“Telling Quotes” is a weekly recap of the Big Ten’s top stories using quotes from around the conference (with a moderate Ohio State lean).

If you haven’t heard already, the Big Ten had a rough week.

Colleague Dan Wismar recapped the carnege, a macabre task for even the strongest of stomachs. The Big Ten went 6-6 last week with just one victory over teams from AQ conferences. Nebraska gave up a hair under 100 million yards of offense in a 36-30 loss to UCLA, Iowa committed whatever futility is required to score only six points in a three point loss to Iowa State, and most surprisingly, Wisconsin rushed for just 35 yards in a 10-7 loss to Oregon State.

The conference only has a couple opportunities to redeem itself on a national stage this week. Michigan State plays No. 20 Notre Dame in East Lansing Saturday night, and of course, the Buckeyes will host the California Golden Bears on Saturday afternoon.

Check out the week’s top quotes after the jump.

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A win is a win, and Ohio State got a win last Saturday, 31-16 over a feisty Central Florida team. But the Buckeyes didn’t exactly look overwhelming in victory. While the offense once again was far too reliant on the running skills of Braxton Miller, the defense once again couldn’t generate pressure and showed themselves vulnerable to big plays. Even allowing for the fact that the Knights are a solid team, it was a drab, dull performance for Urban Meyer’s troops. There’s plenty for the Buckeyes to work on before a volatile California team comes to Columbus on Saturday.

Braxton’s Line: 18-of-24 for 155 yards with one touchdown and one interception; 27 carries for 141 yards and three touchdowns. Miller opened the scoring with a 37-yard run off a draw play, put the Buckeyes in the lead for good with his second score and put the game away with his third.

It’s been said before and I’ll say it again: 27 carries is way too many. Several of those were off broken plays and the Buckeyes are thin in the backfield right now, to be sure- either way, Braxton Miller has taken far too many hits in the first two games. If he keeps getting hit at this pace he’s going to get hurt, and if he gets hurt this team is screwed- because this is really not a very good football team without him.

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Back with another weekly summary of Big Ten football....and you thought last  week’s games dragged down the league's rep....

Big Ten teams went 6-6 in non-conference action last weekend, but when the two teams thought to be the worst in their respective divisions, Indiana and Minnesota, register two of the league’s six victories, the reality is even worse than the appearance. Of the day’s conference losers, only Purdue (No. 20 Notre Dame) and Nebraska (No 22 UCLA) were playing ranked opponents, and there are very few remaining non-conference contests against good teams in which to regain some respectability. So be it. To the games....

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- Saturday, September 8, 2012

- Ohio Stadium - Columbus, OH

- University of Central Florida at Ohio State

- 12:00 p.m. (ET)

- TV: ESPN2 -


Urban Meyer’s new-look Buckeyes got over their first hurdle last week against Miami, but the OSU coach calls Central Florida “a whole different animal” as he prepares his team to face the Knights this Saturday at Ohio Stadium. The 14th-ranked Buckeyes will be trying to avoid the kind of slow start they suffered against Miami, and UCF (1-0) will be hoping they can reprise their strong overall effort in a 56-14 wipeout of the Akron Zips a week ago. It will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.

Ohio State’s 46-point margin of victory over Miami was not reflected in Meyer’s postgame comments, as the sluggishness on offense and some early defensive breakdowns gave the coaching staff plenty of things to correct going forward. UCF will present a different offensive style and a considerably more talented and faster group of defenders than the Buckeyes faced in the opener.

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