Ohio State looks poised to crush biggest dreams - but what about Michigan's?

Mark Synder Mark My Words

Can you imagine standing under center, hailed as one of the nation's most innovative quarterbacks - a Sports Illustrated story subject - and then getting stepped on as if your No. 19 ranking were meaningless?

Quarterback Corby Jones knows the feeling.

His Missouri Tigers were competitive through the first half of Saturday's game against Ohio State.

Then they woke the sleeping giant.

The Buckeyes, threatened with harm to their No. 1 ranking, decided to take over.

When the dust settled at the end of the game, the Tigers were reduced to mere pussycats and Ohio State had the numbers to prove it.

At tailback, supposed to be an effective-yet-average position this season at Ohio State, Michael Wiley busted over the 200-yard mark on just 24 carries. Instantly, speculation has turned him into an outside candidate for the Heisman Trophy, and the spotlight around the Buckeyes continues to grow.

"I'm happy for Michael Wiley," Ohio State coach John Cooper said. He "had a great game, definitely deserving of the Big Ten player of the week."

The other Buckeye Heisman contenders performed on a similar level.

All-world linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer made 10 unassisted tackles and wide receiver David Boston caught nine balls for 112 yards. But Cooper's kudos were reserved for Wiley, who left defenders in his wake.

"Michael has played (well)," Cooper said. "He has surprised me."

Among the surprises is Wiley's can't-keep-it-up, 9.3 yards-per-carry pace.

"Michael Wiley has had three solid football games for us," Cooper said.

The popular theory that the worse Michigan gets, the more Ohio State improves seems to be holding true.

Against Missouri, dominance assumed its finest form. Ohio State rolled to 531 yards, punted just one time and escaped the game nearly free of injury.

With a week off, Cooper's machine has extra time to prepare for Penn State. Copying the Buckeyes' experience and talent are nearly impossible, but stealing from their playbook - that's another story.

"There's an old saying," Cooper said. "'If you get (a play) from one team, you stole it. If you got it from a bunch of teams, it's research.'"

'Researching' the Buckeyes has become necessary for every other team in the nation, considering the polls. This week, Ohio State extended its lead in the Associated Press poll, grabbing all but six first-place votes.

But knowing Cooper, when it comes to Michigan week, poll placing doesn't matter.

Dirty Dealings: Following last week's suspension of Marcus Ray, the Big Ten is buzzing about agents and their role in the college process.

At Michigan, the issue remains tightly under wraps, with Lloyd Carr saying little more than he has to.

"The investigation is still continuing," he said. "I don't think it will take too long."

The state of Michigan is attempting to make it illegal for a sports agent to contact a player before his eligibility expires. The state of Iowa already has such a policy, one that Iowa coach Hayden Fry thinks has been effective.

"Anytime there's a chance to make money, there will be people trying to make money," Fry said. "But we never see an agent."

Michigan State coach Nick Saban discussed the pressures with Carr this summer, and believes the rules need to change.

"There should be some kind of risk or penalty that (the agents) put themselves in," Saban said. "Right now there's no consequences" for them.

09-23-98