Buckeyes Travel to Michigan State for First Time Since `99 – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 2, 2004
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THIS WEEK
Ohio State opens a two-game road swing this week at Michigan State. The Buckeyes and Spartans will meet at 12:10 p.m. Saturday in sold out Spartan Stadium (cap. 72,027). ESPN will televise the game and WBNS Radio will carry the game on the statewide Ohio State radio network.
Ohio State is 5-3 on the year and 2-3 in Big Ten play with three regular-season games to play. The Buckeyes have won their last two outings, both at home, recording a 21-10 win over Penn State this past Saturday in which OSU scored on an electrifying 67-yard punt return by freshman Tedd Ginn Jr., a 24-yard interception runback by defensive back Tyler Everett and a four-yard bull rush by senior running back Branden Joe.
Michigan State counters with a 4-4 record for all games and a 3-2 conference ledger. The Spartans had their two-game winning streak snapped Saturday at Michigan, dropping a 45-37 triple-overtime decision to their back-yard rivals.
Ohio State is 1-2 on the road thus far in 2004. The Buckeyes defeated North Carolina State in their first road game of the year, at the time running their record to 3-0, but have since dropped back-to-back Big Ten decisions at Northwestern and at Iowa.
MSU is 3-1 at home, the Spartans’ only loss coming at the hands of Notre Dame in week three.
This will be just the 35th meeting between the two schools. Ohio State leads the series, 22-12 and has won 10 of the 15 games played in East Lansing.
TRAVEL PLANS
The team and official party will bus (a noon departure is scheduled) to East Lansing on Friday and will stay at the Radisson Hotel. The team will fly home via private charter immediately after the game.
LAST WEEK
The Buckeyes recorded their second straight victory by downing Penn State 21-10 before a crowd of 104,947, the eighth largest crowd in Ohio Stadium annals.
Freshman Ted Ginn Jr. provided an early spark with a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown with 5:18 to play in the first quarter. It was Ginn’s second TD of the year on a punt return (the other was a 65-yard return against Wisconsin), tying the school single-season record in that category.
The Buckeyes scored again less than two minutes later when safety Tyler Everett jumped in front of a Penn State receiver and scored on a 24-yard interception return, giving OSU a 14-0 lead at 3:41 in the first stanza.
After Penn State narrowed OSU’s lead to 14-7 following a Buckeye turnover, Ohio State added its third and final score of the day on a four-yard run by tailback/fullback Branden Joe. It was the first career score for the fifth-year senior.
Joe’s score was set up by Maurice Hall’s 62-yard kick return on which Hall became the school’s all-time leader in kick return yardage (1,488).
In addition to rolling up 83 yards on two kick returns, Hall also carried the ball 14 times for 65 yards, both season highs for the 5-10 senior.
Quarterback Troy Smith completed six-of-eight passes on the day for 59 yards. He also carried the ball 12 times for a net of 26 yards in improving his record to 2-0 as a starter.
Linebackers A.J. Hawk and Anthony Schlegel led the Ohio State defense with 13 and 10 tackles, respectively. Schlegel’s total included 3.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks. As a team, the Buckeyes recorded six tackles-for-loss and three sacks.
Ginn, and fellow true freshman Devon Lyons both made their first career starts against the Nittany Lions.
Defensive lineman Marcus Green, who has been battling an ankle sprain all year long, had his best day as a Buckeye with eight tackles. Cornerback Ashton Youboty had a 35-yard interception return and was credited with three passes broken up.
As a result of the victory, the Buckeyes recorded their third straight win over Penn State and drew even in the all-time series (for the very first time) at 10-10.
OHIO STATE IN THE POLLS
Ohio State opened the season ranked ninth in both the ESPN/USA TODAY and the Associated Press preseason polls. The Buckeyes, who climbed to sixth in the former and seventh in the latter following a 3-0 start, currently are not ranked, but have been receiving votes in both polls for the past two weeks.
HALL NOW CAREER LEADER
Senior Maurice Hall is the Buckeyes’ all-time leader in kick return yardage with 1,488 yards on 64 attempts. Hall broke the record Saturday against Penn State with two returns for 83 yards, including a 62-yard runback that set up the Buckeyes’ final touchdown in a 21-10 win over the Nittany Lions. The old standard of 1,410 yards had belonged to Ken-Yon Rambo (1997-2000)
CALL HIM NOOGEAMATIC
During his four-year career at Ohio State, kicker Mike Nugent, a first-team All-American in 2002 and a candidate for the Lou Groza Award each of the last three years, has made 63 of 79 field goal attempts and is the school’s all-time leader in makes and percentage (.807). Nugent is 15-of-18 on the year with one of those misses coming 53 yards and another being blocked. He either holds outright or shares 18 school records, including the mark for multi-field goal games with 18. Nugent, who is seven-for-eight lifetime from beyond 50 yards, has a pair of 55-yard kicks this year, including the game winner as time expired in a thrilling 24-21 victory over Marshall. With 317 career points, he needs 32 more to become the school’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Pete Johnson (348 points, 1973-76). Kicker Dan Stultz had 342 points during his career (1996-2000) and is second on the all-time point list at OSU. Nugent is third. Nugent also has a string of 71 consecutive extra points made.
SMITH SETTLES IN
When starting quarterback Justin Zwick injured his shoulder early in the second half of the Iowa game, backup Troy Smith got the call.
Smith, like Zwick a redshirt sophomore, played the rest of the game at Iowa and has since started the past two games against Indiana and Penn State, leading the Buckeyes to victory in both games. As a result of his showing the past two weeks the 6-1, 215-pound Smith will be at the controls Saturday when the Buckeyes travel to Michigan State.
“Troy has gotten better with each outing,” said head coach Jim Tressel. “I have been impressed by his decision making. I have been impressed, too, by his command of the team when he is out there. Troy is a very competitive player, who really wants to win.”
In his two games as a starter, Smith has completed 18 of 32 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns. He has not been intercepted. Smith also has rushed for 84 yards in his two starts.
HAWK WATCH
Linebacker A.J. Hawk has been announced as a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award, which is presented annually by the Maxwell Club to the national defensive player of the year. Hawk also is a semifinalist for the Butkus and Lombardi Awards and a candidate for the Lott Award.
In eight games this year, Hawk, a 6-1, 238-pound junior, has been credited with 101 tackles, including five tackles for loss and a sack. He leads the Big Ten in tackles per game with an average of 12.6. He has led the Buckeyes in tackles five times this year and needs just six more stops to surpass last year’s total of 106.
The Big Ten preseason defensive player of the year, Hawk had a career-high 20 tackles against Wisconsin earlier this year, becoming only the ninth player in Ohio State history to record 20 or more tackles in a game (he is the first since Chris Spielman tied the school record with 29 against Michigan in 1986). He leads the team in solos (46), assists (55) and total tackles (101) and is second in tackles for loss.
BUCKEYE DYNAMO
Ohio State’s explosive receiver Santonio Holmes caught 10 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown at Northwestern. He also returned a punt 63 yards for a score against the Wildcats to record his fifth multiple touchdown game as a Buckeye. Holmes had 10 receptions earlier this year in the Buckeyes’ win over Marshall. He racked up 224 receiving yards in that game, the second highest total in Ohio State history, surpassed only by Terry Glenn’s 253 against Pitt in 1995 and the most ever by an OSU receiver in Ohio Stadium. His 80-yard TD catch in the Marshall game ties as the third longest pass play in Ohio State history. Holmes leads the Buckeyes in receiving with 39 catches for 582 yards and five touchdowns. He has receptions in 14-consecutive games and is averaging 14.9 yards per catch. He is also averaging 11.1 yards per punt return on 16 attempts.
PITTMAN TOPS THE CENTURY MARK
True freshman Antonio Pittman came off the bench against Indiana to record his first 100-yard rushing game. Pittman, a 5-11, 190-pound tailback from Akron Buchtel High School, carried the ball a career-high 20 times and netted 144 yards in the win over the Hoosiers. He also scored his first career touchdown. Heading into Saturday’s game with Michigan State, Pittman has carried the ball 58 times for 342 yards this year, an average of 5.9 yards per carry.
WARP SPEED (TURNING ON THE JETS)
Freshman Ted Ginn Jr. unleashed his amazing speed again Saturday against Penn State, racing 67 yards on a punt return for the Buckeyes’ first score of the day. Although several Nittany Lions appeared to have the angle on Ginn, no one touched him on his way to the end zone. It was Ginn’s third touchdown of the year. He also has scored on a 59-yard reception against Indiana and a 65-yard punt return against Wisconsin.
“Ted can make plays,” said head coach Jim Tressel. “We just need to make sure we get the ball to him.”
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Both Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr. have returned punts for touchdowns this year, marking the first time since 1950 that two Ohio State players have had punt returns for scores in the same season. Holmes scored on a 63-yard runback at Northwestern, while Ginn had a 65-yard return against Wisconsin and a 67-yard run against Penn State.
OLD FRIENDS STRIKE PAYDIRT
The 59-yard touchdown pass from Troy Smith to Ted Ginn Jr. in the win over Indiana marked the first time they have hooked up at Ohio State. But Smith and Ginn are old friends. The two played – and starred – at Glenville High School in suburban Cleveland under the tutelage of Ginn’s father, Ted Ginn Sr. Starting strong safety Donte Whitner also prepped at Glenville. So did freshman linebacker Curtis Terry, who plays on the Buckeyes’ special teams.
OHIO STATE COACH Jim Tressel
Now in his fourth year at the helm of the Buckeyes, Jim Tressel has compiled an impressive 37-10 record during his stay in Columbus. Included in that figure is a 21-8 mark in Big Ten play and a 16-2 record in non-conference action. His teams have been especially successful at home, winning 24 of 27 starts. After a 7-5 record in 2001, Tressel led the Buckeyes to a perfect 14-0 record, a share of the Big Ten title and a consensus national championship in 2002. He was the Football Writers choice as national coach of the year in 2002. In 2003, the Buckeyes posted an 11-2 record and played in a BCS game for the second-consecutive year. Now in his 19th season as a head coach, the 51-year-old Tressel has compiled a lifetime record of 172-67-2. During his stay with the Buckeyes, he has posted a 14-5 record against teams in the Top 25 and a 5-1 slate against teams in the Top 10. Masterful in close games, he is 16-6 in games decided by a touchdown or less, including a 13-2 mark in the last 15 games. Each of his last two teams finished the season ranked in the Top 5 (1st in 2002 and 4th last year). Prior to coming to Ohio State, Tressel spent 15 years as the head coach at Division I-AA Youngstown State, where he won four national championships and appeared in the playoffs 10 times.
SERIES INFORMATION
Ohio State leads the series, 22-12, has a 10-5 edge in East Lansing, and has won the last two meetings, including a 33-23 decision last year in Columbus. This will be the first meeting in East Lansing since 1999, when MSU came away with a 23-7 victory. The Spartans also defeated the Buckeyes in 1998, knocking them from the unbeaten ranks and out of the national championship picture with a 28-24 upset in Columbus. At the time the Buckeyes were a solid No. 1 in both polls. Prior to the loss in 1998, the Buckeyes had won five straight from the Spartans.
LAST YEAR’S MEETING
Craig Krenzel threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns, Lydell Ross rushed for 125 yards (his third consecutive 100-yard game) and Mike Nugent kicked four field goals in a hard-fought 33-23 OSU win. Michigan State had 174 yards on its first three possessions, but could manage just 204 the rest of the way against a tough Buckeye defense that gave up five yards on the ground. MSU quarterback Jeff Smoker completed 35-of-55 passes for 351 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Nugent’s four field goals came from 44, 24, 42 and 18 yards out.
BIG TEN LEADERS
All-American Mike Nugent continues to lead the Big Ten in field goal percentage (83.3) and is tied for the lead in field goals made per game (1.88). He is tied for the lead in PAT percentage at 100.0 with a perfect 18-of-18 and is fifth in the league in overall scoring. Linebacker A.J. Hawk is the league leader in average tackles per game. The Buckeye junior has 101 tackles on the year and is averaging 12.6 stops per game. Five OSU defenders are listed among the Big Ten’s top 50 tacklers: strong safety Donte Whitner is 13th (7.9), linebacker Anthony Schlegel 16th (7.4), linebacker Bobby Carpenter 17th (7.2) and free safety Nate Salley checks in at No. 34 (6.2). Split end Santonio Holmes is fifth in both receiving yards per game (72.8) and receptions per game (4.88). Holmes, who twice this year has had double figures in receptions, is averaging 14.9 yards per catch. Holmes is also fourth in punt returns with an average of 11.1 yards per run back. In the kick return department, Maurice Hall has moved up to third with an average of 29.2 on 11 attempts. Fifth-year senior Kyle Turano remains fourth in punting with an average of 42.4. Turano, a former walk-on, is in his first year as the Buckeyes’ punter.
BUCKEYES AWARDS CANDIDATES
Kicker Mike Nugent is one of several Ohio State players who are in the running for major individual awards in 2004. Nugent, a leading candidate for the Lou Groza Award, is joined by center Nick Mangold (Rimington Award), linebacker Bobby Carpenter (Butkus Award), linebacker A.J. Hawk (Butkus, Lombardi, Bednarik, Lott and Walter Camp Awards), defensive end Simon Fraser (Ted Hendricks Award), cornerback Dustin Fox (Thorpe Award) and flanker Santonio Holmes (Biletnikoff Award).
PLAYING IT CLOSE TO THE VEST
Jim Tressel’s Buckeye teams have won 13 of the last 15 games decided by seven points or less. That ledger includes victories in four of five overtime games, one of which was the 2002 National Championship game. During his stay at Ohio State, Tressel is 16-6 in games decided by a touchdown or less.
OHIO STATE ALL-TIME
The Buckeyes first fielded a football team in 1890, compiling a 1-3 record in their first season. From that modest beginning, Ohio State has gone on to post an all-time record of 762-297-53 in 114 years and has experienced just 11 losing seasons.
OHIO STATE AT HOME
Ohio State has an all-time record of 354-102-25 in Ohio Stadium (opened in 1922). The Buckeyes are 20-1 at home since the beginning of the 2002 season and are 24-3 in three years under head coach Jim Tressel.
BUCKEYE FAITHFUL
In five home games this year, Ohio State has drawn a total of 523,081 fans to Ohio Stadium, an average of 104,760 per contest in the famed horseshoe-shaped structure. The largest crowd of the year was 105,090 against Wisconsin, the fifth largest crowd in Ohio Stadium history.
BUCKEYE CAPTAINS
Seniors Mike Nugent, Lydell Ross, Simon Fraser and Dustin Fox are the 2004 captains. Nugent is the first kicker to be chosen since Tom Skladany in 1976. Fox is the fourth member of his family to captain the Buckeyes, joining uncles Mark Stier (1968), Ken Kuhn (1975) and Tim Fox (1975).
CONVERTED
Fifth-year seniors Kyle Turano (punter, Worthington Kilbourne), Roshawn Parker (tailback, Columbus Eastmoor), Mike DeMaria (tailback, Oregon Cardinal Stritch) and John McLaughlin (offensive tackle, Cleveland St. Ignatius) have been awarded scholarships for the 2004 academic year.
THE OHIO STATE STAFF
There are two new faces on the Ohio State staff this year. Darrell Hazell has taken over as coach of the wide receivers and John Peterson is the new tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator. Hazell, a graduate of Muskingum College, comes to Ohio State from Rutgers. Peterson, a former OSU offensive lineman (1987-90), has spent the past five seasons at Miami of Ohio. Additionally, Dick Tressel has replaced Tim Spencer as running backs coach. Tressel has spent the past three seasons as associate director of football operations for the Buckeyes.
INJURY REPORT
Junior linebacker Mike D’Andrea will miss the remainder of the season because of a knee injury. D’Andrea played in the Buckeyes first four games and had 13 tackles, including 3.5 tackles-for-loss. This is the second straight year that the Avon Lake, Ohio-product has had his season cut short. He missed the final three games of last year with a shoulder injury. Special teams starter Rob Harley (Jr., Elmhurst, Pa.) suffered a knee injury against Penn State and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
THE CLASS OF 2007
Ohio State’s highly touted freshman class is making its presence felt. Thus far 11 members of the class have seen action in the Buckeyes’ eight games. They are: Ted Ginn Jr. (WR, PR), Rory Nicol (TE), Antonio Pittman (TB), Devon Lyons (WR), Curtis Terry (ST), Vernon Gholston (DE), Marcus Freeman (LB), Sirjo Welch (ST), Steve Rehring (OT), Chad Hoobler (LB) and Dionte Johnson (FB).
FOLLOWING IN DAD’S FOOTSTEPS
Six current players have fathers who played for Ohio State: offensive guard Doug Datish (Mike Datish, offensive lineman), fullback Dionte Johnson (Thomas “Pepper” Johnson, linebacker), cornerback Shaun Lane (Garcia Lane, cornerback), linebacker Ryan Lukens (Bill Lukens, offensive guard), flanker Kyle Ruhl (Bruce Ruhl, defensive back), fullback Stan White Jr. (Stan White, linebacker).
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Michigan State is 4-4 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten after dropping a 45-37 decision last Saturday at Michigan. The four Spartan wins have come against Central Michigan (24-7), Indiana (30-20), Illinois (38-25) and Minnesota (51-17), though they have dropped decisions to Rutgers (19-14), Notre Dame (31-24), Iowa (38-16) and Michigan.
The Spartans are averaging 29.3 points and 453.2 yards per game on a balanced offense. Michigan State is averaging 232.2 yards on the ground and 221.0 yards through the air. With 534 rushing yards, quarterback Drew Stanton is averaging 76.3 yards per game to go with five touchdowns, though he was injured in the Michigan game. DeAndra Cobb has three rushing scores and Jason Teague has run for four TDs. Stanton has completed 104-of-164 passes for 1,138 yards (an average of 162.6 yards passing per game) and six touchdowns while throwing only four interceptions all season. His favorite targets are Matt Trannon and Jerramy Scott, though eight players have each caught at least one TD pass.
On defense, Michigan State has limited the opposition to 25.3 points and 380.1 yards per game. The Spartans have surrendered 171.4 rushing yards and 208.8 passing yards per contest. Defenders have returned seven interceptions and benefited from four fumbles. Ronald Stanley is the top tackler with 82 tackles, including 51 solo stops. He has seven tackles for loss, two sacks and has forced two fumbles. Eric Smith and Jason Harmon each have 76 tackles. Smith has recovered two fumbles and Harmon has intercepted three passes.
Dave Rayner has made 15 of his 22 field goal attempts (68.2 percent). He is most accurate inside the 30-yard line, making 10 of his 11 tries. He has not connected from beyond 50 yards. Brandon Fields is averaging 48.1 yards on 36 punts. He has landed 10 inside the 20-yard line and six have gone for touchbacks.
MICHIGAN STATE’S LAST GAME
Michigan State built a 27-10 lead with a little less than nine minutes to play in regulation, but could not hang on to the lead surrendering 17 points in the closing minutes, including two touchdown catches by Michigan’s Braylon Edwards, to send the game to overtime. It took three overtime periods to decide the game, with the Wolverines ultimately winning, 45-37. The teams exchanged field goals in the first overtime and each scored touchdowns in the second overtime, before Michigan scored a touchdown and converted the mandatory two-point try. Spartan backup QB Damon Dowdell’s pass on 4th-and-8 fell incomplete in the end zone, ending the game and denying MSU its first win in Ann Arbor since 1990. DeAndra Cobb ran for 205 yards and two TDs, while the Spartans ran for 368 yards and added 168 yards passing for a 535-496 advantage in total yards.
MICHIGAN STATE COACH JOHN L. SMITH
John L. Smith (Weber State, 1971) is in his second season with the Spartans and is 12-8 at the school. His first team at MSU finished 8-5 after losing to Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl. Smith came to East Lansing from Louisville, where he spent five seasons as coach of the Cardinals. He guided Louisville to a bowl in each of his five seasons, playing in the Motor City Bowl, the Humanitarian Bowl, two Liberty bowls and the GMAC Bowl. Smith owns a 122-69 overall record in a career that also includes stops at Idaho and Utah State. In the 1993 Division I-AA playoffs, Smith’s Idaho team lost at Youngstown State (35-16), which was coached by current Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. Tressel’s team went on to win the national championship that season.
OHIO STATE’S NEXT GAME
The Buckeyes stay on the road next week, traveling to Purdue to take on the Boilermakers in Ross-Ade Stadium (62,500). Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. EST on ESPN. The Buckeyes and Boilers do not meet in either 2005 or 2006.
BIG RETURNS
In the win over Penn State Saturday, Ohio State amassed 251 yards in returns. Maurice Hall led the way with 83 yards on two kick returns. The Buckeyes finished with 96 yards in kickoff returns, 96 yards in punt returns and 59 yards on interception returns.
THIS WEEK’S INTERVIEWS
Coach Jim Tressel will be available at his weekly Tuesday luncheon at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe (approximately 12:15 p.m.) and again after practice on Wednesday. Selected Ohio State players will be available after practice on Tuesday (approximately 6:15 p.m.) and assistant coaches Jim Bollman and Mark Snyder will meet with the media after practice on Thursday in the atrium of the Woody Hayes Athletics Center.
