ETHAN GRUNKEMEYER READY FOR FIRST CAREER START AT IOWA AS PENN STATE TRIES TO SALVAGE SEASON
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Ethan Grunkemeyer was immediately swarmed by reporters as he emerged from the locker room after Penn State practice.
As bodies and cameras enveloped him on Wednesday night, the quarterback’s eyes glanced back toward his teammates. One shouted, “Yeah Grunk! Man of the hour!”
Grunkemeyer, who will make his first career start when the Nittany Lions visit Iowa on Saturday, finally allowed himself to smile.
“I definitely feel prepared,” the redshirt freshman said. “There’s definitely some things in this role that are a little bit different, but I think just (assistant coaches Danny O’Brien’s and Trace McSorley’s) understanding of our offense and just the quarterback position in general has really helped me this week. I feel super ready.”
With all the Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) have been through over the last three weeks — falling from the No. 2 spot in the rankings with three-straight losses, then enduring the firing of longtime coach James Franklin — it’s a small sign of progress.
Starting quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury in Penn State’s 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Saturday. It’ll be up to Grunkemeyer to try to salvage a season that he and his teammates hoped would end with a deep playoff run.
Now, Grunkemeyer, an Ohio native, and the rest of the Nittany Lions have little room for error if they want to make any bowl game. After visiting Iowa, Penn State visits No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1 and hosts No. 3 Indiana on Nov. 8.
Interim coach Terry Smith said the 6-foot-2, 207-pound Grunkemeyer has made the most of his first-team reps this week.
“Grunk’s looked really good,” Smith said. “He’s excited for the opportunity. We sat down and met (Tuesday), we had a really good conversation. Fortunately or unfortunately he and I have been thrust into a role that neither one of us saw coming for this week.”
As Smith said when he was introduced as Franklin’s replacement on Monday, the focus is on simply having fun again. There hasn’t been much of that all season in Happy Valley.
While Penn State hasn’t executed a bunch of long scoring plays or snagged big game-changing turnovers, there hasn’t been much energy on the sideline or in huddles when they have.
Grunkemeyer has noted the hanging heads and thousand-yard stares from his teammates over the last few weeks. He’s taken it upon himself to invigorate them.
“If the wide receivers make a big play, we’re going down there celebrating that,” Grunkemeyer said. “Coach Smith has really done a great job emphasizing that. If we get a big play, he wants to see you down there giving some props. Running back breaks a tackle and makes a play? Give them props. O-line pancake? Same thing. We’re definitely taking that to heart and really trying to work with it.”
But there’s plenty more to improve on.
Even before the Nittany Lions dropped out of title contention with consecutive losses to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern, Andy Kotelnicki’s offense was uneven and Jim Knowles’ new-look defense was leaky.
Through six games, Penn State sits 79th nationally in total offense. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions’ 22nd-ranked defense is just 71st when it comes to stopping the run.
Grunkemeyer has had a unique view of all of it from the sideline.
He completed eight of 11 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown when Penn State finally built big enough leads against its non-conference opponents. And while fans called for him to replace a struggling Allar, Grunkemeyer didn’t see the field the last three weeks until Allar was hurt on Penn State’s final possession against Northwestern.
It happened on a third-down play where Allar was sandwiched between two Wildcat defenders short of the line to gain. Grunkemeyer entered to try to keep the drive alive on a fourth-and-3, but was crushed by a pair of Wildcats to all but end the game.
Smith, a longtime Franklin assistant, knows a little bit about how his 20-year-old quarterback is feeling, being the man tabbed to lead the Nittany Lions back into bowl contention with half a season of football left.
’We have every bit of confidence in Ethan,” Smith said. “He has a strong arm, he is athletic, super smart kid. We’ve entrusted him. He’s been thrown in there just like I’ve been thrown in there, so we got something in common. He’s going to be ready.”
NO. 7 TEXAS TECH, ARIZONA STATE FACING QUARTERBACK QUESTIONS FOR DUEL IN THE DESERT
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — No. 7 Texas Tech has passed every test in dominating fashion so far this season, winning its first six games by an FBS-best 35.3 points to reach its highest ranking since 2008.
The Red Raiders’ next hurdle might be the most difficult one yet: Saturday at reigning Big 12 champion Arizona State.
“We’re expecting a really tough game,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “I’m really excited. This is going to be an incredible game and it’s going to be great for the Big 12.”
The key could come down to which team’s quarterback is healthiest.
Sam Leavitt helped lead Arizona State (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) to the College Football Playoff for the first time last year, but didn’t play against Utah last week due to a foot injury. The Sun Devils never found their footing just below the Wasatch Range with backup Jeff Sims running the show, losing 42-10 to the physical Utes.
The good news is Leavitt could be back this week.
The second-year quarterback participated in practices on Tuesday and Wednesday, and coach Kenny Dillingham is hopeful Leavitt can return against the Red Raiders.
“I thought he moved around pretty good today,” Dillingham said after Tuesday’s practice. “Last week, he never left the pocket, so we didn’t really know. Today, he moved around in the pocket, which was a positive. He looked more like himself.”
Texas Tech’s quarterback situation is a little more iffy.
Behren Morton has left three games this season with injuries, the latest while being sacked in the second quarter of last Saturday’s 42-17 victory over Kansas. Morton suffered a similar hyperextended knee as he did in the Red Raiders’ opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and McGuire has listed him as day-to-day for the ASU game.
“That dude’s the toughest kid I’ve ever coached,” said McGuire, adding Morton feels better than he did after the season opener. “His pain tolerance and just toughness and care factor is really high.”
Stopping Dickey
With questions at quarterback, Texas Tech Texas Tech (6-0, 3-0) may rely more heavily on Cameron Dickey.
That might spell trouble for the Sun Devils.
Dickey ran for a 71-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage against Kansas last week, finishing with 263 yards and two scores on 21 carries. He is second in the Big 12 and 14th nationally with 591 yards rushing and has scored eight touchdowns.
Dickey is also a threat in the passing game with 10 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Tackling Tyson
Texas Tech has one of the nation’s best defenses, ranking fourth nationally in scoring defense and ninth in total defense.
The Red Raiders’ primary focus on Saturday will likely be on Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson.
The preseason All-American is a difficult matchup for any defense at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and an ability to make acrobatic catches in traffic, even against double teams. Tyson leads the Sun Devils with 47 catches for 523 yards and seven touchdowns.
Sack-happy Raiders
With Leavitt’s mobility potentially limited, the Sun Devils will have to put a priority on protecting him against one of the nation’s best defensive lines.
Leavitt has a knack for extending plays with his legs, but will be facing a defense that’s fifth nationally with 21 sacks and had a school-record nine against Kansas. Outside linebacker David Bailey has been a menace to opposing offenses all season, leading the nation with 8.5 sacks, including three last week.
NO. 4 TEXAS A&M TAKES UNBEATEN RECORD ON ROAD TO FACE ARKANSAS
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — For only the second time this season, No. 4 Texas A&M is hitting the road.
The Aggies (6-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) visit Arkansas (2-4, 0-2) on Saturday afternoon to start a three-game road trip.
For the first time since 2020 and second since 2013, the programs will meet on a campus rather than AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Texas A&M coach Mike Elko would rather play at the home of the Dallas Cowboys than visit the Razorbacks.
“The thing from a coaching perspective is when you have to go on the road, you’d rather go play at a neutral site,” Elko said. “When you have an opportunity to play at home, you’d rather play at home. It just kind of is what it is. You’ve just got to deal with it.”
One of two unbeaten teams in the SEC, the Aggies are looking to improve to 7-0 overall for the first time since 1994. The Razorbacks are hoping to end a four-game losing streak.
Texas A&M has won 12 of the past 13 meetings.
Petrino’s back
When Arkansas fired coach Sam Pittman on Sept. 28, offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino was named the Razorbacks’ interim head coach.
Petrino on Saturday will roam the sideline in Fayetteville as Arkansas’ coach for the first time since Nov. 12, 2011. His Razorbacks teams from 2008-11 were 3-0 against the Aggies.
Petrino has been on the other side, too — he was Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator in 2023.
Loss of Moss
The Aggies will be without top rusher Le’Veon Moss on Saturday after he sustained an ankle injury last week that Elko said will keep him out for a significant period. Moss had five carries for 46 yards, highlighted by a 22-yard touchdown run, before he was injured in the second quarter against Florida. He leads the Aggies with 70 carries for 389 yards and six touchdowns.
With Moss out, the Aggies will make Rueben Owens II, a sophomore who is second on the team with 327 yards rushing, their primary ball carrier. He had 51 yards rushing and scored his first touchdown of the season last Saturday, a week after he had a career-high 142 yards rushing in a win over Mississippi State.
“It’s good for him that he’s now hitting his groove,” Elko said.
Third-down success
The Aggies have allowed opponents to convert only 2 of 33 third-down opportunities in their three SEC games this season. They limited Florida to 1 of 10 on third-down conversions after Mississippi State converted just 1 of 10 the week before. Those performances came after they kept Auburn from converting any of its 13 chances in the conference opener.
“We’ve got to continue to keep people off schedule,” Elko said. “We’ve got to continue to bring that rush every week. You’re one week away from it all going away. But, obviously, it’s been a pretty good stretch for us.”
Dual-threat quarterbacks
Arkansas’ Taylen Green and Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed rank third and fourth, respectively, among SEC quarterbacks in passing yards, but that is far from the full scope of their impact.
In addition to 1,490 passing yards and 12 touchdowns, Reed has rushed for 186 yards and three scores. Green has thrown for 1,654 yards and 14 touchdowns, and added 504 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
“I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country,” Elko said of Green. “He’s got the ability to hurt you in so many different ways.”
Petrino was around Reed daily during his stint with the Aggies.
“He’s got tremendous quickness and speed,” Petrino said of Reed. “He’s kind of a play maker. He moves around and makes plays. He keeps his eyes downfield.”
Common opponent
Texas A&M and Arkansas have both faced Notre Dame this season.
The Aggies topped the Irish 41-40 on Sept. 13 in their lone road game to this point. Texas A&M used a 13-play, 74-yard drive capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass from Reed to take the lead with 13 seconds remaining.
The Razorbacks fell at home to Notre Dame 56-13 on Sept. 27, and Pittman was fired the next day.
BIG 12 THIS WEEK HAS ‘HOLY WAR’ IN UTAH AND TOP 2 PASSERS ON SAME FIELD IN LONGEST TEXAS RIVALRY
Things to watch this week in the Big 12 Conference:
Game of the week
No. 23 Utah (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) at No. 15 BYU (6-0, 3-0), Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (Fox)
The Holy War between the instate rivals about 50 miles apart is a Big 12 game for just the second time. Will Ferrin’s 44-yard field goal with 3 seconds left gave BYU a 22-21 win last year, when Utah’s debut in the Big 12 marked their first time in the same conference together since the Mountain West in 2010. This will be the first meeting with both in the Top 25 since an overtime win by BYU in 2009.
With true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier and Big 12 rushing leader LJ Martin (108.7 ypg), BYU is 6-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history. Dual-threat transfer quarterback Devon Dampier and the Utes are coming off a 42-10 home win over then-No. 21 Arizona State. Utah has already matched its overall and Big 12 win totals from last year.
Utah is second in the Big 12 in scoring offense (39.5 ppg) and scoring defense (13.8 ppg). BYU is third in both categories (37.5 ppg and 14.7).
The undercard
Baylor (4-2, 2-1) at TCU (4-2, 1-2), Saturday, noon ET (ESPN2)
The nation’s top two passers will be on the same field for the 121st meeting in the most-played rivalry game in the state of Texas. Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson tops the list at 343 yards passing per game and 19 TD passes. He has completed 158 of 248 passes (63.7%) for 2,058 yards, and is the only 2,000-yard passer in FBS. TCU’s Josh Hoover is 139-of-215 passing (64.7%) for 1,893 yards, ranking second with 315.5 yards per game and 18 TDs. TCU has a 59-54-7 series lead after winning eight of the last 10 meetings.
Impact players
— Houston senior tight end Tanner Koziol has multiple receptions in 18 consecutive games and his team-high 30 catches this season are the second-most for an FBS tight end. The Cougars are 5-1 for the first time since 2021.
— Linebacker Jake Golday is the Big 12’s leading tackler with 56 tackles (9.3 per game) for No. 24 Cincinnati, which takes a five-game winning streak to Oklahoma State.
— Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson has scored a touchdown in seven consecutive games. The latest was a 3-yard TD run after six consecutive games catching a TD pass.
Inside the numbers
West Virginia (2-4, 0-3) or UCF (3-3, 0-3) will get its first Big 12 win this season when they meet Saturday, and one of the reunited coaches will get his first win in a Big 12 game. The Mountaineers were in the Big East when Rich Rodriguez left in 2007. The Knights were in the American when Scott Frost departed after a 13-0 season in 2017. … Cincinnati’s offensive line has allowed only one sack. … Texas Tech is the first Big 12 team to win each of its first three conference games by at least 24 points since Baylor in 2015. … Arizona’s defense has eight interceptions, only one off last season’s total.
QB uncertainty
Arizona State in its Big 12 debut last season lost its first conference game 30-22 at Texas Tech, but the Sun Devils went on to win the league and make the 12-team College Football Playoff. Both teams go into a rematch Saturday with uncertainty about their starting quarterbacks. The Red Raiders are off to their best start since 2013, even with Behran Morton exiting early last week for the third time this season because of injury. Sam Leavitt missed Arizona State’s lopsided loss at Utah because of a right foot injury, but was practicing this week.
NO. 20 USC’S MATCHUP WITH NO. 13 NOTRE DAME HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK’S BIG TEN SCHEDULE
Things to watch this week in the Big Ten Conference:
Game of the week
No. 20 Southern California (5-1) at No. 13 Notre Dame (4-2), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
The Trojans are coming off a 31-13 victory over then-No. 15 Michigan, while Notre Dame has won four straight. USC’s lone loss came on a field goal as time expired, while Notre Dame’s two defeats were decided by a combined four points.
USC is looking for a marquee victory for its playoff resume and beating its old rival on the road would do the tric, even thought it’s a nonconference game.
Notre Dame has beaten USC six of the last seven seasons and enters this one as a 9 1/2-point favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
The undercard
Washington (5-1, 2-1) at Michigan (4-2, 2-1), Saturday, noon ET (Fox)
After failing to win a road game last season, Washington is 2-0 away from home this year with victories at Washington State and Maryland. A trip to the Big House gives the Huskies their biggest road test of the season thus far.
These two teams have met each of the last two years. Michigan captured its 2023 national title by beating Washington 34-13 in the College Football Playoff championship game. Washington beat the Wolverines 27-17 at home last year.
BetMGM favors Michigan by 5 1/2 points.
Impact players
— Indiana LB Aiden Fisher had 1 1/2 of the third-ranked Hoosiers’ six sacks in a 30-29 triumph at No. 8 Oregon. At the time of the game, Oregon was ranked third and Indiana seventh. Before this game, Oregon had allowed only one sack all season.
— Southern California RB King Miller, a freshman walk-on, got pressed into duty due to multiple injuries and responded by rushing for 158 yards against Michigan.
— Washington QB Demond Williams threw for 402 yards and a pair of touchdowns and ran for 136 yards and two more scores in the Huskies’ 38-19 victory over Rutgers. He was the 16th player in Bowl Subdivision history to have at least 400 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in the same game.
Inside the numbers
Indiana’s No. 3 ranking is its highest in history. … Washington is outscoring teams 80-10 in the fourth quarter this season. … No. 1 Ohio State is allowing just 6.8 points per game to lead all FBS teams in scoring defense. The Buckeyes next face Wisconsin, which scores 15.5 points per game to rank 131st overall and last among Power Four teams. … Nebraska is attempting to win back-to-back road games in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2006. The Cornhuskers are playing at Minnesota on Friday after winning 34-31 at Maryland last week. … UCLA scored 38 consecutive points in its 38-13 triumph over Michigan State last week. The Bruins hadn’t reeled off that many consecutive points against an FBS team since a 41-0 victory at Oregon State in 2015.
Get to know him
Terry Smith will make his debut as Penn State’s interim head coach Saturday when the Nittany Lions visit Iowa six days after the firing of James Franklin.
Smith, a former Penn State wide receiver, has been part of his alma mater’s coaching staff since 2014 while working primarily with cornerbacks. He also had been associate head coach and defensive recruiting coordinator since 2021. He will try to help Penn State snap a three-game skid that includes losses to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern.
NO. 6 ALABAMA HAS A KNACK FOR CLOSING OUT TIGHT GAMES, A TRAIT THAT WAS MISSING LAST YEAR
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — No. 6 Alabama sure knows how to finish.
The Crimson Tide have closed out all three of their Southeastern Conference games with big plays in crunch time. It’s the kind of repeated resolve that could bode well against 11th-ranked Tennessee at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday.
“This is a tough team, and all we do is fight,” quarterback Ty Simpson said. “Three Top 25 games and they all come down to the wire. That’s hard to do. That’s what Alabama is. We’re going to keep swinging and make sure that we play together.”
The last three meetings in the rivalry known as the “Third Saturday in October” have been one-possession games in the fourth quarter. Alabama (5-1, 3-0 SEC) came up short in last year’s 24-17 loss in Knoxville, getting outscored 24-10 in the second half and mustering only 3 yards over its last four possessions.
But the Tide believe this year will be different.
“We feel more confident in general as a team,” linebacker Deontae Lawson said. “I think we got that edge that we need. It helps us when we’re on the road. We preached all year to be elite in critical situations.”
Coach Kalen DeBoer preaches it weekly, even daily. And the Tide seem to listen.
With 5:22 remaining last week at then-No. 14 Missouri, DeBoer showed ultimate trust in his team. Up 20-17 and facing a fourth-and-8 play, DeBoer asked his offense to make a play. Simpson hit Lotzeir Brooks for 29 yards to extend the drive. Four plays later, Alabama found the end zone to extend its lead to 27-17.
DeBoer’s defense sealed the victory in the final minute when Dijon Lee intercepted a pass. Simpson described those moments as “unbreakable.”
The defense came up huge the previous week in a 30-14 victory against then-No. 16 Vanderbilt, forcing two turnovers that led to 10 points.
And the week before that, the unit held Georgia to zero fourth-quarter points in a 24-21 win while Alabama’s offense did enough to ice the game.
Even more impressive about Alabama’s recent run of closeouts is two of the three came on the road against ranked opponents; Alabama’s two road wins match last season’s total. And there’s a palpable difference in confidence between this year and last.
DeBoer’s confidence shows in his aggressive decisions. Alabama went 3 for 3 on fourth-down attempts against Missouri. And the Tide have attempted (16) and converted (10) more fourth downs than any SEC team.
The message from DeBoer has been clear: He’s playing to win and he trusts his players to execute on both sides of the ball.
“There’s a feeling you have, a belief you have,” DeBoer said. “A lot of it is on the body language and on the execution and just feel. When you got a quarterback with some guys around him that can go make plays, you got to let him play.
“You can’t be reckless, but we’re going to play to win. We’ve done that quite a bit this season already and want to continue to play to win.”
It helps that the outcomes have gone their way.
“I think this is probably some of the best team football I’ve ever been a part of,” DeBoer said. “It’s not perfect, but it’s a team sticking together. It’s a team covering for each other. I think there’s a toughness that we have. We talk about toughness wins — that’s mental, physical to emotional toughness.”
NO. 5 OLE MISS HAS OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE ‘ANOTHER STEP’ IN CRUCIAL SEC SHOWDOWN AGAINST NO. 9 GEORGIA
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — A No. 5 ranking in the AP Top 25 confirms coach Lane Kiffin’s assessment that Mississippi has “done some good things” this season.
Kiffin says finding a way to win on Saturday at No. 9 Georgia would take that progress to another level.
“You know, this is the elite,” said Kiffin of Georgia (5-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference). “This isn’t coachspeak, It’s stats, or facts. This is the elite program in college football.”
Ole Miss (6-0, 3-0) took a 28-10 home win over Georgia last season. Kiffin says winning at Georgia is more difficult.
Georgia had a 33-game home winning streak under coach Kirby Smart end with a 24-21 loss to then-No. 17 Alabama on Sept. 27. It was the Bulldogs’ first home loss since 2019.
Georgia, which won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, is 10-0 at home against top-10 teams under Smart.
“There’s another step that’s, you know, can you go beat an elite program like we were able to do last year in Georgia, but now do it at their place?” Kiffin said. “So it’s a great opportunity.”
The Bulldogs relied on dominant defense to win the national championships. This year’s team has earned a reputation for toughness, including from quarterback Gunner Stockton.
Resilient Dogs
Smart likes his team’s ability to be resilient, including in last week’s 20-10 win at Auburn when Georgia trailed 10-0.
“We haven’t started real well at times, and that can be attributed to a lot of factors, but … we have played really physical and out-conditioned and out-executed teams down the wire, which is a great trait to have,” Smart said. “But we’ve certainly got to play better earlier in games.”
Leaning on Chambliss
The Rebels also showed comeback skills last week as quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score in a 24-21 win over Washington State. Ole Miss trailed 14-10 late in the third quarter.
Smart said Chambliss is an “explosive” dual-threat challenge.
“He’s quick, he’s fast, he’s tough, he’s got great lower body, great instincts,” Smart said. “There’s a difference in being a fast guy and being a runner. He’s patient behind blocks, quick when he needs to be. Some guys can only run perimeter runs well, some can only run internal well. He runs both.”
Bad memory
Ole Miss fans surged onto their home field following last season’s win over the Bulldogs.
Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson said that memory provides motivation for Saturday.
“I feel like the players that returned that played last season have a chip on their shoulder, so you could say that,” Wilson said.
Big-game atmosphere
ESPN’s Gameday will be in Athens for the matchup.
“This is one of the games why you transfer here, to play in these big games,” said Ole Miss wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, a transfer from Oklahoma State who led the Rebels with six receptions for 63 yards in last week’s win over Washington State.
Contrast of running games
Missouri transfer Kewan Lacy has emerged as the dominant lead running back for Ole Miss. Lacy, a sophomore, has 126 carries for 587 yards and eight touchdowns. Chambliss is second on the team with 61 carries for 287 yards.
Lacy, who had 24 carries for 142 yards against Washington State, said he’s preparing for “just the physicality” of the Georgia defense.
“It’s going to be a real chippy game,” Lacy said. “So just coming out with the right mindset and being physical all four quarters.”
Georgia’s running game has been more balanced, with Chauncey Bowens recently gaining more playing time while Nate Frazier has made five starts. Each has 60 carries while Stockton is close behind with 48 carries.
Bowens was slowed by a calf injury against Auburn. Smart confirmed the injury was “kind of nagging” Bowens and said the freshman “has done everything” in practice.
BADGERS COACH LUKE FICKELL FACING PLENTY OF HEAT AS NO. 1 OHIO STATE HEADS TO WISCONSIN
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — No. 1 Ohio State’s drive toward a potential second straight national championship includes a visit this week to an old friend going through a career crisis.
Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell played for Ohio State from 1993-96 and worked on the Buckeyes’ staff for 16 years, including a one-season stint as interim head coach in 2011. Now he occupies one of the hottest seats in college football.
Fickell’s Badgers (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten) carry a four-game skid into Saturday’s game with the top-ranked Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0). Wisconsin has lost 27-10 to Maryland and 37-0 to Iowa in its last two home games, leading to chants of “Fire Fickell” and speculation about his job security.
“For me to sit here and worry about all those other things, there’s not enough time in the day,” Fickell said. “There’s not enough energy in the day. The focus for me and our staff is on the guys inside that locker room and doing everything we can to make sure we keep that thing rolling, they’ve got the right mindset, they understand what we’ve got to do, we’ve got to do together. We’ve got to put our best product out there on Saturday.”
Ohio State has outscored its first six opponents by an average margin of 30 points. Wisconsin has dropped its last four contests by an average margin of 23 points.
Even so, the Buckeyes are taking nothing for granted.
“Well, they play hard,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “And they’re well coached. I think maybe the easy thing to do is to look at their record or look at maybe what happened last week and think otherwise. But that’s not the case. This is a team that has good players and is playing very hard.”
BetMGM Sportsbook favors Ohio State by 25 1/2 points. According to the Bet Labs database, before this week Wisconsin had never been more than a 19-point underdog (for a 52-21 loss at Ohio State in 2022) since at least 2005, which is as far back as its tracking goes.
“You’ve just got to realize what an opportunity it is,” Wisconsin cornerback Ricardo Hallman said. “These are the types of opportunities that you pray for, the situation you want to be in. And no matter if the outside world gives you, I go into (it with) the mindset that anybody is beatable. We’re just not going to lay down because they’re Ohio State, the No. 1 team in the country. You’re going to go out there, play your best ball, live up to these moments.”
Surging Smith
Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith has a touchdown reception in five straight games as the sensational sophomore tries to match his streak from last year, when he caught a touchdown pass in seven consecutive games.
His seven touchdown catches this season put him in a tie for second place among all Bowl Subdivision players. San Jose State’s Danny Scudero has an FBS-leading eight touchdown receptions.
Statistical mismatch
Ohio State is allowing just 6.8 points per game to lead all FBS teams in scoring defense. The Buckeyes’ 34-16 triumph over then-No. 17 Illinois last week marked the first time anyone had scored in double figures against them.
Wisconsin averages 15.5 points per game to rank 131st out of 136 FBS schools and last among Power Four programs.
Wisconsin’s QB uncertainty
Billy Edwards Jr. was Wisconsin’s season-opening starting quarterback, but he sprained his knee in the second quarter of the Badgers’ first game and has played only one full series since. Fickell had no update on Edwards’ status during his weekly news conference Monday and didn’t indicate who might start if the Maryland transfer is unavailable.
Danny O’Neil took over for Edwards initially and has completed 70.6% of his passes for 640 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions. Hunter Simmons, who has started Wisconsin’s last two games, has completed 55.9% of his passes for 329 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
Streaking in different directions
Ohio State has won 10 straight games, matching Memphis for the longest active streak of any FBS team. Wisconsin has lost its last nine games against Power Four programs.
