'We need to play our best game'

The coach reminded the players of the importance of beating Michigan.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Insomnia struck Ohio State coach Jim Tressel on Monday night.
Caffeine wasn't the problem but rather the anxiety of the impending matchup with rival Michigan this Saturday. A micromanager, Tressel was lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, convinced he wasn't fully prepared for the No. 7 Wolverines.
"It's funny, my son called after I was asleep last night and woke me up," Tressel said Tuesday. "When your son calls, you like that because sons don't call as much as daughters. I fell back asleep and all of a sudden I found myself thinking, 'What if they [the Wolverines] are in this defense? What if they're in this coverage?' You do think about it constantly."
For the record
Michigan (9-1, 7-0) will be playing for an outright Big Ten title and a berth in the Rose Bowl when it faces the Buckeyes (6-4, 3-4), who will be backed by 105,000 partisan fans at Ohio Stadium.
The Wolverines have weapons in tailback Michael Hart and quarterback Chad Henne -- both freshmen -- and the stellar receiving corps of Braylon Edwards, Steve Breaston and Jason Avant. Tressel, never one to lay on the hype, nonetheless went to extremes speaking about Michigan.
"As we approach Michigan, who I think is a fantastic football team, I think all you have to do is look at a lot of the statistics. You can see that they do the things that you need to do to win," Tressel said. "They have great players. They get after it. They play their best game of the year in the Ohio State-Michigan game. We need to play our best game of the year in the Ohio State-Michigan game."
Tressel spoke to his players on Monday, underscoring how much the game means to the team's fans.
"He basically gave us some of the history of the game and what it should mean to us, what it means to the [coaching] staff, the city of Columbus, the state of Ohio," quarterback Troy Smith said. "It's something that we as a team can't take lightly."
Injury report
Other than several backup players with season-ending injuries, the Buckeyes will be at full strength when they meet their rivals for the 101st time. Defensive backs Nate Salley, Donte Whitner and Dustin Fox are all expected to be back for the Buckeyes, along with former starting quarterback Justin Zwick.
Even though Ohio State -- unlike the past two seasons -- is not playing for a spot in a Bowl Championship Game or for a Big Ten title, Tressel said there was still a lot to be gained.
"A 7-4 record would be a great year when you're sitting on 6-4," he said. "Would you have rooted for it at the start of the year? No. But we're not at the start of the year and [7-4] would be extraordinary for us. Would 6-5 be a good year? The way you feel right this moment, it'd be a horrible year. But we've got that big one to play."