TODAY’S GAME
Ohio State (5-0, 1-1 Big Ten) at Northwestern (4-0, 0-0), 8 p.m., ABC1410
Ohio State receiver Corey Brown has been lauded by his coaches for not being hesitant to speak up as one of the team’s vocal leaders.
And the senior from Philadelphia isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind off the field, either — especially to those who take jabs at the Buckeyes.
Brown has fired back on Twitter over what he perceives as a lack of respect from ESPN commentators, especially college football analyst Mark May, who always has seemed to take delight in goading OSU fans.
Leading up to the Wisconsin victory, Brown tweeted that May “gets paid to hate. … What’s his record when it comes to picking against the Buckeyes?”
He added, “We are the best team in the country.”
Asked about being so bold on Twitter, Brown replied: “I’m just saying for the amount of games we’ve won in a row, everybody is waiting for our downfall. The way the team is working and playing right now, I don’t see that happening.
“It’s just the way I feel. Whatever I tweeted, I meant. When people take shots at our team, it’s like people taking shots are my family. I take that personal.”
The Buckeyes have a 17-game winning streak, the longest in the nation and tied for the fourth-best run in school history. Of course, May and others are quick to point out that the Big Ten has dropped off in recent years and question whether OSU can be considered dominant team when it plays in a conference that has lost much of its luster.
“They say we’ve got a weak schedule or whatever and we’re not ready for a big game,” Brown said. “But we’re going to keep doing the same things we always do and keep winning.”
No one is questioning the caliber of opponent today. The Buckeyes will play their second straight prime-time game on national TV at 15th-ranked Northwestern, which is 4-0 this year after posting a 10-win season in 2012, including a bowl win over Mississippi State.
The Buckeyes are coming off an emotional win over Wisconsin, but Brown doesn’t believe they’ll have trouble getting revved up again for the Wildcats.
“This is what you come here for. A night game on the road, there’s nothing better than that,” he said.
Brown had two touchdown catches against the Badgers, giving him five for the year — already two more than last season.
After an eight-reception night against Wisconsin, he has a team-high 24 grabs for 254 yards … not bad for a guy who was on his way to a forgettable career before coach Urban Meyer nearly arrived two years ago.
Brown admitted he once didn’t have his priorities in order, but he responded to Meyer’s challenge.
“You’ve got to realize at some point, if this is what you want to do — take care of your family (by playing in the pros) — a lot has to change,” Brown said.
“Obviously, my first couple years, they weren’t as good as they should have been. I’m trying to make up for lost time.”
Meyer points to Brown as an example for others.
“It’s just the biggest turnaround I can remember,” Meyer said. “He’s the leader. He runs the show right now.
“He’s got a nice life ahead of him. He’s got to continue doing what he’s doing — and in the classroom, the same thing. But at this time last year, I was hoping he would move on somewhere else. We had enough.
“He’s really done a nice job — not a nice job, a great job.”
The Wildcats are a popular choice to pull off an upset, although — surprise, surprise — Mark May has picked the Buckeyes to win. Northwestern is coming off a bye week and is one of four teams this season that will have an extra week to get ready for OSU, joining Iowa, Penn State and Purdue.
“Some people say bye weeks don’t matter. You’ll never hear me say that. Bye weeks are very important,” Meyer said.
OSU has a bye the week before playing Iowa on Oct. 19.
“It definitely helps you from a health standpoint. It gives you an opportunity to definitely improve in areas where you’ve maybe made some mistakes,” Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald said.
“In my years here, we’ve come back after bye games maybe not always successful in that first game, but it’s definitely helped us in the long run for the season.”
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