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What Is the Best Single Play in THE GAME During the Tressel Era?

What Is the Greatest Single Play in THE GAME During the Tressel Era?

  • 2001: Jonathan Wells' 46-yard TD run on fourth-and-inches

    Votes: 8 4.0%
  • 2002: Maurice Hall's game winning TD run (Krenzel runs the option in the red zone)

    Votes: 7 3.5%
  • 2002: Will Smith's sack, strip, and fumble recovery against John Navarre with less than two minutes

    Votes: 3 1.5%
  • 2002: Will Allen's game-saving interception at the goal line as time expires

    Votes: 28 13.9%
  • 2004: Smith to Gonzalez for a 68-yard touchdown (beating Ernest Shazor)

    Votes: 4 2.0%
  • 2004: Teddy Ginn's 82-yard punt return for a touchdown

    Votes: 12 6.0%
  • 2004: Santonio Holmes schools Marlin Jackson on a 12-yard TD reception

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2005: Smith to Gonzalez for 27 yards to set up the game-winning TD as time runs down (The Catch)

    Votes: 78 38.8%
  • 2005: Antonio Pittman's game-winning TD run (Burgess and Crable get trucked at the goal line)

    Votes: 5 2.5%
  • 2006: Beanie Wells' 52-yard TD run (beats Shawn Crable with a spin move in the backfield)

    Votes: 13 6.5%
  • 2006: Play-action pass from Smith to Ginn for a 38-yard TD on second-and-inches

    Votes: 23 11.4%
  • 2006: Smith to Robiskie for the game-winning 13-yard TD pass (burning Morgan "Slappy" Trent)

    Votes: 2 1.0%
  • 2007: Beanie Wells ices the game with a 62-yard TD run, part of his 222 yards on the afternoon

    Votes: 7 3.5%
  • 2008: Beanie Wells smokes the Wolverines for the third year in a row, this time for a 59-yard TD run

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • Some other play (and there are many, many others....)

    Votes: 10 5.0%

  • Total voters
    201
That was a tough pick, all of those are amazing plays, but the obvious two that really stick out are Will Allen's INT at the goaline and the Smith to Gonzo pass/catch in '05. Honestly, I'm not sure I made the right pick when I selected "The Catch," because Allen's INT did secure the trip to the Fiesta Bowl and had he not been right there to make the pick, those damn Wolverines may have spoiled another NC trip for us.

The Smith/Gonzo play was a thing of pure beauty and magic, but it certainly did not mean as much as the INT did. Allen single handedly cleared the slate for us in terms of beating Michigan instead of choking like we did in '93, '95, '96, '97, and '98 (even though that last one was to that other team up north). Clearly a tough call, but I kind of wish I would have gone with Allen's INT, even though "The Catch" is one of my favorite Buckeye plays of all time.
 
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Jonathan Wells' run. It hit the reset button on this entire program and the rivalry. It was the kind of play and statement that Ohio State had failed to make in The Game for over a decade. Without that play, I'm not sure the rest of them on the list happen (or at least mean as much.) It changed everything.
 
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I went with Hall's TD in '02. I know it isn't the most flashy, but I kept looking at the list of plays, trying to remember how I felt during/after each one, and this one kept sticking out to me. I hate to use the word "relieved", because there were 6 minutes left in the game and I was far from relieved, but at the time I was fairly confident that that score was enough to win it.

It was a toss up between that play and Allen's Int--those are definitely my top two. 3rd I'd go with The Catch.
 
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RB07OSU;1597258; said:
"Holy Buckeye" at Purdue...happened right in front of me and was the defining moment of the NC season.

He needs to change the title. I believe he means against scUM. Holy Buckeye is the unquestioned #1 play in the Tressel era.
 
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heisman;1597352; said:
He needs to change the title.
Not really. Even if someone doesn't know what 'The Game' means, the set of plays should give it away.

The alternative also requires that LJB forgot all about MoC's strip, the goal line stop, Troy's heisman moment vs PSU, etc.
 
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This was the first play that came to my mind before seeing the list...

Maurice Hall's game winning TD run (Krenzel runs the option in the red zone)

In a season of close calls, this was the capper. We were behind in the 4th quarter and the undefeated season was in serious jeopardy.
 
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IMO... Beanie's '06 run.

I'd feel more comfortable saying it if we had won the NCG that year. As it is, it's really close between that and Will Allen's int. But I'm thinking this in an "at the time" moment--so when Will Allen had that pick, I didn't know that would propel us to a NC win. Likewise, when we won in '06, I didn't know that we would lose the NCG.

But Beanie's run was pretty amazing. That TSUN D had been giving up so few yards on the ground per game, and he just torched them. Pure athleticism. Definitely was a major moment in that game.
 
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I kinda wanted to vote for some of the plays that weren't doing so well in the poll. All were great, and reading over this list brings them all back.

Only a couple of plays during the Game during Cooper era stand out for me, while all of these, and more, stand out for Tressel. I think that if a list of Cooper's top 20 were put against a list of Tress's top five, Tressel would still win.

Now that I've voted, I want to change my vote :! The goal line stand(s) is / are my favorite - no, wait. I mean the going for it at the goal, knowing the defense wouldn't allow scUM to move if they didn't make it - no, wait, I mean .... I think you know what I mean. :)
 
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jwinslow;1597357; said:
Not really. Even if someone doesn't know what 'The Game' means, the set of plays should give it away.

The alternative also requires that LJB forgot all about MoC's strip, the goal line stop, Troy's heisman moment vs PSU, etc.
Strange how this list appeared during M!ch!g@n week....

Maybe I'll come up with a general list of great plays during the Tressel era some time after the season.
 
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