The Game just got a little shot of adrenaline. MGoBlog reported earlier today that Lloyd Carr will announce his retirement after Saturday's Ohio State-Michigan game. I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of the report as Brian has three independent sources and his track record of inside info is excellent. Plus, it's been hinted the entire season this would be Carr's last at Michigan. So, it should go without saying, the atmosphere this weekend will be charged.

Beanie's Brace: Wells was injured early in the Illinois game causing him to miss several series before coming back. The injury was to his right wrist or thumb, the hand he usually uses to tote the ball. New pictures today by Jim Davidson from OSU's Monday press conference shows Wells in either a soft cast or brace that extends around the wrist and thumb. I don't expect him to miss the game.

Henton Suspension Lifted: Backup QB Antonio Henton wrapped up his legal issues today by pleading to a lesser charge of loitering. He was fined $156 and reinstated to the team, having been suspended since September 24th. Tressel issued this statement:

"After serving a seven-game suspension, Antonio is a member with full privileges of the Ohio State football team. Antonio has handled the situation properly."

Apparently, the audio tape from the police actually helped Antonio's defense.

Other Stuff: No word on the Maurice Wells injury. If post game reports are accurate, he was seen walking in a boot and limping considerably. Speculation would seem to indicate he will not be available for the game. I repeat that is only speculation at this time. Brandon Saine suffered a concussion on Saturday but should be ready to go for Michigan (Thanks to reader Matt D for this tip). Also, no game analysis from me because I can't bear to watch that game again.

The Plain Dealer's Doug Lesmerises reported late today that Anderson Russell will be ready to play against Michigan State. Color me surprised since Russell didn't put any weight on his leg as he was being helped off the field. The source is unnamed but quoted:

"The doctor said he's lucky he didn't break his leg, but that's the kind of stuff he's made of."

Anderson is lucky but so too is the Kent player who torpedoed his knees. For those who haven't seen the video, YouTube comes to the rescue with the footage. It may not really be a dirty play but it was something more than just illegal (no flag, by the way naturally). And no, I'm not going to debate intent or malice. The video and Russell's forward fall speaks for itself.

Elsewhere, James Laurinaitis' injury is officially a hip pointer. He has already declared he'll be fine for practice on Tuesday which assumes he'll be ready for Michigan State as well. Also, Brandon Saine says he feels no pain and his injury is behind him.

No, this is not Santonio Holmes:

It's Ray Small. It's also no secret I'm a big fan of his so I avidly cheer recent news that he's been cleared to play this weekend. The Glenville product is, right now, more athlete than true wide receiver but he has talent and an unending reservoir of speed few others can match. He's not Teddy Ginn-fast mind you, at least not from goalline to goalline, but he does possess the ability to get in and out of breaks unlike most. Frankly, the quality is very Steve Smith-esque where he can run right by you on "go" route or turn a 5 yard hitch into a long TD. Special, that quality.

Now the task is to progress and move from unproven player into a known commodity. I don't expect this to happen right away since he'll be knocking off injury rust and associated barnacles. However, his return alone could and should open up other parts of the field and expand the formations we can use effectively.

When Lawrence Wilson went down with a broken leg in the second quarter on Saturday, it punctuated what has already been a season of injuries. He was preceded by starters LB Curtis Terry and WR Ray Small and backups that were to figure prominently such as WR's Albert Dukes and Devon Lyons along with CB Andre Amos. If this were 15th century Europe and thank goodness it isn't, local apothecaries would be in great demand by Ohio State. The nature of injury varies but with five important players already missing time, and significant time at that, the injury situation already deserves close watch.

Wilson's injury happens to be the most serious of them all and potentially the most damaging to the team. Vernon Gholston gets all the publicity but Lawrence was quietly having a great summer and he's equally adept playing the pass and holding contain on runs. In two shortened quarters against Youngstown State he already posted a sack and TFL. In fact, on the play he was injured, he was pressuring the QB yet again and accidently leg-whipped a teammate (causing the break), exemplifying the cruelest bit of irony.

What few want to talk about is we virtually have no one on the team that can adequately replace Wilson. At least, not by themselves. Instead, a platoon or committee approach is likely the method to shore up the loss because of depth and inexperience. That committee is comprised of Robert Rose, Cameron Heyward and maybe a little sprinkle of Alex Barrow. Rose is the most talented of the group (as a true DE) but Heacock basically called him a project which caught me a little by surprise. Cameron Heyward is a true frosh defensive tackle with mega talent but masquerading as a defensive end. Yeah, Lawrence is a big loss.

Surgery was preformed on Sunday to repair Wilson's broken tibia and recuperation time is estimated 6-8 weeks. He hopes to return by the Wisconsin game which is optimistic considering he'll likely be far from game shape. A medical redshirt is not out of the question in my mind. Curtis Terry also appears to be several games away before seeing the field as is Amos. Potentially back soon is Ray Small and Albert Dukes. I'm not hitting the panic button yet but a team can only cover up injuries so long.

PS: No game analysis or POW selection this week. BitTorrent is an option but my download wasn't half way finished after two days...so I scrapped it. I'll probably be in the same situation next week, too. Lastly, BuckeyeVision in right sidebar updated with YouTube highlights from YSU.

Being that I've been away, it's probably prudent to get up to speed with news items that have come and gone. If I have missed something (100% chance of that), just chime in. I did not follow my 150+ RSS Feeds on a daily basis when I was 'away'.

Fall Practice Begins. Hello Injuries: We are a solid two weeks into fall practice and the injury bug is starting to surface. By now, you all probably know about Ray Small twisting his ankle. On top of that Curtis Terry was carted off the field the other day (HT: BuckeyePlanet), the day after The Dispatch ran a nice piece declaring him injury-free. Jinx! Elsewhere, so many folks are talking about injuries to OL Kyle Mitchum and Jon Skinner that I'm not even going to find links. I believe it to be true. Even the franchise, Beanie Wells, came down with a stinger during a recent Hoot 'n Holler drill.

On the positive side, Anderson Russell appears to be full go and showing no side-effects of his knee injury. The loss of AR last year was a critical blow to the defense. His return to the secondary will bolster a somewhat thin backfield. True frosh Devon Torrence has moved to WR from DB where most thought he'd play.

BTN = Free? The Big Ten Network (BTN) has yet to formulate an agreement with the two big dogs - Time Warner and Comcast. A recent Dispatch article, however, indicated Central Ohio Time Warner subscribers may receive the first two games of the year on a free trial basis. When asked point blank Mark Silverman, BTN head honcho, said:

"I can't comment on that specific solution, but we're trying to get this (overall deal) done. I'm open to coming up with creative ways to solve this."

Seemingly, this tactic would provide additional negotiation time while satisfying the seething and frothing Ohio State fans. I can live with that because what I'm not going to do is attach one of these to the side of my house. Then again, with just released men's basketball schedule, I made reconsider.

Kosta Koufos: No one will ever truly replace Greg Oden but Kosta Koufos is a much heralded big man who is playing exceptionally well. In the UMCOR U18 European Championship, he was named tournament MVP while playing for Greece. During tournament play, he averaged - averaged! I say - 26.5 points, 13 boards and 3.5 blocks against some of the top competition in his age bracket.

Worst. Cover. Ever: This doesn't necessary classify as old news but pertinent nonethless. The next issue of Sports Illustrated will feature Michigan RB Mike Hart on the cover. Initial reaction is one of 'whatever' but this has an interesting tie-in to James Laurinaitis. For those who aren't aware, there's been a subtle campaign to out JL as a good, but overrated player. To a point, I would agree in so much as he's no AJ Hawk. But, Mike Hart fits 'good but overrated' tag (GBO) about as well as anyone. This is a guy, after-all, who averaged less than 5 yards a carry last year...and the year before. He gets his 1500 yards by virtue of a bazillion carries. On top of that, he and Chad Henne (another who is GBO) have yet to beat Ohio State or a bowl opponent.