Saturday, October 18, 2008
East Lansing, Michigan - 3:30 (EST)
Ohio State -3.5
Summary
This is a battle of big brother vs. little brother...Jim Tressel vs. Mark Dantonio...it is a battle of "Family"...
Ohio State has been winning since getting thumped 35-3 by Southern Cal...the offense has been sluggish of late as they did not score an offensive touchdown last week against a weak Purdue team...there has been some mumbling that senior quarterback Todd Boeckman deserves to see action again, but that will not happen...Tressel has the man that he wants under center - Terrelle Pryor...by bringing Boeckman back into the picture, Tressel could start another quarterback controversy, something he wants to avoid at all costs...
When reading the newspapers, there is a clear divide on this team...the seniors want Boeckman to see more playing time...interestingly, Tressel always stresses senior leadership, but he is refusing to put in Boeckman even though he is one of the team captains...
Things have changed up north - and we aren't talking about the Wolverines...this year, baby brother has a team that just may win the Big Ten and play in the Rose Bowl...Michigan State is the team to beat in the State of Michigan...
The Spartans are led by senior running back Javon Ringer who is moving his name up the Heisman list...Ringer already as 1,112 yards rushing and 14 TDs...the Spartans rely heavily on the running game to score points...QB Brian Hoyer has thrown only 6 TDs this year...overall, the Spartans average 176 yards/game on the ground and 192 through the air...
The Spartans have committed only 6 turnovers all year while forcing their opponents to 16 turnovers...
What the experts say...
The Gold Sheet - Michigan State 21-20
Point Wise - Ohio State 22-21
Power Sweet - Ohio State 24-14
Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1) - Head Coach Jim Tressel
Here are the Ohio State game notes for the Michigan State game...
Here is the transcript from the weekly press conference...
For more information about the Buckeyes, check out the blog Around the Oval...
Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch writes how Michigan State has become a mentally tougher team under Dantonio... "But those moments are becoming fewer and fewer as the Michigan State program more and more embodies the tough, no-nonsense ethic of Dantonio, who was hired two years ago to rescue it from the mood swings that marked his predecessor." ...
Ken Gordon of the Columbus Dispatch writes how Tressel has found his man in Terrelle Pryor even though the numbers keep dropping... "Pryor has accounted for progressively fewer total yards in each of his starts: 205 against Troy, 167 against Minnesota, 164 at Wisconsin and 124 last week." ...
Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes how Ohio State is trying to get the offense rolling again... "Three days after failing to score an offensive touchdown in a 16-3 win over Purdue on Saturday, the Buckeyes hit the practice field Tuesday in a continued search for answers." ...
Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch writes how offensive coordinator Jim Bollman is dealing with the lack of offense... "Bollman was asked yesterday what he would tell fans who are fretting the malaise will continue. They think it could deep-six what is still a promising season, perhaps even Saturday when the Buckeyes (6-1, 3-0) play at Michigan State (6-1, 3-0)." ...
Michigan State Spartans (6-1) - Head Coach Mark Dantonio
Here are the Michigan State game notes for the Ohio State game...
Here is the transcript from Mark Dantonio's weekly press conference...
For more information about Michigan State, check out the blog Spartan Tailgate...
Joe Rexrode of the Lansing State Journal writes how there are 24 players from the state of Ohio on the Michigan State team... "For a team with just as many starters from Ohio as from Michigan, it's fair to wonder which of the next two Saturdays will see the bigger "rivalry game." Obviously, Michigan State's No. 1 nemesis is Michigan, which will host the Spartans on Oct. 25. But Saturday's home game against Ohio State will have an awfully intense feel to it for many Spartans." ...
Marlen Garcia of USA Today writes how MSU running back Javon Ringer is piling up the yards and Ws... "In part, Ringer said shaky academics kept him from getting to OSU. But he didn’t beat himself up over it." ...
Shannon Shelton of the Detroit Free Press writes that this year's game is more than Tressel vs. Dantonio... "Last season, the biggest story line entering Michigan State's game against Ohio State was the teacher vs. student battle between Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel and protégé Mark Dantonio, the first-year coach at MSU." ...
In honor of the 10-year anniversary of when Michigan State went into Columbus as 28-point underdogs and upset the #1 ranked Buckeyes, here is a 3:32 clip of that game...
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