Every Ohio State player knows with every passing second the kick-off for the Michigan game is getting closer and closer. It is hard not to notice coach Jim Tressel further embracing the rivalry by installing clocks in the locker room to count down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the 12:10 p.m. kick-off Saturday at Michigan Stadium.
It’s another way the coach has embraced the grudge match as something more than just a single game – especially because this time the teams square off for the 100th time. The staff has turned the final game of the season into a constant motivation for the entire program.
“We see it when we go into the weight room and it’s always reminding us about the game and motivating us to work harder,” said OSU defensive end Will Smith. “There’s a couple of them, one heading into the weight room and another in the locker room.”
The days until they meet in the Big House are down into the single digits and racing towards zero with so much more riding on this time around.
OSU enters ranked fourth in the polls, with the Wolverines just one spot back. More importantly, the Buckeyes moved into second in the BCS standings this week and a win could be enough to qualify for the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4 and a shot at back-to-back national championships.
All the players and coaches are concentrated on the next immediate goal though – the first outright Big Ten title since 1984. But a bigger motivation could be beating Michigan for the third straight season, which would be the longest winning streak for OSU in the series since it won four in a row from 1959-63.
“So many things have worked out for this game with the Big Ten title on the line and a possible Sugar Bowl berth, you can toss the records out the windows,” OSU tight end Ben Hartsock said. “We’re going to be playing on pure emotion.”
Emotion could be just the spark the Buckeyes are looking for to get their offense cranked up after failing to score an offensive touchdown in last week’s 16-13 overtime win against Purdue.
“I think it adds a little bit of impetus to the fact that we need to do a good job,” Tressel said. “We need to get into the end zone. I thought the key to last year’s game was we got into the end zone. If you want to win a big game, typically you need to score touchdowns.”
Michigan’s defense is one of the best units the Buckeyes will face all season, especially if they are forced to pass the ball. The Wolverines are second best in the league defending the pass. Their leader Marlin Jackson is on the mend. He played 15-to-20 snaps last week and is expected to be healthy and play a bigger role.
“They, I think, have evolved as the season has gone on to grow into an outstanding defense,” Tressel said. “They have a lot of speed. They’re very, very aggressive. They put a lot of pressure on you.”
OSU will need tailback Lydell Ross to run the ball effectively. Last week he failed to break the 100-yard mark against Purdue and again will be in for another challenge. The Wolverines have a simple scheme on defense and are allowing 126 yards per game on the ground.
As in many Big Ten battles, the meeting may come down to the special team units. OSU had to rely on field position and field goals in its last competition against Purdue.
Right now, the Buckeyes top the Wolverines in punt average. OSU’s B. J. Sander is averaging 42.9 yards a punt and has pinned 33-of-66 inside the 20-yard line. Michigan’s Adam Finley sits only 3.4 yards behind that average but has pinned only 13-of-43 inside the 20.
“I think you have to come up with a plan as to how you best cover them or how you best place the ball and so forth,” Tressel said. “We’re going to have to be at our best both in kick placement and in kick coverage.”
The Wolverines have had no worries about problems from a misfiring offense, though. Senior quarterback John Navarre has capped off his career as a third year starter by playing his best football. Behind Michigan State’s Jeff Smoker, Navarre is the second-best passer in the conference with 252 yards per game, 21 touchdowns and only eight interceptions.
It helps to have three accomplished receivers on the other end to make plays. Junior Braylon Edwards is nearing the 1,000-yard mark for the season and has 12 touchdowns, but the Buckeyes secondary must also keep close tabs on sophomore Jason Avant and Steve Breaston.
If that is not enough to fill the Buckeye’s plate, they also have to be concerned with the nation’s third leading rusher Chris Perry, and the 130 yards per game he brings to the Wolverines. The Buckeye defense boasts first place in the rushing yard numbers, though. Throughout the season OSU has given up an average of 65.7 yards per game.
Michigan may opt to use short slant passes to help move the ball down the field rather than try to bust through the Buckeye’s tough defensive line.
“I think we’re probably going to have to throw every down. You’ll probably see us with no backs in the backfield and just throwing,” Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. “That’s the problem, and that’s what it comes down to. That’s the fun of the game, trying to find out a way to win and a way to offensively have some success.”
