Guest Panel-Week 6 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well. Cliff Diving Raoul continues to hold a one game lead, but Funtik the Hog is in second place by himself. Old Bag of Man was the only panelist to go 6-0 and he moved from 8th to 6th as a result. The most difficult game for the panel last week was the Georgia victory over LSU.

 

Standings:

1. Cliff Diving Raoul (23-7) (5-1 last week)

2. Funtik the Hog (22-8) (5-1 last week)
3. Corso (21-9) (4-2 last week)

3. SPAM (21-9) (4-2 last week)
3. Philly Cheese (21-9) (4-2 last week)
6. Mel Kiper's Hair (20-10) (5-1 last week)
6. Old Bag of Man (20-10)  (6-0 last week)
8. Batman (19-11)  (3-3 last week)

9. Ballz to the Wallz-Big Dog (18-12) (4-2 last week)

10. W.T. (17-13) (3-3 last week)

11. Hudy the Dark Knight (15-15) (3-3 last week)
11. ChadsOSU (15-15) (5-1 last week)

Games for this week:

1. Ohio State vs. Northwestern

2. Washington vs. Stanford

3. Michigan State vs. Iowa

4. Penn State vs. Indiana

5. Maryland vs. Florida St.
And the oddball game this week is:

6. Rice vs. Tulsa

What to Expect

This will be the most competitive game of the season thus far, but that doesn't seem like much of statement as the dust settles from the big victory over FAMU. The head coach may have changed at Wisconsin but the strategy remains the same, run the ball and the run the ball again. Both James White and Melvin Gordon have continued their dominance from last season in the running game. While both teams appear to have a solid defense, I think those stats are not an indication of what to expect in the Big Ten season. I anticipate both teams moving the ball with relative ease. Wisconsin will have 275 rushing yards and 200 passing yards. Ohio State will have 300 rushing yards and 250 passing yards. Ohio State will win 35-31.

Things to Watch

Scarlet Out the Shoe
Fans are being encouraged to wear Scarlet to the game on Saturday. I personally think these color recommendation games occur too often and have lost all the desired affect. I also find it odd to pick this weekend when the opponent and its fans also wear a form of red.

Roster Update
Braxton Miller is expected to start after missing almost three games with an MCL injury. Defensive End Adolphus Washington is expected to play despite a groin injury.

Scouting the Badgers

Last season Wisconsin went 8-6 (4-4 Big Ten) and won the Big Ten Championship game. This season Wisconsin is 3-1 (1-0 Big Ten) with victories over UMass, Tennessee Tech, and Purdue. The one loss was to Arizona State. Wisconsin averages 349 rushing yards (3rd in the nation),198 passing yards, 41 points/game, and only allows 10.5 points/game.

Offense
Wisconsin relies heavily on the running game with sophomore Melvin Gordon and senior James White and a team total of 1399 rushing yards this season.  Gordon ran for 621 yards last year and leads the nation with 624 yards in four games this season. White already has over 300 rushing yards this season. Sophomore quarterback Joel Stave has completed 63% for 761 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. Jared Abbrederis leads the team with 365 yards and three touchdown receptions.

Defense
The defense harassed Purdue last week with four sacks and seven quarterback hurries. The Badgers have not allowed a passing touchdown this season and defense has four interceptions. Linebacker Chris Borland leads the team with 30 tackles.

OSU Last Week

Ohio State won in a record breaking game, with a final score of  76-0 against Florida A&M. Guiton set a school record with six touchdown passes, all in the first half. Three of those touchdowns occurred with the first four offensive plays and 46 seconds. It was Ohio State's largest margin of victory since 1935. Guiton was 24 of 34 for 215 yards. In its first possession Ohio State took over on the thirty yard line after a short punt, but Guiton threw an interception in the endzone, which was run out and fumbled by FAMU. Jordan Hall ran in the ball for the first touchdown. Hall had two rushing touchdowns. The second touchdown was a pass to tightend Heuerman, but Ohio State failed on the two point conversion. The Buckeyes blocked the FAMU punt and within two plays the score was 20-0 with a touchdown pass to Evan Spencer. After a few more touchdowns, Ohio State led 55-0 at the half. Ezekial Elliot came in off the bench and ran for 162 yards in the second half.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 12th season of his coaching career Urban Meyer's record is 120-23. Meyer 16-0 at Ohio State, after going 12-0 in his first season. He earned his graduate degree from Ohio State and worked with the team as a graduate assistant under Earle Bruce from 1986-1987. He was an assistant coach at Illinois State under former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. He later re-joined Earle Bruce at Colorado St. In 1996 he was hired as an assistant coach under Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, and he remained with Notre Dame through 2000. In 2001 he started his head coaching career at Bowling Green and in two years he had a record of 17-6. He was hired at Utah in 2003. In his first year Utah won its bowl game, and during the second year the team was undefeated and won the Fiesta Bowl. He was 22-2 in two years at Utah. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida, including two BCS National Championships.

Gary Andersen
In his first year at Wisconsin Gary Andersen has a record of 3-1 and in his sixth year as a head coach his record is 33-32. Prior to his time at Wisconsin, Andersen was the head coach at Utah State and Southern Utah. He was an assistant coach under Urban Meyer at Utah in 2004. He also held assistant coaching positions at Southern Utah, Northern Arizona, Idaho State, and Ricks College. He was an offensive lineman at Ricks College and Utah.

The Series

OSU leads 55-18-5 in this series that dates back to 1913. Ohio State has won five of the last six matchups. In Columbus Ohio State leads 29-7-3.

Last Time 
Both teams were unable to move the ball effectively in the first quarter. Ohio State struck first with a 68-yard punt return up the middle by Corey Brown late in the first quarter. Early in the second quarter Ohio State drove the ball 69 yards with a critical pass reception by Devin Smith and a 15-yard touchdown run by Carlos Hyde. Ohio State had a 14-0 lead. In the next possession Wisconsin responded with an 82-yard drive in which Montee Ball racked up 40 rushing yards. Ball had 191 rushing yards by the end of the game. At halftime the score was 14-7 in favor of Ohio State. The third quarter involved both teams trading punts and not reaching the endzone. Ohio State was unable to expand the lead, and Wisconsin drove the ball 43 yards in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. From Ohio State's three yard line, Ball rushed for one yard on third down and on 4th and 1 he jumped over the pile to meet OSU LB Ryan Shazier who forced the ball lose and into the hands of Christian Bryant who ran the ball three yards. Ohio State had the ball and the ability to run out the clock to seal a 14-7 victory, but the Buckeyes were unable to get a first down and Wisconsin preserved some minutes on the clock by using all its timeouts. After a punt, Wisconsin took over with favorable field position and after converting some first downs Wisconsin scored with a touchdown pass and eight seconds remaining on the clock. Ohio State did not score and it remained 14-14 at the end of regulation. In overtime Ohio State finally had success running the ball with two runs by Miller and two by Hyde, including a two yard run into the endzone. Ohio State led 21-14. Wisconsin was unable to convert a first down and on fourth down threw an incomplete pass which was broken up by Christian Bryant, who again was in the right place at the right time. John Simon tied the OSU record with four sacks. With the 21-14 victory, Ohio State won the Leaders Division outright. Third place Wisconsin represented the Leaders Division in the Championship Game since Ohio State and Penn State were ineligible to play.

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. Cliff Diving Raoul is holding at first place but his lead decreased by one game. SPAM and Philly Cheese went 6-0 and joined Corso and Funtik at second place. The panelists had good records this week, but the Utah-BYU did post some problems for the panel.

 

Standings:

1. Cliff Diving Raoul (18-6) (4-2 last week)

2. Corso (17-7) (5-1 last week)

2. Funtik the Hog (17-7) (5-1 last week)

2. SPAM (17-7) (6-0 last week)
2. Philly Cheese (17-7) (6-0 last week)
6. Batman (16-8)  (5-1 last week)

7. Mel Kiper's Hair (15-9) (5-1 last week)
8. Ballz to the Wallz-Big Dog (14-10) (4-2 last week)

8. Old Bag of Man (14-10)  (5-1 last week)

8. W.T. (14-10) (5-1 last week)

11. Hudy the Dark Knight (12-12) (4-2 last week)
12. ChadsOSU (10-14) (2-4 last week)

Games for this week:

1. Wisconsin vs. Ohio State

2. Texas A&M vs. Arkansas

3. LSU vs. Georgia

4. Ole Miss vs. Alabama

5. Oklahoma vs. Notre Dame
And the oddball game this week is:

6. Temple vs. Idaho

What to Expect

Florida A&M has not consistently moved the ball with its no huddle offense. Ohio State will limit FAMU to 75 rushing yards and 150 passing yards. Unfortunately you may see a lot of penalty flags, as both teams average 8-10 penalties/game. Ohio State will still be unbalanced on offense this week as the FAMU secondary is better than the defensive line. Ohio State will have 350 rushing yards and 250 passing yards. I sense a pattern of 27 when looking at the season so far for FAMU, based on the fact that 27 is the score of at least one team in all three FAMU games this season. I don't anticipate legendary #27 Eddie George suiting up this Saturday, but perhaps Ohio State will score 54 which is two times 27. Ohio State will win 54-13.

Things to Watch

Cue the 1990's NFL Footage
Be prepared to see clips of Mike Vrabel during his days as a Pittsburgh Steeler with Florida A&M head coach Earl Holmes during their years together at Pittsburgh 1997-2000.

OSU in Polls
Ohio State is 4th in the AP poll, still behind Alabama, Oregon, and Clemson. The Buckeyes are 3rd in the USA Today-Coaches poll behind Alabama and Oregon, but Clemson is close behind.

Roster Update

Carlos Hyde returns to assist in the running game after sitting out three games due to a late-night incident this past summer. In his absence Jordan Hall has racked up the yards and Hyde will have to fight for playing time. Jordan Hall can play a hybrid position, which would allow both to play on the field at the same time. Braxton Miller may sit out this week with his MCL injury or his minutes will be very limited. Defensive End Adolphus Washington will likely miss the game due to his groin injury.

Scouting the Rattlers

Florida A&M was 4-7 last year and 4-4 in conference play, finishing fifth in the conference. The Rattlers are projected to finish fifth in the MEAC this season. FAMU is 1-2 with a victory against Miss. Valley State (27-10) and loses to Tennessee State (27-7) and Samford (27-20).

Offense
Last year quarterback Damien Fleming passed for 2,157 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Fleming has 383 yards this season with two touchdowns and five interceptions. At receiver is Lenworth Lennon who has 229 yards and one touchdown. Omari Albert leads the team in rushes with 85 yards and one touchdown. Also at running back is James Owens with 66 yards this season. There are three new faces on the offensive line.

Defense

The defensive line does not return any starters but two of the players saw some playing time last season. Both cornerbacks Terry Johnson and Patrick Aiken did not start last year, but played in ten of the eleven games. Returning starters at linebacker are Brandon Denmark and Bobby Jackson. Linebacker Michael Ducree leads the team with 29 tackles.

 

OSU Last Week

Urban Meyer indicated early last week that Braxton Miller was a gametime decision. Miller stood on the sideline in street clothes and watched Kenny Guiton break some personal and school records. He threw three touchdowns in the first six minutes, and that included a school record 90-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith, which is the longest play from the line of scrimmage in Ohio State history. There were also two touchdown passes, a 47-yard touchdown to Smith and a 1-yard touchdown pass to Chris Fields on a fourth down. Guiton was 21 of 32 for 276 passing yards and 92 rushing yards. Jordan Hall had his third successful game this season at running back with 168 yards and three touchdowns. California had success in the air with 371 passing yards and three touchdowns. The running game was limited to 132 yards. Ohio State won in this shootout with a final score of 52-34.

The Series

This is the first game between these two schools. Florida A&M is 1-22-0 in games against members of the Football Bowl Subdivision, with the sole victory against Miami in 1997. FAMU lost to Illinois in 2004.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 12th season of his coaching career Urban Meyer's record is 119-23. Meyer 15-0 at Ohio State, after going 12-0 in his first season. He earned his graduate degree from Ohio State and worked with the team as a graduate assistant under Earle Bruce from 1986-1987. He was an assistant coach at Illinois State under former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. He later re-joined Earle Bruce at Colorado St. In 1996 he was hired as an assistant coach under Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, and he remained with Notre Dame through 2000. In 2001 he started his head coaching career at Bowling Green and in two years he had a record of 17-6. He was hired at Utah in 2003. In his first year Utah won its bowl game, and during the second year the team was undefeated and won the Fiesta Bowl. He was 22-2 in two years at Utah. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida, including two BCS National Championships.

Earl Holmes
Earl Holmes has a record of 1-2 in his first season as a head coach. Holmes previously played at Florida A&M and was an All-American Linebacker. He played ten seasons (1996-2005) in the NFL playing for Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Detroit. Prior to the head coaching position he was the Rattlers' defensive coordinator and also the linebackers coach.

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. Cliff Diving Raoul continues to increase his lead at first. There was some movement at second place with Corso being joined by Funtik the Hog. Philly Cheese had the biggest move, with a 5-1 record he went from 8th to 4th. Not many panelists picked UCF and Florida Atlantic to win on Saturday.

 

Standings:

1. Cliff Diving Raoul (14-4) (4-2 last week)

2. Corso (12-6) (3-3 last week)

2. Funtik the Hog (12-6) (4-2 last week)

4. Batman (11-7)  (2-4 last week)

4. SPAM (11-7) (4-2 last week)
4. Philly Cheese (11-7) (5-1 last week)
7. Big Dog (10-8) (3-3 last week)

7. Mel Kiper's Hair (10-8) (3-3 last week)

9. Old Bag of Man (9-9)  (3-3 last week)

9. W.T. (9-9) (4-2 last week)

11. Hudy the Dark Knight (8-10) (2-4 last week)
11. ChadsOSU (8-10) (3-3 last week)

Games for this week:

1. Florida A&M vs. Ohio State

2. Purdue vs. Wisconsin

3. Arizona State vs. Stanford

4. Kansas St. vs. Texas

5. Utah vs. BYU
And the oddball game this week is:

6.Toledo vs. Central Michigan

What to Expect

California's spread offense will result in a large number of plays, somewhere in the 90-100 range in most games. California may have some success in the air and have 350 passing yards, but they will fall short of their average of 472 passing yards/game. California will be limited on the ground to 100 rushing yards.

 

The California offense has the potential to put many points on the scoreboard, but the defense is not as effective. The defense allowed 434 yards in the first half of the Portland State game, and another 119 yards in the second half.  California is without services of several players on defense due to injuries. The Bears are especially weak against the run, as shown by Portland State averaging 6.3 yards/rush. Ohio State will have an imbalanced offense Saturday and should have 350 rushing yards and 225 passing yards. Ohio State will win 49-31.

Scouting the Golden Bears

This Season
California is 1-1 this season with a 44-30 loss to Nortwestern in the season opener. Last week California struggled against Portland State but won 37-30.

Offense

Freshman quarterback Jared Goff threw for 445 yards against Northwestern and 485 yards last week against Portland State. At running back is Brendan Bigelow, who punished Ohio State last season with 160 rushing yards including a stadium record 81 yard run by an OSU opponent. In two games this season he has 136 rushing yards. Running back Khalfani Muhammad has 326 all-purpose yards this season with 76 rushing, 103 receiving, and 147 in kick returns. The main receivers are Bryce Treggs and Chris Harper. Treggs had 145 reception yards against Northwestern and 121 yards against Portland State.

Defense
The defense appears to be going through a tough transition to a more traditional 4-3 defense under new defensive coordinator Andy Buh. The defensive line is anchored by future NFL tackle Deandre Coleman. Linebacker Michael Barton leads the team with 17 tackles. Barton is questionable this week with a knee injury. Cornerback Kameron Jackson has four career interceptions including one this season.

Things to Watch

OSU in Polls
Evidently the pollsters were not impressed with Ohio State's win, as the Buckeyes dropped one spot in both polls, down to 4th in the AP poll and 3rd in the USA Today-Coaches poll. Ohio State was jumped by Clemson in the AP poll and Oregon in the Coaches poll.

Roster Update
Defensive Adolphus Washington left the SDSU game with a groin injury and he is expected to miss some time and may be limited when he does return. Braxton Miller left the game early with a sprained knee ligament (MCL) and returned to the sideline with a brace. The coaches opted to keep Miller out of the game and he is gameday decision at this point.

OSU Last Week

Braxton Miller left the field on the seventh offensive play after losing his helmet. His knee was evaluated in the locker room and he did not return to play. In his absence Kenny Guiton led Ohio State with two touchdown passes, ran for 83 rushing yards including one touchdown, and completed 19 of 28 passes for 152 yards. On the first play after Miller exited, freshman running back Dontre Wilson ran seven yards into the endzone. Later in the first quarter Guiton completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to Corey Brown and Jordan Hall ran in a touchdown. There were two additional touchdowns in the first half, Guiton's 41-yard touchdown run and Rod Smith's 1-yard touchdown run. Ohio State led 35-0 at the half. The offense continued to score in the second half with Guiton throwing a 24-yard pass. San Diego State avoided the shutout with a two-yard touchdown pass, but the Aztec offense was limited to 64 rushing yards.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 12th season of his coaching career Urban Meyer's record is 118-23. Meyer 14-0 at Ohio State, after going 12-0 in his first season. He earned his graduate degree from Ohio State and worked with the team as a graduate assistant under Earle Bruce from 1986-1987. He was an assistant coach at Illinois State under former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. He later re-joined Earle Bruce at Colorado St. In 1996 he was hired as an assistant coach under Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, and he remained with Notre Dame through 2000. In 2001 he started his head coaching career at Bowling Green and in two years he had a record of 17-6. He was hired at Utah in 2003. In his first year Utah won its bowl game, and during the second year the team was undefeated and won the Fiesta Bowl. He was 22-2 in two years at Utah. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida, including two BCS National Championships.

Sonny Dykes
In his first season at California Sonny Dykes has a record of 1-1 and in his fourth year as a head coach he is 23-16. Dykes was previously the head coach at Lousiana Tech. Dykes was an assistant coach at Arizona, Texas Tech, Kentucky, and Northeast Louisiana. Dykes is a Texas Tech graduate who played on the Red Raider baseball team.

The Series

Ohio State leads the series 6-1. The games include two Rose Bowls in 1921 and 1950, two games in Berkeley in 1953 and 1972, and two games in Columbus in 1954, 1971, and 2012.  California's sole victory was in the 1921 Rose Bowl.

Last Time
Ohio State had a close game last year against California. The first quarter had three back-to-back touchdown drives. Braxton Miller ran 55-yards for a touchdown after the defense forced a turnover. Unfortunately Drew Basil missed the point after attempt, so the score was 6-0. In the next possession California scored off a 19-yard touchdown reception. In the next possession Ohio State reached the endzone with a 25-yard pass from Miller to Devin Smith. In Ohio State's first possession of the second quarter, Jake Stoneburner caught a one yard pass for a touchdown. Ohio State led 20-7 at halftime.

Early in the third quarter California running back Brendan Bigelow ran 81-yards for a touchdown. His run was the longest run by an opponent in Ohio Stadium history. California took the lead in the fourth quarter with a one yard quarterback run, and the score was 21-20. Ohio State responded in the next possession with a touchdown drive completed by a 3-yard pass to Stoneburner. Miller successfully ran in for a two-point conversion, putting Ohio State up by a seven points. Less than 30 seconds went off the clock as California running back Bigelow ran it 59-yards, for a touchdown to tie the score at 28-28. California missed its third field goal attempt, after a successful drive. Miller was able to trick the defense and as a result Devin Smith was wide open for a 72-yard touchdown reception. Christian Bryant assured the victory with his first career interception, and Ohio State ran out the clock for the 35-28 victory.

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. Not many panelists picked Miami or Illinois to win on Saturday. Only two panelists went 5-1 and it vaulted Cliff Diving Raoul to sole possession of first place.

 

Standings:

1. Cliff Diving Raoul (10-2) (5-1 last week)

2. Batman (9-3)  (4-2 last week)

2. Corso (9-3) (4-2 last week)
4. Funtik the Hog (8-4) (3-3 last week)
5. Big Dog (7-5) (2-4 last week)

5. SPAM (7-5) (3-3 last week)

5. Mel Kiper's Hair (7-5) (5-1 last week)
8. Hudy the Dark Knight (6-6) (2-4 last week)

8. Old Bag of Man (6-6)  (2-4 last week)

8. Philly Cheese (6-6) (2-4 last week)

11. W.T. (5-7) (2-4 last week)

11. ChadsOSU (5-7) (2-4 last week)

13. Buckeye Cock (4-8) (2-4 last week)

Games for this week:

1. Ohio State vs. California

2. UCLA vs. Nebraska

3. Iowa vs. Iowa St.

4. UCF vs. Penn St.

5. Alabama vs. Texas A&M
And the oddball game this week is:

6. Florida Atlantic vs. South Florida

What to Expect

San Diego State was embarrassed last week against an FCS opponent, which they paid to play in San Diego. Most teams schedule those games with full intentions of an easy victory. Coach Long is sticking with his starting quarterback but he has indicated the playbook will be simplified. I don't anticipate SDSU throwing as many passes as last week so look for more rush attempts. Ohio State will limit SDSU to 225 passing yards and 200 rushing yards.

Last week the SDSU defense looked soft, allowing 361 passing yards and three touchdown receptions. The three defensive lineman scheme did not put any pressure on the Eastern Illinois QB based on the facts that there were no recorded sacks or QB hurries. The Aztecs have limited opponents to 100 yards or less in seven of the last 19 games, but Eastern Illinois had 172 rushing yards. The linebackers appear to be vulnerable in the 3-3-5 defensive scheme of SDSU. Look for Ohio State to have 300 passing yards and 250 rushing yards. Ohio State will win 42-15.

Things to Watch

OSU Defense
Despite preseason talk of five and possibly six defensive backs, you can expect to see a more traditional 4-3 set with four defensive backs and three linebackers to combat the running game of SDSU, although the SDSU running game did struggle last week against an FCS opponent.

OSU in Polls
Ohio State dropped from No. 2 to 3 in the AP poll, after being jumped by Oregon. Ohio State remained No. 2 in the USA Today-Coaches poll. The AP is not considered for the BCS rankings.

Roster Update
Normally this section relates to injuries, but Ohio State has two players returning after missing the first game for disciplinary reasons. Bradley Roby is listed as a co-starter with Armani Reeves at cornerback. Meyer has indicated that Roby must earn his spot back in practice. Running back Rod Smith also missed one game for disciplinary reasons but he is available this game, but he did not make the two-deep depth chart. CJ Barnett missed the Buffalo game with a sprained ankle but is listed on this week's depth chart. Offensive lineman Corey Linsley missed playing time last week but he is expected to return this week in limited action as he continues to recover from a foot injury and surgery.

Scouting the Aztecs

This Season
Last year SDSU shared the Mountain West Championship and lost in the Poinsettia Bowl. San Diego State started this season with a loss to Eastern Illinois, with a score of 40-19. In that game SDSU had five turnovers which includes four interceptions by junior QB Adam Dingwell. It was a career high of 318 passing yards for Dingwell but he needed 63 attempts to reach that number. Senior receiver Colin Lockett led the team with 48 rushing yards, but all those yards took place on one play. Adam Muema is the first team RB and he had 17 yards on 10 attempts. Muema didn't finish the game because of an ankle injury. The team had 122 rushing yards total.

Offense
Last season QB Adam Dingwell directed the team to victory in the last four games, completing 64% for 590 yards. He is expected to start Saturday despite his poor performance on Saturday, as described above. Running back Adam Muema had over 1400 rushing yards last season. Muema was hurt last week, but is expected to play against Ohio State. Last week receiver senior Colin Lockett had 98 reception yards on a career high eight catches, in addition to his long run listed above.

 

Defense

The defense returns nine starters from last year. As with most of the SDSU team, this unit did not perform as expected last week. Eastern Illinois had 533 yards of offense and 40 points. Returning on the defensive line are Jordan Thomas, Sam Meredith, and Cody Galea. Missing from the defense will be linebacker Derek Largent who injured his knee in the Eastern Illinois game last week.

OSU Last Week

Ohio State scored early with two touchdown drives followed by two successful two-point conversions. The lead was 23-0 in favor of Ohio State at the end of the third quarter, after a 49-yard touchdown run by Jordan Hall and a traditional PAT. Jordan Hall filled the void of Carlos Hyde quite well with a career day of 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Braxton Miller had a decent start to his junior year going 15 of 22 for 178 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The interception was costly as it was run back for a touchdown. That interception took place in the middle of the second quarter and followed a sequence in which Ohio State intercepted the ball and then fumbled the ball in the next series. True freshman Dontre Wilson made up for that fumble with a 51-yard kickoff return. Comparisons have been drawn between Wilson and the fumbles by Archie Griffin and Eddie George early in their careers. Miller did miss some playing time with cramps, but Kenny Guiton took over and directed a touchdown drive in the third quarter. The defense limited Buffalo to 73 rushing yards on 35 attempts and 185 passing yards. Ohio State had 261 rushing yards but only 199 passing yards on offense. Ohio State had nine penalties for 94 yards, and many penalties led to extended SDSU drives.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 12th season of his coaching career Urban Meyer's record is 117-23. Meyer 13-0 at Ohio State, after going 12-0 in his first season. He earned his graduate degree from Ohio State and worked with the team as a graduate assistant under Earle Bruce from 1986-1987. He was an assistant coach at Illinois State under former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. He later re-joined Earle Bruce at Colorado St. In 1996 he was hired as an assistant coach under Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, and he remained with Notre Dame through 2000. In 2001 he started his head coaching career at Bowling Green and in two years he had a record of 17-6. He was hired at Utah in 2003. In his first year Utah won its bowl game, and during the second year the team was undefeated and won the Fiesta Bowl. He was 22-2 in two years at Utah. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida, including two BCS National Championships.

Rocky Long
Rocky Long took over at SDSU after Brady Hoke left for Michigan and in three seasons his record is 17-10. In fourteen years as a head coach he is 82-79. Prior to being hired as the head coach Long was the defensive coordinator. Long was a head coach at New Mexio, his alma mater for eleven seasons. He was an assistant coach at UCLA, Oregon State, and Wyoming. While a student at New Mexico he played defensive back and later played professionally in Canada. Long was a two-sport athlete and was recruited by Bobby Knight, who was head coach of the basketball team at Army at the time.

The Series

Ohio State has victories in all three previous games against San Diego State in 2001, 2003, and most recently in 2005. The 2001 game was scheduled for September 15, but it was postponed to October 21 after the terrorist attacks.

Last Time
The beginning of the SDSU game made many wonder if Ohio State's Texas loss was going to have long term affects on the team. The Aztecs in their first play had a pass for 80-yards go untouched for a touchdown. However after that series, SDSU never scored again, did not get past the OSU 46, finished with three first downs, were 1 of 12 on third down conversions, had 13 yards rushing, and only managed to get 99 yards passing for the rest of the game. The OSU offense struggled. Troy Smith struggled passing going 14 of 26 for 145 yards, but he did lead the team in rushing with 87 yards on 14 carries and 2 rushing touchdowns. Josh Huston had two field goals of 25 and 39 yards along with three PAT's. Ohio State won 27-6.

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. There are five panelists tied at first. Not many panelists correctly picked Clemson and Washington as winners. 

Standings:

1. Funtik the Hog (5-1)

1. Batman (5-1) 

1. Big Dog (5-1)

1. Cliff Diving Raoul (5-1)

1. Corso (5-1)

6. SPAM (4-2)

6. Hudy the Dark Knight (4-2)

6. Old Bag of Man (4-2) 

6. Philly Cheese (4-2)

10. W.T. (3-3)

10. ChadsOSU (3-3)

12. Mel Kiper's Hair (2-4)
12. Buckeye Cock (2-4)

Games for this week:

1. San Diego St. vs. Ohio State
2. Florida vs. Miami (FL)
3. Cincinnati vs. Illinois
4. Notre Dame vs. Michigan
5. South Carolina vs. Georgia
And the oddball game this week is:

6. Maine vs. Massachusetts