BUCKEYE BUZZ: Players Get A Kick Out Of Playing At Night

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Game time for the clash with USC is 8 p.m., meaning that not just the fans but the players also have a lot of time to kill to get to the opening kickoff.

Buckeyes K Aaron Pettrey said everyone will keep busy.

"We'll sit in the hotel and play rummy, play solitaire all day. Talk, watch other games, talk about that," he said.

It's not easy to wait all day, WR Dane Sanzenbacher said.

"It takes a little bit more to stay focused for a game like this," he said. "There's obviously a lot of hype, but you have the whole day to think about it."

Still, he gets a kick out of playing at night.

"Even though it takes a lot longer to get there and there's a lot more anticipation, you can't beat the atmosphere," he said.

Any advantages for the home team evaporate a few plays into the game.

"There's a little bit of efficiency that you don't have to go through all the gyrations that can distract you from travel - what are we going to do with the time we have available and all of those kinds of things," coach Jim Tressel said. "Once the game starts, it really doesn't matter where you're playing. It's what happens in between the lines that will determine the outcome."

BEWARE A TROJAN HORSE: USC's alumni organization has several get-togethers planned for the weekend in Columbus. There's a Trojans vs. Buckeyes golf tournament on Friday, followed by a pep rally at The Columbus Renaissance Hotel. The club will host a tailgate at Ohio State's Fawcett Center on Saturday at 4 p.m.

FOR THE OFFENSE: TE Jake Ballard is the Buckeyes offensive captain on Saturday night.

NUMBER STICKER: USC FS Taylor Mays has a No. 10 sticker on the back of his helmet.

According to the university football Web site, the number is in recognition of an award that honors Bob Chandler, a legendary USC wideout in 1968-70 who died of cancer in 1995. At the team banquet last December, Mays won the award named for Chandler, given to an underclassman based on his athletic ability, academic scholarship and character. Mays, who wears uniform No. 2, will wear the "10" sticker in Chandler's honor - it was Chandler's number.

The award funds a scholarship for the player's full tuition, room and board for the following year.

Chandler played 12 seasons in the NFL and led the league in receptions three straight seasons (1975-77). He was also the MVP of the 1970 Rose Bowl, when he scored the game-winning touchdown.

NO NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT: Tressel said he won't be putting together any kind of tape of all the negative things said about the Buckeyes. That's a tack he tried a couple of years ago before the LSU title game - and the result wasn't all that good (a 38-24 loss).

SCARY FILMS: Tressel believes that special-teams play is as important as offense or defense in determining a game. So consider that when you hear what he said about USC kickoff returners C.J. Gable and Curtis McNeal and punt returner Damian Williams.

"From a specialists standpoint, their returners are frightening," he said.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: USC WR Damian Williams was recruited by Ohio State and once attended an Iowa-Ohio State game at Ohio Stadium. So he's seen what it's like on a game day.

"I've been to a game there, so I know it's definitely very loud, and I know the fans are very against their opponents," he said.

Playing in such a hostile environment can draw a team together, he said.

"It's one of those things where you bond with your brothers, going into a situation like that," he said. "When you're at USC, you play a lot of games like this."

That first road game can cause some problems. But it's worse if you're opening a season on the road.

"Opening on the road is always tough when you're trying to get all the kinks out of your game," he said. "In this situation, we've already got that first game under our belt, so that's going to put us in a lot better position."

SINKING FEELING: Ballard wasn't surprised the Buckeyes dropped from No. 6 to No. 8 in the AP Top 25.

"We should (have beaten) Navy better than we did," he said. "That's fine. We made it a close game, which we shouldn't have and people saw that and so they moved us down a couple of spots. It doesn't matter where we're ranked because we're still going to play our best against USC."

TRICKSTER: Tressel has introduced trick plays and formations in the past in big games. A year ago against USC (and later against Texas) he even put two QBs on the field at the same time.

"To me, there's a line you have to figure out and sometimes you're right and sometimes you're wrong," he said. "Is it good to give someone something new? Yes, if you do it well. If it doesn't take away from getting better at the things you typically do. I've been in games where we had two or three things planned and we never got to them."

RECRUITING WEEKEND: Ohio State will have seven high school seniors making visits to campus on Saturday to take in the game.

According to the Buckeye Sports Bulletin Web site those seven are: OT Seantrel Henderson, St. Paul, Minn.; OLB Jordan Hicks, W. Chester Lakota HS; Lamarcus Joyner, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; CB Christian Bryant, Cleveland Glenville HS; OT Matt James, Cincinnati St. Xavier HS; CB Joshua Shaw, Palmdale, Calif.; and P Will Hagerup, Whitefish Bay, Wis.

FORGET KNUTE ROCKNE: Tressel is not a believer in the fiery halftime speech.

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