Player Suspensions

Thanks for the Present...

Last week OSU received an early Christmas present, and unfortunately it was of the coal variety for bad behavior. Five players (QB Pryor, WR Posey, RB Herron, OL Adams, and DE Thomas) were suspended five games by the NCAA for selling trophies/awards and signatures for cash and discounts on tattoos back in 2009. The penalty was four games, but a fifth game was added because the players did not self report. The suspension does not cover the Sugar Bowl, and will start at the beginning of the next season. LB Jordan Whiting was only suspended for the season opener.

 

Why Not the Bowl Game?

The Big Ten wanted to delay the punishment in consideration of the graduating seniors on the team and the Sugar Bowl officials. Gene Smith has defended the punishments, but has left open the door for Tressel to do bowl game punishments.  Tressell made the players commit to come back next season, or else they were not allowed to make the trip to the Sugar Bowl. He received a commitment from the players, but it is not a written contract. Tressel has indicated he will not make the players sit out any part of the Sugar Bowl.

 

Pay it Forward, I mean Pay it Back!

Additionally the players must pay a charity the amount of money they received. The amount can be paid in payments and Gene Smith has indicated that scholarship money could be used. Some of the players have stated that the money was for their families, and if that is true it may be hard for the players to make payments. A payment plan must be setup and a sufficient amount must be paid before the players are reinstated for the sixth game of the season.

 

Can I Still Place a Wager?

Vegas briefly removed the game from the boards, based on the concern over suspensions for the bowl game. Rest assured gamblers, the game is on the boards and OSU is still favored to win.

  

Will an Appeal Help?

There is a possibility the NCAA will reduce the penalty to four games with OSU's appeal. The appeal process would be done by early January, right before players must decide if they are entering the NFL.

Scouting the Razorbacks

Arkansas finished the regular season with a record of 10-2 including a 6-2 record in the SEC. The Razorbacks beat Tennessee Tech, ULM, Georgia, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, UTEP, Miss. State, and LSU. The two losses were to Alabama and Auburn. The offense averages 37 points/game, while the defense gives up 22 points/game. The offense passes for 338 yards/game while the rushing game averages 150 yards/game. The passing offense ranks third in the NCAA. The defense gives up 157 rushing yards and 182 passing yards.

 

Offense

At QB is Ryan Mallett, who may be familiar to OSU fans as he is a transfer from Michigan. This season he is completing 66% for 3,592 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. In his career he is 58% for 8,108 yards and 67 touchdowns. He has broken or tied 38 school and stadium records at Arkansas. His career average for touchdown passes is 30 yards. RB Knile Davis has rushed for 1,183 yards this season and 13 touchdowns. He averages 98.6 yards/game. At receiver are TE DJ Williams, Joe Adams, Codi Hamilton, and Jarius Wright. DJ Williams has 589 yards, and four touchdowns. He won the Mackey Award for the top tight end in the nation. He leads the nation with 1,817 career receiving yards among active tight ends. Joe Adams and Cobi Hamilton both have 100-yard games this season. Jarius Wright averages almost 35 yards per touchdown reception.

 

Special Teams

At placekicker is freshman Zach Hocker who is perfect on PATs and 13/16 for FGs with a long of 51 yards. Receiver Joe Adams is the main punt returner and he has averaged 17.9 yards/return and he has one return for a touchdown. Receiver Lance Ray is the main kickoff returner and he averages 22.5 yards/return. Dylan Breeding handles the punting.

 

Defense

Defensive end Jake Bequette leads the team with 7 sacks. The unit as a whole averages 3 sacks/game. At linebacker are Jerico Nelson, Anthony Leon, and Jerry Franklin. Franklin leads the team with 93 tackles and 12.5 tackles for loss. Leon had four tackles for loss against Tennessee Tech. At safety are Rudell Crim and Tramain Thomas. Thomas leads the team with four interceptions. At cornerback are Darius Winson and Issac Madison.

OSU Last Game

Ohio State beat Michigan 37-7 in the 107th game of the biggest rivalry in college football. In addition to its seventh straight win over Michigan, the Buckeyes won a share of its sixth consecutive Big Ten Conference championship. Tressel is now 9-1 against Michigan. Both teams moved the ball in the first quarter, but no one scored. OSU scored first with a FG early in the second quarter. After an 18 yard punt by Michigan, OSU moved the ball in five plays with Sanzenbacher catching the game's first touchdown. The Buckeyes scored their second of three touchdowns in the second quarter with a 85-yard kickoff return by Jordan Hall. It was his first career return for a touchdown, and the first by Ohio State this season. The third touchdown was a pass to Posey with three minutes left in the half. Michigan scored one touchdown in the second quarter, but couldn't reach the endzone for the rest of the game. Boom Herron had a career high of 175 yards, including one 89-yard run and 32-yard run for a touchdown in the third quarter. Barclay hit two more FGs in the third quarter for a total of three FGs. The Michigan offense struggled for most of the game and due to an ineffective substitute punter, Michigan was forced to go 1 of 5 on fourth downs.

The Coaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Tressel

In his 10th season at OSU he is 105-22, with a career record of 240-79-2 in his 25th year of coaching. He is 5-4 in bowls and 5-3 in BCS bowl games. He has never coached against Petrino or Arkansas.

 

 

 

Bobby Petrino

Petrino is 23-14 in his third year at Arkansas and 64-23 in his seventh year as a college head coach. He is 3-2 in bowl games and 1-0 in BCS games. As the head coach of Louisville he beat Wake Forest in the 2007 Orange Bowl. He is only one of three coaches to lead two programs to a BCS game, including Urban Meyer at Utah and Florida and Nick Saban at LSU and Alabama. In addition to coaching at Louisville, he also was on the coaching staffs at Arizona State, Nevada, Utah State, and Auburn. He also coached in the NFL at Jacksonville and briefly at Atlanta. Petrino played quarterback and later coached with his dad at Carroll College in Montana. He also played basketball at Carroll. He has never coached against Tressel or Ohio State.

The Series

This is the first meeting of Ohio State and Arkansas in football. This is the first BCS game for Arkansas. Ohio State has appeared in eight BCS games.

New Big Ten Logo, Names

The Big Ten released the new logo, as the old logo had a hidden "11" which doesn't make sense with the twelve teams next year. Additionally, the Big Ten released the names of the divisions for football, and the name for the Championship game and awards. Below you will see the logo and the names.

 

Divisions:

Legends: Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Northwestern

Leaders: Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Purdue.

 

The championship game trophy will be named the Stagg-Paterno Championship Trophy, in honor of former University of Chicago coach Amos Alonzo Stagg and Penn State coach Joe Paterno.

The MVP of the championship game will be named the Grange-Griffin winner, in honor of OSU two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin and Illinois' Red Grange.

The conference coach of the year will be named the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year, in honor of former OSU coach Woody Hayes and Michigan's Bo Schembechler.

Guest Panel-Bowl Games

The Guest Panel starts a new competition with a clean slate. Check back on December 18 for the picks/comments for all 35 bowl games.

NOTE-Panelists, please number your picks in the order in this post.

TIEBREAKER-Please list the total number of points scored for the Sugar Bowl (OSU vs. Arkansas) In the event of a tie for first place, I will look to the tiebreaker and the panelist closest to the total number of points, above or below, will break the tie and win. I will only use the tiebreaker for first place.

1. New Mexico Bowl
Dec. 18 Albuquerque, NM 2:00 pm
Brigham Young vs. Texas-El Paso

2. uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
Dec. 18 Boise, ID 5:30 pm
Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State

3. R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Dec. 18 New Orleans, LA9:00 pm
Ohio vs. Troy

4. Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg
Dec. 21 St. Petersburg, FL8:00 pm
Southern Mississippi vs. Louisville

5. Maaco Bowl Las Vegas
Dec. 22 Whitney, NV 8:00 pm
Utah vs. Boise State

6. SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl
Dec. 23 San Diego, CA 8:00 pm
Navy vs. San Diego State

7. Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Dec. 24 Honolulu, HI 8:00 pm
Hawaii vs. Tulsa

8. Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Dec. 26 Detroit, MI 8:30 pm
Florida International vs. Toledo

9. AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
Dec. 27 Shreveport, LA 5:00 pm
Air Force vs. Georgia Tech

10. Champs Sports Bowl
Dec. 28 Orlando, FL 6:30 pm
West Virginia vs. North Carolina State

11. Insight Bowl
Dec. 28 Tempe, AZ10:00 pm
Missouri vs. Iowa

12. Military Bowl Pres. By Northrop Grumman
Dec. 29 Washington, DC 2:30 pm
East Carolina vs. Maryland

13. Texas Bowl
Dec. 29 Houston, TX 6:00 pm
Illinois vs. Baylor

14. Valero Alamo Bowl
Dec. 29 San Antonio, TX 9:15 pm
Oklahoma State vs. Arizona

15. Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Dec. 30 University Park, TX 12:00 pm
Army vs. Southern Methodist

16. New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Dec. 30 New York, NY 3:20 pm
Kansas State vs. Syracuse

17. Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Dec. 30 Nashville, TN 6:40 pm
North Carolina vs. Tennessee

18. Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl
Dec. 30 San Diego, CA 10:00 pm
Nebraska vs. Washington

19. Meineke Car Care Bowl
Dec. 31 Charlotte, NC 12:00 pm
South Florida vs. Clemson

20. Hyundai Sun Bowl
Dec. 31 El Paso, TX 2:00 pm
Notre Dame vs. Miami (FL)

21. AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Dec. 31 Memphis, TN 3:30 pm
Georgia vs. Central Florida

22. Chick-fil-A Bowl
Dec. 31 Atlanta, GA7:30 pm
South Carolina vs. Florida State

23. TicketCity Bowl
Jan. 1 Dallas, TX 12:00 pm
Northwestern vs. Texas Tech

24. Outback Bowl
Jan. 1 Tampa, FL 1:00 pm
Florida vs. Penn State

25. Capital One Bowl
Jan. 1 Orlando, FL 1:00 pm
Alabama vs. Michigan State

26. Gator Bowl
Jan. 1 Jacksonville, FL1:30 pm
Mississippi State vs. Michigan

27. Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio
Jan. 1 Pasadena, CA 4:30 pm
Wisconsin vs. Texas Christian

28. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 1 Glendale, AZ 8:30 pm
Connecticut vs. Oklahoma

29. Discover Orange Bowl
Jan. 3 Miami Gardens, FL 8:30 pm
Stanford vs. Virginia Tech

30. Allstate Sugar Bowl
Jan. 4 New Orleans, LA 8:30 pm
Ohio State vs. Arkansas

31. GoDaddy.com Bowl
Jan. 6 Mobile, AL 8:00 pm
Middle Tennessee vs. Miami (OH)

32. AT&T Cotton Bowl
Jan. 7 Arlington, TX 8:00 pm
Louisiana State vs. Texas A&M

33. BBVA Compass Bowl
Jan. 8 Birmingham, AL 12:00 pm
Pittsburgh vs. Kentucky

34. Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Jan. 9 San Francisco, CA 9:00 pm
Nevada vs. Boston College

35. Tostitos BCS National Championship Game
Jan. 10 Glendale, AZ 8:30 pm
Oregon vs. Auburn

Guest Panel-Regular Season Final Standings

Below are the final standings for the Guest Panel Regular Season. Congrats to Pat Head for her victory in the Buckeye Pregame Guest Panel Regular Season Competition! She will receive an OSU shirt and a certificate. She has held the lead since Week 7. Also joining her on the podium are Philly Cheese and Carl, who jumped into a tie for second place. Thanks to the entire guest panel for another great season of picks and funny and insightful commentary.

 

The bowl games are around the corner, and the games will soon be posted. Everyone will have a clean slate for the bowl game competition, which will have its own champion.

 
Final Standings:
1. Pat Head (63-21) (3-3 last week)
2. Philly Cheese (58-26) (6-0 last week)
2. Carl (58-26) (6-0 last week)
4. Batman (57-27) (2-4 last week)
5. Old Bag of Man (56-28) (5-1 last week)

6. Buckeye Cock (54-30) (6-0 last week)
7. Mel Kiper's Hair (53-31) (4-2 last week)

8. Dr. Funkenstein (52-32) (1-5 last week)
8. Spam Sandwichsan (52-32) (3-3 last week)
10. Tressel's Devil (51-33) (2-4 last week)
11. Hudy Delights (49-35) (3-3 last week)
12. Big Dog (46-38) (5-1 last week)

OSU Beats Michigan again...

Photos from dispatch.com

Guest Panel-Week 14 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well. This will be the last week for the Guest Panel Regular Season. Next week we will crown a champion for the regular season. Everyone will have a clean slate for the bowl game competition, which will have its own champion. Congrats to Pat Head, Carl, and Hudy for going 5-1 last week. Pat Head extended her lead at first place to five games. Carl moved up to third place.

 

Standings:
1. Pat Head (60-18) (5-1 last week)
2. Batman (55-23) (4-2 last week)
3. Philly Cheese (52-26) (4-2 last week)
3. Carl (52-26) (5-1 last week)
5. Old Bag of Man (51-27) (3-3 last week)
5. Dr. Funkenstein (51-27) (4-2 last week)
7. Spam Sandwichsan (49-29) (4-2 last week)
7. Mel Kiper's Hair (49-29) (4-2 last week)
7. Tressel's Devil (49-29) (4-2 last week)
10. Buckeye Cock (48-30) (3-3 last week)
11. Hudy Delights (46-32) (5-1 last week)

12. Big Dog (41-37) (4-2 last week) 

Games for this week:
1. Auburn vs. South Carolina
2. Oklahoma vs. Nebraska
3. Florida State vs. Virginia Tech
4. Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati

5. Connecticut vs. South Florida
And the oddball game this week is:
6. Troy vs. Florida Atlantic

OSU Uniforms This Week

As I posted in September, OSU will have special uniform this weekend. This is similar to the Nike program last year. This year's uniform will honor the 1942 national champions. It is not intended to be a duplicate of the 1942 uniform, and it will have some camouflage in honor of the WWII vets that played for OSU before deployment. Below is a more recent picture of the uniform and the red helmet.

 

What to Expect

I think the Wisconsin game last week is a good example of how to beat Michigan. Wisconsin was able to limit Michigan to 168 rushing yards, and forced Michigan to throw the ball. Michigan did have some success in the air and passed for 274 yards. Wisconsin was able to run all over the soft defense of Michigan, and piled up 357 yards rushing and six rushing TDs. OSU does not quite have the power running game of Wisconsin, but they still should be able to get 275 rushing yards, including a 100-yard day for Herron. The passing offense for OSU will get 250 yards against the young secondary of Michigan. Michigan will get some rushing yards, but they will be kept under 150 yards on the ground. The passing game for Michigan will get 175 yards. OSU will win the game and extend the winning streak against the school up north, with a final score of 38-17,

Things to Watch

Injury Update

No major updates on the injury list this week. 

 

Player to Watch

Boom Herron has had a great second half to his season, so he is definitely on Michigan's radar. Herron should have a big day as OSU will pile on the rushing yards. He should have his third career 100-yard game. 

 

Will Rodriguez Be Back?

This may be Rich Rod's last regular season game at Michigan. Although he has guided Michigan to better season, it is still not up to Michigan standards. As the offense has progressed, the defense has taken its place among the worst in the country. It was not lost in the minds of the Michigan administration, that although the three overtime victory over Illinois was exciting, the defense allowed Illinois to score 65 points. Rich Rod has finally shown that his offensive system can work, but it has only resulted in a 7-4 record and that is with a dynamic QB. It is not clear that his system in the Big Ten will result in a better record in the coming seasons. He may try to fire defensive coordinator Greg Robinson, and that may be enough to save him for another year. I think he needed to win one of the big games against Michigan State, Iowa, Penn State, or Wisconsin to save his job.

Scouting the Wolverines

Michigan is bowl eligible for the first time in Coach Rodriguez's tenure. The Wolverines are 7-4 and 3-4 in the conference. The team has wins over Connecticut, Notre Dame, Massachusetts, Bowling Green, Indiana, Illinois, and Purdue. The loses were against Michigan State, Iowa, Penn State, and Wisconsin last week. The team is averaging 36 points/game while the defense gives up 33 points/game. The offense averages 257 yards rushing and 257 yards passing. The defense gives up 181 rushing yards and 263 passing yards.

 

Offense

QB Dernard Robison came out strong at the start of the season, and was mentioned as an early Heisman candidate. He played limited minutes last season, but this season he has started every game and missed some minutes for injuries. This season he is completing 63% for 2,417 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He leads the team in rushing with 1,538 yards and 14 touchdowns. He is second nationally averaging 342 yards/game. He has set NCAA records for rushing yards by a quarterback. Also running the ball is Vincent Smith with 571 yards and five touchdowns. The main receivers are Roy Roundtree, Darryl Stonum, and Junior Hemingway. Roundtree has 839 yards and six touchdowns and is the Big Ten's second-leading receiver with 76 yards/game. Stonum has 493 yards and he averages 24 yards/kick return. Hemmingway has 544 yards and missed the first two game of the season with a hamstring injury.

 

Defense

The defense has had its troubles, but there is some talent among the young players. The secondary has only two upperclassmen among the two deep at safety and cornerback. LB Jonas Mouton leads the team with 102 tackles and has two interceptions and two recovered fumbles. Tackle Greg Banks and tackle Ryan Van Bergen lead the team with three fumbles. Cornerback James Rogers leads the team with three interceptions.

OSU Last Week

Ohio State scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, including a touchdown in the last two minutes, resulting in a 20-17 victory over Iowa. OSU had 135 of its 353 yards in the fourth quarter. Iowa scored the first TD with a 19-yard pass in the first quarter. OSU scored its first points with a 18 yard FG in the second quarter. Ohio State took the lead 10-7 with a 77-yard drive finished off with a 5-yard pass to TE Reid Fragel. Iowa tied it with a 31-yard FG late in the third quarter. Pryor threw his second interception and Iowa scored two plays later to take the lead. OSU drove the ball down and settled for a FG to inch closer with a score of 17-13.  The defense stepped up, in particular John Simon who sacked Stanzi on first down and knocked down a pass on third down. With six minutes left OSU drove the ball 76 yards, and despite a missed catch by Posey in the endzone, OSU was able to score off a 1-yard run by Herron. Pryor converted a big 4th down with a 14 yard run, and Sanzenbacher had a 24-yard pass at the sideline to get OSU in the redzone. Iowa got the ball back but the OSU defense stepped up big including Heyward's first sack of the season.

The Coaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Tressel

In his 10th season at OSU he is 104-22, with a career record of 239-79-2 in his 25th year of coaching. He is 8-1 against Michigan.

Rich Rodriguez
In his 3rd year at Michigan, he is 15-19. In his 18th year as a head coach he is 120-81-2. Rod is 0-2 against Ohio State. He was the head coach at West Virginia for seven years. Prior to West Virginia he was an assistant at Clemson and Tulane. Before his work as an assistant he was the head coach at the NAIA division II schools of Salem and Glenville State. Rodriguez was a walk-on and eventually a scholarship player at West Virginia as a defensive back.

The Series

This will be the 107th game in what is considered the greatest rivalry in college football. The two teams first met in 1897 and have played every year since 1918. Since 1935 the game has been the last conference game of the season. Michigan leads the series 57-43-6, and leads 27-23-2 in games played in Columbus. Michigan has not won in Columbus since 2000. As I have said in past previews, I think it is worth looking at the record since Woody Hayes first season at OSU. Since 1951, OSU leads the series 31-26-2. Before Woody Hayes, Ohio State was considered the "graveyard of coaches." Starting with Woody Hayes, Ohio State took its rightful place in college football and in the series with Michigan.

Last year Ohio State beat Michigan 21-10 in Ann Arbor. Michigan threw four interceptions and had one lost fumble, with that fumble leading to a defensive TD by OSU in the first series. The loss prevented Michigan from getting into a bowl game, and resulted in a 5-7 record. The OSU running game had 251 on the ground with 96 by Herron, 84 by Saine, and 74 by Pryor. Pryor was limited to 9 passes for 67 yards. OSU wore special Nike uniforms that were inspired by the 1954 uniforms.

SCOREBOARD

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2002

2001
From Halftime, missing final scoreboard

Guest Panel-Week 13 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well. Congrats to Pat Head and Hudy Delights for their 5-1 records. Pat Head extended her lead to four games at first place. Spam, Mel Kiper, and Tressel's Devil moved up from 8th to 7th. The Guest Panel will also be here next week for the conference championships.

 

Standings:
1. Pat Head (55-17) (5-1 last week)
2. Batman (51-21) (4-2 last week)
3. Old Bag of Man (48-24) (4-2 last week)
3. Philly Cheese (48-24) (4-2 last week)
5. Dr. Funkenstein (47-25) (4-2 last week)
5. Carl (47-25) (4-2 last week)
7. Buckeye Cock (45-27) (3-3 last week)
7. Spam Sandwichsan (45-27) (4-2 last week)
7. Mel Kiper's Hair (45-27) (4-2 last week)
7. Tressel's Devil (45-27) (4-2 last week)
11. Hudy Delights (41-31) (5-1 last week)
12. Big Dog (37-35) (3-3 last week)

 

Games for this week:
1. OSU vs. Michigan

2. Auburn vs. Alabama (Friday)
3. Boise State vs. Nevada (Friday)
4. Texas A&M vs. Texas (Thursday)
5. Arizona vs. Oregon (Friday)
And the oddball game this week is:
6. Buffalo vs. Akron (Friday)

What to Expect

Iowa had many close game victories last year, but they couldn't pull it out in Columbus with a back-up QB. This year the magic has not been there in the close game loses. Expectations were high this year for Iowa, and no one expected the team to have three loses. It will be interesting to see how Iowa shows up after the unexpected loss last week to Northwestern. Pryor has said he is excited about the gameplan this week, and based on the fact that Iowa allows 220 passing yards, I think OSU will have a big passing game with 250 in the air. The running game for Ohio State will not have as much success, only getting 150 yards against the stout run defense of Iowa, with Boom Herron staying under 100 yards. Iowa will get 100 yards rushing and 180 passing yards. OSU will win the game 27-17.

Scouting the Hawkeyes

Iowa has lost three close games, 34-27 at Arizona, 31-30 against Wisconsin, and 21-17 last week at Northwestern. The wins were against Eastern Illinois, Iowa State, Ball State, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Indiana. Iowa averages 30 points/game with 153 rushing yards and 252 passing yards. The defense limits teams to 15 points/game, 86 rushing yards, and 220 passing yards.

 

Offense

QB Ricky Stanzi leads the offense completing 66% for 2,482 passing yards. RB Adam Robinson averages 101 yards on the ground. He has 914 rushing yards this season with ten touchdowns. He missed the Indiana game, but is good to go this week. At receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos has 673 yards, and Marvin McNutt is close behind with 660 yards. Also making catches are Allen Reisner with 370 yards and RB Adam Robinson with 270 yards.

 

Defense

The leader on defense is defensive end Adrian Clayborn, who is a Lombardi Award finalist. The linebackers have had injuries to starters Nolan McMillian and Jeff Tarpinian. Safety Tyler Sash has 58 tackles and two interceptions. On special teams Punter Ryan Donahue is a Ray Guy finalist and he averages 44.7 yards/punt with a long of 73 yards last week.

Things to Watch

Injury Update

Cornerback Donnie Evege from special teams is expected to miss another game or two. Tyler Moeller was granted a sixth year of eligibility for his medical hardship. He already missed last season for head trauma, and he is missing the second half of this season with a torn pectoral muscle.

 

Player to Watch

Ricky Stanzi, a Mentor, Ohio native, missed his chance to play OSU last year. This is his chance to get a signature win and attempt to bring Iowa closer to the preseason expectations. Stanzi has been extremely efficient, leading the Big Ten with 22 TD passes and a pass efficiency of 167.

 

Bowl Game Update

OSU needs to win the remaining two games in order to get a BCS bowl game. If OSU, Wisconsin, and Michigan State win out, there will be a three-way tie with Wisconsin likely getting the Rose Bowl pick and OSU likely has the edge over MSU for the Big Ten BCS at-large pick, for the Sugar Bowl or another BCS game. If OSU wins out and Wisconsin and Michigan State lose, OSU gets the Rose Bowl. For OSU to get into the National Championship game, 6-7 teams above them would have to lose. OSU wants all its previous opponents, like Miami, to continue to win and improve the computer rankings.  

OSU Last Week

OSU won last week in Columbus against Penn State, 38-14. The Buckeyes started out slow, with Penn State leading 14-3 at halftime. OSU responded with 35 unanswered points in the second half. OSU took its first drive in the third quarter from the two yard line all the way down for a 5-yard TD run by Herron. Herron had a career high of 203 yards. The defense had two returned interceptions for touchdowns, including a 34-yard return by Devon Torrence and a 30-yard interception return by Travis Howard. In the second half Pryor threw a pass up that was bounced around and found its place in Sanzebacher's hands for a 58-yard TD. In the final minutes Pryor threw a 3-yard TD to Stonebruner. The OSU running game had a banner day with 314 yards, while Pryor's throwing game was a bit down with 113 yards.

The Coaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Tressel

In his 10th season at OSU he is 103-22, with a career record of 238-79-2 in his 25th year of coaching. He is 6-3 against Penn State. He is 4-1 against Iowa.

 

Kirk Ferentz
In his 12th season at Iowa he is 88-57, with a career record of 100-78 in his 15th year as a head coach. Under Ferentz, Iowa has two conference titles and eight bowl games. He is 1-6 against Ohio State, with the only win against Tressel in 2004. Prior to taking the head coaching position at Iowa, he worked as assistant head coach and offensive line coach for the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns before they moved to Baltimore. Ferentz was head coach at Maine for three years in the early 90's. Ferentz was an assistant under Hayden Fry at Iowa for nine years. Ferentz attended Connecticut, where he was a captain on the football team.

The Series

This is the 63rd game between the two schools, in a series that began in 1922. OSU leads the series 45-14-3 and leads 17-6-1 in games at Iowa City. OSU has won 11 of the last 12 games. Iowa last beat OSU 33-7 in 2004 to snap an eight game winning streak by OSU. The Buckeyes beat the Hawkeyes last year in Columbus, 27-24 in overtime. Replacement kicker Devin Barclay hit the 39-yard kick to seal the win for Ohio State and assure the team of another Big Ten Championship. Iowa had the ball first in overtime and replacement QB Vandenberg was sacked 10 yards on thrid and threw an interception for a touchback on fourth.OSU had the lead at halftime 10-3, with a FG and a running touchdown by Saine.  Iowa scored its first touchdown in the third. It was a high scoring fourth quarter as both teams had two touchdowns. OSU scored with a running touchdown by Herron and a long 49-yard by Saine after Iowa threw an interception in the previous series.

Guest Panel-Week 12 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well. Congrats to Philly Cheese for being the only panelist with a 5-1 record, and he jumped up into a tie for third.  He was the only panelist that moved up in the rankings this week.

 

Standings:
1. Pat Head (50-16) (4-2 last week)
2. Batman (47-19) (4-2 last week)
3. Old Bag of Man (44-22) (4-2 last week)
3. Philly Cheese (44-22) (5-1 last week)
5. Dr. Funkenstein (43-23) (4-2 last week)
5. Carl (43-23) (4-2 last week)
7. Buckeye Cock (42-24) (4-2 last week)
8. Spam Sandwichsan (41-25) (3-3 last week)
8. Mel Kiper's Hair (41-25) (3-3 last week)
8. Tressel's Devil (41-25) (3-3 last week)
11. Hudy Delights (36-30) (3-3 last week)
12. Big Dog (34-32) (3-3 last week)

 

Games for this week:
1. OSU vs. Iowa

2. Arkansas vs. Mississippi St.
3. Nebraska vs. Texas A&M
4. Oklahoma vs. Baylor
5. Wisconsin vs. Michigan
And the oddball game this week is:
6. Colorado State vs. Wyoming

What to Expect

Much has been made of Tressel's record after a bye-week. He is 2-4, which is not great, but it isn't horrible. Tressel has dismissed questions, but you have to think that it isn't lost on him that his four losses are almost 20% of his overall losses at OSU. Pryor will once again get a chance to play well against his home-state team. He had a great game last year, but a couple costly mistakes in his freshman year kept him from winning his first big conference game. The OSU defense will keep the Penn State running game in check, limiting them to 90 yards on the ground and keeping Royster under the century mark. OSU will keep PSU to 175 yards in the passing game. Penn State will slow the OSU offense, but I still expect OSU to get 175 yards rushing and 215 yards passing. OSU will win 34-13.

Scouting the Nittany Lions

This Season

Penn State is 6-3 and 3-2 in the Big Ten. The wins were against Youngstown State, Kent State, Temple, Minnesota, Michigan, and Northwestern. The losses were to Alabama, Iowa, and Illinois. PSU averages 24 points/game, 149 yards rushing, and 219 yards passing. The Penn State defense allows teams to score 20 points/game, 156 yards rushing, and 189 yards passing.

 

Offense

At QB is Matt McGloin. He is 58% for 551 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception. He took over as the QB for the last three games, in the place of freshman Rob Bolden. At RB is Evan Royster, a graduate student, who is the career rushing leader at Penn State with 3,652 yards, including 734 yards this season with four rushing touchdowns. He had 150 yards against Michigan two weeks ago. At receiver are Derek Moye and Brett Brackett. Moye has 615 yards and four touchdowns, while Brackett has 385 yards and four touchdowns. Both receivers are 6'5" or taller.

 

Defense

Leading the team on defense is Chris Colasanti at LB and Ollie Ogbu at DL tackle. Colasanti had 10 tackles against Illinois. Ogbu has 2 tackles for loss against Northwestern. Also at LB are Michael Mauti and Bani Gbadyu.

OSU Two Weeks Ago

OSU had a bye last week. Two weeks ago, OSU dominated in a visit to Minnesota, 52-10. Pryor threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, going 18 of 22. Pryor had 55 rushing yards, while Dan "Boom" Herron had 114 yards for his first career 100-yard game (as predicted on this blog). The offense had a total of 507 yards. The defense shut down QB Adam Weber after he lead a TD drive in the first quarter. Weber was sacked five times, intercepted, and he fumbled the ball twice including a return by DL John Simon for a touchdown. Weber was 9 of 20 for 162 yards. Special teams had some highlights including a 70-yard punt return by Jordan Hall and a blocked punt.

Things to Watch

Injury Update

With the bye week OSU was able to rest some players, and both LB Ross Homan and LB Dorian Bell should be back this week.

 

Player to Watch

All eyes will be on former walk-on QB Matt McGloin with Penn State. Joe Paterno made history when he started the season with freshman Rob Bolden, but McGloin has filled in quite well. Before this season he had thrown two career passes, and he saw his first major action against Minnesota this season, going 6 of 13 for 76 yards and two touchdowns. In the past three games the offense has scored 109 points, which equals the amount scored in the first six games. McGloin has been the difference maker in the most recent games. As the passing game has developed, Royster at RB has increased his yards on the ground.

 

Who Should I Root For This Week?

Adam Rittenberg with ESPN had a nice breakdown of what it would take for OSU to get into the Rose Bowl (or get the automatic Big Ten berth). OSU needs to win the remaining three games. This week OSU wants Wisconsin to lose to Indiana as this would erase the head-to-head advantage Wisconsin has over OSU. Also this week OSU wants Iowa to beat Northwestern, as this would make a victory by OSU next week against Iowa look better. Illinois has looked more and more like a quality win by OSU, and if Illinois continues to win, it will help OSU. Miami (FL) needs to win the rest of their games, to help OSU's computer rankings.  

The Coaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Tressel

In his 10th season at OSU he is 102-22, with a career record of 237-79-2 in his 25th year of coaching. He is 6-3 against Penn State. Tressel in the second-winningest active Division I-A coach behind only Joe Paterno.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joe Paterno

In his 45th season as a head coach, all at Penn State, he is 400-132-3. Last week he became the first NCAA Div. I-A coach to record 400 wins, and only the third coach in all divisions of football. He currently leads the all-time victories among major college coaches. Paterno is also the longest serving head coach at one school in major football history. He has led the school to two national championships in 1982 and 1986. He was an assistant at Penn State for 16 years prior to his time as head coach. He is already in the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

The Series

The series is currently tied 13-12, with OSU having an 8-6 advantage in games played in Columbus. OSU leads the series 11-6 since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993. Last year OSU beat PSU 24-7 in State College. It was a breakout game for Pryor, as it was his first big road victory in a hostile environment. The game was tight through the first half, with OSU leading 10-7. Ohio State scored the last 14 points and secured the win. Pryor passed for 125 yards, threw two touchdowns, and ran in one touchdown. The defense limited Penn State to 201 yards.

Guest Panel-Week 11 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well. Congrats to Pat Head for extending her lead to three games. She was one of three panelists with a 5-1 record, including Carl who moved up from 8th to 4th, and Tressel's Devil who moved up from 10th to 7th. Mel Kiper moved up from 8th to 7th.

 

Standings:
1. Pat Head (46-14) (5-1 last week)
2. Batman (43-17) (4-2 last week)
3. Old Bag of Man (40-20) (4-2 last week)
4. Philly Cheese (39-21) (3-3 last week)
4. Dr. Funkenstein (39-21) (3-3 last week)
4. Carl (39-21) (5-1 last week)
7. Buckeye Cock (38-22) (2-4 last week)
7. Spam Sandwichsan (38-22) (3-3 last week)
7. Mel Kiper's Hair (38-22) (4-2 last week)
7. Tressel's Devil (38-22) (5-1 last week)
11. Hudy Delights (33-27) (4-2 last week)
12. Big Dog (31-29) (2-4 last week)

Games for this week:
1. Penn State vs. OSU
2. Georgia vs. Auburn
3. Kansas St. vs. Missouri
4. Miami (FL) vs. Georgia Tech
5. Iowa vs. Northwestern
And the oddball game this week is:
6. Ball State vs. Buffalo (Friday)

Guest Panel-Week 10 Games and Standings

OSU has a bye, but the guest panel is here for you this week.

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well. There weren't any changes at the top as Pat Head and Batman both continue in the first two spots. Joining Philly Cheese at third are Buckeye Cock, Dr. Funkenstein, and Old Bag of Man (up three spots). There were three panelists with 5-1 records, Pat Head, Batman, and Old Bag of Man.

Standings:
1. Pat Head (41-13) (5-1 last week)
2. Batman (39-15) (5-1 last week)
3. Philly Cheese (36-18) (3-3 last week)
3. Buckeye Cock (36-18) (4-2 last week)
3. Dr. Funkenstein (36-18) (4-2 last week)
3. Old Bag of Man (36-18) (5-1 last week)
7. Spam Sandwichsan (35-19) (3-3 last week)
8. Mel Kiper's Hair (34-20) (3-3 last week)
8. Carl (34-20) (3-3 last week)
10. Tressel's Devil (33-21) (4-2 last week)
11. Hudy Delights (29-25) (3-3 last week)
11. Big Dog (29-25) (4-2 last week)

Games for this week:
1. Baylor vs. Oklahoma St.
2. TCU vs. Utah
3. Arkansas vs. South Carolina
4. Arizona vs. Stanford
5. Alabama vs. LSU
And the oddball game this week is:
6. Boston College vs. Wake Forest

What to Expect

Minnesota is in a freefall, but that fall will eventually end. Unfortunately for the Gophers, the fall will continue for another week. This won't be another shutout as Minnesota will get 200 yards in the air. However the running game will not be as effective and will only amount to 100 yards. The Gophers are extremely green on defense and they are vulnerable to the pass and run. The running game for OSU has gained some momentum lately. I think Boom Herron will finally get his 100+ yard game this week, as OSU will rack up 225 yards on the ground. The running game has been complemented well with the passing game, and Pryor will slice up the secondary for 250 yards in the air. OSU will win 42-17.

Things to Watch

Injury Update

Offensive lineman J.B. Shugarts has been dealing with an injured foot, missed the second half last week and is expected to miss a couple games. Safety Corey "Pittsburgh" joins the growing group of injured Buckeye defenders, and he will be out through Spring 2011 practices after a knee surgery. Also injured in the secondary this season are: CJ Barnett for the season (knee); Tyler Moeller for the season (chest); Christian Bryan for the regular season (knee); LB Ross Homan will miss another game with a sprained foot; and Homan's backup Dorian Bell will miss the game with a concussion. It has been speculated that LB Etienne Sabino will sacrifice his redshirt season and get some time at linebacker, but Tressel confirmed that OSU has no plans to play Sabino and he won't make the trip to Minnesota.

 

Player to Watch

The Buckeyes have been looking for a solid #3 or #4 receiver after the loss of Duron Carter this summer. Taurian Washington for the most part has been the #3 receiver and TE Jake Stonebrunner has been a solid option when healthy. The up and coming receiver is Corey "Philly" Brown, a true freshman. Last week he had his first career touchdown reception and had 2 receptions for 38 yards. Unfortunately he was part of one of Pryor's interceptions, but it didn't prove to be fatal in the game. In total he has 81 yards, which puts him at sixth at OSU in yards this season, but he has averaged 13.5 yards/reception which is third best amongst the OSU receivers with at least five receptions.     

 

What Bowl Game Will OSU Play

It is very early and a lot could change, but inquiring minds want to know. Let's do a quick summary. Michigan State has beat Wisconsin. Wisconsin has beat OSU. Wisconsin has beat Iowa. That leaves Iowa with one loss in the conference, Wisconsin with one loss, OSU with one loss, and Michigan State with none. Michigan State plays at Iowa this weekend. OSU plays at Iowa in November. Obviously if Michigan State wins out, it will win the Big Ten and either go to the BCS National Championship or represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl, and Wisconsin or OSU could take another BCS spot. If OSU wins out, beating Iowa, and Michigan State loses, OSU could possibly jump Wisconsin in the BCS rankings for either the National Championship Game or the Rose Bowl. OSU still needs some other teams on top to lose to get into the National Championship Game, but crazier things have happened and #1 teams are dropping like flies.

Scouting the Golden Gophers

This Season

It has been a struggle this season for the Golden Gophers, going 1-7 and 0-4 in the Big Ten. Along the way, head coach Tim Brewster was fired. The season started with a win against Middle Tennessee State, but the loss to South Dakota showed troubles to come. The losses continued against USC, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Penn State. The team averages 24 points/game while opponents score 31 points/game. The offense averages 140 yards on the ground and 246 yards in the air. The defense allows teams on average to get 194 yards on the ground and 212 yards in the air. The defense allows an average of 6.8 yards/play, which is worst in the NCAA. The defense gives up 5.5 yards/carry and 8.9 yards/catch.

 

Offense

At QB is the very experienced Adam Weber, who holds the Minnesota career records in attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, and interceptions. This season he has completed 55% for 1961 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. Splitting the running game are Duane Bennett and DeLeon Eskridge. Both have had 100+ yard rushing games this season. Bennett has 444 yards and two touchdowns, while Eskridge has 444 yards and two touchdowns. The top receivers are Da'Jon McKnight with 542 yards and nine touchdowns, MarQueis Gray with 432 yards and four touchdowns, and Eric Lair with 407 yards and two touchdowns.

 

Defense

The defense is very inexperienced, as the stats above show. The only returning starter was Kyle Theret at safety, and he has 41 tackles including one interception. Linebacker Gary Tinsley leads the team with 56 tackles. OL Jewhan Edwards has not been a starter, but he has played in 30 games over his career. OL Brandon Kirksey is the team captain.

OSU Last Week

OSU had a big first half with 415 total yards and 42 points. The Buckeyes recorded the first shutout of the season beating Purdue in Columbus, 49-0. Tressel is now 20-2 in games following a loss at OSU. Pryor had good numbers, 16 of 22 for 270 passing yards, with three touchdowns, but he did have two interceptions. Pryor is now third place in the all-time passing yards. Herron led the team in rushing with 74 yards and two touchdowns, while Sanzenbacher had 86 receiving yards and one touchdown. The OSU defense shut down Purdue, only allowing 118 yards of offense and 30 yards rushing on 27 attempts.

The Coaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Tressel

In his 10th season at OSU he is 101-22, with a career record of 236-79-2 in his 25th year of coaching. He is 16-1 against coaches in their first year coaching at the school. Tressel is 7-0 against Minnesota.

 

 

Jeff Horton

Jeff Horton is the interim coach, replacing Tim Brewster on October 17. He is 0-1 so far this season and is 20-49 in his seventh year as a head coach. Going into this season he was the co-offensive coordinator. Pryor to Minnesota he was an assistant coach with the Detroit Lions and the St. Louis Rams. Before his time in the NFL he was the quarterback's coach at Wisconsin. He has head coaching experience at UNLV and Nevada. He was also an assistant coach at UNLV and Nevada. He started his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Lou Holtz at Minnesota.

The Series

OSU leads the series 42-7 and leads in Columbus 22-3. OSU has won the last seven games by an average of 23 points. OSU has won 23 of the last 24, with the loss in Columbus in 2000 near the end of the Coach Cooper era. Last year in Columbus, the Buckeyes won 38-7. It was a slow start with no team scoring in the first quarter. Pryor had a breakout game last year with 239 yards in the air and 104 on the ground. Posey had a big day with eight catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Hall led the running game with 75 yards and a touchdown. Minnesota threw two interceptions and had two lost fumbles.

Guest Panel-Week 9 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well. Pat Head continues to hold a two-game lead at first place. Philly Cheese is now in sole possession of third place. SPAM and Dr. Funkenstein moved up to fourth with 5-1 records. Carl and Old Bag of Man also had 5-1 records and moved up to seventh place.

Standings:
1. Pat Head (36-12) (4-2 last week)
2. Batman (34-14) (4-2 last week)
3. Philly Cheese (33-15) (4-2 last week)
4. Buckeye Cock (32-16) (3-3 last week)
4. Spam Sandwichsan (32-16) (5-1 last week)
4. Dr. Funkenstein (32-16) (5-1 last week)
7. Mel Kiper's Hair (31-17) (4-2 last week)
7. Carl (31-17) (5-1 last week)
7. Old Bag of Man (31-17) (5-1 last week)

10. Tressel's Devil (29-19) (3-3 last week)
11. Hudy Delights (26-22) (3-3 last week)
12. Big Dog (25-23) (4-2 last week)

Games for this week:
1. OSU vs. Minnesota
2. Michigan St. vs. Iowa
3. Oregon vs. USC
4. Missouri vs. Nebraska
5. Georgia vs. Florida
And the oddball game this week is:
6. North Texas vs. Western Kentucky

What to Expect

OSU will have plenty of motivation with the tough loss last week at Wisconsin and the loss last year against Purdue still fresh in the minds of many of the players. Purdue comes in with a nothing to lose attitude. so they will be relaxed. It isn't clear what attitude OSU will bring to the game, but again they should have plenty of motivation. Due to the injuries Purdue is now more of a running team, but I don't expect them to abandon the passing game this week. OSU is as vulnerable as ever against the passing game, especially with the injuries at safety. Purdue will get 150 yards on the ground and 150 yards in the air. OSU will have success this week on offense, getting 200 yards on the ground and 250 yards in the air. Purdue will keep it closer than expected, and OSU will win 31-17.

Things to Watch

Injury Update

Leading tackler linebacker Ross Homan injured his foot last week and will miss at least a few weeks. Another loss in defense is freshman Christian Bryant at the Star position (linebacker/safety.) Bryant was filling in for the injured Tyler Moeller. Bryant is out with a foot infection and his return is unknown.

 

Players to Watch

Obviously all eyes will be on defensive lineman Ryan Kerrigan, who terrorized Pryor last season. The less obvious player to watch is senior RB Dan Dierking, who had a 42-yard run and a total of 125 yards against Minnesota. He has had two 100-yard games this season. Purdue has been forced to go away a bit from basketball on grass, based on the personnel loses, and now is running the ball more. Also running the ball will be mobile QB Rob Henry, who had 57 rushing yards and three rushing TDs last week.

 

Purdue Dissed by Kent State

Wow, I would have never predicted a MAC team cancelling a game with a Big Ten team, especially when they have a guaranteed payout to the Big Ten team. This week Kent State announced it was cancelling the game next season with Purdue, despite the $400k guaranteed payout to Purdue. Purdue is now scrambling to find an opponent for a game in less than 10 months. Kent State also announced that it will be playing at Alabama on the newly available date. I don't know if Alabama is guilty of stealing an opponent, but it doesn't look very good.

OSU Last Week

OSU had a short stay at #1 in the polls, losing 31-18 at Wisconsin. It was a game where the stats were very similar between the teams: OSU with 22 first downs and Wisconsin 22; OSU 155 rushing yards and Wisconsin 184 yards; OSU 156 passing yards and Wisconsin 152; OSU 14 passing completions and Wisconsin 13; and OSU total offense 311 yards and Wisconsin 336. However those stats don't show that OSU was only 14 of 28 and had some critical missed throws/catches, while Wisconsin was 13 of 16 with some big play action passes. Wisconsin scored first with a returned kickoff return on the first play, showing that the OSU special teams have not progressed as hoped since the Miami game. Wisconsin led 21-0 in the first half, and OSU surged with a 18-point comeback, but the Wisconsin offense put it out of reach with a touchdown in the fourth quarter. John Clay became the first RB in 29 games against OSU to break 100 yards, getting a total of 104 yards. Boom Herron was one of the bright spots for the OSU offense, getting two touchdowns and 91 yards. Pryor struggled with 14 of 28 passing for 156 yards and one interception. Pryor used his legs, but his three sacks resulted in a reduction of 21 yards, so his net yardage was only 56 yards on the ground.

Scouting the Boilermakers

This Season

Purdue is 4-2 and has won four of the last five games. The Boilermakers lost the opener at Notre Dame and lost the fourth game to Toledo. The wins were against Western Illinois, Ball State, Northwestern, and last week against Minnesota.

 

Offense

Purdue has been riddled with injuries, losing starting QB Robert Marve, running back Ralph Bolden, and the main receiver Keith Smith all with torn ACLs. The next best receiver will miss the OSU game and likely a couple more with a sprained foot. Stepping in for QB has been redshirt freshman Rob Henry who has 210 passing yards and 189 rushing yards in two starts. At RB lately has been Dan Dierking with 353 yards on the ground and four touchdowns.

 

Defense

The leader on defense is DL Ryan Kerrigan with 28 tackles. He is second in the NCAA with 14 tackles for loss and leads the Big Ten with 5.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. He will be playing on Sundays next year.

The Series

OSU leads the series 37-13-2 and leads in Columbus 24-5-2. Purdue knocked off OSU last year in West Lafayette, 26-18. Purdue struck first and had the lead at halftime 9-7. Purdue continued to control the game in the third quarter, holding a 23-7 lead going into the fourth quarter. OSU attempted to make a comeback in the fourth quarter with 177 yards, but Purdue held on for the win. It was an ugly game for OSU with five turnovers including three lost fumbles and two interceptions. OSU had nine penalties including a momentum killing 15-yard facemask late in the fourth quarter.

The Coaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Tressel

In his 10th season at OSU he is 100-22, with a career record of 235-79-2 in his 25th year of coaching. Tressel is 19-2 in games played after a loss. He is 0-1 against Coach Hope and 5-2 against Purdue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Danny Hope
In his second season at Purdue he is 9-9. His career record is 44-31, in his seventh season. Prior to taking the head coaching position he was the associate head coach, focusing on the offensive line and recruiting. His promotion to head coach was planned and coordinated with the retirement of coach Joe Tiller. Hope first worked with Tiller at Wyoming in 1996. He was also an assistant coach under Tiller at Purdue from 1997-2001, coaching the offensive line. After leaving Purdue in 2002 he served as an assistant head coach at Louisville. Hope had previously been an assistant coach at Louisville from 1987-1994. His assistant coaching career also includes a brief stop at Oklahoma in 1995. He was a successful high school coach in Florida in the 80's, which is where he is from. He was a head coach at Eastern Kentucky from 2003-2007 with a record of 35-22. Hope played at Eastern Kentucky as an offensive guard.