This game scares the crap out of me. By 6pm tonight, I'm going to be either very very happy or very very pissed. (and half soused probably) :lol: Big Ten Co-Champions Clash in Columbus Top-Ranked Buckeyes Want Revenge vs. Nittany Lions By RUSTY MILLER AP COLUMBUS, Ohio (Sept. 23) - Everything Ohio State has accomplished so far, including that huge win over Texas, was a mere prelude for the Buckeyes. "We know we're starting the real season," defensive tackle David Patterson said of Saturday's Big Ten opener between the top-ranked Buckeyes and No. 24 Penn State. The Buckeyes haven't lost since falling 17-10 at Penn State a year ago - a defeat that, coupled with Penn State's last-play loss to Michigan, ended up leaving the teams tied for the conference title. The Buckeyes, riding a 10-game winning streak, last won an outright Big Ten title in 1984. "The Big Ten is always going to wake you up," wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. said. "If you're not ready to play the Big Ten, then you're not ready to play the season. This is what we want. We want to play the co-champions." Last year's Penn State victory - before almost 110,000 stomping fans at Beaver Stadium - heralded a return to prominence for Joe Paterno's team after two losing seasons. After finishing 11-1 season and ranked No. 3 in the country (a spot ahead of Ohio State), the next step for the Nittany Lions is to show they can sustain the success. "It's not necessarily a game that our whole season rides on - it's too early in the season for that," Penn State linebacker Dan Connor said. "But this is a game that can really help us along and put us on the map. We think we should be up there. ... We have a chance this week to prove it." The Nittany Lions (2-1) also need to prove that they've put a 41-17 beating at Notre Dame in their rearview mirror. Last week's 37-3 romp past I-AA Youngstown State provided a lift. Paterno, in his 41st year as Penn State's head coach, was asked if it was a benefit going into the Ohio State game that his team had already played a difficult road game. "I don't know how much benefit you get out of getting your ears kicked in," he said. The last two weeks have given Paterno and his players a chance to see what went wrong and to put a good spin on it. "You just try to build on the fact that if we just have patience, hang onto the ball and don't make dumb mistakes, we will be competitive," Paterno said. "We certainly were not competitive in that (Notre Dame) game. We let the game get out of hand on us in a hurry. I suppose you learn from that kind of stuff. I am not sure how much you learn." The focal point of the Nittany Lions' progress is first-year starting quarterback Anthony Morelli, who appeared tentative, impatient and rattled by the Fighting Irish. "You've just got to relax, no matter how much time is left and the score," he said of what he learned. "You just can't get ahead of yourself." He'll be chased around by an Ohio State defense that had eight sacks and 10 tackles for minus yardage in a 37-7 blitz of Cincinnati last week. To get fleet wide receiver Derrick Williams more involved in the offense, Paterno has been inserting the sophomore in several different spots, similar to way the Buckeyes have used Ginn in the past. Former Ohio State fan Tony Hunt has gotten off to a fast start at tailback, averaging almost 6 yards a carry for the Lions. "We know they're going to come out and try to punch us in the mouth like they did last year," Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis said. Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny, a one-man wrecking crew against Ohio State in Happy Valley last year, has started slowly coming back from a knee injury. The Buckeyes are led by tailback Antonio Pittman (averaging 113 yards rushing per game), do-everything quarterback Troy Smith (who hasn't thrown an interception in his last 151 attempts) along with Ginn (five receiving TDs). A defense that had to replace nine starters has grown each week and is 10th in the nation in points allowed (8.7 per game). Those stats don't mean much now that the conference season has arrived. "Everyone in our locker room knows when you go to the Big Ten you better take it up a notch," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. "You better understand that everyone now has had some games to get better, and if you're going to be successful in Big Ten play, you're going to have to rise up and play better than you've been playing the whole season."
im watching this and Joe Pa just bounced. He ran across the field in between plays into the locker room, i wonder what happened.
The line on this game is looking pretty good (if you bet on PSU) and the over/under is looking even better. PSU is really playing physical. But their offense blows (Morelli bounced another one; This isn't Basketball!)
I wouldn't sprint across the field because if you run too hard its gunna be leaking out and getting everywhere lmao
