Game Thread tOSU at Nebraska, Sat October 8, 2011, 8 pm ET, ABC

[iBucki]

They'd had 2 second half 3-and-outs prior to the Miller fumble. After that:

2 plays, 23 yards, touchdown
7 plays, 82 yards, touchdown
5 plays, 24 yards, punt
7 plays, 72 yards, touchdown
4 plays, 78 yards, touchdown

These weren't gut-wrenching exhausting 16-play drives (ala Illinois or LSU 2007) where UNL wore them down. They got absolutely gashed repeatedly.

I'm not arguing that the offense helped them at all. Not even a bit. But I just can't place the blame on the offense when the defense implodes so dramatically.

Football is a game of pressure, and the turnover giving UNL the short field, followed by Braxton's injury just happened to put immense amounts of it on a (in case we forget) very young defense. The offensive play calling and execution definitely didn't help alleviate it.

 

[WoodyHayes1951]

We need better leadership.

I love Luke, but we need better leadership.


You can say "young" this and "injuries" that. "Suspensions", yada,yada,yada.


All college teams get injuries and all players are young.


AND You should NEVER lose a game like that after ONE player goes down.

 

[DaBears]

I think the best way to describe this entire season dating back to the end of the sugar bowl is a giant sucker punch that never goes away. When it looks like there is reason to be hopeful, that sucker punch comes again. I'm looking forward to next year and as long as we beat scUM, I'll be happy.

 

[Moose]

It's gonna be a long season. But, all these young buckeyes are getting experience. This is gonna be a character building time. Not surprized, but it still hurts. Still love my Buckeyes. Tough stuff.

Moose

 

[Elephant]

Maybe I am in the minority too...but I have not been impressed with our seniors this year. The ones that do play...Geez!

 

[Nicknam4]

Can we all just agree the entire team played shitty once Brax left the field and call it a day? I'm tired. My whole day sucked.

 

[SloopyHangOn]

Am I the only one that is MOST furious that all of this angst, frustration and disappointment is entirely attributed to the selfish folly of a handful of players?

ALL of this for what? A couple hundred bucks? FUCK.

 

[cjmik_75]

It's funny how everyone used to bitch about "Tressel ball"...well Tressel ball never would have lost this game.

Funny how I never once bitched about tress ball. EVER. SO GET OVER THAT SHIT.

Funnier that the 2nd half O didn't look a fucking thing like tress ball...

And for the record tress ball wins this game 99.9% of the time.

That is why it's on the fucking coaches. Have NONE OF THEM learned!?!?!!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!?!?!??!?!?!!?!??!!!!!!!!?

 

[OhioState001]

Maybe I am in the minority too...but I have not been impressed with our seniors this year. The ones that do play...Geez!

Mike Adams looked good

 

[Bucklion]

I don't know about the second sentence, but I'm fully on board with the first. Hope that ankle is rock solid next week, and then the bye comes at a good time.

Maybe he meant to say we'll hang IN Wisconsin?

 

[dav713]

Last comment...How the fuck is 21 points UNL's biggest comeback ever...that is just salt in the wound.

 

[Gothmog8]

Ugh.

I almost wish we had just gotten demolished like I expected, instead I had my hopes raised and shattered within an hour's time. It's a damn good thing I bought NCAA 12 a few weeks ago, it'll save me hours and thousands in therapy.

This is what made this harder to swallow then the other losses.. fuck
I wish I had booze.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

I don't disagree with Bauserman's performance, but at Ohio State the defense should be able to bring home a win when given a 21-point second half lead even without any further contributions from the offense.

This is what I'm trying to articulate.

Seriously, I'm sick of you guys saying how can they be tired?? When an offense has the ball for about 25 of 30 minutes in the second half, doesn't matter who you are, they're gonna be tired.

Have you guys never played any sports? I said this in my first post, it's not all being exhaustion, it's getting our asses handed to us in general on defense. But seriously try playing defense for 25 minutes in one half, it's exhausting

It's not that I'm ignoring the fact that the offense did nothing to help them and that they were tired. I'm sure they were. But I just don't buy that as the only reason they gave up 28 points in 20 minutes.

It's not like there was a gradual decline in the quality of the defense. They were good for the first two series and then it's like a light switch went off the moment Miller fumbled and it never came back on. From that point on, they got mauled in every facet.

I agree with you, it's tough though when our offense probably averaged about :40 for each possession, that's not enough time for the defense.

Absolutely agree. The offense did the defense zero favors in the last quarter-and-a-half.

I guess I'm just used to a defense that doesn't need any favors to protect a 21 point lead. :(

*sigh* Sorry, Mac. Incredibly frustrated. Here's to letting this go, eh? :)

 

[alexhortdog95]

Experienced teams learn how to overcome turnovers. Martinez threw that pick, but he shook it off.

Or Suh grabbed him and shook the crap outta him until he got the evil spirits out of him.

 

[BrAss Man]

If this game had just gone the way I think most of us expected......I could have gone to bed "calm as a Hindu cow" (name that movie). Now I'm all [censored]ed off and my wife's already fallen asleep so I can't get rid of some of this pent up energy.

There aren't enough beverages to wash this taste out.