Southern Cal @ Ohio StateSaturday, September 12, 2009 - 8:00
Ohio Stadium - Columbus, Ohio
Southern Cal -7
The last time USC marched into Columbus was on September 22, 1990, the game was delayed by a severe thunderstorm...in the end, a pot-smoking punk named Todd Marinovich led the Trojans to a 35-26 win...that same day, Jim Tressel was still a young head coach at Youngstown State University as his Penguins had a landmark victory over an undefeated Akron Zips team...some 19 years later, Gentleman Jim welcomes USC back to Columbus for a rare visit and a chance at redemption after last season's dismantling at The Coliseum...
Even though USC is a 7 point favorite, all the "experts" are picking Ohio State in this game...USC has a rebuilt defense and is starting a true freshman at quarterback...the thinking is that this will be the game that Ohio State gets back on the map as a major power...
A lucky break is what saved Ohio State against Navy, however, the Buckeyes are dangerous when they manage to get these breaks - look at 2002...the key to this game is if Ohio State's defense can stop the USC running game...if they can shutdown the stable of running backs, Ohio State has a good chance at winning...
Southern Cal Notes
USC Game Notes for Ohio State game...
Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times writes how freshman QB Matt Barkley will have to deal with the hostile crowd in Columbus... "More than 105,000 fans are expected to fill Ohio Stadium to root on the Buckeyes and make things especially tough on a true freshman quarterback playing his first road game." ...
Klein writes how Barkley is prepared for the noise at Ohio Stadium... "Matt Barkley's parents stopped by USC on Tuesday to say hello to their son and deliver a small gift on his 19th birthday." ...
Ohio State Notes
Ohio State Game Notes for the USC game...
Doug Lesmerises of The Plain Dealer writes how Ohio State is impressed with Jermale Hines... "Hines, a junior from Glenville, was working with the first-team defense during the 30 minutes that reporters watched practice Tuesday, with former senior starter Anderson Russell working with the second team the entire time." ...
Bill Livingston of The Plain Dealer questions whether Terrelle Pryor can be a team leader... "Like many coaches, Tressel sometimes selectively micromanages. He overlooked a lot when Maurice Clarett was here for one stormy, sensational season. Pryor was not included in the list of players available for interviews Tuesday, but exclusion of freshmen and sophomores is the usual procedure at OSU. Upperclassmen are expected to know which topics to avoid, which "hot" buttons not to press." ...
Ken Gordon of the Columbus Dispatch writes how the OSU freshmen are confused about the negativity... "We won, didn't we? We've got an awesome game coming up this week with Southern California, right? So what's with all the negativity around town?" ...
Adam Rittenberg of the ESPN Big Ten blog writes how the Ohio State defensive line is determined to make a difference... "After USC's Mark Sanchez had his way in a 35-3 victory last September, Ohio State's defensive linemen convened and made a pact. The Trojans had won the battle at the line of scrimmage, leaving the Buckeyes beaten and bruised. Senior defensive end/linebacker Curtis Terry did the talking." ...
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