We Don't Give A Damn For the Whole State of michigan

Before I get into the details of Ohio St's 37-7 win over michigan, I'd just like to start out by sharing some numbers that make me very happy...

7, as in consecutive victories Ohio St has over michigan
6, as in consecutive Big Ten titles and soon to be BCS Bowl appearances for Ohio St
9-1, as in Jim Tressel's career record against that school up north
0-3, as in Rich Rodriguez's career record against Ohio St
100-24, as in the combined score of the series in the three games under Dick-Rod
37/515 and 7/351, as in michigan's average totals of points/yards coming into this game, and what they picked up during it
32, as in the combined IQ of the michigan team and coaching staff
3, as in the number of times a michigan fan bathes in a month
17, as in the average age of third graders throughout the state of michigan
0, as on a scale from 1-1,000 on how much I give a damn for that whole God-forsaken state


Game Recap

Ohio St got off to a rare slow start in this game, and was actually lucky to be tied at 0 after the first quarter. OSU went three-and-out on its first two drives, while michigan moved the ball effectively for drives of 45 and 56 yards, respectively. Thankfully, scUM has zero faith in their kicking game, and their two solid drives ended in a turnover on downs and a Can't-Tie fumble, both deep in Buckeye territory. Terrelle Pryor went 4/5 on Ohio St's next possession, and led them to a Devin Barclay field goal.

michigan's pathetic special teams struck again at the beginning of the second frame, when punter Seth Broekhuizen kicked one off the side of his foot that went out of bounds after 18 yards and caused Matt Millen to use the word "shank-a-delic." Pryor made quick work of the short field, completing a pass to Taurian Washington (who is apparently still on the team!), scrambling for 11 yards himself, and hitting Dane Sanzenbacher for a touchdown.

Trailing 10-0, the wolverines had another good drive, although this one would be their last. Can't-Tie did most of the work with his legs (shocker) and Michael Shaw capped it off with a 1-yard run. With the game within only three points, Ohio St decided to stop fooling around. Jordan Hall took the ensuing kickoff back to the house, and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way for the Bucks.

Jermale Hines, who had himself a fantastic day, broke up another michigan 4th down attempt on the ensuing drive. Again, Pryor wasted no time getting Ohio St into the endzone, this time connecting with DeVier Posey for a 33-yard score. Can't-Tie came out of the game on the next series due to vagina soreness, so we were all treated to a look at T. Forcier. We didn't see him for long though, as Ross Homan immediately forced a fumble to give it back to the Bucks. With the chance to put an exclamation point on an excellent 2nd quarter, TP forced a ball into double coverage and was intercepted at the goal line. Ohio St settled for a 24-7 halftime lead.

The Force was back in to start the second half, and was picked off by Travis Howard on the first play. Two minutes later, Dan Herron broke one for a 32-yard touchdown, officially putting the route on. After applying some vagisil, Can't-Tie was back in the game for the wolverines, but michigan was forced to punt when Roy Roundtree dropped what had to be his twelfth pass of the game. michigan got a lucky bounce, and pinned OSU back at their own two-yard line. Boom Herron took the next play 98 yards for what should have been the longest play in Ohio St history. Dane Sanzenbacher, who started blocking his man at the 40-yard line and drove him all the way back to the goal line, was called for a bogus holding call at the 9. The play still went down as an 89-yarder, tying the school mark, and setting up Barclay for his second FG.

Herron did most of the running the rest of the way, putting Barclay in range for another successful field goal attempt near the end of the third, completing the scoring at 37-7. The Force closed out the game for michigan, leading one decent drive but missing two more 4th down conversions. Joe Bauserman was under center for the majority of the 4th for the Bucks, but didn't attempt a pass. Ohio St is completely dominant and beats that school up north, again.


Game Recap

Game Ball
As I do every year, the michigan game ball goes to Jim Tressel. 9 out of 10. 'Nuff said.
Game balls to date: Pryor (4), Herron (3), Tressel, Torrence, Defense, Moeller

Big Ten
As expected, Wisconsin trounced Northwestern, 70-23, and stayed ahead of Ohio St in the BCS standings, sending the Badgers to the Rose Bowl, most likely against TCU. I always root for Big Ten teams that aren't michigan in Bowl games, but especially after what OSU president Gordon Gee said, it would not look good for Ohio St or the Big Ten for Wisconsin to get beat by the Horned Frogs. Lets go Badgers!

Michigan St defeated Penn St to also claim a share of the conference title. However, it is a BCS rule that no more than two teams from the same conference can make a BCS game. That seems like a tough break for the Spartans, as they go 1-0 against the two teams they are tied with, but are the odd man out. I don't care what the other pros and cons are of the BCS, I don't understand how anyone can support a system that has UConn in its marquee Bowls and not Michigan St.

Boom
With Tressel receiving the game ball, I had to make another section to give a shout out to Dan Herron, who had another magnificent game. Boom ran the ball 22 times for 175 yards and 1 (should have been 2) touchdown. That comes out to a ridiculous 8.0 yards per carry. I certainly didn't expect this type of season from Herron, as this one and the Penn St games alone should be good enough to earn him a spot next to John Clay in the All-Conference backfield.

Secondary, More Like First-ary
After losing standout safety Kurt Coleman to the NFL last year, there were a lot of questions concerning the defensive backfield for the Buckeyes. It turns out that they were the strength of the #2 ranked defense in the nation. Yes, I am calling them the strength of a defense that features two of the best linebackers in the country, that's how good they are. I've talked before about Chimdi Chekwa's talents, and how teams don't even bother to throw his way. Devon Torrence and Jermale Hines have also been terrific, and Travis Howard has had a great end of the year, coming up with one interception and two fumble recoveries against michigan. This is all with the season-ending injury to Tyler Moeller, who looked to be the best of the bunch after the first three games.

Kickers
While these guys get a lot of crap for not being "real" football players, they are still absolutely essential to a winning football team. Apparently whoever taught Rich Rodriguez how to coach forgot to mention that to him. Dick-Rod is so arrogant that he completely dismissed the idea of getting a good kicker and punter on his team, and boy has it crippled them this year. michigan is 4 for 13 on kicking field goals this year. Yes, four. There are several kickers that have knocked in four in a single game. It has gotten to the point where michigan doesn't even try anymore, going for it on fourth down five times (only one successful conversion) and having The Force pooch punt it once against Ohio St.

On the opposite end of that spectrum, it feels so good having confidence in your kicker. Nearly every time Devin Barclay heads on to the field, I am confident that we have three points coming our way. Thinking back, when was the last time you have really been nervous about an Ohio St kicker? The '90s? From Mike Nugent on to Aaron Pettrey to Devin Barclay, Tressel always seems to have an outstanding kicker.


Up Next: Bowl game, TBA
In all likelihood, Ohio St will be heading to the Sugar Bowl to face an SEC team. The way it works is that the Sugar Bowl gets the first choice of an SEC team not in the title game and one at large team. With Arkansas' win over LSU last week, they are the front-runner to face the Buckeyes. If Auburn gets beat by South Carolina in the SEC Championship and is knocked from the BCS title game, our opponent would most likely be Auburn, with the Sugar Bowl having its choice of either Auburn or South Carolina. Either way, it promises to be a matchup of a high-powered offense against a devastating defense. I'll provide a more detailed preview once the game is officially announced on December 5th.


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