Jami Jurich
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If This Were a Movie: Ohio State vs. Iowa? It’s the Hawk(eye) of the Tiger
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The better team won yesterday, but don’t count Iowa out just yet. They still have more to prove.
Each week, we’ll analyze the Ohio State game (and occasionally other games as well) through the lens of cinema. If this game were the next “Remember the Titans,” “Space Jam” or “The Notebook,” what storylines would keep us talking? What would make us laugh, reach for the box of tissues, or have us on the edge of our seats? Grab your popcorn and get ready for pop culture references, a hint of snark, and a trip back in time to the Blockbuster Video days.
When the Iowa Hawkeyes took the field against the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday, there was more on the line than just wins and losses. This Iowa team started the season ranked in the Top 25 and moved up after Week One before falling to then-unranked Iowa State.
This is not a bad Hawkeye football team by any means, but since that first loss, they’ve had a lot to prove as far as their talent goes. Despite the offensive prowess of star running back Kaleb Johnson and an unnervingly good defense, the Hawkeyes haven’t really held their own against marquee opponents in some time. A victory over Ohio State would have done a lot to redeem them, potentially even skyrocketing them back into the rankings.
Similar to the Hawkeyes, when we first meet Rocky Balboa in the 1976 cinematic masterpiece “Rocky,” the small-time, third-rate boxer is collecting debts for a local loan shark (poorly, I might add, as he lacks the ruthlessness needed to do the job) when he stumbles into a marquee matchup to put him on the map in the form of heavyweight boxing champion Apollo Creed.
When Creed loses his scheduled opponent for a fight due to an injured hand, he decides to find a local contender to challenge him. Rocky is hesitant but ultimately agrees to take Creed on, though it’s not just money on the line for Balboa—it’s his own sense of accomplishment.
Rocky never really believes he has a chance, but he seizes the opportunity to prove himself, and he comes out of the gate with a bang, defeating Creed in the first round.
Similarly, though the Buckeyes are nationally recognized as a title contender, the Hawkeyes held their own against Ohio State in the first half. While the Buckeyes scored first, the Hawkeyes also held them to just that lone touchdown in the first half, sending OSU into halftime with just a 7-0 lead.
The pressure was on for the Buckeyes.
To be fair, it wasn’t a particularly pretty first half for either team. But nor was it pretty for Rocky and Creed. It’s boxing, for Pete’s sake. It’s a messy sport, what can I say?
While Iowa didn’t play its best half of football, it did enough to keep the Buckeyes in check. After the lone touchdown of the half, the Buckeyes turned the ball over on downs and turned the ball over in error twice—once on a fumble by freshman standout Jeremiah Smith, and once on an interception from quarterback Will Howard.
We had ourselves a football game. Until we didn’t anymore. While both the Hawkeyes and Rocky put up a good fight, in the end, neither did enough to secure the victory.
Now, I don’t want to spoil the ending, but Rocky came out in 1976. If you don’t know how it ends, I don’t know how to help you here. The statute of limitations on spoilers is up.
For Rocky, Creed had too much talent. He won in a split decision, with his superior skills giving him the edge.
For the Buckeyes? By the time the second half kicked off, Ohio State found its groove, going into the locker room for halftime on shaky ground and coming out looking like a championship team. Right away, Howard and Smith connected for some flashy plays that reminded everyone why they were heavily favored in this battle.
It was too big a mountain for Iowa to overcome this time, no matter how valiantly they tried to stay in it in the first half.
Now, before you get too upset about the underdog losing in the end, don’t lose heart. First of all, we are an Ohio State site—you didn’t really expect us to ROOT for Iowa to win, did you?
But as for our guy Rocky, he takes it on the chin, undeterred by the outcome. You can watch “Rocky II” if you want to see what happens next.
While the fight between Rocky and Creed was much closer than the final score between Ohio State and Iowa, the energy was the same—a team that seemingly had no business playing with their opponent somehow managed to dig deep and stay in it. A team with a lot to prove to themselves and the rest of the college football world tries their darndest to stay in the conversation but ultimately falls short when it counts.
At the end of the day, my loyalty is with Ohio State. That’s my alma mater, and I’m rooting for them. But I want to live in a world where there are multiple Big Ten powerhouses who give them a run for their money. Better fights are more entertaining—no one likes a blowout.
So a team like Iowa, who doesn’t have the same recruiting star-power as the Buckeyes and who have to get a little scrappier to get the job done, would make an incredible instigator. They’re not there this year but don’t count them out in the long run.
Rocky didn’t win the battle against Apollo Creed, but he wasn’t done for good. And while I’m relieved the Buckeyes pulled it together so well in the second half, I’m not ready to write off these Hawkeyes just yet. They have too much to prove for me to count them out in the long run.
Continue reading...
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The better team won yesterday, but don’t count Iowa out just yet. They still have more to prove.
Each week, we’ll analyze the Ohio State game (and occasionally other games as well) through the lens of cinema. If this game were the next “Remember the Titans,” “Space Jam” or “The Notebook,” what storylines would keep us talking? What would make us laugh, reach for the box of tissues, or have us on the edge of our seats? Grab your popcorn and get ready for pop culture references, a hint of snark, and a trip back in time to the Blockbuster Video days.
When the Iowa Hawkeyes took the field against the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday, there was more on the line than just wins and losses. This Iowa team started the season ranked in the Top 25 and moved up after Week One before falling to then-unranked Iowa State.
This is not a bad Hawkeye football team by any means, but since that first loss, they’ve had a lot to prove as far as their talent goes. Despite the offensive prowess of star running back Kaleb Johnson and an unnervingly good defense, the Hawkeyes haven’t really held their own against marquee opponents in some time. A victory over Ohio State would have done a lot to redeem them, potentially even skyrocketing them back into the rankings.
Similar to the Hawkeyes, when we first meet Rocky Balboa in the 1976 cinematic masterpiece “Rocky,” the small-time, third-rate boxer is collecting debts for a local loan shark (poorly, I might add, as he lacks the ruthlessness needed to do the job) when he stumbles into a marquee matchup to put him on the map in the form of heavyweight boxing champion Apollo Creed.
When Creed loses his scheduled opponent for a fight due to an injured hand, he decides to find a local contender to challenge him. Rocky is hesitant but ultimately agrees to take Creed on, though it’s not just money on the line for Balboa—it’s his own sense of accomplishment.
Rocky never really believes he has a chance, but he seizes the opportunity to prove himself, and he comes out of the gate with a bang, defeating Creed in the first round.
Similarly, though the Buckeyes are nationally recognized as a title contender, the Hawkeyes held their own against Ohio State in the first half. While the Buckeyes scored first, the Hawkeyes also held them to just that lone touchdown in the first half, sending OSU into halftime with just a 7-0 lead.
The pressure was on for the Buckeyes.
To be fair, it wasn’t a particularly pretty first half for either team. But nor was it pretty for Rocky and Creed. It’s boxing, for Pete’s sake. It’s a messy sport, what can I say?
While Iowa didn’t play its best half of football, it did enough to keep the Buckeyes in check. After the lone touchdown of the half, the Buckeyes turned the ball over on downs and turned the ball over in error twice—once on a fumble by freshman standout Jeremiah Smith, and once on an interception from quarterback Will Howard.
We had ourselves a football game. Until we didn’t anymore. While both the Hawkeyes and Rocky put up a good fight, in the end, neither did enough to secure the victory.
Now, I don’t want to spoil the ending, but Rocky came out in 1976. If you don’t know how it ends, I don’t know how to help you here. The statute of limitations on spoilers is up.
For Rocky, Creed had too much talent. He won in a split decision, with his superior skills giving him the edge.
For the Buckeyes? By the time the second half kicked off, Ohio State found its groove, going into the locker room for halftime on shaky ground and coming out looking like a championship team. Right away, Howard and Smith connected for some flashy plays that reminded everyone why they were heavily favored in this battle.
It was too big a mountain for Iowa to overcome this time, no matter how valiantly they tried to stay in it in the first half.
Now, before you get too upset about the underdog losing in the end, don’t lose heart. First of all, we are an Ohio State site—you didn’t really expect us to ROOT for Iowa to win, did you?
But as for our guy Rocky, he takes it on the chin, undeterred by the outcome. You can watch “Rocky II” if you want to see what happens next.
While the fight between Rocky and Creed was much closer than the final score between Ohio State and Iowa, the energy was the same—a team that seemingly had no business playing with their opponent somehow managed to dig deep and stay in it. A team with a lot to prove to themselves and the rest of the college football world tries their darndest to stay in the conversation but ultimately falls short when it counts.
At the end of the day, my loyalty is with Ohio State. That’s my alma mater, and I’m rooting for them. But I want to live in a world where there are multiple Big Ten powerhouses who give them a run for their money. Better fights are more entertaining—no one likes a blowout.
So a team like Iowa, who doesn’t have the same recruiting star-power as the Buckeyes and who have to get a little scrappier to get the job done, would make an incredible instigator. They’re not there this year but don’t count them out in the long run.
Rocky didn’t win the battle against Apollo Creed, but he wasn’t done for good. And while I’m relieved the Buckeyes pulled it together so well in the second half, I’m not ready to write off these Hawkeyes just yet. They have too much to prove for me to count them out in the long run.
Continue reading...