ABC-Brent Musberger (play-by-play), Bob Davie and Kirk Herbstreit (experts) with Lisa Salters and Erin Andrews on the sideline
How OSU Did Last Week
OSU beat Northwestern 54-10. That is the highest point total in Jim Tressel's career at OSU. In fact that is the highest point total since 1996. Despite playing with an injured thumb, Troy Smith threw four touchdowns for the third game this year. He was 12 of 19 for 185 yards, 4 touchdowns and one interception. Antonio Pittman reached 1,000 yard for the second straight season. Ohio State continues to cause turnovers and score, Northwestern had five turnovers, which resulted in 34 points for OSU. Brian Hartline caught his first two touchdowns of the season. Beanie Wells lead rushers with 99 yards and a touchdown. The offense had a total of 425 yards while the defense held Northwestern to 297 yards. What to Expect
Words can not describe the magnitude of this game. Not only is this a rivarly game and the last game of the season, but with both teams ranked #1 and #2 the winner will go to the National Championship game in Glendale, AZ while the loser will be left waiting to see how the other teams finish the season. I think it is important to note that going into this season, there were high expectation for OSU and things were unsure at Michigan with Lloyd Carr on the hot seat. Both teams have played especially well, but Michigan is the most surprising. Both Carr and the team are hungry, after a disappointing season last year and four losses to OSU in the past five years. Michigan has played a difficult schedule, but I don't think they have the personnel to pull off the win this Saturday. QB Henne can be easily rattled when pressure is applied, so look for OSU to do just that. Mike Hart could pose problems to OSU, especially if he goes out for short passes, which is something that has worked against OSU (look at the NIU and NU game stats.) As a runner, he is effective, not only at holding the ball, but only three teams have limited him to less than 100 yards. Super Mario Manningham is a great receiver, but I believe he still has some rust, after missing games for knee surgery. Breaston is a great special teams player, but he has had trouble making catches as a receiver. Much has been said about the Michigan rushing defense, rightly so considering how little success opposing teams have had. However, that could change if OSU can effectively get a long passing game going early. As you know, successful passing opens up the running game and vice versa. So look for OSU to pass early, but don't be surprised if Smith scrambles. Pittman will get the majority of his yards in the second half. Minnesota was able to run for over 100 yards against Michigan, for comparison purposes, Minnesota only had 47 yards against OSU. So clearly it is possible for teams to run the ball against the Wolverines. In recent weeks we have seen Tressel add wrinkles to the OSU offense, most importantly, passing to the tight end. The Wolverine secondary is questionable. Yes, Michigan limits teams to 231 yards of offense, but when you consider that teams only get an average of 29.9 yards rushing, that leaves and average of 201.5 yards passing/game. They have only allowed 3 rushing touchdowns, but teams have scored on 11 touchdown passes. Michigan will have a difficult covering multiple receivers. It will be interesting to see if they focus on covering Gonzo or Ginn. Many teams have left Gonzo open to make some important first downs. This won't be a high scoring game, but I see OSU having a comfortable lead by the middle of the third quarter. Troy Smith will carry OSU yet again, giving him the Heisman and placing him in OSU history as possibly the best quarterback in school history. Sorry Lloyd Carr, better luck next time....
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