After having played 26 Big Ten teams on the road in the Peden Stadium era, the Ohio football team plays host to a Big Ten opponent for the first time tomorrow against Minnesota.
Ohio (1-1) holds only a 5-33-1 all-time record against teams currently in the Big Ten. But the last time the Bobcats played a Big Ten team, they produced a 23-17 upset of the Golden Gophers in 2000.
After traveling to play Iowa State, North Carolina State, West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Florida in the past three seasons, defensive end Keith Adamson said it would be nice to welcome a BCS-conference team to Athens.
Since I've been here
we've gone to big schools he said. Finally we have one coming here. It's good for the program. It will be a lot different. There's going to be a lot of people here
and we'll have the fans behind us.
Northwestern is scheduled to play in Athens in 2008.
Punter earns honors
For the second week in a row, an Ohio player earned Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week honors.
Punter Matt Miller was named Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against Iowa State. He averaged 46.1 yards per punt on seven attempts against the Cyclones.
In a week where the coverage team allowed big returns, Miller's leg kept Iowa State's field position from being even tougher on the Ohio defense, Ohio coach Brian Knorr said.
He did a really fine job punting
Knorr said. I was very pleased.
Miller's best punt was a 63-yarder in the second quarter when Ohio had to punt from its own one-yard line.
I had to get it off pretty quick
because we were backed up
Miller said. I looked up
and it went pretty far.
He also added punts of 52, 51 and 48 yards and had two punts inside the 20.
Battered Bobcats
Only two games into the season, the Bobcats have been hit hard by injuries.
Running back Justin Roush tore his medial collateral ligament and anterior cruciate ligament in the season opener and underwent season-ending surgery last Wednesday. Offensive lineman Brian Brown suffered a torn meniscus in the same game and hopes to return for the Oct. 4 game at Northern Illinois.
Linebacker Charles Terry dislocated his shoulder against Iowa State and will be out six-to-eight weeks. Two other linebackers, Spencer Tatum and Ricky Cherry, are out for the season. Tatum had arthroscopic surgery on his hip, while Cherry has a bicep injury.
Offensive lineman Shane Yates is week-to-week with a high-ankle sprain. Running back John Taylor missed the Iowa State game because of a hamstring injury but has practiced this week.
Cornerback Chip Cox, who missed the Iowa State game for disciplinary reasons, will start against Minnesota.
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