A. SYMPATHY
Close your eyes for a moment.
Well, OK. I guess you have to keep them open to read this, so just try to imagine the following scene.
You are in the Shoe for The Game. The visiting section is filled with Maize and Blue. In fact, two seats down is another ugly tee shirt. And in front of you there are more. You look around and realize that there are between 15 and 20 thousand Michigan fans in YOUR stadium. TV shots from the blimp reveal a yellow tint in the overall crowd. And high in their student section you see a sign poking fun at Tressel. At YOUR coach in YOUR house.
And as much as you scream and holler your team on the field continues to fail. And by games' end the singing of "Hail to the Victors" is audible throughout the stadium.
Imagine for a moment how much this would hurt.
From an OSU perspective what is happening to UM is like getting cut off in traffic by some jerk and wishing a cop would suddenly appear and pull the clown over for reckless driving. But instead he crashes into a concrete abutment and bursts into flame.
By all means, take a moment to savor the OSU victory. But also stop to consider the pain and misery that UM fans are experiencing.
Take a moment to savor that as well.
(BTW, there was a really funny joke about a gorgeous blonde with huge tits at the start of this section - pix and all - but you missed it when you closed your eyes.)
B. SYMPATHY REVISITED
I actually do have sympathy for someone, yet I don't know who he is.
Certainly he is coaching football somewhere. Perhaps a young head coach in a minor program, or an up and coming assistant. He may be on the Ohio State staff. Or maybe he is already running a major program of his own. As he goes to work today he does not yet know his fate.
But he is out there - the man who will someday replace Jim Tressel.
Six titles in nine years. Eight wins against Michigan. Yet fans are whining as he is doing it. Arguing style and ignoring substance. Screaming that he can't win "the big one". Forgetting what it takes to make it to the stage where the big ones are played.
And the next guy has to do better.
Whatever else you may say about Rodriguez, he has compassion for his successor.
C. RECRUITING ADVANTAGE
RR is no dummy. He is sly like a fox. For the second straight year he has garnered a 15 day advantage over JT, JoPa, et al in recruiting the best, and (as applies to RR recruits at least) not-so-brightest recruits in the Midwest and beyond.
Enter Lou Holtz.
In Saturday night's "mock court" segment of CFB Final they were arguing whether ND or UM had the bigger douche as a coach. The "judge" agreed with Mark May that ND's program was actually in worse shape. This triggered an outburst from Holtz who shouted "Who would want to send their kid to play for a program that may be under sanctions because they can't even keep practice records?"
If reminders of potential sanctions are not enough to undermine his efforts, enter Bill Martin.
When asked if RR would return Martin said: "He will be our coach next year, today."
Keep the cards and rumors coming folks. Underscore the word "today" that Martin dropped in his post game support statement. A single word that may have tipped his hand. Unless the NCAA moves very quickly (when has that happened) this can be lose-lose for UM. Fire RR before signing day and this recruiting year becomes a disaster with last minute defections. Fire him after signing day and it is even more of a disaster as the new coach finds his roster loaded with mighty-mites who have four years of eligibility remaining.
And of course, the ultimate UM disaster - don't fire him at all. But let folks wonder.
D. A STUDY IN CONTRAST
The video of Michael Shaw strutting through the UM tunnel stalking a player sans armor to shoulder butt is now etched in all of our minds. Anxiously awaiting his opportunity to deliver yet another example of 21st Century UM on field futility, Shaw could not pass up the chance to first exhibit good old UM Family Values.
But the image I prefer to recall is that of Justin Boren lying atop the pancaked Mike Martin as Brandon Saine races to the end zone (you recognize Martin, he was the Geico caveman clone screaming with his helmet off earlier in the game).
This is the same Justin Boren who had every reason to strut out to the UM 50 yard line, drop his drawers and shout "Kiss this!" Yet that Justin Boren brushed aside post game questions intended to bait him into ragging on his old team. Instead he gave low key responses thanking his team and expressing his gratitude for the win.
Boren brought up nothing about why he left Michigan. He didn't need to. Michael Shaw did it for him.
E. AND SPEAKING OF BOREN
Folks were talking last week about what kind of statement he might make this week. Problem is, there is no position on the field where it is more difficult to make a visible statement than on the OL.
When rewatching the game I paid particular attention to Justin. Didn't catch him on every play, but never saw him on his butt. Saw him moving his man and opening holes. Saw him making the same sort of measured statement on the field that he made afterwards in the locker room - even apologizing for running his mouth at Martin when he had him on the ground.
F. CLASSIC BOWL MATCH UPS
If Kansas can become bowl eligible and the powers that be don't set up a match between them and Notre Dame - well, they simply have no sense of humor.
(If they are both unemployed perhaps the NCAA can stage a cage match.)
G. WE LOVE YOU MAN
In his post game presser RR said "If I'm a bad guy because I lost some games, that's what people perceive, I can't help that."
Apparently he missed our sign. WE love you Rich Rodriguez. We really do. And while there may have been almost as many UM fans to love you two years ago as there were Buckeyes to hate you, that is not longer true. The wobbly wheels of the UM bandwagon have rolled right over their lifeless bodies.
But we are still here - and in growing numbers. And it doesn't matter to us if you are a bad guy. To quote Anheuser-Busch; "We love you man".
H. PROMISES, PROMISES
"I am going to get (my teammates) to a bowl game," Tate Forcier said prior to the OSU game. "If it means spending 10 hours in film this week, then I am going to do it. But we are going to get them to a bowl game."
I have it on good authority that he indeed spent the promised 10 hours of film study last week. I can further report that he cried when they shot Old Yeller and was taken completely off guard to learn that the Bruce Willis character had been dead the whole time.
As for the rest of his promise, it could be quite expensive for the Forcier family. Transportation alone for 105 athletes to Pasadena or Miami will run into tens of thousands (less than that for a "bare cupboard" size squad one would suppose). And since none of the Forcier kids has yet shown NFL talent, either individually or as a unit, that could be a stretch.
Of course, he could always cop out and just buy tickets to the Motor City Bowl.
And BTW, 10 hours studying film? Is this really Forcier's concept of sacrifice for the biggest game of your career to date? Two hours a night and bed by 9:00?
And was he REALLY wearing a stocking cap under his helmet to protect him from the frigid 40 degree temperatures?
Kid should have gone to MSU. He is the very embodiment of the men ancient Sparta once fostered.
I. SPEAKING OF PROMISES (And once again paraphrasing)
CW five years ago: "If you think 6-5 is good enough you hired the wrong man."
CW after going to 6-5 Saturday: "I am not a hypocrite."
If he in fact voluntarily resigns and foregoes any form of buy out I will genuinely change my opinion of the man. If he takes the money and runs you can add hypocrisy to his list of sins - right after gluttony.
Funny thing is, ND may be jumping the gun after all.
I was astounded to hear that ND was losing thirty three seniors. I can't recall OSU ever approaching that number. Out of curiosity I checked their depth chart - assuming the new Domer coach would become the latest victim of the Mother Hubbard syndrome.
To my surprise I learned that the ND starting D includes only two seniors and a remarkable SIX underclassmen. And while their OL will be decimated the only other starting senior is their Fullback. If Tate and Clausen hang around and some of the highly rated OL recruits stepped up they could put together a decent O.
Maybe CW should have gotten one more year.
Ain't that a hoot.
J. UNIFORMS
I know this has its own thread. And I know there are a lot of folks on this site who like the unis. In fact, a lot of you have bought or are anxious to buy them.
I say fail. At multiple levels.
As the money changing hands in CFB has exploded over the past decade or two my heartburn with the exploitation of amateur athletes has increased in like proportion.
Now Nike is using these players as runway models.
If the players and coaches want to go with throwbacks or motivational color schemes or play in the nude - great. But that is not who is calling the shots on this. Every quote I have read from JT in regards to the unis is essentially "We will wear whatever they tell us to." If that is the most vocal support Mr. Politically Correct himself can muster don?t kid yourself about how popular this is. Kurt Coleman referred to them as a "distraction" that needed to be "one and done".
This is about money for Nike and a school that frisks me on my way in to the stadium. Not in search of a gun or bomb, but to make sure I am not concealing a bottle of water that I can drink for free on the other side of the turnstile.
My father had an expression that was appropriate for things like this.
"Horseshit."
K. A PLUG FOR THE LADIES
I don't know how many football junkies make it down to the BBall forum but I encourage you to check this link.
http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/...0-lady-buckeyes-basketball-5.html#post1603465
Currently averaging 91 ppg the #3 Lady Bucks are putting on quite a show - before crowds averaging less than 3,000.
To quote the Oklahoma St Coach following Saturday's game: "With a team like that OSU should be averaging 10,000 a game. These people in this town are making a mistake not coming out and watching this team."
So come check 'em out.
But only if you like girls.
L. QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSEY
Other than when he runs Pryor is getting more boring every week. I have come to embrace it.
That said, look for the chrysalis to begin to open January 1st.
And as for next season.
OSU will have the deepest and arguably most talented stable of running backs since modern scholarship limits were imposed. We should have the deepest and potentially most talented OL in the Jim Tressel era.
When opposing defenses take on the Buckeyes it will be like fighting the biggest guy in the bar - and the bludgeon in his back pocket will be Terrelle Pryor. A weapon to be used only when necessary or when you get tired of sparring. You want conservative? Prepare to see some body blows.
As the running game gets stronger the parallels with Krenzel may become more pronounced - but with a mind numbing dimension in reserve. You will never see TP run the ball on a regular basis - JT will not expose him to the punishment. But when he does....
As for his passing. Disappointed with the two misses Saturday? Remember that Craig Krenzel - the QB who could not push Steve Belisari off the field without spiking his drinks at a campus party (that's the rumor I heard) - did not throw "Holy Buckeye" until the end of his fourth year in the program. Give him time.
By mid season next year those same folks who were calling for Bauserman after the Purdue loss will be wringing their hands over the potential for Pryor's early exit.
And this O will arrive just in time. If Heyward leaves we will have the biggest defensive rebuilding job in recent memory.
M. PREMATURE EVACUATION
Charging the field was a topic of discussion prior to the Iowa game. Appropriate or not, at least we did it right.
As much as I was rooting for Arizona to make it to their first Rose Bowl it was quite comical to watch students drop from the stands in preparation for the onrush even as Oregon was moving towards the inevitable tying TD.
Fail.
N. HARBINGER STAT OF THE WEEK
OSU gained 251 yards on the ground Saturday.
Zero in the first quarter while JT felt them out with his 7 point lead.
Thirty one in the fourth while we were running out the clock.
The other 220 (246 if you don't count the 26 yard loss credited to Pryor on the grounding call) came in the second and third quarters while the game was being decided.
O. LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE
I can't resist a visit to the UM boards after an OSU win. The consensus was predictable.
They have turned the corner. Great improvement in the D. OSU didn't beat them, they beat themselves.
Apparently they missed the part where Forcier's "pocket" collapsed time and again. Perhaps it slipped past them that his errant fourth quarter throws were an attempt to overcome an 11 point deficit. Certainly they missed JT saying for the hundredth time "The #1 job of our offense is to not put our Defense in a bad position." And it is the job of the Defense to help the other team to beat itself.
So I guess they nailed it after all.
This was a classic Tressel game plan. Complete with a screen pass designed for the occasion.
And as for UM starting the game with an unforced turnover. What I saw was the Offense getting two first downs so the punter could pin them deep so the Defense could put some pressure on Forcier in his own end zone. Just the way JT likes it. That wasn't UM doing that to themselves. That was classic Tresselball. And they should know. This was the sixth encore performance.
Rarely have I seen JT in as a good a mood as he was for the post game presser, freely sharing the info about the intern calling the TD play. Info that he knew full well would feed the frenzy of those hounding him about conservative play calling. Why not do OC via Twitter? Let us all in the fun. We know how to win. We do it all the time on NCAA 2009.
I love this man.
P. FAREWELL PARTY
I hosted a UM party this year as I have for road games since 2005 (host one winner and you ride out the streak).
Alas, it is likely to be my last. Insertion of a bye week means the hoopla of The Game will be largely lost as it merges with Thanksgiving festivities.
Say what you will, but family trumps football in the end.
Q. A LOSS MIGHT DO SOME FOLKS GOOD
An 18 year old entering OSU today has not experienced an OSU loss to Michigan since they were 12. An ever increasing proportion of posters on this board have never experienced the bitterness of losing to the Wolverines since they began paying serious attention to football.
That is unfortunate.
I read the posts of many last week who were hungry for the slaughter. I don't know if they are disappointed with the outcome. I assure you I am not.
There is no true appreciation of this rivalry without experiencing the bitterness of defeat - particularly that of an upset loss. I felt it in 1969, in 1996 and in every loss in between.
This was a glorious win. By 11 or by 1 or by 101 - it doesn't matter.
Many did not expect to see UM's D rise to the occasion. I had little doubt that they would.
Of course, in the end it was a rout. A Jim Tressel rout. Going for it on fourth down just to burn clock. Essentially running out the entire fourth quarter so long as the lead was 11. Looking back, OSU "dominated" in the way that only Tressel can dominate a game.
There were not many ways OSU could have lost this game.
Some may wish he had gone for the jugular. Pushed the ball down field. Opened up the offense. Let Pryor try something more aggressive than two long balls that nobody could catch.
That would have been one way to lose.
For those who have not felt the bitterness I understand. "The Game" is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you are going to get, but you know it is going to be sweet.
Well it ain't always that way. I have been that long face in Maize and Blue that has become a permanent fixture staring into ABC cameras.
I can tell the bitter from the sweet. And this win was positively glorious.
R. REMEMBERING STEFANIE
There is nothing in my style of expressing myself that allows me to do justice to this topic. But I am not comfortable posting an observations thread that ignores it.
I didn't know Stefanie any more than I know Chris. But what has been lost is not just the wife of a player whose story has been so widely published. She was also a symbol of the battle so many are waging with this disease.
To those who continue the struggle, or who love someone engaged in this battle, mourn her loss, but follow her example. Fight on. The cure is coming.
Close your eyes for a moment.
Well, OK. I guess you have to keep them open to read this, so just try to imagine the following scene.
You are in the Shoe for The Game. The visiting section is filled with Maize and Blue. In fact, two seats down is another ugly tee shirt. And in front of you there are more. You look around and realize that there are between 15 and 20 thousand Michigan fans in YOUR stadium. TV shots from the blimp reveal a yellow tint in the overall crowd. And high in their student section you see a sign poking fun at Tressel. At YOUR coach in YOUR house.
And as much as you scream and holler your team on the field continues to fail. And by games' end the singing of "Hail to the Victors" is audible throughout the stadium.
Imagine for a moment how much this would hurt.
From an OSU perspective what is happening to UM is like getting cut off in traffic by some jerk and wishing a cop would suddenly appear and pull the clown over for reckless driving. But instead he crashes into a concrete abutment and bursts into flame.
By all means, take a moment to savor the OSU victory. But also stop to consider the pain and misery that UM fans are experiencing.
Take a moment to savor that as well.
(BTW, there was a really funny joke about a gorgeous blonde with huge tits at the start of this section - pix and all - but you missed it when you closed your eyes.)
B. SYMPATHY REVISITED
I actually do have sympathy for someone, yet I don't know who he is.
Certainly he is coaching football somewhere. Perhaps a young head coach in a minor program, or an up and coming assistant. He may be on the Ohio State staff. Or maybe he is already running a major program of his own. As he goes to work today he does not yet know his fate.
But he is out there - the man who will someday replace Jim Tressel.
Six titles in nine years. Eight wins against Michigan. Yet fans are whining as he is doing it. Arguing style and ignoring substance. Screaming that he can't win "the big one". Forgetting what it takes to make it to the stage where the big ones are played.
And the next guy has to do better.
Whatever else you may say about Rodriguez, he has compassion for his successor.
C. RECRUITING ADVANTAGE
RR is no dummy. He is sly like a fox. For the second straight year he has garnered a 15 day advantage over JT, JoPa, et al in recruiting the best, and (as applies to RR recruits at least) not-so-brightest recruits in the Midwest and beyond.
Enter Lou Holtz.
In Saturday night's "mock court" segment of CFB Final they were arguing whether ND or UM had the bigger douche as a coach. The "judge" agreed with Mark May that ND's program was actually in worse shape. This triggered an outburst from Holtz who shouted "Who would want to send their kid to play for a program that may be under sanctions because they can't even keep practice records?"
If reminders of potential sanctions are not enough to undermine his efforts, enter Bill Martin.
When asked if RR would return Martin said: "He will be our coach next year, today."
Keep the cards and rumors coming folks. Underscore the word "today" that Martin dropped in his post game support statement. A single word that may have tipped his hand. Unless the NCAA moves very quickly (when has that happened) this can be lose-lose for UM. Fire RR before signing day and this recruiting year becomes a disaster with last minute defections. Fire him after signing day and it is even more of a disaster as the new coach finds his roster loaded with mighty-mites who have four years of eligibility remaining.
And of course, the ultimate UM disaster - don't fire him at all. But let folks wonder.
D. A STUDY IN CONTRAST
The video of Michael Shaw strutting through the UM tunnel stalking a player sans armor to shoulder butt is now etched in all of our minds. Anxiously awaiting his opportunity to deliver yet another example of 21st Century UM on field futility, Shaw could not pass up the chance to first exhibit good old UM Family Values.
But the image I prefer to recall is that of Justin Boren lying atop the pancaked Mike Martin as Brandon Saine races to the end zone (you recognize Martin, he was the Geico caveman clone screaming with his helmet off earlier in the game).
This is the same Justin Boren who had every reason to strut out to the UM 50 yard line, drop his drawers and shout "Kiss this!" Yet that Justin Boren brushed aside post game questions intended to bait him into ragging on his old team. Instead he gave low key responses thanking his team and expressing his gratitude for the win.
Boren brought up nothing about why he left Michigan. He didn't need to. Michael Shaw did it for him.
E. AND SPEAKING OF BOREN
Folks were talking last week about what kind of statement he might make this week. Problem is, there is no position on the field where it is more difficult to make a visible statement than on the OL.
When rewatching the game I paid particular attention to Justin. Didn't catch him on every play, but never saw him on his butt. Saw him moving his man and opening holes. Saw him making the same sort of measured statement on the field that he made afterwards in the locker room - even apologizing for running his mouth at Martin when he had him on the ground.
F. CLASSIC BOWL MATCH UPS
If Kansas can become bowl eligible and the powers that be don't set up a match between them and Notre Dame - well, they simply have no sense of humor.
(If they are both unemployed perhaps the NCAA can stage a cage match.)
G. WE LOVE YOU MAN
In his post game presser RR said "If I'm a bad guy because I lost some games, that's what people perceive, I can't help that."
Apparently he missed our sign. WE love you Rich Rodriguez. We really do. And while there may have been almost as many UM fans to love you two years ago as there were Buckeyes to hate you, that is not longer true. The wobbly wheels of the UM bandwagon have rolled right over their lifeless bodies.
But we are still here - and in growing numbers. And it doesn't matter to us if you are a bad guy. To quote Anheuser-Busch; "We love you man".
H. PROMISES, PROMISES
"I am going to get (my teammates) to a bowl game," Tate Forcier said prior to the OSU game. "If it means spending 10 hours in film this week, then I am going to do it. But we are going to get them to a bowl game."
I have it on good authority that he indeed spent the promised 10 hours of film study last week. I can further report that he cried when they shot Old Yeller and was taken completely off guard to learn that the Bruce Willis character had been dead the whole time.
As for the rest of his promise, it could be quite expensive for the Forcier family. Transportation alone for 105 athletes to Pasadena or Miami will run into tens of thousands (less than that for a "bare cupboard" size squad one would suppose). And since none of the Forcier kids has yet shown NFL talent, either individually or as a unit, that could be a stretch.
Of course, he could always cop out and just buy tickets to the Motor City Bowl.
And BTW, 10 hours studying film? Is this really Forcier's concept of sacrifice for the biggest game of your career to date? Two hours a night and bed by 9:00?
And was he REALLY wearing a stocking cap under his helmet to protect him from the frigid 40 degree temperatures?
Kid should have gone to MSU. He is the very embodiment of the men ancient Sparta once fostered.
I. SPEAKING OF PROMISES (And once again paraphrasing)
CW five years ago: "If you think 6-5 is good enough you hired the wrong man."
CW after going to 6-5 Saturday: "I am not a hypocrite."
If he in fact voluntarily resigns and foregoes any form of buy out I will genuinely change my opinion of the man. If he takes the money and runs you can add hypocrisy to his list of sins - right after gluttony.
Funny thing is, ND may be jumping the gun after all.
I was astounded to hear that ND was losing thirty three seniors. I can't recall OSU ever approaching that number. Out of curiosity I checked their depth chart - assuming the new Domer coach would become the latest victim of the Mother Hubbard syndrome.
To my surprise I learned that the ND starting D includes only two seniors and a remarkable SIX underclassmen. And while their OL will be decimated the only other starting senior is their Fullback. If Tate and Clausen hang around and some of the highly rated OL recruits stepped up they could put together a decent O.
Maybe CW should have gotten one more year.
Ain't that a hoot.
J. UNIFORMS
I know this has its own thread. And I know there are a lot of folks on this site who like the unis. In fact, a lot of you have bought or are anxious to buy them.
I say fail. At multiple levels.
As the money changing hands in CFB has exploded over the past decade or two my heartburn with the exploitation of amateur athletes has increased in like proportion.
Now Nike is using these players as runway models.
If the players and coaches want to go with throwbacks or motivational color schemes or play in the nude - great. But that is not who is calling the shots on this. Every quote I have read from JT in regards to the unis is essentially "We will wear whatever they tell us to." If that is the most vocal support Mr. Politically Correct himself can muster don?t kid yourself about how popular this is. Kurt Coleman referred to them as a "distraction" that needed to be "one and done".
This is about money for Nike and a school that frisks me on my way in to the stadium. Not in search of a gun or bomb, but to make sure I am not concealing a bottle of water that I can drink for free on the other side of the turnstile.
My father had an expression that was appropriate for things like this.
"Horseshit."
K. A PLUG FOR THE LADIES
I don't know how many football junkies make it down to the BBall forum but I encourage you to check this link.
http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/...0-lady-buckeyes-basketball-5.html#post1603465
Currently averaging 91 ppg the #3 Lady Bucks are putting on quite a show - before crowds averaging less than 3,000.
To quote the Oklahoma St Coach following Saturday's game: "With a team like that OSU should be averaging 10,000 a game. These people in this town are making a mistake not coming out and watching this team."
So come check 'em out.
But only if you like girls.
L. QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSEY
Other than when he runs Pryor is getting more boring every week. I have come to embrace it.
That said, look for the chrysalis to begin to open January 1st.
And as for next season.
OSU will have the deepest and arguably most talented stable of running backs since modern scholarship limits were imposed. We should have the deepest and potentially most talented OL in the Jim Tressel era.
When opposing defenses take on the Buckeyes it will be like fighting the biggest guy in the bar - and the bludgeon in his back pocket will be Terrelle Pryor. A weapon to be used only when necessary or when you get tired of sparring. You want conservative? Prepare to see some body blows.
As the running game gets stronger the parallels with Krenzel may become more pronounced - but with a mind numbing dimension in reserve. You will never see TP run the ball on a regular basis - JT will not expose him to the punishment. But when he does....
As for his passing. Disappointed with the two misses Saturday? Remember that Craig Krenzel - the QB who could not push Steve Belisari off the field without spiking his drinks at a campus party (that's the rumor I heard) - did not throw "Holy Buckeye" until the end of his fourth year in the program. Give him time.
By mid season next year those same folks who were calling for Bauserman after the Purdue loss will be wringing their hands over the potential for Pryor's early exit.
And this O will arrive just in time. If Heyward leaves we will have the biggest defensive rebuilding job in recent memory.
M. PREMATURE EVACUATION
Charging the field was a topic of discussion prior to the Iowa game. Appropriate or not, at least we did it right.
As much as I was rooting for Arizona to make it to their first Rose Bowl it was quite comical to watch students drop from the stands in preparation for the onrush even as Oregon was moving towards the inevitable tying TD.
Fail.
N. HARBINGER STAT OF THE WEEK
OSU gained 251 yards on the ground Saturday.
Zero in the first quarter while JT felt them out with his 7 point lead.
Thirty one in the fourth while we were running out the clock.
The other 220 (246 if you don't count the 26 yard loss credited to Pryor on the grounding call) came in the second and third quarters while the game was being decided.
O. LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE
I can't resist a visit to the UM boards after an OSU win. The consensus was predictable.
They have turned the corner. Great improvement in the D. OSU didn't beat them, they beat themselves.
Apparently they missed the part where Forcier's "pocket" collapsed time and again. Perhaps it slipped past them that his errant fourth quarter throws were an attempt to overcome an 11 point deficit. Certainly they missed JT saying for the hundredth time "The #1 job of our offense is to not put our Defense in a bad position." And it is the job of the Defense to help the other team to beat itself.
So I guess they nailed it after all.
This was a classic Tressel game plan. Complete with a screen pass designed for the occasion.
And as for UM starting the game with an unforced turnover. What I saw was the Offense getting two first downs so the punter could pin them deep so the Defense could put some pressure on Forcier in his own end zone. Just the way JT likes it. That wasn't UM doing that to themselves. That was classic Tresselball. And they should know. This was the sixth encore performance.
Rarely have I seen JT in as a good a mood as he was for the post game presser, freely sharing the info about the intern calling the TD play. Info that he knew full well would feed the frenzy of those hounding him about conservative play calling. Why not do OC via Twitter? Let us all in the fun. We know how to win. We do it all the time on NCAA 2009.
I love this man.
P. FAREWELL PARTY
I hosted a UM party this year as I have for road games since 2005 (host one winner and you ride out the streak).
Alas, it is likely to be my last. Insertion of a bye week means the hoopla of The Game will be largely lost as it merges with Thanksgiving festivities.
Say what you will, but family trumps football in the end.
Q. A LOSS MIGHT DO SOME FOLKS GOOD
An 18 year old entering OSU today has not experienced an OSU loss to Michigan since they were 12. An ever increasing proportion of posters on this board have never experienced the bitterness of losing to the Wolverines since they began paying serious attention to football.
That is unfortunate.
I read the posts of many last week who were hungry for the slaughter. I don't know if they are disappointed with the outcome. I assure you I am not.
There is no true appreciation of this rivalry without experiencing the bitterness of defeat - particularly that of an upset loss. I felt it in 1969, in 1996 and in every loss in between.
This was a glorious win. By 11 or by 1 or by 101 - it doesn't matter.
Many did not expect to see UM's D rise to the occasion. I had little doubt that they would.
Of course, in the end it was a rout. A Jim Tressel rout. Going for it on fourth down just to burn clock. Essentially running out the entire fourth quarter so long as the lead was 11. Looking back, OSU "dominated" in the way that only Tressel can dominate a game.
There were not many ways OSU could have lost this game.
Some may wish he had gone for the jugular. Pushed the ball down field. Opened up the offense. Let Pryor try something more aggressive than two long balls that nobody could catch.
That would have been one way to lose.
For those who have not felt the bitterness I understand. "The Game" is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you are going to get, but you know it is going to be sweet.
Well it ain't always that way. I have been that long face in Maize and Blue that has become a permanent fixture staring into ABC cameras.
I can tell the bitter from the sweet. And this win was positively glorious.
R. REMEMBERING STEFANIE
There is nothing in my style of expressing myself that allows me to do justice to this topic. But I am not comfortable posting an observations thread that ignores it.
I didn't know Stefanie any more than I know Chris. But what has been lost is not just the wife of a player whose story has been so widely published. She was also a symbol of the battle so many are waging with this disease.
To those who continue the struggle, or who love someone engaged in this battle, mourn her loss, but follow her example. Fight on. The cure is coming.
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