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

[OHSportsFan]

All very very very good plays. I love that list.

Just to add a little food for thought to the "Other" category- #13's wheel route in 2002.

Another "other"-

Austin Spitler's detonation of Sam McGuffie.

Perhaps not as big as the others listed, but certainly a memorable hit.

 

[WoodyWorshiper]

I went with "The Catch"

THE Game that we tried to damn near give away until the final drive. Plus, it was pretty much immortalized here by the great photographic work of that punter dude, I think he calls himself "Hawaiian" or something like that.

Peace

AND, the picture was phenominal! (Kudo's S.T.)

 

[buckeye247]

Two Words
"The Catch"

 

[TooTall]

I voted for the Allen INT to seal the deal in 2002 because WOW was that an amazing feeling after he caught that! I think I ran around the house 10 times in excitement.

 

[TooTall]

Another "other"-

Austin Spitler's detonation of Sam McGuffie.

Perhaps not as big as the others listed, but certainly a memorable hit.

Video link for memories?

 

[LordJeffBuck]

I voted Teddy's punt return. All those plays listed, of course, are great plays, and as LJB points out there are a number which didn't even make the list, but that Punt return still sends chills down my spine. I've mentioned it before, in some preseason thread, I figure... There's this moment when it looks like Ginn's caught, but he cuts it up to his left, and at that moment, the crowd - collectively and at the same moment - realized "he's housing this one"

I friggin LOVE that moment.

I did too. Just a great individual play. Granted, it didn't mean as much as most of the others on the list, but it was just so symbolic of the Buckeyes' dominance during the Tressel era.

For symbolism, Pittman & co trucking the two wayward Ohioans en route to the endzone.

Probably the least exciting play on the list ...I mean, it was just a three-yard run off-tackle right? But I agree with your assessment ... it's still fun watching Burgess and Crable being snow-plowed into the end zone, especially on a play which proved to be the game-winner.

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.

Good analysis ... Allen's INT might have been the most important play of the season ... and it was a phenomenal play in it's own right.

Jonathan Wells' run. It hit the reset button on this entire program and the rivalry. It was the kind of plan 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.

Interesting take. Consider Jonathan Wells' story for a minute ... the kid comes up to Columbus from Louisiana in 1998 ... plays with Buckeye greats like Andy Katzenmoyer, David Boston, Antoine Winfield, Joe Germaine, Michael Wiley ... goes 11-1 with a Big Ten title, a win over Michigan, a win in the Sugar Bowl, and a #2 finish in the polls ... it's all looking good for Ohio State, right? Then, over Wells' next 34 games, Ohio State goes 20-14 ... with the Bellisari experiment ... academic scandals ... the Outback Bowl fiasco ... the Cooper firing ... the hiring of a no-name Division I-AA coach ... then, in the days leading up to the 2001 Game, the Buckeyes' starting quarterback (Steve Bellisari) gets suspended for DUI and the Buckeyes get pounded by Illinois in the final home game of the season. So at this point, what does a senior from out of state, who has lived through some of the worst of Buckeye football after such a promising start, have to play for as a huge underdog against #11 Michigan on the road in The Game? Well, probably nothing ... but instead of mailing it in, Wells comes out and plays the game of his life, rushing 25 times for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns, with the 46-yarder on 4th-and-one being the highlight (by the way, the rest of the team combined for 25 rushes for 8 yards ... and if you add in 118 yards of passing, then Wells still outgained the rest of the team 129 yards to 126 yards ... both of which made Wells' achievements even more outstanding). Would any other coach have gotten that kind of performance out of Wells or the rest of the team that day? Doubtful....

Other -

Wheel Route to Mo C from Krenzel. There was no doubt the Bucks were going to get a Td on that drive to seal the deal.

Almost made the list, but I had to stop somewhere....

I wish I could vote for more, but I voted the Ginn play action because thats the best play action I've ever seen.

Agreed - one of the best play-fakes ever.

I can't believe i'm the only one who chose "2002: Will Smith's sack, strip, and fumble recovery against John Navarre with less than two minutes to go"

I was at this game, and when this happened this was the second most exciting play i've ever seen in OSU football, #1 beating Krenzel to Jenkins @ Purdue. You just had a feeling that this was OSU's day when this happened. The whole stadium erupted louder than I've ever seen for a single play in the middle of a game. People were jumping, hugging, screaming, high five-ing. It was just the biggest rush of happiness I've ever seen. With the final play of that game, it was like a "finally" feeling, almost in disbelief, and a feeling of relief and pure bliss. But there was something special about the fumble recovery...that was a sick play by probably the best player on the 2002 team.

Two minutes left in The Game, Michigan is driving, has the ball at Ohio State's 30-yard line, first and 10 ... looks like another Buckeye collapse against Michigan ... then Will Smith makes the sack, strip, recovery and turns the momentum completely around. Without that play to save the day, Will Allen never gets a chance to seal the victory.

I'm surprised that there are so few votes for Smith to Gonzo for a 68-yard TD in the 2004 version of The Game. That was Troy's first "big" play of his career, and it got the Buckeyes' offense on track in the opening minutes of The Game and led to another huge upset victory.

 

[BB73]

It depends on how one wants to define 'best'.

The Will Allen play may have been the most important play, since it sealed the win that sent the team toward Tostitos, but he just had to read the throw and step forward to make a play on the ball. And he could have knocked it down to seal the victory. Had he done so, it would have just as effective, but less memorable. Many people forget that Donnie Nickey knocked the ball down on the goal line after Cie Grant was spinning Dorsey around. If Nickey had caught that ball, he'd probably be remembered as a game-saving hero.

Other plays can be selected for symbolizing the way the rivalry has swung in tOSU's favor, such as the J. Wells run in 2001, or Troy's first huge play as a Wolverine Killer.

But I also voted for Teddy's punt return. It had individual brilliance, ineptitude by a hated Vulvarine receiver placed on special teams to attempt a tackle, and the thrill of being able to yell for an extended period, knowing that Teddy was gone as he approached midfield.

The other choice I considered was The Catch. A great play on both ends when the outcome was clearly still in doubt. The following scoring play, with Crable and Burgess both on the ground as the winning TD was scored, is also a solid choice for its symbolism of what happened to a couple of Ohio guys that went north.

It's interesting to me that the 2006 game, which was the most important game in the rivalry's history, didn't have a play that made my final cut. Maybe that's because there were 3 long scoring plays, and that they were all in the 2nd and 3rd quarter.

The other thing I found interesting is that it didn't matter to me whether I saw the play live or on TV. I saw a few of the plays live, but voted for one I saw on TV.

 

[Buckeyefrankmp]

All very very very good plays. I love that list.

Just to add a little food for thought to the "Other" category- #13's wheel route in 2002.

There were a lot of great plays in that game. I would put the wheel route play on the list as well.

 

[Steve19]

I voted for Pittman's run, because it showed what happens to those who leave Ohio to play north of the border, but I cannot think of that play without thinking of The Catch that preceded it. Smith's evasion of tackles in the backfield while Gonzales got down field, the perfect throw...the silence in the stadium. TSUN had Ohio State on the ropes and they refused to go down.

Pittman's run was an exclamation point on that spirit but it was the whole drive that said to me, more than anything, this is the Tressel era.

 

[CalvinistBuck]

I appreciate everyone's reminiscing of these great plays. It's just what we need during this particular M-Week. I suppose we won't get any plays from the 2009 Game to put on future lists since "vanilla" will likely be all that the Bucks need to get the job done. Here's hoping that JT has saved some special plays for this Saturday. Maybe we'll be amazed (great song!) and can have a poll listing the plays we were most surprised to see.

 

[brodybuck21]

I cannot remember ever feeling more excitement in The Game than when Will Allen picked off that pass. Pure jubilation. Jumping around, hugs, beers sprayed everywhere...

'The Catch' would be a close #2.

^^^^^^this^^^^^^

 

[naptownbuck]

It was extremely close between Teddy's punt return and Will Allen's game sealing interception, but I picked Ginn Jr's return. Will Allen's play was monumental, but Teddy's return symbolizes the difference between the two programs this decade imo. In addition to the better coaching, tOSU has simply had the difference making studs (Troy, #13, Teddy, Beanie, TPeezy etc..) that scUM lacks.

 

[Poe McKnoe]

Can Finley get an angle on him? Forget about it. This baby's over, this race. That's 82 yards on the return.

You KNOW Musberger meant The Game was over.

 

[BayBuck]

I voted The Catch for "best play", but I think one of the most fun plays was in '07 when Gholston sacked Henne standing up:

I just loved that one.

 

[Mac]

I voted for the Allen INT to seal the deal in 2002 because WOW was that an amazing feeling after he caught that! I think I ran around the house 10 times in excitement.

This is the OSU vs. Michigan game I will NEVER forget. My dad bought himself and I tickets, and we went down to the game. Right after the Allen pick, we ran down the stairs to the front of A deck (our seats were in B) to get down onto the field. One of my favorite moments as a Buckeye.