iO0.The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 22, 1995
BUCKEYES
Continued from Page 1.
a major bowl game.
But the Buckeyes don't seem too
worried about all that national champi-
onship jazz just yet. That's because the
intense rivalry of the Michigan game is
commanding all of their attention.
"I can't really dwell on all that as far
as the national championship," Buck-
eye tailback Eddie George said. "Ithink
that will be a great question to ask me
next week should we win. But we just
have to take care of business this week."
What Ohio State brings to the grid-
iron each week is certainly comparable
to the Nittany Lions' talent last year,
especially on offense. Ohio State aver-
ages just under 500 yards of total of-
fense a game and 40 points per game,
both tops in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes
have also outscored their opponents by
an average of 24 points a game.
"Ohio State is coming in with prob-
ably the most well-balanced offense in
college football, one of the finest I have
seen," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said.
The three key ingredients of Ohio
State's offense - George, quarterback
Bobby Hoying and wideout Terry Glenn
- are all legitimate Heisman candi-
dates. They also remind more than a
few observers of Penn State's big three
last season - Ki-Jana Carter, Kerry
Collins and Bobby Engram.
"I don't think we are looking at that
right now," Glenn said. "I think we're
just a team of this era, and we are going
to try to go out there and make this the
best team that has come to Ohio State."
George has dominated every single
one of his opponents this season, en
route to 1,772 rushing yards and 22
toucgdowns. Moreover, his recent per-
formances - like 312 rushing yards
against Illinois two weeks ago - have
made him one of the two leading
Heisman candidates this season, along
with Nebraska's Tommy Frazier.
"I don't know of anybody in college
football more deserving of the Heisman
than Eddie George," Ohio State coach
John Cooper said. "Everyone knows
about his ability to run the football, but
he has been a very effective receiver for
us coming out of the backfield. He is a
good blocker. He's a team player."
The Buckeyes also have the vastly
improved and immensely proficient
quarterback Bobby Hoying, who leads
the nation in quarterback efficiency.
Hoying has passed for 2,739 yards and
27 TDs in 1995. Both Ohio State record.
"Any time your offense plays well,
your quarterback has to be extremely
talented and have a good year going for
you and Bobby has done that," Cooper
said.
And Hoying has one of the best
wideouts around to pass to in Glenn,
who is third in the nation in receiving
yards per game (124.4) and first in
yards per catch (23.5).
Needless to say, Michigan's defense
faces its foremost challenge of the sea-
son in Ohio State and will perform
better than in last week's loss to Penn
State. In that contest, the Wolverines'
defense, ranked first in the nation in
rushing defense, allowed over200 yards
on the ground to a team that doesn't
even possess a back with over 1,000
rushing yards rushing.
"We certainly will have to play much
better against the running game this
Saturday to have a chance to win," Carr
said.
But Ohio State is not a one-sided
football team either. Perhaps what dif-
ferentiates Ohio State from Penn State's
team last season is the Buckeyes' for-
midable defense. Whereas the Nittany
Lions depended on outscoring their
opponents for victories, Ohio State's
defense is talented enough to win some
games all by itself.
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr points to
the Buckeyes' front four as the crux of
the defense. Matt Finkes, Matt Bonhaus,
Luke Fickell and Mike Vrabel are all
capable of making huge impact plays,
and have combined for 16 sacks and 43
tackles for loses.
The linebacker corps also sports a
share of prime-time players, including
the teams first and second leading tack-
lers in Greg Bellisari and Ryan Miller.
is the only team that stands in the way of Ohio State's first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1985.
Excitement for game would be
higher if Blue had better record
By Darren Everson
Daily Sports Editor
Ifaticket tothe Michigan-Ohio State
gameis in fact the hottest ticket in town,
it's only because nothing else is going
on Saturday.
Michiganwillmost likely have its 129th
straight crowd of 100,'000 or more this
weekend, but many of those people will
be somewhat apathetic. The reason: Their
Wolverines aren't exactly setting the
world on fire with their play lately.
If they were, and if they had an 11-0
record like the Buckeyes, perhaps fans
would be a little more interested.
"God, yes," said Erica Matteo, an
LSA junior. Matteo didn't get student
tickets for the second straight year, but
that wouldn't have stopped her from
going Saturday if things with the Wol-
verines were different.
"l was trying to get a ticket but I
didn't (buy one) because Michigan isn't
playing all that well," she said.
That wasn't the case in 1993 when
Ohio State last visited Ann Arbor. Back
then, the situation was similaronpaper-
the Buckeyes were undefeated and poised
to go to the Rose Bowl. The Wolverines
weren't, but they had won a couple in a
row and had the opportunity to prevent
Ohio State from going to Pasadena.
Michigan has that chance again Satur-
day, but it seems to be a slim one at best.
The Wolverines are nine-point under-
dogs on their own field as they enter the
contest having lost two of their last three.
"It would be more exciting if they'd
done better (this season)," said Joe
Heckendorn, an LSA junior.
The lack of interest appears to be
hurting the scalping industry as well.
One scalper outside the Michigan Union
yesterday was asking for $25 per ticket.
That being the case, it's not exactly fair
to call said scalper a scalper, since $25
is face value.
But despite the Wolverines' recent
woes, Heckendorn does plan to be at
Michigan Stadium Saturday.
"Ohio State is doing pretty well,"
Heckendorn said, "so it would be nice
to see them get beat."
Attending Saturday's game in hopes
of seeing Ohio State lose is one reason
students might stop by; another reason
is that watching Michigan football in
person is a habit.
"I like going to all of the games," said
Rachel Hodas, an LSA sophomore.
Hodas wasn't kidding when she said all
of the games; she made the trip up to
State College last weekend for the Penn
State game.
"Me and a bunch of my friends, we
all tailgate and drink before the game,"
Hodas said.
Not to advocate drinking or anything,
but the more Hodas & Co. drink, the
better. That might be the only way
Michigan fans like themselves will have
any fun Saturday.
WHITE
Continued from Page 8
Nittany Lions, the nation's top
rushing defense was as effective as a
two-inch plug in a five-inch drain.
How Michigan responds to that
spanking may be the key to
Saturday's game.
If the Wolverines step up to the
challenge - and Ohio State's offense
is a more than a formidable challenge
- things could get interesting.
If Michigan plays like it did last
week, however, you might be better
off driving up the road to East
Lansing to see the Spartans play Penn
State. It will be a better game.
This season, there is no doubt that
Ohio State is the better team.
The Buckeyes are ranked No. 2 in
the country and coach John Cooper
has been asked for weeks if he would
like a shot at top- ranked Nebraska so
there would be a definitive No. 1 at
season's end.
Michigan, on the other had, has
won eight games, but looked far from
impressive in many of those games,
and terrible in its three losses.
Basically, Ohio State is a nine-and-
a-half point favorite on the road for a
reason - it's a damn good team.
The Buckeyes have all the offen-
sive weapons that Michigan has, and
an experienced quarterback in Bobby
Hoying to get them the ball.
Hoying, tailback Eddie George and
receiver Terry Glenn have all been
mentioned with that Heisman word
this season.
The Wolverines don't have an
uphill battle - they're going to have
to climb a mountain.
But if there has been anything
predictable about this season's
Michigan team, it's that the Wolver-
ines are unpredictable.
Just when you think you have them
figured out, they go and do something
totally out of character.
So, after coming off a tough loss to
Penn State, don't put it past this
group of Wolverines to go out and do
something as wacky as beat the No. 2
team in the nation.
It would be a sweet end to a bitter
season for Michigan, and for Toomer,
a slight bit of redemption.
- Ryan White can be reached over e-
mail at target@umich.edu
Orlando paces Buckeye run attack
By Scott Priestle
Ohio State Lantern
Even among the beasts and the behe-
moths that play on the offensive line,
Orlando Pace is a big man.
The 6-foot-6, 320-pound tackle can
pancake a linebacker and drive a defen-
sive lineman to the turf, sometimes on
the same play.
He's a big reason, both literally and
figuratively, why the Buckeyes are 10-
0 and ranked second nationally. And
the country is starting to notice.
Now, Ohio State coach John Cooper
is chiming in with his own praise for
The Big Man on the Offensive Line.
"I don't know if we've had an offen-
sive lineman who's played better for us
than Orlando Pace has this year," Coo-
per said.
Pace came to Ohio State last fall as
one of the most highly recruited and
highly decorated linemen in the coun-
try. He was named All-American by
USA Today, Parade, and Blue Chip
Illustrated. He was even chosen to play
in the Ohio All-Star Game- in basket-
ball.
It didn't take the Big Man long to
adjust to the college game.
Pace started all 13 games last season at
left tackle, on his way to being named Big
Ten Freshman of the Year. He and All-
American right tackle Korey Stringer
formed an imposing duo on the line.
But, Stringer opted to enter the NFL
draft after last season, and he now plays
for the Minnesota Vikings, leaving a
young Pace to anchor the offensive line.
After six games, it appears he has
answered the call.
"If it's a critical down, we'll run it to
Orlando's side," running back Eddie
George said. "You have confidence that
you're going to get at least six yards
every time you run behind him."
As is the case with all good lineman,
George has reaped the benefits of the
work Pace has done in the trenches. George
has rushed for 886 yards and ten touch-
downs, and now he's being mentioned as
a Heisman Trophy candidate.
That success on the ground has forced
teams to concentrate on stopping the
run, which leaves them susceptible to
the deep pass, said Purdue head coach
Jim Colletto.
The result - quarterback Bobby
Hoying and receiver Terry Glenn are
having record-breaking seasons, while
Pace has remained relatively free ofthe
national spotlight.
"It's like silent credit," Pace said of
the exposure he and his linemates
haven't been getting. "If Eddie has a
good game, that means the offensive
line is making it happen."
And while the Athletic Department
isn't hyping him for awards, teammates
and coaches are still impressed with the
Big Man.
"At Penn State, on the go-ahead touch-
down at the end of the game, Orlando
hooked aguy who was almost ayard-and-
a-half outside of him. It's amazing to
watch it on film," Hoying said.
Even Cooper marvels at Pace's rare
combination of size and speed, calling
him "the best athlete we've had on the
offensive line."
"Sometimes I wonder why I'm not
playing him on defense, as good as he
is. I ought to be playing him both ways,"
Cooper said.
That would seem to be quite a stretch
at this level, but Orlando Pace is a Big
Man.
D aily
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die mo i Un dinc~tUtho cnrori
Ohio St. (-9) at Michigan Ohio St. Ohio St. Ohio St. Ohio St.
Penn St.(-7 1/2)'at Michigan St. Michigan St. Michigan St. Penn St Michigan St.
Minnesota (+9) at Iowa Minnesota Iowa Iowa Iowa
Purdue (-3 1/2) at Indiana Purdue Purdue Purdue Purdue
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Texas A&M (-11) at Texas Christian Texas A&M TCU Texas A&M Texas A&M
Florida St. (+2 1/2) at Florida Florida Florida Florida St. Florida
Boston College (-3) at Rutgers Boston College Boston College Boston College Boston College
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Best bet Boston College Michigan St. Ohio St. Florida
Last week 8-2 .800 4-6 .400 5-5 .500 5-5 .500
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Oriddes!
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