IN THE TRENCHES: WEEK 5 OUTLAND TROPHY MATCHUPS PRESENTED BY THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES OHIO STATE AT PENN STATE, 8 p.m. ET on ABC This week our Outland Trophy sojourn takes us to Happy Valley, where these two titans meet in a game that is sure to have conference championship and College Football Playoff implications. Buckle up for this prime-time gem – it’s a matchup that offers the nation’s top two scoring offenses with players on the preseason Outland Trophy Watch List in both lineups. These two programs always feast on their potent ground games, but this season Ohio State has added one of the nation’s best passing attacks to date, and it’s the men up front helping to make it happen. The Buckeyes have put up 40 or more points and 500 or more yards in each of their first four games and are No. 3 nationally in total offense (599.0 yards per game), No. 2 in scoring offense (54.5 points per game) and No. 6 in passing offense (365.8 yards/game). Junior center Michael Jordan (Canton, Mich.) has Ohio State rolling at unprecedented clips in the first month of the season, scoring 30 touchdowns so far, with 12 of them coming on plays of 20 yards or more. Senior captain and right tackle Isaiah Prince (Greenbelt, Md.) has steadied the pass protection, giving quarterback Dwayne Haskins plenty of time to operate. Haskins has a Big Ten-leading 16 touchdowns, and he’s the first quarterback in Big Ten history to throw for five touchdowns twice in the first four games of the season. Jordan (6-7, 310 pounds) has started 31 consecutive games, 27 at left guard and now four at center this season. He was the first true freshman to start on the offensive line since the Buckeyes’ last Outland Trophy winner, Orlando Pace, in 1994 (Pace won the Outland in 1996). Prince (also 6-7, 310) has played in 41 straight games and has started 30 in a row. While Ohio State leads the Big Ten in total offense and passing offense, Penn State has the top spot in scoring offense (55.5 points per game) and rushing offense (275.0 yards per game). Junior right guard Connor McGovern (Larksville, Pa.) and junior left tackle Ryan Bates (Warrington, Pa.) have provided superior protection for quarterback Trace McSorley, who has 19 career games with a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown. Both players have 26 career starts – McGovern’s are consecutive coming into Saturday. Among their tasks will be to contain Ohio State defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones (Cleveland, Ohio), a beast on the line who has already totaled 14 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception return for a touchdown. His 28-yard pick-six turned the game around the last time Ohio State played in prime time two weeks ago against TCU, and he added six tackles, two for loss, and had a sack. STANFORD AT NOTRE DAME, 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC There will be five other players from the Outland Trophy Watch List on the field in South Bend, where the Cardinal and the Fighting Irish meet for the first time when both are ranked in the Associated Press Top 10. Notre Dame defensive tackleJerry Tillery (Shreveport, La.) has been a terror in opponents’ backfields, and came up with two key plays in the Irish’s season-opening win over Michigan with a sack on a second-and-goal play and forcing a fumble that became the game-clinching turnover. Tillery has 31 career starts and has 3.5 tackles for loss this season. Up front of offense, Notre Dame boasts left guard Alex Bars (Nashville, Tenn.) and center Sam Mustipher (Olney, Md.), two team captains who helped the Irish take and hold the lead for its first 190 minutes of play this season until a Wake Forest field goal at the end of the first quarter last week. The line play has pushed the Irish to 16 touchdown drives this season, 12 of which have covered 70 or more yards. Stanford loves to run the ball, and has 194 rushing touchdowns in David Shaw’s 99 games as head coach, an average of almost two per game. The Cardinal has has 45 rushing touchdowns in its past 22 games with center Jesse Burkett (St. Augustine, Fla.) and right guard Nate Herbig (Kalaheo, Hawaii) paving the way. Burkett has started at center in 28 consecutive games. Herbig has 13 consecutive starts, with a start at right tackle in last week’s comeback win at Oregon but is slated back at right guard Saturday. Stanford has had success up front against Notre Dame. In two career games against the Irish, running back Bryce Love has accounted for 254 rushing yards and 5.9 yards per rush. OTHER MATCHUP OF NOTE ... • Michigan at Northwestern, 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX: Another Big Ten battle where Northwestern and right guard Tommy Doles (Grand Rapids, Mich.) seek their first 2-0 start to conference play since 2000. Doles has started 28 consecutive games on the right side of the line and the team captain has earned All-Big Ten honors the past two seasons. Michigan has found its offensive groove with left guard Ben Bredeson (Hartland, Wis.), who has a team-leading 24 career starts. Michigan has perhaps the nation’s most balanced offense, gaining 848 yards on the ground and 835 through the air through four games. Scott Farrell, collegepressbox.com outlandtrophy.com #FIGHTFLU @OUTLANDTROPHY 2018 OUTLAND TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST

OL Paul Adams, Missouri...... @Paul_Adams77 DT Dre’Mont Jones, Ohio State...... @TheOfficial_80 OL Trey Adams, Washington OL Michael Jordan, Ohio State...... @BigMikeJ73 OL Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas OL Luke Juriga, Western Michigan...... @Luke_Juriga56 C Ryan Anderson, Wake Forest C John Keenoy, Western Michigan...... @Keenoy_52 OL Alex Bars, Notre Dame...... @AlexBars_ OL Marcus Keyes, Oklahoma State OL Ryan Bates, Penn State...... @52batesryan C Sean Krepsz, Nevada...... @Skrepsz DT Terry Beckner, Missouri...... @beckner_jr DT Dexter Lawrence, Clemson...... @llawrence2139 DT Ryan Bee, Marshall...... @r_bee91 G Jimmy Leatiota, Eastern Michigan G David Beedle, Michigan State...... @Big_Bug90 DT Ira Lewis, Baylor OL Beau Benzschawel, Wisconsin...... @BeauBench DT Ray Lima, Iowa State C Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin...... @TylerBiadasz OL Chris Lindstrom, Boston College ...... @Big_Fish68 OL Lanard Bonner, Arkansas State OL Greg Little, Ole Miss...... @Thegreglittle G Tyler Bowling, Tulsa...... @T_Bowling72 C Toa Lobendahn, USC...... @T_Lo55 C Garrett Bradbury, N.C. State...... @Gbradbury_11 OL Joe Lowery, Ohio...... @thejlow_65 OL Parker Braun, Georgia Tech OL Kaleb McGary, Washington...... @steelers47kaleb OL Ben Bredeson, Michigan C Connor McGovern, Penn State...... @Condor_McGovern DT Derrick Brown, Auburn...... @DerrickBrownAU5 OL Patrick Mekari, California...... @PattM5997 C Jesse Burkett, Stanford C Chandler Miller, Tulsa OL Yodny Cajuste, West Virginia...... @YC_Rich4Ever DT David Moa, Boise State...... @moaconstrictor_ DT Marquise Copeland, Cincinnati...... @Be_Steezy_ C Sam Mustipher, Notre Dame...... @smustipher53 C Deontae Crumitie, Troy...... @deontaecrumitie C Will Noble, Houston...... @W_Noble OL Michael Deiter, Wisconsin...... @MichaelDeiter OT Marcus Norman, USF...... @MarcusNorman77 OL Tommy Doles, Northwestern...... @TommyDoles DT Ed Oliver, Houston...... @Edoliver_11 OL O’Shea Dugas, Louisiana Tech...... @Osheadugas C Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama...... @RossP71 C Alec Eberle, Florida State...... @aleceberle54 OL Ben Powers, Oklahoma...... @BigBen_72 OL David Edwards, Wisconsin...... @d_edwards79 OL Isaiah Prince, Ohio State...... @ThePrince_59 OL Bobby Evans, Oklahoma...... @BobbyEvans44 OL Dalton Risner, Kansas State...... @DaltonBigD71 C Justin Falcinelli, Clemson...... @Jfalc50 NT Olive Sagapolu, Wisconsin...... @OSagapolu C Lo Falemaka, Utah...... @peterfalemaka OL Dru Samia, Oklahoma...... @DruSamia OL Hjalte Froholdt, Arkansas...... @HFroholdt OT Max Scharping, NIU...... @MaxScharping C Lamont Gaillard, Georgia DT Jordon Scott, Oregon DT Greg Gaines, Washington...... @GregGaines99 DT Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State....@GrindSimmons94 C Tyler Gauthier, Miami OL Trey Smith, Tennessee...... @smithtrey98 DT Youhanna Ghaifan, Wyoming...... @yogaifhan81 OL Trevon Tate, Memphis...... @_TopSh0tta C Jake Hanson, Oregon...... @J_Hanson55 OL Calvin Throckmorton, Oregon...... @calthrock_54 OL Phil Haynes, Wake Forest...... @PhilHaynes95 DT Jerry Tillery, Notre Dame...... @JerryTillery G Nate Herbig, Stanford...... @nate_herbig OL Patrick Vahe, Texas...... @PatrickVahe DT Trysten Hill, UCF DT Ricky Walker, Virginia Tech OT Mitch Hyatt, Clemson...... @themitchhyatt DT Christian Wilkins, Clemson...... @cwilkins42 OL Martez Ivey, Florida...... @tezivey OL Jonah Williams, Alabama...... @JonahGWilliams C Jordan Johnson, UCF DT Daniel Wise, Kansas

By conference: American Athletic 9; ACC 12; Big 12 11; Big Ten 13; Conference USA 2; Mid-American 5; Mountain West 3; Pac-12 11; SEC 11; Sun Belt 2; Independents 3. KEY DATES: • Semifinalists: Wed., Nov. 14 (The Old Mattress Factory, Omaha, Neb.) • Finalists: Tues., Nov. 20 (ESPN) • Winner: Thurs., Dec. 6 (The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN) • Award Banquet: Wed., Jan. 9 (Downtown DoubleTree Hotel, Omaha, Neb.)

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