Columbus, OH (Best E Casino) - The 14th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes welcome the undefeated Minnesota Golden Gophers to Columbus for a Big Ten Conference clash.
While Minnesota hasn't exactly faced the toughest opposition through the first four weeks of this new season, the fact that the team has won all four contests is still impressive. Last weekend, the Gophers were completely dominant on both sides of the ball in a 37-3 triumph over Florida Atlantic. They will play three of their next four on the road against conference opponents, beginning with this weekend's tilt.
As for Ohio State, it improved to 3-1 last weekend with a 28-10 victory over Troy. The Buckeyes, who were crushed by top-ranked USC in their previous outing, 35-3, have not been as dominant as many fans and analysts predicted. Now that they are finished playing non-league games, the Buckeyes can focus on their annual goal of winning the Big Ten.
Ohio State holds a commanding 40-7 series lead over Minnesota, which includes a 30-7 victory over the Golden Gophers last season.
There is a good chance that the casual football fan can not name a single player on the Minnesota roster. Obviously, there has to be some talent on the roster, as the club is generating 36.2 ppg and 403.8 total ypg. Adam Weber is the team's quarterback, and he has been rock solid to date. Weber has completed 71.8 percent of his passes for 967 yards and seven touchdowns against only one interception. Eric Decker has clearly been his favorite target, as he has 32 catches for 454 yards and four scores. No other receiver has more than a dozen grabs, proof of Decker's importance to the offense. As for the ground attack, it is spearheaded by DeLeon Eskridge, who has reached the end zone five times. Weber has two rushing scores to his credit, while Decker has also scored once on the ground.
The UM offense put forth a balanced effort against Florida Atlantic last weekend with 206 rushing yards and 235 yards through the air. Eskridge had a pair of one-yard touchdown runs, and Weber threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Decker.
Opponents are posting 17.5 ppg and 354.8 total ypg against a Minnesota defense that has been solid overall this season. Against the run, the Golden Gophers are giving up just 3.6 ypc. The pass defense has registered eight interceptions while allowing only four touchdowns through the air. The fact that Minnesota has come up with 13 takeaways in four games is extremely impressive by any standards. Tramaine Brock leads the team with 28 total tackles, and Willie VanDeSteeg has six TFLs to his credit.
It is hard to imagine the Minnesota defense playing any better than it did against Florida Atlantic last weekend. Not only did the Gophers limit the Owls to just three points, they also contributed to the team's scoring output, as Simoni Lawrence intercepted a pass and raced 50 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Minnesota permitted 276 total yards in the game and registered four interceptions.
Ohio State continues to play without tailback Beanie Wells, who has been out of action since injuring his foot in the season opener against Youngstown State. Wells is listed as questionable for this week's contest, so it remains to be seen if the foot will allow Wells to show why some believe he is the best running back in college football. Against Troy last week, freshman phenom Terrelle Pryor took over the quarterback position. Pryor, who saw action alongside starter Todd Boeckman, adds a running threat to the offense, but he did the damage with his arm against the Trojans, throwing four touchdown passes. Although he threw for just 139 yards, Pryor needed to attempt a mere 16 passes in the victory. "I thought I messed up a lot," said a modest Pryor after the game. "When we sit down in the film room, I'm going to get yelled at but that's a good thing." Dan Herron led the club with 94 rushing yards, and Pryor had 66 yards on the ground. As for the receivers, Brian Hartline scored touchdowns on both of his catches.
Ohio State is scoring 25.0 ppg while generating a rather unimpressive 320.8 total ypg. The offense has only scored 10 touchdowns in three games, including six passing scores. If Wells can not play this weekend, expect Herron and Pryor to pick up the slack.
Troy posted 315 total yards against Ohio State last weekend, but the Buckeyes permitted a mere 10 points in the contest. The pass defense allowed an average of just 7.3 yards per completion, as it was clear that the Buckeyes were focused on preventing big plays through the air. Kurt Coleman came up with a pair of interceptions in the win. "Coming into the game, we knew they were going to spread the ball out," said Coleman. "We all did a good job reading the field and I give credit to the whole team for our performance." The run defense was a bit inconsistent, but the team played fairly well overall.
It is certainly surprising that through 16 quarters of football, Ohio State has registered only six sacks. The leader of the defense is linebacker James Laurinaitis, who has posted 35 total tackles to go along with an interception. The Buckeyes are permitting 14.8 ppg and 247.8 total ypg, and while the defense can take pride in those numbers, it is important to remember that besides the game against USC, the other three opponents were rather lackluster.
