Ohio State shouldn’t have problem stuffing the Golden Flashes’ rushing attack. However, Kent State has the next great mini-back in Eugene Jarvis.
Two weeks ago, Jarvis (right) ran for 230 yards on 30 carries and scored two touchdowns against the Ohio Bobcats. Through six games, Jarvis has rushed for 851 yards on 144 carries and has eight rushing touchdowns. He also has 15 catches for 201 yards and has two receiving touchdowns.
I have seen the five-foot-five sophomore Jarvis play and I can say that he struggles in short-yardage situations. But he sure can slice through defenders once he gets to the open field.
Junior quarterback Julian Edelman is second on the team in rushing with 358 yards. Kent State has struggled in the passing game this year. Edelman has completed 86 of 166 (51.8%) for 1,141 yards and has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 6-to-8. I expect a couple of more turnovers from Edelman.
This game sounds way too easy, so the Buckeyes might come out slow. However, I think this OSU team will take care of business this Saturday. First, the Buckeyes will shut down Jarvis. I bet Jarvis will flash a couple of solid runs in the first half, but overall will be held to around 50 yards. Edelman will have to throw and will turn the ball over. Hopefully, the Buckeyes can get their backups in early in the second half.
With all that said, anyone can lose on any given Saturday. That is definitely the theme this year. In this game, I just don’t see the chance for a possible upset. The spread has the Buckeyes winning by 31. When the Buckeyes score 30 or more, their record is 38-0 since 2001. Compare that to Kent State when it scores less than 30, its record is 8-40. It’s hard to imagine that the Golden Flashes will score over 30 against the Buckeyes’ defense. Especially when you consider that OSU has allowed only 43 combined points in six games (the high being - 14 @ Washington).
I don’t expect for sophomore running back Chris Wells (left) to play much. Everyone in Columbus is worried about his ankle. Maurice Wells and Brandon Saine should be able to handle the load.
Last week, I thought Ray Small would finally have a breakout game. He did have his best career game, with six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. This week, I expect a punt return for a touchdown from Small.
Also, I expect junior quarterback Todd Boeckman to find his favorite target, junior wide receiver Brian Robiskie, for a touchdown. Sophomore wide receiver Brian Hartline is getting more looks and could have a big game.
Overall, the offense should have great game. Maybe sophomore quarterback Rob Schoenhoft will get some quality reps by the third quarter.
Kent State is 3-3 with wins coming against Iowa State, Delaware State and Ohio. Its loses were to Kentucky, Akron and Miami (Ohio).
Ohio State will be going for its 25th straight regular season win and the Buckeyes should get it.
Another week without Ohio State cracking my list of top-ten games.
Here is my helpful guide to Week Seven in the college football world.
It was recommended that I make picks with spreads - so i did.
While we are talking about spreads, let me tell you my top five spreads for this week: I like the road teams this week.
Missouri +12 @ Oklahoma
South Carolina -7 @ North Carolina
Wisconsin +6.5 @ Penn State
Tennesse -7 @ Mississippi State
Louisville +10.5 @ Cincinnati
1) #11 Missouri at #6 Oklahoma (6:30 p.m.- FSN) While people complain that Oklahoma should be ranked better than South Florida and Boston College, Missouri is quietly undefeated. The Tigers are coming off a 41-6 win over then-ranked No. 25 Nebraska. With a win over Oklahoma, Missouri should leap into the top-five of the polls. The Tigers defense is supposed to be a weakness according to some sources, I really don’t know who will win this game.
Pick: 35-31, Oklahoma wins, but Missouri (+12) 2) #1 LSU at #17 Kentucky (3:30 p.m. – CBS) Last week, Kentucky moved all the way down to No. 8 in the polls after wins against rival Louisville and at Arkansas. However, the Wildcats lost to South Carolina, 23-38. The Gamecocks have the nation’s best pass defense, which plays against UK’s strength. LSU will have a tough battle on its hands.
Pick: 45-42, Kentucky wins- (+9.5) 3) Louisville at #15 Cincinnati (7:00 p.m. - ESPNU The Bearcats have become ESPN’s little sweetheart appearing on its college football shows all week. Sure the crowd for UC will pumped up for this one, but there are a lot of loyal Louisville fans in the area. UC students might have waited in line for tickets this week, but Queen City UL fans got their tickets when the schedule was released. I like UL in the upset.
Pick: 42-28, Louisville wins (+10.5) 4) Washington at #14 Arizona State (10:26 p.m. - FSN) Washington is a young team on the rise. Arizona State barely held on last week against lowly Washington State. The Sun Devils have to play No. 2 California and then at No. 9 Oregon. They could be looking ahead, but I see Arizona State winning big at home after two weeks on the road.
Pick: 45-21, Arizona State wins (-12) 5) Oregon State at #2 California (7:07 p.m.) Somehow the Beavers have the top-rated run defense in the nation. CAL has a great RB in Justin Forsett. Oregon State could force CAL to pass, which I think the Golden Bears’ passing game is extremely overrated. Personally, I like their running game, which opens it up for the big play. I think this game could be close, but I just don’t think it’s CAL’s time to lose.
Pick: 31-24, California wins, but OSU (+14) 6) #19 Wisconsin at Penn State (3:30 p.m. - ABC) No one honestly knows who will win this game. Penn State is already 1-2 in the Big Ten with loses to Michigan and Illinois. Wisconsin lost to Illinois last week and dropped from No. 5 to No. 19 in the polls. I have to go with Wisconsin in a boring Big Ten game.
Pick: 10-7, Wisconsin wins (+6.5) 7) UCF at #5 South Florida (noon - ESPNU) UCF is a dangerous team, it almost beat Texas (32-35). Intrastate games are always scary for the heavy favorite. However, UCF is 0-17 all-time against ranked opponents. I expect USF to take care of business, but wouldn’t be surprised to see the upset either.
Pick: 28-13, South Florida wins (-11.5) 8) Purdue at Michigan (noon - BTN) I love this game. Again, who knows how good any Big Ten team is? Both teams have the talent to be good. I can see the winner of this game finishing in the top of the Big Ten, while the loser will finish somewhere in the middle. Good game to find out who is for real and who isn’t.
Pick: 35-32, Purdue wins (+5.5) 9) #4 Boston College at Notre Dame (3:30 p.m. - NBC) The whole nation is waiting for BC to lose, but I don’t see them losing. At least not this week. It took one 20-6 win for Notre Dame to get a national buzz for an upset. BC could be looking ahead, it has No. 12 VTECH on the road followed by No. 21 FSU at home the next two weeks. I expect BC to coast against the Irish.
Pick: 28-7, Boston College wins (-14) 10) Connecticut at Virginia (3:30 p.m. - ESPNU) All this talk about Stanford and USC, has everyone forgetting about the undefeated and yet unranked UCONN. They haven’t played anyone good, but if they would beat Virginia (5-1) then we should have another ranked undefeated team. Last year, UCONN finished 4-8 so they have improved. However, lasting the whole season undefeated will be impossible. It will still have to play No. 5 USF, Rutgers, @ No. 15 Cincinnati and @ No. 8 WVU. I know nothing about UCONN and Virginia has a bunch of talent. However, I have to pick UCONN for fun.
Pick: 45-44, UCONN wins (+3)
BIG TEN PICKS
BUCKEYE LANE’S 2007 BIG TEN RECORD: 39-13 (straight up picks - no spreads)
Kent State at #3 Ohio State (noon - BTN) OSU shouldn’t have a problem with Kent State (more to come on this game before kickoff)
Pick: 42-10, Ohio State wins (-31) Purdue at Michigan (noon - BTN) see above #18 Illinois at Iowa (noon - ESPN2) Which Iowa team is going to show up. I think we know what Illinois team will show.
Pick: 28-17, Illinois wins (-5) Minnesota at Northwestern (12:07) I think it’s about time Minnesota gets a Big Ten win.
Pick: 35-28, Minnesota wins (+7) #19 Wisconsin at Penn State (3:30 - ABC) (see above) Indiana at Michigan State (7:00 - BTN) Another year, and another terrible season for MSU after a good start.
Pick: 42-28, Indiana wins (+4)
Every week this season a fellow Big Ten blogging site will host the Big Ten Bloggers roundtable of questions.
This week Run Up The Score!, which is a Penn State blog, will be the host of the seventh Big Ten roundtable of the season. Buckeye Lane will play host the week of the Wisconsin at Ohio State game (September 29th through the November 3rd).
1. We’re halfway through the season. Practically the entire national media has declared that the Big Ten is having a down year. Is this cyclical, or is the conference actually becoming less and less relevant? What is your team doing to enhance or destroy the conference’s reputation?
After the performance of the Big Ten teams in last year’s bowl season, the media has been ripping the quality of the Big Ten. To make matters worse, then the preseason favorite (Michigan) to win the Big Ten lost to Appalachian State in the first week of the season. Personally, I don’t think the Big Ten is down from last year, however I believe the conference could be better. Last year, the conference was top heavy with Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin. Overall, I think the conference is more competitive. Illinois, Indiana and Purdue are much better. I still believe Penn State and Wisconsin are better teams this year as opposed to last, but the rest of the Big Ten is catching up. While I think the Big Ten could be better, it is truly underrated in 2007.
Ohio State isn’t doing much to enhance or destroy conference’s reputation. The Buckeyes did beat up on Washington on the road and that team played USC down to the wire. The Buckeyes have some challenging Big Ten games to end the season. The last four weeks include a visit to Happy Valley (Penn State), versus Wisconsin and Illinois at home and then an always exciting road game with Michigan. If the Buckeyes win or lose any of those it won’t do much for the Big Ten. It depends how the conference does in the bowl season.
2. Illinois is winning football games. Football games! Illinois! How much longer will we have to put up with this crap?
Illinois is on the rise. Hopefully, it will help out the conference’s reputation.
Its only loss came to Missouri (34-40) in the first week of the season. The last two weeks, Illinois has defeated two top-25 teams over then-ranked No. 21 Penn State and then-ranked No. 5 Wisconsin. Currently, the Illini are sitting atop the Big Ten standings, tied with OSU at 3-0 - Michigan is the only other undefeated team in Big Ten play.
The rest of schedule isn’t that challenging, but they have two really tough games (Michigan, at Ohio State). This week, Illinois should be able to beat Iowa on the road, then has a tough game against Michigan (but at home), should be able to handle a tricky Ball State team, then they have Minnesota on the road, followed by No. 3 Ohio State and wrap up their season against their rival Northwestern.
I think the Illini will be able to go 4-2 to finish out their season at 9-3, which is amazing.
3. I’m a man! I’m 32! For you, fair Big Ten Blogger, where does the line get drawn when, as Sunday Morning QB eloquently states, “second-guessing the split-second decisions of college kids under extreme physical duress”? Hypothetically speaking, would you settle for saying that your underwhelming quarterback “simply isn’t performing well and needs to be replaced”, or would you call him “a functional retard that is one drool cup shy of riding the short bus to practice”?
This is America!
We are allowed to call players on your team bad names for making mistakes. As soon as they graduate high school, then it is fair game.
It doesn’t matter how old you are or your skill level. If someone is blowing the game then you shouldn’t hold yourself back.
For example, I couldn’t kick a football 20 yards if you placed it on a tee, but if your kicker misses a 50-yard field goal with the game on the line than you better let obscenities fly.
4. Finally, a quick two-part question. Which player or players on your team have you been pleasantly surprised with this season, and what is the most important game remaining on your schedule?
Freshman cornerback Chimdi Chekwa was played extremely well. Defensive tackle was a question mark this season. Doug Worthington, Todd Denlinger and Cameron Heyward have been solid. Even though everyone knew wide receiver Brian Robiskie was a solid player, he has become a superstar this year. I really like true freshman Brandon Saine. Of course, I have to mention quarterback Todd Boeckman, who was exceeded expectations.
Every game in the last four weeks should be challenging - October 27 @ Penn State, November 3 vs. No. 19 Wisconsin, November 10 vs. No. 18 Illinois and November 17 @ Michigan.
I’m always quick to call myself out when I’m wrong and now is one of those times. In Buckeye Lane’s preview, I wrote, “I believe the Buckeyes defense is great, but I still think it is overrated due to the lack of competition.”
Technically that statement was correct. However, the defense stepped up against a very good offensive Purdue team and has the Associated Press stating, “Ohio State’s defense shoved the Buckeyes into the national championship picture on Saturday night.”
Earlier in the week, I predicted that Ohio State would shut down Purdue’s running game and I was actually right about that. The Boilermakers rushed for only four yards the entire game.
When I was watching the game, I kept thinking about how great of a job junior quarterback Todd Boeckman was doing. It made me want to do a blog about how perfect he is playing this season. At the same time, my superstitions wouldn’t allow me to do it. What if Boeckman started to make mistakes in the way of turnovers? Would it be my fault?
Just the thought was damaging enough, as Boeckman went on to throw three second half interceptions. However, as an nonobjective Buckeye blogger, I wasn’t disappointed with any of Boeckman’s INTs. All three were on long passes that pinned Purdue deep in its own territory. All three also had Boeckman going for the kill, as the Buckeyes held a solid lead. With OSU’s defense Boeckman has the opportunity to take risks down the field as long as his team has the lead. Personally, I have no problem with him taking those risks.
The play of wide receiver Ray Small was also encouraging. Small, who began this season with high expectations, caught six passes for 70 yards and had a touchdown.
Freshman cornerback Chimdi Chekwa played extremely well. He finished with 10 tackles.
The Buckeyes out gained Purdue 381-272 in total offense.
The win and USC’s loss to Stanford has the Buckeye sitting pretty at No. 3 in the polls. The dominating defense convinced a couple of voters that Ohio State should be the top-ranked team, as there were two Ohio State votes for the No. 1 slot in the USA Today Poll.
Ohio State shouldn’t have a problem with Kent State this weekend. Hopefully the Buckeyes will still be ready. However, No. 1 LSU has to play a tough Kentucky (No. 17) on the road. No. 2 California will play Oregon State at home.
After last weekend, when many of the top teams in college football lost, everyone is expecting more upsets to come this Saturday.
One of the games mentioned is the Ohio State at Purdue game, which will be broadcasted on ABC at 8:00 p.m.
If history means anything, the Buckeyes have always played the Boilermakers close.
The two teams haven’t played since 2004, but Ohio State is only 3-2 against Purdue since that “Holy Toledo” (see post below for clip). Two of those victories were by a combined seven points. Both of Purdue’s wins came at home and it will have that advantage again this Saturday night.
Like in 2000, Purdue is led by their quarterback, back then it was Drew Brees and now it’s junior Curtis Painter (left). Through five games, Painter has completed 136 of 203 passes for 1,542 yards and has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 18-to-3.
Painter’s favorite two targets are senior wide receiver Dorien Bryant and senior tight end Dustin Keller. Bryant has been a consistent performer his whole career at Purdue and has 40 catches for 450 yards and four touchdowns so far this season. Keller, who’s from Lafayette, is a fan favorite and has 20 catches for 319 yards and five touchdowns this season. Junior wide receiver Greg Orton, who went to Wayne High School in Dayton, Ohio, is dangerous. Last year, Orton had 58 catches for 790 yards and five touchdowns. This year his numbers are down, but he could have an extra bit of motivation since he will be playing against Ohio State.
Purdue also features a dangerous running back in junior Kory Sheets. Sheets has rushed for over 100 yards in the last three games. On the season, Sheets has 515 yards on 89 carries (5.8 yards per carry) and has five rushing touchdowns. Sheets also has 15 catches for 97 yards and a receiving touchdown.
As you can tell, the Boilermakers boast a very powerful offense that ranks seventh in the NCAA in points scored (45.4 points per game). In comparison, Ohio State is 25th in the nation with its 35.8 points per game.
It is a classic matchup of great offense versus great defense. While Purdue has scored 227 points this year, Ohio State has only allowed 36. Both teams have played five games.
No. 23 Purdue cracked the top 25 for the first time this year after its 33-19 win over Notre Dame. No. 4 Ohio State jumped all the way into the top five after then-ranked teams No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 West Virginia and No. 7 Texas all lost. If Purdue would be able to pull off the upset this weekend, you would have to expect that the Boilermakers would leap into the top ten.
The Buckeyes have looked impressive this season.
Fifth-year junior quarterback Todd Boeckman has played above expectations and has showed a knack for throwing a pretty home run ball. On the year, Boeckman has thrown 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
His favorite target wide receiver Brian Robiskie has been fantastic. Robiskie’s strength has been adjusting to the ball in the air and making great catches. He has 530 yards and six touchdowns on only 25 catches (averaging 21.2 yards per catch). He looks ready for the NFL.
Prior to the season, sophomore running back Chris Wells (right) hadn’t rushed for over 100 yards in a game. It wasn’t that fans were expecting him not to run all over defenses this year, everyone can see the talent, but fans were worried after his lackluster performance (16 carries for 46 yards, 2.9 yards per carry, one touchdown) against Youngstown State in the opener. However, Wells has been great since, rushing for over a 100 yards in each of the last four games. Purdue fans are worried on how its defense will fare against Ohio State’s power back.
Also, Buckeye fans are expecting wide receiver Ray Small to have breakout game any day now.
I believe the Buckeyes defense is great, but I still think it is overrated due to the lack of competition. Overall, it is very solid, but James Laurinaitis might be the most overrated linebacker since Andy Katzenmoyer. Funny that Laurinaitis used to wear a Katzenmoyer jersey while growing up in Minnesota. In all fairness, Katzenmoyer was injured early in his NFL career, but you don’t have your best collegiate season as a freshman. Don’t get me wrong Laurinaitis is one of the Big Ten’s best linebackers, but has a great supporting cast that doesn’t receive enough credit. For example, Laurinaitis leads the team in tackles with 43, but only 20 of them are solo tackles.
So, let me mention LB Marcus Freeman, S Anderson Russell and DE Vernon Gholston, who all are having good years as expected. Also, players that playing great that are somewhat mild surprises are DB Kurt Coleman, LB Larry Grant, LB Austin Spitler, DB Chimdi Chekwa and DT Cameron Heyward.
I expect DE Robert Rose to have a breakout game soon.
Boilermaker fans believe that their defense is better than last year’s. Many sources will list senior CB Terrell Vinson as one of the top players on Purdue’s defense. Some of the Purdue fans say to lookout for senior safety Torri Williams, who has been injured the last two seasons. Off the Tracks (Purdue blog) describes Williams as a “difference maker.”
Another player to watch is linebacker Anthony Heygood, who leads Purdue with six tackles for loss. Last year, Heygood moved from the running back position to add some speed to the linebacking core.
Also, the coaches are high on senior defensive end Cliff Avril, who leads the team with three sacks. According to the Sporting News, Purdue’s defensive coordinator Brock Spack, “thinks Cliff Avril is Purdue’s next great end.”
- Prediction -
I think both teams have a good amount of talent on both sides of the ball. However, I have to lean on the Buckeyes’ defense over the Purdue offense. That doesn’t mean Purdue cannot win this game.
Like I said before, if history means anything then this game will be close.
Buckeye Lane: Give me a description of what you think will happen on Saturday. Do you think Purdue can beat Ohio State? Better yet, tell us what’s going to happen - final score and everything.
Off the Tracks:I think Purdue has a really good chance to win on Saturday, but it will take their best effort of the season to date. I am excited to see what we can do against a really good defense as I agree we haven’t truly faced anyone of note yet. In the first half of every game we have been able to move the ball and score in almost every way imaginable. We’re 8 of 10 on field goals (with one being blocked). We’ve scored on a short field from turnovers and on long drives. We’ve had 1 yard scoring plays and an 80 yard scoring play. We’ve even returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. The only time we’ve had trouble scoring is when we get too cute like we did against Notre Dame. Instead of ramming the ball down their throats we tried to pass too much and ended up settling for field goals instead of touchdowns in the red zone.
I have no doubt we’ll be able to score against the Buckeyes because we have too many weapons to be completely shut down. The question is can we score enough. If our defense starts giving up yards and points in bunches we’re in trouble. Purdue has had a habit of getting ahead early and putting things on cruise control. So far the defense has surrendered just 20 points in the first half, and 14 of those came in the opener at Toledo. The offense has scored in all 20 quarters so far, so they have done the job for pretty much the entire season. The second half defense has struggled, but they are giving up points late when other teams are in desperation mode. Notre Dame honestly moved the ball so well because of some amazing grabs by their receivers and by simply refusing to punt the entire second half. Both Minnesota and Central Michigan have proven they can move the ball well at times this year, but were held in check until the game was well in hand for the Boilers.
I think the first half will be critical, and if Purdue can get a lead early they have a great chance to pull the upset. They have not played from behind since they trailed 7-0 in the first quarter at Toledo. The game will be more decided by Special teams and the Purdue defense against the Ohio State offense than anything. Right now I would say Ohio State’s offense has an edge on our defense and special teams are about even.
Because of Chris Wells (right) though I am very concerned, as he is the best back we will have faced so far and I know Ohio State can very easily keep our offense off the field by pounding him, then go to Brian Robiskie deep. I honestly don’t know what will happen on Saturday, whether it will be a defensive stalemate like the 2002 game or a back and forth trackmeet like the 2000 game. I can honestly see either, and I think a defensive stalemate actually favors us because we’ve proven we can score when absolutely necessary. I know Ohio State is better, and I honestly think they will win about 24-21, but Purdue pulling the upset would not surprise me by a similar score.
Buckeye Lane: Tell me a little bit about your team. Buckeye fans know about Curtis Painter and Dorien Bryant, or at least I think they do, but tell me about other players on this team. RB Kory Sheets is having a good year, who are the difference makers? Anyone on defense, who should Buckeye fans be worried about?
Off the Tracks:#24 Kory Sheets has been solid and has really stepped up since #33 Jaycen Taylor was forced out for a few weeks with a broken arm. He now has 30 career touchdowns and is just a redshirt junior. With eight more games (including bowl game) and at least 12 next year he stands an excellent chance of breaking Mike Alstott’s career touchdown record of 42. He also stands a good chance of being our first 1,000 back since Joey Harris in 2002. He’s good at catching the ball out of the backfield and he has some shifty moves in the open field. He will be tested against Ohio State and I have a hard time seeing us losing if he gets to 100 yards for his 4th straight game. Getting there is certainly not going to be easy though.
Another player to watch is tight end #28 Dustin Keller (left). Keller is very, very athletic for a tight end and has a habit of making great adjustments in the air as well as breaking tackles on the run. Generally it takes at least 2-3 guys to bring him down in the open field, and you can forget about tackling him one-on-one on the run. Keller actually scored the winning touchdown as a freshman in our last meeting.
What I like about this team offensively is its balance. In addition to Sheets, Keller, and Bryant having good seasons catching and running the football we also have #1 Selwyn Lymon,#21 Greg Orton, #88 Jake Standeford, #85 Kyle Adams, and #6 Desmond Tardy as weapons that Painter normally throws to at least 2-3 times a game. Painter has done a fantastic job of spreading the ball around, as his 18 touchdown passes have gone to eight different receivers. Tardy is also a former high school quarterback who lines up in the slot like Bryant, and he has been known to throw on occasion with a TD pass against Hawaii last year.
Defensively there isn’t one player that is central to the defense like Anthony Spencer was last year, but that is what makes the defense better I think. Both #5 Terrell Vinson and #23 Justin Scott have a pair of picks, but one of our better safeties may be #2 Torri Williams. Williams suffered a gruesome knee injury last season in the opener against Indiana State after missing the 2005 season with a broken leg. He is still not playing entire games, but when he is in there he is a difference maker.
#42 Anthony Heygood plays outside linebacker this season after converting from running back and he has been a breath of fresh air for us. This will be just his sixth game at the position but he is one of leading tacklers and is known as a hard-hitter. As a whole the defense has simply lacked focus, as it has been very good when the game is on the line, but has slacked when we have built a big lead. It is certainly night and day better than last year. #32 Cliff Avril is our leading pass rusher with three of our nine sacks, but my biggest concern defensively is we have not been able to consistently get into the backfield like in past seasons. Part of that may be the defense hiding its hand against inferior competition though, as we have blitzed more than last year, but not much at all with the big leads.
Buckeye Lane: Also, go into a little on what it is like to be a Purdue fan. What’s it like at the games? How would Buckeye fans be treated inside Ross-Ade? What teams do Purdue fans hate the most? Maybe Notre Dame, but what about within the Big Ten?
Off the Tracks: Being a Purdue fan is interesting because we’re right in the middle, being always good enough to contend but never truly break through. We don’t suck so bad that there is no hope every year, but we’ve been unable to break through and sustain a position with the big boys of the conference. We seems to go in cycles where every 3-4 years we have a team good enough to contend for the conference crown, then fall back to mid-tier bowl status. Lately we’ve been getting a ton of “but who have you beaten” comments since we have won 16 of our last 22, but not a single one of those wins were against a winning team and just one (Minnesota last year) came over a bowl team. We’ve been a consistent bowl team and that has spoiled our fans a bit because we’re a long way from the Jim Colletto and Fred Akers years that saw a maximum of four wins per season. We can never seem to break through to something bigger though and this is honestly our next good shot to do so. Five of our six losses last year were to teams ranked at game time (Notre Dame, Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, Hawaii), so we desperately need to break through and beat a ranked team, which hasn’t happened since 2003.
Honestly, this is the biggest game we have played in three years since the infamous fumble game against Wisconsin. Because we have lost so many games in agonizing fashion over the past six years Purdue fans are almost resigned to wait for the other shoe to drop. Buckeye fans will probably be treated fairly warmly at Purdue (except by my wife, who is a University of Miami alum), and I expect a very close, hard-fought Big Ten contest. In past Purdue-OSU games at Ross-Ade the Buckeyes have traveled very well and I’ve never seen a ton of bad blood between the two schools.
In football there’s no contest. We hate Notre Dame and we hate them a lot. With Indiana we have been so dominant recently that it hasn’t been much of a rivalry, but I can see that changing this year. Most Purdue fans view Michigan and Ohio State as big conference games simply because of both school’s histories and the fact that we need to beat both if we’re going to have national success. Until we do that regularly we’ve accomplished very little.
Buckeye Lane: Are you as tired of seeing “Holy Buckeye” play as we are of seeing the “Holy Toledo” Brees to Morales play of two years earlier?
Off the Tracks: LOL, this was actually my question reversed to Buckeye Lane. I was at both games, as I was a junior in 2000 and the 2002 game was one of the first dates with my now wife. In 2000 I remember seeing the ball in the air with Morales being wide open and just praying he would catch the ball. Even if he fell down afterward we’d be in the red zone. When he caught it and waltzed into the end zone the student section just exploded in sheer joy, as we knew the Rose Bowl was actually a real possibility at that point. I know Ohio State fans take BCS bowls for granted now, but imagine not going in 34 years and being terrible for about 25 of those. It was a joy as a fan you can’t imagine and I still love watching the play.
Now fast forward to two years later. We were in the midst of a season where we were 4-5, but the five losses had all been by less than a touchdown. We had lost games by missing field goals, not running out the clock, and just about every other way you could imagine. Now we were leading and going toe-to-toe with a team that would win the national title and we needed to make one play to seal it even though we were playing quarterback roulette. The Krenzel to Jenkins pass absolutely ripped my guts out and even though we got the ball back with a chance to score again Orton’s game-sealing interception was practically pre-ordained. When Jenkins made the catch I collapsed into my seat screaming, “NO!” and my wife, having barely known me at the time, had to wonder what was wrong with me.
To this day though I still question whether Mike Nugent and co. got that field goal off in time before the half. At least with both plays the fanbases are equal in terms of agonizing endings and it’s amazing that they occurred in back-to-back games in West Lafayette.
Tomorrow, a fellow member of the Big Ten Bloggers will be taking over Buckeye Lane.
Off the Tracks, which is a Purdue blog, will be in charge. The site’s host, Travis Miller, will tell us what Purdue nation is expecting in Saturday’s big game. He also will touch on what it is like to be a Boilermaker fan.
As he takes over Buckeye Lane, I will be taking over Off the Tracks tomorrow. So check that out and dish out your comments.
-Both blogs provided each other with topics. So, he will be answering my questions and I will be answering his-
This will be the second blog trade for Buckeye Lane with a member of the Big Ten Bloggers. The first was Lake the Posts, which was a Northwestern blog. If you want to see his answers to my questions - click here - if you want to see my answers - click here -
Every week this season a fellow Big Ten blogging site will host the Big Ten Bloggers roundtable of questions.
This week Black Heart Gold Pants, which is an Iowa blog, will be the host of the sixth Big Ten roundtable of the season. Buckeye Lane will play host the week of the Wisconsin at Ohio State game (September 29th through the November 3rd).
1. You know what? Screw your team. I hate your team right now; I’m an Iowa fan, and I have anger in my heart. Name your top conference rival, and assess their season to date. If you haven’t played them yet (and I don’t think anyone has), how are you going to do when that fateful day comes?
The rival is obvious - the Michigan Wolverines -
Everyone Ohio State fan cheers against Michigan with the same passion as they cheer for the Buckeyes to win. So when Michigan lost to Appalachian State it felt like the Buckeyes won a huge game. Then when Michigan lost to Oregon, we laughed a bit harder, even though the Ducks are a much tougher team than any team OSU has played.
It was a little scary when Michigan beat then ranked No. 10 Penn State, but then the Nittany Lions lost to Illinois, so does that win mean anything.
One thing is for certain no matter what either team’s record is come November 17th, it will always be a huge game that anyone can win.
2. If your season to date was an album (or CD, for all you young hippety-hoppers), what would it be and why?
This is a tough one. I kind of want to say MC Hammer’s Too Legit to Quit (below) or the Who’s Who’s Next, but those would be based on just album names and not the albums themselves.
If somebody knows of an album that has 12 tracks. The first two being boring, the third being a little better, three and four having only a few cords, followed by a surprising seventh track, crappy eighth, decent ninth, catchy 10th, a young party theme for the 11th and overplayed classic on the 12th.
If you didn’t notice - that was the schedule in album form.
3. If you had three minutes alone in a locked room with any coach from your team and you could bring any item along (nothing sexual, tOSU fans), which coach would you choose, what would the item be, and how badly would you pummel Ken O’Keefe why would you choose that item?
This is another tough question. I really don’t know how to respond.
I guess I would bring in a George O’Leary-type of resume and ask the head ball coach Jim Tressel for a job.
The past win was a 30-7 beat down on Minnesota. The win was expected and normally wouldn’t call for Ohio State to move down from the No. 8 spot in the AP poll all the way down to No. 4.
However, it helps when No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 West Virginia and No. 7 Texas lose.
The Buckeyes now find themselves ranked in the top five in the country without really doing anything.
Sure, you make an arguement that the road game at Washington was impressive, especially after the No. 1 USC Trojans struggled against the Huskies this past weekend.
Ohio State didn’t put Minnesota away until the second half. In fact, it looked as though the Gophers were going to tie the score at 14 when freshman quarterback Adam Weber threw an interception.
After an intercepted by Malcolm Jenkins, it looked like Minnesota was going to get the ball back with good field position late in second quarter. Ohio State was facing a third-and-six when Minnesota called a timeout with 1:33 left in the first half. Then Chris “Beanie” Wells reeled off a 27-yard run. On the play, the Gophers were penalized 15 yards on a late hit by Jamal Harris. On the next play, quarterback Todd Boeckman threw a perfect pass to Brian Robiskie for a 52-yard touchdown.
In the second half, Ohio State’s defense shut down Minnesota’s offense and held on to win 30-7.
Chris Wells had another impressive game, rushing for over 100 yards for the fourth straight game. He finished with 116 yards on 24 carries for two touchdowns.
Robiskie was Boeckman’s favorite target once again, as he finished with five catches for 99 yards and had a touchdown. Robiskie has 25 catches for 530 yards and six touchdowns in only five games. The 19-year-old junior is hands down the player who has stepped it up the most in replacing the stars from last season.
This week should be interesting as OSU will prepare for its toughest opponent so far this season.
No. 23 Purdue has a high-powered offense that is led by 22-year-old junior quarterback Curtis Painter. On the year, Painter has completed 136 of 203 passes (67%)for 1,542 yards and has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 18-to-3.
Two weeks ago, Jarvis (right) ran for 230 yards on 30 carries and scored two touchdowns against the Ohio Bobcats. Through six games, Jarvis has rushed for 851 yards on 144 carries and has eight rushing touchdowns. He also has 15 catches for 201 yards and has two receiving touchdowns.
I don’t expect for sophomore running back Chris Wells (left) to play much. Everyone in Columbus is worried about his ankle. Maurice Wells and Brandon Saine should be able to handle the load.
Here is my helpful guide to Week Seven in the college football world.
BIG TEN PICKS
This week 
I’m always quick to call myself out when I’m wrong and now is one of those times. In 
The play of wide receiver Ray Small was also encouraging. Small, who began this season with high expectations, caught six passes for 70 yards and had a touchdown. 
After last weekend, when many of the top teams in college football lost, everyone is expecting more upsets to come this Saturday.
Like in 2000, Purdue is led by their quarterback, back then it was Drew Brees and now it’s junior Curtis Painter (left). Through five games, Painter has completed 136 of 203 passes for 1,542 yards and has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 18-to-3.
Prior to the season, sophomore running back Chris Wells (right) hadn’t rushed for over 100 yards in a game. It wasn’t that fans were expecting him not to run all over defenses this year, everyone can see the talent, but fans were worried after his lackluster performance (16 carries for 46 yards, 2.9 yards per carry, one touchdown) against Youngstown State in the opener. However, Wells has been great since, rushing for over a 100 yards in each of the last four games. Purdue fans are worried on how its defense will fare against Ohio State’s power back.
I would like to thank Travis Miller of 
Another player to watch is tight end #28 Dustin Keller (left). Keller is very, very athletic for a tight end and has a habit of making great adjustments in the air as well as breaking tackles on the run. Generally it takes at least 2-3 guys to bring him down in the open field, and you can forget about tackling him one-on-one on the run. Keller actually scored the winning touchdown as a freshman in our last meeting.
Off the Tracks: Being a Purdue fan is interesting because we’re right in the middle, being always good enough to contend but never truly break through. We don’t suck so bad that there is no hope every year, but we’ve been unable to break through and sustain a position with the big boys of the conference. We seems to go in cycles where every 3-4 years we have a team good enough to contend for the conference crown, then fall back to mid-tier bowl status. Lately we’ve been getting a ton of “but who have you beaten” comments since we have won 16 of our last 22, but not a single one of those wins were against a winning team and just one (Minnesota last year) came over a bowl team. We’ve been a consistent bowl team and that has spoiled our fans a bit because we’re a long way from the Jim Colletto and Fred Akers years that saw a maximum of four wins per season. We can never seem to break through to something bigger though and this is honestly our next good shot to do so. Five of our six losses last year were to teams ranked at game time (Notre Dame, Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, Hawaii), so we desperately need to break through and beat a ranked team, which hasn’t happened since 2003.
The past win was a 30-7 beat down on Minnesota. The win was expected and normally wouldn’t call for Ohio State to move down from the No. 8 spot in the AP poll all the way down to No. 4.