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| Wednesday, October 25 Ohio State-Purdue game for all the Roses By Jeff Potrykus Special to ESPN.com | |||||
OK, so the Big Ten's marquee matchup this week -- Ohio State
at Purdue
-- doesn't quite hold the national allure of No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 3 Oklahoma.
Yet with five Big Ten teams separated by only a game in the standings and the Buckeyes (6-1 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) and Boilermakers (6-2, 4-1) the only teams in that quintet in control of their own destiny in the race for the Rose Bowl, it is difficult to down play the importance of the game.
"Purdue is a big game for us -- very big," Ohio State wide receiver Ken-Yon Rambo said. "It could be for all the marbles."
All the roses, young man.
"This is definitely the biggest game in coach Tiller's era at Purdue," quarterback Drew Brees said. "If we can get this one, against a very talented opponent like Ohio State, it would do wonders for us as far as confidence and keeping the train moving along."
It wasn't that long ago that both the Boilermakers and Buckeyes appeared to be slipping off the tracks.
Purdue suffered a humbling 22-20 loss at Penn State on Sept. 30, thanks largely to two botched punts. Since then, the Boilermakers have beaten Michigan, Northwestern and Wisconsin.
Ohio State won its first two Big Ten games by a combined score of 68-13 before being embarrassed at home by Minnesota, 29-17. The Buckeyes got back on track with an easy 38-10 victory over Iowa before turning their attention to the Boilermakers.
"Everybody knows the consequences of this game," Ohio State tailback Derek Combs said. "This is basically for the Rose Bowl. We're going to take that to heart."
Although Purdue's defense and running game is improved this season, and Ohio State quarterback Steve Bellisari riddled the Iowa defense for 315 passing yards, the pivotal matchup Saturday will be Brees against Ohio State's "Silver Bullet" defense.
Ohio State leads the Big Ten in scoring defense (13.6 points), total defense (298.9 yards) and is tied for first in interceptions (10).
Illinois What must the Illini do to beat a struggling Michigan State team Saturday in East Lansing? There is no secret formula. The Illini simply can't give the ball away as they have in their three conference losses. Illinois lost four turnovers (two fumbles and two interceptions) in a 39-25 loss last week at Penn State. They suffered four turnovers in their 34-point loss at Minnesota and lost two key fumbles in the four-point loss to Michigan. That is 10 turnovers in three games -- all losses. Unlike many coaches, though, Ron Turner has not harped on the mistakes. "I don't want Kurt dropping back and thinking, 'I can't turn it over. I can't throw an interception,'" Turner said, referring to quarterback Kurt Kittner. "You can't talk about it too much. "It wasn't like ball carriers fumbled seven or eight times in one game. If we blow this thing out of proportion, it can become a problem." ... Michigan State has won the last five games in this series. The last time Illinois won in East Lansing was the 1989 season. Jeff George was the Illinois quarterback and threw a 9-yard touchdown pass with 1:08 left to give the Illini a 14-10 victory. Indiana In the days leading to his team's game with Minnesota, Indiana coach Cam Cameron admitted he was growing weary of missing opportunities to win games that might give his foundering program some momentum. What Cameron didn't know at the time was that his players were growing equally impatient and had called a team meeting to clear the air. Six days later, the Hoosiers stunned Minnesota, 51-43. "This game goes to those six captains and those seniors who had just finally had enough," Cameron said. "Obviously, we have four more weeks and one game doesn't solve all the problems we have. But Sunday, that's where we won the ball game, or gave ourselves an opportunity to win." ... This week could be even bigger for Cameron's program. The Hoosiers play host to Penn State, but the game will be played in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. The switch was made before the season in an effort to showcase the program and increase the fan base. A victory would help that cause. ... The Hoosiers (3-4 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) need to win three of their final four games to qualify for a bowl game. Cameron is the only coach of the four hires in 1997 (Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota and Indiana) who has not led his team to a bowl game. ... The Hoosiers have split their last two games despite giving up 101 points -- 58 to Michigan and 43 to Minnesota. ... Junior quarterback Antwaan Randle El set a school, single-game record for total yards with 473 (263 passing and 210 rushing). Iowa Iowa's anemic offense probably will be even more limited when the Hawkeyes play host to Wisconsin on Saturday. Redshirt freshman Jon Beutjer, clearly the team's quarterback of the future, injured his right ankle in the first half of the ugly 38-10 loss to Ohio State and is not expected to play. Beutjer had started the last three games, leading the Hawkeyes to a victory over Michigan State, their only victory of the season. Junior Kyle McCann took over against Ohio State and is expected to start against Wisconsin. McCann has played sparingly this season and has completed only 10 of 21 passes for 99 yards. If McCann is knocked out, look for senior Scott Mullen to take over. Mullen started the first four games but was benched in favor of Beutjer. ... Iowa quarterbacks have been sacked a league-high 39 times. Beutjer suffered the injury when he was hit while attempting to pass. ... Wide receiver Kahlil Hill won't soon forget the loss to Ohio State. He was held out of the first quarter because six days earlier he had left practice without telling the coaches. Hill was distraught because his grandmother, Anlo Lovett, was dying. With about 8 minutes left in the first quarter Saturday, Hill heard the public address announcer page his mother, Caryl Hill. He realized that his grandmother had passed away. Hill caught one pass for nine yards. Michigan Whew! That was Michigan coach Lloyd Carr exhaling after watching his team navigate through a difficult five-game run with a 4-1 mark by winning two games by a combined seven points, losing a by a point at Purdue and then bouncing back with consecutive shutouts. Now the Wolverines (6-2, 4-1) get a week off before playing at Northwestern on Nov. 4. "The way this conference is, we've been hard at it," Carr said after the Spartans' 14-0 victory over Michigan State. "We've had a run here where we've played a lot of tough ball games. I think the off week comes at the right time." The bye comes at a good time if for no other reason than to allow the Michigan defensive coaches time to dissect Northwestern's no-huddle, spread offense and implement a plan to slow it down. ... Senior tailback Anthony Thomas ran for two touchdowns in the victory over Michigan State, giving him the school record with 49 in four seasons. Tyrone Wheatley held the previous record with 47. "Anthony Thomas is special," Carr said. "When Wheatley left here, I did not think anybody would ever score more touchdowns than he did." In addition, Thomas now has rushed for at least 100 yards in 19 games, the No. 2 mark in school history. Wheatley holds the record with 20. ... The shutouts of Indiana and Michigan State marked the first time since the 1987 season the Wolverines had posted consecutive shutouts. Michigan State Michigan State coach Bobby Williams received a bit of good news and some bad news two days after the Spartans suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, this one to rival Michigan. The good news came from Dave Parry, the Big Ten's supervisor of officials. Parry concluded that the game officials had erred when ruling the Wolverines had recovered a fumble at their own 8-yard line midway through the third quarter with Michigan State driving for a tying touchdown. On the pivotal play, Michigan's Victor Hobson stripped the ball from tailback T.J Duckett, Larry Foote dived to keep it inbounds and Eric Wilson pounced on the football. However, TV replays showed Foote's right arm touching the sideline while he kept the ball in play with his left arm. "I don't think we'll get to line up and play that play all over again," Williams said. "We'll just have to wait until next year." The bad news came from the Spartans' medical staff. Linebacker T.J. Turner, who injured his shoulder in the opener, had surgery last week and is lost for the season. Duckett, the team's best offensive threat, might not play Saturday against Illinois because of a sprained shoulder. Duckett, who has also been slowed by a hip pointer, didn't play in the fourth quarter against Michigan. Despite gaining only 70 yards against the Wolverines, Duckett is No. 8 nationally in rushing with 960 yards in 171 carries. Minnesota When they meet before kickoff Saturday, Minnesota coach Glen Mason and Northwestern coach Randy Walker might want to compare notes about how NOT to deal with success. The Wildcats stumbled two weeks ago against Purdue and the players acknowledged afterward they were looking ahead to a possible Rose Bowl berth. Last week Minnesota was humbled by Indiana, only one week after stunning Ohio State. "Our team is the type of team that plays better when it isn't ranked and our backs are to the wall," junior quarterback Travis Cole told reporters after the loss to Indiana. "Sometimes when we have success, we get too full of ourselves. That happened early in the year when we lost to Ohio University. It happened again today." ... Minnesota has faced two true option teams -- Ohio University and Indiana. Those two teams combined for 711 rushing yards in 125 carries and six touchdowns. ... Junior cornerback Willie Middlebrooks suffered a broken left leg in the loss to Indiana and will miss the remainder of the season. ... Sophomore kicker Dan Nystrom made three of four field-goal attempts to tie the school record for field goals in a single season with 18. Nystrom has made 18 of 24 attempts this season. Northwestern Remember when you were in grade school and every September you had to tell your classmates how you spent you summer vacation? Well, the Northwestern players didn't exactly get a vacation during their bye week. Coming off a 41-28 loss to Purdue and preparing for their road game against Minnesota on Saturday, the Wildcats went through a mini training camp. The basics of football: blocking and tackling. The practices were brutal, with the No. 1 offense going up against the No. 1 defense. The players also had to endure conditioning drills. "We had so many self-inflicted wounds -- that's what destroyed our rhythm," Walker said of the loss to Purdue. "Let's get back to playing like we play. I like our chances when we do." ... Although Ohio State and Purdue control their own fate in the race for the Big Ten title and Rose Bowl berth, the Wildcats (5-2, 3-1) still have a slim chance at a return trip to Pasadena. In fact, the last time the Wildcats played at Minnesota was 1995. Northwestern won, 27-17, and went on to win the conference title. After what happened against Purdue, Waker doesn't want to hear any talk of bowl games. He wants one victory to become bowl-eligible. "We talk about what really matters and what we're trying to prepare for," he said. "The only thing that matters is how we play against Minnesota." Penn State After surprising Illinois last week, the Nittany Lions will attempt to win consecutive games for the third time this season. The first two attempts were disasters. After recording their first victory of the season with a 60-point rout of Louisiana Tech on Sept. 9, the Nittany Lions were shut out by rival Pittsburgh the following week. Then, after upsetting Purdue on Sept. 30, the Nittany Lions were sloppy in a 25-16 loss at Minnesota. Paterno has never fielded a team that failed to win consecutive games. The last time a Penn State team failed to win consecutive games was 1938, when the Nittany Lions finished 3-4-1 under Bob Higgins. ... Unlike their counterparts at Indiana, the Penn State players did not hold a team meeting to discuss their plight. However, several players did guarantee a victory over Illinois. The Nittany Lions (3-5, 1-2) turned four turnovers in 15 points and won by 14 points, 39-25. "I really think the week off led to some self-reflection and embarrassment," defensive end Justin Kurpeikis said after the victory. "Because of that, we had great practices. Because of great practices, confidence builds. We were embarrassed by our 2-5 start." ... With the victory over Illinois, Paterno passed Pop Warner and moved into second place on the all-time victory list with 320. He needs three more to tie Bear Bryant. ... The Adam Taliaferro fund collected $32,759.35 during the game. Taliaferro, a freshman defensive back, remains hospitalized after suffering a spinal cord injury in the loss to Ohio State. Wisconsin With his team needing to win three of its final four regular-season games to become bowl-eligible, Barry Alvarez has attempted to diffuse any potential quarterback controversy. On Monday, Alvarez named sophomore Brooks Bollinger to start against Iowa. Bollinger (concussion) missed the second half of the victory over Michigan State two weeks ago and did not play at all in the loss Saturday to Purdue. Redshirt freshman Jim Sorgi played exceptionally well in Bollinger's absence, but Alvarez believes Bollinger remains the best man to lead the offense. "Brooks led us to 11 straight wins and a Rose Bowl," Alvarez said. "I feel like he is our quarterback. Jim is our backup quarterback right now and he did a good job for us." When asked if Sorgi would play at all against the Hawkeyes, Alvarez said he would not speculate about any possible game-day decisions. "I feel real comfortable with the situation," Alvarez said. "It's the best that we've had since I've been here. I feel good about the fact I have confidence in both of them." In six quarters of action, Sorgi has completed 28 of 44 attempts (63.6%) for 339 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Bollinger, who got off to a slow start this season largely because of shaky line play, has completed only 60 of 124 passes (48.4%) for 706 yards, with four touchdowns and four interceptions. ... What bowls might the Badgers yet reach? The Sun and Micronpc.com are possibilities; the Alamo is a long shot. ... Junior tailback Michael Bennett rushed for 188 yards in the loss to Purdue, giving him 1,187 yards this season. Bennett thus extended the school's string of 1,000-yard rushers to eight consecutive seasons, a Big Ten record. Jeff Potrykus covers the Big Ten for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. | ALSO SEE Big East notebook Big 12 notebook Big West notebook Mountain West notebook WAC notebook AUDIO/VIDEO   Purdue's Drew Brees throws a 78-yard bomb to Seth Morales for the TD.avi: 1308 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Purdue's Drew Brees runs 6 yards for the TD against Wisconsin.avi: 1294 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Purdue's Drew Brees throws 30 yards to A.T. Simpson for the touchdown.avi: 1200 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Purdue's Ashante Woodyard takes a blocked field goal 27 yards for the winning touchdown in OT.avi: 2144 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | ||||
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