As if the Tide needed another weapon, they’ve uncovered one.
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And it’ll be a special occasion when Northwestern and IL meet for the Land of Lincoln Trophy, if only because the game will be played at Soldier Field in Chicago.
But just like the “Ten-Year War” waged between Schembechler and Woody Hayes, his just-as-crusty Ohio State counterpart, there’s plenty at stake each time these two meet. When I walked over and watched basketball practice and saw the competitiveness on the basketball court and the communication that’s taken place on the basketball court between the players, you know, you see championship effort and you see championship communication, trust, and those type of things.
“I think we’re to a point where both teams can go into any game and have the opportunity to win”, Dantonio said. The biggest problem is that Stanford’s supposed showdown with a highly ranked Utah in the Pac 12 championship is now nonexistent, and instead the Cardinal will instead face the victor of the USC-UCLA game, which won’t provide as hefty of a resume boost.
Then there’s IN and Purdue.
Penn State wants to play spoiler and play its way into a good bowl game. But it’s significant to the participants.
The Wolverines know how it feels to let a game they should have won slip away against the Spartans.
– Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said QB Joel Stave should play against Minnesota. “We have other people who can score besides me”. In his last two starts, he threw one touchdown pass against IL and one against Michigan State. “This is a huge, huge football game for both programs”.
I couldnt disagree with him, his comments that he shouldve got the ball a little bit more, Meyer told reporters in Columbus on Monday, the start of Ohio State-Michigan week. After a rift between Harbaugh and the 49ers front office following an 8-8 finish in 2014, Harbaugh left San Francisco to go back to his alma mater and coach the team he onced quarterbacked: MI. Harbaugh on Tuesday reminisced about watching the 10-10 tie in 1973 from the Big House’s south end zone. Add in the question marks about Ohio State’s mindset after being embarrassed on a national stage in a 17-14 loss to Michigan State, and the danger increases.
It ends Saturday in Ann Arbor with the Buckeyes trying to recapture that spark.
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer grew up in Toledo and came of age during classic 1969-78 games known as “The Ten Year War” between Woody Hayes and Schembechler. I assume things are moving forward, but it’s hard to assess those things until you get to game day, it really is. I remember Archie Griffin, Cornelius Greene and Pete Johnson. “Wisconsin and Minnesota can be proud of the game and the Battle for the Axe”. Coach Pat Fitzgerald has been part of each nine-win squad, playing on the 1995-96 teams and coaching the 2008, 2012 and 2015 teams. In the last two, they were sluggish against very bad Wake Forest and barely hung on to beat Boston College 19-16.
“We’ve been here five years and we haven’t won it yet”, new coach Tracy Claeys said.
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It’s a good thing head coach Jim McElwain has a defense that is one of the best in the nation because the offense looks lost and in need of some adrenaline and an offensive line that plays better – especially against the fast Seminoles defense.
