COLUMBUS, Ohio - Joe Montgomery likely will start at tailback Saturday in Ohio State's showdown with Michigan, but don't make too much of it.
Michael Wiley is going to see plenty of action off the bench, OSU coach John Cooper said Wednesday.
"We will probably end up starting Joe Montgomery, but it doesn't make any difference to us who starts," Cooper said. "Both of them are going to play."
Wiley has started every game this season for the seventh-ranked Buckeyes, rushing for 1,027 yards and nine touchdowns.
But Montgomery's performance last Saturday in a 45-14 win over Iowa may have forced Cooper to make a change. Montgomery rushed for a season-high 144 yards and broke several tackles during an 80-yard touchdown run. He now has 661 yards and six touchdowns this season.
"If Joe starts, Michael will be in the next series," Cooper said. "Those guys carry the ball about the same amount of time." Montgomery doesn't want the move to make waves.
"Why make more distractions than you need. I haven't started since I've been here. If it ain't broke, why fix it?" Montgomery said.
Germaine thinks Ohio State (9-1, 6-1) could benefit from Montgomery's presence. At 5-foot-11, 216 pounds, Montgomery poses more of a threat to Michigan's rugged defense. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Wiley likely won't break many tackles.
"Joe kind of brings that hardnose approach to the game," Germaine said.
The No. 11 Wolverines (8-2, 7-0 Big Ten) go to the Rose Bowl with a victory.
