1-8-1.To most people these numbers are meaningless, but to Ohio State football fans these numbers mean everything.The numbers represent OSU coach John Cooper’s record against the Michigan Wolverines, and they include three consecutive losses during seasons in which OSU had lost only one other regular season game. Have the Buckeyes been the victims of bad luck during this stretch? Is Cooper to blame? Or has the team just been out-played? The most likely answer is a mixture of all these problems and probably a few more.”I’m not going to say that all the breaks have gone against us when we’ve lost the football games,” Cooper said. “We’ve had our chances, particularly at home, to win the football games.”Bad breaks for OSU have contributed to Cooper’s record. The 1996 game at Ohio Stadium saw All-American cornerback Shawn Springs slip and allow Michigan’s Tai Streets to turn a short slant pass into a long touchdown. The play was critical in the Wolverines 13-9 comeback victory. Last season Charles Woodson scored on his first punt-return touchdown of the year and intercepted a pass in the end zone in Michigan’s 20-14 win.Senior cornerback Antoine Winfield said big plays have been a key to Michigan’s success against OSU.”Ever since I’ve been here we’ve had the better players,” he said. “But somehow when we get to the Michigan game they step up to the occasion and they make the big plays and we haven’t.”Senior linebacker Jerry Rudzinski said Michigan deserves a lot of credit for its wins.”It has nothing to do with us feeling like we’re jinxed,” he said. “They’re a great football team.”When the teams square-off for the 95th time on Saturday it will be the 38th time they have met with Big Ten championship implications at stake. Cooper said losing to Michigan is tough to handle regardless of what is on the line.”Any time you lose to Michigan it’s disappointing,” he said. “The first year here was disappointing. It was disappointing the year we tied. We had a chance to win that year and we didn’t get it done.”Michigan holds an all-time advantage in the series of 54-34-6, but the last 46 meetings have been even at 22-22-2. Rudzinski said the Buckeyes’ lack of success is hard to understand.”I do not have an answer for the 1-8-1,” Rudzinski said. “I know that Michigan and Ohio State go after the same players and probably the same assistant coaches. They’re two powerhouse programs very close in geography and I can’t figure out why they’ve had the success against us.”Senior flanker Dee Miller agreed.”I’m speechless,” Miller said. “I don’t know what goes on, but basically the biggest thing is no one has stepped up offensively in these last four or five years.”The team has been trying to look forward to this Saturday and not look back at previous games.”I don’t worry about what happened in the past,” senior tailback Joe Montgomery said. “I worry about 1998 and this coming Saturday. Why worry about something in the past when you have no control over it?”Miller said other Michigan games won’t be important when the teams take the field on Saturday.”You can’t dwell on what happened in the past, we just have to focus on right now,” Miller said. “I’m thinking about Saturday and how we just want to go out and win this ballgame.”Rudzinski said his goal for Saturday will be simple.”I want to go and prove to everyone that we can play and beat Michigan,” he said.