For Lloyd Carr, this Saturday may be Judgment Day.
That is how big Michigan/Ohio St. is. An HBO documentary just premiered profiling the rivalry and its importance to those involved and to college football as a whole. And the game itself hasn’t been all hype living off the legends of past as EVERY game between these two (minus the 2001 edition) decided the Big-10 champion since the turn of the century. That is how big Michigan/Ohio St. is.
But Lloyd Carr has to be the focus of this game because realistically this could be it for him. He’s coached the Wolverines for twelve seasons and has a national title and has won or shared five conference titles during his years in Ann Arbor. His legacy is pretty much sealed as the guy who got Michigan a national title, but only faired so well with the Buckeyes.
Nebraska Scores 70 After Giving Up 70 One Week Ago
It wasn’t the glory days when it seemed Nebraska could score 70 every other week, but this past weekend, Bill Calahan and the Cornhuskers showed everyone something they hadn’t seen since the beginning of the season: their potential.
It’s too late for the Cornhuskers to make anything out of their season, but they still technically can become bowl eligible with a win against Colorado Thanksgiving weekend. That game, like with Lloyd Carr and Michigan this weekend vs. Ohio St., could be the end of Calahan’s run as Nebraska head coach.
The star of the day in this one had to be Nebraska quarterback Joe Ganz who threw like few Nebraska quarterbacks have thrown before. Ganz’s final tally says it all: 30/40 passing, 510 yards passing, seven touchdowns, a Nebraska record.
Navy and North Texas Put on Highest Scoring Game in Major College History
Nine touchdowns (a record), all scored in drives under three minutes, and that was just the second quarter.
Navy and North Texas’ defenses took the day off Saturday as their offenses played with reckless abandon and success with Navy taking a 74-62 win with them when all was said and done. Granted, the score would seem more likely to be seen in a basketball game between the two, but the pigskin was the plaything of Navy’s running attack and North Texas quarterback Giovanni Vizza.
Vizza never stopped throwing the ball in this game ending the day with an amazing 40/50 passing for 478 yards and 8 touchdown passes. What may be even more amazing is that Vizza also lead the Mean Green in rushing with 93 yards on 13 carries.
For Navy, it was all about the rushing on Saturday as seven members of the Midshipmen ran at least five times with two of them—Shun White and Zerbin Singleton—running for over 100 yards (131 and 103 respectively). Singleton had three TD runs on the day, White had one, as did four other Midshipmen.
The majority of the scoring did take place in the first half as 94 of the 136 scored (North Texas 49, Navy 45) were scored in the first half with sixty-three of those coming in the second quarter.
The second half did become Navy’s show with their running attack overwhelming the Mean Green’s defense to the tune of three third quarter touchdowns giving them a lead they would not lose in the fourth.
Current BCS Standings
1. LSU
2. Oregon
3. Kansas
4. Oklahoma
5. Missouri
6. West Virginia
7. Ohio St.
8. Georgia
9. Arizona St.
10. Virginia Tech
FINAL THOUGHTS
For many, including myself, this November 17 will be a holiday. It is Michigan/Ohio St., it is a day for fandom to take over, and for celebration and melancholy to be split down the middle, one side adopting one or the other as their chief emotion for the afternoon and evening hours.
The direct importance of this game lies in the fact that despite both teams losing their tuneup games last week, the winner will still earn a ticket to Pasadena and The Rose Bowl on January 1. Despite the fact that the Buckeyes lost a shot at another national title berth, that has to be the focus. For the Wolverines, it’s likely been the focus of their season since that last field-goal was blocked in game one. A season with a disastrous (that’s being kind) start could all be salvaged with one win. Then again, I think the Wolverines have already salvaged their year all but guaranteed a New Year’s Day bowl game, something I’m sure few saw in their future after Appalachian St. and Oregon.
Last year may have been the apex of the rivalry as #1 and #2 met with both being unbeaten, but this year offers the exact opposite story, but one with a little more suspense to last year’s drama. Last year the drama lay in a regular season title game, this year the suspense lies with both teams looking to salvage seasons gone astray with The Rose Bowl being the penciled in destination for one of them; it screams vintage Big-10.
I like to think of myself as a guy who thinks with his brain, but this weekend, I gotta go with my heart; GO BLUE!
