Ohio State and Penn State have similar players with similar styles at same positions.
By Beth Hudson
Of The Morning Call
To hear Ohio State center Nick Mangold explain it, A.J. Hawk is a neat freak.
It's not that Hawk, the Buckeyes' All-American linebacker, runs around the house with a mop and a vacuum cleaner; it's worse, actually.
''He takes it to a whole new level,'' said Mangold, Hawk's roommate. ''It's not so much the cleaning. He just doesn't let it get dirty. If you leave something out for more than a day, he'll just throw it away.''
No reports yet on the cleaning habits of Penn State linebackers Paul Posluszny and Tim Shaw, but it's safe to say the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions have their share of similarities. From mobile quarterbacks to stifling defenses ? and, yes, punishing linebackers ? Saturday night's game will be a clash of commonalities.
''You start with the quarterback [Troy Smith],'' Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. ''He is a very gifted athlete who can throw and run. Everybody is raving about Virginia Tech's quarterback, Marcus Vick. I don't know whether Vick is any better than this kid.
''They have great wideouts,'' Paterno added. ''They have a tailback, Antonio Pittman, who doesn't quite get the ink that everybody else gets on that football team, but he is an excellent tailback and if you get a little careless, he will hurt you.''
If it all sounds familiar, that's because it is.
Smith, the Ohio State quarterback, is eighth in the conference in rushing with 80.3 yards per game (and four touchdowns). And while he's thrown six fewer touchdown passes than Penn State's Michael Robinson, Smith's been efficient, completing 57 percent of his passes, with three touchdowns and just one interception.
The Lions have seen Smith before (he started in last year's 21-10 Ohio State victory), and the Buckeyes feel as if they saw Robinson earlier this season.
''I think Michael Robinson may be a little more elusive than [Texas quarterback] Vince Young,'' defensive tackle Marcus Green said.
The Longhorns defeated the Buckeyes 25-22 a month ago.
''Other than that,'' Green said, ''there's not a huge difference. Both of them are great athletes who can run.''
Still, when they decide to pass, Robinson and Smith have receivers who will make the job easier. Penn State redshirt freshman Deon Butler is fourth in the Big Ten with 81.2 receiving yards per game, one spot ahead of Ohio State's Santonio Holmes (71.0 yards).
Through five games, Butler has caught more touchdown passes (four) than any Penn State receiver did in 2004, when Robinson led the team with three.
At the same time, neither player is the best-known receiver on his respective team. Penn State's true freshman, Derrick Williams, is seventh in the conference in all-purpose yards (111.6 per game) and has drawn comparisons to Ohio State sophomore Ted Ginn.
Ginn's behind two teammates, Holmes and Anthony Gonzalez, in receiving yardage, but Penn State isn't likely to forget his 67-yard punt return for a touchdown in 2004. Ohio State took a 7-0 lead and never trailed.
Even the running backs are similar. Pittman (101 rushing yards per game) and Tony Hunt (95) are quietly among the top five rushers in the Big Ten.
Then, of course, there are the linebackers ? Ohio State's Hawk, Anthony Schlegel and Bobby Carpenter versus Penn State's Posluszny, Shaw, Tyrell Sales and Dan Connor. Hawk's already an All-American. On Thursday's ''Nittany Lion Hotline,'' Paterno said he believes Posluszny is comparable to the former Penn State All-American who also wore No. 31, Shane Conlan.
''I think [Ohio State's] two outside linebackers are as good as anybody in the country, and I think their two safeties are as good as anybody in the country,'' Paterno said. ''In all of the years I have been coaching, this is probably one of the better defensive teams I have seen?. If we are comparable to them, I would feel pretty good.''
By Beth Hudson
Of The Morning Call
To hear Ohio State center Nick Mangold explain it, A.J. Hawk is a neat freak.
It's not that Hawk, the Buckeyes' All-American linebacker, runs around the house with a mop and a vacuum cleaner; it's worse, actually.
''He takes it to a whole new level,'' said Mangold, Hawk's roommate. ''It's not so much the cleaning. He just doesn't let it get dirty. If you leave something out for more than a day, he'll just throw it away.''
No reports yet on the cleaning habits of Penn State linebackers Paul Posluszny and Tim Shaw, but it's safe to say the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions have their share of similarities. From mobile quarterbacks to stifling defenses ? and, yes, punishing linebackers ? Saturday night's game will be a clash of commonalities.
''You start with the quarterback [Troy Smith],'' Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. ''He is a very gifted athlete who can throw and run. Everybody is raving about Virginia Tech's quarterback, Marcus Vick. I don't know whether Vick is any better than this kid.
''They have great wideouts,'' Paterno added. ''They have a tailback, Antonio Pittman, who doesn't quite get the ink that everybody else gets on that football team, but he is an excellent tailback and if you get a little careless, he will hurt you.''
If it all sounds familiar, that's because it is.
Smith, the Ohio State quarterback, is eighth in the conference in rushing with 80.3 yards per game (and four touchdowns). And while he's thrown six fewer touchdown passes than Penn State's Michael Robinson, Smith's been efficient, completing 57 percent of his passes, with three touchdowns and just one interception.
The Lions have seen Smith before (he started in last year's 21-10 Ohio State victory), and the Buckeyes feel as if they saw Robinson earlier this season.
''I think Michael Robinson may be a little more elusive than [Texas quarterback] Vince Young,'' defensive tackle Marcus Green said.
The Longhorns defeated the Buckeyes 25-22 a month ago.
''Other than that,'' Green said, ''there's not a huge difference. Both of them are great athletes who can run.''
Still, when they decide to pass, Robinson and Smith have receivers who will make the job easier. Penn State redshirt freshman Deon Butler is fourth in the Big Ten with 81.2 receiving yards per game, one spot ahead of Ohio State's Santonio Holmes (71.0 yards).
Through five games, Butler has caught more touchdown passes (four) than any Penn State receiver did in 2004, when Robinson led the team with three.
At the same time, neither player is the best-known receiver on his respective team. Penn State's true freshman, Derrick Williams, is seventh in the conference in all-purpose yards (111.6 per game) and has drawn comparisons to Ohio State sophomore Ted Ginn.
Ginn's behind two teammates, Holmes and Anthony Gonzalez, in receiving yardage, but Penn State isn't likely to forget his 67-yard punt return for a touchdown in 2004. Ohio State took a 7-0 lead and never trailed.
Even the running backs are similar. Pittman (101 rushing yards per game) and Tony Hunt (95) are quietly among the top five rushers in the Big Ten.
Then, of course, there are the linebackers ? Ohio State's Hawk, Anthony Schlegel and Bobby Carpenter versus Penn State's Posluszny, Shaw, Tyrell Sales and Dan Connor. Hawk's already an All-American. On Thursday's ''Nittany Lion Hotline,'' Paterno said he believes Posluszny is comparable to the former Penn State All-American who also wore No. 31, Shane Conlan.
''I think [Ohio State's] two outside linebackers are as good as anybody in the country, and I think their two safeties are as good as anybody in the country,'' Paterno said. ''In all of the years I have been coaching, this is probably one of the better defensive teams I have seen?. If we are comparable to them, I would feel pretty good.''
