OSU will run, run, run
They're gonna win. Go ahead and laugh; it's not like they haven't heard it before. Yep, they're boring, bland. They're about as painful to watch as a circumcision. And you know what else? They're gonna win. The Ohio State Buckeyes will beat the defending national champion Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl national championship game. That's right -- they're going to take care of the big, bad Canes in a game that means everything. So what if the Buckeyes play like PBS on Prozac and their coach reminds you of Mr. Rogers?
It's going to be a wonderful day in the neighborhood.
"You'd have to be crazy to pick against us," says Miami tailback Willis McGahee.
Consider us certifiable.
There's something about this Ohio State team, just two years removed from the deteriorating days of malcontents and underachievers steering the storied program into mediocrity. These guys were struggling to put away Akron not so long ago. Now, under no-nonsense coach Jim Tressel, they're primed to snap Miami's 34-game winning streak and knock college football's kingpin sideways.
Tell us it's illogical or even insane. You won't be the first. One AFC scout says Miami's roster is loaded with NFL talent and that at least 35 to 40 current Hurricanes will get a long look in NFL training camps. "There's too much talent for them to lose," he says. Meanwhile, Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel, a molecular genetics major who one day probably will make enough money to own a skybox in an NFL stadium, details the Buckeyes' run to a 13-0 record and the title game this way:
"We play for each other," he says, matter of factly.
Go ahead and laugh; get it out of the way because we're going to tell you how the biggest game in the not-so-long history of the BCS will end in one of the biggest upsets in college football history:
Run the ball and stop the run. That's how Ohio State won its last national title in 1968 under legendary coach Woody Hayes, and the Buckeyes will do it the same way 34 years later.
They're gonna win.
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His shoulder is bandaged and bulky, encased with four separate wraps and braces for protection. It looks like a prop from a sci-fi movie. How is anyone supposed to play with this contraption hindering every movement? "It ain't easy," says Ohio State freshman tailback Maurice Clarett.
By the time the Fiesta Bowl kickoff rolls around on January 3, he may not need the protection but he'll have it on anyway. By then, it will be nearly six weeks since the Buckeyes last played -- six weeks to heal the most high-profile injury in the country and give the Buckeyes the edge they need on offense.
Midway through the season, Clarett sustained a burner, or pinched nerve, in his left shoulder. Neither he nor the Buckeyes' offense has been the same since. Because the injury requires extended rest to heal, the six-week layoff is something of a blessing. A healthy Clarett had 230 yards in a September 14 blowout of Washington State, which finished seventh nationally in run defense. Miami finished 73rd, allowing 167 yards per game. If the Hurricanes have a weakness, it is an inability to consistently stop the run.
"That's all we ever hear," says Miami defensive tackle Vince Wilfork. "I've seen (Clarett); he's just another guy. He's no better than any of the other backs we've faced."
Actually, he's much better. Had he stayed healthy, he would have been at last weekend's Heisman Trophy ceremony. Clarett has the strength and power of Earl Campbell and the balance and vision of Marcus Allen. He's the type of runner who can control games and dictate tempo -- much like Florida State's Greg Jones (189 rushing yards) or Pittsburgh's Brandon Miree (118) did against the Canes, whose vulnerabilities clearly were evident in those games.
"If you can control how often their offense gets on the field by holding onto (the ball) with your offense, you've got a much better chance of getting the game to the fourth quarter," says one rival Big East defensive coordinator. "If the game gets that late and you're still around, they're just like any other team. Pressure gets to everyone."
Miami's defensive line is quick and athletic, but it is best suited to rush the passer with quick, 262-pound tackle Matt Walters and speed-rush ends Jerome McDougle (260 pounds) and Jamaal Green (253). Both middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma (220) and strong safety Maurice Sikes (193) are undersized. The Canes' best combination at tackle is starter William Joseph (282) and Wilfork (335), but their size can be negated with zone-blocking techniques -- a strategy Pitt and FSU used with success.
Misdirection and draw plays also give Miami problems, slowing the pass rush and forcing the line to play assignments or chase. West Virginia used multiple misdirection looks, and tailback Avon Cobourne rushed for 175 yards.
"There's no secret, really," says another Big East defensive coordinator. "They run well in the front seven, and you've got to get them to overpursue. When that happens, they slow down and they're out of their scheme. Then you go right at them."
Ohio State's middle three of center Alex Stepanovich and guards Bryce Bishop and Adrien Clarke are strong, 300-plus pounders with good feet and an understanding that a block needs to be held only so long for Clarett to get by. Massive tackles Ivan Douglas (6-8, 305) and Shane Olivea (6-5, 310) are physical players with wide wingspans who can neutralize Miami's lack of size off the edge. Once the running game is established, Krenzel must get big, physical wideouts Chris Gamble (6-2, 180) and Michael Jenkins (6-5, 200) involved because both will be matchup problems for Miami's secondary.
Krenzel isn't flashy or dynamic, but he knows how to get the Buckeyes in the right play at the right time, and he doesn't make mistakes. Still, Krenzel's play hinges on OSU establishing the running game.
"It's an attitude as much as anything," Stepanovich says. "You have to take a stand every time the ball is snapped."
