#1 OHIO STATE AT #13 IOWA
ON SEPTEMBER 30TH 2006, THE #1 RANKED OHIO STATE BUCKEYES TRAVELLED TO KINNICK STADIUM TO TAKE ON THE 13TH RANKED AND ALSO UNDEFEATED IOWA HAWKEYES. THIS WAS SAID TO BE THE LARGEST CROWD TO EVER WATCH AN IOWA SPORTING EVENT. BEING A BUCKEYE FAN, THAT IS VERY COOL TO ME. THIS WAS CALLED THE REVENGE #2 GAME. AS YOU KNOW, 2 SEASONS AGO, OHIO STATE TRAVELLED THERE AND GOT THUMPED 33-7, AND IT WAS SAID TO BE ONE OF THE MOST EMBARASSING GAMES IN BUCKEYE HISTORY. THEY THEN RETURNED THE FAVOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR IN COLUMBUS BY WINNING 31-6 AND TOTALLY DOMINATING DREW TATE AND THE IOWA OFFENSE. BOTH TEAMS CAME OUT VERY FIRED UP AND THE HARD HITTING STARTED EARLY AND OFTEN. OHIO STATE WAS ABLE TO QUIET THE CROWD SOME BY STOPPING THE HAWKEYES ON THEIR FIRST POSSESSION AND SCORING ON THEIRS. OHIO STATE WAS ABLE TO SHOW THAT BALANCED ATTACK WHICH IS THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY WHEN THEY ARE ON. THEY ENDED UP WITH ABOUT 400 YARDS OF OFFENSE AND IT WAS PRETTY MUCH SPLIT DOWN THE MIDDLE BETWEEN THE RUN AND THE PASS. ANTONIO PITTMAN ONCE AGAIN WAS ABLE TO GET IT GOING AS HE ENDED UP RUSHING FOR 116 YARDS ON 25 CARRIES AND A TOUCHDOWN. FREHSMAN CHRIS WELLS PROVIDED A DIFFERENT LOOK AND HAD HIS BEST COLLEGE PERFORMANCE BY RUSHING FOR 78 YARDS ON ONLY 14 CARRIES, AND HE RAN A FEW PEOPLE OVER IN THE PROCESS. TROY SMITH WAS ABLE TO SHAKE OFF HIS ROUGH PENN STATE GAME AND GO 16 FOR 25 FOR 186 YARDS AND A CAREER BEST 4 TOUCHDOWN PASSES. HE WAS ABLE TO CONNECT TWICE WITH ANTHONY GONZALES, ONCE WITH ROY HALL, AND ONCE WITH BRIAN ROBISKIE. NOT TOO MANY QUARTERBACKS CAN MAKE THAT THROW THAT HE HAD TO ROBISKIE. THAT GAVE NEEDLE THREADING A WHOLE NEW NAME. ANTHONY GONZALES WAS NAMED PLAYER OF THE GAME BY CATCHING 5 PASSES FOR 77 YARDS AND HIS TWO TD'S. TED GINN JR PROVIDED A SPARK BY CATCHING 7 BALLS FOR 69 YARDS. IT WAS NICE TO SEE SENIOR ROY HALL BACK ON THE FIELD AS HE CAUGHT 2 BALLS FOR 22 YARDS AND HIS FIRST TOUCHDOWN OF THE SEASON. ALL IN ALL I THOUGHT THE OFFENSE LOOKED GREAT. THEY HAVE SO MUCH BALANCE, A DEFENSE HAS NO IDEA HOW TO DEFEND THEM. THEY COME AT YOU WITH 5 WIDE ONE PLAY AND THEN THEY ARE BACK IN THE WOODY HAYES FORMATION THE NEXT. IT IS SO EXCITING TO SEE THIS OFFENSE WORK. THIS IS THE BEST OFFENSE WE HAVE HAD IN THE TRESSEL ERA, AND OBVIOUSLY HE IS STARTING TO REALIZE IT. WE HAVENT SEEN THIS KIND OF BALANCE SINCE THE 1998 SEASON. WHEN THEY ARE FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT. AS FOR THE DEFENSE, IT WAS ANOTHER TYPICAL GAME FOR THEM. THEY GIVE UP YARDS AND THEN FORCE TURNOVERS WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY STRIKES. ONE STAT THAT SURPRISED ME WAS THAT THEY HAVE 10 INTERCEPTIONS THIS SEASON, AND THEY ONLY HAD 6 ALL OF LAST YEAR. THE PICTURE ABOVE ILLUSTRATES THE WHOLE NIGHT FOR DREW TATE. THEY HAD THEIR EYES ON HIM ALL NIGHT. HE WAS PRETTY PREDICTABLE FROM WHAT I SAW. HE USUALLY KEPT HIS EYES ON THE RECEIVER HE WANTED TO THROW TO, AND THE LINEBACKERS AND DEFENSIVE BACKS PICKED UP ON IT QUICKLY, AS YOU COULD TELL BY THE THREE INTERCEPTIONS HE THREW TO THEM. BRANDON MITCHELL, JAMES LAURINAITIS, AND MARCUS FREEMAN ALL HAD PICKS FOR THE BUCKEYES. IT WAS JAMES'S FOURTH OF THE SEASON ALREADY. I WILL SAY IT ONE MORE TIME, THIS KID HAS A NOSE FOR THE FOOTBALL. JAMES AND MARCUS ALSO HAD A SACK EACH AS WELL. I MUST SAY THAT IOWA RELIES ON DREW TATE TOO MUCH IN THIS OFFENSE, WHY IN THE WORLD DIDNT THEY RUN THE FOOTBALL MORE? OHIO STATE WAS HAVING A TOUGH TIME AGAINST THE RUN, BUT THEY HAWKEYES CONTINUOUSLY STAYED AWAY FROM IT FOR SOME REASON. DREW TATE IS NOT THE BEST QUARTERBACK IN THE COUNTRY, BELIEVE ME, AND AFTER THAT LAST 2 YEARS, HE HAS TO BE SICK AND TIRED OF PLAYING THE BUCKEYES. THEY JUST FLAT OUT OWN HIM, I DONT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY ABOUT IT. I GUESS HE DOESNT SEE ANY PRESSURE LIKE THAT FROM ANY OTHER TEAM IN THE COUNTRY, BUT HE WILL IN A FEW WEEKS WHEN HE TRAVELS TO ANN ARBOR TO SEE THE WOLVERINES. DREW TATE HAD A HORRIBLE GAME AS HE WENT 19 FOR 41 FOR 249 YARDS, 1 TD, AND THREE INTERCEPTIONS. YES THEY WERE ALL HIS FAULT, NOT HIS RECEIVERS. I AM SURE HE TRIED TO BLAME THEM WHEN THE PLAY WAS OVER, BUT THEY WERE ALL POOR DECISIONS ON HIS PART. IT WAS A TERRIFIC WIN ON THE ROAD FOR OHIO STATE AND THEY STAY UNDEFEATED AS PART OF THEIR QUEST TO MAKE IT TO GLENDALE ARIZONA TO PLAY FOR THE BCS TITLE GAME. I KNOW IT IS A LONG WAY TO GO, BUT THEY HAVE A PRETTY FAVORABLE SCHEDULE THE REST OF THE WAY UNTIL THEY GET TO SEE MICHIGAN IN COLUMBUS. I THINK QUITE POSSIBLY, THAT GAME JUST MIGHT MEAN A WHOLE HELL OF A LOT COME THAT TIME. NEXT WEEK THEY RETURN HOME TO HOST THE BOWLING GREEN FALCONS BG IS STRUGGLING THIS YEAR, SO I DONT THINK THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO MAKE THIS GAME CLOSE, BUT I WILL GIVE THEM 10 POINTS THAT THEY WILL SCORE IN THE 2ND HALF AGAINST OUR 2ND AND 3RD TEAMERS. OHIO STATE 48, FALCONS 10. UNTIL NEXT TIME...
PLAYERS OF THE GAME AGAINST IOWA:
THE WHOLE DAMN TEAM
posted by jason at 7:05 PM
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