The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 5, 2005 - 13 *Battle of the States . highlight weekend By Mike Rothman and Max Sanders For the Daily The dust has finally begun to settle. All is as it should be in the land we call the Big Ten. Minneso- ta's traditional collapse came at the hands of Penn State, which was so dominate that its quarterback put a Golden Gopher safety in the hospital. Mean- while, Notre Dame racked up more than 600 yards of total offense against the Boilermakers. So now the two perennial paper champions of the Big Ten have been put in their place - as disappointments. Iowa rebounded from the thrashing Ohio State put on them and thrashed lifeless Illinois, 35-7. And of course, the Michigan State defense let Mike Hart run all over it. So as a new week commences, we look forward to seeing more Big Ten team's Rd 1G E S. $ : player. Ginn's production has paled in comparison to last year's when he averaged a touchdown every eight touches. Since giving Troy Smith the starting job - most likely a package gift involving cars and free clothing - Ohio State's offense has gelled and looks to test the strong Penn State defense. Happy Valley will be loud enough to give Joe Pa a stroke, but it won't be enough. Ohio State's linebackers aren't going to be shaking in their boots when Rob- inson comes chugging along. Ohio State 21, Penn State 17 Iowa (1-1, 3-2) at Purdue (0-1, 2-2) - 4:30 p.m. - ESPN2 Purdue better learn how to tackle, and fast. Iowa's offense clicked last week when quarter- back Drew Tate finally found his rhythm. But remember, the game was against Illinois, which only puts up points on the hardwood. Purdue should play angry after Notre Dame displayed an offense that looked as if it should've been in an Arena Football League game. Kirk Ferentz has been unable to work his Big Ten magic this year; the Hawkeyes were held to a pathetic 10 points in losses to Ohio State and Iowa State. In the losses, once-Heisman hopeful Tate looked more pathet- ic than Michigan State's kicking game. Iowa is playing against another laugher of a defense, and the Hawkeyes should pull out a much needed conference win in a season that is inches away from becoming a serious implosion. Iowa 28, Purdue 20 Undefeated Penn State could have a rude awakening this Saturday when It is forced to face Ohio State's linebackers. championship hopes become as torn as the cover of Drew Stanton's copy of NCAA 2006. No.6 Ohio State (1-0 Big Ten, 3-1 overall) at No. 16 Penn State (2-0,5-0) - 7:45 p.m. - ESPN The lone game between ranked opponents in the Big Ten looks to be a battle. The game sets the white-hot Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson against Buckeyes linebacker A.J. Hawk and the now- legendary Ohio State linebacking core. Penn State freshman stud wide receiver Derrick Williams ran for another two touchdowns, and he looks to replace Ted Ginn, Jr. as the Big Ten's Swiss Army Knife Illinois (0-2, 2-3) at Indiana (0-1, 3-1) - noon The least exciting game of the weekend, this matchup provides a perfect example of why people shouldn't judge teams based on their records. The teams' combined five wins have come against big- time football schools: Rutgers, San Jose State, Cen- tral Michigan, Nicholls State and Kentucky. The Ron Zook era has not gone exactly according to plan, but there are no reports of him crashing any frat parties ... yet. Giving up 61 points to Michigan State will eventually drive any man toward the happy sauce. Indiana should stick to basketball. The one bright spot on either team has been Indiana quarterback Blake Powers, who, if playing for a contender, would be getting serious Heisman hype. In the end, Powers will be the difference. Indiana 31, Illinois 17 No 14 Wisconsin (2-0, 5-0) at Northwestern (0-1, 2-2) - noon - ESPN We have to tip our hats to Wisconsin, which has blazed out of the gates to a 5-0 record. We'd also like to congratulate the only Wisconsin quarter- back worse than John Stocco - Brooks Bollinger, who looked awful in his first start for the Jets. Brian Calhoun has become a reincarnation of Ron Dayne, and Calhoun's combination of power and speed has put his name among the Heisman candidates. Northwestern's pinpoint passer, Brett Basanez, has put up respectable numbers this year - 11 touch- downs and just three interceptions. Wisconsin will win, despite the fact that Stocco hasn't thrown a tight spiral since the fifth grade. Wisconsin 42, Northwestern 10 Kohlmeier thrives in second year By Sara Livingston Daily Sports Writer So much for the sophomore slump. With a year at Michigan in the books, sophomore Alyson Kohlmeier arrived back in Ann Arbor this August well rested and ready to kick off the cross country season. After suffering a sprained IT band (the tendon running from the hip to the knee), Kohlmeier redshirted the spring track season last year - a break from running that would prove to be benefi- cial down the road. In July, she returned home to Ontario, where she began train- ing for upcoming summer races. Kohl- meier won the 3,000-kilometer race at the Pan America Junior Games in August. The victory gave her the perfect mindset for her return to school. "I made sure I didn't over-race at all over the summer," Kohlmeier said. "Then, ever since I got back, when we went to training camp at the end of August, I have had just quality training and that has just made the difference." Since the cross country season started on Sept. 2, Kohlmeier has finished in the top-three in all of the races she has com- peted in - including back-to-back wins at the Great Meadows Invitational and the Spartan Invitational. In addition, she was named Big-Ten co-runner of the week for the week of Sept. 14, an honor that proves the sky is the limit for Kohlmeier. "I think she is capable of being in the top-10 at nationals," Michigan coach Mike McGuire said. "There are a few races between now and then, and she will get tested at a higher level, and she will use these as stepping stones to get improve even more." For Kohlmeier, it just seems like night and day when she looks back on last sea- son in comparison to this one. Despite having some success on the track - earn- ing All Big-Ten first-team honors as well as finishing in third place at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional and seventh place at the Big Ten Championships - she lacked the experience to take her running to the next level. But she's already been able to do that this year. "Overall, I'm enjoying this year so much more than last year," Kohlmeier said. "I think a lot of it is just being used to the college life. Last year, everything was just so overwhelming, and I was out of my element. It's nothing like high school. Coming in this year and just knowing what to expect with training and with school has been really reassuring." Despite the fact that Kohlmeier doesn't run in a group like the other Wolverines do during races, her team- mates are still finding that her success is motivating them to train harder. During races, the Wolverines fre- quently use Kohlmeier as a barometer to determine how well they are doing. After all, they know if they can see her in the distance they must be doing a pretty good job. "I couldn't be happier for Ali," soph- omore Erin Webster said. "With all of her success, I think that it's just positive for the team. Just running with people every day that are better than you makes you better. Ali's success helps every- body every day when we train." As for the upcoming track and field season, Kohlmeier hopes she can carry her cross country success indoors and dominate the distance events "I'm actually looking forward to the indoor season," Kohlmeier said. "There is a 3-kilometer race. There isn't one in outdoor, and that is my favorite distance to run. I'm really excited about that, but right now I'm mainly thinking about cross country because there is still two more months of it left until Nationals." I Alyson Kohimeler's has avoided the sophomore slump this season. The aggressive style of Artsis has benefited the team on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Hard work pays off for Artsis By Katie Niemeyer Daily Sports Writer Intensity. If there is one thing a coach wants from her midfielders, it's hard work. Michigan women's soccer coach Debbie Rademacher found just that in sophomore Jamie Artsis. "I just like the fact that she can run all day," Rademacher said. "She's not the biggest kid, but she can out-jump people. She's just got a feisty streak in her. That's kind of her trade- mark." Rademacher expects a lot out of the sophomore this sea- son. Artis has to be all over the field, playing on the offen- sive and defensive sides of the ball. She needs to win balls in the middle of the field and set up the forwards for good looks on goal. "Mv Pn]l everv anme i to distrihte the hall to the for- "I think her attacking game is becoming more established and getting her comfortable taking shots and maybe (help her in) becoming more of a goal scorer for us," Rademacher said. Artsis has been working to improve her shot and put more power behind it, but she's not worried about her personal goal tally. "Of course everyone wants to score, but scoring isn't real- ly the issue with me," Artsis said. "Scoring doesn't show how you do in a game. It starts from the goalie, it goes all the way to the forwards - the whole team contributes for a goal. I just want to be there for my teammates, support them when they have the ball - feed the forwards." It's that attitude that has impressed Rademacher and makes her certain that Artsis will continue to improve. "(Artsis) has high expectations for herself," Rademacher. said. "So she's definitely very hard on herself. That's what keens her eoing and makes her hetter." ............. ..........