Ohio State-Texas Preview

By Mike Medina  |   Saturday, September 09, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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By JUSTIN EINHORN, STATS Senior Editor

Rarely is a non-conference game in the second week of the season so meaningful. It certainly was last year between Texas and Ohio State, and there's no question the rematch is just as critical.

A year after this contest propelled the Longhorns to the national championship and cost the Buckeyes a shot at one, title hopes of both squads are likely on the line again as the country's highest-ranked teams square off in Austin, Texas on Saturday.

"This is something we have waited for a year," Ohio State tailback Antonio Pittman said. "Now we need to go to their house and take one back."

The Buckeyes enter as the nation's top-ranked team and the Longhorns moved up a spot to No. 2 in the latest poll, setting up the first regular-season matchup between the top two teams in the AP rankings since 1996. Florida State was No. 2 and beat top-ranked Florida 24-21, but the Gators won the rematch in the Sugar Bowl to claim the national championship.

Texas was ranked second going into Ohio Stadium last Sept. 10, and Vince Young's 24-yard touchdown pass to Limas Sweed with 2:37 to play handed the fourth-ranked Buckeyes a 25-22 defeat.

Young went on to lead the Longhorns to a perfect season and the national title while Ohio State settled for a 10-2 mark.

"If Ohio State won, I think they would have had a real good chance to play for the national championship as well," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "That's the risk-reward of two great teams playing like this early in the season."

A big difference this time is Ohio State has the more experienced quarterback, with Young having moved on to the NFL while the Buckeyes still have Troy Smith under center.

"It's going to be a great experience," Smith said. "They got out of here last year with a win. It's a great team with great tradition. I just wish Vince was still there."

Some consider Smith, ineffective in last year's meeting as he split time with Justin Zwick, to be a top Heisman Trophy candidate but he may need to prove worthy of such high praise by performing well against a tough Texas defense.

Smith threw for three touchdowns - all in the first quarter - and was 18-of-25 for 297 yards in the season opener, but that came against Northern Illinois in a 35-12 victory.

Two of his TD passes went to speedster Ted Ginn Jr., another possible Heisman candidate, and Texas will not have one of its top coverage players to slow down the star wideout.

Longhorns starting cornerback Tarell Brown was arrested on misdemeanor drug and weapon charges Monday, along with backup linebacker Tyrell Gatewood. On Tuesday, Texas suspended both players for this contest, and coach Brown wouldn't say if the suspensions were only for this game.

"I'm just trying to get through Saturday," he said. "As a head coach, No. 1 you have to look at the legal system and cooperate with the authorities completely.

"No. 2, you must go through the university because that's who we work for. No. 3, you are concerned about distractions for your football team. ... No. 4, you care about the three young men involved and their families."

With Tarell Brown out, junior Brandon Foster or sophomore Ryan Palmer will likely draw the assignment of covering Ginn.

"One thing that's awesome about the University of Texas, you have opportunities to have great depth," defensive co-coordinator Gene Chizik said.

Maybe no player in this game, however, will feel more pressure than freshman quarterback Colt McCoy, playing just the second game of his collegiate career. He did well in the first, going 12-of-19 for 178 yards with three touchdowns in a 56-7 win over North Texas a week ago.

While he does not present the same scrambling threat Young did, McCoy showed he is a capable runner with 38 yards and a score on just four attempts.

"Everybody has been talking about Ohio State for a long time," McCoy said. "I'm just going to take it as the next game, go out and play and have fun and give these fans an opportunity to cheer and have fun and hopefully lead my team to a victory."

It appears McCoy already may have picked a favorite target. Sweed had five catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns in the opener.

As for the ground game, sophomore Jamaal Charles had the most success with 77 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts, though it's likely he'll continue to share carries with senior Selvin Young. The senior was limited to 44 yards on 12 rushes, but ran for a score and also caught a 5-yard TD pass.

Pittman is the clear-cut star runner for Ohio State, having rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown last week. He ran for 1,331 yards last season.

The Buckeyes will be the first No. 1 team to visit Austin since SMU in 1950, a game Texas won 23-20.

Both squads know a loss Saturday could crush their national title dreams. Since the BCS was formed in 1998, the only time the national champion has not been unbeaten came in 2003 when LSU and Southern California split the crown as each finished with one loss.

"We've got to win," Ohio State center Doug Datish said. "It's going to be a great atmosphere."
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