NOTEBOOK | From the Fiesta Bowl

Pre-game hype: Members of the Kansas State offense made sure not to say anything that might end up in Ohio State's locker room boards. To a man, they said, at least on film, the Buckeyes' defense looks better than Oklahoma's. That was met with some skepticism by OSU's players. "That was a nice thing to say, but it doesn't really mean anything," Buckeyes cornerback Dustin Fox said. "If we can beat them then maybe we can say that." Defensive end Will Smith reacted to the statement with "Thank you. I feel like we don't get a lot of recognition for our defense, but until we play them it doesn't mean anything."
Hangover: Most of the Buckeyes polled said they've put the 35-21 loss to Michigan on Nov. 22 behind them, but senior nose tackle Tim Anderson said he hasn't been able to let go. "No, it's something I won't quit thinking about for a long time," he said. Linebacker Darrion Scott, though, was typical of the other players: "I've put it behind me. We can't go back and play the University of Michigan. I'm really looking forward to the next game and finishing my career with a win."
Coach's focus: Ohio State defensive coordinator Mark Dantonio was hired last week as the head coach at the University of Cincinnati, but said his focus has been on preparing the Buckeyes. "I feel like one of our seniors, knowing this will be my last game as a Buckeye," he said. "I'm sure it's going to be very emotional for me Friday night." Dantonio said he's in the process of hiring a coaching staff, but has done little recruiting because it's one of the NCAA-mandated "dead periods" in which he is allowed only to make one call per week to potential recruits. "One thing we've always preached at Ohio State is to slow the game down and that's what I want to do. I want to take my time, build a good foundation, but do it slowly and do it the right way."
Dantonio said there won't be a Knute Rockne-like speech by him before Friday's game, but instead he'll "speak from the heart. Our last time out we didn't play as well as we could from an emotional standpoint. I want us to do that this time."
No playoff for him: Kansas State senior center Nick Leckey isn't in favor of a playoff system, despite the fact that the Wildcats would be one of the favorites to reach a title game based on their play late in the season (Kansas State has won seven straight). "We're playing 15 games [this season] as it is," he said. "That's a lot. I think you'd have to eliminate some non-conference games early in the season. I like the BCS system, I think it works. The way it is now, the season is like a playoff anyway, because if you lose a game you're pretty much out of the national title."
Thanks, man: Leckey said he's had to thank running back Darren Sproles on several occasions throughout his career for making big plays out of seemingly nothing. "He makes the offensive line look better, no doubt about it. He does some amazing things. When we watch film there are times I just want to hide, because [the line] didn't do very well and he made the play in spite of us. I just want to go up to him and say 'Thank you' and then go slip a five [dollar bill] in his locker."
Old rivals: Kansas State co-offensive coordinator Del Miller faced Jim Tressel's Youngstown State teams three times as head coach at Southwest Missouri State from 1995-98. He lost all three, including once in a snowstorm at Stambaugh Stadium. "Coach Tressel does a tremendous job," Miller said. "He's a great teacher, a great motivator and all his teams are extremely well-prepared."
Organizer's key stat: Fiesta Bowl executive director John Junker addressed the decision to invite Ohio State back to the game, when it was generally assumed that the Buckeyes were headed to the Orange Bowl for a rematch against Miami. Perhaps one of the reasons was an estimation by the OSU alumni association that 30,000 Ohio State graduates live within an eight-hour drive of the Phoenix metropolitan area.
-- Rob Todor