AbsolutePigskin Times

OSU Staff Changes Officially Announced

Tom Loker — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:47:00 GMT

Buckeyes prepare for 2009 season COLUMBUS, Ohio – A number of veteran staff members have new responsibilities as Ohio State’s football program prepares for the upcoming 2009 season. Nick Siciliano has been promoted to assistant coach, working with the Ohio State quarterbacks. A 1999 Youngstown State graduate who has been on the football staffs at YSU, Oklahoma, Urbana and North Carolina A&T, Siciliano has been a part of the OSU program since 2005, serving in the offensive quality control role.

Joe Daniels has moved into the role of associate director for personnel development after a 39-year career as an on-field coach. His new responsibilities will be assisting the Buckeyes in the areas of community outreach, as liaison to groups such as NFL scouts, high school coaches and OSU campus organizations, and other administrative duties. Stan Jefferson will continue to serve as director of player development while assuming additional responsibilities in the areas of academics, outreach and administration. Amy Burgess has been promoted to associate director of internal operations, with additional responsibility dealing with purchasing, ticketing and budgetary procedures.

Greg Gillum, who joined the Ohio State staff in 2005 as assistant recruiting coordinator, has been promoted to director of football operations for player personnel. He will continue to work with recruiting coordinator John Peterson on the Buckeyes’ recruiting efforts, as well as taking on additional responsibilities regarding team travel, camps and clinics. Todd Alles will now serve as associate director-football operations, handling many of the day-to-day administrative and logistic details for the Ohio State program. A veteran high school educator, Alles, a former OSU player, has been a part of the Buckeye football staff since 2003, working in the strength program and later as a program assistant in recruiting. He served as director of football operations at Alabama in 2007-08. Shannon Smith comes over from the athletics compliance staff as an administrative assistant.

Keith Uecker will serve in the offensive quality control position this season.

Release Courtesy of Ohio State Athletic Communications

Ohio State Adds #8

Tom Loker — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:17:00 GMT

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel often refers to the punt as the most important play in college football so the mood at the "Sweater Vest" house must be a bit happier today. Ohio State received it's second verbal pledge this week, this one coming from 6'2", 188lbs kicker/punter Drew Basil. Basil, one of the top special teams players in the mid-west and the state of Ohio, recently was a standout performer at the Ohio State advanced camp and obviously came away from his experience in Columbus impressed enough to commit to the Buckeyes. It also helps that Basil is coached by former Buckeye kicker Tim Williams. (Williams was a Buckeye from 1990 to 1993) It remains to be seen where Basil ends up as a Buckeye as he is both a good place kicker and punter. I suspect Basil's talents best translate to that of place kicker but the Buckeyes are in a unique position where their depth chart allows Basil to go to either position. The class of 2009 saw the Buckeyes bring in top flight kicker / punter Ben Buchanan and with the impending departures of seniors Aaron Pettrey (Sr. placekicker) and Jon Thomas (Sr. punter) basically 2010 will sport a dynamic duo of young kickers that can both kick and punt.

Special teams players such as Basil and Buchanan do not get the normal publicity a skill position player gets coming out of high school but make no mistake about it, these two players will insure the Ohio State kicking game will be solid for years to come. Basil chose the Buckeyes over offers from Purdue, Air Force, Cincinnati, and Kentucky.

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Penn State adds #11

Tom Loker — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:25:00 GMT

Jordan Norwood, former Penn State wide receiver left Happy Valley as one of Penn State's all time leading receivers. Today Penn State secured a verbal commitment from Norwood's younger brother Levi Norwood. Norwood who originally was from the State College area (his father Brian was a coach at Penn State and now is Baylor's defensive coordinator) attended the Penn State advanced senior camp over this past weekend. Not much is known about the youngest Norwood other than the fact that he has an exceptionally small physical build checking in at 6'2" and just 170lbs. Norwood's one and only offer currently is from Penn State and one assumes that the Nittany Lions see in Levi many of the same things that lead to Jordan being one of the better receivers in Penn State history.

NAME	POS	STARS	HEIGHT	WEIGHT	40	HOMETOWN
Paul Jones	QB	****	6-3	226	-	McKees Rocks , PA
Kyle Baublitz	TE	****	6-4	254	5.13	York, PA
Adrian Coxson	WR	****	6-2	194	4.45	Baltimore, MD
Evan Hailes	DT	****	6-1	305	5	Chesapeake, VA
Mike Hull	LB	****	6-1	215	-	Canonsburg, PA
Silas Redd	ATH	****	5-10	187	4.45	Stamford, CT
Miles Dieffenbach	OL	***	6-5	277	5.5	Pittsburgh, PA
Daquan Jones	OL	***	6-4	302	5.4	Johnson City, NY
Luke Graham	OL		6-5	260	-	Harrison City, PA
Levi Norwood	WR		6-2	170	-	Waco, TX
Thomas Ricketts	OL		6-6	265	-	Wexford, PA

Buckeyes Land Big Committment

Tom Loker — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:10:00 GMT

The Buckeyes received their 7th verbal for the class of 2010 from 6'3", 220lb, running back Roderick Smith. Smith is a four-star prospect out of Indiana and is the 47th ranked player in the nation according to Rivals.com. Smith flew under the radar until the last few months due to there simply not being a whole lot of film available on him. Luckily for the Buckeyes they were quick to notice his immense talents and offer him relatively early in the process. Smith took a bit longer to commit to the Buckeyes than most expected but it seems Ohio State wanted to make sure Smith had his grades in order to insure his acceptance to the university. Smith is a rare blend of size, speed, and power and joins a suddenly extremely deep stable of running backs in Columbus. Ohio State has already welcomed two top running backs in freshman Jamaal Berry and Carlos Hyde to the university as members of the 2009 recruiting class to go along with current OSU running backs Brandon Saine and Daniel Herron.

Watching film on Roderick Smith despite being a huge running back he is incredibly fast and has a good ability to make defenders miss. I dare liken Smith to a bigger faster version of former Ohio State running back Chris Wells. It goes without saying this is a big pick up for the Buckeyes class of 2010. Smith chose the Buckeyes over offers from Michigan State, Purdue, Tennessee, Iowa, and Michigan.

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COMMITTED/UNSIGNED	Pos	Stars	Ht	Wt	40	Hometown
Roderick Smith	RB	****	6-3	220	4.5	Fort Wayne, IN
Jamel Turner	DE	****	6-3	210	4.6	Youngstown, OH
Andrew Norwell	OL	****	6-7	275	-	Cincinnati, OH
J.T. Moore	DE	****	6-4	220	4.75	Youngstown, OH
David Durham	DE	***	6-3	228	4.7	Charlotte, NC
Scott McVey	LB	***	5-11	215	4.5	Cleveland, OH
Taylor Graham	QB		6-4	211	-	Wheaton, IL

Buckeyes Get Their Quarterback

Tom Loker — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:37:00 GMT

After a few near misses with a couple of other prospects Ohio State received a verbal pledge from Illinois quarterback Taylor Graham. Graham's father Kent is a former Buckeye. Taylor chose the Buckeyes over offers from UCLA, Michigan State, Colorado, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Duke, and Iowa. The Buckeyes got into the process somewhat late with Graham as it was no secret the intial targets for the Buckeyes were quarterbacks Nick Montana and Andrew Hendrix but as soon as the Buckeyes offered it seemed Graham was a lock for the Buckeyes. Graham described getting an offer from the Buckeyes as a "dream" so it was only a matter of time for him to commit. Graham is not as well known a commodity with the various recruiting services as a Nick Montana or an Andrew Hendrix but Graham has put himself on the radar with strong performances at various camps around the nation. He recently got an offer from the likes of UCLA after attending a football camp out there and in large part his good performance at the recent Ohio State advanced camp earned him his Ohio State offer. After looking at limited film Graham seems to have a good over the top motion and after a little work on his footwork he will be an excellent prospect for the Buckeyes. He puts good touch on the ball and throws the ball well when on the move. Graham will prove to be a good pickup for the Buckeyes and provide much needed depth at the quarterback position in 2010.

COMMITTED/UNSIGNED	Pos	Stars	Ht	Wt	40	Hometown
Jamel Turner	DE	****	6-3	210	4.6	Youngstown, OH
Andrew Norwell	OL	****	6-7	275	-	Cincinnati, OH
J.T. Moore	DE	****	6-4	220	4.75	Youngstown, OH
David Durham	DE	***	6-3	228	4.7	Charlotte, NC
Scott McVey	LB	***	5-11	215	4.5	Cleveland, OH
Taylor Graham	QB		6-4	211	-	Wheaton, IL

Ohio State Hires New Coach

Tom Loker — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:06:00 GMT

It is being reported that Ohio State has hired coach Keith Uecker from Wayne State to be the teams new Offensive Quality Control coach. He will replace Nick Siciliano who most recently held this position. Siciliano is moving to take Joe Daniel's position as quarterbacks coach. Daniel's apparently will focus more on his job as passing game coordinator with more of an emphasis and a shift toward taking on a greater role in shaping the offense with offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Jim Bollman.

What is interesting about the hiring of Uecker is that he was the offensive line coach at Wayne State for the past three years and before that served in a similar capacity at the University of Akron. Uecker was an offensive lineman at the University of Auburn where he was a four-year starter and team captain . Uecker then went on to a ten year career in the NFL with both the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers. With Uecker being a offensive line guy this might signal a shift in position for Joe Daniel's as well. Much has been made in recent Ohio State history about the performance, or lack there of, from the Ohio State offensive line. Largely they have been underachieving in key games and last year a unit that looked to be a strength for the team prior to the season proved to be a disappointment. Ucker is known for getting the most out of his players on the offensive line and whereas his hiring will not be front page news it could ultimately be a huge hire for the Buckeyes in the future.

What do you think about this hire? Talk about it here in the message forums!

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Maurice Clarett Asks Governor For Pardon

Tom Loker — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:19:00 GMT

With probably as good a chance for success as me asking the PA lottery for the winning Powerball numbers a day before they are announced, former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett has asked Ted Strickland, Gov. of Ohio, for a pardon. Clarett is currently serving a sentence at the Toledo Correctional Institution stemming from pleading guilty to charges of aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon. According to WBNS TV10, "Clarett had an AK-47 weapon with 35 live rounds in the magazine and three pistols in his vehicle. He was wearing a bulletproof vest. Investigators also found an open bottle of Grey Goose vodka and a hatchet. He was arrested about one mile away from the house of the robbery victims." Clarett is not scheduled to be released until sometime in September of 2014.

Having been a pretty avid reader of "The Mind of Maurice Clarett", a personal blog of the once great football star, Clarett though seemingly heading in the right direction in his life largely continues to be somewhat disassociated with things as if he was not fully to blame for his current predicament and is largely rambling in his writings. He still has visions of playing football and still seems to have a hunger for the good life he once thought was rightfully his, without any work on his part. He seems to understand the severity of his situation now and is taking steps toward getting back on track now that his freedom has been taken from him. For the most part Clarett seems caught up with grandiose ideas and plans that I suspect were the reason that led him to his current situation. In the defense of Mr. Clarett he is working toward completing his college degree and seems to be taking a more active approach to getting control of his life.

Maybe as an Ohio State fan I am a bit jaded by Clarett's actions of the past to the point where admittedly I have a hard time really being able to see much truth in what Mr. Clarett says. I wish nothing but the best for Maurice and anyone in his situation with hope that they have the strength and support to come out the other side a stronger and better person. As for the chances of him receiving a pardon, I would say slim and none and slim just left town.

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Berry Arrested For Drug Possession

Tom Loker — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:25:00 GMT

Jamal Berry, a current Ohio State commitment for the class of 2010 and a four-star running back out of the Miami, FL area was arrested for felony drug possession this week. Florida has extremely strict laws in place with regard to drug possession and early information indicates that he will face felony drug possession charges even though he and his group of friends had under one ounce of marijuana. AbsolutePigskin.com has learned that Berry was with some friends and visited a house in hopes of purchasing some pot. Unfortunately for Berry and his friends the house was under surveillance by the police and they were promptly arrested. There has been no comment from the Ohio State athletic department or coaching staff concerning Berry's status with Ohio State.

I'm sure Mr. Berry is a good kid who just made a mistake. That being said there is simply no place for Berry on the Ohio State Buckeyes team. I see it time and time again across the landscape of not only college football but many high profile division I-A programs around the country. Star athletes get into trouble and largely their problems get swept under the rug with little to no consequences. This simply is maddening to me no matter where the kid is going to school. Your average high school senior or college student gets into similar trouble and those kids are not as likely to get off easy whether it be with the law or with their college of choice. More often than not those kids are taught the hard life lesson that all decisions you make have consequences. You make a good decision the consequences are good, you make a bad decision such as the one Mr. Berry made and more often than not the consequences are bad. Sure it is not a pleasant experience but more often than not I'm willing to bet the kids who are forced to face the consequences come out the other side as better and stronger individuals. When they are not faced with any consequences they are bound to repeat similar mistakes over and over again.

It astonishes me that kids in the position of Jamaal Berry who have the opportunity to play football and get a free education from almost any university they want still wind up making such poor decisions. Kids like Jamaal who run into similar problems must face consequences for their actions. This is not a question of whether or not you think marijuana should be legalized in the country or how much marijana Jamaal and his friends actually had when caught. Instead it is lesson of life that many need to learn. Bad decisions = bad consequences. Jamaal chose Ohio State as the preferred destination for him to embark on his college football career and in the process receive guidance from coach Jim Tressel. In this situation the best guidance that coach Tressel can give Mr. Berry is by simply not allowing him to ever suit up for the Ohio State Buckeyes. I wish nothing but the best for Mr. Berry and hope that the young man learns from the error or his ways. I hope he realizes the important life lesson that bad decisions have consequences. Berry is a talent and will make an impact on the field for whatever team he ends up playing for if he ever ends up playing football again once these legal situations are taken care of.

Still, Jim Tressel can teach players like Berry and the entirety of the Ohio State football team more about life by not allowing Jamaal to join the team than he ever could any other way. I hope and pray that coach Tressel makes the correct decision and I hope Jamaal learns his lesson and comes through this a stronger individual.

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Diffenbach commits to Nittany Lions

Tom Loker — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:07:00 GMT

When three star offensive lineman MIles DIffenbach arrived in Happy Valley Tuesday it was just too good not to make a decision. On an unofficial visit to Penn State this Tuesday after a day spent on campus meeting with the various Penn State coaches Diffenbach pledged his services to the Nittany Lions. The 6'5, 277lbs offensive lineman out of Fox Chapel, PA is the 38th ranked offensive tackle in the nation and chose Penn State over offers from Pittsburgh, USF, Boston College, Syracuse, Northwestern, Florida, State, and Virginia. DIffenbach has an excellent frame that should easily support 300+ pounds at the college level. It is a little unsure what position he will translate to at the collegiate level but at first glance of his film it is easy to see him at right tackle. Diffenbach becomes the sixth verbal for the Penn State class of 2010.

COMMITTED/UNSIGNED	Pos	Stars	Ht	Wt	40	Hometown
Adrian Coxson	WR	****	6-2	194	4.45	Baltimore, MD
Miles Dieffenbach	OL	***	6-5	277	5.5	Pittsburgh, PA
Luke Graham	OL		6-5	260	-	Harrison City, PA
Mike Hull	LB	****	6-1	215	-	Canonsburg, PA
Paul Jones	QB	****	6-3	226	-	McKees Rocks , PA
Silas Redd	ATH	****	5-10	187	4.45	Stamford, CT

Bowman Goes Unpunished

Tom Loker — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:54:00 GMT

In what is becoming common place at Penn State when a player runs into problems off the field, all Big Ten linebacker Navarro Bowman will not receive any sort of suspension in relation to the recent violation of his probation. “Now he’s got a probationary officer who he’s got to report to,” Paterno said. “I said, ‘You mind your p’s and q’s and you’re fine.’” For those who do not know the story click here.

Penn State over the past few years has run into a good bit of off the field trouble and for the most part players have not been punished. The most public off the field incident involved former Penn State starting safety Anthony Scirrotto organizing a group of friends to bust into an off campus apartment and attack a few individuals who he felt disrespected his girlfriend earlier on the street. The entire group received little to no punishment from Paterno and the most harsh punishment was a suspension for the summer session while still being allowed to participate in team activities. In other words they got a vacation from going to class while being able to participate with the team.

Of course many Penn State apologists will cite that most of the charges against the players involved in the fight were ultimately dropped. What few point out though is the reason for them being dropped. A few of the players charged were not correctly identified by the victims from the apartment thus making the case a largely "he said he said" type case. It is understandable that they would not remember exactly what their attackers looked like considering there was more than a few of them hitting them with various objects and beating them up at the time. I know i would not be concerned with getting a good look at my attackers and more worried about protecting myself.

ESPN's show, Outside the Lines, did a piece on the recent string of off the field incidents at Penn State and many a Penn State fan felt like it was an unfair piece. To me it does not seem all that unfair when players continue to get into trouble yet they are not punished. It is no coincidence that shortly after this piece aired when two more Penn State players, Chris Baker and Phil Taylor, got into some trouble off the field they were dismissed from the team. These dismissals only occurring after Joe Paterno and his staff took a lot of heat as a result from the ESPN piece.

It is unfortunate that at the end of Joe Paterno's career Penn State continues to not only have problems off the field but continues largely to brush them under the rug. It is little wonder why the off the field problems continue as players know full well there is little chance that they will be punished in any way. Until actual punishments happen players will continue to get into trouble off the field at Penn State.

Penn State fans are some of the worst when it comes to trashing other schools publicly when off the field incidents happen at those universities. However, those same fans fail to recognize that those very same transgressions are happening at their proud university. It is time for Penn State fans to start speaking out and holding their great university to the same public standards they seem to hold other schools. Joe Paterno is a great coach and it is hard to measure just how much he has contributed to college football over the years. He graduates players and in large part Penn State student athletes do things the right way. Unfortunately in recent years though Joe has been on the wrong side of these off the field problems too often for a man of his intellect and character.

PSU Names Clark and Lee Team Captains

Tom Loker — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:50:00 GMT

The 2009 Penn State Nittany Lions have elected senior quarterback Darryl Clark and senior linebacker Sean Lee as team captains for the upcoming season. Clark was a first team All-Big Ten selection in 2008 and Lee is coming off a knee injury that forced him to miss all of the 2008 season.

For more informaiton the press release from Penn State can be found here.

Marve To Transfer To Purdue

Tom Loker — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:45:00 GMT

Given the option to walk on at the University of Tennessee or receive a full scholarship to the University of Purdue, former Miami Hurricane quarterback Robert Marve made the correct choice and will play for the Boilermakers. NCAA transfer rules require Marve to sit out a year before being eligible to see any playing time but the addition of Marve should prove to be a major boost for a program that has largely been stagnant over the past few years. The pro-style quarterback out of Tampa Florida was a four-star recruit as a high school senior.

A Waaaay Too Early Big Ten Prediction

Tom Loker — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:05:00 GMT

With head coaches basically on vacation this month since the NCAA forbids them from visiting recruits during May things are relatively slow in terms of college football news. What better time to give an entirely too early prediction for the Big Ten standings than now right? Without further ado here is AbsolutePigskin's waaaaaay too early prediction for the Big Ten standings in 2009.

TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	CONF. WINS	CONF. LOSS
PENN STATE	12	0	8	0
MICHIGAN STATE	10	2	7	1
OHIO STATE	10	2	7	1
IOWA	9	3	5	3
WISCONSIN	9	3	5	3
ILLINOIS	4	8	3	5
MICHIGAN	6	6	3	5
MINNESOTA	6	6	3	5
NORTHWESTERN	6	6	2	6
PURDUE	3	9	1	7
INDIANA	3	9	0	8

		ILLINOIS	WIN	LOSS	CONF WIN	CONF LOSS
5-Sep	vs. Missouri*	LOSS	0	1	0	0
12-Sep	Illinois State	WIN	1	0	0	0
26-Sep	at Ohio State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
3-Oct	Penn State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
10-Oct	Michigan State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
17-Oct	at Indiana	WIN	1	0	1	0
24-Oct	at Purdue	WIN	1	0	1	0
31-Oct	Michigan	WIN	1	0	1	0
7-Nov	at Minnesota	LOSS	0	1	0	1
14-Nov	Northwestern	LOSS	0	1	0	1
21-Nov	Fresno State	LOSS	0	1	0	0
27-Nov	at Cincinnati	LOSS	0	1	0	0
		Overall	4	8	3	5

		INDIANA	WIN	LOSS	CONF WIN	CONF LOSS
3-Sep	Eastern Kentucky	WIN	1	0	0	0
12-Sep	Western Michigan	WIN	1	0	0	0
19-Sep	at Akron	WIN	1	0	0	0
26-Sep	at Michigan	LOSS	0	1	0	1
3-Oct	Ohio State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
10-Oct	at Virginia	LOSS	0	1	0	0
17-Oct	Illinois	LOSS	0	1	0	1
24-Oct	at Northwestern	LOSS	0	1	0	1
31-Oct	at Iowa	LOSS	0	1	0	1
7-Nov	Wisconsin	LOSS	0	1	0	1
14-Nov	at Penn State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
21-Nov	Purdue	LOSS	0	1	0	1
		Overall	3	9	0	8

		IOWA	WIN	LOSS	CONF WIN	CONF LOSS
5-Sep	Northern Iowa	WIN	1	0	0	0
12-Sep	at Iowa State	WIN	1	0	0	0
19-Sep	Arizona	WIN	1	0	0	0
26-Sep	at Penn State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
3-Oct	Arkansas State	WIN	1	0	0	0
10-Oct	Michigan	WIN	1	0	1	0
17-Oct	at Wisconsin	WIN	1	0	1	0
24-Oct	at Michigan State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
31-Oct	Indiana	WIN	1	0	1	0
7-Nov	Northwestern	WIN	1	0	1	0
14-Nov	at Ohio State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
21-Nov	Minnesota	WIN	1	0	1	0
		Overall	9	3	5	3

		MICHIGAN	WIN	LOSS	CONF WIN	CONF LOSS
5-Sep	Western Michigan	WIN	1	0	0	0
12-Sep	Notre Dame	LOSS	0	1	0	0
19-Sep	Eastern Michigan	WIN	1	0	0	0
26-Sep	Indiana	WIN	1	0	1	0
3-Oct	at Michigan State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
10-Oct	at Iowa	LOSS	0	1	0	1
17-Oct	Delaware State	WIN	1	0	0	0
24-Oct	Penn State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
31-Oct	at Illinois	WIN	1	0	1	0
7-Nov	Purdue	WIN	1	0	1	0
14-Nov	at Wisconsin	LOSS	0	1	0	1
21-Nov	Ohio State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
		Overall	6	6	3	5

		MICHIGAN STATE	WIN	LOSS	CONF WIN	CONF LOSS
5-Sep	Montana State	WIN	1	0	0	0
12-Sep	Central Michigan	WIN	1	0	0	0
19-Sep	at Notre Dame	LOSS	0	1	0	0
26-Sep	at Wisconsin	WIN	1	0	1	0
3-Oct	Michigan	WIN	1	0	1	0
10-Oct	at Illinois	WIN	1	0	1	0
17-Oct	Northwestern	WIN	1	0	1	0
24-Oct	Iowa	WIN	1	0	1	0
31-Oct	at Minnesota	WIN	1	0	1	0
7-Nov	Western Michigan	WIN	1	0	0	0
14-Nov	at Purdue	WIN	1	0	1	0
21-Nov	Penn State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
		Overall	10	2	7	1

		MINNESOTA	WIN	LOSS	CONF WIN	CONF LOSS
5-Sep	at Syracuse	WIN	1	0	0	0
12-Sep	Air Force	WIN	1	0	0	0
19-Sep	California	LOSS	0	1	0	0
26-Sep	at Northwestern	WIN	1	0	1	0
3-Oct	Wisconsin	LOSS	0	1	0	1
10-Oct	Purdue	WIN	1	0	1	0
17-Oct	at Penn State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
24-Oct	at Ohio State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
31-Oct	Michigan State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
7-Nov	Illinois	WIN	1	0	1	0
14-Nov	South Dakota State	WIN	1	0	0	0
21-Nov	at Iowa	LOSS	0	1	0	1
		Overall	6	6	3	5

		NORTHWESTERN	WIN	LOSS	CONF WIN	CONF LOSS
5-Sep	Towson	WIN	1	0	0	0
12-Sep	Eastern Michigan	WIN	1	0	0	0
19-Sep	at Syracuse	WIN	1	0	0	0
26-Sep	Minnesota	LOSS	0	1	0	1
3-Oct	at Purdue	WIN	1	0	1	0
10-Oct	Miami (OH)	WIN	1	0	0	0
17-Oct	at Michigan State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
24-Oct	Indiana	WIN	1	0	1	0
31-Oct	Penn State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
7-Nov	at Iowa	LOSS	0	1	0	1
14-Nov	at Illinois	LOSS	0	1	0	1
21-Nov	Wisconsin	LOSS	0	1	0	1
		Overall	6	6	2	6

		OHIO STATE	WIN	LOSS	CONF WIN	CONF LOSS
5-Sep	Navy	WIN	1	0	0	0
12-Sep	USC	LOSS	0	1	0	0
19-Sep	at Toledo	WIN	1	0	0	0
26-Sep	Illinois	WIN	1	0	1	0
3-Oct	at Indiana	WIN	1	0	1	0
10-Oct	Wisconsin	WIN	1	0	1	0
17-Oct	at Purdue	WIN	1	0	1	0
24-Oct	Minnesota	WIN	1	0	1	0
31-Oct	New Mexico State	WIN	1	0	0	0
7-Nov	at Penn State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
14-Nov	Iowa	WIN	1	0	1	0
21-Nov	at Michigan	WIN	1	0	1	0
		Overall	10	2	7	1

		PENN STATE	WIN	LOSS	CONF WIN	CONF LOSS
5-Sep	Akron	WIN	1	0	0	0
12-Sep	Syracuse	WIN	1	0	0	0
19-Sep	Temple	WIN	1	0	0	0
26-Sep	Iowa	WIN	1	0	1	0
3-Oct	at Illinois	WIN	1	0	1	0
10-Oct	Eastern Illinois	WIN	1	0	0	0
17-Oct	Minnesota	WIN	1	0	1	0
24-Oct	at Michigan	WIN	1	0	1	0
31-Oct	at Northwestern	WIN	1	0	1	0
7-Nov	Ohio State	WIN	1	0	1	0
14-Nov	Indiana	WIN	1	0	1	0
21-Nov	at Michigan State	WIN	1	0	1	0
		Overall	12	0	8	0

		PURDUE	WIN	LOSS	CONF WIN	CONF LOSS
5-Sep	Toledo	WIN	1	0	0	0
12-Sep	at Oregon	LOSS	0	1	0	0
19-Sep	Northern Illinois	WIN	1	0	0	0
26-Sep	Notre Dame	LOSS	0	1	0	0
3-Oct	Northwestern	LOSS	0	1	0	1
10-Oct	at Minnesota	LOSS	0	1	0	1
17-Oct	Ohio State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
24-Oct	Illinois	LOSS	0	1	0	1
31-Oct	at Wisconsin	LOSS	0	1	0	1
7-Nov	at Michigan	LOSS	0	1	0	1
14-Nov	Michigan State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
21-Nov	at Indiana	WIN	1	0	1	0
		Overall	3	9	1	7

		WISCONSIN	WIN	LOSS	CONF WIN	CONF LOSS
5-Sep	Northern Illinois	WIN	1	0	0	0
12-Sep	Fresno State	WIN	1	0	0	0
19-Sep	Wofford	WIN	1	0	0	0
26-Sep	Michigan State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
3-Oct	at Minnesota	WIN	1	0	1	0
10-Oct	at Ohio State	LOSS	0	1	0	1
17-Oct	Iowa	LOSS	0	1	0	1
31-Oct	Purdue	WIN	1	0	1	0
7-Nov	at Indiana	WIN	1	0	1	0
14-Nov	Michigan	WIN	1	0	1	0
21-Nov	at Northwestern	WIN	1	0	1	0
5-Dec	at Hawaii	WIN	1	0	0	0
		Overall	9	3	5	3

Help Support A Good Cause

Tom Loker — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:23:00 GMT

During the second quarter of 2009 Fiesta bowl, Shaun Lane was injured and carted off the field on a stretcher. Initially it only seemed like a bad stinger to his right shoulder, but after further evaluation at the hospital, doctors realized it was much worse. He sustained a severe injury to his brachial plexus, which is a combination of nerves that run from your spinal cord to your fingers. These nerves enable you to move your arm and fingers at your will. Therefore, every since his injury Shaun has been experiencing paralysis of his right arm, giving him no movement at all. It is now May. He has dealt with this disability for about 4 months. He will be undergoing a series of surgeries to correct his injury, one of which he had on April 16th. With these surgeries the Neurologist still expects it to be 2 years before he makes a full recovery. Although Ohio State University is taking care of all his medical expenses, they do not provide him with any income. We are asking that you help assist our fallen brother in dealing with this new way of living. Any donations, no matter the size, will be a great help. Thank you very much and "Go Bucks".

http://helpabuckeye.com/

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Big Ten APR Scores Released

Tom Loker — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:21:00 GMT

The new measure of academic standing with sports teams is no longer the graduation rate since grad rates are inaccurate is the academic performance report. Now the APR is not a totally perfect measure of the academic standing of a team but it is an improvement over the old system. Teams who fall below a rating of 925 then the NCAA has the option of taking away scholarships and inflicting other penalties on the program. Here's how all 11 Big Ten teams fared in the most recent APR report:

Penn State 976
Northwestern 973
Ohio State 968
Indiana 957
Wisconsin 953
Michigan 947
Iowa 946
Michigan State 931
Illinois 930
Purdue 926
Minnesota 915

Minnesota is in danger of losing scholarships for the upcoming season due to the fact that they fell below the mandated 925 line. However the Gopher have improved their APR to 957 for the fall semester and now actually are tied for the league lead in Big Ten Academic All Americans. For more information about the academic progress of teams in the big ten check out the Academic All Big Ten members from this past season for football by clicking here. Also further examination of the academic standing (or lack there of) of one of the teams, Michigan, can be found here.