Lady Mohawk Preview
Christmas in Springboro
Santa arrives at the Dayton mall
ohio state at southern cal kickoff: 8:22 p.m. saturday tv: ABC
Will Beanie play? Maybe, maybe not
The Chris Wells saga continues with Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel downgrading his injured star tailback after the Buckeyes arrive in L.A.
Ohio State vs. USC: Who has the better middle linebacker?
Friday, September 12, 2008
It's an ongoing saga worthy of a daytime soap. Will he or won't he? Will Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells play in the big game or not?
The smart money is on "not" after head coach Jim Tressel classified his star as "doubtful" with an injured foot for the Saturday night, Sept. 13, showdown against top-ranked Southern Cal.
A final decision could come today as Tressel seemed concerned there might be a bit of a letdown by the Buckeyes if the announcement waited until game time. However, ESPN Radio reported late Thursday night that an Ohio State spokesman told Brent Musburger that it would be a game-time decision. Wells reportedly iced his foot on the trip to Los Angeles and felt better afterward.
Tressel made it clear that he had already spoken to Wells about not wanting to risk further injury. Said Tressel, "I've been reminding him it is September."
Which, reading between the lines, probably means that if an OSU running back named "Wells" is to affect this game, it will have to be Maurice.
Along for the ride
The Buckeyes flew to Los Angeles via charter from Rickenbacker International Airport just south of Columbus around 2 p.m. Thursday. The traveling party numbered 136, and included two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin along with former Ohio State head coaches Earle Bruce and John Cooper.
"Earle got hurt and has one year left" of eligibility, Tressel said jokingly. "We need everybody. I told them we need to have our top squad with us and asked them if they'd come and they're both ecstatic."
Getting their rest
Trips to the West Coast can be tiring. The Buckeyes had a brief walkthrough at the Los Angeles Coliseum before retiring early because of the three-hour time difference.
The team is staying at the Wilshire Grand in downtown. A standard room is $150 to $200 a night, although the OSU traveling party uses banquet and meeting rooms in addition to suites and double-occupancy rooms.
Financial matters
The two-year USC-OSU scheduling contract is a reciprocal agreement that pays each visiting team $400,000. The Trojans come to Ohio Stadium next year Sept. 12, a week after the Buckeyes' home opener against TCU. The next week Ohio State plays Toledo at Cleveland Browns Stadium before embarking on Big Ten play Sept. 26 at home against Illinois.
»Ohio State, USC becoming true college football dynasties thanks to coaches
»Beanie sore, doesn't practice Articles on B6
