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 Sports. The most complete Michigan- Ohio State coverage. Scott Darren Antoine W Ryan RTON VERSON ITTS HITE v } .v } 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 Illinois (+2) at Wisconsin Wisconsin Illinois Wisconsin Illinois Syracuse (+5 1/2).at Miami (Fla.) Syracuse Syracuse Miami Syracuse 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 Arizona (+3) at Arizona St. Arizona St. Arizona St. Arizona St. Arizona St. Best bet Boston College Michigan St. Ohio St. Florida Last week 8-2 .800 4-6 .400 5-5 .500 5-5 .500 Overall 65-44-1 .595 64-45-1 .586 60-49-1 .550 59-50-1 .541 Best. bets 7-4 .636 7-4 .636 7-4.636 7-4 .636 Oriddes! .; : r; 215 S. STATE ST. Get yer Griddes here! Drop off your picks at The Michigan Daily sports desk at 420 Maynard by noon today. The most accurate prognosticator will receive a $15 gift certificate to Steve and Barry's University Sportswear. Contestants are limited to five entries per week. && - . W YiI= T.