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batted balls · 10-16-2007, 08:24 PM

Columbus, Ohio--The Ohio State Buckeyes not only dotted their "i", but they also crossed their "t" as in ticket to the national semi-final Rose Bowl.

Ohio State improved its record to 5-2 with a 28-17 victory over arch-rival Michigan in the regular season's final weekend. The Buckeyes' win, coupled with losses by both Oklahoma and Michigan State (see below), hands Ohio State the Midwest championship trophy.

"We dug in and worked hard for this," said Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes.

The seventh-ranked Buckeyes used a balanced offense to outduel the Wolverines. While Eddie George and Tim Spencer each ran for touchdowns, quarterback Troy Smith twice hooked up with receiver Michael Jenkins for scores.

"We saw some things on film that we took advantage of today," said Jenkins, who caught TD passes from 45 and 30 yards respectively.

George rushed for a game-high 58 yards on 13 carries. He also caught a key third-down pass to set up Spencer's touchdown run.

"Eddie George got us the tough yards this afternoon," said Hayes. "His statistics don't look showy, but he did the job for us."

Michigan, 4-3, scored both its touchdowns on passes from quarterback Tom Brady. The Wolverine signal caller completed 14-of-24 attempts for 193 yards. However, Brady was intercepted a costly three times.

"We deserved a better fate," said Brady. "My turnovers really hurt us."

Ohio State will play South champion Georgia in the Rose Bowl national semi-final in two weeks.

Notre Dame 42, Oklahoma 21

Fighting Irish head coach Knute Rockne gave a pregame vote of confidence to Brady Quinn. The Notre Dame quarterback came out firing and never let up.

"Coach Rockne told me that I was his man today," said Quinn. "He said that even if I threw five interceptions, I was going to play the entire game."

Quinn delivered for the Irish, completing his first nine passes. He wound up 11-for-13 for 137 yards. Several of his passes set up short Notre Dame touchdown runs.

"Brady performed at a level today as if it were last season all over again," said Rockne.

A year ago, Quinn helped lead Notre Dame to the AAFL national championship.

Notre Dame, 4-3, got a pair of touchdowns from Reggie Brooks to take an early 14-0 lead. Then came a parade of Irish scores by the likes of Emil Sitko, Creighton Miller, Autrey Denson and Paul Hornung.

Meanwhile, sixth-ranked Oklahoma let its chance to win the Midwest title and a Rose Bowl berth slip through its fingers. The loss ended the Sooners' season at 4-3.

"It's extremely disappointing," said Sooner head coach Bud Wilkinson. "To come so close two years in a row . . . "

Oklahoma also missed out on a post-season chance a year ago with a loss to Notre Dame on the final weekend of the regular season.

The Sooners fumbled the ball six times and lost three Saturday against the Irish. Running back Adrian Peterson led all rushers with 101 yards on 10 carries.

Purdue 30, Michigan State 28

The Boilermakers pulled off one of the most incredible comebacks in AAFL history.

The eighth-rated Spartans appeared on the verge of victory when Eric Allen scored on a 23-yard touchdown run to put Michigan State ahead 28-21 with 2:58 remaining.

Purdue, however, put together an 82-yard, nine-play drive that ended with a two-yard pass from quarterback Drew Brees to receiver Vinnie Sutherland with only 32 seconds on the clock.

Yet, the Boilermakers' two-point conversion attempt failed when Michigan State defensive end Bubba Smith tackled Mike Alstott short of the goal line.

Then came the first in a series of miracles for Purdue. Rod Woodson recovered an onside kick at the Michigan State 48-yard line. With no timeouts, Brees then completed two quick sideline passes to John Standeford, the nation's leading receiver. After a surprise run by Otis Armstrong netted seven more yards, Brees quickly lined up the Boilermakers and spiked the ball.

"Drew ran the offense to perfection," said Purdue head coach Joe Tiller.

Kicker Travis Dorsch raced onto to the field and promptly booted the game-winning 45-yard field goal as time expired.

"We work on that very situation every week in practice," said Dorsch.

The loss left the Spartans stunned. It also wasted a 100-yard rushing performance by T.J. Duckett and a 41-yard punt return for a touchdown by Hobey Brenner.

"It's amazing how quickly the fortunes of winning and losing can change," said Spartan quarterback Drew Stanton.

Standeford hauled in six passes for 125 yards. He finished the year with 31 catches for 545 yards (17.6 per catch average) and five touchdowns.

Both teams ended the year with 4-3 records.

Illinois 42, Wisconsin 34

Fighting Illini fans will be singing "Home on the Grange" for years to come.

Illinois capped its season by knocking off the Badgers in Madison thanks to the efforts of do-everything back Harold "Red" Grange.

"This day will go down in AAFL history," said Illinois head coach Robert Zueppke.

Grange amassed a league-record 347 all-purpose yards. Grange returned two kickoffs and one punt for touchdowns. The kickoff TDs went for 98 and 89 yards respectively. The punt return covered 52 yards.

"He was a one-man gang," said Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez.

Grange's amazing performance offset Wisconsin's team-record 611 total yards. While the Illini had just 285 yards in offense and converted only 4-of-11 third downs, Grange saved the day.

"We've got to get the ball in his hands more next year," said Zueppke. "He's so elusive. It's unbelievable."

Grange scored touchdowns every 7.71 times he touched the ball this season.

Zueppke also gave Kurt Kittner his first career start at quarterback Saturday. Kittner responded by completing 14-of-27 passes for 165 yards. He threw touchdown passes to Brandon Lloyd and David Williams.

Wisconsin ran for 452 yards. Michael Bennett led the way with 68 yards on nine carries. Ron Dayne toted the ball 11 times for 62 yards and one touchdown.

While Illinois finished its season with a 3-4 record, Wisconsin wound up 2-5.

2007 Final Midwest Standings
Ohio State 5-2
Michigan 4-3
Michigan State 4-3
Notre Dame 4-3
Oklahoma 4-3
Purdue 4-3
Illinois 3-4
Wisconsin 2-5

Midwest Player of the Week: Harold "Red" Grange, Illinois

10-16-2007, 08:24 PM	#153
batted balls All Star Starter Join Date: May 2003 Location: White Sox Country Posts: 1,323	AAFL Midwest Week Seven: Ohio State Topples Michigan, Advances to Rose Bowl Columbus, Ohio--The Ohio State Buckeyes not only dotted their "i", but they also crossed their "t" as in ticket to the national semi-final Rose Bowl. Ohio State improved its record to 5-2 with a 28-17 victory over arch-rival Michigan in the regular season's final weekend. The Buckeyes' win, coupled with losses by both Oklahoma and Michigan State (see below), hands Ohio State the Midwest championship trophy. "We dug in and worked hard for this," said Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes. The seventh-ranked Buckeyes used a balanced offense to outduel the Wolverines. While Eddie George and Tim Spencer each ran for touchdowns, quarterback Troy Smith twice hooked up with receiver Michael Jenkins for scores. "We saw some things on film that we took advantage of today," said Jenkins, who caught TD passes from 45 and 30 yards respectively. George rushed for a game-high 58 yards on 13 carries. He also caught a key third-down pass to set up Spencer's touchdown run. "Eddie George got us the tough yards this afternoon," said Hayes. "His statistics don't look showy, but he did the job for us." Michigan, 4-3, scored both its touchdowns on passes from quarterback Tom Brady. The Wolverine signal caller completed 14-of-24 attempts for 193 yards. However, Brady was intercepted a costly three times. "We deserved a better fate," said Brady. "My turnovers really hurt us." Ohio State will play South champion Georgia in the Rose Bowl national semi-final in two weeks. Notre Dame 42, Oklahoma 21 Fighting Irish head coach Knute Rockne gave a pregame vote of confidence to Brady Quinn. The Notre Dame quarterback came out firing and never let up. "Coach Rockne told me that I was his man today," said Quinn. "He said that even if I threw five interceptions, I was going to play the entire game." Quinn delivered for the Irish, completing his first nine passes. He wound up 11-for-13 for 137 yards. Several of his passes set up short Notre Dame touchdown runs. "Brady performed at a level today as if it were last season all over again," said Rockne. A year ago, Quinn helped lead Notre Dame to the AAFL national championship. Notre Dame, 4-3, got a pair of touchdowns from Reggie Brooks to take an early 14-0 lead. Then came a parade of Irish scores by the likes of Emil Sitko, Creighton Miller, Autrey Denson and Paul Hornung. Meanwhile, sixth-ranked Oklahoma let its chance to win the Midwest title and a Rose Bowl berth slip through its fingers. The loss ended the Sooners' season at 4-3. "It's extremely disappointing," said Sooner head coach Bud Wilkinson. "To come so close two years in a row . . . " Oklahoma also missed out on a post-season chance a year ago with a loss to Notre Dame on the final weekend of the regular season. The Sooners fumbled the ball six times and lost three Saturday against the Irish. Running back Adrian Peterson led all rushers with 101 yards on 10 carries. Purdue 30, Michigan State 28 The Boilermakers pulled off one of the most incredible comebacks in AAFL history. The eighth-rated Spartans appeared on the verge of victory when Eric Allen scored on a 23-yard touchdown run to put Michigan State ahead 28-21 with 2:58 remaining. Purdue, however, put together an 82-yard, nine-play drive that ended with a two-yard pass from quarterback Drew Brees to receiver Vinnie Sutherland with only 32 seconds on the clock. Yet, the Boilermakers' two-point conversion attempt failed when Michigan State defensive end Bubba Smith tackled Mike Alstott short of the goal line. Then came the first in a series of miracles for Purdue. Rod Woodson recovered an onside kick at the Michigan State 48-yard line. With no timeouts, Brees then completed two quick sideline passes to John Standeford, the nation's leading receiver. After a surprise run by Otis Armstrong netted seven more yards, Brees quickly lined up the Boilermakers and spiked the ball. "Drew ran the offense to perfection," said Purdue head coach Joe Tiller. Kicker Travis Dorsch raced onto to the field and promptly booted the game-winning 45-yard field goal as time expired. "We work on that very situation every week in practice," said Dorsch. The loss left the Spartans stunned. It also wasted a 100-yard rushing performance by T.J. Duckett and a 41-yard punt return for a touchdown by Hobey Brenner. "It's amazing how quickly the fortunes of winning and losing can change," said Spartan quarterback Drew Stanton. Standeford hauled in six passes for 125 yards. He finished the year with 31 catches for 545 yards (17.6 per catch average) and five touchdowns. Both teams ended the year with 4-3 records. Illinois 42, Wisconsin 34 Fighting Illini fans will be singing "Home on the Grange" for years to come. Illinois capped its season by knocking off the Badgers in Madison thanks to the efforts of do-everything back Harold "Red" Grange. "This day will go down in AAFL history," said Illinois head coach Robert Zueppke. Grange amassed a league-record 347 all-purpose yards. Grange returned two kickoffs and one punt for touchdowns. The kickoff TDs went for 98 and 89 yards respectively. The punt return covered 52 yards. "He was a one-man gang," said Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez. Grange's amazing performance offset Wisconsin's team-record 611 total yards. While the Illini had just 285 yards in offense and converted only 4-of-11 third downs, Grange saved the day. "We've got to get the ball in his hands more next year," said Zueppke. "He's so elusive. It's unbelievable." Grange scored touchdowns every 7.71 times he touched the ball this season. Zueppke also gave Kurt Kittner his first career start at quarterback Saturday. Kittner responded by completing 14-of-27 passes for 165 yards. He threw touchdown passes to Brandon Lloyd and David Williams. Wisconsin ran for 452 yards. Michael Bennett led the way with 68 yards on nine carries. Ron Dayne toted the ball 11 times for 62 yards and one touchdown. While Illinois finished its season with a 3-4 record, Wisconsin wound up 2-5. 2007 Final Midwest Standings Ohio State 5-2 Michigan 4-3 Michigan State 4-3 Notre Dame 4-3 Oklahoma 4-3 Purdue 4-3 Illinois 3-4 Wisconsin 2-5 Midwest Player of the Week: Harold "Red" Grange, Illinois Attached Images __________________ White Sox fan since 1972 Last edited by batted balls; 10-17-2007 at 07:08 AM.