COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Call it "The Marshall Plan" for Thursday's season-opening game at No. 2 Ohio State.



In his head-coaching debut, Doc Holliday wants his Thundering Herd to play error-free on offense, force turnovers on defense, to not get rattled by the crowd — and for Ohio State to be thinking ahead to its showdown nine days later against No. 13 Miami.



Much as he hopes the Buckeyes are looking past his team, Holliday realizes the Ohio State coaching staff will take measures to make sure that doesn't happen in their season opener.



"I don't know if there's a perfect time to play them," Holliday said. "Everywhere I've been, at the University of Florida and all those stops we've made, (in the) first game the kids were excited about going and playing. And I'm sure Ohio State will be excited about playing us. I'm sure they're not looking ahead. They're looking to play us Thursday night."



Ohio State counterpart Jim Tressel acknowledged that, tempting though it may be for many 20-year-olds, the Buckeyes cannot afford to let their thoughts wander to the Hurricanes on Sept. 11 in the Horseshoe.



"It's human nature when you think, 'OK, I've got this situation under control, I'm going to think about the next situation,'" said Tressel, who carries a 94-21 record into his 10th Ohio State opener. "This group, we're a little older. There's 25 seniors.