Nov 8, 2006, 16:50 GMT
(Sports Network) - The top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes must get over one last hurdle to set up a monumental matchup with second-ranked Michigan next week. That hurdle comes in the form of Northwestern this weekend, as Jim Tressel's Buckeyes travel to Evanston and put their flawless record on the line at Ryan Field. The Buckeyes survived a scare at Illinois last weekend, but prevailed 17-10 over the Illini to move to 10-0 overall and 6-0 in Big Ten play. Pat Fitzgerald's first season as head coach at Northwestern has produced some ups and downs. The team's 21-7 win over Iowa was just the third win on the year for NU, but was clearly the biggest to date and will certainly be something to build on for next season. Ohio State owns a huge 56-14-1 edge in the all-time series, including a 24-6-1 advantage in Evanston. The Buckeyes have won 24 of the last 25 matchups, including last year's 48-7 rout in Columbus.
There wasn't a whole lot of offensive fireworks on display last week in Champaign, but that is definitely an anomaly, considering how efficient Ohio State has been on this side of the football this season. It all starts with Heisman frontrunner Troy Smith. The talented signal-caller is leading a balanced offense that is averaging 34.0 ppg and nearly 400 yards of total offense. Smith has completed 66.7 percent of his passes this year, for 2,006 yards with 22 TDs and just three interceptions. Smith has a trio of reliable targets in the vertical game, highlighted by Tedd Ginn Jr. The speedster leads the team in receptions (49) and TD catches (seven) and is second in receiving yards (637). Anthony Gonzalez (43 receptions, for a team-high 639 yards and six TDs) and Brian Robiskie (21 receptions, for 288 yards and four TDs) complement Ginn nicely. The OSU ground game averaged just over 174 yards per game, led by the hard-running of Antonio Pittman, who is netting nearly five yards per carry (4.9) and has amassed 952 yards and 11 TDs on the season.
The Ohio State defense was supposed to take a step back this season, but that just hasn't been the case at all. This year's version has been every bit as stingy as last season's stellar group, with the Buckeyes leading the nation in scoring defense (7.6 ppg), while shutting down the run (92.4 ypg) and the pass (165.8 ypg) with equal prejudice. Butkus Award semifinalist James Laurinaitis has had a huge season thus far, leading the team in tackles (86), while tying for the Big Ten lead in interceptions with five. The sophomore tackling machine also has recorded four sacks and two forced fumbles. Senior cornerback Antonio Smith (54 tackles, 8.0 TFLs and two INTs) and sophomore corner Malcolm Jenkins (36 tackles, four INTs) headline a solid secondary, while sophomore end Vernon Gholston (38 tackles, team-high 12.0 TFLs, 5.5 sacks) and senior tackle Quin Pitcock (31 tackles, 9.0 TFLs, team-high 7.0 sacks) highlight the play along the defensive front.
Generating sufficient offense has not come easy for Northwestern this season, as the Wildcats have managed just 16.1 ppg, on 307.2 yards of total offense. The passing attack has disappointed in 2006 with just 153.0 yards per game. The ground game has disappointed as well, despite averaging more yardage than the passing game (154.2 ypg). The reason for that is the superb freshman campaign that tailback Tyrell Sutton delivered a year ago. This season, Sutton has been effective at nearly six yards per carry (5.8), but his 83.3 yards per game is nothing to get excited over. Sophomore quarterback C.J. Bacher has breathed new life in the NU offense, as he has started the last three games, upping the team's offensive output significantly. On the season, Bacher has 54.4 percent of his passes, for 691 yards with four TDs. Regardless of the person under center, Shaun Herbert has been the most reliable target downfield. Herbert leads the team in receptions (39) and receiving yards (360), with two TD catches. Sutton has proved to be a valuable asset out of the backfield as well, with 28 catches, for 180 yards and one score.
Defensively, Northwestern was masterful last week against Iowa, but the numbers on the season are mediocre at best. The Wildcats are yielding 24.4 points per game this year, on 364.6 yards of total offense. The pass rush has produced 19 sacks in the first 10 games, nothing spectacular, but the squad has registered 17 takeaways, including 10 interceptions. Junior middle linebacker Adam Kadela leads the team in tackles (66) and is followed closely by sophomore Brendan Smith (62 tackles), who leads the team in interceptions (three). Redshirt freshman end Corey Wootton has certainly been a pleasant surprise up front. The 6-7, 275-pound youngster leads the team in TFLs (8.5) and sacks (4.0), with two interceptions and a forced fumble to his credit.
The Buckeyes may have been peaking ahead at the Michigan game and it almost cost the team at Illinois last weekend. Tressel will make sure that doesn't happen again as Ohio State invades Evanston and abuses the hometown team, setting up the biggest game of the year next weekend in Columbus.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Ohio State 38, Northwestern 10
© 2006 The Sports Network
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