Delayed Buckeye Euphoria

Warning!

If you couldn’t care less about college football or the Ohio State Buckeyes, this blog is not for you.

As a Buckeye alum, however, I hope that those of you still left here reading this will indulge me this little victory dance following the OSU win in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Why now?

Why over a dozen days from the event? Simply said, the video below evidently took some time to compile and circulate over YouTube. Thanks to friend and fellow OSU grad Geoff Hornbeck for sending me the link. It is the COMPRESSED edit of the 2010 Rose Bowl victory over Oregon, complete with the pre-game pundits complete dismissal of Ohio State and their chances of pulling one out.

In one sense, you can’t blame the TV talking heads.

After three straight bowl losses, two of them in National Championship games (in embarrassing fashion), Buckeye stock (and that of the Big Ten) has taken a beating, with blanket statements made re: the inability of OSU or any other Big Ten team to keep up with the speed of the SEC or a Pac 10 team like Oregon. Now, Buckeye Nation can at least enjoy the long off-season without the gnashing of teeth that has been our lot recently.

Enjoy: (I did)




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uua_XarY428


In the interest of full disclosure, I myself have been scathingly critical of the Ohio State coach Jim Tressel over the last several years. His conservative style of play translates to “predictable” in the big games.

In short, he has been completely out-coached in the marquee games of the BCS Bowl Series in the last three years.

Most obvious was the Florida Gators complete dismantling of a superior Buckeye team in the 2007 Championship Game. Florida coach Urban Meyer decided to combine a stiff defense with an offense that simply took what the Buckeyes gave them. Problem is that the Ohio State defenders, playing 5 yards off the receivers, essentially gave up at least 5 yards per play—as swing passes from an average QB (Tim Tebow was a freshman and played little) kept the Buckeye defenders off balance. The incredulous aspect of this effective strategy is that “Sweater Vest Tressel” made ZERO adjustments to this attack at halftime. Urban Meyer must have been as surprised as everyone else—when the second half began to resemble the first. The result was a blowout---shooting fish in a barrel.

Somehow, Tressel got the Bucks to a second straight BCS Championship the following year. Without a doubt, this was a lofty accomplishment. Unfortunately, the LSU team we faced was better, faster and LSU coach Les Miles never broke a sweat as the Buckeyes fell again—embarassingly.

Another Bowl loss the following year to Texas-after Ohio State seemingly had the game locked up—and the label of “Can’t Win The Big One” started to be bandied about.

Perhaps Tressel got the message this year.

In the aftermath and pleasant glow of the Rose Bowl win, one thing is certain. Ohio State won because Tressel decided to NOT be conservative. OSU’s last five consecutive wins after the loss to Purdue were decidedly due to a strong running game. Allowing Terrell Pryor to turn it loose had mixed results during the season (mostly bad) Handing it off and crunching out the yards made the Bucks successful—and set the stage for a Rose Bowl that would pit the speed of Oregon versus the “three yards and a cloud of dust” offense expected from Ohio State.

Surprise!

Jim Tressel threw out the Woody Hayes playbook and decided to utilize his most dangerous offensive weapon—Sophomore quarterback Terrell Pryor.

The most sought after high school player in the nation two years earlier had largely disappointed the Buckeyes faithful. But, a controlled gameplan that took advantage of Oregon’s anticipated emphasis on stopping the run turned into a NIGHTMARE for the Ducks. Pryor was magnificent-and deserved the MVP honors bestowed upon him after the game.

The vaulted Ohio State defense did its job—confusing the Oregon quarterback and generally never letting the Ducks get airborne (so to speak). On offense, a varied passing attack that featured a mobile QB was too much for the Pac 10 Champion to handle.

Imagine that! Jim Tressel actually out-coached the guy across the field. The last time that happened in a big game was the National Championship Game in 2002, when the heavily favored Miami Hurricanes were shocked into defeat.

So, expectations in Columbus and beyond are high-as usual—for the 2010 season. Nothing short of an undefeated season and a National Championship will be considered a success.

As for me, I’ll be happy with another Big 10 Championship, another win over Michigan and another BCS Bowl win-whether it’s the Big One or not.

Is that expecting too much?

If you’d like my blog in your box, let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com