NCAA Football FanHouse

Antonio Henton to Leave Ohio State

Tom Fornelli — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:35:00 EST

Filed under: Ohio State Football, Big 10, Columbus

When Antonio Henton is an old man, he'll have a lot of memories of his time in Columbus, Ohio as a member of the Ohio State football team. He'll be able to tell his grandchildren about the time he offered that undercover police officer $20 for sex, and about those six passes he got to throw in Ohio Stadium, one of which was for a touchdown.

Then he'll get to tell them about how the Buckeyes recruited freshman phenom quarterback Terrelle Pryor, basically ending any chance Antonio ever had of becoming a starter, and he decided to transfer to Georgia Southern.

Several sources close to the team said that Antonio Henton is expected to transfer to Georgia Southern. Coach Jim Tressel refused to confirm the move, saying only that Henton "is a good kid." As of last night, sources said Henton had not told team officials he was leaving.

It's hard to blame Henton for the decision because he didn't leave his home state of Georgia for Ohio State to sit on the bench for five years. Plus, going to a new school will help him get a fresh start after the legal troubles and suspension he had to deal with in Columbus. Not to mention that he'll be reunited with his high school coach, Rance Gillespie, who is now the offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern.

As for the Buckeyes, while Antonio's departure is not the end of the world, it doesn't leave much experience behind starter Todd Boeckman. Henton was the QB #2 on the roster, and will now be replaced by two freshman in Joe Bauserman and the aforementioned Pryor, neither of which have thrown a pass as a Buckeye.

Antonio Henton to Leave Ohio State originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Worst Moments in Big Ten Football History #7: John Cooper's Record Against Michigan

Mark Hasty — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:50:00 EST

Filed under: Ohio State Football, Big 10, NCAA FB Coaching, NCAA FB History, Columbus

FanHouse is counting down the ten best, ten worst, and ten weirdest moments in the history of Big Ten football.

Could a coach at Ohio State go 1-11 and still stay in the fans' good graces as long as the one win was against Michigan? Unless both programs take a ride on the porcelain Tilt-A-Whirl, we'll never know. Can a Buckeye coach go 11-1 (or at least only have one loss) and still find himself in the doghouse because the one loss was against the Wolverines? Ask John Cooper. He did that twice.

Cooper coached the Buckeyes from 1988 to 2000. He replaced Earle Bruce, who had the onerous task of following Woody Hayes. Bruce decamped to the University of Northern Iowa following a 6-4-1 season in 1987. His final game was a 23-20 win over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Bruce had already been fired before the game was played.

Enter Cooper, brought in from Arizona State to turn things around. Which he did. In 1988 his Buckeyes were 4-6-1 and lost to Michigan, 34-31. Things got a little better from there, as Coop made the Buckeyes a consistent eight-win team. That's pretty good in most places other than Columbus. The Michigan thing became a problem, though, as Coop went winless in his first five games against That School Up North. 1993, however, would prove to be a breakthrough season for Cooper.

That year his team went 10-1-1. Guess who the one loss was to. 28-0.

The following season Coop actually got over on the Wolverines, 22-6 in Columbus. WIth the Michigan monkey finally off his back, Coop went on to ... uh ... lose another three in a row to UM. His second victory against the Wolverines came in 1998, a year Michigan was suffering from a national title hangover.

And that's it. In 13 seasons, Cooper was 2-10-1 against his school's archrival. Even if you're coaching at South Dakota State, that sort of a record against your sworn enemy will lead to a U-Haul parked in your driveway. Back-to-back 6-6 and 8-4 seasons had some influence on Cooper's departure, but don't think that his inability to beat Michigan had nothing to do with his firing.

Once Cooper left, OSU brought in Jim Tressel. In his first seven seasons, Tressel has gone 6-1 versus Michigan. Clearly, the man knows where his bread gets buttered.

Worst Moments in Big Ten Football History #7: John Cooper's Record Against Michigan originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Worst Moments in Big Ten Football History #4: Ohio State Loses Back-To-Back Title Games

Mark Hasty — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:24:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, LSU Football, Ohio State Football, Big 10, BCS, NCAA FB History, Columbus

FanHouse is counting down the ten best, ten worst, and ten weirdest moments in Big Ten football history.

Yes, here's another moment you just knew was coming.

Anything I can possibly say about how awful it is that Ohio State lost back-to-back BCS Title Games must, of course, be tempered by the mandatory statement about how unbelievably hard it is to make it to one such game, let alone making it to two in a row. Thus if we're going to hail on the Buckeyes for giving a new layer of meaning to the term "epic fail," we owe them ... well, we owe them 50% of the respect we give to the early-90s Buffalo Bills. Or the same amount of respect we give to Bob Stoops' Oklahoma Sooners, who have the same resume (one title, back-to-back title game losses).

So you can't say the Buckeyes are bad, not even if you're an SEC fan, and you can't say that Jim Tressel isn't a very good coach. You can, however, wonder what went wrong. The answer: Lots. In both 2007 and 2008, the Buckeyes were undone by a combination of bad execution (which was within their control) and an imploding hype machine (which wasn't).

There was little question that the Buckeyes belonged in the 2007 title game. They were the #1 team in the nation for the entire season thanks to a very un-Tresselish, explosive offense. People were less sure that Florida belonged in the game; many were hoping for a rematch between Ohio State and Michigan.

(Remember the 2006 OSU/Michigan game? "#1 versus #2, in one of the most storied rivalries in college football history? " You don't remember it? Tune to your local ABC station. This game was so breathlessly overhyped it wouldn't surprise me if ABC was still running promos for it. )

Urban Meyer worked the media like he was running for president. Some poll voters listened. Others probably just didn't want a rematch. Florida got in; Michigan had to settle for the Rose Bowl, a place where they'd had their problems.

You know what happened. 41-14, and it wasn't that close. During the run-up to the 2007 season all eyes were on Columbus, and we heard about how the code to get into the Buckeyes' practice facility was '4114' (has anybody tried getting in with '3824' recently?) just so the players wouldn't forget the rank humiliation of getting pantsed by a team nobody really thought should be there.

Motivation is a good thing. It's a dang poor substitute for speed, though.

The good news about the 2008 title game is that this time the general consensus was that neither team really belonged there. LSU had lost twice, while the Buckeyes' berth was greeted with all the enthusiasm of yet another Atlanta Braves NL East pennant. It was supposed to be Mizzou versus West Virginia, but both those teams lost in their final games.

The Buckeyes went up early, 10-0, then proceeded to give up 31 straight points while their offense collapsed like day-old Dream Whip. OSU was 3 for 13 on 3rd down conversions, a lousy performance for any game but totally inexplicable in a title game. Did they not face a really good defense all season? Apparently not. They faced four ranked teams (including LSU) and only converted more than 50% of their third downs against Penn State. They were 5-14 against Purdue. Purdue! And that's why Jim Tressel looks like that in the picture above.

Santayana may have said "those who cannot remember the passed are doomed to repeat it," but mere remembrance isn't enough. You also have to change the present to avoid repeating the past.

Worst Moments in Big Ten Football History #4: Ohio State Loses Back-To-Back Title Games originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 May 2008 12:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Worst Moments in Big Ten Football History #1: 1978 Gator Bowl

Mark Hasty — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:28:00 EST

Filed under: Clemson Football, Ohio State Football, Big 10, Bowl Games, NCAA FB History, Columbus

FanHouse is counting down the ten best, ten worst, and ten weirdest moments in the history of Big Ten football.

With the ten best moments accounted for, it's time to move on to the ten worst. There will be some silly moments on this list, and some moments which can best be described as "stupid," but there's only one moment which qualifies as senseless, and it's the closing moments of the 1978 Gator Bowl.

To set the stage: The Clemson Tigers were facing off against Woody Hayes' Ohio State Buckeyes. Late in the fourth quarter, OSU was trailing, 17-15. Quarterback Art Schlichter had to know the famous axiom attributed to Hayes, "There are three things that can happen when you throw the football, and two of them are bad." But the situation called for a pass, and Schlichter (a true freshman) tossed it where Clemson defender Charlie Bauman could catch it. Which he did. Bauman ran towards the near sideline, knowing that the Tigers just needed to run out the clock to lock up the victory. Unfortunately for Bauman, the near sideline was not his own.

He was met by Woody Hayes, a man in whom there was not an ounce of quit. If Hayes couldn't win this game (and he couldn't), he could at least let everybody know he wasn't happy about the outcome. Now, nobody would've blamed Hayes for being upset, or even for letting it show. The problem was in how he chose to display his anger: by punching Bauman in the chest, right there on the field, in front of thousands of people and ABC's cameras.

You'd have to be triple-distilled stupid to think that Woody Hayes was a bad coach. It's probably a close call between him and Michigan's Fielding Yost as to who was the greatest Big Ten football coach of all time. Hayes was at least the equal, if not the superior, of his contemporaries, legends like Bear Bryant, Bud Wilkinson, and Bob Devaney. It's unfair that the public memory of Hayes portrays him less as a coaching great and more like the Tasmanian Devil. However, even Hayes himself acknowledged that he had a rather short fuse. This was far from Hayes' first on-the-field incident, though his rage was usually targeted at camera operators and referees.

This, however, was a new low, even for Hayes, and it would have set a dangerous precedent if OSU had done nothing. Shortly after the team returned to Columbus, Hayes was fired.

While it wasn't a popular move in Columbus, what choice did they have? Woody spun his firing by noting, "Nobody despises to lose more than I do. That's got me into trouble over the years, but it also made a man of mediocre ability into a pretty good coach." Some of that was false humility, however. Hayes' abilities were far beyond mediocre, and he knew it. Likewise, there's a world of difference between hating to lose and displaying poor sportsmanship. We can admire Hayes' tenacity, but who among us would teach our kids to imitate his example?

And that's what's so senseless about the Gator Bowl incident. Woody Hayes didn't need to be a loose cannon to be a great football coach. It's unfair that his punching Charlie Bauman has become the lasting image of his 25-year tenure in Columbus. Unfair, but fitting, because he crossed a line he knew he shouldn't have crossed.

Worst Moments in Big Ten Football History #1: 1978 Gator Bowl originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 12 May 2008 12:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best Moments in Big Ten Football History #2: Archie Griffin's Two Heismans

Mark Hasty — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:34:00 EST

Filed under: Ohio State Football, Big 10, Heisman, NCAA FB History, Columbus

FanHouse is counting down the 10 best, 10 worst, and 10 weirdest moments in Big Ten football history.

As with yesterday's "best moment," here's another accomplishment you'd think somebody would have duplicated at some point. But no. Archie Griffin won the Heisman Trophy in 1974 and 1975. He's the only person (so far) to win it more than once.

It might be difficult to overstate just how good Archie Griffin was. He started for four years, and, not surprisingly, his freshman year was his least productive. He ran for only 1,428 yards that year on 159 attempts.

While Griffin would never again get close to averaging 8.9 yards a carry, that was only because Woody Hayes realized #45 needed to get the ball a lot more often. In 1973 the Buckeyes changed from a T-formation offense to an I-formation, and Griffin carried the ball 100 more times than he had in 1972. He was fifth in the Heisman voting that season.

1974 and 1975 brought more of the same for Griffin and OSU. His numbers were too great for Heisman voters to overlook. Both years he won the award by more than 1,000 points. Those weren't the most lopsided wins in Heisman history but they weren't far from it. Yet, as amazing as it may sound, winning two Heismans might not be Griffin's most unimaginable accomplishment.

He is the only person ever to start in four Rose Bowls.

I mean, think about it. The next two-Heisman guy just might come along in about eight months, unless Tim Tebow takes a huge step back in the upcoming season. But who's ever going to start in the Rose Bowl four times? Oh, and it's a good bet that Griffin's 31 consecutive games where he rushed for at least 100 yards is an untouchable record as well. These days highly talented running backs don't even play 31 games in college, it seems.

Griffin was less successful in the NFL, as Heisman winners often are. He spent seven seasons with the Bengals where he averaged 400 yards and but a single rushing touchdown per season. Small matter. The Heisman is not for the best NFL prospect; it's (theoretically) for the best player in college football. There is little question that Archie Griffin was the quintessential college football player of the mid-1970s and one of the greatest of all time.

Best Moments in Big Ten Football History #2: Archie Griffin's Two Heismans originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3rd Quarter: Battle for the Big Ten Title

Bruce Ciskie — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 13:40:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Football, Ohio State Football, Big 10, Columbus

1st Qtr | 2nd Qtr | 3rd Qtr | 4th Qtr

Ohio State holds a slim 7-3 lead entering the second half. Given the weather, it's not surprising that neither offense has accomplished that much so far.

In the first half, tOSU outgained Michigan 110-77. The Buckeyes had 60 rushing yards on 28 attempts, led by Chris Wells' 67 yards on 20 carries. Todd Boeckman was 7 for 11 passing in the first half for 50 yards and one interception.

Michigan picked up 30 yards on 13 rush attempts. Mike Hart carried 11 times for 42 yards. Chad Henne was charged with 12 yards in losses on the ground, and he completed just 8 of 19 passes for 47 yards.

The star receivers are largely absent so far. Brian Robiskie has two catches for 21 yards, while Mario Manningham caught four for 26 yards in the first half. Manningham also had two costly drops on a second quarter possession.

K.C. Lopata's 33-yard field goal gave Michigan a 3-0 lead with 1:37 to play in the first quarter. Wells answered with a one-yard touchdown run to give the Buckeyes a 7-3 lead with 10:08 left in the half.

tOSU had ten first downs to Michigan's five, and they have an advantage of roughly 18-12 in time of possession. Michigan will get the ball to start the second half, and we'll break it down after the jump.

The weather is certainly a factor here, as evidenced by Lloyd's "wet rain" comment before halftime. It's also evidenced by the fact that the ESPN guys, Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, and Desmond Howard, all look miserable on the sideline. Someone get those guys a big umbrella to stand under during the second half. Corso's overcoat looked like it was soaked.

After a three-and-out, a Ray Small punt return of 65 yards for a touchdown was called back by a penalty, but no matter. Ohio State's first play was golden, as Wells broke a couple of arm tackles and sprinted 62 yards for a score. 14-3, Ohio State, early third quarter.

Michigan's defense looked like it didn't think Ohio State would run the ball or something. That makes sense, I guess, if you forget the fact that Wells carried the rock 20 times in the first half alone. That one run almost doubled his total for the game, and it's a huge shot to Michigan, who has shown really no ability to do anything on offense in the first half, despite getting some great field position. Now, the Wolverines know they will need to get the ball in the end zone - and probably more than once at that - to win the game.

Replay shows that Michigan safety Jamar Adams took an awful angle while coming into the box to try to stop Wells on the touchdown run. I don't need HDTV to see that, though it was much clearer.

Musberger keeps harping on the idea that tOSU is facing a "traditional" offense this week. I'm about sick of hearing people take shots at the spread offense, as if it can only be used by teams with inferior talent. Maybe this is a rant meant for a different post, and maybe you'll see that at some point, but I needed to get that off my chest.

Back on topic, Henne looks like he's on the verge of departing this football game. Very few of his throws have been terribly accurate, and he just threw high to an open receiver on third down. That led to another three-and-out and another Michigan punt. I hate to agree with Musberger, who is about as useless in a big game as anyone in broadcasting right now, but he's right in saying that we're going to see Ryan Mallett before too long if this keeps up.

Yes, Henne's a senior, but you can't keep putting him out there when he looks so incapable of doing anything positive to help your team.

Wells is wearing down the Michigan defense, and Adams just whiffed on another tackle. Man, and I thought Shane Carter and Aubrey Pleasant sucked.

Wells came out for a spell, and tOSU was stopped on a third down play. Michigan gets it with 7:56 left in the third quarter. It's still 14-3 Ohio State, and Henne is staying in the game. Stunningly, he leads his team to another exemplary three-and-out. Make the move, Lloyd. I don't care if you're a lame duck. You owe this team everything you can possibly do to win the game, and Henne isn't going to do anything to help you with the way he's throwing.

Thank you, Lloyd. Looks like Mallett is in for Michigan's next possession. Of course, if Michigan's defense doesn't slow Wells down at some point, it'll be 21-3 when Mallett enters.

Never mind about Wells. After a long run, he came up grabbing at his hamstring, and Brandon Saine had to come in for Wells. tOSU ended up punting, and Mallett enters with the ball at the Michigan 20.

Now Hart is limping for Michigan. Ouch. Meanwhile, Vernon Gholston just sacked the relatively immobile Mallett after abusing left tackle Jake Long for at least the second time today.

Mallett's arm is healthy, but he's not accurate. He just missed open receivers Greg Mathews (second down) and Adrian Arrington (third down) to set up another Zoltan Mesko punt. As we go under a minute to play in the third quarter, Ohio State takes over inside their 20 with a 14-3 lead.

Wells is back in, and the quarter is over. 14-3 Ohio State after three.

3rd Quarter: Battle for the Big Ten Title originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 17 Nov 2007 13:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2nd Quarter: Battle for the Big Ten Title

Bruce Ciskie — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Football, Ohio State Football, Big 10, Columbus

1st Qtr | 2nd Qtr | 3rd Qtr | 4th Qtr

The second quarter begins. Michigan put together a nice drive on their second series, capping it with a field goal to take a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter. That is where we stand as the second quarter begins.

ABC's Lisa Salters says tOSU quarterback Todd Boeckman will be wearing gloves now. The rain looks to be coming down steadily, and now both QBs will be wearing gloves. They're not helping Michigan's Chad Henne, as a second-down pass to Mario Manningham was errant and should have been intercepted by Malcolm Jenkins.

Dexter Larrimore sacked Henne on third down, forcing a Michigan punt from their end zone. tOSU will start at the Michigan 44.

Ohio State is taking advantage of the field position, as they've moved it inside the Michigan 20. Make that inside the ten, thanks to a Chris Wells run.

Boeckman ran a quarterback draw on first down. Brent Musberger yelped "Shades of John Elway". No, Brent. More like "Shades of Peyton Manning". Don't insult Elway, who is probably faster than Boeckman even after all these years out of football.

Touchdown, Ohio State. Wells leaned in from two yards out after the Boeckman draw play. 7-3, Ohio State in the second quarter. The Buckeyes drove 44 yards for the score after Michigan was caught in poor field position for a punt.

Jump with us for more on the second quarter of this game in Ann Arbor.

Dare I say that this is a big possession for Michigan. The Wolverines need to answer tOSU's touchdown, and they need to give Ron English and that defense some time to sew up their issues with Wells, who chewed them up on that last drive.

Nothing doing, however. One first down, and then Michigan is forced to punt. The Buckeyes moved the ball across midfield, but were forced to punt. It wasn't a very good kick, and Michigan will take over at their 21. Still 4:45 left in what's been a rather uneventful second quarter, and tOSU still leads 7-3.

Michigan went three-and-out again, as Henne and his pass were both knocked down on third-and-three. Looked like tOSU's Vernon Gholston drove star left tackle Jake Long right back into Henne on the play. Zoltan Mesko launched an awesome punt for Michigan. It was downed all the way down inside the Buckeyes' five.
Not much Ohio State could do there. Faced with poor field position and poor weather, the Buckeyes went conservative on third down, and Wells was stopped well short (even if he had gotten a first down, a holding penalty would have brought the play back). Michigan takes over at midfield after the punt. 2:17 left in the first half, 7-3 Ohio State, and Michigan is out of timeouts.

Someone find Mario Manningham's hands and return them to him. The star dropped two balls in a three-play series, and Michigan is punting again. Mesko's punt went into the end zone for a touchback.

Ohio State is wasting bundles of time on this series. With two timeouts and plenty of time, tOSU still appeared content to run the clock out until 31 seconds were left. Now, instead of having more time, they have only those 31 seconds, they're down to one timeout, and they're still on the wrong side of midfield. Even Dennis Green and Andy Reid are scratching their heads at that one.

After that timeout, Boeckman's hilariously ill-advised pass was intercepted by Michigan's Brandent Englemon, who returned it inside the Ohio State 40. Michigan has no timeouts, though, and the clock is not on their side. A short third-down pass to Manningham set up a long field goal try with four seconds left in the half. Manningham did a great job to get out of bounds while ABC's Musberger wanted him to get down quickly so Michigan could spike the ball. What good that would do them, being that the spike would come on fourth down, I'm not sure.

The field goal attempt was short, so it's still 7-3 Ohio State at halftime. As Lloyd Carr said to Salters at halftime, the wet rain is really affecting the offenses. See you in the third quarter.

2nd Quarter: Battle for the Big Ten Title originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 17 Nov 2007 12:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LiveBlog: Battle for the Big Ten Title

Bruce Ciskie — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Football, Ohio State Football, Big 10, Columbus

1st Qtr | 2nd Qtr | 3rd Qtr | 4th Qtr

Welcome to a special FanHouse liveblog. We'll be following the game today between Ohio State and Michigan, with the winner going to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

For just the second time ever, both teams enter this one coming off losses. Ohio State dropped a 28-21 decision to Illinois in Columbus last week, while Michigan lost to Wisconsin 37-21.

At this point, we expect that Michigan's Chad Henne and Mike Hart will both shake off injuries (Henne has a shoulder problem, while Hart is battling a high ankle sprain) and play today. Frankly, we wouldn't have it any other way. Even with Henne and Hart playing and fully healthy, it's likely that Ohio State would be favored. With both of them banged up, Michigan is only a bigger underdog.

The game will be carried live on ABC-HD, with Brent Musberger, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lisa Salters serving as our announcers. Yes, the former tOSU quarterback is in the booth. No biggie, as Herbstreit has worked tOSU-Michigan games in the past, and he's no better or worse than anyone else would be, even given the perception of bias.

Join us for commentary, analysis, and whatever else after the jump. Of course, waiting until kickoff would be a good idea, too.

UPDATE: They announced on the PA system at Michigan Stadium that Henne and Hart are both starting. No surprise, and it's now official.

Remember, the winner of this game is likely to play in the Rose Bowl (if Michigan wins, they'll definitely play in the Rose Bowl). For Michigan, it would be a great prize. Remember, the Wolverines lost consecutive home games to Appalachian State and Oregon at the start of the season. At 0-2, Michigan looked more likely to miss out on the postseason than they did to win the Big Ten and go to the Rose Bowl.

As we await kickoff, I get a chance to remind you of what was a huge topic on ESPN's College Gameday show. Our own Brian Cook broke the story this week, and rumors are still flying that Michigan coach Lloyd Carr just led his team onto the field at Michigan Stadium for the last time.

Ohio State's Ray Small was just snuffed on an end around on Ohio State's first play. Great job by Michigan's defensive front seven of reading the play and flowing to Small. On third-and-six, QB Todd Boeckman took advantage of man coverage by Michigan's secondary by running for a first down.

After a first down run by Chris Wells (sorry, I'm not calling him "Beanie" unless he legally changes his name), a third down pass by Boeckman to Brian Hartline fell incomplete. Looked like Michigan got away with pass interference on the play, but I'm sure they'll take that break.

Apparently, they're going to let the boys play. Chad Henne just launched a 35-yard bomb in the direction of Mario Manningham, and there was a lot of contact downfield with Manningham and Donald Washington. No call, so that quickly evened itself out. After a Hart run and an errant Henne pass, the Wolverines will punt.

Something we'll have to watch throughout the game is the footing. Already, Wells and Boeckman have slipped, and Boeckman's recent slip is costly, as it happened at the end of a five-step drop and cost Ohio State a bunch of yards. On third-and-23, Wells slipped and fell trying to cut back against the grain.

Michigan has picked up the tempo as the rain looks to be picking up a bit. Hart has a couple nice runs, and Michigan has moved the ball to tOSU's 30.

Make it the 13. Hart is running like a man possessed, but on first down from the 13, he slipped and lost a yard. tOSU's star defensive lineman Vernon Gholston picked up a sack on second down. Henne then threw short on third down, setting up a K.C. Lopata field goal attempt from 33 yards, which split the sticks. 3-0, Blue, 1:37 left in the first quarter.

On tOSU's first play, Boeckman caught Donovan Warren isolated against Brian Robiskie. Beaten badly, Warren grabbed Robiskie's jersey and took the 15-yard pass interference penalty, which isn't as bad as allowing a touchdown would have been.

The last play of the first quarter was fitting of Boeckman's rough start. It was a third down play, and Boeckman flat-out dropped the ball.

3-0 Michigan at the end of the first quarter.

LiveBlog: Battle for the Big Ten Title originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Post Brought To You By The Letter "Idiotic"

Tom Fornelli — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Football, Ohio State Football, Big 10, NCAA FB Video, Columbus

Yeah, so I don't know if you've heard about it, but the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes are going to be playing a game of football against each other this Saturday. Apparently, it's a pretty big game. So big, in fact, that Ohio State students aren't even allowed to use the letter "M" when ordering from Donato's pizzeria.

Yes, these kids are our future.

(Courtesy of With Leather)

This Post Brought To You By The Letter "Idiotic" originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earle Bruce and John Cooper Are Still Kickin' Around

Brian Grummell — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 22:59:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, Ohio State Football, USC Football, Big 10, Pac 10, SEC, NCAA FB Recruiting, NCAA FB Coaching, NCAA FB History, Florida, Ohio State, Columbus

The old dogs may be retired, but Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is keeping them nearby this year. He's given them an office to share within the Ohio State Athletic Department. What will they do? I have no idea but it's a nice gesture and a way to connect with the recent Buckeye past.

This article's author suggests it's also a way to cover for Tressel's perceived shortcomings.

t's obvious, isn't it? Cover your weaknesses with strengths.

Against Florida in the national championship game, Ohio State played like someone spiked its Gatorade with NyQuil. The Buckeyes displayed all the emotion of a Maytag repairman.

So Tress solves the problem by hiring Bruce, the fiery former Ohio State coach who never met a topic he couldn't turn into a motivational testimony...

...Across the room, John Cooper will be watching game film. If Tress is smart, it will be high school game film.

Coop couldn't beat Michigan, but he could beat the pants off most coaches when it came to evaluating and recruiting high school talent. And after the non-top 10 recruiting class that Ohio State coaches just brought in, the Buckeyes could use a guy like Coop to win over future blue chippers.

So you have to hand it to Tress. Problem: motivation. Solution: Bruce. Problem: recruiting. Solution: Coop.

That's a little much, but obviously he's nailed the strengths of both coaches. Tressel's managed quite well on his own winning one championship and playing in another.

That said, Bruce's influence is particularly interesting given his fiery, rambunctious demeanor. As noted in the story, he shares a connection to Florida coach Urban Meyer. He also mentored a young Pete Carroll (1978-1979 at Iowa State). It's not a stretch to say Bruce had a lasting influence on Carroll given Carroll's well documented charisma and energy, meaning Bruce has had a meaningful impact on three of the last four college football championship teams.

Not bad for an old dog.

H/T: The Wiz

Earle Bruce and John Cooper Are Still Kickin' Around originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 27 Mar 2007 22:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buckeyes Receive First Commitment In 2008 Class

JD Arney — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 06:06:00 EST

Filed under: Ohio State Football, Ohio State, Columbus

The 2007 recruiting season just ended, and it didn't take long for the 2008 season to get under way. The Buckeyes received their first commitment on Friday, and fittingly, it's a kicker.

Ben Buchanan is his name, and he's apparently the top rated kicker in the Midwest (by Rivals), and possibly one of the best kickers in the country.

Around the Oval points to a great post over at Buckeye Planet talking about Buchanan's appearance at a kicking came called "Buckeye Kicking Academy" last summer. Buchanan competed as both a punter and field goal kicker and managed to win both. It took a 60 yarder to win the field goal competition, which would be impressive for an NFL kicker, let alone a high school kid. His kickoffs went through the back of the endzone as well, which is great to hear.

Ohio State has an incredible kicking tradition, and it sounds like Buchanan will eventually continue that. Tough to tell at this early date, but he sounds like a great signing.

Buckeyes Receive First Commitment In 2008 Class originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 05 Mar 2007 06:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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