ARE YOU GOING?

Hey, Ohio State fans! Headed to the Fiesta Bowl? The Enquirer wants to hear your stories as you prepare to leave for next week's national championship game and then talk to you while you're soaking up the scene in Tempe. Contact Rick Green, assistant manager editor for Business and Metro, in the Enquirer newsroom at (513) 768-8477. Or, better yet, send him an e-mail at rgreen@enquirer.com. Please include your telephone number here in Cincinnati and/or where you'll be in Tempe.

Hyde Park resident John Gonsior recently was chosen from more than 1,000 entries as winner of the "Discover Card Gets You on GameDay Challenge." After videotaping a pregame analysis of the Ohio State/Michigan game, he was chosen to appear on the New Year's Day edition of ESPN's College GameDay to analyze the Fiesta Bowl national championship game between Ohio State and Miami. Gonsior recently sat down with Enquirer sports reporter Ryan Ernst to answer five questions.

What did you do on your videotape that stood out?

I talked about what Michigan needed to do. They needed to feed the ball to their tailback to take some pressure off (quarterback John) Navarre. I said that Ohio State would need to spread it around to (receivers Chris) Vance, (Chris) Gamble and (Michael) Jenkins and also pound it out with (running back Maurice) Clarett to get the clock moving and keep the defense off the field. I said the difference in the game would be the defense and special teams ,and the difference maker would be (OSU safety) Mike Doss. Then I pulled on (Doss' No. 2) jersey and got pretty animated.

Are you a big Ohio State fan, or did you just pick that game to analyze because it was going to be a big matchup?

No, I'm a pretty big Buckeyes fan. I usually go to about two or three games a year. This year I went to the Washing State game and the Michigan game. It's just such a good tradition. You've got Woody Hayes, Earl Bruce and now Jim Tressel. He's an amazing guy and an amazing coach. I think they're going to have a solid team for years to come.

Ohio State fan John Gonsior of Cincinnati the winner of the Discover Card Gets You on Game Day Challenge. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

Have they told you what the on-air experience will entail?

They said I'll probably be on camera about five minutes or so, but it depends on how the rehearsal goes and how time works out, since it's a live show. I've prepared some things. It's a rough draft, but I've practiced with my wife a little bit. I'll go over it some more this weekend so I'm ready.

Is sports broadcasting something you've been interested in doing?

Yeah, it's a dream for any sports fan, I guess. I'm into all sports really - baseball, hockey, whatever. I listen to and watch so many broadcasts, and I think with that and my knowledge I could do a pretty good job in the field.

Most people aren't giving your Buckeyes much of a chance against Miami. Any predictions?

Thirteen points. Miami's favored by 13 points, and that's a lot. Miami has some big-play guys: (Ken) Dorsey at quarterback, (Willis) McGahee's a great runner and receiver, and they've got (Andre) Johnson on the outside, and (Kellen) Winslow's a great tight end. But Ohio State's defense hasn't given up the big play all year long. They've got great experience. Their two captains on defense, Doss and (Donnie) Nickey, are back at safety to anchor the defense. They've got good athletes themselves. Miami's a big-play team; Ohio State doesn't give up the big play. I think it's going to be a very interesting game. I think it's going to be a lot closer than people think.

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