Saturday, December 24, 2005
By ROB TODOR
VINDICATOR SPORTS EDITOR
Their players are legendary -- names like Griffin and Hornung, Cassady and Lujack, are as well-known as any in the history of the game.
The legacy of coaches -- Hayes and Rockne, Holtz and Tressel, just to name a few -- are among the best ever.
And then there's the traditions -- Block O and dotting the I. Touchdown Jesus and The Victory March.
And there are the Mahoning Valley connections -- from Bob Dove and Wes Fesler, to the Browner brothers, to Jim Tressel and Bob Davie, to the present day players, Doug Datish and Kyle McCarthy, and coaches Jim Heacock and Peter Vaas.
Few schools in the country can match the football legacies of Ohio State and Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish have the second-most wins and the second-best winning percentage all-time. Ohio State ranks sixth in both categories.
And despite the proximity of the campuses, they have met just four times. Their first meeting was the original "Game of the Century," a classic come-from-behind victory for Notre Dame.
No. 4 Buckeyes vs. No. 5 Irish
As night falls on Jan. 2, at Sun Devil Stadium, the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish will meet in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, providing one of the most-anticipated matchups in the history of the Bowl Championship Series.
Charlie Weis, in his first season at Notre Dame, has transformed the Fighting Irish following two sub-par seasons under his predecessor, Tyrone Willingham.
Notre Dame, 11-13 in 2003-04, won nine games this season, losing only to then-ranked Michigan State, 44-41, in overtime in September, and No. 1-ranked Southern California, 34-31, in a classic game in October.
The Fighting Irish, ranked No. 5 by the Associated Press and No. 6 by USA Today, have won primarily on the strength of high-scoring offensive attack led by quarterback Brady Quinn.
Quinn, a native of the Columbus suburb of Dublin, has thrown for 3,633 yards and 32 touchdowns this season, with just seven interceptions.
"He's very good and very accurate," said Ohio State's junior defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock about Brady Quinn.
"He sits back and waits for plays to develop, [but] I've only seen a few sacks on him this year."
ND's play-making receivers
Quinn's favorite receivers are Jeff Samardzija (75 receptions-1,190 yards-15 touchdowns) and Maurice Stovall (60-1,023-11), but running back Darius Walker (1,106 yards and six TDs) has taken advantage of opposing defenses overly concerned with Quinn.
"They have great receivers," Ohio State senior free safety Nate Salley said. "They make plays, they go get the ball."
Senior linebacker Anthony Schlegel is the only Buckeyes player with game experience against Notre Dame -- he played against the Fighting Irish when he was at the Air Force Academy.
"It was a physical game," he said. "You go out there with the intention to hit and play as hard as you can.
"[Weis] is a great coach because he knows how to exploit other teams' weaknesses."
That the Fighting Irish will put points on the board is a given; the challenge for the Ohio State defense is to limit the big plays.
"They have great players, coaches and one of the top quarterbacks in the country," said Buckeyes junior safety Donte Whitner, "two of the top receivers and a great tailback so it will be exciting to see how we match up."
Whitner said he was impressed by the efficiency of the Notre Dame offense.
"They don't so a lot of different things than other people," he said. "They just do them better."
OSU's success depends on Smith
On the other side of the ball, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith has, by no small coincidence, played increasingly better during the Buckeyes' season-ending six-game losing streak.
Ohio State, ranked fourth in both the AP and USA Today polls, is also just a few points from possibly competing for the national championship. The Buckeyes led No. 2 Texas late before falling to the Longhorns, 25-22, on Sept. 10, and four weeks later, fell to No. 3 Penn State, 17-10, in a physical contest in Happy Valley.
Since then, Ohio State has averaged 33.4 points and 446.5 yards per game in reeling off six consecutive wins, including a 25-21 victory at Ann Arbor, Mich., Nov. 18 in the regular season finale.
In those six wins, Smith accounted for 16 touchdowns (11 passing and five rushing) and 1,672 total yards.
"They have guys on their team, that if they get the ball, they can take it for a [touchdown]," said Notre Dame senior linebacker Brandon Hoyte. "We need to corral those players and stop them from making plays."
Receivers Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr. have combined for 91 receptions, 1,489 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns this season, and tailback Antonio Pittman rushed for 1,195 yards and six TDs.
Pittman became just the third Ohio State sophomore to surpass 1,000 rushing yards, joining Archie Griffin and Keith Byars in that select group.
Holmes and Ginn are also dangerous as kick returners; Ginn scored once each on a punt return and kickoff return this season.
"They are very physical [offensively]," said Hoyte. "That is something Ohio State is known for. They make plays and if you let them, you better buckle up because it's going to be a long day."
Difference-makers on defense
Ohio State is a 4-point favorite due in large part to a highly-ranked defense that could be the best the Fighting Irish will face this season.
Led by linebackers A.J. Hawk -- the Butkus Award winner and Big Ten defensive player of the year -- Schlegel and Bobby Carpenter, the Buckeyes finished the regular season ranked fourth nationally in total defense (275.3 yards per game), first in rushing defense (74.5 ypg) and seventh in scoring defense (14.8 points per game).
By contrast, Notre Dame was 64th in total defense and 45th in scoring defense.
"They really don't have any weaknesses," said Quinn of the Ohio State defense. "They're sound physically [and] fundamentally in the way they play. They have special people on that side of the ball. When you look at them on film there's nothing really that stands out that makes you think you can take advantage of that. They're just solid all around."
This much we know -- something has to give on the night of Jan. 2. Will the Ohio State defense play like it did three years ago, when the Buckeyes stuffed a vaunted Miami (Fla.) offense to win the national championship? Or will Notre Dame's high-powered attack, led by a native Ohioan, continue to amass huge numbers?
Stay tuned. We could witness another "Game of the Century."
todor@vindy.com