Sloopy45
Pimp Minister Sinister
I've thought about this a lot since '02 ended. I don't think we, as Buckeye fans appreciate how special our National Championship season was. My first thought when I saw Tressel lift up the National Champion crystal was, "I'm watching a Buckeye Dynasty in the making. I expect, you heard me right, EXPECT, not hope (at least) 3 more of these within the next ten years.
However, we or any school will never experience a season as special as that. I don't think any team ever has or ever will. Here are my reasons and reflections two seasons later. Feel free to add to this list if you like:
1. "Goodbye Streak": As satisfying as the Championship in itself is, there is added exhiliration in the fact that we beat a supposedly unbeatable team that was riding a 34 game win streak that probably will never be topped in modern major college football. Think about the teams that other recent Champions have gone through en route to their Championship: a 2 loss scUM team (USC)? A reeling Oklahoma team (LSU)? An overmatched Nebraska team that backed into the Rose Bowl (Miami)? None of the opponents had anywhere close to the juice that the Canes had going into that game. We looked the dragon in the eye and took his bitch ass down.
2. "The Game": '02 Rose Bowl? Blow-out. '04 Sugar Bowl? Snoozer. '98 Fiesta Bowl? Boring. '93 and '96 Sugar Bowls? Unwatchable. How many teams can say that they were crowned National Champions in what could easily be called the Greatest Game of all time? And not just Buckeye or CFB fans say that. Anyone who watched the game says that it was one of the greatest sporting events they ever saw.
3. "TressellBall": The games. Oh, the games. There was never a boring game in '02. I remember looking down at my chest after the Cincinnati game and seeing it pumping up and down like a hot hooker on a cold night. After that game, I remember going on BN and agreeing with Mili and Clarity that every National Champ has one speed bump in the road and this was ours. It should be smooth sailing the rest of the way. How wrong we were. The Wisconsin game was a classic. The Penn State game was exhilirating. "Holy Buckeye!" Nuff said. The Illinois game was electric. The air around the scUM game could've been cut with a knife. By comparison, there's normally only one or two (at most) of these games for your prototypical National Champ. And for the most part, none of those games include the pagentry and excitement of a Big Ten stadium and setting.
4. "Triumph Under Adversity": Imagine this conversation between Bollman, Tress, and D'Antonio: "We have a huge hole at Corner, Underwood's not ready to dominate." "Okay, lets have our superstar WR split time at DB and see how it goes." How many times does a star WR get moved, much less moved and turns into an AA? I think Gary Danielson put it best: you've taken what was a weakness and turned it into a strength, mid-season.
Plus, look at MoC's injuries. We went through the middle of the season without our best offensive weapon. Each player stepped up a bit to fill the void and stem the tide until scUM: Jenkins makes a couple of clutch catches against Whisky, Gamble plays like a man amongst boys vs. PSU, CK made all the key scrambles and throws vs. Cincy and the Illini, and when there was a play to be made, it was made.
5. "4th Down and the Red Zone": Our offense and defense were the most clutch units of all time: first the O: Michael Jenkins. Do you ever recall, professionally or in college a WR making two unlikely 4th Down catches with the season on the line in the same season? 4th and 14. Holy Buckeye. Secondly, the D: you knew, in every game, that the opposing team can move the ball on our D. They can get to the red zone. But go no further. And all the trips between the 20's for the other teams were nail-biting until the last second.
6. "The Doubters": Has any undefeated team faced more scrutiny before their Bowl game than we did? The Grassy Inmates, Craig James, Fat Mark May, Tim Brando, Jim Rome, etc. It was equally as gratifying to shove it up their asses after the game when they all ademantly picked us to lose by 40 points. And Trev, what can I say? The "Alberts Sucks" chant behind the GameDay gang in the post-game was a classic.
7. "The Freshmen": MoC's legacy at OSU is tainted. But it is special to see a true freshman RB to come in and be as good and as exciting as MoC was. Its almost a shame considering that his OSU legacy could've been equal to that of the great Archie Griffin in Columbus. Not to mention all the other kids that showed early flashes of greatness to contribute to the Championship: Hawk, Sims, Mangold, Carpenter, D'Andrea, etc.
8. "Mr. Perfect & the Streak": Did you ever think Nuge would miss a FG attempt that year? I'm still shocked to this day when he misses one.
9. "The Settings": For some reason, the stars were aligned perfectly to put every game in the perfect setting: "A cold and windy day in Champaign, Illinois!" (thanks, Brent), 'THE GAME' was at home, an overcast and ugly day in Madison, a sunny gorgeous day at the 'Shoe against TT, SJSU, and WSU, and not to mention the Fiesta Bowl: I think Tempe will always be Columbus West from then on in the eyes of Buckeye fans.
10. "The Calls (On the field and off)": Terry Porter is a household name after the Fiesta Bowl. Who could ever forget the Illinois WR running out of bounds twice to catch critical balls for the Illini? (I was ready to throw the TV out the window!) Or how bout the Gamble "non-call" in the waning minutes of the Fiesta Bowl? The refs rode us on a roller coaster all season long.
As far as off the field, Lachey's screaming during the Fiesta Bowl is one of the funniest sound bites I've ever heard. And maybe Mr. Musberger's finest season of all time.
11. "Win One for the Seniiors": The Kaiser. Doss. Peterson. Nickey. All these guys went through the 6-6, 8-4, and 7-5 seasons, plus the Cooper firing and a very tumulutous time in OSU history. It was great to see them go out Champions after what otherwise would've been a very forgettable time in Ohio State history.
12. "What Controversy?": No backing in. No losses. No controversy. No co-Champions. No playoffs needed. Two heavyweights step on the field, and one comes out the UNDISPUTED consensus National Champion. 14-0. And no one has even a glimmer of an argument. And we don't have to share it with anybody.
Add all these things up, and you have the Greatest Season of All time. I can (and will) add more, but I'm pretty tired of typing right now.
However, we or any school will never experience a season as special as that. I don't think any team ever has or ever will. Here are my reasons and reflections two seasons later. Feel free to add to this list if you like:
1. "Goodbye Streak": As satisfying as the Championship in itself is, there is added exhiliration in the fact that we beat a supposedly unbeatable team that was riding a 34 game win streak that probably will never be topped in modern major college football. Think about the teams that other recent Champions have gone through en route to their Championship: a 2 loss scUM team (USC)? A reeling Oklahoma team (LSU)? An overmatched Nebraska team that backed into the Rose Bowl (Miami)? None of the opponents had anywhere close to the juice that the Canes had going into that game. We looked the dragon in the eye and took his bitch ass down.
2. "The Game": '02 Rose Bowl? Blow-out. '04 Sugar Bowl? Snoozer. '98 Fiesta Bowl? Boring. '93 and '96 Sugar Bowls? Unwatchable. How many teams can say that they were crowned National Champions in what could easily be called the Greatest Game of all time? And not just Buckeye or CFB fans say that. Anyone who watched the game says that it was one of the greatest sporting events they ever saw.
3. "TressellBall": The games. Oh, the games. There was never a boring game in '02. I remember looking down at my chest after the Cincinnati game and seeing it pumping up and down like a hot hooker on a cold night. After that game, I remember going on BN and agreeing with Mili and Clarity that every National Champ has one speed bump in the road and this was ours. It should be smooth sailing the rest of the way. How wrong we were. The Wisconsin game was a classic. The Penn State game was exhilirating. "Holy Buckeye!" Nuff said. The Illinois game was electric. The air around the scUM game could've been cut with a knife. By comparison, there's normally only one or two (at most) of these games for your prototypical National Champ. And for the most part, none of those games include the pagentry and excitement of a Big Ten stadium and setting.
4. "Triumph Under Adversity": Imagine this conversation between Bollman, Tress, and D'Antonio: "We have a huge hole at Corner, Underwood's not ready to dominate." "Okay, lets have our superstar WR split time at DB and see how it goes." How many times does a star WR get moved, much less moved and turns into an AA? I think Gary Danielson put it best: you've taken what was a weakness and turned it into a strength, mid-season.
Plus, look at MoC's injuries. We went through the middle of the season without our best offensive weapon. Each player stepped up a bit to fill the void and stem the tide until scUM: Jenkins makes a couple of clutch catches against Whisky, Gamble plays like a man amongst boys vs. PSU, CK made all the key scrambles and throws vs. Cincy and the Illini, and when there was a play to be made, it was made.
5. "4th Down and the Red Zone": Our offense and defense were the most clutch units of all time: first the O: Michael Jenkins. Do you ever recall, professionally or in college a WR making two unlikely 4th Down catches with the season on the line in the same season? 4th and 14. Holy Buckeye. Secondly, the D: you knew, in every game, that the opposing team can move the ball on our D. They can get to the red zone. But go no further. And all the trips between the 20's for the other teams were nail-biting until the last second.
6. "The Doubters": Has any undefeated team faced more scrutiny before their Bowl game than we did? The Grassy Inmates, Craig James, Fat Mark May, Tim Brando, Jim Rome, etc. It was equally as gratifying to shove it up their asses after the game when they all ademantly picked us to lose by 40 points. And Trev, what can I say? The "Alberts Sucks" chant behind the GameDay gang in the post-game was a classic.
7. "The Freshmen": MoC's legacy at OSU is tainted. But it is special to see a true freshman RB to come in and be as good and as exciting as MoC was. Its almost a shame considering that his OSU legacy could've been equal to that of the great Archie Griffin in Columbus. Not to mention all the other kids that showed early flashes of greatness to contribute to the Championship: Hawk, Sims, Mangold, Carpenter, D'Andrea, etc.
8. "Mr. Perfect & the Streak": Did you ever think Nuge would miss a FG attempt that year? I'm still shocked to this day when he misses one.
9. "The Settings": For some reason, the stars were aligned perfectly to put every game in the perfect setting: "A cold and windy day in Champaign, Illinois!" (thanks, Brent), 'THE GAME' was at home, an overcast and ugly day in Madison, a sunny gorgeous day at the 'Shoe against TT, SJSU, and WSU, and not to mention the Fiesta Bowl: I think Tempe will always be Columbus West from then on in the eyes of Buckeye fans.
10. "The Calls (On the field and off)": Terry Porter is a household name after the Fiesta Bowl. Who could ever forget the Illinois WR running out of bounds twice to catch critical balls for the Illini? (I was ready to throw the TV out the window!) Or how bout the Gamble "non-call" in the waning minutes of the Fiesta Bowl? The refs rode us on a roller coaster all season long.
As far as off the field, Lachey's screaming during the Fiesta Bowl is one of the funniest sound bites I've ever heard. And maybe Mr. Musberger's finest season of all time.
11. "Win One for the Seniiors": The Kaiser. Doss. Peterson. Nickey. All these guys went through the 6-6, 8-4, and 7-5 seasons, plus the Cooper firing and a very tumulutous time in OSU history. It was great to see them go out Champions after what otherwise would've been a very forgettable time in Ohio State history.
12. "What Controversy?": No backing in. No losses. No controversy. No co-Champions. No playoffs needed. Two heavyweights step on the field, and one comes out the UNDISPUTED consensus National Champion. 14-0. And no one has even a glimmer of an argument. And we don't have to share it with anybody.
Add all these things up, and you have the Greatest Season of All time. I can (and will) add more, but I'm pretty tired of typing right now.
