#1 Michigan 20 - #9 Ohio State 14 T he star of the game was -- who else? -- Charles Woodson. You know he was determined to put on a show, since OSU WR David Boston was "trash" talking about him to the press prior to the game. They continued their battle on the field by "jawing" to each other and also getting physical after plays were completed by slapping each other around. It is surprising that those slaps were ignored by the officials and there were no flags. The Wolverine "great" returned a punt 78 yards for a TD, caught a 37 yard pass that set-up Michigan's first TD (a one yard run by backup TB Anthony Thomas), and intercepted a Stanley Jackson pass in the end zone stopping an Ohio State drive. M ichigan's last TD came on CB Andre Weathers' 43 yard INT return of a Stanley Jackson pass that put UM up 20-0. The Wolverines couldn't put anymore points on the board after that, but it was just enough to come away with a hard-fought victory, holding off a late-charging, upset-minded OSU squad in desperate need of a win in the series. Ohio State head coach, John Cooper's record against the Maize and Blue fell to an awful 1-8-1. T his loss was no fault of his. He and his staff, unlike last season's game, mixed up the offensive plays, called for a fake punt that resulted in a first down, and sent in all the right signals to the defense. Michigan had only 189 yards on total offense and 12 first downs (the first one coming with only 1:44 left in the first quarter). QB Brian Griese (14-25-0-147 yards) was sacked four times. No Michigan starting WR caught a pass in the game. W hile OSU's defense did well led by CB Antoine Winfield, ABC's Ohio State player of the game with 10 tackles and a pass break up, was all over the field covering receivers and defending the run and only gave up one TD on the day. The offense had their problems with the Wolves, the Nation's top ranked defense (OSU is #2). Two INT's thrown by Jackson (one for a TD), one fumble lost, both QB's completing only 9-26-2 for only 133 yards combined, David Boston having his troubles with Michigan's Charles Woodson, and backup QB Joe Germaine being sacked five times, made it almost impossible to put together a long, time-consuming drive for points. T here were some positive moments on offense: TB Pepe Pearson ran for 85 yards on 18 carries with one TD on a two yard run that was set-up by a Griese fumble at the UM 16 yard line that was stripped away by FS/CB Gary Berry and returned to the two yard line by LB Jerry Rudzinski. Boston caught three passes for 68 yards and one TD on a 56 yard bomb from Joe Germaine. OSU was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct after Boston taunted Woodson after he scored, forcing PK Dan Stultz to kick his extra point from 35 yards out, which is field goal distance. W ith the huge win over the Bucks, Michigan finishes the regular season with an undefeated record (11-0), a number one ranking in both top polls (Florida State lost at Florida, 32-29) that decide the National Championship (AP Poll and the ESPN/USA Today Poll), and with a trip the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day against the Washington State Cougars, Champions of the PAC 10 with their Victory 41-35 over bitter rival, Washington, in one of the toughest places to play in college football, Husky Stadium in Seattle. W ith the tough loss, the Buckeyes dropped to 9th in the polls from 4th, and end the regular season with a 10-2 record. Ohio State will have to wait and see what Penn State does at Michigan State on Saturday, November 29th, to see what Bowl Game they are headed for -- most likely the Citrus Bowl for the fourth time out of the past six years, YIPPIE!! Check out our pregame run-down, below. |
  After the 1997 OSU -vs- Michigan game David Boston now has how many receptions for the year breaking Cris Carter's single season record of how many?Answer below. |
#4 Ohio State (10-1, 6-1) at #1 Michigan (10-0, 7-0)This page is dedicated to pregame commentary and predictions. You, too, can offer your comments on our ChatZone page, here. |
Check out OSU vs. Michigan: 10 Years in Review, here.
| OSU | Michigan |
| Wyoming 24-10 | Colorado 27-3 |
| BGSU 44-13 | Baylor 38-3 |
| Arizona 28-20 | Notre Dame 21-14 |
| At Missouri 31-10 | At Indiana 37-0 |
| Iowa 23-7 | Northwestern 23-6 |
| At Penn State 27-31 | Iowa 28-24 |
| Indiana 31-0 | At Michigan St. 23-7 |
| Northwestern (HC) 49-6 | Minnesota (HC) 24-3 |
| At Michigan State 37-13 | At Penn St. 34-8 |
| At Minnesota 31-3 | At Wisconsin 26-16 |
| Illinois 41-6 |
|
This is the biggest rivalry in college football. There always seems
to be something important at stake for one or both of these teams. In
three out of the last four years, Ohio State was undefeated and had
the Rose Bowl and a possible National Title at stake only to be
defeated by the Wolverines. This year, the shoe is on the other foot
with the Wolves. With a win, the Bucks have a shot at the National
Crown too, so it's not like they have noting to lose going into the
"Big House." After this game is over, if Michigan or Ohio State is ranked #1 or #2 they would be headed to the Rose Bowl under a new agreement the Big Ten has with alliance. The highest ranked Big Ten (#1 or #2) team goes to Pasadena. Michigan is pumped and ready for Ohio State. They don't want the Buckeyes spoiling their undefeated season, Rose Bowl chances, and a possible National Championship title like they did to OSU three out of the last four years. The Wolves are favored by four points with most people around the country expecting a solid Michigan Victory. It will be an absolutely tremendous task for the Bucks to go in there and come out with a "W". But, it can be done! The Bucks are a very talented group and shouldn't be ruled out! What puts the Buckeyes at even more of a disadvantage is that word has it WR David Boston has been talking "trash" about the Wolverines to the press that made headline news at one of the Detroit television stations last weekend. Outstanding LB Charles Woodson is taking these quotes personally. Remember the last time an Ohio State player had negative words about Michigan (Terry Glenn in 1995)? Well, in that game Michigan TB "Touchdown Tim" ran for 313 yards in a 31-33 upset win. The Wolverines have won so many games in the last decade (7-2-1) in this series that no victory they accomplish should ever be classified as an upset. The Wolves are outstanding on both sides of the ball. QB Brain Griese (161-252-5 for 1895 yards and 14 TD's), TB Chris Howard (173-856 yards and 7 TD's running, 32-256-1 TD receiving), and WR Tai Streets (24-349-4 TD catches) are the most dangerous weapons on offense. The standouts on defense include CB Charles Woodson, one of the best all-around and complete players in college football in the 90's. Not only is he the best cornerback in the country, he also returns punts, kicks, and plays some offense lining up at the WR position to catch passes and run reverses. After catching a screen pass from Griese in the game against Wisconsin, he turned and threw a pass back to Griese who raced down to the one-yard line for a 28-yard gain. He has 10 receptions for 194 yards and 2 TD's this season. His career defensive stats (16 interceptions and 25 passes to name a couple) are awesome. ILB Sam Sword (Team-leading 109 tackles last year, averaging around nine a game this season) and SS Marcus Ray (a Columbus, Ohio native, 4 interceptions this season) are the other talented performers on defense for Michigan. Three things to remember: 1. Michigan plays well when the Buckeyes talk pre-game "trash." 2. Look for more of a wide-open offensive attack from OSU and possibly more of a ball-control offensive game plan from UM. Both teams may have a little trickery up their sleeves. For example, a Woodson or a Wiley (Ohio State Tailback) pass after looking to run first. Another thing for OSU to look for is more offensive playing time from Woodson. 3. Both defenses are stingy in all areas. The Wolverines are giving up only 8.4 a game, while the Bucks are allowing just 10.8 points a game. Look for a defensive battle in possibly frigid weather. What this game will boil down to is: Who will want it the most, which team makes the best adjustments to the flow of the game, and if the weather is arctic, which team plays the best under these conditions. One thing is certain, the Buckeyes must score early to make a statement and they must clean up their sloppy play that has been a problem all-year long with such a young team. Being the youthful team that they are could be the biggest disadvantage Ohio State faces when playing "that team up north" in the "Big House" (a.k.a. the "Big Hole" if you're a Buckeye fan). OSU will forget about all the disadvantages they face going on the road to such a hostile environment and come away with a huge win. Prediction: OSU 21 - 18. |
[TriviaZone Home- With Frames]
[TriviaZone Home- No Frames]
Named Infoseek Select Site
Today's Trivia in the Making Answer: David Boston now has 70 receptions for the year breaking Cris Carter's single-season school record of 69.