Over the years the Badgers have won some pretty big games against the Bucks. I always hated playing them in Madison, but they have also had plenty of success in Ohio Stadium. I don’t really know what it is but Wisconsin seems to always get up for the game regardless of the quality of team the put on the field.

This year’s Badger team is no different. They have a solid line-up and started the season in the top ten but have yet to live up to expectation. Coach Bielema, although very young, will have this team ready to play with the Buckeyes early. The big question is if they have the horses to go 10 rounds or will they peter out down the stretch.

PJ Hill carries the load for the Badgers and if he’s healthy, and if his big O line gets a good push, the Bucks could be in for a long day. The big problem with that is that the Bucks are so deep up front and play the run so well, that I really don’t see PJ getting off for 150 plus even if he plays. And if he does gain a bunch of yards, so what? they don’t have much else. QB Tyler Donovan is a 5th year senior but at 6”1’ 185 I don’t know how he sees over and around that huge O line. Donovan’s main weapons are seniors, but the offensive doesn’t really lend itself to a big passing threat. They will hurt you if you’re not paying attention.

UW defense is always stout and don’t usually make too many mistakes although they have given up a lot of points this season, especially in the spanking they took from Penn St. 38-7 and the 31 they gave up in a loss to Illinois. They will definitely wear down if the Bucks keep on them for four quarters. The big key as always for the Buckeyes is going to be turnovers. If they hold on to the ball and be sound up front, I expect the O to rack up at least Penn St. numbers and then some.

Special teams need to keep a lid on KO returns and the punter/kickers need to continue to do a good job.

As much as I have experienced the Badger “cloud” over the Bucks in the past, I don’t see it this year in the Shoe.

Buckeyes win 35-17

Popularity: 35% [?]

SUBJECT: End zone celebrations

Alex, do you remember what happened January 8?

I sure do. To refresh your memory — Ted Ginn Jr. returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and then was “tackled” in the end zone by a few teammates, namely Roy Hall. The hit resulted in a sprained foot for Ginn, which sent him to the sidelines for the rest of the game and slowed his development this fall as a Miami Dolphins’ rookie.

More importantly, his sudden and unexpected removal from the game plan didn’t help as Florida pummeled the Buckeyes 41-14 for the national championship.

All because of a thoughtless and certainly premature celebration.

That was also the same night you spent turning and chasing various Florida defensive ends as they whizzed past you to hunt down Troy Smith with consistent success.

I would have thought the coaching staff would have taught the Buckeyes a course in Celebration 101 in the wake of that night.

Lesson No. 1: Do not do anything that could injure a teammate while celebrating.

But I guess not, since your 6-foot-8, 325-pound (give or take 30 pounds) frame came vaulting over Brian Hartline’s head and shoulders the other night at Penn State after he scored a touchdown. If Hartline had not stooped, or if you had landed squarely on his back or shoulders, he likely would have missed a game or two or even the remainder of the season.

In short, it was a stupid, stupid act, but one you got away with. Just stick to blocking your man and doing your job and then maybe do a harmless chest-bump after your teammates scores a touchdown.

Your teammates noticed what you did, too, even though some were impressed that you actually could jump that high.

“In all honesty, not being funny, there is a line you can’t cross,” tight end Rory Nicol said. “We all saw that with what happened to Teddy. Maybe Tress will sit him down and say, ‘Go hit their head or tap their butt.’ ”

Bravo.

So, Alex, starting Saturday against Wisconsin, try this new approach. And here’s hoping you have a lot of chest-bumping to do over these final three games.

Popularity: 28% [?]

Ohio State 37, Penn State 17. I suggest that the Penn State faithful go to Staples and purchase a different brand of white out for the next home affair. WOW, what a clinic by the #1 ranked Bucks!

And, as usual, the offensive playmakers showed up in fine fashion: Boeckman 3TD’s and Big Ten Offensive POW, Beanie got 133 (yawn), 6 different receivers caught passes, 3 different receivers caught TD’s (Robiskie, Hartline and Ballard), and the TE’s caught 8 balls (Nicol 6 and Ballard 2).

Oh, and the D only gave up 1 TD…again! And they scored one thanks to Malcolm Jenkins, so they only gave up a net 3 in my book. Not bad considering the effects of the white out and the Nittany Lion loudspeaker!

Enough with the usual story lines, the O LINE deserves some LOVE!! These guys are getting it done in fine fashion. When you go into State College in prime time and deliver gaudy stats: 253 pass yards, 200 rush yards, 37:52 TOP, and how about 12 of 16 on 3rd downs!! PSU dcor Tom Bradley is still searching for the nearest mental institution.

The all-Ohio bread O line (I know Rory Nicol is from Beaver, PA, but I am giving him a mulligan since he racked up 6 catches at State College and also out of proximity of Beaver to Ohio.) is slicing up defenses across the Big Ten and put a whammy on Penn State.

It seems that bookend tackles Alex Boone (Lakewood St. Ed’s) and Kirk Barton (Massillon Perry) get most of the attention because they are 3rd and 4th year starters respectively, and Kirk probably leads the way since he is a vocal, and I stress vocal, captain. Not only are these guys huge, but they are pretty agile and good athletes.

Did anyone see Alex Boone; all 6-8, and 313 lbs leapfrog over Brian Hartline in the end zone after Hartline found the end zone on the flanker screen?? And that was after Boone leveled a PSU defensive back with a mere forearm shiver. Left guard Steve Rehring (6-8, 345 / Lakota West) was also leading the way on that screen and continues to improve at the LG position.

Pass Pro vs. Penn State: The best way to examine if the pass protection was solid is to check Boeckman’s jersey after the game, and there was nary a grass stain. The EQ guys might even be able to save a few bucks on Tide and not wash it for the next road game at ….well, up north. That might be good tactic the more I think about it…if his jersey stinks, the D line for the team up north will avoid him! Sorry…jumping ahead…can’t go there yet. For the most part, Todd had plenty of time to throw and subsequently shredded the Penn State defense for 253 yards and 3 TD’s…and they were not all dinks!

And then there is center Jim Cordle from Lancaster. In his 1st year as a starter, this guy really impresses me. He broke his right hand about 3 weeks ago, or at least that is when the media found out. As the story goes, Jim just simply started snapping left handed in practice and seemed to “figure it out” in just a day or two.

Now, I’ve been around football for a long time, and know centers quite well, and that doesn’t just happen easily!!! It’s probably similar to Greg Oden shooting free throws left handed after surgery on his right hand. Or imagine Todd Boeckman turning around and throwing left handed because he injured his right arm…can’t imagine that one.

Jim Cordle was the leader of the cavalry on the front line of the trenches. Not only did he snap perfectly left handed, but he signaled out defenses and line calls with his fingers and right hand, all while not being able to hear himself breathe…oh, and all the while, he had to look between his legs to make sure he could see when Boeckman signaled him to snap the ball and beat the :25 clock. No sweat for the Golden Gale alum. Just another day at the office!

Can’t forget RG Ben Person (Xenia) and TE Jake Ballard (Springboro) for their efforts as well. Ben continues to show he is agile on his pulls and Jake caught another TD on a great catch in the corner of the end zone.

Kudos so far to Coach Jim Bollman (O line coach) and John Peterson (TE’s coach) for a job well done. I am sure they would be the first to admit the guys are playing well, but they are far from satisfied. I would bet that as sure as Coach Tressel will don the gray vest on Saturday, that Jim and John will be breaking down the film and finding plenty of flaws to fix. It’s never perfect for a coach!

Almost forgot to mention fullbacks Dionte Johnson and Tyler Whaley. They are not on the o-line, but might as well be lumped in that group since they simply act as guards lined up in the backfield. Their job is to take on linebackers and love it, and they could probably not tell you what brand of ball Ohio State uses, because their eyes have not seen a football since “little Jimmy Tressel” (as JoePa kindly referred to him last week) left Youngstown State.

Note to Buckeye fans: give the O LINE some LOVE. These blue-collar guys deserve it. They wont ask for it, OK maybe Barton will, but they do deserve it!

Popularity: 31% [?]

No one correctly guessed the score of the Penn State vs. Ohio State game last week, but this week it could be your turn to win!

Make a prediction for the score of the Ohio State vs. Wisconsin game.

If you guess the score of game correctly, you win a Buckeye Housewares Package consisting of a small serving platter, buckeye candle, travel mug, square shot glass, and coffee mug.

If more than one participant guesses correctly, then the first one to submit their score wins.

I’ll start this off with a few submissions already received by BuckeyeLegends.com

Katie Bernal - Director of Buckeye Legends predicts Ohio State 35; Wisconsin 10
Jim Karsatos - Buckeye Legend predicts Ohio State 35; Wisconsin 17
Mike Lanese - Buckeye Legend predicts Ohio State 27; Wisconsin 14

To submit your answer simply submit a comment in the comment section of this blog. Winner will be announced on Monday. Please make sure you have a valid email address in your submission, for notification of the winner. Don’t worry, your email address won’t be displayed.

You must be 18 years old or older to participate in the contest.

Only 1 prediction may be submitted by each participant.

The contest will close with the game’s first kickoff.

Happy Guessing, Good Luck and Go Bucks!

Don’t Forget that you can try to win an OSU Replica Helmet simply by referring your friends to BuckeyeLegends.com. Check out the Referral contest rules here!

Popularity: 41% [?]

There are currently forty-five former Ohio State football players on rosters in the National Football League. Each week BuckeyeLegends.com will provide updates about how these former Buckeyes performed in the previous week’s action courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com

Baltmore Ravens - BYE
Smith, Troy (QB):

Buffalo Bills - 13, at New York Jets - 3
Whitner, Donte (S): 2 tkl and 2 ast
Youboty, Ashton (CB): Not Active

Cincinnati Bengals - 13, vs. Pittsburgh Steelers - 24
Schlegel, Anthony (LB): 2 tkl and 3 ast
Stepanovich, Alex (C): Did Not Play

Cleveland Browns - 27, at St. Louis Rams - 20
Bentley, LeCharles (C): Physically Unable to Perform
Fraser, Simon (DE): Substitute DL

Indianapolis Colts - 31, at Carolina Panthers - 7
Gonzalez, Anthony (WR): 1 rec for 16 yds
Hall, Roy (WR): Injured Reserve
Pitcock, Quinn (DT): Not Active

Miami Dolphins - 10, vs. New York Giants - 13
Ginn, Jr., Ted (WR): 1 rec for 21 yds and 1 TD, 3 KR for 65 yds

New England Patriots - 52, vs. Washington Redskins - 7
Vrabel, Mike (LB): 11 tkl and 2 ast, 3 FF, 1 rec for 2 yds and 1 TD

New York Jets - 3, vs. Buffalo Bills - 13
Clarke, Adrien (G): Starting G
Mangold, Nick (C): Starting C
Nugent, Mike (PK): 1/1 FG(27)

Oakland Raiders - 9, at Tennessee Titans - 13
Richardson, Jay (DE): 2 tkl

Pittsburgh Steelers - 24, at Cincinnati Bengals - 13
Holmes, Santonio (WR): 6 rec for 87 yds, 1 rush for 2 yds

San Diego Chargers - 35, vs. Houston Texans - 10
Olivea, Shane (OT): Starting T
Wilhelm, Matt (LB): 6 tkl and 2 ast

Tennessee Titans - 13, vs. Oakland Raiders - 9
Hartsock, Ben (TE): Starting TE
Nickey, Donnie (DB): Substitute S

Arizona Cardinals - BYE
Bailey, Rodney (DE):

Atlanta Falcons - BYE
Datish, Doug (C): Injured Reserve
Jenkins, Michael (WR):

Carolina Panthers - 7, vs. Indianapolis Colts - 31
Carter, Drew (WR): 1 rec for 9 yds
Diggs, Na’il (LB): 3 tkl and 1 ast, 1 FF and 1 FR
Gamble, Chris (CB): 1 tkl, 1 ast, 1 PD
Salley, Nate (S): Injured Reserve
Goings, Nick (RB): Injured Reserve

Dallas Cowboys - BYE
Carpenter, Bobby (LB):
Glenn, Terry (WR):

Detroit Lions -16, vs. Chicago Bears - 7
Furrey, Mike (WR): 3 rec for 44 yards

Green Bay Packers - 19, at Denver Broncos - 13
Hawk, A.J. (LB): 3 tkl, 2 ast and 1 PD
Pickett, Ryan (DT): 2 tkl
Walter, Tyson (OL): Injured Reserve

Minnesota Vikings - 16, vs. Philadelphia Eagles - 23
Doss, Mike (DB): 1 tkl on special teams
Scott, Darrion (DE): Injured Reserve
Winfield, Antoine (CB): 9 tkl and 2 ast, 3 PD, 1 tkl on special teams

New Orleans Saints - 31, at San Francisco 49ers - 10
Houser, Kevin (FB): Starting LS
Smith, Will (DE): 1 tkl and 1 ast, 0.5 sack

St. Louis Rams - 20, vs. Cleveland Browns - 27
Pace, Orlando (T): Injured Reserve
Pittman, Antonio (RB): Did Not Play

San Francisco 49ers - 10, vs. New Orleans Saints - 31
Clements, Nate (CB/PR): 4 tkl and 2 ast, 1 PD and 1 FF

Seattle Seahawks - BYE
Sims, Rob (OL):

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 23, vs. Jacksonville Jaguars - 24
Allen, Will (S): Substitute S
Galloway, Joey (WR): 6 rec for 115 yds and 1 TD, 1 PR for 10 yds

Washington Redskins - 7, at New England Patriots - 52
Springs, Shawn (CB):3 tkl and 1 ast

In Season Transactions:
Anderson, Tim (DT): Cut by the Buffalo Bills (10/20/2007)
Boston, David (WR): Released/injury settlement by Tampa Bay Buccaneers (09/12/2007)

Popularity: 25% [?]

Courtesy OhioStateBuckeyes.com

Jim Jackson, an All-America guard for the Ohio State men’s basketball team in 1991 and 1992 and the Big Ten freshman of the year in 1990, will begin work this season as a studio host for the Big Ten Network. Jackson, who had a long and successful professional career in the National Basketball Association with several teams, will also do some live game commentary for the network. The first Big Ten Network men’s basketball game will originate from the Ohio State campus Wednesday when the Buckeyes open the exhibition season against Ashland. That game will tip at 7 p.m.

Click here for interview

Popularity: 36% [?]

Check out these statistics through last weekend’s games of major college football.

One quarterback ranks third in the nation in passing efficiency at 164.3. He has completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 1,792 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has been intercepted eight times. He ranks second nationally in yards per attempt at 10.1. His team has won nine games, lost none.

Another quarterback ranks 50th in passing efficiency at 131.5. He has completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 2,433 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has been intercepted eight times. He averages 5.3 yards per attempt. His team has won eight games, lost none.

Which one is the leading Heisman Trophy candidate?

If you answered the first quarterback, you are wrong.

The first is Ohio State’s Todd Boeckman.

The second is Boston College’s Matt Ryan, who is being trumped by most talking-heads from Marblehead, Mass., to the Rocky Mountains as one of the leaders for the prestigious collegiate award.

After directing two touchdown drives in the final minutes to lead the Eagles over Virginia Tech, thus securing his “signature moment” as they call it, Ryan has jumped with both feet into the Heisman “race,” which includes Oregon’s Dennis Dickson and Florida’s Tim Tebow (the nation’s leader in passing efficiency at 176.5).

Shows what the talking-heads like ABC’s Craig James and Doug Flutie (a BC alum) can do. They rarely wait until late November to declare a leading candidate, a trend which has taken credibility from the Heisman Trophy in recent years.

I always believed the Heisman should be discussed much like the Cy Young Award in baseball. You never hear a “Cy Young Race.” Simply, voters wait for the season to end. They vote on who had the best overall season, with clear perspective and without influence by campaigns or publicity.

And nine times out of 10, the winner is the most-deserving pitcher.

Instead, college football is stuck with this “race” to the Downtown Athletic Club, as if the competitors have jockeys on their back and colored blinders around their faces.

Whatever the case, it is clear by now that whatever Boeckman does will not be good enough to put him in the race this season, especially with his predecessor Troy Smith winning the so-called race a year ago.

But that’s par for the course this season.

However, the Buckeyes continue to lead one race — the “lack-of-respect race.”

Popularity: 27% [?]

We’ve been talking about the defense all season, so it’s nice to be able to focus on the offense for a change. No one, including me, thought we’d see this much productivity from an almost completely re-tooled unit. Didn’t we lose a Heisman trophy quarterback, 2 first-round receivers and the leading rusher from last season?

Nine games into the 2007 campaign, I’ve been trying to figure out how this year’s offense developed into one of the most efficient and potent attacks in the conference, and possibly the country. In part, I’m sure it’s because Todd Boeckman exceeded expectations and brought a level of maturity that no one could have predicted. And in part, it’s because Beanie Wells, Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline played enough last year so they wouldn’t roll into 2007 as untested rookies.

I suspect, though, that the real reason is something more fundamental. The players are doing their part, but it could be that the secret sauce is Coach Tressel’s dynamic philosophy. If you watch the games carefully, these guys aren’t playing in the same offense as last year. Come to think of it, last year’s 12-win offense differed significantly from the national championship offense of 2002.

So what’s going on? The answer is probably that Coach Tressel is able to customize his offensive schemes around both his personnel and his opponents on a recurring basis. It reminds me a little of the way Bruce Lee thought of martial arts. He didn’t really create a system as much as he offered a new open-source approach to a proprietary world. His Jeet Kun Do combat philosophy wasn’t a new system. Instead, as he often said, it was simply an amalgamation of things that worked. Far from being paralyzed by the prevailing dogma, he borrowed the best techniques from the best styles and disciplines. And he constantly adapted to changing circumstances. As water takes the shape of its container, Lee thought that a martial artist should respond flexibly to his environment.

That’s exactly what Tressel has done over the past several years. Rather than sacrificing at the alter of a particular offensive system, he’s borrowed the best aspects of the best systems and matched them to his personnel and opponents. A little spread here, a little I Formation there. Maybe some option if the situation called for it. And he has adapted when conditions have changed. You don’t see Boeckman running plays that were designed for Troy Smith. Programs sometimes collapse over time because their rigid coaches demand purity over practicality and refuse to change when confronted with new ideas. Jim Tressel, in contrast, seems to adapt on a yearly basis.

Bruce Lee would be proud. Perhaps its time for Tressel to start wearing a black belt over his sweater vest. And now that he’s dispatched all the no-name extras, he only has to subdue 3 legitimate opponents before he gets the chance to fight the evil Han in New Orleans.

Enter the dragon indeed.

My thoughts on the Penn State game:

• The Opponent – B-. For the Big 10 to return to respectability, Penn State will have to re-establish itself as an elite program. Otherwise, we’re going to keep hearing about how the winner of the SEC should really be considered the de facto national champion. As it stands now, Joe Paterno probably can’t reverse the slide. And a graceful exit for the octagenarian now appears to be unlikely. Happy Valley is still a tough place to play, and the lion’s roar is still pretty obnoxious. But the Big 10 needs more than that and a few thousand kids dressed in white. It needs a solid Penn State program that can legitimately challenge for the national championship every few years. Combined with Ohio State and Michigan, a revitalized Penn State would enhance Big 10 competition so that the conference would once again be considered “meaningful” by the rest of the country.
• The Defense – B. Not the defense’s best effort this year, but not too shabby either. The defense gave up more yards to Penn State than to any other offense so far this season, but still only allowed 10 points. Much of the yardage resulted from Penn State’s ground game, made possible by the Nittany Lion offensive line. It’s the first time this year that I’ve seen the Buckeye run defense get handled on a few plays. Not many, but enough to show a few, exploitable flaws to the remaining Big 10 opponents. Laurinaitis and crew tightened when they had to, though, and actually put the game out of reach when Malcolm Jenkins returned an “ill-advised” Morelli pass for a touchdown.
• The Offense – A. I haven’t seen so many long drives since Tiger Woods played in the last US Open. The offense carved up a pretty good Penn State defense all night long with Boeckman and the offensive line both playing their best games of the year. Beanie Wells once again ran well and the receiving corps of Robiskie, Hartline and Small pressured Penn State’s outmanned secondary. Maurice Wells deserves special mention this week as I thought he showed better vision and patience than he has all season. We’re going to need him to step up a little over the next three games to give Beanie a break from time to time.
• The Special Teams – C. I know a C is pretty harsh, especially on a night when Pretorius was perfect. But I can’t in good conscience give a higher grade to any special team that allows a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It doesn’t matter when in the game the return occurred. As I learned a long time ago, any TD return indicates a bigger problem that somehow hasn’t manifested itself until now. The Buckeyes have lots of work to do on this aspect of the kicking game this week.
• My Favorite Play. I’ve criticized his heavy feet before, but this week my favorite play involves Alex Boone. On a very well-executed screen to Hartline in the 2nd quarter, Boone got out front and showed tremendous agility in getting downfield and making a block on a Penn State defensive back. Hartline cut off of Boone’s block and went in for a score. It’s usually really hard for a 300+ pounder to get a bead on one of those little guys. Boone made it look easy this time.
• Game Ball. The Offensive Line.

Popularity: 36% [?]

This week’s poll question is sponsored by: ClearSaleing

Contact Us if you have an idea for a poll question.

Popularity: 33% [?]

My old buddy Steve Spurrier has been up to his old tricks. That is, insulting others from afar.

I used to love it when the ol’ ball coach would needle someone, specifically Georgia, Florida State or Tennessee.

But he recently has slung two arrows Ohio State’s direction, and I must say, I resent both.

First, following the NCAA Tournament finals, in which Florida defeated the basketball Buckeyes, he quipped, “We’ve kind of turned Ohio State into Runner-up U., haven’t we?”

Now, I must say, this is very, very ironic — and I am not speaking of the fact that Spurrier uses the subject “we.”

If you go back to November, Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks had his alma mater on the ropes.

Then Florida, already having a loss, blocked what would have been the winning field goal in the final minute. Thus, if Spurrier had his field-goal team coached up enough, they would have made a simple field goal to knock the Gators out of the race.

And that would have sent Michigan to the BCS Championship Game, in which the Buckeyes would have delivered a resounding victory and back-to-back beatings of the Wolverines. I don’t doubt that for a minute.

Furthermore, the man’s memory must be shorter than Danny Devito.

Who was responsible for Spurrier’s only national championship?

The one and only Ohio State Buckeyes.

Ohio State’s stirring come-from-behind victory over then second-ranked Arizona State in the 1997 Rose Bowl allowed Spurrier’s one-loss Gators to capture the ‘96 national championship the very next day with a 52-20 whipping of No. 1 Florida State in the Sugar Bowl.

I remember Spurrier, whose teams I covered in the 1990s, thanking the Buckeyes publicly back then.

Now he is ridiculing them — the same school that handed him the most prized possession on his coaching resume.

After losing to Vanderbilt last week, he said something to the affect that if the Commodores scheduled lighter, they may be ranked No 1., “like Ohio State does.”

This, from a coach whose team scheduled Louisiana-Monroe, Ball State, Middle Tennessee State, The Citadel, Northeast Louisiana, Central Michigan, Southwestern Louisiana, Northern Illinois (twice), New Mexico State, Arkansas State, San Jose State and Furman while he was head coach of Florida from 1990-2001.

There were no home-and-homes with Texas, USC and Miami, which is what Ohio State has scheduled for this decade.

I got the final word on this: Steve, you concentrate more on your color-blind quarterbacks and on beating the Vandys of the world.

I got a feeling that the Buckeyes, on the other hand, will let all the other critics know on January 7 in New Orleans whether this season’s non-Big Ten schedule meant anything in the first place.

I only wish the opponent that night could be South Carolina.

Popularity: 27% [?]