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Michigan State stands in way of Buckeyes' dreams
By George M. Thomas Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Saturday, Oct 20, 2007
COLUMBUS: The reminders have been there all week for members of the Ohio State football team.
There was the 1974 Michigan State team that upset No. 1-ranked OSU 16-13. Then there were the 1998 Spartans, who dashed the national championship hopes of a top-rated Buckeyes squad 28-24.
This week, two coaches and friends will remind their teams of those moments in different ways.
Mark Dantonio, who was an assistant under Nick Saban in 1998, will show his team how it was done and how it can be done again.
''I would use it as a motivational tool in the fact that you can get things done. We were 28-point underdogs at that time,'' Dantonio said this week. ''We had five sacks. Turnovers are obviously key to any game, so we played very well in that area and came up with some turnovers, and we didn't turn it over.''
Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel will use both games as lessons to show how one game can dim a season's dreams of victories and championships.
''It's happened a lot of times, so you have to be keenly aware of history,'' Tressel said this week.
The Buckeyes should be leery of history and of playing the Spartans. This isn't the team they smacked 38-7 last year. Dantonio, who came to the Spartans via the University of Cincinnati, has taken that team and has reshaped it, changing a culture of losing into one with expectations of winning.
He brought accountability and a hard-nosed attitude with him, said Brian Hoyer, the team's starting quarterback from North Olmsted.
The Spartans opened the season with four consecutive wins before falling to the Wisconsin Badgers in a tough-fought game, one that seemed to affect them the following week, when they lost to the Northwestern Wildcats.
The Spartans rebounded last week by caging the Indiana Hoosiers 52-27.
On defense, the Spartans rank second in the nation in sacks with 29, something that could pose problems for pocket passer Todd Boeckman. Eight of MSU's sacks belong to Jonal Saint-Dic, the team's outstanding defensive end.
''These guys have been really efficient. They play really low, very hard. They cause a lot of havoc,'' said offensive coordinator Jim Bollman. ''Their defensive ends are pretty high in the Big Ten stats causing fumbles. They set a Big Ten record and they're leaders in sacks. It'll be a real problem for us.''
On the other hand, MSU's defense allows a whopping 312.7 yards passing and 37.3 points per game. If those numbers figure into this weekend's equation, the Buckeyes aren't saying.
''I've been watching the tape but haven't seen too much of that. They are a good team,'' Boeckman said. ''Both the coaches and the team know us well. Their secondary is fast and the front line is strong, so it will definitely be a challenge.''
The Spartans' offense will offer its challenges as well, with running backs Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick eating up yardage in huge chunks. In seven games, Ringer has gained 955 yards on 132 carries for a 7.1 average, with six touchdowns. Caulcrick has rushed 116 times for 510 yards and leads the Spartans with 13 touchdowns.
''What I love about their backs is they have the Keith Byars thing, where they'll have a big guy that will pound you and they have the smaller guy that will break tackles and do some of the other things,'' Tressel said. ''Those are tough kids. . . . They've got two really good backs, and (A.J.) Jimmerson, the third guy, is no slouch.''
Hoyer has proved efficient, completing 115-of-188 for 1,405 yards with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions, and he isn't prone to turning over the ball.
Buckeyes ...
OSU players will wear a small No. 23 decal on their helmets in honor of former running back Ron Springs, who lies in a coma in a Dallas hospital. His son, Shawn, also played for the Buckeyes.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/sportsblitz/.
COLUMBUS: The reminders have been there all week for members of the Ohio State football team.
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