Football News Archive BUCKEYE FANS ONLY

No. 1 Ohio State 38, Michigan State 7
October 14, 2006 Source: Associated Press - "Top-ranked Ohio State jumped on host Michigan State early and cruised to a 38-7 win on a blustery day at Spartan Stadium. Ted Ginn Jr. returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown and Troy Smith threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns in the win..."

Top-Ranked Buckeyes Blast Michigan State
October 14, 2006 Source: Bucknuts - "Top-ranked Ohio State jumped on host Michigan State early and cruised to a 38-7 win on a blustery day at Spartan Stadium. Ted Ginn Jr. returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown and Troy Smith threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns in the win..."

Upset? Not this time
October 14, 2006 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Their resolve grew all week. Every time they heard about top-ranked Ohio State teams losing to Michigan State, the more determined the Buckeyes were that it wouldn't happen again..."

State pounded 38-7 by Buckeyes
October 14, 2006 Source: GoSpartans.net - "Troy Smith threw two touchdown passes and the Buckeyes tandem of Chris Wells and Antonio Pittman combined for 101 yards rushing and two touchdowns to propel #1 Ohio State to an easy 38-7 win over Michigan State..."

Buckeyes Dominate Spartans for Seventh Win of the Season
October 15, 2006 Source: The Ozone - "So much for the idea that history would repeat itself, at least past history..."

Spartans manhandled as they suffer a fourth straight loss
October 14, 2006 Source: Detroit Free Pres - "Drew Stanton warned of this possibility last week. If Michigan State played as poorly against Ohio State as it did against Michigan, Stanton said it 'could get ugly.' The Spartan quarterback was prophetic..."

Buckeyes air it out against Spartans
October 14, 2006 Source: Dayton Daily News - "OSU gave up just 198 total yards, 69 coming on the final drive..."

OSU notebook: Wells gets chance to atone for fumble
October 14, 2006 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "He had just fumbled and his head coach wanted to talk to him. It didn't look good for Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells yesterday. But instead, two words he heard from coach Jim Tressel made all the difference..."

Postgame Notes From Ohio State vs. Michigan State
October 14, 2006 Source: Official OSU Site

The-Ozone Note and Quotebook
October 15, 2006 Source: The Ozone - "This week's postgame Note and Quotebook, with comments from the coaches and players on all the big plays in the MSU game..."

Captain's Corner: Michigan State Thoughts
October 16, 2006 Source: Bucknuts - "The 1998 Ohio State-Michigan State game got plenty of play this past week, but perhaps nowhere saw as much as the OSU locker room. OSU head coach Jim Tressel made it a point to remind the team about what happened in 1998 and prevent a repeat incident. Jerry Rudzinski discusses it in the latest Captain's Corner..."

Scoring Summary, Team Statistics, Individual Statistics, Defensive Statistics, Game Participation, Play-by-Play
October 14, 2006 Source: Official OSU Site

Ohio State Cumulative Season Statistics: Team Statistics, Individual Statistics, Defensive Statistics
October 14, 2006 Source: Official OSU Site

From ESPN.com: OSU-MSU Drive Chart and OSU-MSU Play by Play

Post-Game Notes
October 14, 2006 Source: Official MSU Site

The enlightened Spartan picked OSO to win 35-16!
In the e-mail update our prediction was OSU 35-10. (Are you on the list?)

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
October 17, 2006 OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel discussed the players of the week at his weekly press luncheon today. They were as follows:

Offensive Player of the Week - Troy Smith, who graded a winning performance.
Defensive Player of the Week - Quinn Pitcock
Special Teams Player of the Week - Brian Hartline, who had a key block on Ted Ginn's punt return for a touchdown and also registered three tackles in kickoff coverage.
Attack Force Player of the Week - Jay Richardson who Tressel said was a disruptive force on defense against the Spartans.
Offensive Lineman of the Week - Kirk Barton, who Tressel said played very well after his recent surgery. Tressel credited that medical procedure for helping Barton to improved play.
Scout Team Offensive Player of the Week - Offensive lineman Bryant Browning
Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week - Defensive back Grant Schwartz
Scout Team Special Teams Player of the Week - Wide receiver Dan Potokar

Stewart Mandel's Power Rankings
October 24, 2006 Source: SI.com - "In a week of very little poll movement, the big riser was Clemson, which was so impressive in its 31-7 win over Georgia Tech that I had no choice but to move it into the Top 10. Seeing as the Tigers haven't been this nationally relevant in about, oh, 25 years, it occurred to me that perhaps many of my younger readers aren't that familiar with Clemson. So, I've prepared this little "How Well Do You Know Clemson?" quiz..."

Buckeyes' Smith one tough customer
October 17, 2006 Source: CentralOhio.com - "Troy Smith didn't blink when he got hit by 275-pound defensive end Brian Robison early this season against then-No. 2 Texas. He popped up and led Ohio State on a touchdown drive..."

Gonzalez makes Cuban good eats
October 13, 2006 Source: ESPN.com - "He heard it in high school. He hears it now in college. But Ohio State wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez isn't any more accepting of it..." (Watch the video)

Drew Stanton and Troy Smith roomed together last summer when the two were player coaches at the Elite 11 Quarterback Camp.

Smith, Stanton share elite bond
October 12, 2006 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer

Ohio State, Michigan State QBs are mutual friends
October 12, 2006 Source: Toledo Blade

From the Ozone: Depth Chart for the Michigan State Game

Game Data: Ohio State at Michigan State October 10, 2006 Source: Bucknuts

Injury Reports:
Ohio State-Coach Tressel commented: "Probably won't have David Patterson this week. So Quinn, Joel Penton, Todd Denlinger and Doug Worthington moving in there a little bit will have to make up for the absence of David this weekend. As of this day our trainers and doctors have said not this week."

By the way, Patterson has right knee surgery
October 11, 2006 Source: Cleveland Palin Dealer

MSU-The Spartans will go into the game shorthanded as tight ends Kellen Freeman-Davis and Eric Andino are both suspended indefinitely. The Spartans will also be without starting wide receiver Matt Trannon who is listed as out for this week's game. David Herron, OSU recruit Boom's brother and their best LB, may also be out this week, but he is still listed as the starter on their official depth chart. Javon Ringer, their starting tailback from Ohio, is lost for the season.

Spartans' Trannon out against top-ranked Ohio St.
October 10, 2006 Source: Detroit Free Press - "In the midst of a three-game losing skid, Michigan State was already considered a substantial underdog going into this Saturday's game against No. 1 Ohio State. Now the Spartans' odds are even worse..."

OSU out to stop the run
October 14, 2006 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "The defensive plan for Ohio State will be the same today against Michigan State and Drew Stanton has its been all year — force the quarterback to have to win the game by throwing..."

Buckeyes Put Unbeaten Streak on Line vs. Spartans
October 10, 2006 Source: OSU Official Site

Press Luncheon Video
October 10, 2006 Source: OSU Official Site

Transcript From The October 10th Football Press Luncheon
October 10, 2006 Source: OSU Official Site

Football Quotes
October 10, 2006 Source: OSU Official Site

Tressel, Smith Discuss Upcoming Game
October 10, 2006 Source: Bucknuts - "The oddsmakers expect this weekend's Ohio State-Michigan State game to be a blowout in the Buckeyes' favor. But will it? The Spartans have lost three straight games but are still an opponent that causes plenty of concern. Both coaches spoke with the media about this week's game earlier today..."

MSU Offense Will Test Buckeye Safety
October 11, 2006 Source: The Ozone - "Michigan State's high-octane offense will be a test for the entire OSU defense, but it will a particularly stern test for safety Jamario O'Neal who is filling in for injured Anderson Russell..."

Last Time Out: Ohio State vs. Michigan State
October 10, 2006 Source: BuckeyeSports.com - "The last showdown between Ohio State and Michigan State had something for just about every football lover. That is, of course, aside from Spartan fans hoping for a win. There were four turnovers, three lead changes, five scoring plays of more than 35 yards, a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown and 12 quarterback sacks all packed into three hours and 19 minutes before 105,122 fans in the Ohio Stadium on a near-perfect day (at least, weather-wise)..."

Buckeyes know anything can happen against the Spartans
October 9, 2006 Source: Dayton Daily News - "Ohio State's surprising loss to Michigan State in 1998 cost OSU a berth in the national championship game..."

Buckeyes not taking Spartans lightly
October 11, 2006 Source: Associated Press - "All signs point to a mismatch when downtrodden Michigan State welcomes No. 1 Ohio State to town Saturday...The Buckeyes aren't buying into it..."

MSU QB Bill Burke leaving
Ohio Stadium after the Spartans
defeated top-ranked Ohio State
28-24 on 11/7/98.

'Dangerous' tag suits Spartans
October 11, 2006 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Yesterday, as they do every Tuesday, Ohio State players gathered around coach Jim Tressel for story time. They sat hushed as Tressel weaved a tale of a dangerous Michigan State opponent. The story was illustrated by facts and stats, as well as drawing on the players’ own recent memories..."

Spartans Have History of Spoiling Number One Seasons for Buckeyes
October 11, 2006 Source: The Ozone - "The Buckeyes are 6-0 and ranked number one in the land. Impressive, but you can bet there are a bunch of Michigan State Spartans who would like nothing better to change all of that, and who in the past have done just that..."

OSU can't take reeling Spartans for granted
October 11, 2006 Source: Mansfield News Journal - "It's October, which means Michigan State's football program is in its usual tailspin and coach John L. Smith has grill marks on his fanny. In his tumultuous three-plus years of running the show, the Spartans are 13-5 before Oct. 1 and 8-16 after, including only four wins in their last 16 post-September games..."

Don't look now: No. 1 Buckeyes next up for MSU
October 9, 2006 Source: Lansing State Journal - "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?..."

Bowl hopes hang in the balance
October 9, 2006 Source: Detroit Free Press - "The idea that Michigan State could be 3-4 after next week will infuriate those who know where MSU could have been if the Spartans had beaten Notre Dame and Illinois and entered the Michigan game at 5-0..."

Even MSU QB says game could get "ugly"
October 10, 2006 Source: News Channel 15 wane.com - "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..."

Pressure is on for John L., Spartans
October 11, 2006 Source: CentralOhio.com - "Buckeyes could deal MSU fourth consecutive loss... It's October, which means Michigan State's football program is in its usual tailspin and coach John L. Smith has grill marks on his fanny. In his tumultuous three-plus years of running the show, the Spartans are 13-5 before Oct. 1 and 8-16 after, including only four wins in their last 16 post-September games..."

Mariucci whispers getting louder at MSU
October 9, 2006 Source: Go Spartans.net - "Rumors and now published reports have the Spartans very interested in former University of California, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions head coach Steve Mariucci..."

MSU Official Site

Stats: Ohio State - Michigan State

National Statistical Rankings: Scoring Defense Total Offense Total Defense

Big Ten Stats

OSU at MSU: Match-Up Preview - Live Odds - Matchup Edge

Betting Preview: OSU at MSU & Matchup: OSU at MSU

The Weather Channel

East Lansing Weather Forecast

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
October 10, 2006 OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel discussed the players of the week at his weekly press luncheon today. They were as follows:
Offensive Player of the Week: Troy Smith
Defensive Player of the Week: Vernon Gholston
Special Teams Player of the Week: Andre Amos
Attack Force Player of the Week: Quinn Pitcock
Offensive Lineman of the Week: Rory Nicol, who Tressel said graded out the highest he has all year against the Falcons.
Scout Team Offensive Player of the Week: Dan Dye
Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week: Matt Daniels
Scout Team Special Teams Player of the Week: Jon Thoma

Stewart Mandel's Power Rankings
October 10, 2006 Source: SI.com - "With Ohio State cruising, there seems to be a lot of debate over which is the second-best team in the country. I don't claim to know the answer, but I do know this: It isn't USC..."

The Buckeyes' still aren't getting the calls! Below are stats for 'Opponent Penalties' from the official Big Ten Site Games Through October 7 (all the stats are available from the link above in 'football news'). Notice whose opponents are the least penalized?

OPPONENT PENALTIES       G   No  Yds Avg/G
------------------------------------------
1. Indiana.............  6   38  373  62.2
2. Michigan............  6   42  303  50.5
3. Purdue..............  6   38  288  48.0
4. Northwestern........  6   34  270  45.0
5. Iowa................  6   30  265  44.2
6. Penn State..........  6   30  248  41.3
7. Illinois............  6   29  238  39.7
8. Minnesota...........  6   30  207  34.5
9. Michigan State......  6   27  202  33.7
10.Wisconsin...........  6   24  195  32.5
11.Ohio State..........  6   22  165  27.5

IS ANYONE STILL SURPRISED?!?

Michigan legend Bo Schembechler said of his former rival,
"Ohio State solidified how good they really are this weekend."
October 3, 2006 Source: Master Coaches Survey - "The Ohio State Buckeyes proved they are the clear-cut No. 1 team after a convincing 38-17 win over then No. 13 Iowa..."

Early anticipation for Michigan-Ohio State showdown
October 4, 2006 Source: SI.com - "Has a No. 1 team ever played the No. 2 team three times in a season? It could happen this year with Ohio State. Also, have Ohio State and Michigan ever matched up at No. 1 vs. 2..."

Versatile air corps energizes Bucks' attack
October 5, 2006 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "When anyone talked about Ohio State's receiver depth in the off-season, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel had one thought. 'All I could think about was Santonio Holmes was a first-round draft choice," Tressel said, "and I hope that we can approach the type of productivity that we had while Santonio was here.'..."

Brown's coach is father of OSU WR

Receiver’s education began at young age
September 29, 2006 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Receivers hear it from their coaches all the time: "Don’t just stand there; keep moving." Robiskie, who leaped in the end zone to grab a 37-yard touchdown pass from Smith, has been hearing it all of his life. His father, Terry, is the receivers coach for the Cleveland Browns..."

What Does It Mean To Be A Buckeye

"The Ohio State Department of Athletics wants to capture the soul character of the Buckeye fan. Whatever being a Buckeye means to you, we want to see it. Show us how you are a part of THE PEOPLE. THE TRADITION. THE EXCELLENCE. The Ohio State Department of Athletics will be collecting your videos for possible use in our new promotional campaign "What Does It Mean to be a Buckeye?" This is your chance to brag and be a part of the Ohio State team and perhaps hear your voice on the radio, see yourself in a TV commercial, or even on the big screen at Ohio Stadium..."

Buckeye Babies
Source: CoachTressel.com - "Think you have the skills to match up the childhood shots on the left with the current players on the right? Select the name of the child in the menu below each photo and submit your answers to see how well you matched them up..."

Corso The First Time
Many Buckeyes' fans like to get on Lee Corso, yours truly included. But this video you will want to watch!

Smith may pull off award haul that Young couldn't
October 9, 2006 Source: SI.com - "Troy Smith has been called this year's Vince Young, but he just might one-up him..."

Laurinaitis and Gholston make quite a tag team
October 9, 2006 Source: The Morning Journal - "James Laurinaitis doesn't mind the nickname ''Little Animal.'' It's certainly better than his nickname in high school..."

It's a shaft for Michigan, which is '2' good for sixth
October 7, 2006 Source: CBS.Sportsline.com - "Going into Saturday, the polls said the Buckeyes were five full slots better than the Wolverines. What do the polls know? No less a football mastermind than John L. Smith suggests Michigan is college football's best in 2006, not Ohio State -- but OSU is close..."

Heisman candidates out there -- just not where you've been told
October 8, 2006 Source: CBS.Sportsline.com - "The Heisman Trophy is in grave danger. It'll never be extinct, of course, but this year it could take a nasty step toward irrelevance..."

Sign of the Week from SI.com: Turned out that this sign was lame, as the Fighting Irish scored 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and sank the Spartans, 40-27, Saturday night in East Lansing...but I like the sign: "More Like Notre Lame."

Let's be real...MSU's head man, John L., was once again able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory or the sign would have been completely accurate.

Computer rankings neglect Buckeyes
October 7, 2006 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "While the Ohio State Buckeyes have almost all of the poll voters convinced they’re the No. 1 team in the country, they’ve got some work to do with several of the computer rankings used as part of the Bowl Championship Series formula..."

Mr. Bucknuts' Bucket Of Bullets
October 8, 2006 Source: Bucknuts - "It's safe to say that when it comes to Notre Dame, Mr. Bucknuts ruffles a few feathers. Check out the wonderful world of Mr. Bucknuts' inbox in this version of the Bucket, along with plenty of thoughts on yesterday's (BGSU) game, recruiting, and much more..."

Could Ohio State run the table and end up being ranked No. 2?
October 7, 2006 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "If Ohio State wins out, the Buckeyes will play for the national title. But could Ohio State get to Glendale, Ariz., not as No. 1 but No. 2?..."

Manningham faces surgery
October 10, 2006 Source: Detroit Free Press - "Michigan's standout sophomore receiver Mario Manningham was expected to undergo arthroscopic surgery this morning to repair a partial torn meniscus and a possible partial tear of a medial collateral ligament in a knee, according to a source familiar with the situation..."

Update: U-M's Manningham has arthroscopic surgery and from the Detroit Free Press today: Manningham has surgery; no timetable for return

And about LLLLoyd: Carr on a roll
October 9, 2006 Source: SportingNews.com - "In his latest blog, Matt Hayes dubs the Wolverines his team of the first half. But when Michigan plays Ohio State in November, Lloyd Carr will have everything on the line - including his job..."

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