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A Few Post-Game Thougthts....

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LordJeffBuck

LordJeffBuck

Illuminatus Emeritus
Staff member
BP Recruiting Team
Yeah, I know - yet another thread by some guy who thinks he knows exactly what happened last night and wants to share it with the e-world. Well, don't despair, I'm not going to disect the game play-by-play and analyze every call - I'll save that for the real experts, who can tell you what went wrong (if not why it went that way):

1. Sometimes, championship games between evenly-matched teams end up becoming blow outs. For every ESPN Instant Classic like 1973 (Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23) or 2002 (Ohio State 31, Miami 24 in double-OT) or 2005 (Texas 41, USC 38), you get a clunker like last night's debacle, such as 1995 (Nebraska 62, Florida 24) or 1996 (Florida 52, Florida State 20) or 2004 (USC 55, Oklahoma 19). Ditto for the Super Bowl. I don't know why it happens that way occasionally, it just does....

2. First, the good news: Ohio State played a great game ... for the first 16 seconds, or so. Seriously, do you realize that Ginn got more yards on the opening kick-off (93) than the team was able generate on offense for the entire game (82)? I can't explain it, that's the way it goes sometimes....

3. Bad things generally happen when you fail to establish the run (or at least a controlled passing attack) early in the game. Very bad things. Why didn't Ohio State make a serious attempt to run the ball last night (Pittman with ten carries, Wells only two), especially with two fine tailbacks, especially when it seemed to work the few times that it was tried, especially when Troy Smith was having an "off" game? I dunno....

4. When a defense is over-amped like Florida's was last night, it usually makes sense to try to get them out of their game by using quick hits, draws, screens, misdirection plays, etc. The Buckeyes never adjusted out of their "base" offense, and Florida kept bringing the heat. Bad results early, bad results late.

5. Florida wasn't about speed. How fast did they look on Ginn's KO return? How about Pittman's TD run, where a slow kid from Akron outran Reggie Nelson, the poster boy for Florida Speed? Which of the Gator receivers beat the Buckeyes deep, or had a long run after the catch? Face it - Florida won the game in the trenches, where football games are generally won.

6. In the space of three hours or so, Troy Smith went from being the greatest quarterback in Buckeye history to the guy who couldn't win the big game when it counted the most. I know it sucks, but that's the cold, hard reality of big-time athletics.

7. At the time, I really didn't like the fact that the team busted out the champagne and cigars after the Michigan win - to me, it seemed a bit too early to celebrate. Yeah, I know - a perfect regular season, beating the Wolverines (again), a Heisman Trophy, and all that, but there was still one more game on the schedule. And last night, sure enough, the team played like the season ended on November 18th.

8. My wife, who knows nothing about football, put things in perspective. Prior to the game, she said, "Well, even if they lose tonight, at least they made it to the championship game." And after they did lose, she added, "Well, at least they scored." I wish that being a sports fan were so easy....

9. Final thought: When you take a walk down Buckeye Memory Lane, don't step in last night's game.
 
I'd say that pretty much sums in up LJB. At least most of you folks back in the colonies got to sleep this one off. I've had to sit here at work all night and try to distract myself. Oh well, it was a game and life goes on. The sun did come up back in Ohio right?
 
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NFBuck;711807; said:
I'd say that pretty much sums in up LJB. At least most of you folks back in the colonies got to sleep this one off. I've had to sit here at work all night and try to distract myself. Oh well, it was a game and life goes on. The sun did come up back in Ohio right?
Click to expand...

Not yet. Check back in about 30 minutes.
 
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My post-Game thought...

U..G..L..Y. I feel like my dog just died.


Can Spring ball get here a few months early so I can get this nasty taste out of my mouth, please?

:( :osu:
 
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Well, I tried to sleep...tried to stay away from BP...tried to collect some thoughts without venting too much. However, all I can really come up with is being on the bad end of an "Out"

Out-schemed
Out-adjusted
Out-disciplined
Out-played
Out-Hearted
Out-Muscled
...and I hate to say it, but Out-coached.

LJB asked me my final thoughts in PMs yesterday. I told him I was nervous but i really thought emotions would be Florida's downfall. They were TOO fired up...the first letdown would lead to a landslide of mistakes. Well, I was right...just the wrong team collapsed.

4 Biggest plays of the game in my opinion:

1) The return and penalty following Teddy's TD
2) Larry Grant's absolutely senseless penalty
3) Malcolm mistiming his jump in a perfect Cover 2 call...instead of a redzone TO, Florida scores their first TD.
4) JT panicking and going on 4th down when all we needed was to get halftime.

It was shocking to watch a team noted for its composure and discipline absolutely collapse like that.

If you've been around here for any length of time, you know that I always defend the coaches...being in the fire is certainly different than the view from the couch. Unfortunately, this is one of those times when I am absolutely baffled by what I saw last night...3rd and medium...shallow crossing route...LBs repeatedly bailed to 8 yards when Florida was happy to get 4. Never adjusted. Harvin to motion...bubble screen. No type of outside force all game or bouncing a backer out to help. 7-10 yards a clip. Offense? Ugh. I'm not willing to discuss it yet.

Let me say that the Florida staff deserves every credit they receive. Amazing plan, execution, adjustments, and composure.

I'm still sick...
 
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You win and lose as a team, it appears that the team ended their season in November and Florida had something to prove. After The Game the team celebrated like they were crowned NC and Jan 8 would be the coronation. To me after Nov. 18 every thing seemed to be about the individual, from the Heisman and Nagurski to the "What is my draft status" everything seemed about the individual. I posted in another Blog, that I thought some individuals mayhave lost thei r focus on team and winning one more game. My reason for saying this was comments from Media Day, players commenting onthe Nfl, transferring, or being exploited by College football. I didn't hear that single mindedness approach it takes to win a NC game. The 2002 team may have had the most selfish individual of all time, but the went out and prepared and played as a unit that had something to prove. The 2006 team thought they had proved everything before Jan. 8. I didn't see a total meltdown coming but it routinely occurs in sports. All tis being said it was a great year and dwn the road this team will be remembered fondly..its just right now the wounds are to deep and fresh. Good Luck tothe Srs and those leaving early take this lesson with you and don't repeat it. To those coming back 2007 is a clean slate it 's up to you and the coaches what you make of it. Iwill be there behind you 100% as always because thats what fans do!
 
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for all of the talk about the speed players and their significance, it appeared to me that difference lied almost exclusively at the line of scrimmage. florida's first down gains that initially looked like they netted nothing actually netted 3 or more yards. our defensive line was being manhandled, and the offensive line could in no way contain their pass rush. it's baffling to me that vanderbilt, south carolina, florida state, georgia, alabama, and kentucky could have more success than our team did.
 
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I give UF's coaching staff credit, but I give our coaching staff just as much blame......it was obvious we needed to go man at some point instead of dropping into that SOFT zone play after play.....i don't know if heacock was just being stubburn or if our guys just don't how to play it, but it was clear after the first quarter zone coverage was going to be a slow death all night

and our first kickoff of the game was horrendous...did pettrey mis-kick it or was it an attempted squib kick? the rest of the night he just blasted it though the endzone....i agree that was one of the game changing moments....from such a high, to "crap, now we've gotta make a huge stop"

by the way on the fourth and one with Wells, im still not sure he didn't make it...it was pretty close,a lot closer than they spotted it..all he had to do was get to the 30 and in the replays his shoulders get there, and you can't see the ball but id be willing to wager it did.....poor decesion none the less to go for it
 
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Thump;711851; said:
I still don't blame Tressel for going for it on 4th and 1. If we can't get a first down, we don't deserve to win.
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I agree to an extent, but we needed to stop the bleeding at that point. There was too much risk given the deficit and field position so early in the game. High risk...low reward.
 
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osugrad21;711857; said:
I agree to an extent, but we needed to stop the bleeding at that point. There was too much risk given the deficit and field position so early in the game. High risk...low reward.
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The best thing to stop the bleeding at that point was a first down and try to keep Florida from getting the ball again beofre half.

You should be able to trust your bull of a back to get that yardage.

BTW, why wasn't Pittman in at that point?

I thought the QB sneak call on 3rd down was the worse call.
 
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