NOTEBOOK \ Ohio State vs. Michigan

Former Tarblooders show humility: There's something special about Tarblooders, apparently. Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith and receiver/returner Ted Ginn Jr. are both graduates of Cleveland's Glenville High School, whose athletic teams are nicknamed the Tarblooders. The Tarblooders were the rough and tumble men who built the railroad that cuts through their rough and tumble portion of the city. Two weeks ago, Smith was asked if Glenville players had a common trait. "We're humble," he said. "I don't think you'll ever get a guy from Glenville who's bragging and boasting about the things that he's doing. If you do, please let me know and we'll straighten him out." Smith and Ginn backed that up on Saturday after the Buckeyes shocked No. 7-ranked Michigan 37-21. The two Tarblooders were the main culprits in the upset, with Smith scrambling for 145 yards on 18 carries and completing 13 of 23 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns without an interception or a sack. Ginn led the Buckeyes with five catches for 87 yards and turned the game around with an electrifying 82-yard touchdown on a third-quarter punt return. The first words out of Smith's mouth said a lot about his priorities. "First, I just want to thank God because without him, none of this is possible," he said. "I really credit the offensive line, the guys up front, the guys in the trenches. We won the trench fight today. Everybody as a whole, defensively stepped up." In the span of 43 words, he thanked his God, his offensive line and the defense. Not a word about he and Ginn, who garnered most of the postgame raves and headlines. Ginn followed a similar tack when he was asked to describe his game-turning punt return. "It means just having faith in your team and the people that's in front of you," he began. "We've just been telling everybody to hold up on the blocks and make a good block." In other words, he started by thanking his blockers for springing him to set new school and Big Ten marks with his fourth punt-return touchdown of the season. After meeting with reporters for several minutes, both players rushed out to catch Glenville's regional finals playoff game against Cleveland St. Ignatius. Before he left, Smith added a few more words you will never hear from most pampered athletes, pro or collegiate. "It's an understanding that it's not just me when I do what I do. It's something bigger than me, it's something higher than me," he said.
Former Tarblooders show humility: There's something special about Tarblooders, apparently. Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith and receiver/returner Ted Ginn Jr. are both graduates of Cleveland's Glenville High School, whose athletic teams are nicknamed the Tarblooders. The Tarblooders were the rough and tumble men who built the railroad that cuts through their rough and tumble portion of the city. Two weeks ago, Smith was asked if Glenville players had a common trait. "We're humble," he said. "I don't think you'll ever get a guy from Glenville who's bragging and boasting about the things that he's doing. If you do, please let me know and we'll straighten him out." Smith and Ginn backed that up on Saturday after the Buckeyes shocked No. 7-ranked Michigan 37-21. The two Tarblooders were the main culprits in the upset, with Smith scrambling for 145 yards on 18 carries and completing 13 of 23 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns without an interception or a sack. Ginn led the Buckeyes with five catches for 87 yards and turned the game around with an electrifying 82-yard touchdown on a third-quarter punt return. The first words out of Smith's mouth said a lot about his priorities. "First, I just want to thank God because without him, none of this is possible," he said. "I really credit the offensive line, the guys up front, the guys in the trenches. We won the trench fight today. Everybody as a whole, defensively stepped up." In the span of 43 words, he thanked his God, his offensive line and the defense. Not a word about he and Ginn, who garnered most of the postgame raves and headlines. Ginn followed a similar tack when he was asked to describe his game-turning punt return. "It means just having faith in your team and the people that's in front of you," he began. "We've just been telling everybody to hold up on the blocks and make a good block." In other words, he started by thanking his blockers for springing him to set new school and Big Ten marks with his fourth punt-return touchdown of the season. After meeting with reporters for several minutes, both players rushed out to catch Glenville's regional finals playoff game against Cleveland St. Ignatius. Before he left, Smith added a few more words you will never hear from most pampered athletes, pro or collegiate. "It's an understanding that it's not just me when I do what I do. It's something bigger than me, it's something higher than me," he said.
Quick hitters: Michigan's Braylon Edwards set school season records with 87 receptions and 1,310 yards after a stellar 11-catch, 172-yard day. ... The Buckeyes ran and passed for more than 200 yards for the first time against Michigan since 1989. ... Michigan had rushed for at least 200 yards in each of its last four games, but mustered just 71. ... Ohio State CB Ashton Youboty has an interception in three of the last four games. ... The crowd of 105,456 was the second largest in Ohio Stadium history, trailing only the 105,539 at the Michigan game in 2002. ... Possible bowl destination for the Buckeyes? Most likely the MasterCard Alamo Bowl against a Big 12 representative at 8 p.m. on Dec. 29 in San Antonio, Texas.