Oh, what could have been………
In the span of a few short hours last Saturday afternoon my anticipation level for “The Game” went from sky high to…well...not so high. It would have been pretty special to take an undefeated team to AA to play the Wolverines for the second consecutive year with the outright Big-10 title on the line (still the case mind you). Add a probable trip to another BCS Championship game, 110,000+ fans, Lloyd Carr’s last OSU game. Wow!! How much more could you ask for?
The stakes are still pretty high. The winner will be Big-10 Champions and get to play in the Rose Bowl. The loser will be playing somewhere in Florida. Since my expectations for this year started fairly low I guess there shouldn’t be too much complaining.
In all honesty, when I looked at this game at the beginning of the year I had Michigan winning. Several factors supported that prediction: The return of Hart, Henne, Long and Super Mario; the loss of Gonzo, Ginn Jr; Troy Smith; almost the entire defensive line; the game is in AA; we’ve won the last three so the hammer has to drop eventually; and many question marks on offense. Some interesting developments have come up since early September. Appy St. and Oregon blew through AA and wiped out any hope that Michigan would be playing for a National Title. Nagging injuries to Henne and Hart have kept them on the sidelines in recent weeks. Their defense has been inconsistent and the offensive replacements go hot and cold from possession to possession. For Ohio St. the offense has been almost explosive for most of the year with Boekman playing at a higher level than I expected. Well up until last weekend that is. The defense started out hot but has shown signs of weakness the past several games.
I believe this game hangs on the shoulder of Henne and the ankle of Hart. I think Hart will be back pretty close to normal but I have some lingering doubts about Henne’s shoulder. It could be worse than advertised. If he is unable to perform as four year starter should I think the game could be wide open. I think both teams will be able to move the ball. If Henne can sling the ball around without having to worry about his shoulder and Hart can find the seams in the Buckeye defense I think Michigan will put up numbers similar to last year. However, if they have to rely on Mallett to win the game, they could be in serious trouble.
There are several wild cards to keep in mind. The game is reportedly going to be Lloyd’s last game in the Big House. I’m sure the team will try to rally around their departing coach and try to deliver one last victory. However, if they couldn’t rally after the death of the legendary coach Bo Schembechler last year, will they be able to do it this year? There is also the game plan that Coach Tressel cooks up for this game each year. Who knows what to expect. It’s been something new every year. Michigan’s health was discussed earlier but Ohio St. has some injury issues too. Beanie Wells has been walking around campus with a brace on his right wrist. Mo Wells has a boot on his leg and Brandon Saine suffered a mild concussion last week. This could spell doom for the running game. There status for Saturday has not been announced…yet. I don’t believe there are any significant injury issues with either defense.
So…how will it go?
With Henne and Hart I think Michigan wins 35-31. Without Henne and a hobbled Hart I think The Buckeyes win 31-21.
See you next Monday with my recap of the game. Best of luck to both teams.
Buckeye John
In the span of a few short hours last Saturday afternoon my anticipation level for “The Game” went from sky high to…well...not so high. It would have been pretty special to take an undefeated team to AA to play the Wolverines for the second consecutive year with the outright Big-10 title on the line (still the case mind you). Add a probable trip to another BCS Championship game, 110,000+ fans, Lloyd Carr’s last OSU game. Wow!! How much more could you ask for?
The stakes are still pretty high. The winner will be Big-10 Champions and get to play in the Rose Bowl. The loser will be playing somewhere in Florida. Since my expectations for this year started fairly low I guess there shouldn’t be too much complaining.
In all honesty, when I looked at this game at the beginning of the year I had Michigan winning. Several factors supported that prediction: The return of Hart, Henne, Long and Super Mario; the loss of Gonzo, Ginn Jr; Troy Smith; almost the entire defensive line; the game is in AA; we’ve won the last three so the hammer has to drop eventually; and many question marks on offense. Some interesting developments have come up since early September. Appy St. and Oregon blew through AA and wiped out any hope that Michigan would be playing for a National Title. Nagging injuries to Henne and Hart have kept them on the sidelines in recent weeks. Their defense has been inconsistent and the offensive replacements go hot and cold from possession to possession. For Ohio St. the offense has been almost explosive for most of the year with Boekman playing at a higher level than I expected. Well up until last weekend that is. The defense started out hot but has shown signs of weakness the past several games.
I believe this game hangs on the shoulder of Henne and the ankle of Hart. I think Hart will be back pretty close to normal but I have some lingering doubts about Henne’s shoulder. It could be worse than advertised. If he is unable to perform as four year starter should I think the game could be wide open. I think both teams will be able to move the ball. If Henne can sling the ball around without having to worry about his shoulder and Hart can find the seams in the Buckeye defense I think Michigan will put up numbers similar to last year. However, if they have to rely on Mallett to win the game, they could be in serious trouble.
There are several wild cards to keep in mind. The game is reportedly going to be Lloyd’s last game in the Big House. I’m sure the team will try to rally around their departing coach and try to deliver one last victory. However, if they couldn’t rally after the death of the legendary coach Bo Schembechler last year, will they be able to do it this year? There is also the game plan that Coach Tressel cooks up for this game each year. Who knows what to expect. It’s been something new every year. Michigan’s health was discussed earlier but Ohio St. has some injury issues too. Beanie Wells has been walking around campus with a brace on his right wrist. Mo Wells has a boot on his leg and Brandon Saine suffered a mild concussion last week. This could spell doom for the running game. There status for Saturday has not been announced…yet. I don’t believe there are any significant injury issues with either defense.
So…how will it go?
With Henne and Hart I think Michigan wins 35-31. Without Henne and a hobbled Hart I think The Buckeyes win 31-21.
See you next Monday with my recap of the game. Best of luck to both teams.
Buckeye John
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