I'll leave a more detailed analysis to others, but here are a few thoughts....
First, Troy Smith is officially a Buckeye legend. I know that he was mediocre for much of the season, and looked downright awful against Penn State (a team which turned out to be much better than anyone could have anticipated, being one second away from a possible national championship berth), but his two stellar performances in The Game are definitely the stuff of legend. While Troy put up record-setting numbers last year, I was more impressed with his performance this year. With the Buckeyes down by 9 in the fourth quarter, Smith did what any great quarterback is supposed to do in such a situation - he took control of the game, lead the team, and willed his troops to victory, making fabulous plays - with his arm, legs, and head - along the way. Troy did every little thing necessary to win, and he was so cool under pressure (and believe me, Michigan was pressuring him). Props to Troy, who will lead the Bucks to an NC next season (no, I'm not drunk, and I'm certainly not optimistic by nature).
There were plenty of warts and blemishes in this game, but the Bucks answered the call in crunch time. There weren't really any great plays that didn't involve Troy Smith (and the completion to Gonzo on the final drive was the play of the season, bar none), but when the rest of your team is solid and steady and workmanlike, and your QB is special, you will generally win.
Best wishes to Carp for a quick and full recovery. I hope that the All America voters don't hold Carp's injury against him - he deserves First Team recognition, despite the fact that he missed The Game and will likely miss the Bowl game as well.
Props to Andree Tyree, whose blocking from the TE position really helped the running attack today. I hope that his performace in The Game was enough to earn the fifth-year senior his first letter.
Props also to James Laurinaitis who subbed admirably for the injured Carp. With talent like that in the pipeline, the Bucks will never really have down years, even when they lose stars like Hawk, Carp, and Schlegel.
Overall, props to the team for a team effort, and props to Tressel and Troy for leading the team like the champions that they are!
First, Troy Smith is officially a Buckeye legend. I know that he was mediocre for much of the season, and looked downright awful against Penn State (a team which turned out to be much better than anyone could have anticipated, being one second away from a possible national championship berth), but his two stellar performances in The Game are definitely the stuff of legend. While Troy put up record-setting numbers last year, I was more impressed with his performance this year. With the Buckeyes down by 9 in the fourth quarter, Smith did what any great quarterback is supposed to do in such a situation - he took control of the game, lead the team, and willed his troops to victory, making fabulous plays - with his arm, legs, and head - along the way. Troy did every little thing necessary to win, and he was so cool under pressure (and believe me, Michigan was pressuring him). Props to Troy, who will lead the Bucks to an NC next season (no, I'm not drunk, and I'm certainly not optimistic by nature).
There were plenty of warts and blemishes in this game, but the Bucks answered the call in crunch time. There weren't really any great plays that didn't involve Troy Smith (and the completion to Gonzo on the final drive was the play of the season, bar none), but when the rest of your team is solid and steady and workmanlike, and your QB is special, you will generally win.
Best wishes to Carp for a quick and full recovery. I hope that the All America voters don't hold Carp's injury against him - he deserves First Team recognition, despite the fact that he missed The Game and will likely miss the Bowl game as well.
Props to Andree Tyree, whose blocking from the TE position really helped the running attack today. I hope that his performace in The Game was enough to earn the fifth-year senior his first letter.
Props also to James Laurinaitis who subbed admirably for the injured Carp. With talent like that in the pipeline, the Bucks will never really have down years, even when they lose stars like Hawk, Carp, and Schlegel.
Overall, props to the team for a team effort, and props to Tressel and Troy for leading the team like the champions that they are!
:osu:
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