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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State coach Urban Meyer admittedly worries about everything, and near the top of the list this week is how the Buckeyes are going to run the ball Saturday against Oklahomas huge and experienced defensive front.After breaking school records for offense in its first game, No. 3 Ohio State (2-0) started slow last week against Tulsa and didnt get the train back on the tracks until the second half. Meyer knows the Buckeyes cant afford a slow start against the No. 14 Sooners, especially when it comes to establishing the run against their heavy, run-stuffing defensive linemen Charles Walker (6-foot-2, 304 pounds), Jordan Wade (63, 311) and Matt Dimon (62, 270).You have to be really on your target to run the football on them, Meyer said. Theyre big, gigantic guys inside. Very similar to Alabama defensive line. And obviously skilled secondaries. So I just think theyre the whole package.Ohio State redshirt freshman tailback Mike Weber has shown signs of brilliance in the first two games of his career, piling up 136 yards on 19 carries against Bowling Green and 92 yards on 17 carries in the victory over Tulsa. H-backs Curtis Samuel -- perhaps the most valuable offensive player for Ohio State through two games -- and Dontre Wilson also will test the Oklahoma front, not to mention fleet, slippery quarterback J.T. Barrett.Im not worried by any means, center Pat Elflein said of the offensive line establishing the ground game. We had a lot of stuff thrown at us (defensively) last week, and I think it was good to get some experience with that stuff. So Im sure Oklahoma will see that, too, try to throw some of that stuff at us and catch us off balance a little bit. I think it was good we saw all that with how young we are.Of the Sooners defensive front, Elflein said: Theyre big, theyre good with their hands, they play hard. Big strong dudes in there.Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano said the real season starts Saturday.This is definitely a step up in athleticism were going against, Schiano said. Its no disrespect to the first two teams, this is big boy football now.Elflein said preparations already feel different.Youve always looked ahead to this game, he said. Youve seen it on the schedule, and now its here. We know what the task is, and we know were going down there at night, a big-time showdown, so its a different feeling for sure.INJURY REPORT: Meyer said linebacker Dante Booker, who injured a knee in the Bowling Green game, is probable for Oklahoma. He didnt play against Tulsa.DEFENSIVE BACKS ON THE RISE:Cornerback Marshon Lattimore was named the national Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Tulsa. He intercepted two passes, including a 40-yard return for a touchdown with 33 seconds left in the first half to make it 20-3 and give the Buckeyes some breathing room going into halftime. Safety Malik Hooker leads the FBS with three interceptions. He also had a pick six last week.THE OHIO STATE CONNECTION:Meyer said hes already talked to Tom Herman, the former Ohio State offensive coordinator whos now the Houston coach, about how to attack Oklahoma. Hermans Cougars upset the Sooners in the opening week, 33-23. The loss dropped Oklahoma out of the top 10. Meyer said the discussions centered on Oklahomas defensive personnel.---Online: AP College Football website www.collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacy . 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Rich Kelley Jersey .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Pacers President Larry Bird spent most of his offseason trying to stitch together a championship contender.He made two trades to create versatility. He added bulk by signing free agent Al Jefferson. He watched the Pacers biggest star, Paul George, return from the Olympics with a gold medal around his neck and a new perspective about making the Pacers a better team. And Bird hired a coach who shares his vision of what it takes to win in todays NBA.Now Indiana is about to find out if this bold, new look will produce better results than last years awkward attempt to use a smaller lineup with more 3-point shooters and putting some players, such as George, out of position.George became a star at small forward but started the season playing power forward, an experiment that didnt last long.Last year, we tried to play that spread-four and we tried to turn Paul and C.J. Miles into that spread four. Now he (Bird) has brought those guys in, new coach Nate McMillan said Monday during the teams annual media day. Look, youre going to have to be able to play half-court basketball because you cant run for 48 minutes. I think the better teams will be able to slow you down, but I think we can play both ways now.How much and how quickly things change remains unclear.Unlike last season, when it seemed Bird and George werent always on the same page and former coach Frank Vogel often wound up playing middle man between his best player and his boss, the second year of this transition already is off to a smoother start. George acknowledged Monday hes willing to do whatever it takes to win this season -- even if that requires playing some minutes as a stretch-four. McMillan even called the three-time All-Star and all-league defender a versatile three.But the biggest difference will be Georges supporting cast.Bird began the latest overhaul by acquiring All-Star point guard Jeff Teague in a three-team deal that sent George Hill to Utah. The trade left the 26-year-old George, now entering his seventh year with the team, as the longest-tenured Pacers player and the only remaining starter left from the 2013 and 2014 Eastern Conference runner-ups.Then Bird sent Indianas first-round draft pick to Brookllyn for the nimble Thaddeus Young, who will play that stretch-four role, and plugged in second-year pro Myles Turner at center.dddddddddddd He brought in the 60foot-10, 289-pound Jefferson to give the Pacers a bigger inside presence off the bench.Its completely different. Last year, you had true bigs in the paint and scorers who would post up, Young said. Now youve got guys who can step out, make plays, make moves. Were definitely going to try to push the tempo, push the pace.Everyone in this locker room seems to embrace the small-ball concept.When Teague was asked about the prospect of teaming up with George and bringing the trendy new style to his hometown team, he responded with a beaming style. Turner and Young had similar reactions Monday, and George sounds as eager as anybody to see how everything will work.Hopefully, well get a little faster, George said. I know that Jeff is a coast-to-coast guy, and I havent really played with a coast-to-coast guy before, so hopefully I can make it easier for him.Clearly, Bird believes he has the players to operate his preferred style, even if doesnt look quite right when the Pacers open the season Oct. 26 against Dallas.So McMillan will spend most of the next month trying to get all these new guys and the new lineups working together, in sync. And McMillan believes that if given time, the Pacers new style will be a good look.The game has changed, McMillan said. Youre seeing more pace teams that are trying to get between 90 and 100 possessions per game. How do you create that? You put together a roster that you can do that with, and I think the Pacers have done that. I think those (new) guys put us in position to pretty much paly any style we want to play.Note: George was asked whether he had any desire to re-do his contract, which can now be extended, and said: Right now, its all about the season. Im not even thinking about contract stuff. Everything is about going into the season. Last week, Bird said he was willing to give George a new max contract whenever hes ready. Georges current max deal runs through the 2018-19 season. ' ' '