Barton gets teammates' attentionSenior co-captain Kirk Barton didn't so much lay down the law to his Ohio State teammates this week as much as he laid out the facts.
He reminded them of what the next two games against Illinois and Michigan mean, of how wins could take the top-ranked Buckeyes to their ultimate goal, the national championship game.
"It's kind of like all the work we have put in since January, all the weight-room work, the stadium stairs, all the workouts I hated doing -- I hated every minute of it -- it all comes down to two weeks," Barton said. "We've done the first 10 games, that's in the past.
"It comes down to two weeks, basically six practices, two games. What's it gonna be?"
One of those practices was consumed yesterday afternoon. Barton was asked whether his teammates had the attitude he hoped to see.
"Oh yeah, definitely; we're definitely focused on this week," Barton said. "Last year was a great wakeup call. Illinois is a much better team this year, and we are definitely very focused for them."
Last season, Illinois took Ohio State to the edge before falling 17-10.
I'm glad to hear they're staying focused and know what these last two weeks mean.
