They held two open
practices at night to prepare for the primetime
start. They've spent countless hours going over
film of last year's game and the Longhorns' opening
victory over North Texas.
And all of that won't
help them a bit when it comes to tackling the
warmth of Texas.
``There's no way we could
simulate the heat,'' Ohio State coach Jim Tressel
said. ``We've had lots of humidity here, but that's
not the same.''
The forecast Saturday calls
for a high temperature approaching 90, with the
low around 70. The temperature has been about
20 degrees cooler in Ohio in recent days.
That's ideal weather to leave
a window open at night, but maybe not a good way
to get used to the heat for a football game. Then
again, things could be worse for Ohio State. Last
year's high temperature in Austin on Sept. 9 was
96.
``Everybody says how hot
it is,'' defensive end Jay Richardson said.
The Longhorns consider their
12th man to be the local weatherman.
``Weather is always going
to be a factor, whether we're up there in December
and it's snowing or down here right now and it
feels like hell,'' Texas running back Selvin Young
said. ``They're going to get a chance to see what
our atmosphere is like. We won't be able to tell
until those guys are running to the sideline in
the fourth quarter looking for water.''
Water, obviously, is the
key. The Buckeyes have been told and told again
to drink plenty of water, in the days leading
up to Saturday, on Friday's flight, and before,
during and after the game.
``That's one of the different
ways that we've tried to prepare for the heat,''
Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith said. ``We're
attacking it and drinking as much water as we
can, which we try to emphasize every week. But
I'm sure it will be overemphasized this week.''
Most warm-climate teams roll
in replacements so that everyone gets plenty of
time to replenish fluids and avoid having their
stamina sapped by the oppressive heat.
The Buckeyes hope to follow
that template, continually putting fresh people
in the game. But that might be a problem on defense,
where they have nine new starters and are particularly
green in the secondary.
``We need to take a lesson
from Texas and be committed in that type of heat
to substituting,'' Tressel said.
He said coaches, trainers
and doctors cannot fall into the trap of letting
a player stay on the field too long.
``You're kidding yourself
if you think someone's going to just rise up and
handle things just because they're tough,'' he
said.
As if the heat wasn't enough
of a problem, Ohio State has had little success
playing after dark. The Buckeyes have lost their
last four regular-season night games, including
their only two defeats a year ago (25-22 against
Texas at home and a month later at Penn State,
17-10).
None of the Buckeyes have
an explanation, particularly since they're 4-0
in their last four bowl games, all played after
dark.
``I don't think that when
the night comes, a switch turns on in our heads
to play a certain way,'' Smith said.
Right guard T.J. Downing
said night games require patience.
"Maybe it's the anxiety
of waiting around all day - that can get in guys'
heads sometimes,'' he said. ``It's tough to really
pinpoint anything but hopefully we can change
our luck on Saturday."
Copyright © 2005 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information
contained in the AP News report may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without
the prior written authority of The Associated
Press.
Posted by MySportsbook -
September 7th, 2006
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