No. 24/22 Ohio State (7-4, 4-4 Big Ten) vs. Oklahoma State (7-4, 4-4 Big 12 South)
El Paso , Texas - Alamo Bowl
Wednesday, December 29, 2004 - 8:00 pm ET - ESPN
Coaches: Ohio State- Jim Tressel, Oklahoma State- Les Miles
Series Record: Ohio State leads 1-0

Watching the 2004 Alamo Bowl could be confusing for some fans because in this game OSU takes on OSU. However, both Ohio State and Oklahoma State are hoping to make this a bowl game you will always remember. On December 29 th, the Big Ten's Ohio State Buckeyes will travel to El Paso, Texas to square off against the Big 12's Oklahoma State Cowboys. The only other time these two teams have met was in 1989, when Ohio State won, 37-13.

Jim Tressel leads the Buckeyes into the Alamo Bowl for the first time ever. In his fourth year at the helm in Columbus, Tressel has a record of 39-11, including the 2002 National Championship. In the school's 38 th bowl game, Ohio State will look to win for the third consecutive year. After a three game skid to open up the Big Ten schedule, Ohio State rebounded with four wins in their last five games, including a 37-21 victory over archrival Michigan. The Big Ten is 6-4 all-time in the Alamo Bowl.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys make the trip down to El Paso for the second time. Their only other trip to the Alamo Bowl was in 1997, when the Cowboys lost 33-20 to Purdue. Head coach Les Miles has a 28-20 record in his fourth season in Stillwater. After opening the season with five wins, the Cowboys have won only two of their last six game. The Big 12 is 3-7 in the Alamo Bowl.

Ohio State on Offense
Rarely is a field goal kicker ever selected as a team captain, let alone the team MVP. His teammates felt that senior Mike Nugent is clearly deserving of both. The 2004 Lou Groza Award winner, Nugent connect on 94 percent of all of his kicks, including going 5 for 6 on field goals from beyond 50 yards. Nugent, the Big Ten's third leading scorer, has the conference's best field goal percentage, 87 percent, and has been the difference in a number of Ohio State victories, including a 24-21 victory over Marshall after hitting a last-second 55-yard field goal. Nugent's accuracy and distance have made him a valuable weapon to an offense that has struggled at times to perform consistently.

After seeing limited to no action in the team's first five games, sophomore quarterback Troy Smith finished the season winning four of the five games he started.  In the final five games of the regular season, Smith passed for 158 yards per game and threw for six scores, while rushing for 65 yards per contest and scoring twice on the ground.  However, Tressel has suspended Troy Smith for the bowl game meaning that Justin Zwick will likely start for the Buckeyes.  In the season's first six games, Zwick threw 1,020 yards and five touchdowns before injuring his shoulder against Iowa. 

When Smith emerged as the starting quarterback and a new offensive philosophy began to develop, a number of offensive playmakers have become more productive.  Ted Ginn Jr., who was brought into Columbus as a defensive back, has used the athleticism which won him a national title in the 110-meter hurdles in high school, to become a game-breaking wide receiver and punt returner.  Ginn has touched the ball only forty times since beginning to see significant playing time in the team's eighth game of the season, yet he has scored seven touchdowns.  Currently, Ginn is tied for the NCAA single-season record for punt return touchdowns with four, and is one behind the all-time Big Ten career record.  Ginn also leads the Big Ten in punt return average with nearly 27 yards a punt, almost 10 yards more than the next competitor. 

Junior flanker Santonio Holmes has been the Buckeye's most consistent offensive performer, other than Nugent, this season. With seven receiving touchdowns and 65.6 yards receiving per game, Holmes, an All-Big Ten selection, is Ohio State's leader in all-purpose yardage. Redshirt freshman Anthony Gonzalez has also become more of an offensive weapon with Smith at quarterback.

Oklahoma State on Offense
Oklahoma State has one of the most run-dominated offenses in the country. The Cowboys have attempted the third fewest passes in the country this year, ahead of only Navy's triple option and Rice's wishbone-option. Despite being predictable, the Oklahoma State offense is difficult to stop. With 245 yards per game, the Cowboy's have the second best rushing attack in the Big 12. All-Conference selection Vernand Morency leads the way for Oklahoma State with 145.4 yards on the ground per game and 12 rushing touchdowns this season.

Quarterback Donovan Woods has been productive under center, despite minimal passing attempts. The redshirt freshman has thrown for 13 scores on the year, fifth most in the conference. Averaging 135.5 yards per game, Woods' passing efficiency rating is second in the Big 12, behind only Oklahoma's Jason White. His efficiency is helped by the fact that he has thrown only four interceptions on the year, the second fewest of any quarterback to start all season. Much like Ohio State's Troy Smith, Woods is just as productive with his legs as he is his arm. His 33.1 yards per game are good enough for third best on the team, but his 10 rushing touchdowns make him a threat to score at any time.

Donovan's older brother D'Juan is the team's leading receiver with over 59 receiving yards per game and six touchdowns. Freshman wide receiver Prentis Elliot has recorded four touchdown scores and 26.8 yards per game. However, no other Cowboy receiver has caught multiple scoring catches or averages over 25 yards per game.

Ohio State on Defense
The strength of Ohio State's defensive unit is in its linebacking corps. The junior-dominated group is led by A.J. Hawk. The Big Ten's second leading tackler with 136 on the season was selected to the first team of both the coaches and media's All-Conference lists. Juniors Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel fill out the linebacking corps and are second and third on the team in tackles with 89 and 79 respectively. The defensive line is anchored by senior end Simon Frasier, who had five tackles for lose this year. However, the rest of the starting defensive linemen have eligibility remaining and have contributed significantly. Sophomores David Patterson and Quinn Pitcock have recorded 4.5 and 6.5 tackles for loss each and junior Mike Kudla has 5.5. The Buckeyes have allowed 128.7 yards rushing per game for fifth in the conference.

The defensive secondary has limited opposing offenses to only 207.5 yards through the air this season. All-Conference pick junior Nate Salley and sophomores Donte Whitner and Ashton Youboty lead the defensive backs. Whitner and Salley are both in the top-six on the team in tackles, despite each missing two games, and Youboty is one of five Big Ten athletes tied for the conference lead with four interceptions on the year. The Buckeye defense is allowing only 19.3 points per game, fifth best in the Big Ten, but the team has outscored opponents 144 to 74, since Troy Smith assumed the starting role.

Against an offense with as stout a running game as Oklahoma State, field position will be extremely important. Mike Nugent has recorded a touch back on 34 of his 55 kick offs this season and senior punter Kyle Turano leads the Big Ten with a net punting average of 39.1 yards.

Oklahoma State on Defense
The greatest benefit that the Oklahoma State defense has is the fact that the Oklahoma State offense has the ball more than 32 minutes per game. With the Big 12's third best time of possession, the defense is not on the field as much as it could be. With the conference's tenth ranked total defense, the Cowboys allow 395.5 yards per game. The yardage is divided equally with 170 of their yards against coming on the ground, while 225.5 through the air, ninth and 12 th in the Big 12 respectively.

The team's leading tackler, All-Big 12 honoree Jaime Thompson, recorded 81 tackles on the season, but the takeaway ability of the defense is what kept them in most games. With 25 turnovers created this year, the Cowboys had the Big 12's best turnover margin of plus four.

Keys to the Game
The most glaring key will be if Justin Zwick can capitalize on the offensive success that Smith started.  Will the offensive play calling be pulled back close to Tressel's sweater vest, or will Zwick be allowed to operate from the shotgun, where he looked far more comfortable early in the season.  If Zwick can find ways to avoid pressure in the pocket and get Holmes and Ginn involved early, it will go a long way to compensating for the absence of Smith.

The match up to watch will be that of the Oklahoma State running game against the Ohio State linebackers.  The strengths of both teams, the winner of this battle will most likely also win the game.  If A.J. Hawk and company are able to lower Vernand Morency's average yards per carry from 5.8 to under-five, Ohio State should hold the upper hand.

The turnover battle will go a long way to determining the winner of the Alamo Bowl.  If Jim Tressel's offense can minimize its mistakes and the defense can cause the Cowboy's young signal caller to make some of his own, Ohio State should control the momentum.  That could be easier said than done, since Oklahoma State leads the nation in turnover differential.  Woods is not easily rattled and his athleticism allows him to escape a lot of pressure. 

If the Cowboys are able to stymie the Buckeye's offensively and control the ball and the clock, the potent rushing attack should be able to wear down the Ohio State defense.

Since the game will be played inside at the Alamodome, the field will be covered with artificial turf.  Therefore speed will play a big factor in the game.  Which ever team is able to get their playmakers into the open-field, will have an advantage.