Eleven Warriors

Considering the raging success of our inaugural Guess The Score Contest, we've decided to come at you with an even better version. To do that, we consulted with Ed McMahon and he said the key to success is to sweeten the schwag so that's exactly what we've done.

The hat giveaway was cool, but nothing can compete with our latest Grand Prize - a shirt of your choice from the 11W Store. I know, I know. We've gone mad, but these shirts are some bonafide wool pullers and we want to reward the winner with something befitting a champion. Now, wipe the froth from your mouth and pay attention to the rules:

• Leave only 1 prediction
• Include your email address
• Don't hijack somebody else's prediction (any duplicate pick is ineligible)
• Submit entry before kickoff

As usual, the winner will be the prediction that is closest to the final score for each team with the correct team winning. In the event of a tie in the amount of combined points away from the actual final score, the winner shall be the prediction that is closest to the final score in total points. I know, it seems like a formality but not after TLB squeaked by GoBucks89 the first time around.

We'll announce the winner on Monday and arrange armed guards to accompany the winner to their mailbox upon delivery as we know what kind of commotion these shirts cause. Good luck!

Michael Jenkins of the Atlanta Falcons captures this week's Buckeye NFLer of the Week award. Jenkins grabbed 6 catches for 64 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons beat the Houston Texans 26-16.

It marked the first time in Jenkins' career that he has scored multiple touchdowns in one game. The Falcons' 4th year receiver has had a roller coaster NFL career so far, but Buckeye fans know that Jenkins has a lot more talent than he has shown so far. Fans won't soon forget the Purdue game-winner in '02 or the 4th & 14 reception for 17 yards in the 4th quarter of the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, but he has yet to really blow up in the NFL. If Joey Harrington (or any other Falcons quarterback) can give the team any kind of passing game, Jenkins will emerge as another NFL star wide receiver from the scarlet and gray.

Honorable mention goes out to yet another former Buckeye wide receiver, Santonio Holmes> of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Holmes had 6 catches for 128 yards including touchdown catches of 43 and 7 yards. Santonio's effort wasn't good enough to help the previously unbeaten Steelers lose on the road to the Arizona Cardinals, 21-14.

That be one hot seat

Wolverine fans were quick to gloat about the arrest of Antonio Henton last week. This week, karma once again bites them in the ass.

Michigan athletic director Bill Martin informed members of the media that the school may be penalized for using an ineligible player in the season's first four games.

Freshman safety Artis Chambers, used primarily on special teams, was cleared by the NCAA to play, but he hadn't been cleared by the Big Ten's slightly stricter standards. Because it's a conference eligibility issue, Michigan is potentially only facing discipline for the Penn State victory - which could be flipped to a defeat for the Wolverines depending on how the Big Ten rules on the issue.

Ever grumpy Lloyd Carr had this to say when asked about it after the Wolverines' victory over Northwestern Saturday:

"I'm not going to get into that, other than to say it's a real disappointment. That's all."

Shakeup Saturday didn't make putting this ballot together easy. Big movement at the top with 2 PAC10 schools in the top 3, and the USF Bulls busting into the top 10 at #7. LSU still holds on to the #1 spot, though it can be argued that USC got a better win Saturday.

Newcomers this week are Arizona State (#18), Purdue (#21) and Kansas State (#24), while Clemson, Penn State and Alabama drop out.

As always, you can check the ballots of every voter and the final version is due Wednesday morning, so get your thoughts in by Tuesday night if you think we got it wrong.

1		Excuse the Tigers for looking ahead to the Florida clash in their game against Tulane.	--
2		Transitive relations run amok: Buckeyes and Trojans have one common opponent under similar circumstances.	--
3		Delivered at Autzen. There aren't many teams that have gone on to win it all without a brush with death along the way.	3
4		Picked to finish 3rd in the Big Ten??	3
5		All Bret Bielema does is win football games (career record 16-1).	5
6		Young team didn't finish the game. This team is still dangerous.	3
7		Off-campus venues can rock. Have to go to Rutgers in a few weeks, but get Cincy and Louisville at home.	9
8		Squeaked by UCONN - but got the all-important victory.	4
9		Steele pegged them 6th in the SEC East. Rich Brooks can flat out coach.	8
10		Caught looking ahead to LSU, or does Tommy Click-Clack have Meyer's number?	6
11		Evidently the Greatest Window Dressing on Earth. Every year WVU is the darkhorse media darling and every year they slip up.	6
12		One huge break away from perhaps being ranked as high as 3rd.	3
13		Had a bye week before trip to Lincoln.	--
14		The OBC is lurking. Don't count him out if the upsets continue.	4
15		The Dawgs have looked good outside of the South Carolina game. Travel to Knoxville this weekend.	4
16		Gotta take a hit for barely slipping past a bad UNC team.	1
17		Who'd have thought it would be the Bearcats instead of the Mountaineers lighting it up in the Big East?	5
18		We risked losing 25% of our commenters if we passed on Erickson's pups again.	NR
19		Colt threw a career-high 5 interceptions, but they keep winning.	2
20		Lost to a bad Maryland team at home. Looking ahead to the Bearcats?	9
21		They're still unbeaten, but get a big test out of the Buckeyes this weekend.	NR
22		Followed up the A&M spanking with a mediocre performance against Duke.	2
23		Picked McCoy off 4 times in a convincing win in Austin.	NR
24		Mack Brown may want to practice special teams coverage before the Oklahoma game this week.	16
25		Can't punish Sparty for losing a nail-biter to the #5 team at their place.	--

DROPPED OUT: Clemson (#14), Penn State (#20), Alabama (#23)

The Vest's next great kicker

While the current incarnation of the Buckeye football team continues to steamroll opponents, future Buckeyes are doing their best to impress in high school. Tackle Mike Adams and wide receiver Jake Stoneburner have Dublin Coffman off to a 6-0 record. In Friday’s win against Grove City, Stoneburner caught 5 passes for 163 yards and 3 touchdowns (25, 61, 57). Baby Orlando helped protect his quaterback, Zack Stoudt en route to a 20 of 25 game for 361 yards, with all 3 touchdowns (all going to Stoneburner).

Kicker Ben Buchanan’s Westerville Central finally got off the snide Friday with a 41-34 victory. Buchanan made all 5 of his PAT’s and connected on field goals of 43 and 45 yards in the second half. Last week, Buchanan made 5 field goals in a 25-22 loss, setting a school record by hitting from 57 yards. He also connected from 29, 41, 44 and 46. Forgive him for not being perfect -- he did miss from 60. For the season, Buchanan leads the Central Ohio area in kick scoring.

Sweat swallowed the canary

Two other recruits had outstanding performances over the last two weeks. Devoe Torrence, younger brother of Devon, ran 36 times for 283 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 56-52 loss to Mentor. On the defensive side, top 10 prep linebacker, Andrew Sweat of Washington (PA.) Trinity had 17 tackles Sept. 20th in a 44-17 loss. Sweat also ran for 63 yards and a 15 yard touchdown.

In the coming months, Tressel hopes to push his list to around 18 commitments for 2008. Remember, the current 2 deep lists only 5 seniors -- 3 of which are fullbacks. Besides that position, Ohio State doesn’t seem to have any pressing needs. It will be interesting to see where the scholarships are given. Has anyone seen a future Buckeye play this year? I would love to hear your reactions.

James Laurinaitis recorded 14 tackles in his return to Minneapolis (AP Jim Mone)

On what turned out to be 'Shakeup Saturday', Ohio State put together a workmanlike effort easily dispatching Minnesota 30-7 in the Metrodome. Shockingly, the Gophers ploy to switch from maroon to mustard yellow jerseys between warmups and gametime didn't propel "Tight End" Tim Brewster's squad to victory although I did develop a strong craving for a Quarter Pounder.

Beanie Wells shook off last week's rolled ankle to the tune of 116 yards on 24 carries, two for touchdowns as OSU jumped out to a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter. To balance the attack, quarterback Todd Boeckman was again efficient if not spectacular hitting 18/29 for 209 yards and 2 TDs including a 52 yarder to TD machine Brian Robiskie to cap a 4 play 98 yard drive on the possession immediately following Minnesota's lone scoring drive giving OSU a 20-7 cushion late in the first half. The circus catch essentially guaranteed victory considering the dominance of the Buckeye defense.

Jim Heacock's unit controlled the Gopher's spread attack forcing 10 punts while allowing just 45 yards on the ground and a paltry 3/16 on 3rd down. Minnesota quarterback Adam Weber managed 27 completions but averaged just 5.3 yards per attempt as the Buckeye defense was its usual swarming self. While it can't be argued that OSU has faced a quality offense, it's hard not to think this unit is capable of leading OSU back to the national title game.

The victory should vault Ohio State from 7th to 4th in the BlogPoll in a wacky weekend that saw #3 Oklahoma, #4 Florida and #5 West Virginia get bit by the upset bug making next week's night game at Purdue a little bigger. A Buckeye victory could lead to a #3 ranking if Florida can pull the upset at LSU. This season is starting to get very interesting..

OFFENSE:

The Buckeye offense didn't get off to a great start running 5 plays for 14 yards but A.J. Trapasso's 18 yard run up the right sideline on a fake punt extended the drive giving OSU a 1st down at the Minnesota 42 yard line. Boeckman capitalized on the conversion hitting Jake Ballard on a 20 yard connection followed by a 10 yarder to Dane Sanzenbacher setting up Beanie's first TD of the night to complete the 12 play 74 yard drive that put OSU up 7-0 midway through the opening quarter.

Mo Wells was inexplicably featured on the second drive resulting in a three and out though a questionable spot on a 3rd down catch forced OSU to punt. Trapasso promptly pinned the Gophers at the six producing another three and out setting up the Buckeyes at their own 46. Beanie peeled off 15 yards on first down setting up a 37 yard gain on a reverse to Ray Small. Two plays later, Beanie was back in the endzone pushing the Buckeye lead to 14-0.

Robo through 5 games: 530 yards, 6 TD

The following two possessions yielded just 44 yards on 13 plays but the Gopher backbreaker was on the horizon. Already reeling from a Malcolm Jenkins interception near the goal line giving OSU the ball at their own 2 yard line, the Gophers watched as Boeckman hit Brian Robiskie for a 52 yard TD to cap a 4 play, 98 yard drive that took all of 57 seconds erasing any thoughts of an upset.

The second half was simply a formality after Ryan Pretorius connected from 43 yards out pushing the lead to 23-7 five minutes into the 3rd quarter. The key play was a 21 yard pass to Robo giving OSU a 1st down at the Gopher 35 yard line. The next few possessions were lackluster as Mo Wells spelled Beanie until the second drive of the 4th quarter when Boeckman connected with Brian Hartline for a 19 yard TD.

For the game, OSU piled up 459 total yards and converted 7/16 third downs. I personally felt Boeckman's performance wasn't as good as his stats but he's still proving to be a very effective quarterback. Of course, it helps that the receiving corps is led by one of the most underrated WR's in the country. Robo seems to always be open and his ability to use his body to create separation continues to impress. He made the twisting TD catch look easy. Opposing D coordinators are going to have their hands full especially with Ray Small back at 100%. His speed has added another dimension to the evolving offensive attack and help keep teams from jamming the box with 8 defenders.

DEFENSE:

Aside from giving up some yardage on an opening drive that resulted in a missed Gopher field goal and Minnesota's lone touchdown drive in the 2nd quarter, the defense was stout. Freshman running back Duane Bennett was held to 34 yards on 16 carries, while his new backup, returning 1,200 yard performer Amir Pinnix was held to 4 yards on 4 carries. The Silver Bullets were in the Minnesota backfield for much of the evening, wreaking havoc on the option or any type of misdirection the Gophers chose to run.

The beginning of the end for the Gophers

The linebackers, lead by James Laurinaitis playing minutes away from his childhood home had a monster night. Animal (has he shed the "Little" modifier yet?) paced the team with a season-high 14 tackles, while fellow backer Marcus Freeman chipped in with 11 tackles including a couple of bone-rattling hits on Bennett and Weber. Not wanting to be left out, Larry Grant had the team's lone sack and an interception and subsequent run back in which he did his best Anquan Boldin impression.

Weber and the Gophers did have some limited success through the air, but he was victimized by two interceptions and maybe another one or two that could have been. Jenkins' pick came with him playing in the safety spot, which appears to be paying off due to his tremendous ball-hawking ability. Kurt Coleman, quickly making a name for himself, finished 3rd on the team in tackles with 9 while Anderson Russell finished 4th with 7.

Freshman Cameron Heyward had a nice game, but suffered a Leon Lett moment when after getting great containment on a reverse and making a hit in the backfield, caused a fumble but was too busy celebrating to track the loose ball. Outside of that, the defense got the job done. Perhaps the defining moment in the game for the defense was immediately after recovering a Beanie Wells fumble at the OSU 7 with five minutes to play, the Gophers were held to 3 yards on 4 playes before a turnover on downs.

The defense continues to be the major difference between this year's Buckeyes and the 2006 squad. This unit is simply laying the wood. There's a huge difference between "hitting" and "tackling". The 2006 Buckeye defense tackled. This team hits.

SPECIAL TEAMS:

It was another up and down outing for the Buckeye special teams units. Trapasso converted a fake punt into a nifty first down after botching the snap (fresh block by Freeman on the play), put 4 of his 6 punts inside the Gopher 20 and kicker Ryan Pretorius did connect on a 43-yard field goal, but there mistakes as well. For some reason, the Gophers were able to block the extra point after Robo's bomb and they broke off a couple of nice kickoff returns, including one that was saved from a certain score by an excellent Pretorius tackle.

NOTES:

The 98 yard drive was the longest since a 99 yarder against Michigan in 2004... Tonight marked Beanie's first two TD game... OSU finished 12-0 all-time in the Triple-H dome... 1998 Thorpe Winner and 11W fav Antoine Winfield introduced the starting lineups for the ESPN2 telecast... Could you not feel Bob Davie daydreaming about coaching this Buckeye team.... OSU added another win to their school record 23-game winning streak... Chris Wells recorded his 4th straight 100 yard game -- the last Buckeye to do that was Maurice Clarett in 2002... Todd Boeckman is on pace for 28 touchdown passes.

"I'm just not the same man without you Vince."

In the matter of a few hours this afternoon, next week's Red River Shootout became a whole lot less interesting.

First, Colorado upended the Sooner juggernaut with an improbable walk-off field goal and then Kansas State picked Colt McCoy off 4 times on the way to a 41-21 blowout victory over Texas in Austin of all places.

Taken with the South Florida upset of West Virginia last night and the Cal victory over Oregon, 4 of the BlogPoll top 10 took it on the chins today.

Tressel-ball may not be pretty sometimes, but it's usually pretty reliable in delivering the "W", which if this weekend has taught us anything, is more important than style points when it's all said and done.

PREVIEW: #7 OSU at Minnesota

Minnesota coach Tim Brewster doing his best Holtz impression when discussing the 2007 Buckeyes:

"I've been in the National Football League for the past five years, and what I'm looking at looks like an AFC West team"

Dauber is out recruiting

#7 Ohio State 4-0, 1-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

September 29, 2007 8:00 PM ET ------ The Metrodome Minneapolis, MN

Minnesota 1-3, 0-1 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

After an up-and-down week that saw the young Buckeye offense absolutely throttle an overmatched Northwestern squad only then to wake up Tuesday morning to find out a backup quarterback was trying to score for a Gammons, it's safe to say we're all looking forward to action on the field. The #7 Buckeyes travel to Minnesota this weekend to take on the Golden Gophers in their first prime-time matchup of the season. And by prime-time, I mean a game against a terrible team. In a dome. On ESPN2. Exciting.

I want to say a little about how the Buckeyes can't take the Gophers too lightly, but I just can't bring myself to do it. The way the defense is flying to the ball and delivering wallops is downright scary. What's crazier is that they're still getting better. With 6 sophomores, 5 of which are starting for the first time this season, they're still learning on the job (see you soon H20-3).

You have to like the Buckeyes to continue their roll. The Northwestern, Minnesota, Indiana and Illinois games are where the team traditionally surges ahead in national statistical categories and this year looks to be no different (although Indiana, the weaker of the skinny-state twins, ducks OSU this season). Maybe not Northwestern roll, but it could get ugly.

Opponent: Gopher fans are a tortured lot. The university won an astounding 6 national championships in a 26 year window and then nothing for the next 45+ years. Which brings us to the 2007 edition of the Golden Gophers.

While at first there was great enthusiasm for new coach Tim Brewster, things haven't looked pretty in the Twin Cities as of late. The Gophers managed to lose their home opener to Bowling Green before losing to perennial power Florida Atlantic in week three. To be fair, Brewster's squad is a mere 7 points from being 3-1, but Bowling Green and Florida Atlantic?

Buckeye bridesmaid Glen Mason may be gone, but the Gophers can still rush the rock. Minnesota enters the game averaging 229 rushing yards a contest, good for 15th nationally. The running game gored the woeful Purdue run defense for 232 yards last weekend, powering the way to 3 second half touchdowns.

Senior captain Amir Pinnix (#29) was getting the lions-share of the carries early in the season, but costly fumbles as of late could see freshman Duane Bennett (#22) getting more looks this weekend. Pinnix finished 4th in the Big Ten in rushing last season, going for 1,272, but the fumbling problem and Bennett's explosiveness have fans clamoring for a change in the backfield.

Redshirt freshman Adam Weber (#8) has had an up and down season, at times looking like a future star, but at other times, such as the first half of the Purdue game, looking like a freshman quarterback. The 11 touchdowns are great. The 8 interceptions and costly fumbles.. not so much.

Brewster before reality (Bowling Green) set in

Weber's go-to guy is sophomore Eric Decker (#7) and in spite of his whiteness, has put up some pretty decent numbers on the season with 4 touchdowns and an average of 105 receiving yards per game. His high mark was a 12 catch 165 yard effort in the failed comeback at Florida Atlantic.

The Gopher defense has had its share of problems this season. In 3 of their 4 outings, they have been kind enough to spot the opposition 21-0 leads. Starting free safety Jamal Harris (#15) scooped up a blocked kick against Purdue last weekend, but was kind enough to give the ball back to the Boilermakers when changing carrying hands in the open field on the return.

The Gopher defense can be summed up as thus: the pass defense enters the game this weekend as the worst ranked unit in all of Division I, giving up an astonishing 407 yards per game through the air. Wow.

If there is any real threat on this Gopher team, it's kick returner Jay Thomas (#25). The sophomore leads the Big Ten in kick return average putting up 39+ a pop, including a long of 91 that resulted in a score. Considering the means by which Northwestern scored last weekend and also considering the fact that the Bucks figure to be kicking off a lot, he could get loose on one.

Notes: The Gophers have never defeated Ohio State in the Metrodome... Minnesota last beat the Buckeyes in 2000, ending a streak of 16 straight OSU victories... The Gophers may not make a BCS bowl anytime soon, but they do get a yearly shot at the 4-most hallowed trophies that you're always forgetting the name of.

Buckeye Breakdown: It was a crazy weak in Buckeye land, but I don't expect the Henton ordeal to have much, if any impact, on the team's performance this weekend. With Tressel continuing to show he's willing to air it out this season, he has to be licking his chops at the prospect of throwing against the Minnesota defense. The pass will set up the run, which in turn will set up the rout.

It's crazy that we're at the 5th game of the season and I'm already saying prayers that Todd Boeckman doesn't get hurt, but that's just how good he's been so far. After siezing the reigns in the opener, he's progressed each game to the point where great things are already expected out of him on a weekly basis, and not merely hoped for. I would also like to see Todd overthrow a receiver, just once, to prove to me that he's capable of it, but besides that, I have no complaints.

Not Troy, but not bad

Last week I mentioned that the new receiving corps, particularly Robo, was off to a great start, but after the Northwestern game, I'm wondering if he's not the best the Bucks have had since David Boston. Ginn was an amazing athlete, but 90% of what he accomplished was just on pure speed. Robo has burners and runs tight routes. There are other similarities to Boston: both have similar builds (before Boston got his swoll-on) and they each have fathers that worked in the NFL.

The Vest should try to use the passing attack to jump out to an early lead, enabling him to go light on Beanie this week. With the injury situation at the running back spot and a night game looming at Purdue next weekend, Wells will hopefully head to the bench early to better preserve him and so he can practice one-handed pushups for those devastating stiff-arms.

Mo Wells would figure to get some additional carries this weekend and beyond that freshman Marcus Williams may see some time. The coaching staff wants to redshirt "Boom" Herron, but if their pressed, he could see the field this weekend. The team already has Wells & Wells Attorneys at Law, but it wouldn't get old talking about Beanie and Boom for the next few weeks.

James Laurinaitis will be enjoying a homecoming of sorts as he was the 2004 Defensive Mr. Football for the state of Minnesota while playing for Wayzata High School just West of the Twin Cities. Hopefully his pops has purchased a block of seats at the Metrodome so we're treated to a 3rd quarter shot of the Undertaker, Paul Bearer, George "The Animal" Steele and other wrestling dignitaries cheering the Buckeyes on.

Regarding the rest of the Silver Buillets, it may be a good time to start up the weekly monster hit pools with your buddies because every week, it's someone new bringing the wood. Tyler Moeller? Donald Washington? Jamario O'Neal? Cameron Hayward? The Gun Show? One of these guys may maim a Gopher (or two).

Notes: Todd Boeckman is leading the Big Ten in passing efficiency with a rating of 172.06... This weekend may give Buckeye fans their first glimpse of Joe Bauserman, the 21 year old freshman quarterback that spent some time in minor league baseball before trying football... Lawrence Wilson appreciates the cards and emails Buckeye fans sent him after his week one injury... We couldn't be the only blog not linking to this: the Anti-Tress.

Jason: OSU 38, Minnesota 0
Chris: OSU 34, Minnesota 3

Clem "Hundy-Handshake" Haskins

As predicted, last week's action did serve as a reality check to both Jason and myself. I managed a 2-2 result against the number while Jason rode the Paterno-Saban wagon to a 1-3 week. After 4 weeks wer're deadlocked with 11-4 records. Pretty good numbers to be sure, but the wheels are gettin' a little wobbly.

With the 11W tour bus heading to Minneapolis we approached another man of integrity, Clem Haskins, to invite him to be this week's guest prognosticator. Clem eagerly accepted the assignment and the $20 stipend that comes with it since he's behind on payments to the academic advisor he contracted to do his Gopher hoopsters' homework for the better part of 5 years back in the 90's.That said, a little academic fraud wasn't enough to keep Clem out of the Hall of Fame at his alma mater, Western Kentucky. Maybe the folks at WKU confused Clem with his twin, John Chaney.

Now on to the picks:

West Virginia (-7) @ South Florida (ESPN2 8:00) Ranked for the first time ever, USF invites a Mountaineer team with revenge on its mind to sold out Raymond James Stadium (also a 1st). The Bulls went into Morgantown last year and upset WVU 24-19 prompting the creation and sale of many a "Brokeback Mountaineer" t-shirt. Can the Bulls do it again?

Chris: WVU won't look past USF this time, but I'll take the Bulls to cover. WVU 31-26. Jason: The Mountaineers lost to South Florida last season. They won't this year. WVU 42-24. Clem: I'd wager my 1.5mil buyout on this one. WVU 35-20.

Michigan State (+7) @ Wisconsin (ABC 3:30) The annual MSU crash and burn would begin right about now in what seems like the past 10 years straight. Could this be the year they keep the wheels from falling off now that they've got a real coach? It's doable, but ending the nation's current longest winning streak will depend on shutting down P.J. Hill in Camp Randall.

Chris: Wisky's been inconsistent, but MSU hasn't beat anybody worth a hoot. Badgers 24-16. Jason: Wisconsin loves to play to their competition. Take Dantonio and the points: Wisconsin 21-20. Clem: Gotta take the home team, Badgers 24-13.

Cal (+5) @ Oregon (ABC 3:30) College GameDay heads to Oregon for what should determine the PAC 10's possible challenger to USC's conference throne. Cal's hopes could depend on the arm of QB Nate Longshore who has struggled in previous road tests.

Chris: Cal's overrated. Oregon to cover, 34-27 Jason: Dennis Dixon at home? Ducks 38-21. Clem: Oregon's uni's make my eyes hurt. Cal 42-40.

USC (-20.5) @ Washington (ABC 8:00) Ty Willingham's troops welcome USC to Husky Stadium relying on crowd noise and a freshman QB to make a difference. Something tells me this is deja vu all over again.

Chris: This could get ugly. USC 45-16. Jason: The Huskies could have a shot to cover -- if the USC coaches weren't telling their kids how great Locker is all week. Trojans 37-10. Clem: Half my players couldn't spell USC but I'll say Trojans in a rout, 38-6.