Ohio State Online.com

Found at ESPN:
You didn’t have to ask Ohio State senior offensive tackle Jim Cordle how he felt Friday evening. The words were printed in 36-point type all around his broad grin. Ohio State’s Rose Bowl over Oregon win sparked a big Buckeyes celebration. Joy. Relief. Pride. Especially that last one. Seconds before, No. 8 Ohio State had beaten No. 7 Oregon, 26-17, in the Rose Bowl presented by Citi, the Big Ten’s first BCS victory since 1906. OK, so it was 2006. It just felt like a century had passed, especially to the Buckeyes. After being routed in consecutive BCS National Championship Games, after the Big Ten had gone 4-11 in BCS games in the last nine seasons, Ohio State shut off all that criticism in the most effective manner possible. “This is the greatest feeling in the world there is,” Cordle said. “We got a win in the Rose Bowl. We just silenced all the doubters. I couldn’t be happier.”

Ohio State won because quarterback Terrelle Pryor silenced a few doubters of his own. If there is a dividing line between potential and performance, the sophomore stepped across it on the first day of the new year. Pryor reached career highs in passing yards (266) and completions (23), two of them for touchdowns. He also ran for 72 yards. Pryor ran an offense that converted 11 of 21 third downs and held the ball for 41:37. Terrelle Pryor torched the Ducks with 266 passing yards and two TDs. n short, Pryor resembled the player he has been predicted to be since he became the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the nation two years ago. In an election so obvious it could have been held in Venezuela, Pryor won the offensive MVP. “We needed it,” Pryor said, “just for the Big Ten as a whole in general. … We’re playing for each other, and when schools like Penn State are playing in other bowls, it’s a reputation for us. It was huge for us to get over that hump and win this game, and we’ve just got to keep on winning.” Of the three Big Ten teams that played Friday, only Northwestern remained stuck in the pattern of the last few miserable years. The Wildcats lost the Outback Bowl in overtime to Auburn as painfully as they lost the Alamo Bowl in overtime to Missouri a season ago.

But Penn State won the Capital One Bowl over LSU in the primordial muck in Orlando. The way that Ohio State won in the perfect conditions in Pasadena looked a little primordial, too. Ohio State won because, as is the habit of coach Jim Tressel’s teams, the Buckeyes let their opponents make the mistakes. In a battle of two starkly different football philosophies, Tressel’s old-school values trumped Oregon coach Chip Kelly’s new-age offense. The Ducks’ spread looked as if it left its rhythm in the regular season. Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed 9 of 20 passes for a season-low 81 yards. The receivers rarely got open, and when they did, Masoli missed them more than he hit them. The Ducks committed two turnovers inside the Ohio State 35. The first one, linebacker Ross Homan’s interception, led to an Ohio State field goal on the last play of the first half to give the Buckeyes a 16-10 lead. The second one, with Ohio State ahead 19-17 in the third quarter, ended the storybook comeback of Ducks tailback LeGarrette Blount. He stormed over the goal line from 3 yards out in the second quarter for Oregon’s first touchdown. But with the ball on the Ohio State 18, Blount never collected a handoff from Masoli. After Blount dropped it, he kicked the ball forward, and a diving pack of Buckeyes defenders scrummed the ball out of the end zone.

It wasn’t just turnovers. Oregon committed a third-down face mask penalty that extended a 19-play, eight-minute, second-quarter drive that Ohio State finished with a field goal. In fact, the Ducks’ defense stayed on the field as if they had rented it. Kelly referred to time of possession this week as the “stupidest stat” in football, and he maintained that it meant little Friday. Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes walked back into the BCS win column. “Time of possession, I was not worried about,” Kelly said. “The TP I was worried about was Terrelle Pryor.” He did not resemble the quarterback who averaged 105 passing yards over the last four games of the season. Maybe that knee injury that Pryor revealed this week had been more limiting than anyone knew. “It was surprising to us,” Kelly said. “Their last couple of games … they didn’t throw it very much and were rather conservative. They came in and opened it up, and obviously, Terrelle beat us.” Pryor tried to spread the credit to his offensive line, even though Oregon sacked him four times, three by end Kenny Rowe, the defensive MVP. Under pressure for much of the night, Pryor escaped a few times the way that veteran quarterbacks do, buying time by stepping into the pocket.

He also scrambled, most effectively on the key play in the fourth-quarter drive that produced the clinching touchdown. On third-and-13 at the Ohio State 45, Pryor ran to his right and lofted a jump ball to tight end Jake Ballard. “It seemed like that ball was in the air forever,” said Ballard, who had made only 13 catches all season for 126 yards. “It was kind of like going up in the air for an alley oop or a rebound.” The 6-foot-6 Ballard posted up 5-10 safety John Boyett, and made the catch at the Oregon 31, a 24-yard gain. Five plays later, Pryor pinpointed another pass where only his receiver could catch it. Pryor zinged the ball between DeVier Posey and the pylon for a 17-yard touchdown that closed out the scoring and the Ducks. Not to mention the Buckeyes’ and the Big Ten’s BCS misery.

This Ohio State senior class became, with 44 victories, the winningest in school history. The seniors didn’t win a crystal football but they won a bowl game. On Friday night, that seemed like enough. The smiles are as bright as the Buckeyes’ future. “It will be nice to sit back and think about what we have coming back,” offensive coordinator Jim Bollman said. “We only lose two starters on offense.” And only four on defense, Bollman was reminded. His smile grew broader. “We may be a pain in the ass again,” he said. The Big Ten’s famine is so over.

Found at ESPN:
After losing several national award winners, Ohio State’s defense adopted the motto of, “No names, no blame, no worries” for the 2009 season. The Buckeyes left Michigan Stadium on Saturday with absolutely nothing to worry about, having clinched their sixth consecutive victory against their archrival and their third outright Big Ten title in the last four years. They had Michigan blaming itself for five turnovers and other missed opportunities in plus territory. Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman caught two crucial interceptions in the Buckeyes win over rival Michigan. And several Ohio State defenders definitely made names for themselves in the process. The Buckeyes rode big plays on defense to a 21-10 victory, filling up the box score with tackles for loss, pass breakups, interceptions and a forced fumble that started it off in the first quarter. From safety Kurt Coleman to cornerback Devon Torrence to defensive end Cameron Heyward to linebackers Brian Rolle and Ross Homan, Ohio State won thanks to its cast of stars on defense. “Every time we get in the red zone, we’ve had a higher awareness,” said Coleman, who had two interceptions, both in Ohio State territory, to go along with two pass breakups. “We’ve just been fortunate enough to make the plays when we need it. We’ve been wanting to get after the ball, and it’s showing out on the field.” Last year, Ohio State ranked 14th nationally in total defense and tied for 20th in takeaways with 29. Though the Buckeyes have maintained their overall toughness on D, they’ve been more opportunistic this season. They now have 33 takeaways on the season, which might lead the nation after Saturday’s games (Ohio State came into the day ranked sixth nationally). Ohio State now has five players with multiple interceptions, led by Coleman (5), and seven players with at least one fumble recovery. “The first thing we said all week was, ‘You can’t turn the ball over,’” Michigan offensive coordinator Calvin Magee said. “And we turned it over. You can’t win like that.” Young quarterbacks had given Ohio State a bit of trouble in a loss to USC (Matt Barkley) and last week’s overtime win against Iowa (James Vandenberg). Michigan freshman Tate Forcier moved the ball at times Saturday, but his five turnovers (4 interceptions, 1 fumble) were the difference. “We just came up with more plays,” Coleman said. “Against USC, we just couldn’t come up with the plays that we needed to, and this time, we did.”

Found at ESPN:
Stefanie Spielman, the wife of NFL and Ohio State star Chris Spielman who led a public fight against breast cancer, died Thursday after a lengthy battle with the disease. She was 42. Stefanie Spielman died at the family’s home in Upper Arlington, surrounded by her family, said WBNS radio in Columbus, where Chris Spielman co-hosts a show. “Stefanie has gone home to be with the Lord,” Chris Spielman said in a statement released by the station. “For that, we celebrate, but with broken hearts. I want to thank everyone for their support over the last 12 years. Together, with your help, hopefully we made a difference in this fight.” Stefanie Spielman was 30 years old and three months pregnant in 1998 when she detected a lump in her breast. She later miscarried and discovered she had cancer. She survived four bouts with cancer before a fifth recurrence in March. Chris Spielman was playing linebacker with the Buffalo Bills when he decided to give up football for a year to stay home with his wife and children. When his wife lost her hair because of chemotherapy treatments, he shaved his head. “People say ‘It’s a great thing that you’re doing,’” Chris Spielman said at the time. “I always say it would be a terrible thing if I didn’t.” The Spielmans became advocates for breast-cancer detection and research, winning several awards for their dedication to the cause. The Spielmans raised more than $6 million for breast cancer research at Ohio State through the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research. She helped form a support group for young women with breast cancer, hosted an annual event that honored cancer survivors and created a fund to help breast cancer patients and their families who struggled financially. She was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame in 2002 for her work. “We have lost a leader in the fight against cancer,” seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong said. “Stefanie was a living example of courage and strength to everyone around her. ” Two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, the president and CEO of the Ohio State Alumni Association, said Stefanie Spielman was a compassionate person who “took her personal struggle and used it as a platform to help other women battling breast cancer.” He said the Ohio State community was “tremendously saddened” by her death. Chris Spielman played 10 seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills before retiring after a violent hit that left him momentarily paralyzed when he was with the Cleveland Browns. Spielman is currently a college football analyst at ESPN. Stefanie Spielman is survived by her husband and their four children, Madison, Noah, Macy and Audrey.

Devin Barclay, a 26-year-old former pro soccer player, kicked a 39-yard field goal in overtime to give No. 10 Ohio State a 27-24 victory Saturday over No. 15 Iowa and send the Buckeyes to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 13 years. “None of our kids have gone to the Rose Bowl. I haven’t been there in 25 years (since) I was an assistant coach in the 1985 Rose Bowl,” coach Jim Tressel said. “There’s nothing like it. It’s a great feeling.” The Buckeyes (9-2, 6-1) clinched at least a share of their fifth consecutive Big Ten title and the conference’s automatic BCS bid.

found at ESPN:

Reports out of Iowa surfaced Monday that Hawkeyes quarterback Ricky Stanzi had undergone surgery and wouldn’t be back for a bowl game. Well, Stanzi did have surgery on his injured right ankle, but his status for the postseason seems much more promising, according to head coach Kirk Ferentz. “It is correct that he had surgery,” Ferentz said Tuesday. “We think he’s going to be just fine. It’s very, very doubtful that he’ll play in the next two weeks, but we’re very, very confident that he’ll return shortly thereafter and be ready to go.” When I asked Ferentz about Stanzi’s chances to play in a bowl game, the coach said, “A good chance, but I’m an optimist.” Given that Ferentz hasn’t been overly optimistic about other Hawkeyes injuries this season, you should expect No. 12 to be out there in January when Iowa plays its bowl game. Stanzi severely sprained his ankle after being sacked by Northwestern’s Corey Wootton in the second quarter of Iowa’s 17-10 loss on Saturday. He left the game and was spotted on crutches and wearing a walking boot on the Hawkeyes sidelined. Redshirt freshman James Vandenberg will make his first career start Saturday when No. 10 Iowa visits No. 11 Ohio State (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET).