6B -- The Michigan Daily - FooTBALL SATURDAY - Wednesday, November 21, 2001 AS Wednesday, November 21, 2001- FooTBALL SA. Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - FOOTBALL SA Wolverines face Buckeyes with Big Ten tide on the line By Raphael Goodstein Daily Sports Editor Yet again, a year's worth of hard work, comes down to one game between Michigan and Ohio State. For Michigan (6-1 Big Ten, 8-2 overall), the Big Ten title will likely be on the line - though if Illinois (6-1, 9-1) loses to Northwestern (2-5, 4-6) Thursday afternoon, Michigan would clinch a share of the title and the BCS bowl bid. Ohio State lost its chance for the title last week when it lost to Illinois without starting quarterback Steve Bellisari. He was suspended for drunk driving, blowing a .22 the Friday before the game. But the Buckeyes can still get a bet- ter bowl bid, and possibly receive a Jan. 1st bowl bid with a win. More importantly, they have the chance to beat Michigan - the Buckeyes' top priority every season. OHIO STATE RUSHING OFFENSE VS. MICHIGAN RUSHING DEFENSE: Michigan's rushing defense has, for most of the season, looked as good as anyone's. Senior linebacker Larry Foote looked like a Butkus award can- didate for the first seven games, recording 21 tackles for a loss. In the last three games, he's record- ed just three. Foote, Victor Hobson and Eric Brackins will need to play their "A" game, because Ohio State's offense is oriented around running back Jonathan Wells, who has run for over 1,100 yards already on the season, and because Bellisari is not expected to play, Wells needs to play that much better. The good news for Ohio State is that Wells has already shown that he can carry the Ohio State offense. Against Northwestern, Wells ran for 179 yards and three touchdowns, while running behind an offensive line that consistently opened big holes. What's more, this rivalry has a his- tory of making good players stars - Tshimanga Biakabutuka's 313 rushing yards performance in 1995 is one example. Michigan will be gunning for Wells and should keep him to around 100 yards. If so, the Wolverines should be happy. Advantage: Michigan OHIO STATE PASSING OFFENSE VERSUS MICHIGAN PASSING DEFENSE: Ohio State's passing attack is a question mark. Just as Steve Bellisari, the Buckeyes' starting quarterback, was starting to get comfortable as their quarterback, he was benched because of the drunk driving charges. If Tressell stays true to his word, Michigan will have an advantage here. Last week, both Krenzell and McMullen played and neither was effective in the Buckeyes' 34-22 loss. Michigan's secondary played well last week in Madison, containing Wisconsin's Lee Evans to three catch- es and 31 yards. The secondary limit- ed Minnesota's Ron Johnson to four catches and 73 yards, but 35 of those yards came on a touchdown pass where there was a miscommunication in the secondary. Health is one concern for the Wolverines. Freshman cornerback Marlin Jackson suffered a knee injury last week, but is expected to play. Then again, nothing Michigan coach Lloyd Carr says this week should be taken too seriously, in regards to players' health. Junior safety Julius Curry still is recovering from a shoulder injury but might be healthy -enough to play, though it's more likely that he will not suit up again until the bowl game. The Wolverines need Jackson to play, as he's their best cornerback. Throughout the year, Todd Howard, Bad QB play hampers 'M', Buckeyes By Jon Schwartz Daily Sports Editor By the time a regular-season finale rolls around, there are certain things that no coach wants to worry about. High on that list - his starting quarter- back. But both teams in this year's edition of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry are dealing with uncertainty under center. Michigan's John Navarre has been far less effective in the second half of the sea- son that he was in the first. Last week at Wisconsin, he threw for just 58 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Meanwhile, the situation in Columbus is far more hairy. Senior Steve Bellisari, the Buckeyes' three-year starter, was suspend- ed last weekend after being arrested for dri- ving under the influence. After missing Ohio State's loss to Illinois, Bellisari was reinstated for the Michigan game, but will not start. "Steve will be available to play and I can honestly say that I have mixed emotions," said first-year Ohio State coach Jim Tressel. "I'm sure the guys can tell you that they have mixed emotions also. They shared a little bit about that yesterday. My plans are to get Craig (Krenzel) and Scott (McMullin) ready to play against Michigan. As I stand here today, Steve would be No. 4 (on the depth chart)." Bellisari was arrested with a blood-alco- hol level of .22, more than twice Ohio's legal limit. Krenzel will start in Bellisari's place. The sophomore, who replaced Scott McMullen against the Fighting Illini, threw for two touchdowns and 164 yards in just over two quarters of play. Krenzel's teammates realize that the situ- ation may not be ideal, but they still sup- port the quarterback. "I think everybody needs to step up, not PROCF OHIO ,BREUN D UN NLL/Dily Michigan's hopes for winning will rely on quarterback John Navarre not turning the ball over. Las week in Madison, he threw an interception and fumbled once. STA the 'Wolverines' second-cornerback, has struggled when he's had to defend a No. 1 receiver. Howard, however, has been very successful as the No. 2 cornerback. Without Jackson and Curry, Ohio State's biggest offensive flaw will not be as exposed as Michigan would like. If Bellisari plays for Ohio State, and Jackson and Curry do not play, Ohio State will win this battle. But expect Jackson to play and Bellisari not to - or if he plays, don't expect him in for very long. Advantage: Michigan Michigan needs to establish some sort of passing threat to prevent the Buckeyes from putting eight-men on the line to defend the run. Ultimately, Carr will be happy with Navarre if he does not turn the ball over. Advantage: Ohio State In a game like this, do not under estimate the importance of special teams. Advantage: Michigan just nlyself," senior running back Jonathan Wells said. "I plan to step it up every game; I want to get better every week. This is a special game for us. I think all the seniors, especially, have to step up their game as well as the rest of the team. "We have a guy with some inexperience who is going to be our quarterback, but I'm confident he can get the job done. We need to go there and makes some plays for him and give him some confidence." A quarterback issue is particularly prob- lematic against a team like Michigan, which gives up so few yards on the ground. "I don't even know exactly how to attack Michigan," Tressel said. "They're giving up 80 yards a game rushing. They're the top defense statistically in the Big Ten. We've got a lot of work to do to figure out what it is that is the best attack. Then I think you plug in who can do what best." Michigan needs to prepare for both a scrambler (Bellisari) and a pocket passer (Krenzel) - something that could cause some problems. "We have faced both pocket passers and scramblers all year long, so our preparation is just that," defensive lineman Shawn Lazarus said. "Last week, we faced Brooks Bollinger and he scrambled, so I think you have to rely on your experience over the year." Michigan's quarterback situation is less troubling, but is certainly a concern. In each of the last two games, Jermaine Gonzales has seen action, but has not been restricted to garbage time. Navarre is still the starter, but Michigan will need a better performance if it wants to hang with Ohio State's impressive sec- ondary. "This might be the most aggressive sec- ondary we face this year because they are fast and have an aggressive mentality," said Michigan wide receiver Marquise Walker. "They also have an experienced group back there and have made a lot of big plays throughout the season." MICHIGAN RUSHING OFFENSE VERSUS OHIO STATE RUSHING DEFENSE: Michigan running back B.J. Askew might be the most complete back in the Big Ten. The junior can block, catch the ball and run. If the Buckeyes can get away with stacking eight-men on the defensive line to defend the run, Michigan will struggle. Advantage: Ohio State MICHIGAN PASSING OFFENSE VERSUS OHIO STATE PASSING DEFENSE: This is the biggest mismatch on the field. Ten games into the season, Michigan's John Navarre still looks rattled when placed in a close game. Last week against Wisconsin, he was 11-for-24 for 58 yards. What's even more alarming is that Michigan could only muster 28 total yards in the second half. To spark the offense, Carr has given playing time to backup Jermaine Gonzales. While at times, Gonzales' athleticism has impressed, he's yet to establish himself as a legitimate pass- ing threat. Consequently, defenses are expecting one of three plays from the Michigan offense when he's in the game: the quarterback draw, the naked-bootleg to the tight end and the option. Last week, while running the option - an offensive scheme Michigan is not used to - the Wolverines' fum- bled the ball, but recovered it. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes' sec- ondary is the best in the Big Ten. INTANGIQLES: Tressell guaranteed that Ohio State fans would be proud of his team 310 days ago. Plus, at some point, one has to think the Buckeyes are due to win (they haven't won in Ann Arbor since 1987, the second longest streak in the rival- ry's history). On the other hand, Carr is as good a coach as there is in the country, and considering the Buckeyes used to get too excited about this game when John Cooper was the coach. Expect more of the same. The Buckeyes will likely make an early mistake that they normally would not make as a result of the pres- sure. As long as the Michigan offense doesn't lose the turnover battle, Carr will find a way to get the Wolverines some cheap points. Advantage: Michigan. MICHIGAN SPECIAL TEAMS VERSUS OHIO STATE SPECIAL TEAMS: It's hard to imagine a special teams unit playing better than the Wolverines' did last week: Two blocked punts - one returned for a touchdown - two made field goals - including the game- winner with 10 seconds left - and a fumble recovery with 14 seconds to play. To date, Brandon Williams' fumble recovery is the play of the year for the Wolverines, as they had punted the ball and were awaiting overtime when he pushed Wisconsin freshman Brett Bell into the ball. The Buckeyes have struggled all year to make important field goals. MICHIGA The magic of The Big PlayStation 2. After h, Goodstein and Arun C Jon Schwartz were ba down. For this week's mate Wolverines and coach iting Buckeyes. Play of the game - ving, QB No. 16 threw before stepping out c next play, CB No. 37 have possibly seen be Michigan WR No. 4. Most unrealistic play Player of the game - rumors that he woulk yards and six touchd Michigan key stats Passing: QB No. 16 - Rushing: RB No. 23 - Receiving: WR No. 4 WR No. 82 - 4 rece Defense: FS No. 26, sack; CB No. 12, 4 t Ohio State key stats Passing: QB No. 8 - Rushing: RB No. 28 Receiving: W R No. 8 WR No. 12 - 3 recei Defense: FS No. 25, loss, 1 sack; CB No PRESS CO' Michigan head coach. I am disappointed to e you've got to throw a this up - I would if Ilw This is pretty embarra embarrassing. I don't I would say that QB Nc us any chance of winn my problems, so he is I'm proud of my team Ohio State head coaci What'd I tell you 310 proud. Sure, my predic never should have don( but I was right. So ha Where you at Cooper? Looking for a job? Say This flat out sucks. I ( and I didn't want Mic Whatever QB No. 8's I because it sure as hel The weaknesses in Ph exploited easily by my I'm lad the season is SSX Tricky and predic will do I guarantee that Ohio BCS Poections The Michigan Daily projects the ur BCS bowls: Oregon vs. Oklahoma aa Michigan vs. Texas APtPHTltahergames -Florida vs. Miami (Fa.) PPHTSOther candidates: Oklahoma and Nebraska Maryland vs. Tennessee PREDICTION: Without their starting quarterback, the Buckeyes will have difficulty scoring. So long as the Michigan offense doesn't turnover the ball. Carr knows this and will call a con- servative game to ensure Michigan doesn't give the ball away. Michigan 24, Ohio State 14 AP PHOTO Backup quarterback Craig Krenzol will likely start against Michigan. Last week, he threw a late interception that clinched the game for Illinois.