Well, this seems like one of the least anticipated Civil War games for some time. With not a whole lot more on the line than state pride, it seems that the same old stories are being recycled.
As for the game, the injury situation is looking to not be so great. Stewart is battling turf toe (something that is just very nagging and will limit his production), Leaf will not be playing, Matthews is out, Pflugrad isn't practicing. It's looking like we're going to be seeing the same offensive team we saw at UCLA. That doesn't bode to well for the Ducks.
On top of that, Bernard is not rehabilitating from his surgery as quickly as OSU fans would like.
What does this add up to? Maybe the ugliest offensive football game since the '83 Toilet Bowl. Neither team has playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. Both defenses are looking very good, so this will be a slugfest. In a side note, the over/under for this game is sitting in the mid 40s. If the total score of this game reached 20, I would be surprised. I don't know anyone that would be crazy enough to bet the over.
But wait, there's more! Not just the ugliest played game, but maybe the ugliest in terms of jerseys ever. OSU will be wearing their ugly white/orange jerseys/sports bras. And the Ducks will in all likelihood be wearing the horrible, evil, hideous yellow helmets. So, yes, this will be the ugliest football game of all time. You can gouge out your eyes now.
In some seriousness, I think that the best we can hope for is 6-9 points and no turnovers. Even with a full week of practice, Kempt and Roper will not be much better than last week. They are unable to read defenses and telegraph their throws. They make their decisions before the ball is snapped based on a read that is most likely wrong. Without a 100% J-stew, we'll be lucky to claw a couple of field goals. If our defense plays like they did last week, OSU will fare no better, especially if Bernard is out.
Get ready for a good old fashioned slugfest, and lets hope that we can bring home the Platypus.
GO DUCKS!