Henton to Return to Practice

Tressel has said that QB Antonio Henton, who was suspended earlier this week for soliciting a prostitute, could return to the practice field next week to work on the scout team. He will not likely be able to play in a game until the matter is settled in court. He is not traveling to Minnesota for the game this week.

Notes from Northwestern Game

The game was over early as OSU had 28 points in the first quarter. Northwestern only scored on a returned kickoff in the second half. Beanie had another 100 yard game. Boeckman was 11 of 14 for 179 yards. He leads the Big Ten and is 10th in the nation with a passing efficiency of 171.91. The defense ranks second nationally, only allowing 178 yards/game. They are third in scoring defense, only allowing 7.25 points/game.

The Series

OSU leads the series 39-7. The teams first played each other in 1921, but only played 12 times from 1921-1966. OSU has won every game in the Metrodome, going 10-0 since 1980. Minnesota last beat a top-ten team, when it won in Columbus in 2000 over #6 Ohio State, which was the first of four losses that season, ultimately resulting in the firing of Coach Cooper. Glen Mason, then the coach at Minnesota became the leading candidate for the job at OSU. It appears AD Andy Geiger picked the right man in Tressel, considering Glen Mason is no longer at Minnesota, and instead he is doing TV work for the Big Ten Network.

Scouting the Gophers

Offense
Taking snaps for Minnesota is freshman quarterback Adam Weber completing 59% for 1030 yards. He has 11 touchdowns, but he also has 8 interceptions. He is second on the team in rushing, with 257 yards. Senior running back Amir Pinnix has 439 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Eric Decker leads receivers with 421 yards and four touchdowns.

This Season
The Gophers are 1-3 so far this season, with loses to Bowling Green, Florida Atlantic and Purdue. Their only victory is over Miami, not Miami(FL).

Coach
Tim Brewster is 1-3 in his first season as a head coach. Before Minnesota he was an assistant coach, working with receivers in the NFL.

Henton Likely to Miss Season

Henton has been suspended from the team until he is sentenced in Franklin County for soliciting a prostitute earlier this week. He will likely miss the entire season, as he could face a six-month prison sentence.

Coming into this season, Tressel said Boeckman and Schoenhoft would each split the minutes at quarterback. It was assumed that Shoenhoft would be the backup. In the Northwestern game Henton had more minutes in the second half than Schoenhoft and this week he was finally listed as third on the depth chart. This arrest will set back his career at Ohio State. Freshman Joe Bauserman will make the trip as a backup to Boeckman and Schoenhoft. Bauserman has not played in a football game since 2003. He has played the last three years in minor league baseball.

Saine Out and Sanzebacher Back

Running back Bradon Saine will miss yet another game from an injury in the Washington game. He had arthroscopic knee surgery to repair torn cartilage. Daniel "Boom" Herron, who was previously going to redshirt his freshman year, is traveling with the team as the third running back behind Beanie and Mo' Wells.

Receiver Dane Sanzenbacher is expected to return for the game this week, after missing the Northwestern game due to a concussion in the Washington game. He is slotted as the fourth receiver, behind Robiskie, Hartline and Small.

Henton Arrested

It has been reported that freshman quarterback Antonio Henton was arrested for soliciting a prostitute. He was arrested last night at High Street and 6th Ave by an undercover officer. He is in the Franklin County Jail. I will post more details as they surface.

Guest Panel-Week 5 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:

1. Dr. Funkenstein (16-5) (2-3 last week)

2. Batman (15-6) (2-3 last week)

2. Nearsighted Nelly (15-6) (3-2 last week)

2. Philly Cheese (15-6) (3-2 last week)

5. Man Getting Hit by Football (14-7) (2-3 last week)

5. Spamsandwichsan (14-7) (2-3 last week)

7. Pat Head (13-8) (3-2 last week)

7. David Boston's Career (13-8) (5-0 last week)

Games for this week:

1. OSU vs. Minnesota

2. California vs. Oregon

3. Michigan State vs. Wisconsin

4. West Virginia vs. South Florida

And the oddball game this week is:

5. Louisiana Tech vs. Fresno State

Saine and Sanzenbacher Out

Both running back Brandon Saine and receiver Dane Sanzenbacher were hurt in the Washington game, and it was believed that they would play, but Tressel said last night that they will miss the game. Saine has been backing up Beanie. Sanzenbacher has been in at the third receiver spot. Mo' Wells will pick up the plays Saine will miss and Ray Small, who returned to playing recently, will fill in for Sanzenbacher.

Notes from Washington Game

Ohio State had a slow start, only scoring on a field goal in the first half. The turning point was a blocked field goal by Kurt Coleman. After that Ohio State scored 24 consecutive points. Beanie had another 100+ game, with 135 yards and a touchdown. Boeckman was 14 of 25 for 218 yards with two touchdown passes. He has 153 rating, ranking him 20th nationally. On the drive after the blocked field goal in the third quarter, Boeckman threw a 68-yard bomb to Robiskie. Click here to see the video on YouTube.

Series History

OSU leads the series 57-14-1. In Columbus OSU leads 31-8. Ohio State has been ranked the last six times the teams have played. Northwestern last won in 2004, in Evanston. The last time the Wildcats won in Columbus was in 1971 against the #16 Buckeyes.

Scouting the Wildcats

Offense
Returning at quarterback is CJ Bacher, who became a starter in the second half of last year in the Purdue game. In his career he has 2,069 yards. So far this season he has completed 59% for 838 yards, with four touchdowns. Former Mr. Football in Ohio, Junior running back Tyrell Sutton comes back to the Wildcats after missing the Duke game. In his career he has 2,596 rushing yards and this season he has 122 yards with 1 touchdown. Sutton also catches the ball. Leading the wildcats in receiving is junior Ross Lane, with 179 yards this season.

This Season
The team is 2-1, with wins over Northeastern and Nevada, with a loss to Duke last week. Northwestern led in almost every offensive category, but the two interceptions came back to haunt them. Duke ended the nation's longest losing streak at 22 games.

Coach
Pat Fitzgerald is 6-9 in his second season as a coach. He stepped in after the sudden death of Randy Walker. He played at Northwestern and has been on the coaching staff since 2001. He played on two Big Ten Champion teams, including the 1995 squad that went 8-0 in the Big Ten and played in the Rose Bowl.

Banged Up but Ready

Tressel said in his weekly press conference that fullback Dionte Johnson, running back Beanie Wells, receiver Dane Sanzenbacher were banged up in the Washington game, but they are fine and are expected to play without any trouble this week.

Guest Panel-Week 4 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:

1. Dr. Funkenstein (14-2) (6-0 last week)

2. Batman (13-3) (5-1 last week)

3. Man Getting Hit by Football (12-4) (4-2 last week)

3. Nearsighted Nelly (12-4) (5-1 last week)

3. Philly Cheese (12-4) (5-1 last week)

3. Spamsandwichsan (12-4) (5-1 last week)

7. Pat Head (10-6) (4-2 last week)

8. David Boston's Career (8-8) (3-3 last week)

The oddball games this week are:

1. OSU vs. Northwestern

2. Iowa State vs. Toledo

3. San Jose State vs. Utah State

4. Temple vs. Bowling Green

And the interesting game this week is:

5. Georgia vs. Alabama

Top Ten Winningest Active Coaches

As Coach Tressel approaches his 200th career win, he is sitting at third place in the winningest active coaches. Bowden and Paterno are still in a tight race for winningest coach ever. I hope JoePa gets it, since he is Big Ten and I really don't like Bowden or FSU. Although I don't see Bowden leaving before JoePa.

Bobby Bowden, Florida State	367-113-4
Joe Paterno, Penn State	365-121-3
Jim Tressel, Ohio State	199-71-2
Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech	199-106-4
Chris Ault, Nevada	185-80-1
Dennis Franchione, Texas A&M	182-96-2
Joe Glenn, Wyoming	181-85-1
Mack Brown, Texas	181-96-1
Dick Tomey, San Jose State	170-124-7
Steve Spurrier, South Carolina	159-50-2

Notes from Akron Game

The Buckeye offense struggled during the game last week with five turnovers. The offense only scored on a field goal in the first half, with the score being 3-2 at halftime. Akron scored when Beanie Wells was stuffed at the goal-line for a safety in the first quarter. OSU added another field goal in the third quarter. The first touchdown came in the third quarter with a pass from Boeckman to Saine. That was Saine's first touchdown catch. OSU scored their other touchdown with a pass from Boeckman to Robiskie.

The defense did an incredible job, preventing any touchdowns or field goals by Akron. The Zips were forced to punt 14 times and had 12 consecutive three and out series. Akron managed to only get three yards rushing. The team only had 69 total yards and three first downs, with two of those happening in their first possession. OSU has not allowed a touchdown yet this season.

Scouting the Huskies

Offense
The team is lead by redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Locker. Locker had no experience in college prior to this season. So far this year he has 335 yards, completing 61%, with one touchdown and one interception. Leading the team in rushing is senior Louis Rankin with 192 yards and three touchdowns. Second in rushing is QB Locker with 167 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Reece leads the team with 152 yards as a receiver. Last year he only played in four games, in his first year after transferring from junior college.

This Season
In their opener, the Huskies won at Syracuse, 42-12. The Huskies limited the Orange to 8 rushing yards. Syracuse did not score a touchdown until the last quarter. Washington won their home opener against #22 Boise State, 24-10. The Huskies benefited from three interceptions and one fumble.

Scouting Report
Washington appears to be weak against the pass. Syracuse struggled on offense, but they still had 199 yards in the air. Boise State had 285 yards in passing, and if it wasn't for the four turnovers, this would have been a close game. At first glance it looks good that they beat a ranked team, but it is possible that Boise State was ranked in the preseason due to how well they finished last season. QB Locker's lack of experience could be a problem for his team, although his ability to run adds another dimension to their offense.

Coach
Tyrone Willingham is in his third season at Washington. So far at Washington he is 8-16. In his career covering Standford, Notre Dame and Washington he is 73-67-1 in thirteen seasons. Willingham came to Washington after being fired from Notre Dame after only three seasons.

Beanie Goes Over 100

As a backup to Pittman last year and in the YSU game as a starter, Beanie Wells has never run for over 100 yards. The closest he came was 99 yards last year in the Northwestern game. Last week against Akron, he had 143 yards. In one drive in the fourth quarter he had 71 yards alone, with a long run of 40 yards. If you missed the stiff arm in that run, check out this clip from YouTube.

Series History

Ohio State leads the series 7-3, with the first game being in 1957 and the most recent in 2003. In the 1957 season, OSU went on to win the National Championship, the second under Woody Hayes. As the defending National Champions, OSU won the 2003 game in Columbus, 28-9. OSU is 2-3 in games played at Husky Stadium.

Receiver Small to Return, I think

Last week I said that Ray Small was to play at receiver, after missing the YSU game for an ankle injury. Evidently last week he was at 90-95% of his ability, but the coaches determined they should wait one more week. Tressel has said that Small will play this week. Small goes in at the slot position and adds yet another receiver to help spread out the defense.

Guest Panel-Week 3 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:

1. Dr. Funkenstein (8-2) (3-2 last week)

1. Man Getting Hit by Football (8-2) (4-1 last week)

1. Batman (8-2) (4-1 last week)

4. Nearsighted Nelly (7-3) (3-2 last week)

4. Philly Cheese (7-3) (3-2 last week)

4. Spamsandwichsan (7-3) (3-2 last week)

7. Pat Head (6-4) (3-2 last week)

8. David Boston's Career (5-5) (3-2 last week)

Games for this week:

1. Ohio State vs. Washington

2. USC vs. Nebraska

3. Tennessee vs. Florida

4. Boston College vs. Georgia Tech

5. Arkansas vs. Alabama

And the oddball game:

6. Notre Dame vs. Michigan

DishNetwork and Big Ten Network Agreement

DishNetwork has agreed to terms with the Big Ten Network. As is mandated by the network, the channel will be available on the basic package, but in a break from the norm next year the channel will be only available with the plus package that includes other regional sports channels. Another difference with this deal is that it in year two it will only be available in states that have Big Ten schools. It has not been announced how they plan to accommodate Big Ten fans outside of the midwest next year. I am assuming it will be available as an add-on for those customers. This contract is quite different because previously the network did not budge on the channel being a part of a sports package. The network also was not letting providers only cover the midwest, the terms were supposed to be $1.10/customer in the midwest and $0.10 for anyone else. It would average out to $0.30 per customer around the country.

I imagine Time Warner and Comcast will try to bargain with similar terms. Their complaints have been price, channel placement on basic packages and offering the channel outside of the midwest.

OSU against YSU

OSU looked solid in the passing game, with Boeckman hitting 17 of 23 for 225 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was Robiskie who had 153 yards. It was great seeing nine different guys catch a ball for Ohio State, and that is without Ray Small playing. The running game for OSU was distributed fairly evenly, 46 for Beanie, 45 for Mo Wells and 42 for freshman Brandon Saine. Saine showed some great moves, and he will be an exciting player to watch as he develops. Beanie claims he was not mentally in the game. If we wants to be considered for any awards at the end of the season, he needs to put up better numbers. Although, in his defense, I think the O-Line struggled to provide holes for Beanie to run through. The O-Line also allowed too many hits to Boeckman. If a Division I-AA (now called the Division I Football Championship Subdivision) team is able to apply pressure, imagine what a team like Wisconsin or Penn State could do. The loss of Wilson at safety could be a problem, but also an opportunity for a young player to shine. I hope OSU is able to cut down the penalties, as they had nine against YSU.

Curse?

The game on Saturday will be covered by the Big Ten Network with Thom Brennaman doing play-by-play and Charles Davis doing analysis. They say it takes three to make a pattern. The last three games covered by these two guys have resulted in wins by the underdog, Boise State over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, Florida over Ohio State in the 2007 Championship Game and last week's game with Appalachian State over Michigan. Is there a curse?

Series History

The Buckeyes lead the series 5-1. Akron won back in 1894, under legendary coach John W. Heisman (yes that Heisman.) At the time the school was called Buchtel College. Ohio State has won in 1891, 1892, 1893, 1895 and 2001. In the 2001 game, Charlie Frye was not able to pull out a victory for the Zips, and the team lost 28-14. Frye is currently the quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. The game was held on September 8, 2001, the day of the rededication of Ohio Stadium after the renovations.

Scouting the Zips

Offense
Sophomore quarterback Chris Jacquemain steps in to replace Luke Getsey. Jacquemain threw 14 of 24 for 125 yards and one touchdown in the Army game. He did not play in previous seasons. Dennis Kennedy returns as the running back. He had 914 yards last year. So far this season he has 72 yards. Jabari Arthur is the go-to receiver for Akron. He had 730 yards last season. Arthur already has 125 yards this season. The Canadian was drafted sixth in the Canadian Football League Draft, but he passed that up to finish his college career and attempt to make more money in the NFL.

This Season
Akron won their opener over Army, 22-14. In that game the defense limited Army to 58 rushing yards and only one offensive touchdown (the other Army touchdown was a punt return.) The defense also forced two interceptions.

Coach
J.D. Brookhart is 19-18 in his fourth season at Akron. He previously was an assistant at Pittsburgh, focusing on receivers, including the 2003 Heisman runner-up Larry Fitzgerald. He also was a coaching assistant with the Denver Broncos. This is his first job as a head coach.

Receiver Small to Return

Ray Small will play this week, after missing the YSU game. He had an ankle injury on August 11th. Small will step into the third receiver spot behind Robiskie and Hartline. He will also return punts. In his place last week, freshmen Darren Sazenbacher and Taurian Washington showed some potential, with each catching a touchdown.

Wilson Likely Out for Season

Starting junior defensive end, Lawrence Wilson broke his leg in the YSU game. He will be out for 6-8 weeks, so it is expected that he will medical red-shirt and miss the rest of the season. In his place will be true freshman Cameron Heyward or red-shirt freshman Robert Rose. This is a big loss, as OSU does not have a lot of experienced players on defense. We will see if this hurts OSU's ability to stop the run.

Michigan Loss Not Good for OSU

On Saturday morning, before the OSU and Michigan games started I said that Michigan may have some trouble with Appalachian State, so I was not surprised when I saw Michigan losing at half-time. App. State won Division I-AA last year, beating a talented Youngstown State in the semifinals. I did not think App. State would win, and when Michigan took the lead in the fourth quarter I assumed the game was over. I did not think App. State had the depth to play the entire game, but I was wrong. Michigan had multiple opportunities to take control of the game. The play of the special teams was a big reason behind the loss.
Many Ohio State fans cheered as the Michigan score was updated throughout the OSU game. I personally wanted Michigan to win. It is embarrassing for the conference when the highest pre-season ranked team has one of the biggest upsets in football history. The same fans that cheered as the undefeated #1 Buckeyes played the #2 Wolverines last year, cheered as Michigan lost Saturday. I want Michigan to win every game, except the one versus the Buckeyes. It is better for the conference and the OSU/Michigan game, when both teams enter the game with everything on the line. I won't even begin to discuss the implications to the BCS equation for OSU. Next time Michigan is losing a game, you may want to hesitate cheering for their opponent.

Guest Panel-Week 2 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:

1. Dr. Funkenstein (5-0)

2. Nearsighted Nelly (4-1)

2. Man Getting Hit by Football (4-1)

2. Batman (4-1)

2. Philly Cheese (4-1)

2. Spamsandwichsan (4-1)

7. Pat Head (3-2)

8. David Boston's Career (2-3)

Games for this week:

1. Akron vs. Ohio State

2. Oregon vs. Michigan

3. TCU vs. Texas

4. Virginia Tech vs. LSU

And the oddball game:

5. Ball State vs. Eastern Michigan