The Buckeye Blog

If you had asked me in August to predict the spread for the Ohio State/Wisconsin, I don’t know exactly what the number would have been but I know this much–Wisconsin would have been the favorite.

Remember way back to the preseason? Oh what good times those were. Michigan was favored with a shot at the National Championship. Wisconsin was going to be the big stopper, the hurdle that if the Wolverines could past, would lead to clear sailing for Michigan senior class all the way to New Orleans. Penn State even had an outside shot of taking the Big Ten championship.

As for Ohio State, it was going to be a rebuilding year. Sure, they looked good on defense but after losing Troy Smith, Ted Ginn, et. all, and after that loss to Florida…well, let’s just say 2008 was looking good. To the media, 2007 was about rebuilding and we all know how rebuilding takes time and nurturing (just ask Charlie Weis).

Oh, and there was no question, none what so ever, that this year’s USC was going to be the greatest team in the history of college football. No really, I’m almost sure I heard Mark May say so somewhere in early September.

What a difference reality makes.

So here we are. Ohio State is back on top at number one, the preseason polls turned out to have about the same life span as that Florida mascot on the Ohio State campus.

After seeing the Buckeyes against Penn State and having seen very little from Wisconsin this season–plus the fact that they are playing at home, I say take the spread. The Buckeyes should have no problem putting up an extra 15 points on Wisconsin.

I’ll give a more detailed analysis later.

To see all the current odds, click here.

For Ohio State specific analysis and spread, click here.

By now you probably know the score (37-17) and the fact that the Buckeyes have now tied the Big Ten record for Big Ten regular season wins. You probably also know that going into this game, Penn State had the most sacks in the NCAA but only managed to get to Beockman once.

You may also be aware of the fact that Ohio State won in one of the most difficult college environments as Penn State is now 18-2 for the last 20 games at home. But did you know that Boeckman threw for a career-high 253 yards or that the defense allowed only 134 passing yards?

Finally, you may have noticed that ESPN headline tonights reads, “Ohio State Pounds Penn St” or that another page on ESPN uses the term “trounce?”

I could go on like this but it might be considered gloating. Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of gloating yet to come.

I thought this was going to be a game about defense but the Ohio State offense was the real treat of tonights game. The Buckeyes scored on every possession and did not punt the entire game. Boeckman was on fire. He was calm, threw amazing passes, scrambled nicely a couple of times and basically, dominated this game. The offensive line needs credit here also for providing him the time to do what he needed to do.

We went into this season thinking that we were going to be an unbalanced team strong on defense but lacking on offense. Tonight proved different. This Buckeye Offense has come so far since Youngstown State. If they continue to improve at the rate they have so far this year, by the time they reach New Orleans, they will be unstoppable.

Finally, I think we are seeing one of the best Ohio State teams that Tressel has coached. They have the motivation and the talent to not only do well this year but to be back again next year. They are winning big and look like a national championship team. Let the Mark May’s of the world try to justify a three loss USC in a BCS Bowl. Let fans talk about SEC speed. This Buckeye team is impressive. So what if the world doesn’t believe it until Jan.

This game was also a good warmup for New Orleans. If LSU makes it to the BCS Championship, they will be facing a similar crowd.

I am not sure what to make of the Penn State fans. At first glance, it appeared that they had actually convinced themselves that they had a shot. Personally, I can’t believe they didn’t see it coming. Sure, they got a lot of credit starting out the season, but what have they actually done to give them this confidence–beat Notre Dame?

On the other hand, it may have just been a good excuse for a party. I can’t believe it doesn’t hurt all the more to get that type of hype going only to be silenced before the end of the first half.

Last year’s game with Penn State was pretty pathetic. When the only time your team sees the end zone is as your coach runs through it on his way to the bathroom, you know things aren’t going well.

Penn State had an excuse. They weren’t playing at home. This year however, the Ohio State/Penn State game returns to Beaver Stadium and once again, Penn State fans are in their all white shirt wearin, this is an historic game bein, we’ve rarely beaten a number 1 team sayin, history will repeat itself thinkin glory.

The tent city so proudly referred to as Paternoville is back and once again, Coach Paterno, with his wife in tow, brought pizza to the students camped outside the stadium–just like he did in 2005.

The weather has even turned to a fall drizzle, just like the weather the week of the ‘05 Ohio State upset.

And why shouldn’t Penn State get excited about this game. It is about the only thing they’ve had going for them in their last two pathetic seasons. If by some miracle, they could repeat the magic of that ‘05 win, they might be able to convince the world once again that yes, they do have a football team. Something most of the college football world had forgotten long ago.

This, however, is not 2005 and the odds of history repeating themselves are not good. Unlike 2005, the Buckeyes will be prepared for the “white out.” The ‘05 game was the first time I can recall a Penn State “white out.” It was something new and yes, it was impressive. You only get that kind of impact once. This year, we know it’s coming. The shock factor will be gone.

In ‘05, Ohio State was building an offensive powerhouse. The wet, slippery conditions made it difficult for the Buckeyes to bring their planned game to the field. This year, it is all about Defense. The Buckeyes have one of the most potent defenses in college football and it is Penn State that needs to worry. Penn State’s offense has been sidelined with rape charges and other off field problems and Penn State’s receiving corps, expected to be one of the best in the country, have each been held to less than 100 yards per game.

Penn State’s only hope is on defense. Last week, the Buckeye offense showed their first signs of weakness giving up two touchdowns. The only hope Penn State has is if they can force turnovers and you know Tressel has been working to correct that problem all week.

Ohio State has played in intense games before. It is doubtful that anything can compare to the atmosphere at last year’s Ohio State/Michigan game (although a home game). The Buckeyes faced similar crowds in Texas last year and walked away unscathed.

Penn State fans are excited. Let them be. The past few years have been difficult for this once storied program. However, if the Buckeyes can hit them hard and early, taking the crowd out of the game, Penn State’s moment will be over.

Update:
After seeing the response to this post, reading the Penn State blogs and turning on ESPN Game Day this morning to hear Penn State fans yelling “over rated,” it’s time to take off the gloves. I’ve been giving them way too much respect. Ohio State needs to not just win this game, they need to blow them off the scoreboard…and we have the team to do it.

Herbstreet said this morning that it is the team that can take the energy of a stadium like Penn State and turn it against them that is the true national championship team. He said an “us against the world mentality” can win these games. Tressel has the motivation this year as 41-14 rings in our ears.

Today is the day of our redemption. Remember what Woody said when asked why he went for two with a 34 point lead against Michigan, “Because I couldn’t go for three.”

Penn State fans have been talking about “bowing down before our lords Ohio State.”

Let’s not give them a choice. GO FOR THREE!!

The Atlanta Falcons fans have never been able to separately visualize the American football and afc from their favorite team, hence the Super Bowl craze.

We’re diving deep into enemy territory for this week’s Big Ten Blogger’s Round Table. This week’s host is Black Shoe Diaries, a Penn State blog. So damn the white shirts, dodge the urine filled balloons, we’re going in.

Pretend for a moment you’re the little Japanese guy on Heroes. You can close your eyes, clench your fists, crap your pants and go back in time. If you could go back and change one play for your team this season, what would it be?

O.K. Am I one of the two people who hasn’t seen Heroes? Regardless, if I could change one play, it would be the end zone celebration after Teddy Ginn made that incredible kickoff return on the opening play of the BCS Championship…oh wait…you said this season. That’s a little more difficult.

What separates Ohio State from the rest of the Big Ten is that at this point in the season, we haven’t played that season ending game. If the results were different, I would suggest we scrub the three offensive plays against Michigan State that resulted in two defensive touchdowns and a near fumble recovery for yet another defensive touchdown. The only reason MSU didn’t get the ball on that one was because they were getting greedy. Those 300 pound linebackers were seeing visions of the end zone and forgot to actually pick up the ball.

However, I’m not sorry for those plays. They gave the Buckeyes a chance to face some adversity –something we haven’t seen all season. It also pointed out weaknesses that can be remedied in practice as opposed to a make or break game situation.

We’re now two-thirds of the way through the season. Everyone likes to debate who will be the Big Ten Coach of the Year. I want to know which Big Ten coach is a complete moron that should be demoted back to fullbacks coach on a team that runs the spread offense?

I’m going to step outside of the Big Ten for this one and go with Charlie Weis. Beloved Notre Dame is having one of the worst seasons in the history of the program yet he gets up there every weekend smiling and joking about another loss. And why not, with a 10 year contract, what does he have to worry about. So they buy out his contract and fire him. What does he care? He still gets paid.

This season has shown why Weis should have stayed in the pros. He may know how to coach experienced players but he knows nothing about building a program. When he had the chance last year, he failed to give any of this year’s players experience. Now they all look like a bunch of deer stuck in the headlights of a car and it’s too late for Weis to do anything about it.

Naturally, we would never hope for LLLLLLoyd Carr to be demoted. We Buckeyes like him just where he is.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife. But the Bible doesn’t say anything about your rival. Which current Big Ten player do you most wish played for your team?

I’m going to burn in hell for this one but I’m going with Mike Hart. He has lived up to his name this season and when the rest of the team was crying in the locker room, Hart was still out there trying to pull things together. Last year at the Ohio State/Michigan game, he almost seemed to walk on air at times.

It is really too bad. If he were a Buckeye, he would probably be a top Heisman candidate.

Poor guy, hindsight can be so painful.

Bonus Question
It’s probably too early to start thinking about next year. Well, unless you’re Minnesota in which case you’ve been thinking about next year for a month or so already. Assess your team’s future. Was this year your chance to make a run or is this just a rebuilding year with greater expectations in 2008? Or do you plan to suck in 2008 just as much as you suck now?

Remember all the preseason talk about this being a rebuilding year? They said the Buckeyes lost too many players, they are too young. Granted, there were a number of bizarre upsets that got us to where we are today but I can’t believe that next year won’t look even better. I haven’t gone through the list to see who we may lose at the end of the season but most of these guys are young. Next year the Buckeyes should really be a powerhouse.

With Tressel, it’s true. Buckeyes don’t rebuild, we reload.

You must have an element of respect for a blue collar team like Penn State. They wear black high-tops like their coach has rolled up pants in lieu of a hem with white socks like the Pope John Paul had. There are no gold stars on their helmets, or dread locks hanging out of them, nor names on their uniforms.

Their jerseys wouldn’t be large enough to fit their names from all the vowels. TV commentators would only be able to gather the “ski” at the end of their names anyway.

When the PSU “boys” are bad, their coach makes them clean the whole Beaver stadium the day after the game for the entire year. A star running back and Heisman candidate accepted a suit from a booster for a banquet since he didn’t have two dimes to rub together. Because of team rules, Joe Pa revoked his scholarship to never play football again, anywhere. Period.

Regardless of the win-loss record, the university, community, players, and the dog that pees on the fire hydrant down the street sticks by their coach and team. That’s what it’s all about.

There also has to be an element of sympathy for the drab white and blue that people either willingly or not know. Penn State has been stiffed as National Champions by AP voting twice – especially by Nebraska in 1994. It has been documented and admitted in various interviews from teams across the nation that many coaches don’t even vote for the AP, but hand the job over to an underling to submit to the AP for their teams’ weekly vote. So, any plebe could determine your teams’ future with the stroke of a number two pencil. Kind of hard to swallow playing your butts off for 12 games and having a couple assistant coaches’ determine your undefeated teams’ place in history.

Despite Penn State having a 5-12-1 record against Ohio State, their 1994 team bested OSU 63-14 more decisively in 45 years than even the most formidable Wishbone-running attack in college history, Barry Switzer’s 1977 Oklahoma Sooners at the “Shoe” with Thomas Lott, Kenny King, Billy Sims, David Overstreet and Elvis Peacock {what a great name} beating the Buckeyes 29 to 28 — more than any team had scored against Woody’s teams in 45 meetings.

The 1994 PSU team had a more balanced running and passing attack than the predictable the Sooners’ anachronistic, smash-mouth approach. The Five first-round NFL draft picks of Kerry Collins Bobby Engram, Freddie Scott, Kyle Brady, and Columbus’ own Ki-Jana Carter, “Mr. Ohio” from Westerville South illustrate this fact.

According to Coach Paterno,

“Kerry is the difference in this football team… a big-time quarterback… playing as well as any quarterback we’ve had in the 45 years I’ve been here. If there is a quarterback playing better than Kerry… he’s got to be out of this world.”

Sympathy will get you nowhere. You know where nice guys finish, right? And, you know that there’s only one winner. And, the other?

Regardless of what you hear about PSU joining the Big Ten for better competition, money, and more prestigious bowl games, it comes down to their acquiring the voting power needed to not get hosed again. Being “Independent” made for the toughest schedule next to Notre Dame’s — barring Army, Navy and Little Sisters of the Poor. And, when it came to getting backers for their National Champion contention, it was like screaming into an empty well. Now they have our support. But, it is a tough love that the Buckeyes have been delivering in turn.

Enough of the Respect and Sympathy Waltz and the Nitany Lions own OSU 5 games to 2. But, even if Happy Valley is a hostile “White Out” environment and is being played late at night, it’s not like the Sweater Vest hasn’t been there before. Part of the poignancy to Joe Pa is that it makes for a “Rudy” or “All the Right Moves” story-line, but that’s what gets Penn State into trouble – that’s hard to get out of. Their Neanderthal style isn’t palatable to many contemporary football fans. I’m not talking about the lunatic fringe, spread offense – but at least passing the ball half of the time to keep your opponent off balance. If your run is taken away, then so is the element of surprise for a Play Action Pass. If you at least throw the ball half of the time regularly then you know what does and what doesn’t work. And, if you get behind, you can pass your way out of a hole. Ask the Conrhuskers why the greatest man in Nebraska history, Dr. Tom Osborne isn’t coaching any more…

Even if PSU can pass, I don’t think they have the skill players that OSU recruits and sends to the pros like a turn-style at the fair. Sure, PSU is “Linebacker U,” but the last time I checked Paul Posluszny caught a touchdown for a come-from-behind victory. Guess who’s going to throw the ball for PSU this weekend, a guy named Anthony Morelli? First of all, even if Joe Pa and Anthony’s mama, call him “Anthony” he should request his game name to be Tony. Sounds more Sporanos than schoolboy. The bottom line is that Little Tony (even more spooky) is going against the #1 Running and #1 Passing Defense in the Big Ten and PSU is two rungs below Ohio State’s Total Offense. Granted, the Penn State Total Defense is second to the Buckeyes. But, Morelli is 6th in the Big Ten in Total Offense which means that he’s doing it with his legs also which is an admirable quality, but one that will get you injured. If Anthony goes down, Arvell “Lord” Nelson won’t be admiral of the “Victory”, but will be Captain Hazelton at the helm of the Exxon Beaver.

Like a broken record, barring turnovers by the Buckeyes as in the end of the Michigan State game, PSU will have a tough time catching up with the more balanced Buckeye offense. The Silver Bullets and Little Animal Laurinaitis will force Little Anthony and his handlers to do things they’re not used to doing which is counter-productive, especially in a big game. And, barring luck, Penn State will lose. Score: Ohio State 31, Penn State 14.

*If anyone a can explain the score prediction code – you’ll receive a get away without smack card for the year…

Pictured above is what Beanie Wells’ ankle spur could possibly look like if in fact he does have an ankle spur. However, it could be scar tissue, a bad sprain or maybe a picture of someone else’s knee. (No really it’s true, I’ve got an anonymous source.)

The Columbus Disgra…I mean Dispatch mentioned in passing Sunday morning that Beanie Wells has a bone chip in his ankle and will probably need surgery.

Now I don’t live in Columbus any more and I don’t get the Columbus Dispatch but am I missing something here?

Nowhere in the story does the Dispatch expand on Wells’ situation nor does writer Ken Gordon provide a source for the information. Again, if I am missing something, please let me know. I couldn’t find it on the net.

What I did see however, was a blog entry by Gordon in which he claims:

“Finally, and completely anonymously, I was told Beanie has been playing with a bone chip in his left ankle. It will require arthroscopic surgery, but of course Beanie does not want to miss any games, so he is putting it off until after the Michigan game. He could get scoped and recover in plenty of time for a bowl game.”

What exactly does that mean? Is there a deep throat out there somewhere feeding Gordon top secret information on the status of Wells’ ankle? And even so, to mention it in a previous article without any explanation? And he knows that Wells is counting on a recovery before bowl season?

Coach Tressel was questioned about the ankle in Monday’s press conference:

REPORTER: “Jim, is Beanie eventually going to need surgery on the ankle?”

COACH TRESSEL: “I don’t think so. He had surgery, you know, back in ninth grade.”

This comment lead Gordon to make something of a retraction of his early reporting. In a blog post titled “Mea culpa (sorta)“, Gordon states,

“I can’t say for certain that what I reported earlier (bone spur) is accurate, and the bottom line is not my professional ego, but accuracy.”

Not that accuracy really mattered on Sunday. Gordon goes on to tell us what he learned from the one line question and answer at Monday’s press conference. Again, a fully researched interpretation of the facts:

“What does it mean? It means we’re back in limbo on Beanie. He may have a bone spur, he may not. He may have an old sprain that won’t go away. He may have leftover issues from an old surgery (scar tissue?).”

Thanks for the breakdown Ken. I would never have figured that out from reading the press conference transcript myself.

However, if somebody tells me, anonymously of course, that Wells has monkeys flying out of his ass, I’ll be sure to pass it along.

Saturday’s 24-17 victory over Michigan State seemed to be another Buckeye blowout until late in the third quarter when for the first time this season, Ohio State quarter back Todd Boeckman actually started to feel some pressure.

For three consecutive offensive possessions, the Buckeye offense looked to be in trouble. First, the Buckeyes through an interception that resulted in a Michigan State touchdown. Then, Boeckman was sacked deep in Ohio State territory, fumbled and MSU scored. The next series, Chris Wells managed to recover his own fumble resulting in a giant sigh of relief heard throughout the Buckeye state.

The Buckeyes had their first scare of the season and it came entirely from defensive touchdowns. For the first time in a long time, I was hoping the defense could stay on the field for a while — at least long enough for the offense to come down and regroup.

So what did we learn?

The Buckeye offensive line has been tough all year and Boeckman hasn’t felt much pressure all season. When he did, the offense showed signs of falling apart.

Practice this week should focus on two things:

Pressure Boeckman and Wells. Practice with only two or three offensive linemen. Make every play feel like a blitz. Put Boeckman on his heels so when he faces that type of pressure again, he doesn’t lose his head. You know that every team we face will be watching film of those three plays over and over again. Fill in the holes starting Monday. Learn and grow before we are really tested.

Get ready for the Penn State white out. This actually has nothing to do with the Michigan State game but we all know it’s coming. When we traveled to Penn State in 05, the “white out” thing was new. The Buckeyes had never seen anything like that before and they weren’t prepared. This year, thanks to what I believe is a new “Virtual White Out” practice field buried deep within the Ohio State training facility, they will be ready.

I don’t have details on the practice facility yet but I have people investigating as we speak and will update as soon as information becomes available.

Although I don’t have anything official yet, it looks like vegas will open the spread at 3.5 for the Bucks. Most of the casino lines aren’t up yet but a few of the online casinos have posted their opening spread and they are all the same.

Pretty close. It will all come down to how well the Buckeyes can handle the night game, white out conditions at Penn State. As opposed to the last time Ohio State traveled to Beaver Stadium, we have seen the white out before. The surprise factor is gone.

I will update when I get an official spread.

Update: It looks like the Buckeyes opened at -4. The Penn State fans however, are favored by a touchdown.

Thanks to a lucrative deal with the BCS, Notre Dame is looking forward to yet another BCS bowl game.

“We figure that after the beating we got from USC, it should be smooth sailing from here on out,” Notre Dame coach Charile Weis told reporters gathered after yesterday’s loss. “Although we know that we don’t really stand much of a chance against Navy, with Air Force, Duke and Stanford, that should give us an opportunity to really move up in the polls.”

According to BCS Rules, if Notre Dame finishes better than 8th in the BCS Poll, they are guaranteed a BCS bowl game and they receive payments for participating in the BCS even if they don’t actually play in a bowl game. Weis told reporters that with the number of upsets in the top ten this year, Notre Dame had a pretty good shot.

“When I talked to Kevin (White) last week, he was pretty sure he could convince the conference commissioners that it just won’t be a BCS season without Notre Dame in a BCS game,” Weis said.

Weis continued, “We’re thinking Fiesta Bowl would be nice. We really enjoyed getting beat by Ohio State in the ‘05 Fiesta. Sure, there were better teams that should have gone that year but we always bring in the ratings and that’s what this is really about isn’t it, ratings?”

Weis then expressed regret that Army was not on the schedule this year making it even harder to win the Commander in Chief Trophy, given annually to the academy team with the best performance against the other academies.

“We’ve been really proud to take home the Commander in Chief’s trophy for the last few years. This year, due to a mistake in the scheduling, we were forced to play much better teams than we would like. This made our push for a the Commander’s Trophy all that much more difficult, but we are confident that the president will make an exception for us this year, what with it being a scheduling mistake and all,” Weis said.

Weis also said that he liked the fact that with a 10 year coaching contract and guaranteed payment from the BCS, even if he didn’t win any games, it would be a successful season.

“That’s the beauty of coaching at Notre Dame. As a white guy with a lucrative contract, I’m pretty much set. There will always be Notre Dame fans, our Athletic Director sits on the management board of the BCS (which is always a plus in years like this) and we’ve got guaranteed national television coverage with NBC through 2010. The way I see it, we really don’t need to win again until at least November of 09,” Weis told reporters.

(Although they’ve been known to riot after a loss)

As I ignore yet another self-imposed deadline, it doesn’t take an email from a friend, text from some weenie’s Crackberry, or an apple shot off my head for me to realized that you’re concerned about me and my next installment. Yes, if I’m silent you should be very scared, especially when sitting next to or across from me.

What makes you all think because I’m late on the deadline that I have writer’s block? What makes you take it upon yourselves to hint to what the next convoluted topic ought to be? Sure, it doesn’t take much to raise my ire and that certainly is what usually puts the quill to the paper or puts the grist in my mill, or the sand in the oyster, or feather in my cap, or banana in my hammock. You get the picture.

It’s normally not the obvious differences in something that sets us off. It’s easy to put things down that you don’t understand. But, when you gather the facts from normal commonalities, or parallels, it brings us to simplified understanding. Therefore, you “Get it.” Wow. Friggin’ deep. Allow me to illustrate.

A tip from the editor that raised my ire was that Michigan State is preparing for a victory riot with police, ambulances – the whole nine yards. The parallel is the recurring theme and image of OSU burning dumpsters, flipping cars, students getting tossed from school as token examples.

Where OSU and MSU part ways, is that MSU has to practice for riot control, just as they have to learn how to win, to have an excuse to celebrate demonstratively. Sure, MSU upset OSU some years ago knocking us off the national podium, but that’s why they call it an upset – because you haven’t been, weren’t and will not be expected to win — because you aren’t good at winning. If you were, it wouldn’t be a shock to everyone including yourselves. See, OSU expected to beat Florida for the national championship. The departure was that we got our asses kicked, the similarity to MSU is that we got our asses kicked. You expect the worse. We expect more. Got to fix that mindset in order to win regularly. Don’t make me sign “High Hopes.” Remember where that got Gary?

Because of the their largess, OSU and MSU have a reputation as average schools academically. Sure, both excel in some areas, but you can’t be everything to everyone unless you’re Michigan, but they lost to Appalachian State. Sorry, ouch! Here’s the classic joke that Wolverines tell:

Q1: What do you do when an OSU grad comes a knockin’ at your door?
A1: Take the pizza and tip ‘em a buck!

I’m sure they use that joke with any other Big Ten school besides Northwestern. And, here’s where we separate yet again with MSU. Javon Ringer (an admittedly cool football name, like Juice Williams of Illinois – but, I doubt Juice is his Christian name) admitted in an interview earlier in the week that he wanted to play for OSU but his test scores were in question. For some reason, his ACT went from 16 and when re-tested at 21, then when accused of cheating, re-tested at 16. Hmmm. Time to take “Interviewing for Jocks” 101, Javon. I thought our guys had it easy, then I hear Tressel has scruples and our players are averaging a 3.2. Pretty impressive. Enough about academics. Gordon Gee’s not going to take the field in his bow tie. I apologize. Make note that this will be the last apology of the year.

MSU has a good, tough ex-Buckeye coach in Mark Dantonio which I admire and respect. He’s turned them into winners. Here’s the problem. MSU lost a great, athletic quarterback in Drew Stanton who got his butt kicked regularly to the point that he’s a shell-shocked rookie in the NFL. MSU has a great dual-back running game which is rare with all the teams jumping on the spread offenses. Here’s the problem. OSU has a great defensive lien that frees up (yes, that English – foottball talk) the Linebackers while our stud DBs stick to receivers like glue. When we stop the run by loading up, Brian Hoyer will get a baptism of fire so they won’t be able to pass to catch up a cagey OSU offense. Score OSU 37, MSU 17. No riots today. We expected to win.

The Eggseptional Crossword of Buckeye-related, themes will be unveiled next week in its entirety.