Game Thread BCS National Championship Game: tOSU 24, LSU 38 (final)

[Lockup]

For me, the night is simply summed up with:

Personal fouls
Roughing the punter
Robo not making a play he usually makes in his sleep
LSU with 3rd and 1 again...
OSU abandoning the run

The blocked field goal should be added to this too.

 

[craigblitz]

preparing a team, keeping them focused, and making adjustments to slow and swing momentum the other way.

I personally think the team was prepared
I have no issue with them being focused
I think our 2nd half adjustments were really good on D

Could we have done some things to slow the MO LSU was getting...maybe run the ball a little more... I don't know.. Breaks happen in football games.. LSU got a lot of them.. Earned a lot of them...

After a loss nobody can be blameless but I am not disappointed in the coaches in the least bit.... LSU was the better team.. plain and simple

 

[rocketman]

Probably mentioned before, but inexperience really bit us in the ass. I think we fielded something like 40 underclassmen this year. We got rattled early and started making stupid mistakes. Don't want to make it sound like a cop-out though, because we got beat plain and simple.

Ah well. We're bringing most of 'em back for next year. Time to rally the troops and get set for 2008. Third times a charm!

 

[bkochmc]

Probably mentioned before, but inexperience really bit us in the ass. I think we fielded something like 40 underclassmen this year. We got rattled early and started making stupid mistakes. Don't want to make it sound like a cop-out though, because we got beat plain and simple.

Ah well. We're bringing most of 'em back for next year. Time to rally the troops and get set for 2008. Third times a charm!

And to take LSU's side of your post, experience really paid off for the Tigers. Having a very senior-laden team really helped when their team had their backs against the wall.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Ugh. 4.5 hours of sleep makes for a cranky Katt.

I must be a glutton for punishment... just read this thread. I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said but I do have a few thoughts from some posts...

Ditto. I can't believe I read the whole thing.

Congrats to LSU! Came in with a solid gameplan and executed the fuck out of it. I'll never be a card-carrying member of the Les Miles Fan Club, but he had his team ready last night.

While I'm not particularly pleased with the outcome, the team showed up this year and played hard. Better execution and discipline are musts in games against teams with equal to greater talent. You just can't afford to give a team as good as LSU extra yards and free points.

LSU's lineplay, particularly the D-line, was terrific. Managed to force so many negative plays on offense for OSU. They had the O off-schedule regularly and the team just didn't seem to know how to cope with 2nd and 12 or 3rd and 8. Too many 3rd and longs. And on offense, they stayed on schedule. 2nd and medium, 3rd and short. Everything manageable. No huge plays, just pick up positive yards each play. No gain on 1st? No worries, we'll get 6 yards here and 5 yards on 3rd.....not quite 3 yards and a cloud of dust, but just as effective.

*sigh*

So many mistakes.......
-not really a mistake, but....missed opp to fall on fumbled punt
-false start on 2nd and short
-personal foul
-dropped TD
-blocked fg
-interception
-more personal fouls
-roughing the kicker
-fumble
-interception
-another personal foul

*sigh*

What could've been......What's that saying about if's and but's and candy and nuts?

Strange thoughts....

2005:
UM game - lost turnover battle 2-0
ND game - lost turnover battle 2-0

2006:
UM game - lost turnover battle 3-0
UF game - lost turnover battle 2-0

2007:
UM game - lost turnover battle 1-0
LSU game - lost turnover battle 3-1

1 turnover forced in the last 6 UM/bowl games vs 13 committed. And OSU is still 4-2 in those games. I can't explain it. I really just can't get my head around that.

If OSU can start taking care of the ball in big games and actually force some turnovers......

Anywho...dissociative break over....

Congrats on another tremendous season, boys! :cheers:

 

[buckeyesin07]

And to take LSU's side of your post, experience really paid off for the Tigers. Having a very senior-laden team really helped when their team had their backs against the wall.

Good point. I saw an article a few days back that said OSU should have the experience edge because many of its players had played in a NC game before, whereas LSU's had not. Guess that didn't happen.

 

[buckeyesin07]

1 turnover forced in the last 6 UM/bowl games vs 13 committed. And OSU is still 4-2 in those games. I can't explain it. I really just can't get my head around that.

Good observation. The thing is that in the last two seasons OSU hasn't been very good at forcing turnovers, which usually isn't compatible with a team having a record over that span of 23-3. I think going into the game last night, OSU was -1 for the year in turnover margin. Let's just say that there aren't many teams that have a -1 turnover margin for the season and yet are 11-1. I think the problem has to do with lack of forcing turnovers, but I'm not sure how that's remedied.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

For me this loss is so much easier to handle.

Last year, I was in shock. I had no answer for why the Buckeyes laid an egg, and the loss was, to me, simply astonishing.

This year, I saw what happened. The Tigers executed, the Buckeyes did not. I can live with that. Getting beat happens. I hold my head up today, as should all Buckeye nation. We are fans of one of only 3 teams to be 1-2 in Title shots in the BCS era.

This team.... I would have been happy with a 2 loss season when it all began.. Lo and behold, that's where we are. I did not expect the opportunity to root on a championship effort. This young team provided that. The future remains bright for Ohio State football.

 

[Bobby Hoying]

Sorry if this has been said before but...

Our offense seems really vanilla compared to some other teams, (Beanie running, Todd passing to Robo or Hartline). Hopefully we can find some players that we can use as power fullbacks, speedy crossing-route runners, or something to change up our offense a little.

 

[joefoshow]

i am also handling this loss easier than last year mainly cause last year i had so much hope this year i kind of expected a loss.

 

[gregorylee]

Good observation. The thing is that in the last two seasons OSU hasn't been very good at forcing turnovers, which usually isn't compatible with a team having a record over that span of 23-3. I think going into the game last night, OSU was -1 for the year in turnover margin. Let's just say that there aren't many teams that have a -1 turnover margin for the season and yet are 11-1. I think the problem has to do with lack of forcing turnovers, but I'm not sure how that's remedied.

IIRC they made that a focal point a couple of years ago (2005) and it seemed to pay off then.

 

[buckeyeinfla]

don't know if this has been posted here but i think the quote is very telling on why they lost...from alex boone:

"We're thinking this game was going to be a lot easier than it was. That was our mistake.

"We score early and we're thinking, 'Man, these guys are nothing.' Then we went back out and got a field goal on the next possession and are thinking this is going to keep happening. Then they stopped us and we didn't know what to do."

 

[BuckeyeCrazy107]

i am also handling this loss easier than last year mainly cause last year i had so much hope this year i kind of expected a loss.

Ya I am feeling like that too a bit. I was devasted last year and just completely destroyed when we lost to Illinois.

 

[Bobby Hoying]

don't know if this has been posted here but i think the quote is very telling on why they lost...from alex boone:

"We're thinking this game was going to be a lot easier than it was. That was our mistake.

"We score early and we're thinking, 'Man, these guys are nothing.' Then we went back out and got a field goal on the next possession and are thinking this is going to keep happening. Then they stopped us and we didn't know what to do."

I love our team and Boone. But did he really say that? So we think a National (meaning all D-1A teams) Championship (meaning the best two teams participate) Game is going to be easy?

C'mon guys

 

[buckeyeinfla]

i am trying to find the link..i would hope it was a joke