OSU waits on Carpenter
by Shawn Sillinger
A key player
The Fiesta Bowl is one of the more hotly debated bowl games for handicappers this year. One of the reasons is that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are back in the spotlight, taking on the excellent Ohio State Buckeyes in a battle of two high-profile programs. Another important point of contention involves OSU’s leading sacker and the son of a famous professional wrestler.
Senior linebacker Bobby Carpenter had torched the opposition for eight sacks before suffering a broken leg during the last game of the regular season against the Michigan Wolverines. That was on Nov. 19. Earlier this week, Carpenter tested the leg in some light workouts with an eye on returning to action at the Fiesta Bowl. The results were positive, according to Carpenter, but a decision has yet to be made on his status.
If Carpenter cannot play, little-used freshman James Laurinaitis will get the start against the Fighting Irish. Laurinaitis cannot seem to escape the questions about his father, who goes by the ring name “Animal” and was one-half of the legendary Road Warriors tag team (the late “Hawk” being his partner). Be prepared for even more wrestling references if Laurinaitis is called to action against Notre Dame. The top man on the linebacker unit is senior A.J. Hawk.
More importantly in Fiesta Bowl terms, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Laurinaitis has some big shoes to fill. Carpenter joined with Hawk and Anthony Schlegel to form what many consider the best linebacker trio in the nation. The fearsome threesome was a big part of the Buckeyes’ top-ranked rush defense. Now, with Carpenter possibly out and backups Mike D’Andrea and Marcus Freeman both out indefinitely, there may be a crack of daylight for Notre Dame RB Darius Walker to exploit. Walker was good for over 1,400 yards of combined offense and eight touchdowns. He’ll need a big performance in Tempe if the Fighting Irish are to have a fighting chance against Ohio State.
The Buckeyes are 4 ½-point favorites with a total of 55 ½. Monday’s kick-off is at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time. Comments and Questions can be sent to FaceOff@BetUS.com.
