Tom Groeschen

tgroeschen@enquirer.com

UC %282-0%29 at Ohio State %282-1%29

Saturday%2C Sept. 27 %286 p.m.%29

TV%3A Big Ten Network %28Thom Brennaman%2C Glen Mason%2C Lisa Byington%29

Shaq Washington is among several University of Cincinnati football players deemed not big enough, fast enough or elite enough to be signed by the Ohio States of the world.

Washington and UC's 45 other Ohio natives will look to make a statement Saturday at 6 p.m., when the unranked Bearcats (2-0) attempt to upset No. 22 Ohio State (2-1) at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.

"I look at it as an opportunity for the people that got overlooked by some of those bigger schools," Washington, a junior wide receiver, said Tuesday. "I feel like they get all the publicity, but we just grind away and just keep champing at the bit."

The 5-foot-9, 174-pound Washington is from Maple Heights, near Cleveland. Washington led UC with 78 catches last year and is second on the team this season with 11 receptions, having made the preseason Biletnikoff Award watch list.

The Bearcats occasionally develop gems such as Washington, but OSU's big-time cachet often enables it to land the state's top recruits.

"They've got their foothold, made a name for themselves," UC coach Tommy Tuberville said. "We need to build on what we've done."

A game like this is a chance for UC to steal some national thunder, and few would appreciate it more than the Ohioans on the Bearcats roster.

That certainly includes Kirk Willis, UC's junior long snapper. Willis is from Granville, Ohio, about 30 minutes northeast of Columbus.

"I grew up an Ohio State fan, actually," Willis said. "To go back there and get to play in that stadium with 105,000 fans, it's going to be an awesome experience."

UC beat Toledo and Miami in its first two games but, truth be told, many had their eyes on OSU.

"All during summer conditioning we had a mindset: Ohio State, Ohio State, Ohio State," Willis said. "Now the time of the game is here, and everyone is pumped up."

Brandon Mitchell, a UC starting defensive tackle, is a junior from Cincinnati's Withrow High School. Mitchell said the game affords a chance to gain bragging rights over former prep opponent Adolphus Washington (Taft), a starting defensive tackle for OSU.

"It's a personal feud and just a feud between the schools, which school really runs the state," Mitchell said.

Mitchell is among UC players who were courted at least briefly by Ohio State.

"They recruited me a little bit, but after a certain point in time they stopped recruiting me for a while," Mitchell said. "I didn't take it too personally. They have a very large campus, and UC was more to my liking."

UC sophomore safety Zach Edwards, a two-year starter from Middletown, was a high school teammate of OSU H-back Jalin Marshall.

"That's going to be an exciting experience, and we've talked about it," Edwards said. "We like to compete against each other. We beat Toledo and Miami of Ohio, so we're looking to take over Ohio, I guess you could say."