BIG TEN Buckeyes to face native Buckeyes in Minnesota

The Golden Gophers have 16 Ohioans on their roster.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- For so many boys raised in Ohio, playing football for the Buckeyes is what they're born and bred to do.
But there is only so much room on the roster, a precious number of scholarships to award. Dreams of donning the scarlet-and-gray and running out on the field at the Horseshoe in front of more than 100,000 screaming fans can quickly fade. Sometimes, another school -- such as Minnesota -- is simply a better fit.
"I came up here to start my own legacy," said linebacker Alex Daniels, a freshman from Columbus and one of 16 Gophers who grew up in Ohio. "It was a very difficult decision. It was difficult to leave my mother and a place I love. I loved the Buckeyes growing up. It's a big change.
"As soon as I committed, I had this game circled on the schedule."
Minnesota ready
For Minnesota (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten), playing host to Ohio State (5-2, 3-1) today offers a chance to knock off the 12th-ranked team in the nation, stay in the wide-open conference race and remain in contention for an invitation to the New Year's Day bowl game the long-suffering program has been starving for. Oh, and beat the Buckeyes for just the third time since 1966.
It's so much more than that, though, for these transplants.
"We're just real pumped," said receiver Ernie Wheelwright, one of nine Gophers who went to high school in Columbus. "We're ready to go out there and play."
There's only one Minnesotan currently playing for Ohio State -- linebacker James Laurinaitis, a freshman. But the Buckeyes are well aware of the makeup of their opponent this week.
"Minnesota's always recruited Ohio really well and gotten a lot of players from here," said standout linebacker A.J. Hawk. "Obviously when you're playing a team from the state you're from, it's going to be a little extra for you. Teams always give us their best shot. That's the way we like it. We want to face the best. This is another example of that."
After putting aside all the personal rivalries, there's still plenty of intrigue surrounding this game. That begins when the Gophers hand the ball off to darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate Laurence Maroney, or his backup, Gary Russell -- who is from, of course, Columbus.
Minnesota is first in the country with 299.1 yards rushing per game. The Buckeyes, led by a Hawk-anchored linebacking crew, are giving up an average of only 62.7 yards.