to lead his team to a BCS Bowl on a yearly basis. The victory was the fourth in a row for OSU, which is 9-2 overall and 6-1 in league play.
Michigan opened the season with four consecutive victories, giving fans of the proud program the impression that last season's struggles were simply an aberration. Unfortunately, six of the last seven outings for the Wolverines have ended in defeat, including four in a row, and coach Rich Rodriguez is feeling the wrath of Wolverine supporters who feel that he isn't the man for the job. Last weekend, Michigan was simply no match for Wisconsin in a 45-24 home loss.
"There's no question we've got one more chance," said Rodriguez of this weekend's game. "I've asked the team to be extra focused. We've been focused all year, but this is the biggest game of the year." The Wolverines own a 57-42-6 advantage in the all-time series with Ohio State, but the Buckeyes crushed Michigan last season by a 42-7 final.
Devin Barclay drilled a 39-yard field goal in overtime against Iowa last Saturday to lift Ohio State to victory. The Buckeyes relied heavily on their ground attack, as they racked up 229 rushing yards on 51 carries en route to three touchdowns. Brandon Saine tallied 103 yards and two scores on just 11 carries, while Dan Herron carried the ball 32 times for 97 yards and a score. As for quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who ran for 29 yards, he passed for just 93 yards in the tilt, but he completed 14-of-17 passes and wasn't intercepted.
"It's unbelievable," said Barclay on the win. "I'm pretty speechless. The fourth quarter definitely made it interesting. I'm just glad that we came out and now we're going to the Rose Bowl. I'm really excited." Sure, Ohio State did allow 24 points to Iowa, but one of the Hawkeyes' three touchdowns came on a kickoff return. The Buckeye defense did its best work in the overtime period, as a couple of sacks knocked the Hawkeyes out of field goal range.
"We want to win the championships outright and beat Michigan," said senior safety Kurt Coleman, looking forward to this weekend's game. "That's a lot of motivation to play well." Overall this season, Ohio State is scoring 30.0 ppg to go along with 369.1 total ypg. Pryor may be the most scrutinized player in all of college football, as he hasn't lived up to the promise that he showed as a high school phenom. In fact, it seems at times that he has regressed a bit at Ohio State. Still, he leads the team in rushing with 633 yards and seven touchdowns, and the signal caller has also thrown for 1,761 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. DeVier Posey is the team's top receiver, as he has made 47 catches for 689 yards and seven touchdowns.
Opponents are only registering 12.4 ppg and 258.3 total ypg against Ohio State this season, which has been one of the best defensive teams in the nation. The Buckeyes are tremendous against the run, as they are allowing merely 83.7 ypg and 2.7 yards per carry. The pass defense has been tremendous as well, as opposing quarterbacks have been intercepted 19 times. OSU has 28 total takeaways and 28 sacks to its credit, and while the defense doesn't boast many superstars, there are a number of solid players in the fold.
Michigan struggled offensively against Wisconsin last Saturday, as the team finished with 15 first downs and 265 total yards. The ground attack was dreadful, accounting for just 71 yards on 32 attempts. The passing game didn't account for many big plays either, averaging just 9.2 yards per connection. Tate Forcier completed 20-of-26 pass attempts for 188 yards with two touchdowns, and Roy Roundtree led the receivers with seven catches for 56 yards and a score.
Wisconsin rolled up 28 first downs and 469 total yards against a Michigan defense that has been terrible for much of this season. The Wolverines allowed 15.0 yards per pass completion and four touchdowns through the air. Wisconsin also found plenty of room to run the ball, gaining 229 yards and scoring twice.
"We were really reaching defensively to find an answer to try to stop them," said Rodriguez after the game.
Overall this season, Michigan is scoring 31.3 ppg while gaining 391.4 total ypg, but the offense has struggled in many games over the past two months. Sure, it is impressive that the Wolverines have scored 41 touchdowns, including 27 rushing scores, but all of the those numbers are overshadowed by the 5-6 record. Forcier has completed 58.4 percent of his passes for 1,824 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he has run for three scores. Brandon Minor paces the UM ground attack with 502 yards and eight touchdowns.
It is hard to believe that opponents are scoring 28.1 ppg against Michigan, which is yielding 400.2 total ypg. The Wolverines have struggled against both the run and the pass, and there is no reason to expect a major turnaround this weekend.
11/18 11:09:09 ET
