Eleven Warriors

Shortening his bench following last week's shocking exhibition loss to Findlay, Thad Matta seems to have gotten his team's attention.

Improved intensity and concentration were on display as Ohio State rushed past Wisconsin-Green Bay 91-68 before an embarrasing crowd of about 7,000 in Value City Arena. The Buckeyes comitted just 3 turnovers in the first 30 minutes and received big contributions from the few veterans on the roster.

Sophomore David Lighty paced the Buckeyes with a career high 21 points and 8 rebounds and keyed a 16-3 run midway through the first half with a natural 3 point play on a nasty spin move before connecting on a triple try helping turn a 22-17 deficit into a 33-25 lead with 6:55 left.

Senior Jamar Butler also came out firing with 14 first half points (17 total) including 4/5 on threes (5 tot) as OSU outscored the Phoenix 29-12 to close the half. Understanding he's a point guard again, Butler also handed out 10 assists against zero turnovers displaying an impressive overall floor game. Even more important, Sr. Othello Hunter came back from the dead in spirited fashion with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Hunter received plenty of help on the baseline as Wisc-GB had no answer for freshman Kosta Koufos. The "Big Greecey" showed his inside-outside game on the way to 18 points (2/4 3FG) and 8 rebounds.

The Buckeyes led 46-34 at the break behind hot shooting (59% FG, 8/14 3FG) and disciplined offense (3 TO) with Matta using only Matt Terwilliger and Evan Turner off the bench. Wiggler responded with a trey and 4 rebounds finishing with 5 points and 6 boards while Turner played just a few minutes missing a line drive jumper and committing a foul.

Looking to thwart any threat of a comeback, Lighty fueled a 12-2 run to start the second half with 7 points as OSU took a 58-36 lead with 17 minutes left. With the game in hand, Matta finally went deeper into the bench bringing in Turner, PJ Hill and Eric Wallace.

Still teaching and not satisfied with the concentration, missed free throws and shot selection shown by Turner and Wallace leading to a 10-3 run by the Phoenix, Matta replaced everyone on the floor except Dallas Lauderdale. Shortly thereafter, Koufos went on his own 8-0 run bumping the OSU lead to 28 with 5 minutes to go. The move wasn't necessary to preserve the victory but I like that Matta is going to make these guys earn minutes.

For the game, OSU posted a solid turnover to assist ratio of 22-7 and shot 46% from downtown (11/24). The continued poor free throw shooting (10/18), Wallace and Turner showing no growth (in limited minutes) and Jon Diebler failing to make a FG attempt were the only real blemishes. Defensively, OSU won the battle on the boards 38-32 and held WGB to 27% from the floor employing an active matchup zone defense. The Phoenix hit a few triples early but the zone proved effective and could set up the debut of a three-quarter court zone trap defense in the very near future.

With tonight's game in the bag, OSU faces Columbia on Tuesday following their 47-41 win over Delaware State.

The sad news continues for Buckeye fans as Brian @ MGoBlog has it from three independent sources that Wolverine coach Lloyd Carr will announce his retirement -- possibly as early as next Monday.

First of all: Worst. Secret. Keepers. Evar.

Last year Bo passed, this year Carr steps down. I'm expecting the Wolverines to re-animate Fielding Yost for the pre-game speech in '08 at this point in time.

It's coming in as a "resignation", but this is anything but on his own terms. You can bet the final straw was his decision to keep Henne and Hart out of last week's loss in Madison.

I hope they're rested. They'll be locking horns with an angry Buckeye team this weekend.

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In other breaking news, Antonio Henton has plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of loitering for prostitution.

Henton paid $156 in court fees and shortly afterward the following statement was released by the Vest:

"After serving a seven-game suspension, Antonio is a member with full privileges of the Ohio State football team. Antonio has handled the situation properly."

Good to have Antonio back -- hopefully he discovered internet porn in the last two months.

(Shout-out to jtbucks in the comments for the Henton tip.)

Another week and another top ranked team takes one on the chin. Extra juiciness this week as it's the team that most of the country was rooting for to lose anyway.

We're left with a lone undefeated team from any of the BCS conferences and that team, Kansas, isn't even the #1 team in our ballot or the polls that go into deciding the championship participants.

Imagine if Kansas, Oregon and LSU all win out. Kansas would most certainly have made the jump into the top 2 by then considering it would have beaten Missouri and then Oklahoma to end the season. Their opponent? Most-likely LSU on the strength of an SEC Championship game victory. What then about the Ducks?

The more probable scenario is that Kansas drops one or two along the way and we're left with 4 or 5 teams with one loss. What then?

The BCS, it's grrreaat!

1		The Ducks had a bye and catch somewhat of a breather with a game at Arizona this weekend. Should have smooth sailing to New Orleans.	1
2		If the Tigers win out, Miles will have a chance to prove his pre-season smack talk about the PAC-10 correct.	1
3		First chance for much of the nation to get a look at the Jayhawks and they looked good. Iowa State sould be win #11 this weekend.	3
4		The Sooners kept rolling, blitzing Baylor. They head into Mike Leach's Pirateland this weekend before ending the season against Okie State the following week.	--
5		Could the Big 12 be where it's really at this season? This conference could have an argument to two at large BCS bids when it's said and done.	2
6		They were beaten on the field, and we tried to slide them to a spot where it didn't rank of smack homerism.	5
7		The Mountaineers do a good job of clobbering the weak teams, but any halfway-decent squad gives them fits. Watch out in the Nati this weekend.	2
8		The Dawgs put a beat-down on Auburn and are looking as hot as any team in the SEC right now. Upset alert when Kentucky comes to town this weekend.	1
9		Slipped by UCLA, were they looking ahead to the visit by the Trojans this weekend?	1
10		Completely redeemed themselves for the BC collapse by taking Bowden to the wood shed. Next up, a woeful Hurricane team.	1
11		Escaped the Hippiedrom with their $500 designer jeans unscathed. Rose Bowl implication game at ASU this weekend.	1
12		Sent the OBC to his 3rd consecutive loss after he ran his mouth about OSU. Any chance Tebow could leave after his sophomore season this year? He's going to be unstoppable next year.	1
13		The Horns got by Tech in a shootout and head to A&M next weekend. Think they won't want revenge for the way McCoy was roughed up last year?	3
14		The Tigers spanked Wake and this week they'll get a chance to hand BC its 3rd straight L.	5
15		Seriously, how did this team lose to Iowa? They're going to do some damage in their bowl game and we're already dreading the trip to Champaign next year.	NR
16		They've won a lot of squakers, but they're 9-2 and any team that beats the "U" 48-0 deserves some love.	NR
17		This team is clicking right now. The date with Hawaii in a few weeks is looming large.	6
18		It's great to see Ben Mauck having success this year. Bearcats have a very winnable game against WVU this weekend at Nippert.	7
19		Fulmer (and his arteries) thrive under pressure. With his job on the line, the Vols have a good shot at the SEC championship game.	NR
20		Maryland? Wow. The Matt Ryan Heisman campaign was short-lived. The Eagles may be staring at their 3rd straight loss in Clemson this weekend.	10
21		Fresno State gave them a run. Won't matter.. if Boise State doesn't get them in 2 weeks, Washington will the week after that.	--
22		Huge win for the Badgers because Michigan had owned them the last decade.	NR
23		It's tough to win games with your best guys on the bench. Hart, Henne and Long have been thinking about this next game for 12 months.	9
24		Ranking them for now, but they do travel to Athens this weekend, so don't expect to see them for long.	NR
25		Should heal from the loss to UC by feasting on Syracuse this week.	10

DROPPED OUT: Auburn (#17), California (#18), Florida State (#20), Alabama (#22), Arkansas (#24).

We touched on this a little in the summer, but Tuesday night (10:30) is the premiere of The Rivalry, HBO's first college sports documentary.

The documentary will feature the last on-camera footage of Bo (he passed one day after sitting down for the interview last season) and should be television orgasm to any die-hard Buckeye or Wolverine fan.

Evidently, it explores the differences between the two fan communities as well:

The age-old clash between the perceived arrogance of Michigan and crudeness of Ohio State is played up. Early narration describes “an aura of elitism among Michiganites” that came from the school’s status as a top-notch learning institution. 60 Minutes star Mike Wallace, a Michigan grad, drew jeers from the Mershon crowd by noting, “Michigan was superior to Ohio State and remains superior.”

Michigan elitism? No... Excuse me while I go shot-gun a beer and flip a car.

THE RIVALRY, HBO - TUESDAY 11/13 10:30 PM ET | Full Listings

Ohio State 0-0, 0-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

November 12, 2007 9:00 PM ET ------ The Schott Columbus, OH

Wisconsin GB 1-0, 0-0 Horizon Roster | Schedule

Opponent: UW-Green Bay will travel to the Schott tonight for a first round game in the NIT Season Tip-Off. They return 4 starters from last year's 18-15 team and the Phoenix is picked to finish 3rd in the Horizon League. UWGB has won all three games they played this year, two exhibition and one regular season, taking down Oakland 76-75 last Friday.

The Phoenix have connected on only 36 percent of their shots from behind the arc and may not look to shoot from that range as much as Ohio State's first two opponents. However, UWGB has an overall FG percentage of 49 percent, which tells me they move the ball around and get a good look at the basket each possession.

This team does have some overall height, but they were out rebounded in their season opener 32-41, so the Buckeyes may have an advantage on the boards. UWGB will give the Buckeyes a tremendous challenge, an experienced bunch with more chemistry than the Buckeyes, they look to copy another Horizon team, Butler, who won this tournament last year.

Key Players: The Phoenix are lead by preseason all conference selection Mike Schachtner (#43 6'9" Jr.), who lead the team in scoring last year at 14.9 a game. He was selected 2nd team all Horizon a year ago and lead UWGB with 23 points and 7 rebounds in their first contest. Schachtner is going to pose a match up problem tonight, he has size, experience and can shoot the ball from any where.

UWGB will get some scoring help from their two starting guards. Troy Cotton (#10 6'1" So.), was second in the conference last year shooting 46 percent from downtown and started the final 22 games. Rahmon Fletcher (#20 5'10" Fr.), made an early splash, starting his first collegiate game and accounting for 14 points, 3 assists and 2 steals.

Terry Evans (#21 6'5" Jr.), led the team in rebounding last year, at 6.3 per game and also paced the team in blocks (1.4) and steals (1.7). Evans athleticism has earned him all conference defensive status the last two seasons. Randy Berry (#23 6'9" So.), looks to be the bruising white boy in the paint, who could pick up junk points and rebounds, if the Buckeyes don't box out. UWGB will have Ryan Tillema (#24 6'8" Jr.), and Bryquis Perine (#0 6'3" Fr.), coming off the bench. Tillema is a veteran who likes the 3ball, averaging almost 2 per game over his career and Perine could provide an additional spark.

Notes: Wisconsin Green Bay is playing Ohio State for the first time and also participating in their first NIT Season Tip-Off... The Phoenix are coached by Tod Kowalczyk, who is entering his 6th season... UWGB has an enrollment of 5,800 students, 67 percent of which are females.

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Buckeye Breakdown: It's been a tough week for Buckeye Nation, but luckily it is Michigan week and Thad's squad gets a chance at redemption in their season opener tonight. Thad had plenty of teaching to do after the debacle against Findlay and this young team needs to come out strong to avoid another embarrassment. The two exhibition games did give us some insights into how raw this team really is, but Thad has a stable of athletes that fit his style of play and it should be an exciting brand of basketball this season.

Key Players: Jamar Butler is back at the point guard position, where he thrived as a sophomore. He lost 15 pounds and is looking to slash a little more this year. Butler is the Buckeye's leading returning scorer and was selected as preseason All-Big Ten. He is a quiet, solid leader who should be the career leader in three pointers made (16 more) within the next couple of months. The Buckeyes desperately need Butler to be consistent this year, play under control and lead his young teammates.

P.J. Hill looks to be a serviceable back up for Butler. Hill's quickness and speed is due to his soccer back ground and he doesn't look to be a scoring threat, but will be crucial defensively in Big Ten play. Hill must limit his turnovers this year, but he is a winner and should improve quickly as his comfort level increases.

The other two starters alongside Butler, should be David Lighty and Jon Diebler. Lighty gained valuable experience as the captain of the USA Basketball U19 team this summer and he should have more confidence in his shooting stroke. He has taken 9 shots in each exhibition game and the Buckeyes need him to average in double digits. Lighty's 1-7 from downtown thus far is a concern, so he will need to drive to the hoop and hit the mid range jumper to get him going.

The folklore behind Diebler is well known and he is within range when he walks in the gym. Diebler is going to be a defensive liability for the first couple of months, but he is going to get his share of shots and should also average in double digits. Ohio State will need Diebler to use his length for rebounding and make at least 40 percent of his treys.

Evan Turner and Eric Wallace have similar attributes and will look to give Matta even more options coming off the bench. Turner averaged 25 points a game in his senior season and has showed glimpses of his slashing style and mid range jumper. He didn't do much stat wise in exhibition play, but his length and passing abilities will help Ohio State in transiston.

Wallace has potential to quickly become a crowd favorite. He may not have the complete offensive game yet, but his ability to jump will gain him instant rock star status. Wallace lead the team in steals and blocks during preseason play and must give Ohio State a high flying scoring threat.

Othello Hunter is going to be the X-Factor for Ohio State this year. I still think he can become all conference, but that display he put on last week can not happen again. Hunter is Ohio State's leading returner in rebounding, 4.5/game and had 15 points and 12 boards in the first game. However, he laid a turd in game two, with 0 points and 1 rebound. If Othello can bring intensity every game, he has potential to average a double-double, as Kosta Koufos will help take pressure off inside.

Koufos paced Ohio State in scoring and rebounding during the preseason, at 17.5 and 9.5 respectively. Koufos looks to have fluid movement in the post and has stayed away from hanging outside the arc, but his free throws must improve from the current 50 percent. Enjoy this year with Koufos, as this maybe his last in a Buckeye uniform. He should lead the team in scoring and be a lottery pick next year. While Hunter and Koufos should be the starters this year, Thad is much deeper on the inside than in past years.

The Wiggler is back, to help lead fellow Whiteboy project Kyle Madsen and Dallas Lauderdale off the bench. I think Wiggler is due for a breakout season and will help extend the defense with his shooting range. Lauderdale will be get his points strictly from the inside and looks to have good enough speed to keep up with Matta's frantic pace. Madsen could be the odd man out as his skills are too similar to Wiggler's and he looks stiff in running up and down the floor.

Notes: Thad Matta is 7-0 in season openers... He is looking for his 8th straight 20 win season to start his career... Ohio State is 0-2 all time in the NIT Season Tip-Off, losing to Notre Dame in 1999 and DePaul in 1989... Ohio State is 49-9 all time against the Horizon League and will also face Butler and Cleveland State this season... Matta is 48-3 at the Schott and is looking to guide the Buckeyes to their 26th consecutive win there.

We're all shocked. Maybe upset. Maybe even a little bit of calling off work for three days and not shaving, but overall, I think Buckeye nation is taking this loss relatively well.

We were talking this morning about how the 98 loss and some of the Michigan losses hurt more because that was the team's best product on the field. Considering how young this team is, there's a great sense of optimism heading into the final two games and next season. 10-1 in a "rebuilding" year? We love it.

Besides, it's Michigan Week.

Beaten on the Field
Make no mistake about it, the Illini came to play and won the game on the field. It started when Illinois answered the Buckeyes opening touchdown drive with an 80 yard run up the middle on their first play of the game and they kept punching all night.

Just about every element of the Illini attack was flawless. From Juice Williams looking like Tommy Frazier, to the Illini offensive and defensive fronts dominating the line of scrimmage, they executed. One penalty. Zero turnovers. Ron Zook as Jimmy Johnson. Hats off.

Most of the nation will see the loss as an indictment of Ohio State's ability, but I see something entirely different. I see a young team that was slaughtered in the turnover battle, lost the line of scrimmage, was on the short end of the luck stick and saw their coach outcoached for one of the few times in his Buckeye career -- and they still nearly beat a very good team playing a perfect game.

Are there things to work on? Certainly. But there's this little event taking place at noon Saturday where a positive outcome could quickly lift the spirits of Buckeye Nation.

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Leman Is Not Sucky
Every time the Illini defense needed a play, J Leman was there to deliver. His play was exemplified when the Buckeyes had a 2nd and goal from the Illini 8 on their opening drive of the 2nd half. The defense had just forced the Illinois offense to a three and out and the Buckeye offense was poised to score and tie the game. Boeckman throws a receiver screen to Hartline and Leman blows by Cordle's attempt at a block to drop Hartline for a 1 yard loss. The next play resulted in an interception in the end zone and that was the beginning of the end.

Leman finished with 12 tackles (8 solo) and 2.5 TFLs and his penchant for being there when his team needed him left little doubt as to who is the best linebacker in the conference. (Freeman showed up with 18 tackles - 10 solo and may in fact be the best backer on the Buckeyes.)

At any rate, we're glad Leman is a senior and will be playing in the NFL or selling solid flavor injectors instead of patrolling the sidelines of the Big Ten next season.

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A Recurring Theme for the Defense
This is the 2nd straight season the Buckeye defense has risen to the top of the national rankings only to fizzle down the stretch. Last year, the defense fell off the map for the last two games, but it seems to be starting sooner this year.

It started with Penn State, who you could argue, would have put up some great offensive numbers had the Buckeye offense not been so exceptional in its own right. Wisconsin came to town last weekend on backup wideouts and with a 3rd string running back and got some and then Illinois did its thing yesterday. 80 yard runs up the middle on Illinois' first play from scrimmage? Juice and his staggering 13:46 possession time in the 4th quarter? Wow.

I know it's a young team -- especially on the defensive side of the ball -- and that could have something to do with the sudden collapse, but two years in a row?

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Your Weekly Beanie Lovefest
It's a shame that Beanie was effectively kept out of the game in the 4th quarter. Being a physical back, that's usually his bread-and-butter quarter, and you could tell he was feeling it when his last two carries of the 3rd quarter were a 7 yard run over Leman for a first down, followed up by a 17 yard touchdown run.

The more I see of Beanie, the more I like. You can definitely see influences from close friend Jim Brown in him. Brown once famously said that he got up slow after every hit so defenders would never know if he was really hurting or not. I'm now convinced that Wells is faking injuries so defenders will focus on the pain-free parts of his body. He's like that.

More Wells, please. Oh, and anyone know what happened to Brandon Saine? He used to get snaps for the Buckeyes.

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Boeckman Can Run
Yes, the interceptions, particularly the last two, were shank-in-the-stomach painful and sucked life out of the stadium. And yes, Boeckman needs to work on some things, namely "don't throw the ball if the defenders outnumber your receiver". But. There are things that I liked in the Illinois game. His running, for one.

Remember all the chatter during spring camp about how Boeckman was supposedly faster than Smith? I never really believed that, but Saturday has given me pause. He instinctively knows when running is a good option and when he had the space, he looked quick in the open field. That will be handy when he learns to throw the ball away.

Where do I even begin?

I guess I should first give credit to Illinois for coming into the 'Shoe and punching the Buckeyes in the mouth. The Illini controlled both lines of scrimmage en route to a 28-21 upset victory over Ohio State knocking Jim Tressel's squad out of the national title picture.

The Buckeye defense, especially the front 7, had no answer for Juice Williams and the Illinois read option attack surrendering 260 yards on the ground and 400 total. The pass defense gave up only 140 yards but allowed 4 TD tosses, more than a few to wide open receivers.

Not to be outdone, the offense played just as poorly on the strengh of Todd Boeckman's horrific performance behind an offensive line that got pushed around for much of the game. On the rare occasions when Boeckman had time to throw he appeared unsettled in the pocket resulting in poor throws, poor decisions or both. Boeckman tied a career high with 3 INTs, two led directly to Illini TDs while the third set up the backbreaking Illinois drive running the last 8:09 off the clock.

And what about Tressel's performance today? I wouldn't trade him for any coach in the country but I think its fair to question why he didn't call timeout in the 1st quarter to give the replay booth more time to figure out Illini RB Daniel Defrene clearly fumbled at the end of an 80 yard run on a play that should have resulted in OSU taking possession at the 20 after recovering the fumble in the endzone. At the very least, maybe the OSU coaches see their own replay during the timeout allowing Tressel to challenge a call that would most certainly been overturned.

Even more questionable was his decision to call timeout as Illinois set up to punt on 4th and inches at their own 33 yard line with 6:53 to play. He commented afterward that he wished he hadn't called timeout but OSU was struggling to get players off the field. I want to buy that but it didn't appear Illinois was quite yet ready to snap the ball forcing OSU into a penalty. The TV view wasn't wide enough to see if the Buckeyes were going to be called for too many man on the field but why would Tressel say he wished he hadn't called timeout if it wasn't necessary to avoid a penalty and automatic first down?

That sequence of events proved fatal as Juice talked Ron Zook out of punting and easily converted a quarterback sneak into a first down before converting three straight 3rd down runs (12, 12, 3 yards) to run out the clock on the Buckeyes title hopes.

As a result, the experts are frothing at the mouth to get in their licks and "I told you so's" as the Buckeyes must now fall back on having a shot to win the Big Ten for the third straight year and capturing a likely trip to Pasadena in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year.

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OFFENSE:

The offense looked good early as OSU won the toss, elected to receive and scored in :23 thanks to a 65 yard Boeckman to Brian Hartline hookup on the first play from scrimmage followed by Beanie Wells' 11 yard TD run.

Following Illinois' own quick TD strike, Boeckman led the Buckeyes to a 14-7 lead keying a 9 play, 76 yard drive with a 23 yard scramble on 3rd and 7 before hitting Jake Ballard with a 22 yard pass on the next play setting up Mo Wells' 19 yard TD sprint.

The wheels came off from there as the offense was held scoreless for six straight possessions with four punts sandwiched between two Boeckman INTs. The four straight punt possessions yielded a paltry 31 yards on 19 plays.

Ohio State trailed just 21-14 at the half and appeared poised to tie the game after the Buckeye defense forced a three and out to start the 3rd quarter but Boeckman forced a throw into the endzone that deflected directly to an Illinois DB for a touchback. The interception set up a gut wrenching 80 yard TD drive giving Illinois a 28-14 lead with 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

The ghost of Beanie Wells made a guest appearance on the next drive as he converted a 4th and 1 before popping a 17 yard TD run to cut the lead to 28-21 with a quarter to go but the drive went for naught as Boeckman was picked off for the third and final time on a underthrown deep ball to Brian Robiskie at the Illinois 24 yard line with only 8 minutes left.

Beanie finished with 76 yards on 20 carries but was again bit by the injury bug as his ankle hampered his runs in addition to suffering a thumb injury that kept him on the sidelines for a short period. That said, Beanie's off day was more directly impacted by the fact the line couldn't consistenly handle the Illini front 7 keeping running lanes to a minimum. In fact, of the 180 yards rushing, 68 of those were the result of Boeckman scrambles.

It's very concerning that the offensive line has been pushed around for the better part of the last two games and Boeckman can't seem to avoid the big mistake in the face of pressure. Combine those facts with a hampered Beanie Wells and you've got yourself a sputtering offense that needs to regroup before heading to the Big House.

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DEFENSE:

The Silver Bullets got off to another slow start allowing touchdowns on two of the first three Illini possessions. Frozen by the shotgun QB option runs and play action passes, the defensive front generated little pressure and most blitzes seemed to be unluckily called to the wrong side.

Illinois seemed to confuse the Buckeye secondary leading to some wide open receivers (save the pick play in the endzone) but to Juice's credit, when the Buckeyes did have tight coverage he still made some impressive throws with Chimdi Chekwa, among others, displaying poor ball skills to aid the Illini cause.

With the line struggling to get off blocks the linebackers made most of the tackles as the ball carriers got to the second line of the defense. Marcus Freeman finished with a career high 18 stops while James Laurinaitis logged 12.

The pass defense allowed only 12 completions but four went for TDs with two of them coming on 30+ yard strikes. A 31 yarder to Marques Wilkins gave Illinois a 28-14 lead capping off their second 80+ yard TD drive with 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. The Buckeyes had surrendered just five TD passes all season before today's collapse.

Meanwhile the Columbus Police have put out an APB on Malcolm Jenkins who finished with 1 assisted tackle.

The Buckeyes defense stopped Illinois on just 9 of 17 3rd downs and allowed two 4th down conversions, the biggest coming after the Tressel timeout. From there, Juice's three straight 3rd down conversions on runs up the gut fueled the 16 play possession that ran off the final 8 minutes of clock to secure the upset.

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SPECIAL TEAMS:

I honestly don't even feel like writing about the special teams. This unit was the least of the Buckeyes problems today although the return units again failed to do anything of significance. Credit Illinois kicker Michael Cklamovski with some high kicks that enabled the coverage team to get downfield limiting space for Ray Small and Brandon Saine.

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NOTES:

The Buckeyes scored on their opening drive for the 7th consecutive game...Today's crowd was the 5th largest in Ohio Stadium history (105,453)...Pepper Johnson served as honorary captain.

This hit still makes me cringe.

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A couple of readers wrote in to inform us that the State College Police have issued disorderly conduct charges to both the Penn State chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity as well as University of Pitt student who were caught on tape harassing Buckeye fans a few weeks ago.

Good to see "that smiling turd from Pittsburgh" getting his.

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Preview: #1 OSU v. Illinois

#1 Ohio State 10-0, 6-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

November 10, 2007 3:30 PM ET ------ Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH

Illinois 7-3, 4-2 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

The Fighting Illini roll into town this weekend to take on the top-ranked Buckeyes in what would normally be the perfect setup for a trap game.

They are a talented squad powered by a stud running back and a game-breaking wide receiver. The Buckeyes are 10-0 and gaining respect, and that chip on their shoulder is getting smaller by the day. Oh, and the game that the kids come to Ohio State to play in is next weekend.

Then, Tuesday night happened.

I was honestly a little worried about this game until Matta's boys went down the other night. That shocking loss gave Matta and Tressel a teaching point and all but assured that the football Buckeyes will be in good shape this weekend.

That's not to say that Illinois won't be a game opponent, because they will be. They're bowl-bound, have good wins over Penn State and Wisconsin and nearly beat a fine Missouri team to open the season. They would no doubt be a top 20 team if they played their home games South of the Mason Dixon Line.

Tale of the Tape

OHIO STATE	OFFENSE	ILLINOIS
34.9 (25th)	SCORING	27.6 (58th)
415.0 (39th)	TOTAL OFFENSE	413.9 (41st)
200.6 (22nd)	RUSHING	261.3 (5th)
214.4 (69th)	PASSING	152.6 (113th)
OHIO STATE	DEFENSE	ILLINOIS
9.7 (1st)	SCORING	19.1 (21st)
221.2 (1st)	TOTAL DEFENSE	355.0 (45th)
65.0 (3rd)	RUSHING	112.5 (22nd)
156.2 (2nd)	PASSING	242.5 (81st)

The quick turnaround job Ron Zook has done at Illinois is seen by some as an indictment of the Big Ten, but to us, that's just part of the ebb and flow of life, full of so many variables. Regardless, in only three short years, Ron Zook has restored hope in Champaign.

The Illini enter the game ranked 5th in the nation in rushing and with games in hand, have already broken the school record for total offense in a season. That record had only been around for 36 years.

Illinois boasts All-Americans on both sides of the ball and look as good as they have since their Big Ten championship season of 2001. They enter this game believing that they can upset the Buckeyes and that's a good thing if you're an Illini fan.

Unfortunately, this Buckeye team appears to be on a mission. The few seniors that will be playing their final home game will get a proper sendoff from the faithful and don't underestimate the freshness of Illibuck -- property of the state of Ohio since 2002.

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Opponent
I was accused of drinking the Windy City Kool Aid after talking up the Illini as a darkhorse contender and threat to finish in the top four in the Big Ten. I pointed out that 5 of their 6 road games were very winnable and aside from the Iowa loss, they won the other four that I thought they'd win.

The season-opening loss to Mizzou was a heartbreaker. Illinois, down to their 2nd string quarterback, was up by 3 with less than 10 minutes remaining, but the Tigers found a way to get a touchdown late before holding on to the victory. These days, Missouri is a top 10 team and if there is such a thing as a "good" loss, that is one.

Their lone home loss came at the hands of Michigan 3 weeks ago. The two teams were tied entering the fourth quarter before the Wolverines scored the last 10 - 7 coming via trickery - to put the game away.

Illinois is a handful of plays from being unbeaten, though they've had their share of close victories as well. A seven point home win over Penn State and a five point home win over P.J. Hill-powered Wisconsin give Buckeye fans a little bit of something to measure the two squads.

If there's anything this Illinois team does well, it's run the rock. The two-headed rushing monster of quarterback Juice Williams (#7) and running back Rashard Mendenhall (#5) present headaches to even the best of rush defenses.

If you've read this space over the past couple of months, you'd know that we love to hype opposing running backs. From Sutton to Ringer to Hill, we've sung the sweet praises of them all. Mendenhall may be the best of the bunch (at least until Hart next week). He's the real deal.

The junior is 8th in the nation in rushing with 1314 yards through 10. Only 17 yards away from breaking the school record for rushing yards in a season, it's likely he'll get at least that Saturday. Especially considering the fact that he has an astonishing 390 yards and 4 touchdowns in his last two games.

All is not lost as good teams have had success limiting his damage. Missouri, Penn State, Michigan and Iowa (?!?) have all held him under the century mark. Not surprisingly, the Illini are 1-3 in those games.

Williams enters this game on a bit of a rushing roll of his own. He ran for 133 on Minnesota last weekend and 99 against Ball State the week before. His 568 yards on the ground are only 9 yards from breaking his school mark for rushing yards out of a quarterback.

Juice has improved upon his national-worst 39.5% completion percentage last year as a freshman, but he's still good for an interception for every touchdown pass he throws, just like last season. He's been so erratic this year, that backup Eddie McGee (#10) has seen considerable playing time.

When Williams is passing, he's looking for one guy -- super frosh Arrelious "Regis" Benn (#9). You pretty much have to be a badass to take on "Regis" as a nickname and the former Parade All-American would have much, much more to show for this season beyond his 573 yards and 1 touchdown if anyone but Juice Williams was tasked with getting him the ball.

Mendenhall will catch some balls out of the backfield, but beyond that, only senior wide receiver Jacob Willis (#83), with 16, has more than 9 receptions on the year.

The offensive line, lead by senior guard Martin O'Donnell (#64) is not only a huge reason the Illini have had so much success running the ball this season, but have also improved in the pass protection category. Just ask Juice -- he's on pace to hit the turf less than half as many times as he did last year.

The Illini defense has been doing its part as well, coming in allowing only 19 points per game. After Mizzou put up 40 on them in the opener, they've yet to give up more than 27 in a game. In their loss at Iowa, they held the Hawkeyes to 10 points and still came away with the "L".

It all starts with stud senior backer J Leman (#47). Nobody knows his first name. He skinned and impaled the last guy that asked him what it was and none have tried since.

Let's be honest, if Leman played for one of the blue bloods, he'd be regarded as the best linebacker in the history of college football. He'll be coming in angry as this is the first week in the past 18 that he hasn't been the conference leader in tackles. That's nuts.

Last season, Leman notched 19 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and a forced fumble in the narrow 17-10 Buckeye road victory. He'll be a factor again this year, but luckily this will be the last time the Buckeyes have to face him as he's already graduated.

This will be the 3rd time in the last month that the Buckeye offensive line will be going against an excellent defensive front. The Illini are 10th in the nation averaging 3.3 sacks per game. Junior end Will Davis (#81) is pacing the unit with 7.5 sacks on the season and will try to use his speed to get into the Buckeye backfield. Football Rule of Thumb #41: If a defensive lineman is wearing a receiver's number, he's got wheels.

True sophomore Vontae Davis (#1), is currently 3rd in the conference in interceptions and is the only sophomore (and the only other Big Ten player aside from Malcom Jenkins) named as a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award. He's also blocked two punts this season and is a difference-maker.

Illinois has a solid kicking game and Benn is a threat on returns, already having taken one to the house in the Penn State game. Special teams are an area in which team athleticism can really shine and Zook's infusion of talent is already showing.

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Notes: Illinois is 3-14 against No. 1 opponents as it heads into its 18th appearance against the top-ranked. The last win over a No. 1 opponent was in 1956 when the Illini defeated Michigan State, 20-13... With seven more quarterback sacks in the final three games, the Illini could break the school record of 40, which was posted by the 2001 squad... Illinois’ 44 points scored at Minnesota are the most in the Ron Zook era... The Illini are 1-8 against Ohio State when OSU is ranked #1... Illinois is 7-0 when leading at halftime this season... FireRonZook.com is still rocking out on the internet.

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Buckeye Breakdown The Buckeyes are rolling. You don't need me to tell you that. After an initial scare last weekend against Wisconsin, the team turned it on to record its 10th impressive victory of the season.

Saying that, aside from the 40-2 drubbing in 2005, the Illini have played the Buckeyes tough in the Tressel era. The 2001 team that went on to win the Big Ten championship beat a ranked Buckeye team by double digits in Columbus. In 2002, OSU squeaked out an overtime victory over Illinois on the way to winning the national championship and last season in Champaign, the Illini actually outgained the Buckeyes before holding the team to its lowest point output of the regular season.

The best part about the job Zook has done at Illinois is that now the school has guys that the Buckeyes can seriously prepare for and relish the chance to go against. Mendenhall will serve as a great tune-up for H20-3 next weekend and Juice will give the team a limited look at some of the skills Oregon's Dennis Dixon brings to the table should OSU meet the Ducks in New Orleans.

Cordle and the fullbacks will have a challenge dealing with Leman all afternoon and the tackles will be tested by Will Davis. Don't think Robo isn't looking forward to his matchup with Vontae Davis, either.

If you're putting the Buckeye defensive plan together, it's really kind of simple. The Illini, as good as they are running the ball, are a one dimensional team on offense. Much like the previous three games, if Ohio State can jump out to any type of early lead, it can force Illinois into throwing the ball earlier than they'd like to.

Having scored on their opening drive the last 6 games and with Todd, Beanie and the receivers rolling, there's no reason to believe the Bucks won't be able to establish that early lead. Beanie may have a tougher time going because I expect this to be a hard-hitting affair and Leman will be a factor, but Boeckman's touch and efficiency will open things up for Wells.

There's some concern over the terrible kick coverage the Buckeyes have shown so far this season and that's warranted. They absolutely have to figure this out, but seeing as we're heading into game #11 and they still don't have a handle on it, I'm not optimistic. I just hope it doesn't bite the team in the ass sometime in the last three games which figure to be against progressively better competition.

Kick coverage isn't the only aspect the team needs to work on -- what's up with all of these field goal blocks? Pretorius is 17 of 21 on field goal attempts on the season with 3 blocks. So he's really 17/18 on kicks that actually clear the line. Not bad at all and definitely in line with what you'd expect out of a Vest kicker. The blocks haven't hurt the team yet, but are another bugaboo out there lurking.

Illinois will show up, but I can't see them having enough to pull off a shocker at the Shoe especially when you consider just how stingy the Buckeye defense has played at home this season.

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Notes: The Buckeyes will be looking to build on their conference record with their 21st straight Big Ten victory... Ohio State has scored on their opening drive in 8 of their 10 games this season... The OSU defense has given up only two touchdowns at home this season... Ohio State has an all-time record of 67-9-1 when ranked as the nation’s No. 1 team... Ohio State leads the Illinois series 60-29-4 and has a 26-17-4 edge in Columbus.

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Jason: OSU 23, Illinois 9
Chris: OSU 30, Illinois 13

Damn, that was fast! I spent weeks getting myself back above .500 (18-17) only to have last weekend's 1-3 effort serve as a subtle reminder that I really shouldn't bet on games (simulation or otherwise) until some sportsbook invents the 1 Team / 10 Point Teaser.

Of course, I should've anticipated BC showing their true colors. Losing a home night game against a team lead by fossils like Bowden, Mickey Andrews and the Czar of Fashion, Chuck Amato? Pathetic.

As usual, Jason had the weekend edge going 2-2 moving his season mark to 23-16. Seems like maybe somebody's been inviting Brandon Lang over for slumber parties.

With Illinois in town for a rumble in the 'Shoe, we've invited Illini alum Hugh Hefner to the 11W Mansion to serve as this week's guest picker.

If there was ever anyone who specialized in "The Spread" it's Hef so let's see if he's got the skills to compete with our previous invitees.

Now on to the picks:

Louisville (+16) @ West Virginia (ESPN 7:30 Thurs.) The upset minded Cardinals head to Morgantown hoping to salvage their season while the Mountaineers control their own destiny in the conference championship race. Sixteen points is a lot to give but keep in mind WVU has the 4th ranked Total Defense in the country to go along with Slaton and White on offense. Conversely, Louisville comes in with the 79th ranked defense and has lost 6 of 7 in DrunkenNeer Stadium.

Chris: WVU sports better D, better O and a wild home field advantage. Mountaineers 42-24. Jason: I know Louisville sucks, but 16 seems way too high for this game. Mountaineers 34-24. Hef: I like the way Slaton and White "hit the hole" with reckless abandon. WVU 38-20.

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Auburn (+2) @ Georgia (CBS 3:30) Georgia freshman sensation RB Knowshon Moreno will have to again carry the load as the Bulldogs face a strong road foe in the Auburn Tigers. Moreno is the 2nd frosh (Herschel) in UGA history to rush for 1,000 yards and averages 111 yards per game while leading the conference in the Most Ridiculous First Name category.

Chris: Auburn usually plays well in Georgia so I'll take the Tigers 20-17. Jason: Click-clack. Click-clack. Georgia 24-17. Hef: If you're like me, you love to be "Between the Hedges". Georgia 24-19.

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Michigan (-2.5) @ Wisconsin (ESPN 12:00) The Wolverines will have Mike Hart and Chad Henne as they take on the Badgers in Camp Randall although both are less than 100%. Wisconsin has their own injury woes as P.J. Hill is doubtful again while DT Jason Chapman and DB Allen Langford are both out for the season after suffering knee injuries chasing Beanie last week.

Chris: Lloyd's crew keeps rolling to set up the conference title showdown. Michigan 27-17. Jason: Run, run, run the ball, gently down Bielema's throat.. Hart looks good in this one: Wolverines 28-10. Hef: Impressed with my smoking jacket, I heard Tressel bought Lloyd a red velvet choking jacket. Badgers 21-20.

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USC (-4) @ Cal (8:00) A game that the experts drooled over in the preseason, USC-Cal has lost its luster due in large part to overhyped albeit injured quarterbacks. It's hard to fathom but the first team reach 20 points might win this Pac-10 tilt.

Chris: I'll give Cal the edge with the night game at home. Bears 21-17. Jason: USC goes into the Hippiedrome and drubs the Bears 30-14. Hef: I've got a Mr. Microphone for those Song Girls! USC 28-25.