Happy Black Friday, Scarlet and Gray faithful, especially those of you brave/loco enough to battle the shopping crowds rather than hitting up Amazon like the rest of us.
I hope everyone enjoyed their food comas and football watching yesterday. I've started breaking out the Christmas tunes. A little Otis Redding (or if you prefer caroling like a Boss) and Darlene Love, and I'm ready for the holiday season.
Anyway, it's time to play the music. It's time to light the lights. It's time for the Buckeyes and Wolverines to meet...in one day.
For that reason, I have returned to the Friday Skull Session for a one-off performance. Much thanks to Elika, who will be bringing you this weekend's B1G recap, just in case I find myself in an Ann Arbor jail on Saturday night. I don't know what the outcome of the game will be, but I do know that if I have to hear too many witticisms like "cheaterz!!11!" and "LULZ tattoos LULZ" from Bob Seger doppelgangers or hipsters in skinnier jeans than mine, I will need one of you lovely commentators to post bail.
Though really, if their fans wanted to cut me, they'd launch taunts like, "the Ohio State defense couldn't stop anyone on third down...unless it was the Ohio State offense", and I would break down sobbing. And then fly into a rage blackout.
But if there's one thing I know about The Game it's that either team can win. Except if one of them is coached by Rich Rodriguez.
RUN RUN HERRON, 'CAUSE I'M REELIN' LIKE A MERRY-GO-ROUND. To outside observers, when they think of The Game, they probably picture smash-mouth, three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust, Woody vs. Bo, Midwestern football. And overall, they wouldn't be wrong. Including the most recent contests, whoever runs the ball best generally wins.
As The Blade's Matt Markey mentions, an Ohio State victory could depend heavily on how Boom totes the rock. Not only would a dominant performance from the senior greatly improve the team's chances of notching a W, it would also cement him in the "Wolverine killer" pantheon alongside such luminaries as Troy Smith and Beanie Wells.
In his first three seasons, he rushed for 391 yards and three TDs against Michigan, including a 175-yard effort in last year's 37-7 win1. Different this year is that he will face a Michigan defense with a pulse. Though ranked #14 in total defense, their rushing D is ranked #40.
YOU BETTER WATCH OUT, YOU BETTER NOT CRY. Besides Boom, the Detroit Free Press points out the obvious that the two QBs are key players to watch. Both are superior runners who have struggled airing the ball out. Denard's jump balls have only been hauled in by a teammate 53.1% of the time, and he's recorded almost as many picks (14) as TD throws (15). Braxton Miller, who has a worse completion rate at 48.6%, boasts the better touchdown-to-interception ratio (9:3).
Since each side's defense will try to sell out to stop the opposing QB from gaining much on the ground, it'll be important for the guys under center to step up their passing game. As a note, Michigan's passing defense (#14) is ranked slightly higher than Ohio State's (#16).
One stat the Free Press provided that is at once depressing and hopeful: "The Buckeyes have lost their Big Ten games by an average of 4.7 points." Better than getting blown out, I suppose.
Thank you sir. May I have another?
THERE'LL BE NO MORE SORROW, NO GRIEF AND PAIN. The Detroit News' Bob Wojnowski writes that if there was ever a time for Michigan to end its losing streak to the Buckeyes, this is the year. The matchup is in Ann Arbor. Tressel is no longer on the sidelines. Ohio State is starting a freshman QB while trying to keep their record above .500.
Michigan's 9-2 record is proof that they've improved under Hoke, but even a wounded OSU is the real measuring stick. As Wojnowski puts it, "while Michigan is back in many ways, it isn't fully back until it wins this game." It would also seemingly validate Brady Hoke's vendetta against the word "State".
The teams appear to be headed in opposite directions, with momentum on Michigan's side. Coming off a 45-17 thrashing of Nebraska, their record at home this season is perfect, and Fitzgerald Toussaint has started to emerge as a complement to Denard in the ground attack. On the other hand, Ohio State's lone road victory came against Illinois over a month ago.
Still, given the nature of The Game and rivalries in general, there's always room for surprises, whether awesome or Biakabutukawful2. Many times throughout its 108 year history, the underdog has prevailed. All it takes is one player, perhaps named Braxton, to play lights out, or for a team, perhaps wearing Scarlet and Gray, to flip a switch and finally put it all together on the field.
FAITHFUL FRIENDS WHO ARE DEAR TO US. The senior classes for both programs have been through the ringer, but they have tried to stay united. As vital as winning The Game is, it would mean something different for each side.
The Michigan seniors, some of whom started their career with Lloyd Carr and all of whom survived the Rich Rod era, are looking at their last chance to beat Ohio (State), which would be a bigger feather in the cap than a 10-win season and a shot at a BCS bowl3.
The OSU senior class has dealt with the fallout of a scandal you may have heard something about and the departure of a beloved coach. The failures of this season have been rough on the fans and players alike, but sticking it to the Wolverines one final time and keeping the streak alive would erase much of the earlier frustrations.
As Tyler Moeller summed up, "You could wipe out a bad season with a win over Michigan."
GATHER NEAR TO US ONCE MORE. Last night, Texas nipped Texas A&M on a last-second field goal, a bitter going-away present to the Aggies as they head off to the land of jorts and S-E-C chants. The 118th meeting, and final as conference foes, between the squads was not short on drama.
With less than two minutes remaining, Aggies QB Ryan Tannehill hit Jeff Fuller for a TD pass. After a 2-point conversion was unsuccessful, Texas A&M held a 25-24 lead. The 12th Man, however, could not help against the Longhorns' final drive, which included a 25-yard scamper by QB Case McCoy and a 15-yard penalty against safety Trent Hunter. That set up Justin Tucker's game-winning 40-yard kick. S-E-C!
LITTLE SAINT CLICK. An update on players from The Game of the Century... A look at tonight's basketball opponent... Northwestern's Doug Bartels was kidnapped as a baby... People who love waffles more than Leslie Knope... Richard Harrow celebrates Black Friday... Where kiwifruit comes from... Your non-football weekend marathon guide... This was a fun moment in the Big House... I really want to do this again.
- 1 The 175 yards still count, anyway.
- 2 No way I'm linking to video from that.
- 3 Whether UM wins tomorrow or not, this could happen, but shouldn't. It'd be worse than UConn in a BCS bowl.
