The Buckeyes and Wolverines need a win and a Michigan State loss, at home to Penn State later in the day, to get a spot in next week’s conference title game.
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The 10-1 Buckeyes have had to grind to vanquish even the biggest of underdogs, the hope being they were simply playing down to the level of their competition. “That certainly hurts the Buckeyes” chances at a Big Ten title and should knock them from playoff contention.
First of all, the Spartans (10-1, 6-1) need a victory Saturday over Penn State to capture the Big Ten East and play in the conference championship game against Iowa.
Finally, turnover margin often comes into play, and Michigan State is +11 while Penn State is +8. After Ohio State’s 17-14 loss to Michigan State detoured its biggest dreams, there would be no sweeter answer for its 18 seniors than a fourth straight victory against Michigan.
The overall sentiment of Penn State’s 2015 campaign will likely depend on how the contest in East Lansing plays out.
Much as superstitious actors refer to “Macbeth” as “the Scottish play”, many Ohio State players and coaches, including Meyer, do not refer to MI by name, instead resorting to euphemisms like “that team up north”. He has made no promises this year and if he knew how many days until the Ohio State game on the day he was hired, he didn’t share it. This is the first time that a United States baseball team has ever beaten a Cuban National team.
The Spartans have not had an 11-win season in the last six years, but this has been a big step forward for the program that has catapulted the powerhouse that is Ohio State. The Spartans snapped the Buckeyes’ 23-game winning streak.
Earlier in the week, Harbaugh stopped at the grave of legendary MI coach Bo Schembechler during his walk through Forrest Hill Cemetery and smashed a buckeye on the ground. The over/under total is listed at 47 points.
“We do a drill that is coach Dantonio’s drill that I had never seen until I got here, it’s one of the ones he invented since we left each other”, said Snyder, who worked with Dantonio at Ohio State from 2001-03.
Smith (Warren Howland), Bolden (Cincinnati Colerain), Wormley (Toledo Whitmer) and Henry (Cleveland Glenville) are four of 21 MI gridders who played high school football in Ohio.
Penn State has had an up and down season, but they have been strong defensively with very few lapses.
Although they cover other things too besides American athletics, their sports themed parodies are undoubtedly their best material. “You’ve got to do it in every area”. Does this show that Meyer can’t control his team if they are not winning? There are going to be no easy throws.
The option was effective last week in keeping Ohio State off guard and I have a feeling that with a little more game experience, both QB’s will be more productive.
If he is unable to start, look to Tyler O’Connor to try to carry the momentum he had from last week when he split time with Damion Terry. He has over 500 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns in his career including four this season. Franklin said he expects Cook to play on Senior Day.
Bruce Marshall, a handicapper for The Gold Sheet, said the departure of Tom Herman, the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, was a major loss. “I think you try and protect players sometimes with your calls, but you can’t do that”.
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“Obviously Michigan State’s done a lot of really good things to come up with a win last week and it’s going to be a great challenge for us”, Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg said.
