Buckeyes back in Big Ten hunt

By John Onan  |   Wednesday, October 19, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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I know it's virtually impossible for any Ohio State Buckeyes fan to root for Michigan anytime, and I'm sure no Buckeyes fan will give the hated Wolverines any props, but they will have to quietly thank them for defeating Penn State this past Saturday. Their dramatic, last second victory on Saturday, has paved the way for Ohio State to win the Big Ten title.

Even though Penn State will have to lose again for an outright title and the Buckeyes will likely need to sweep the board the rest of the way, the conference is once again in a logjam for the lead. Ohio State stands 2-1 in the conference, with a game they should win at Indiana, on deck. Penn State, Iowa (a team the Bucks have already defeated), and Wisconsin are tied for the lead at 3-1.

The picture may look clouded at the moment, but do not forget, just seven days ago the outlook looked awfully bleak. From now until the finale against Michigan, the next four games are winnable. The only game that should give Ohio State trouble is a road date at Minnesota in two weeks. An impressive victory this weekend in Bloomington is essential to give them much needed confidence, as they try to show they can win in a hostile environment. They have only won one of their last six conference road games.

TRESSEL'S THREE KEYS TO SUCCESS

According to head coach Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes need not worry about what the other contenders are doing. They just need to concentrate at the job at hand, winning football games. His three keys to success haven't changed: relentless defense, an opportunistic offense, and big plays from the special teams.

Those ingredients mixed together nicely in this past weekend's 35-24 victory over Michigan State. The defense stepped up big in the second half and put pressure on Spartan quarterback Drew Stanton, sacking him a remarkable 12 times. The special teams blocked a field goal attempt as the first half expired and ran it back for a score and got a couple big punt returns, and Troy Smith guided the offense as Tressel has expected him to do so all along.

The offensive line protected the quarterback better than against Penn State. They didn't yield any sacks against the Spartans after allowing Smith to get dropped six times in the previous game. He was the recipient of boos in the early going, but they turned to cheers, as he hit receivers Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn on long second half scoring strikes.

Now that Smith is back in the fans good graces for the time being, they can go back to booing Michigan now.
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