No. 8 Ohio State at No

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer grew up in Toledo and came of age during classic 1969-78 games known as “The Ten Year War” between Woody Hayes and Schembechler. The Wolverines (9-2, 6-1 Big Ten) are cruising as of late having won four in a row, including last week’s 28-16 win over Penn State. But when they finally played their first ranked opponent last week in Michigan State, the results – without rehashing the ugly details – were disastrous.

The importance of the Buckeyes’ game is not precisely tied to the stakes, though.

“There’s no room for error for us on the defensive end”, Chambers said.

Honestly, we didn’t see those plays for the rest of the game. However, as has been the case for much of the last two seasons, replacing one player has left the door open for others to step in and give up a key play here and there. Anything could happen, but we’re controlling the controllables. In the one drive that we had where we kind of had some momentum after we scored on the strip-sack, the plays we ran, we ran a lot of gap schemes and we were gashing them.

Harbaugh’s arrival has rejuvenated MI, which had been in decline since it lost to Ohio State in 2006 in a battle of the No. 1 and 2 teams in the polls. “This is a huge, huge football game for both programs”.

There’s no single explanation for what Michigan State’s defense did at Ohio State, just as there was no single issue on the Saturdays of this season when the Spartans didn’t get it done. “It’s my job, our coaching staff’s job and our leaders’ job, to make sure there is focus and attention to detail”. “That pressure can yield great results”. HC James Franklin said his guys are “fired up” and that a great opportunity awaits his club, and the seniors on the team are looking to enter the postseason on a positive note. The sophomore is averaging 78.1 yards per game and it’s hard to believe that a year ago at this time Godwin had just 19 catches for 198 yards and one touchdown. Although he hasn’t made it official like fellow juniors Ezekiel Elliott and Cardale Jones – who showed extremely poor timing in announcing their intentions after Saturday’s loss – it’s been common knowledge all season that Bosa is leaving. The Wolverines have struggled in each of the last three years, though, dropping each to a Buckeye team that was ranked inside the Top 10. “Not very good”, he acknowledged Monday, “I have to do better”.

Tressel sent a message that as an Ohio native and former Ohio State assistant coach, he got the MI rivalry on the day he was introduced as Cooper’s successor on January 18, 2001. For the first time all season, the Buckeyes are not double-digit favorites. He and three members of the offense – Jalin Marshall, Dontre Wilson and Corey Smith – sat that game out for undisclosed violations of team rules. “National championships come around every so often, but you play that team every year”. It just wears you down. That’s how we look at it. There’s no pressure when you’re prepared. Now he’s adding the khaki-style trousers worn by new Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh as something to be avoided on “Scarlet Saturday”, even cracking a joke about Harbaugh’s shirtless appearance at a summer camp as part of his signed-and-sealed statement. But they also play for a shot to play Iowa in the Big Ten championship game should Penn State defeat Michigan State, and depending a lot on what goes on elsewhere, the chance to play in the playoff.

“Talking to my parents after the (Michigan State) game”, senior linebacker Joshua Perry said, “I said the one thing that’s really going to make me feel better is getting that fourth pair of gold trousers”.

This season, Ohio State has played with a target on their backs. It goes much deeper.

“I fully expect it to be different”, Rudock said. “It’s our duty to keep the tradition going”.