College football previews
Ohio (0-3) at Northwestern (3-0)
When: 11:03 a.m. at Ryan Field
TV: BTN
Radio: WGN 720-AM, WNUR 89.3-FM
Series: Northwestern leads 2-1.
Coaches: Frank Solich (19-21, fourth year at Ohio, 77-40 in 10th year overall); Pat Fitzgerald (13-14, third year at Northwestern).
Players to watch: Ohio junior QB Boo Jackson, in just his second start since transferring from El Camino (Calif.) Junior College, set a single-game school record with his 413 total yards in last week's 31-28 loss to Central Michigan. He hooked up with WR Chris Garrett, who also returns kicks, for touchdowns of 77 and 45 yards. Senior DT Jameson Hartke owns 13.5 career sacks, good for fifth on Ohio's all-time list.
Northwestern senior RB Tyrell Sutton needs just 4 receiving yards to become the second player in school annals to break the 1,000-yard barrier in rushing (3,307 yards) and receiving _ but here's a stat you haven't heard before: With 123 career catches, Sutton ranks fifth all-time among Big Ten running backs. While he probably can't catch Purdue's Rodney Carter for the all-time record (181), he needs just 24 catches to bypass Iowa's Ronnie Harmon for second place.
As for NU's improved defense, junior DE Corey Wootton leads the Big Ten in sacks (3.5) and he's also the school's active leader with 9 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss.
The skinny: While it doesn't really have any bearing on today's game (unless you're someone who believes the Cubs' 99 seasons without a World Series championship affects their chances this year), a win today gives Northwestern its first 4-0 start since 1962 and first perfect non-conference showing since 1963.
The Bobcats are way better than their winless record, but one of the reasons they're searching for Win No. 1 is because they average 3 turnovers per game. Only four teams in America are worse in this regard, so it sounds like Northwestern's defense might be able to fulfill this week's goal to get more takeaways.
Jackson completed 5 passes of at least 35 yards last week against Central Michigan _ spread amongst four receivers _ so the nation's No. 32 pass defense (in terms of efficiency rating) will have do its utmost not to get burned.
- Lindsey Willhite
Notre Dame (2-0) at Michigan State (2-1)
When: 2:37 p.m. at Spartan Stadium
TV: Channel 7
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Series: Notre Dame leads 44-26-1
Coaches: Charlie Weis (24-15, fourth year at Notre Dame); Mark Dantonio (9-7 in second year at Michigan State, 27-24 in fifth year overall)
Players to watch: After being the lightning half of a terrific 1-2 punch last year, Javon Ringer owns the show at running back for Michigan State. He's third in the country with 166.0 yards per game (Barrington's Andre Anderson is second on the team with 24.0 ypg) while leading the nation with 9 TDs. The Spartans have been otherwise unexceptional to date, though DB Otis Wiley has both of the team's turnovers and returned one fumble for a score.
Notre Dame sophomore QB Jimmy Clausen has been acceptable to date as he has hit 31 of 55 passes for 384 yards, 5 TDs and 4 INTs. His favorite target, by far, has been classmate Golden Tate, who has grabbed 10 passes for 220 yards and 2 scores. Senior SS Kyle McCarthy, who had 30 tackles in his first 3 years in South Bend, leads the Irish with 24 stops in two games. Tom Zbikowski's successor is tied for fifth in the nation.
The skinny: Notre Dame seeks its first 3-0 start since Tyrone Willingham's first campaign way back in 2002. There are multiple reasons why the Irish are far better off than last year, but here's a nice example: Notre Dame set an NCAA record last year when it allowed 58 sacks. This year, its opponents have yet to throw down Jimmy Clausen. Last year's MSU 31-14 triumph was the first game in this rivalry since 1999 that didn't go down to the wire, so expect some late-game dramatics. Ringer didn't have a huge game against California _ the only MSU opponent with a rush defense better than Notre Dame's - so perhaps the Irish will find a way to slow him down.
- Lindsey Willhite
Indiana State (0-2) at Northern Illinois (0-2)
When: 2 p.m. at Huskie Stadium
TV: Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Series: Indiana State leads 5-4.
Coaches: Trent Miles (0-2 at Indiana State); Jerry Kill (0-2 at NIU; 104-59 in 15th year overall).
Players to watch: Indiana State has been outscored 90-3 in its first two games, but that might be due to the fact almost two-thirds of the guys who've seen action are FCS newbies. Sophomore Darrius Gates is the top runner (20 carries, 109 yards) while soph Chuck Dowdell (6 of 14, 55 yards, 1 INT) is the top QB.
Look for NIU to have senior Dan Nicholson and redshirt freshman DeMarcus Grady split time at quarterback, with Grady perhaps getting more of a nod as he needs to gain some confidence in the passing game. Here's a big change from the past, when you could count on NIU boasting a 1,000-yard rusher by year's end. True freshman Me'co Brown, who isn't much bigger than Garrett Wolfe, leads the team with 65 yards in 17 carries. Justin Anderson has 17 carries for 38 yards.
The skinny: No offense to Trent Miles, a 1987 Indiana State graduate who paid his dues as an assistant for, among others, Northern Illinois (1991-94) and Notre Dame (2002-04), but his alma mater needs a lot of help before it can even hang with a program like NIU's. Need proof? The Sycamores lost their opener 52-0 to Eastern Michigan.
Northern Illinois is anxious to prove it's a good team that just didn't happen to win either of its first two games. Everyone re-applied themselves during the off-week, which found the coaching staff working its customary 14- to 16-hour day even last Saturday when it could have relaxed.
- Lindsey Willhite