No matter the year, the rivalry game between Ohio State and Michigan is one of the most energized and dynamic events college football has to offer. But this weekend, it will taken on nearly unprecedented significance.
For starters, Saturday’s game will mark the 100th time the programs have squared off. What’s more, the Big Ten title will hang in the balance, and for Ohio State, so will a shot at defending a national championship. Both teams boast conference-leading 6-1 records, and the Buckeyes moved to No. 2 in the latest Bowl Championship Series standings after their overtime win against Purdue last week.
While both Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel and Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr regularly shy away from rousing comments, they did little to downplay the game’s importance during a Big Ten teleconference Tuesday.
“This is game No. 1 for the players at Ohio State and Michigan. This is what they look forward to,” Tressel said. “Whichever venue it’s played in, it’s the largest audience of the day. It’s a great privilege to be a part of this game.”
Carr simply declared the matchup “the greatest rivalry in college football.”
Michigan leads the all-time series 56-37-6, but Tressel has yet to lose to the Wolverines, winning against them in both of his seasons with the Buckeyes.
Saturday’s game will pit the Buckeyes’ suffocating defense against the Wolverines’ high-powered, versatile offense. Ohio State’s defense leads the Big Ten in scoring average and total defense, giving up 15.1 points and 275.7 yards per game.
“It’s a great defense with great athletes,” Carr said. “They are very well coached, they play very hard and they play well together.”
Michigan’s offense, second in the conference with averages of 37.4 points per game and 458.1 yards per game, boasts the Big Ten’s leading rusher in running back Chris Perry. But Tressel says the team’s trio of receivers — Braylon Edwards, Jason Avant and Steve Breaston — deserve a large share of the credit for the Wolverines’ success running the ball.
“They’re the best group of receivers collectively that we’ve seen,” Tressel said. “Not only are they great receivers and big play guys, but they really do a great job blocking.”
NEVER BETTER: When Wisconsin wide receiver Lee Evans underwent two surgeries to the same knee in 2002, prompting him to miss the entire season, many questioned if he would ever regain the form that made him one of the nation’s finest players two years ago.
Last Saturday against Michigan State, Evans emphatically silenced all skeptics: The Badgers senior tied a Big Ten record with five touchdown catches and set a school record with 238 receiving yards.
“Once they announced it around the whole stadium is when it really set it,” Evans said. “It really meant a lot to me.”
The majority of Evans’ performance, which earned him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors, occurred while facing single coverage from the Spartans. Clearly, Michigan State’s decision to play Evans man-to-man was unsuccessful.
“For the most part of the day, I had a lot of space to work with,” said Evans, who finished with a career-high 10 receptions.
Evans and the rest of the Badgers’ offense anticipate a much more formidable challenge against Iowa Saturday. The Hawkeyes’ defense has garnered exceptional praise from opponents for its toughness and a penchant for making big plays in crucial instances. One of the team’s leading contributors has been senior defensive back Bob Sanders, who was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week last Saturday for his performance against Minnesota. Sanders recorded 16 tackles, a sack, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in Iowa’s 40-22 rout.
Evans says he expects Sanders to assist in covering him throughout the game, making his job substantially more difficult.
“He is a truly dynamic player,” Evans said. “He has a tremendous motor, and he’ll come up and hit you. You definitely have to know where he is at all times.”
