12 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 17, 2000 FRIDAY Focus :In 1968, Woody Hayes led Ohio State to a 50-14 victory over Michigan. Despite possessing an insurmountable lead, the Buckeyes drove for a touchdown in the game's waning moments, and subsequently attempted a two-point conversion. When a reporter asked Hayes why he went for two with only seconds left, Woody didn't miss a beat: : _ ' Because r. G - f^ ! r. R L Nc,' go for A I, F f i5 i S ..'. t.- " K.a / All this hatred, so little to show Usually I wait until Saturday morning to let the hype for The Big Game hit me. But I broke that little rule this year, taking a stroll through an Ohio State fan Website to smell the blood boil. I realized dur- ing the course of my Web surfing the difference- between these two schools and CHRIS their faithful. D Michigan fans would enjoy a The win over the Michigan Daily Buckeyes for a week, perhaps two. For Ohio State fans, a victory would live forever. There's so much hatred for Michigan in that state I didn't even realize it. Web-forum posters under names such as BuckNut, UMHater and Akro- nBuck cherish 1998, 1994 and any other victories over "scUM" or "TSUN" (That School Up North). Ohio state police recall with grandeur the sparse Saturday nights they were saved from writing punitive tickets to Michigan motorists headed back from the game. Roy Rogers employees remember with fondness their years at Ohio State and how fortunate they were to see one sweet victory over the Wolverines. The Buckeyes have gone through some well-documented, nasty droughts against this team. From 1988-93, the best they could do was a tie amongst five losses. Throughout the presidency of George H.W. Bush, there was not one Ohio State victory. Better luck dur- ing his son's tenure. But it's not just the losing that hurts Ohio State. It's how this team has lost. Opportunities arose where the Buck- eyes were eight- and nine-point favorites, only to fall. Ohio State made Tim Biakabutuka an NFL prospect. The Buckeyes helped Tai Streets quite a bit too, and certainly Charles Woodson. Sometimes I think Ohio State is more responsible for sending Wolverines to the NFL than the Michigan coaching staff. It must be frustrating to want some- thing so much and not be able to get it. It kills Bucks fans to look forward to this final weekend of the season each year, only to be knocked down again. Then it's 51 more weeks at the plant until they get another shot. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. Maybe that's why Michigan fans take this game so much less seri- ously. Why get excited about the Wolver- ines beating Ohio State? That happens every year. We'll save our enthusiasm for out-of-the-ordinary events, like winning the national title. (Never did get a chance to thank you for lay- ing down for us that year.) Truthfully, sometimes I wish the Bucks would make it a little bit harder on Michigan. A rivalry loses its meaning when one team is always clean- ing up. My initial advice for the Buckeyes this Saturday would be this: Have a linebacker available in case Michigan tries a simple slant (1996), avoid throw- ing a dinky two-yard interception that gets returned for an easy touchdown (1997), and perhaps don't have your running back angle toward a Michigan defender chasing him down (1999). Then again, you guys don't need my help. I'm sure 01' Coop will put together another impenetrable game plan. - Chris Duprey can he reached at crduprey(a hotmaiL.cofiz. FILE PHOTO Personal fouls and other what-ifs There's little wonder that Ohio State fans love to watch the Bucks beat Michigan. Michigan loves to paint itself as the school that epito- _ mizes class and everything that is right about col- lege sports.- Things could. hardly be farther from the truth. , Unless, of In year 97, a slight edge to M' I By Stephanie Offen Daily Sports Editor Two years ago, Rose Bowl-hungry Michigan headed to Columbus thinking upset. But it was the Buckeyes who dashed the Wolverines' hopes as the Horseshoe provided the perfect, intimidating stage for Michigan's third loss of the season, 31-16. "From what I remember two years ago, it may be the loudest place you can play," quarterback Drew Henson said. This year, Rose Bowl hopes seem dim, but Big Ten championship hopes were brought back to life last week- end with losses by Purdue and Northwestern. Not that anyone needs a reason to get up for the biggest rivalry in college football. MICHIGAN RUSHING vs. OHIo STATE RUSHING DEFENSE:Last time the Wolverines entered the Shoe they were allowed just four total rushing yards. Things haven't changed. The Buckeyes lead the league in stopping the run, allowing only an average of 92 running yards a game -- a stat that coach Lloyd Carr thinks is the most impor- tant statistic a team can hold next to points scored. On the other side of the ball, Anthony Thomas needs 166 rushing yards to capture the Michigan career rushing yardage record. But not even Michigan's top offensive line will be able to carry the Wolverines in the war on the ground. Sorry Anthony, you'll have to wait for the bowl game. Advantage; Ohio State moments. Two straight shutouts were forgotten with an embarrassing defensive performance against Northwest- ern. But the Buckeyes won't throw in the no-huddle or spread. And with that, the Wolverines' defense sighs with relief. Combs will break through with a touchdown, but for the most part, this game will be decided in the air. Advantage: Even OHIo STATE PASSING VS. MICHIGAN PASSING DEFENSE: Ohio State's two top receivers, Ken-Yon Rambo and Reg- gie Germany, are still listed as questionable for Saturday's game. Carr calls that bologna. "They will all play," he said. "Mark that down." If Rambo and Germany are able to walk to the stadium on Saturday, they will both play against Michigan. But it can be said is that they won't be at full strength. Michigan's corners have been nothing to write home about this season, but may have gotten a little more confi- dence after their three interceptions last weekend. This is a tough one to call - too many outstanding fac- tors in the matchup. Advantage: Even SPECIAL TEAMS: The game may very well come down to which squad's field-goal team can perform under pres- sure. It has in the past and don't be surprised to see it tomorrow. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, their field goal squad has not been able to do so this season. Three games lost by a total of seven points says just that. Ohio State's Dan Stultz won Ohio State the game against Illinois this past Saturday. He proved he could per- form under pressure. But the battle of the punters goes to Michigan. What Hayden Epstein has lacked in his field-goal performance, he has had in punting. His 40-yard average will prove problematic for the Buckeyes this Saturday. Ohio State has some long drives ahead. Advantage: Even INTANGIBLES: One word - Horseshoe. The most intim- course, drunken THOMAS football coaches O adding their own ORR secret ingredients The to a salad bar is Lantern what's right with college athletics. Or rushing up to the line of scrim- mage with one second left in the game to punch in one extra touchdown against Penn State. Classy, Lloyd. Or a basketball team blessed with such marvelous characters as Chris "I wish General Studies included a class on counting timeouts" Webber, Jamal "I don't know WHERE that car came from" Crawford, Ed "I thought 'boost- er' was just another word for high chair" Martin and of course the living legend Josh "I'm thinking of dropping the 'elin' Asselin." Have you managed to keep your newest recruits from playing in traffic this year? There's just nothing to be Gaines-ed from that sort of behavior. Michigan, of course, is the school that names a now-penalizable pose as one of its finest moments of athletic achievement. Desmond Howard's now- famous Heisman pose would have drawn a 15-yard personal foul call under the current anti-taunting rules. Not to mention that the pose was not correct. The Heisman has both feet on the ground. Howard's mistake was understand- able, however, since Michigan managed to play football for half a century (1940-1990) without a Heisman win- ner. It's only fitting that Ohio State's most famous football alumnus, Archie Grif- fin, is known for winning two Heis- mans, while Michigan's most famous alumnus, Gerald Ford, is best known for falling down. A lot. Your band sucks, too. It's supposed to be a marching band, not a mincing, prancing or dancing band. I don't know what they're supposed to be doing when they hop out onto the field, but it looks like they're running over hot coals. Lose the flag corps, too. I noticed last year that their routine looked eerily similar to the semaphore translation for "no hot girls here." Oh, and tell the band to learn another song. Hearing "Hail to the Victors" every time Anthony Thomas falls for- ward for a two-yard gain gets a little grating. Speaking of the A-Train, did your coaches forget to tell him that he need- ed to hang on to the ball up in Evanston? He looked like the smoothest combination of Dennis Lundy and Joe Pisarcek I've ever seen when he lost that fumble. The closest Michigan gets to being angelic is that marvelous "halo" you put on your hole-in-the-ground stadium a few years ago. Whose brilliant deci- sion was that? Take an architectural landmark and mar it with an enormous ring the color of used Mountain Dew. Hail to the conq'ring halos, I guess. Just remember, as you drive your El Caminos to Columbus on Saturday morning, that Bo got his start here, learning from Woody. Your school could never have produced a leader like that. So just come down, spend your hard- earned allowance money in "the big city" and sit on your hands, like all 110,000-plus of you do so well every single fall Saturday. Then go home. Our sanitation workers have ended their strike, so we have no need for Michigan grads. See you at the game. - Thomas Orr, sports editor of The Lantern, can be reached at orr:87@osu.edu. Tomorrow's game marks the 50th anniversary of the blizzard-bound classic now known only as the Snow Bowl. Michigan's season ended in Pasadena - but it will always be remembered in Columbus amidst knee-high snow drifts and the greatest rivalry in college football. ';in' g1. MICHIGAN PASSING VS. OHIO STATE PASSING DEFENSE: Ohio State's blitzing schemes will be all over Henson. The junior quarterback has never faced blitzing like that from the Buckeyes. Ohio State has recorded 45 sacks on the season for a total loss of 290 yards. Henson took some hits last weekend, but it will be noth- ing like what he will see (or won't see) tomorrow. But expect for Henson's All-American offensive line to hold the Buckeyes to fewer sacks than they have had all season. David Terrell said earlier in the season that if the ball is in vicinity he can catch it. Both he and Marquise Walker have proved that. All Henson has to do is get the ball away before an Ohio State defender blindsides him. This rivalry has always come down to impressive catch- es at impressive times. Remember Mercury Hayes' out- stretched body bringing in a touchdown for Michigan in 1995? You will see more of that this weekend - from the COLUMBUS (Saturday, Nov. 26, 1950) - Michigan's relentless Wolverines saved the space for IIG MiVF7 l VI