Sunday, October 15, 2006

#1 OHIO STATE @ MICHIGAN STATE


WELL AFTER MISSING A WHOLE WEEKEND OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL DUE TO A GOOD FRIEND'S WEDDING, I AM BACK IN FULL FORCE AND AS EXCITED AS EVER. COACH TRESSEL WAS VERY UPSET WITH ME FOR NOT HAVING THE BOWLING GREEN ASSESSMENT ON MY BLOG LAST WEEK. I DIDNT FEEL IT WAS FAIR TO WRITE ABOUT IT SINCE I LISTENED TO A QUARTER OF IT ON THE RADIO. ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 14TH, THE #1 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES TRAVELLED TO EAST LANSING TO TAKE ON THE UP AND DOWN MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS. ALL THE TALK ALL WEEK LONG WAS ABOUT HOW IN 1974 AND IN 1998, THE SPARTANS UPSET THE 1ST RANKED BUCKEYES TO SPOIL THEIR CHANCES OF A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. MOST OF THE SPORTS CRAZIES ALSO SAID THAT THERE WASNT ANY REASON THE BUCKS SHOULD LOSE TO THIS TEAM. ONCE AGAIN, NO ONE EVER KNOWS FOR SURE WHICH STATE TEAM IS GOING TO SHOW UP. FORTUNATELY FOR BUCKEYE FANS, THE ONE WE WANTED TO SHOW UP, DID SO. IT WAS A ONE SIDED AFFAIR ALL DAY LONG AS THE BUCKEYES CONTINUED THE NATION'S LONGEST WINNING STREAK BY DEFEATING THEM 38-7. THE ONLY TIME THIS GAME SEEMED CLOSE WAS AFTER THE CHRIS WELL'S FUMBLE ON THEIR FIRST POSSESSION. THE OFFENSE WAS THEIR TYPICAL SELVES AT THEY WERE EFFICIENT AND FULL OF BALANCE. OHIO STATE RACKED UP 421 YARDS OF OFFENSE AS THEY MIXED THE RUN AND THE PASS ABOUT AS GOOD AS YOU CAN DRAW IT UP. MICHIGAN STATE OBVIOUSLY FOCUSED ON UNDERRATED BACK ANTIONIO PITTMAN, AND THEY DID A NICE JOB CONTAINING HIM. HE HAD HIS TOUGHEST GAME OF THE SEASON AS HE CARRIED THE BALL 18 TIMES FOR 58 YARDS AND A TOUCHDOWN. THOSE ARENT GREAT NUMBERS BUT HE WORKED HARD AND IT WAS ENOUGH TO KEEP THE SPARTAN DEFENSE GUESSING. FRESHMAN CHRIS WELLS NETTED 53 YARDS ON 12 CARRIES AND A TOUCHDOWN, AND WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE FUMBLE, HE PLAYED WELL. THE PASSING GAME LOOKED AS SMOOTH AS IT HAS ALL SEASON LONG. TROY SMITH CONTINUES TO IMPRESS AS HE COMPLETED 15 OF 22 PASSES FOR 234 YARDS AND 2 TD'S. 198 OF HIS PASSING YARDS CAME IN THE FIRST HALF ALONE. HE WAS ABLE TO SPREAD IT AROUND TO ALL OF OUR DANGEROUS RECEIVERS. HIS FAVORITE TARGET ANTHONY GONZALES HAD ANOTHER HUGE GAME AS HE CAUGHT 7 PASSES FOR 118 YARDS AND A TOUCHDOWN. BRIAN ROBISKIE CAUGHT 4 PASSES FOR 51 YARDS AND A TOUCHDOWN, AND TED GINN JR CAUGHT THREE PASSES FOR 58 YARDS. HE ALSO HAD A 60 YARD PUNT RETURN FOR A TOUCHDOWN. AS SOON AS HE SEES A SEEM, HE TAKES OFF LIKE AN F-14 JET. THE OFFENSE LOOKED GREAT AND THEY REALLY CONFUSED THE MICHIGAN STATE DEFENSE. AS YOU HAVE SEEN THIS SEASON AND IN YEARS' PAST, IT REALLY DOESNT TAKE MUCH TO CONFUSE THEM. THE DEFENSE WAS ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR THIS WEEK AS THEY COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN THE SPARTAN OFFENSE. JIM HEACOCK WAS EVEN BLITZING THE CHEERLEADERS THIS WEEK AS DREW STANTON HAD NOWHERE TO RUN AND NOWHERE TO HIDE. DONT WORRY THOUGH, THEY SEEM TO FEAST OFF OF QUARTERBACKS WITH THE FIRST NAME DREW. JUST CALL MR TATE AND DISCUSS THE NIGHTMARES YOU WILL BE HAVING FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIVES WATCHING THE SCARLET AND GRAY CHASE YOU AROUND THE FIELD. DREW STANTON HAD ONE THE WORST PERFORMANCES OF HIS COLLEGE CAREER AS HE WAS 8 OF 16 FOR 54 YARDS. HE HAD SOME DROPPED PASSES, BUT HE ALSO MADE PLENTY OF POOR THROWS AND COULD NEVER QUITE ESCAPE THE BUCKEYE PRESSURE. JAMES LAURINAITIS HAD ANOTHER BIG GAMES AS HE LED THE TEAM WITH 9 TOTAL TACKLES. HE ALSO HAD A SACK. QUINN PITCOCK HAD 2 SACKS OF HIS OWN AND I THINK HE KNOCKED STANTON DOWN AT LEAST 113 TIMES. THE MAN IS A BEAST AND HE WILL BE MAKING A FAT PAYCHECK IN THE NFL VERY SOON. HE NEEDS TO WIN A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST. I DONT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY ABOUT THIS GAME. IT WAS COMPLETE DOMINATION ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL. WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THE MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS. THEY WERE 3-0 AND DESTROYING NOTRE DAME AT HALFTIME. SINCE THAT POINT, THEY HAVE FELL APART, AND ARE NOW 3-4, INCLUDING THAT LOSS TO ILLINOIS. I LIKE JOHN L SMITH, BUT IT SEEMS AS IF HIS DAYS ARE NUMBERED IN EAST LANSING. WE GET SEE THE INDIANA HOOSIERS NEXT WEEK IN COLUMBUS AND NO THERE ISNT A POSSIBLE UPSET IN THIS GAME. THE BUCKS WILL COVER THE SPREAD AND THE GAME WONT BE CLOSE. THE IOWA HAWKEYES NEED TO REEVALUATE THEIR SITUATION AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HELL THEY ARE DOING LOSING TO INDIANA. THE BCS CAME OUT TODAY AND AS EXPECTED, OHIO STATE IS ON TOP. I WAS HOPING MICHIGAN WOULD GET THAT #2 SPOT, BUT FOR WHATEVER REASON, USC HAS IT. THEY WONT HAVE IT FOR LONG I KNOW THAT MUCH AS THEY STILL HAVE TO PLAY CALIFORNIA, OREGON, AND NOTRE DAME. MICHIGAN IS HOWEVER #2 IN THIS WEEK'S AP POLL. SO FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1985, THE BIG TEN HAS TEAMS IN THE FIRST TWO SPOTS IN THE POLL. ONCE AGAIN CONGRATULATIONS TO THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES ON A GREAT ROAD WIN. NEXT WEEK, OHIO STATE 41, INDIANA 7.
OFFENSIVE GAMEBALL: ANTHONY GONZALES
DEFENSIVE GAMEBALL: QUINN PITCOCK. Posted by Picasa

UPDATED STANDINGS

WELL AFTER WEEK 7 IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HERE ARE THE UPDATED STANDINGS. THERE WERE A COUPLE OF UPSETS THIS WEEK SUCH AS VANDY OVER GEORGIA AND INDIANA OVER IOWA. YES I DID SAY INDIANA, THAT IS NOT A MISPRINT. GOOD THING OHIO STATE HAS THEM AT HOME NEXT WEEK HUH? ANYWAY FOR THE 2ND WEEK IN A ROW, JEREMY AND ABBEY LED THE WAY BY PICKING 17 OF 21 GAMES CORRECT. CHAD, ERIN, STEVE, AND MYSELF, PICKED 16 OF 21 CORRECTLY, SO THERE WASNT A BIG CHANGE THIS WEEK IN THE OVERALL. HERE YOU GO!

1. JASON RAIKE 150 OF 176 GAMES
2. CHAD BEMAN 149 OF 176 GAMES
3. ERIN NAVARRE 149 OF 176 GAMES
4. STEVE NAVARRE 148 OF 176 GAMES
5. JEREMY LANGENDERFER 148 OF 176 GAMES
6. ABBEY RAIKE 146 OF 176 GAMES