Due to a hectic pre-holiday work week, I must admit my hate of all things Michigan has been on more of a slow burn than a full fledged inferno but thankfully, trolling the internets last night in prep for today's Skully has properly stoked the flames.
Funny thing, reading our very own recaps from last year's game seem to be most responsible for chapping my @ss in that I still can't believe we only won by 11 in the Big House.
New Uni's Getting Love. Since we were the first to bring you pics of the 1942 throwback uni's the Buckeyes will wear this Saturday, the topic had understandably died down. Now, with the game looming, mulitple looks and reaction continue to pour in about the gear honoring the players and soon to be WWII soldiers including a little sarcastic love from the good Doctor:
Because nothing says "Duty, Honor and Country" like Nike's moisture-wicking Dri-FIT fabric and Vapor Jet gloves featuring premium Magnigrip CL technology.
Pryor Bits. Probably in part to keep him from fielding questions about his twitter skills, Terrelle wasn't made available on Monday. Obviously, a no-brainer move by Tressel who also smartly decided not to even address the issue himself. No sense in letting TP try to explain what he was thinking though I would've liked to hear his thoughts on The Game. Looking to send out the seniors on a winning note, I'm sure TP has his priorities in line. You know he's also clearly aware he'll join Tippy Dye and Troy Smith as the only Buckeye QB's to win three straight against Michigan if things go as planned.
In case you missed it, finalists for the non-Heisman major awards have been announced and, amazingly, the Buckeyes were completely shut out. At one point, Pryor was in the running for the Maxwell and O'Brien awards but did not make the final three with Newton, Luck and Moore locking up spots for both awards. Chekwa also fell short of the final three for the Thorpe Award.
The Onion or Freep? I thought I had accidentally stumbled upon The Onion's sports page but in fact, Denard Robinson actually told Freep:
"I think our defense is one of the best defenses in the country," he said. "I don't care what nobody says."
Look, I get that the Nard-dog is trying to be a good teammate but, as Cris Carter would say, c'mon mane. Michigan's defense is as much to blame as anything Ohio State has done in turning The Game into The Joke, as referred to by Rosenberg. Looking to earn their place as the worst defense in Michigan history, they surrendered 357 rushing yards to Wisconsin last week.
Inside the Numbers. No question Robinson has carried the offensive load for the Wolverines this year, but as we expected, he's worn down as the conference season played out. Though he's still averaging 342 pass/rush yards per game, in the past six contests he's completing just 58% of his passes with 9 TD and 9 INT. The yards per carry (4.9) are still decent but have also fallen off. Personally, no homerism in play, I'm wondering if Robinson will even finish the game. He best be on the lookout for Hines, who put Adam Robinson on the shelf for Iowa's regular season finale.
Interestingly, the high-powered Michigan offense has generated just 27 points in the first half of their four conference losses with the defense surrendering 90 points over the same stretch. This could be key as the Buckeyes have endured their own share of slow starts in big games. I sense a change a comin'.
Bomb Ann Arbor Now. If you're in Columbus for the weekend, don't forget the Dead Schembechlers will be at Skully's Friday night.
Set Your DVRs. ESPN Classic brings you 14 straight editions of The Game beginning as the clock strikes Thanksgiving, ie 12:00am Thursday. The lineup:
- 11/25, 12:00am: 1969 edition. Skip it. Bo's first year on the job and he beats one of OSU's most stacked teams. The 10 year war begins.
- 11/25, 2:00am: 1974 edition. Archie rushes for 111 as Bucks prevail 12-10. Mike Lantry - Wide Left.
- 11/25, 4:00am: 1979 edition. Earle Bruce's first Michigan game ends in 18-15 victory thanks to Jim Laughlin's blocked punt that Todd Bell returned for game winning TD.
- 11/25, 6:00am: 1987 edition. Lame duck Earle watches Bucks pull 23-20 upset in Ann Arbor to finish 5-4 against his rival.
- 11/25, 8:00am: 1996 edition. Skip it. JHC's #2 ranked Buckeyes lose 14-9 with The Slip a huge factor.
- 11/25, 10:00am: 2001 edition. The Vest makes it known this is his rivalry 310 days after he told us we'd be proud. Eleven point dogs, the Bucks win 26-20 keeping Michigan from sharing the conference crown.
- 11/25, 12 noon: 2002 edition. Hell's yeah.
- 11/25, 2:00pm: 1995 edition. Go eat some turkey. Biakabafreakintuka.
- 11/25, 4:00pm: 1997 edition. Sleep off that turkey. God, I hate Charles Woodson.
- 11/25, 6:00pm: 2003 edition. Time for turkey round 2. Michigan's only win against Tressel.
- 11/25, 8:00pm: 2006 edition. Bo passes on Friday. Troy does his thing. Most intense/emotional Game in my cognizant lifetime.
- 11/25, 10:00pm: 1999 edition. Catch up on World of Jenks. Tom Brady sucks. Cooper sucks worse. 24-17 bad guys.
- 11/26, 12:00am: 2005 edition. Troy goes off as Buckeyes overcome 21-12 4th quarter deficit. Sick.
- 11/26, 2:00am: 2000 edition. Thankfully, 2-10-1 comes to a close.
