Matt Tamanini
Guest
Is ‘Holy Buckeye’ or the 2018 upset a bigger memory for you in Ohio State-Purdue history?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Throughout the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are getting ready to head to West Lafayette, Indiana on Saturday to face the Purdue Boilermakers. Even though the Buckeyes own a 40-15-2 record in the series history, they are just 3-and-5 at Ross-Ade Stadium since 2000. Obviously, a loss to the 2-4 Boilermakers this season would be absolutely crushing as it would make it very difficult for OSU to make the College Football Playoff. Even if they won out and beat Michigan and Penn State, a loss like this would be a huge splotch on the team’s resume, like it was five seasons ago.
So, before the team heads on the road, we wanted to get Ohio State fans’ thoughts on Ross-Ade and memories from that stadium. So, in our weekly fan survey, we have a question about that and the biggest surprise from the first five games of the Buckeyes’ season. So, answer in the survey below, and if you have any additional thoughts that you would like to share, feel free to do so in the comments below.
This is a classic glass-half-full vs. glass-half-empty test. Michael Jenkins’ iconic fourth-quarter catch that preserved an undefeated season, or the lone loss in Urban Meyer’s final year as OSU’s head coach. You can either go with one of the most thrilling and exciting moments in Buckeye history or one of the most devastating and disappointing.
Obviously, how you come down on this Rorschach test will probably be impacted by your age and whether you have firsthand memories of the 2002 season or not, but either way, these are two very important moments in Ohio State football history for very different reasons.
Clearly, the Craig Krenzel to Jenkins touchdown is the stuff of legends for a reason, as it kept the Buckeyes’ national championship hopes alive, and — as we all know — they went on to win the title that season kicking off a new era of OSU dominance.
The loss in 2018 though might have had just as much of an impact. Assuming the rest of the regular season played out as it did, a win over Purdue would have guaranteed the Buckeyes a spot in the CFP that season. Would Meyer and OSU have won a second playoff title? Who knows. But, would Urban have been as willing to walk away after either a playoff loss or national title? I’m not so sure.
Instead, he was able to ride off into the sunset with a Rose Bowl victory over Washington. So, whether you think Meyer leaving was good or bad, that embarrassing loss to Purdue very well might have cemented the end of the Meyer era, even if it wasn’t actually the cause for the coach’s departure.
I really like this question, because, in the fog of the season, it can be easy to slip into a mindset that focuses on the negative aspects of the team. You can take the positives for granted as you harp on the things that you think could cause your team not to reach all of its lofty aspirations.
So, taking a second to remind yourself of the things that have gone better than anticipated is a good counter-balance to the things that might not yet be living up to expectations. I think that there are a number of guys on the OSU roster this year who have far exceeded what I expected of them — even if I already expected a lot.
It would be nice to have a few more guys work their way into consideration for this honor as the team heads into November in a few weeks’ time, but for now, let’s celebrate the players who have stepped up and made a major difference for the team thus far.
Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Throughout the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are getting ready to head to West Lafayette, Indiana on Saturday to face the Purdue Boilermakers. Even though the Buckeyes own a 40-15-2 record in the series history, they are just 3-and-5 at Ross-Ade Stadium since 2000. Obviously, a loss to the 2-4 Boilermakers this season would be absolutely crushing as it would make it very difficult for OSU to make the College Football Playoff. Even if they won out and beat Michigan and Penn State, a loss like this would be a huge splotch on the team’s resume, like it was five seasons ago.
So, before the team heads on the road, we wanted to get Ohio State fans’ thoughts on Ross-Ade and memories from that stadium. So, in our weekly fan survey, we have a question about that and the biggest surprise from the first five games of the Buckeyes’ season. So, answer in the survey below, and if you have any additional thoughts that you would like to share, feel free to do so in the comments below.
Question 1: What is a bigger Ross-Ade memory in your mind?
This is a classic glass-half-full vs. glass-half-empty test. Michael Jenkins’ iconic fourth-quarter catch that preserved an undefeated season, or the lone loss in Urban Meyer’s final year as OSU’s head coach. You can either go with one of the most thrilling and exciting moments in Buckeye history or one of the most devastating and disappointing.
Obviously, how you come down on this Rorschach test will probably be impacted by your age and whether you have firsthand memories of the 2002 season or not, but either way, these are two very important moments in Ohio State football history for very different reasons.
Clearly, the Craig Krenzel to Jenkins touchdown is the stuff of legends for a reason, as it kept the Buckeyes’ national championship hopes alive, and — as we all know — they went on to win the title that season kicking off a new era of OSU dominance.
The loss in 2018 though might have had just as much of an impact. Assuming the rest of the regular season played out as it did, a win over Purdue would have guaranteed the Buckeyes a spot in the CFP that season. Would Meyer and OSU have won a second playoff title? Who knows. But, would Urban have been as willing to walk away after either a playoff loss or national title? I’m not so sure.
Instead, he was able to ride off into the sunset with a Rose Bowl victory over Washington. So, whether you think Meyer leaving was good or bad, that embarrassing loss to Purdue very well might have cemented the end of the Meyer era, even if it wasn’t actually the cause for the coach’s departure.
Question 2: Which Buckeye has been the biggest surprise for you this season?
I really like this question, because, in the fog of the season, it can be easy to slip into a mindset that focuses on the negative aspects of the team. You can take the positives for granted as you harp on the things that you think could cause your team not to reach all of its lofty aspirations.
So, taking a second to remind yourself of the things that have gone better than anticipated is a good counter-balance to the things that might not yet be living up to expectations. I think that there are a number of guys on the OSU roster this year who have far exceeded what I expected of them — even if I already expected a lot.
It would be nice to have a few more guys work their way into consideration for this honor as the team heads into November in a few weeks’ time, but for now, let’s celebrate the players who have stepped up and made a major difference for the team thus far.
Share your thoughts here:
Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Continue reading...