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THE GAME:

"Tressel buttoning it up is like a drill sergeant deciding Paris Island isn't tough enough."

Try to picture Tressel's pre-game speech." Okay guys, it looks like we're going to have some inclement weather so we're going to button it up." And the team is looking at each other and thinking, "Button it up? If we button it up any further we'll have to cut holes in our chin." Tressel buttoning it up is like a drill sergeant deciding Paris Island isn't tough enough. How do you button it up any further? Well, you could run the ball 46 times! Woody was looking down on the old gray lady with a smile from ear to ear. Yes sir, three yards and a cloud of plastic grass and rubber pellets.

It belongs to Ohio State.

It really didn't matter what the offense did, we only needed one field goal to win the game because the defense was lights out. We haven't had a defensive game like that since 2002. I'm sure the Fighting Illini weren't playing at their "A" game but still......a four year starter at quarterback and the best receiver in the Big Ten and they couldn't squeak out a field goal? The D-line just dominated the game from the whistle and in the second half Thaddeous Gibson just took over. Man was that fun to watch. I can't wait to see this defense go after Tater Tot in the big toilet bowl on November 21. There was a series in the game where Illinois had the ball on our 45 yard line. On first down they threw to the end zone and Chekwa was called for interference giving them first down on the 30 yard line. They ended up punting on the 50 yard line facing a fourth down and 30. Wow, just wow. Just like the silver bullets of old. Who was that masked man that left those silver bullets all over the field?

All I can say is thank God we have the Illi-Buck Trophy for another year. That wooden turtle always makes it a "must win" game.

THAT WHICH WAS:

The weekend started Thursday night with South Carolina upsetting Ole Miss and ended late Saturday night with Iowa crapping all over Penn State. And in between, meeeshitagin beat Indiana on what had to be the worst call of the season. How anybody could not enjoy college football is beyond me.

Auburn moved to 4-0 with a come-from-behind win over Ball State. You gotta love those SEC schedules. A few games down the road they also tackle Furman.

Cal traveled to Oregon with the lead in the PAC 10 at hand and was absolutely trashed by the Ducks 42-3. Cal is one of those teams that is over rated year after year and for some reason is always an ESPN favorite. And every year they get crushed.

Cincinnati, who now claims to be the best team in Ohio, beat Fresno State 28-20 in a game that was closer than the score would indicate and the score indicates a pretty close game.

Clems-son fell to mighty TCU 14-10. The ACC is smokin' this year.

When Duke beat Army a couple of weeks ago I said they had one more win in them against North Carolina Central. They got it and now they are done for the season. Shut down the stadium and get ready for some basketball.

East Carolina beat the University of Central Florida 19-14. Arrrgghh, we were lookin' fer some o' Ponce's buried treasure and all we found was a damn fountain o' youth.

Florida beat Kentucky 41-7. Tim Tebow and a couple of other superstars on the team took a separate flight because they had flu like symptoms and Pope Urban of Meyer didn't want to infect the rest of the team. I don't get it. Why didn't he just take Tebow to the university Chem Lab and let him invent a cure for the swine flu? It wouldn't have taken more than an hour or two. Then during the game Tebow was sacked and his head did a double dribble off the turf and he was taken to the Lexington hospital with a concussion. A bronze plaque has been placed at the entrance that says, "On this very spot on September 26, 2009, Tim Tebow was admitted to our hospital when he said "Damn, have I got a headache."" 

Florida State lost at home to South Florida 17-7. That's like Ohio State losing to Cincinnati. Bobby Bowden was heard screaming "Dag Gummit. Shucks... hex... poop." A sideline to this game is that the number one rated defensive back in the country, LaMarcus Joyner, is down to Ohio State and Florida State. After watching our defense and their defense this weekend I'd have to think he has figured out which school is going to coach him better and get him in the NFL faster.

Houston beat Texas Tech 29-28 and now has a clear path to the national championship game where they will probably meet Boise State who also has a clear path.

Indiana was driving for the winning touchdown at meeeshitagin and threw a pass that was caught by both the receiver and the defensive back. Everyone watching the game in the stadium and on television knew that it was a catch because if a ball is caught simultaneously it goes to the offense. Everyone, that is, except the refs. What a horrible call.

Iowa beating Penn State in Happy Valley is a good example of what scheduling can do for you. While Penn State was playing Akron, Suckacuse and Temple, Iowa was playing Iowa State and Arizona. The Hawkeyes were better prepared to play at a higher level. You don't learn anything by playing cupcakes. That game shouldn't have shocked anyone.

Da U is back! Okay, so ESPN misses one occasionally. Miami was toasted by Virginia Tech. 31-7. Da U is back like $Notre Dame is back, about half way.

North Carolina couldn't stop that flex T-bone multi-back spread veer zone read offense of Georgia Tech and fell from the ranks of the undefeated.

Nebraska has now beaten Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic and La.-LaFayette by a combined score of 142-12. However, last week's loss to Virginia Tech will keep them in the $Notre Dame and Da U group of halfway there teams. There's that scheduling thing again.

Stanford put Washington back in its place 34-14.

Talk about schedules. Texas has played La.-Monroe, Wyoming, Texas Tech and UTEP. Now they get a bye week and then have Colorado (54-38 loser to Toledo) at home. They will be 5-0 and healthy when Oklahoma comes to Austin but there is that schedule thing again. By the way, Texas beat UTEP 64-7. It was such a bad beating President Obama stopped at the campus of UTEP as part of his world wide apology tour.

Mount Union beat Muskingum 45-14. It was 35-0 at the half and the scrubs were already in.

THAT WHICH WILL BE:

Air Force at Navy. Three hours of both teams running the triple option was probably as exciting as a cost accounting class. Will Air Force bomb Navy or will Navy submarine Air Force? Navy by two half-hitches and a granny knot.

Auburn at Tennessee. This is it for Tennessee. One more SEC loss and they are on the sidelines looking in. Auburn is ripe for the picking but Lane Kiffin finds himself with no hands to do the picking.

Kent State at Baylor. What, Kent can't get beat up enough in the Midwest? They have to travel to Texas to get beat up?

USC at Cal. Who knows? If Cal was looking forward last week they were looking clear out to Christmas. USC simply cannot take another loss. So they won't.

FSU at Boston College. Bobby Bowden and JoePa have more than that geezer thing going, they both got popped on Saturday. Boston College will be looking to finish Bobby off this weekend.

LSU at Georgia. Georgia has played a much, much tougher schedule than LSU and it will pay off this Saturday as LSU joins the ranks of the beaten.

Oklahoma at Miami. Since that opening loss to BYU by one point Oklahoma has beaten Idaho State and Tulsa by a combined 109-0 and then had a bye week last week to get ready for Miami. If Da U shows up like it did in the first two games it could be a great game but if they show up like they did last week it will be over early.

UCLA at Stanford. The pretty boys in pastel take on the Cardinal for first place in the PAC 10. Hey, if you can't out smart them, beat them.

Washington at $Notre Dame. Which Washington shows up? The one that beat USC or the one that went 0-12 last year and just lost to Stanford 34-14. Jimmy "the Toe" Clausen will attack the defense with his right arm and his left foot but Jake Locker has been known to attack a defense or two himself. If this game were at Washington I would go with Jake but it isn't so I won't.

Wisconsin puts its really horrible 4-0 record on the line at Minnesota. I like the underdog Minnesota in this one. The Gophers come out of their holes to bite the Badgers.

meeeshitagin at Michigan State. MSU has dropped its last three games by a total of 13 points but this is the one they have been waiting for. I look for Dantonio to send the demons from Hell after Tater Tot. There will be three guys blitzing on every play and it should be a fun game to watch. Go Spartans!

Baldwin-Wallace plays at Mount Union. BW's pretty good but they ain't THAT good.

Ohio State at Indiana. Well, we will be playing without our three year starter and team captain, Kurt Coleman, who was suspended for a late hit. He took what appeared to be a cheap shot but that's what I thought the 15 yard personal foul penalty was for. Anyway, that leaves us very thin at safety and it means Anderson Russell will be starting again. Indiana's quarterback will be going after him all.....day.....long. But he will have to escape our defensive line to find his open receiver that is being guarded by Russell and escaping our line will not be an easy task. Coleman is our best defensive back by a long shot but we'll find a way. Go Bucks. 

The Coach

Tags: college football, jim tressel, michigan football, notre dame football, ohio state football