Football
The Buckeye Watch
By Tom Orr
And just like that, every OSU fan will remember the
2004 Buckeye football season fondly.
After three agonizing months of inconsistency, regression, injuries
and scandal, the Bucks rolled it all into a ball of rage and took
it out on Michigan, destroying their archrivals, and ending their
13-game conference win streak.
They sent Michigan stars like Marlin Jackson and Braylon Edwards
out as three-time losers in the greatest rivalry in all of sports,
and they sent out captains Mike Nugent, Dustin Fox, Simon Fraser and
Lydell Ross (and the other seniors) as three-time winners.
And of course, they also made sure I would go into work on Monday
with a big smile on my face and every single piece of OSU paraphernalia
I can find on my back.
Friday, 9:30 am: I show up for work (near Detroit)
wearing absolutely nothing to show off my Buckeye allegiance. I've
spent the entire fall making certain not to talk any trash whatsoever;
nothing after beating Michigan State, nothing after Michigan's loss
to Notre Dame... not a word. I, on the other hand have listened to
a steady stream of crap flowing out of the mouths of all the Sparties
and Wolvies that I work with. Last year, I made the mistake of getting
sucked into it all, wore Buckeye stuff all week, ran my mouth before
the game... and had a miserable December. This year... no way. I'm
not even making an official prediction on the game. I'm not going
to screw this up with bad karma, mojo, or anything else.
Saturday, 10:30 am: I arrive on campus, for what
has turned into "old home week." Not one, not two, but three
of the guys I lived with during my OSU years are in town for the weekend.
Good times. One of them (Tim) has been a huge jinx the last couple
years. He and I went to the 2003 Wisconsin game together... and the
Bucks lost. He and I went to this year's Northwestern game together...
and the Bucks lost. He and I went to this year's Wisconsin game together...
and the Bucks lost. Fortunately, he's here with his dad, who's pretty
much a walking good luck charm. Also, I should point out that he'll
be sitting completely across the stadium from me. I think the bad
luck only comes when he and I actually sit together. That's what I'm
trying to convince myself anyway.
12:10 pm: I make a last-minute run to SBX bookstore
on High Street to pick up a radio (in this case, a $3.95 piece of
incredible technology). That's because for the third time this year
(in only nine games), I've managed to forget mine. I'm clearly about
six months away from being sent to an old folks' home.
12:45 pm: I find my seat (section 18C) just in time
to watch the Michigan band take the field. I'll be honest, I've been
excited for this game, but hadn't really worked myself into a good
lather until just now. I hate that stupid band so much. They march
like they just got a cattle prod shoved up their rear ends, they have
those stupid flag girls and they play that same freaking song 12,000
times a game. That's just the start. The helmets, Lloyd, the arrogance...
I'm suddenly ready to punch someone.
12:46 pm: The crowd is definitely into it; they
started by booing the band, now the O-H-I-O around the stadium is
drowning out the band entirely. If you didn't know any better, you
might think these schools don't like each other.
1:00 pm: One big question was just answered; Lydell
Ross got a nice hand when he was introduced on senior day. This is
actually a bit of a milestone for me, because the fifth-year seniors
are the last OSU football players who were in school when I was still
a student. Yes, I'm thinking about hitching my pants up to my armpits,
driving very slowly with my turn signal perpetually on and maybe hitting
the early bird after the game.
1:01 pm: Mike Nugent is (appropriately) the last
senior out, and gets a mixture of cheers and "Nuuuuuuuge."
I can't think of another time when a placekicker was so clearly one
of the biggest stars on a team. He has been an awesome weapon for
the last three years, and a totally classy representative off the
field as well. He (and all of these seniors) will be missed.
1:03 pm: Michigan runs out of the tunnel late and
is still walking around at the start of the national anthem. The same
thing happened to Ohio State a year ago in Ann Arbor. These things
are so tightly scheduled, I'm surprised they apparently can't get
that rather significant detail correct.
1:06 pm: Michigan wins the toss and defers. That's
actually pretty big today. Here's why; first, you put the early pressure
on the Buckeyes, who will have to move the ball a little or risk giving
the Wolverines a short field to work with. Also, you don't give the
crowd a chance to get raucous right away. They've got to sit on their
hands a little to start.
1:09 pm: A Troy Smith sweep and a Branden Joe run
net a first down. That's a phenomenal start, because this team absolutely
must establish a run game today. They can't rely exclusively on the
pass.
1:12 pm: That, boys and girls, is what a good start
looks like. On 3rd-and-12, Troy Smith scrambled around, bought time
and heaved one deep to Tony Gonzalez, who caught it and took it to
the house for a 68-yard touchdown. Just like that, it's 7-0 Buckeyes
with 13:47 still to play in the first. Michigan's normally solid safety
Ernest Shazor got toasted nicely on that one.
1:15 pm: Michigan's kick returners have been pretty
decent this year, so touchbacks could be big today. By the way, as
I was writing that, the Buckeye kick coverage team buried Michigan's
returner inside the 20.
1:19 pm: The Wolverines pick up a 3rd-and-6 with
a pass to Braylon Edwards. The Buckeye defense has to find a way to
get off the field on third downs today. That was a real killer against
Purdue.
1:23 pm: Michigan out-guesses the Bucks, catching
OSU in a blitz and hitting a screen pass for 38 yards to Michael Hart.
First down for Michigan at the Buckeye 19.
1:25 pm: Chad Henne hits Jason Avant for a six-yard
scoring strike, and we're tied at 7 with 10:25 to play in the first.
1:31 pm: Things are suddenly not going well. The
Buckeyes go three-and-out and Kyle Turano shanks his first punt of
the day for about 22 yards. Michigan takes over in Buckeye territory
at the 43.
1:33 pm: Chad Henne is already 6-for-7 on the day,
which is big for a couple reasons. For one thing, it means he's settling
down early and getting into the rhythm of the game. For another, it's
stretching the Buckeye defense out and setting up the run.
1:36 pm: I think it's probably time to issue an
APB for the Buckeye defensive line. They've been completely missing
in action so far, with no pressure, and no real resistance when Michigan
tries to run.
1:36 pm: Uh oh. Michael Hart just scored from a
yard out, and it's 14-7 Michigan with a little over six minutes left
in the first. The Buckeyes definitely don't want to get into a shootout
today, and it's starting to look like it might turn out that way.
It also doesn't bode well that Michigan has been able to grind out
longer drives, while OSU's score came on a bomb. You won't be able
to hit the huge play consistently, but if you can mix runs and passes
and move the chains, you can do that all day unless the defense finds
some kinds of change to stop you.
1:37 pm: Yes, we're just nine minutes in, but this
next pair of possessions is going to be a big one. The offense absolutely
must move the ball a little to get the crowd back into it, take back
some field position and give the defense a chance to regroup. The
defense just has to find a way to get a stop. The Bucks can't afford
to fall too far behind, and it's looking dangerously like it might
be headed that way already.
1:40 pm: The offense didn't hold up their end of
the bargain; they turned in a three-and-out. A Michigan touchdown
on their next possession would be a big problem.
1:42 pm: Tyler Everett unloads on Chad Henne and forces an incompletion.
That leaves a critical, critical third-and-long (11, to be exact).
This is the kind of play the defense has to make today.
1:43 pm: Three-and-out for Michigan. Now Ted Ginn
and Santonio Holmes have their first crack at a punt return. I would
bet (given Michigan's inconsistencies in their special teams) that
they'll kick away from them all day.
1:44 pm: Adam Finley's punt takes an incredible
hop, skips past Ginn, and is downed at the one. What a break that
was. Now the Buckeyes are backed up about as far as they could be.
1:45 pm: So far, so good. Two Branden Joe runs up
the gut net a total of 17 yards. Now the ball's at the 18, not the
one. That's a heck of a good start.
1:47 pm: Troy Smith hits Ginn on a play-action pass
to the OSU 35. First down, Buckeyes.
1:48 pm: It's 14-7 Michigan at the end of the first.
The offense needs to demonstrate that it can really sustain a drive,
while the defense needs to find a way to get pressure on Henne and
get him out of his comfort zone.
1:52 pm: On 3rd-and-4, Smith lobs a ball up for
Holmes, who gets behind a defender, and pulls it down at the Michigan
25. If these guys can get behind the Michigan DBs (and there's reason
to think that they can), that'll open up the underneath passes as
well as the run game.
1:53 pm: Ernest Shazor keeps creeping up to the
line in run support, meaning the deep ball will be a one-on-one situation.
How about a fade in the end zone?
1:53 pm: Smith keeps it for a big gain, all the
way down to the Michigan 10. This has been a hell of a drive.
1:56 pm: It's 3rd-and-inches at the one. You've
got two cracks at this, so I'd just ram a couple sneaks in there.
He'll get it on one of them.
1:56 pm: Touchdown, Troy Smith! He kept it himself,
and we're tied at 14 with 13:16 left in the second. That drive was
unreal; 99 yards. The time of possession right now is 10:28 to 6:16
in favor of OSU. The Bucks are used to being on the other side of
those numbers this season.
2:00 pm: Nugent booms a kickoff for a touchback.
2:01 pm: Michigan has a 3rd-and-1, or maybe a yard
and a half. This is the kind of play that could help decide this game.
The Wolverines have been a lousy short-yardage running team all year.
2:01 pm: Henne botched the snap, and while Michigan
recovered, it's now fourth down.
2:07 pm: The Bucks run some play action off the
misdirection draw (the play MSU and Northwestern gashed them on) and
Smith hits Ginn for a big gain down to the Michigan 22.
2:08 pm: Ryan Hamby just caught a ball on a short
crossing route and lowered his shoulder, just blowing up Michigan
CB Leon Hall. It's 1st-and-goal at the 2.
2:10 pm: It's now 4th-and-goal at the one, and it's
decision time. I think you pretty much have to go for this, and it
looks like OSU is going to. This will be a big momentum swing one
way or the other.
2:13 pm: Damn. Marlin Jackson just knocked a rollout
pass away from Holmes in the end zone, and Michigan will take over
from its own 1, with 8:26 to play before the half. Is it too late
to go back and say they should have kicked the field goal? No, honestly,
it was worth the gamble. Now at least you've got Michigan backed up,
and this is the "Todd Collins Memorial Trip Over Your Lineman
And Sack Yourself For A Safety" end zone, too. Was that really
10 years ago?
2:15 pm: Michigan's facing a 3rd-and-8 from their
own 3. You absolutely can't let them out of this. A stop here pretty
much guarantees superb field position.
2:15 pm: The Bucks stop them, and Ginn hauls the
punt back to the Michigan 32. They'll start this drive inside Nugent's
range.
2:18 pm: OSU has it 3rd-and-3 at the 25. A first
down would be nice, but you need to make sure you get at least three
out of this.
2:18 pm: First down pass to Gonzalez. Michigan thinks
he dropped it, and just burned their last timeout to give the replay
guy a chance to look at it again, but they aren't announcing that
it's under review.
2:22 pm: Troy Smith just barely got tripped up on
a scramble and went down at the two. Oh goodie, it's 1st-and-goal
from the 2. Didn't we just see this?
2:23 pm: On second down, Lydell Ross coughed up
the ball for his 359th fumble of the season. It was wonderful to see
you again, now go find a nice spot on the bench where you can watch
the guys who hang onto the ball.
2:24 pm: On 4th-and-goal from the 4, Nugent trots
on and drills a 21-yarder. It's 17-14 Buckeyes. Here's the good news;
OSU is winning, and statistically dominating the game right now. The
Bucks have 87 yards on the ground, 199 (?!?!) through the air for
286 total. Michigan has 47 and 103, for a total of 150. It's almost
two-to-one. Here's the bad news; the Bucks are somehow up by only
a field goal, and just had seven offensive snaps inside the five and
came up with only three points.
2:27 pm: Michigan takes over at its own 20 with
2:16 to play before the half, and no timeouts. That more or less takes
away their run game.
2:28 pm: Everyone in the stadium holds their breath
as Henne heaves up a deep ball for Edwards, but some really nice coverage
by Ashton Youboty prevents a completion.
2:29 pm: Mike Kudla gets good pressure on Henne,
and Jermaine Gonzales drops a pass. Michigan will have to punt it
away. I'd be remiss if I didn't make note of Gonzales' biggest contribution
to the rivalry, his very own "great safeties in football history"
highlight late in the first half of the 2001 game.
2:30 pm: The Bucks get it back at their own 30 with
1:11 to play before the break. OSU has all three timeouts, the wind
at their back, and one of the greatest kickers in college football
history on their sidelines. I'll be really ticked if they play it
conservatively here.
2:32 pm: Smith scrambles all the way to the Michigan
45. First down Buckeyes with 31 seconds left. You're probably five
or ten yards from Nugent's comfortable range. I'd take a shot or two
downfield, and if that doesn't work out, then do something shorter
to set up the kick. Michigan's safeties keep creeping up, and their
corners are out on an island.
2:34 pm: I was wondering when these guys would show
up. After a half of play from some delightfully skilled imposters,
the 2004 Buckeye offense just showed up in time to take a ridiculous
delay of game penalty, pushing the ball back to midfield. I think
I've probably written about this problem during every game this season,
and it just drives me nuts.
2:35 pm: It's 3rd-and-15 at midfield with 23 seconds
left. I'd run a quarterback draw or something safe here, run the clock
down to one second and chuck one into the end zone. Maybe you'll get
lucky and hit the run for big yardage, or you'll get a pass interference
call and a cheap field goal try.
2:36 pm: Or throw it to Ted Ginn for a first down
to the 24 with 16 seconds left. Whatever works for you guys. I mean...
you're the coaches, right?
2:38 pm: Nugent hits a 42-yard field goal to close
out the half, and it's 20-14 Buckeyes. The first 30 minutes have gone
about as close to perfectly as you reasonably could have hoped. The
Bucks outgained Michigan 337-164, outrushed them 105-53 and outpassed
them 232-111. I can only imagine how pleasant Lloyd Carr's halftime
interview will be this season.
2:39 pm: I should mention that I'm absolutely, positively
terrified about the second half. I've watched a lot of football, and
know that normally if you dominate a team, but don't put much distance
between you and them, you're in real trouble if they ever wake up.
See: OSU-Michigan, circa 1996. With Braylon Edwards on that sideline,
I won't feel safe until the Bucks are up by four scores in the final
quarter.
2:43 pm: In that vein, I have a feeling that the
first score of the second half will go a long way toward deciding
who wins this game. Even a field goal for the Bucks would make it
a two-possession game.
2:44 pm: On the out of town scoreboard, Penn State
is currently leading Michigan State, 34-6. That is absolutely classic
Spartan football. They play one of the great games in school history
last weekend, then get shellacked by a dreadful Penn State team this
week. And how the hell did Penn State score 34 points? Breaking double
digits has been tough for them most of the year.
2:52 pm: Another interesting score; Illinois is
leading Northwestern, 21-14. This is not good news for the Big Ten,
who could lose two bowl teams today (NU and MSU both need to win today,
and in upcoming trips to Hawaii to go bowling). That is, however,
great news for the mid-major schools in the MAC, CUSA, and similar
leagues (and of course independents, especially those from, say, Annapolis),
who might steal an extra bowl bid away from the big boys.
2:56 pm: Heading into the second half, I would expect
Michigan to come out and just pound the ball right at the Buckeye
defense. That's been their trademark in a number of close games; just
a grinding 10-play drive with maybe nine runs to grab momentum coming
out of the locker room. By the way, the halftime time of possession
is 18:47 to 11:41 in favor of OSU. I wouldn't have thought that was
possible in a million years. Those numbers are huge because it means
the always-dangerous Michigan offense has been sitting on their butts
a lot more than usual. By the way, this could be important if it's
close; the Buckeyes will have the wind in the fourth quarter.
3:02 pm: Michigan has it 3rd-and-4 at the 26, but
Donte Whitner came blitzing off the edge and sacked Henne. Punt time
for Michigan.
3:04 pm: Ted Ginn damn near broke another punt return
for a score. The last guy Michigan had managed to bring him down,
but Ginn very nearly broke out of that tackle, too. Not to look a
gift horse in the mouth, but why, exactly, is Michigan kicking to
him again?
3:06 pm: The Bucks go three-and-out, and punt it
back to Michigan at their own 18.
3:10 pm: Michigan converts a 3rd-and-12 with a nice
crossing route to Edwards.
3:12 pm: Michigan does not convert a 3rd-and-10
when Edwards get swallowed whole by a horde of Buckeyes, well short
of the sticks.
3:13 pm: Yeah... umm... that Ginn kid is kind of
good. He looked like he was completely fenced in by defenders, only
to make a nifty move and just blow by every Michigan player on the
field. It was really cute how Adam Finley thought he had an angle.
Bless his heart, his little legs were really churning, and Ginn just
ran right around him. By the way, Michigan fans, Charles Woodson and
Desmond Howard were seniors when they ran back their punts in this
game. Ginn is a true freshman. Enjoy watching him for the next two
or three years. If I was a Michigan fan, I'd be ready to beat Lloyd
Carr to death with his headset. How the hell do you kick it to Ginn
after he just about scored a touchdown on your last punt? That was
nine minutes ago... did you forget? Did you watch any film at all
this week? Maybe he's been eating lead paint chips at the Michigan
football facility or something. Whatever it is... hopefully he keeps
doing it.
3:14 pm: Lost in all the hubbub is the fact that
it's 27-14 Buckeyes with 9:56 to play in the third.
3:18 pm: Sirjo Welch just brought down Steve Breaston
inside the 20 on yet another kickoff. I think Welch has done enough
to officially have his name amended to "special teams dynamo
Sirjo Welch." By the way, that's another true freshman, Michigan
fans.
3:21 pm: They did it again. The Buckeye defense
had a huge turnover in their hands, and couldn't hang on. This time
it was Mike Kudla, who dropped an interception that was right in his
hands. The reason the ball was in his hands, incidentally, was that
Simon Fraser drilled Henne as he was throwing. Now Michigan's got
a 3rd-and-5 at the Buckeye 47, and Henne just burned a timeout. That
could be big down the line.
3:24 pm: The Bucks stop that third down, and Finley
downs the punt at the 3. I would take a 14-play, 60-yard drive for
a field goal if you offered it to me right now. The clock's not a
factor yet, but if the Bucks can roll off four or five minutes, it
could turn into one sooner rather than later.
3:28 pm: Troy Smith takes a draw all the way to
the Buckeye 34, for a big first down. He's now over 80 yards rushing
today. One of Jim Tressel's benchmarks for success is having a quarterback
run for 50 yards and not throw an interception. So far, Smith is doing
even better than that.
3:30 pm: A delay of game on OSU turns a 3rd-and-2
into a 3rd-and-7. Can we work on that during bowl practice? Pretty
please?
3:31 pm: Troy Smith just made one of the better
plays I've seen by a Buckeye not wearing no. 7 in a long time. He
spun out of an almost certain sack, and took off... going 45 yards
up the left sideline, before finally going down at the Michigan 18.
I've said all year that Michigan has had trouble with running quarterbacks,
but I'm just stunned at how Smith is just shredding them right now.
3:33 pm: Smith to Holmes for 17 yards and a touchdown.
He was being covered by All-American Marlin Jackson, by the way. Well...
covered is probably too strong a term. Jackson was close enough to
get posterized when Holmes dove into the end zone. How about that?
It's 34-14 with 1:53 left in the third. Michigan's hyped seniors are
not having a great day so far.
3:34 pm: By the way, the Buckeyes have now gone
99 and 97 yards on touchdown drives in this game alone. When was the
last time they had one of those drives against a decent opponent,
let alone two? Have they ever put together two drives that long in
one game before? I would bet that's not in the media guide.
3:38 pm: Breaston lines up in the shotgun, takes
a direct snap, and runs a draw for a first down.
3:38 pm: It's 34-14 at the end of the third, and
life is damn near perfect right now. There are only three reasons
I'm still a little nervous. In order; Braylon Edwards, Braylon Edwards
and Braylon Edwards. If you saw the UM-MSU game, you know this isn't
over yet.
3:42 pm: Right on cue, Henne hits Edwards on a bomb,
and a late hit on the Buckeyes makes it 1st-and-goal at the 8.
3:43 pm: What a play by Ashton Youboty. He just
made a great move to pick off a Henne pass and then ran it back to
the 20. Crisis averted. That's a killer turnover for Michigan, whose
margin for error is small and getting smaller by the moment. There's
14:19 left, and I have a feeling that Ohio State is about to rip all
the passing plays out of the playbook.
3:46 pm: Troy Smith takes a sack, but it's a good
one. He didn't have anyone open, and didn't try to force it. Nor did
he throw it away, which would have stopped the clock. OSU ended up
going three-and-out, but ran more than two minutes off the clock.
3:48 pm: With 12:00 left, the rushing yardage is
199-63. If you'd told me that before the game, I wouldn't have been
stunned, but only because I would have assumed it might be the other
way around. I don't know where this all came from, but I like it.
3:52 pm: Henne to Edwards, touchdown. And now it's
34-21 with 10:56 to play. I have a feeling OSU will need one more
score, even just a field goal to make sure this doesn't get really
uncomfortable late.
3:53 pm: Northwestern just finished their come-from-behind
win over Illinois, 28-21 in overtime. Now the Cats are one win away
from being bowl eligible, and Ron Turner is probably about 45 minutes
away from cleaning out his office.
3:56 pm: Okay, deep breath... no turnovers here,
boys.
3:57 pm: Hamby's second false start of the day turns
2nd-and-8 into 2nd-and-13. This is right up there with the delays
of game as "things that just shouldn't happen at this point of
the season."
3:58 pm: After a remarkable conservative (three-and-out)
series, Kyle Turano absolutely unleashes a monster, booming a punt
more than 70 yards downfield. The coverage swallows Breaston quickly,
and Michigan just lost a whole boatload of field position.
4:01 pm: It's 1st-and-10 at the Michigan 20, with
7:51 left in the game. Can we make sure there's a guy on no. 1? Please?
Maybe two, just to be safe?
4:03 pm: On 3rd-and-10, Michigan does one of my
favorite things, throwing a pass short of the sticks. Now they're
facing a very unattractive 4th-and-1 at their own 29.
4:04 pm: They're going for it, and if they don't
make it this could be the ballgame.
4:04 pm: Oh. My. Lord. Braylon Edwards was wide
open in the flat and had the first down easily. And he dropped it.
He dropped the freaking ball. If Michigan loses this game (and potentially
a Rose Bowl berth), that will go down in Wolverine history right alongside
Chris Webber calling the phantom timeout. He and Marlin Jackson probably
weren't counting on a day like today when they came back for their
senior years.
4:05 pm: After a run up the gut, Michigan spends
their second timeout. OSU has 205 yards rushing and 241 yards passing.
That's remarkably close to another of Tressel's benchmarks, a 200-yard
rushing, and 250-yard passing day.
4:07 pm: Michigan burns their final timeout with
7:24 to play.
4:08 pm: So of course, on 3rd-and-12 from the 30,
the Buckeyes throw an incomplete pass. Why are you throwing? They
can't stop the clock, and if you just run it up the gut, you'd probably
take another 40 seconds off. Don't help them.
4:08 pm: Mike Nugent drills a 48-yard field goal,
and it's 37-21 with 7:15 left. Now, as long as you don't give up any
huge plays, you're in good shape.
4:15 pm: We've seen about 53 minutes of football,
and Michigan has been called for exactly one penalty today, and no
holding calls. I just thought I'd point that out because it seemed
somewhat relevant when David Patterson got turned sideways by a blatant
hold on the last play.
4:15 pm: Youboty breaks up another bomb to Edwards.
Youboty is having an absolutely monster game today. Smith and Ginn
are going to get a lot of the glory, but Youboty has been one of the
real stars of the day.
4:16 pm: Michigan is driving, with the ball 1st-and-10
at the Buckeye 35 and 5:19 left on the clock.
4:18 pm: 3rd-and-10 at the 35, and a pass to Edwards
is short of the sticks. Now they have to hurry and get a fourth-down
play off.
4:18 pm: 4th-and-6 at the 31, Henne's pass falls
incomplete, and barring any kind of "Miracle at the Meadowlands"
type finish, this is now looking extremely good.
4:19 pm: The Bucks take over with just 4:18 left
on the clock and Michigan out of timeouts. Any chance we'll see a
run or two here?
4:23 pm: OSU goes three-and-out, but that's almost
irrelevant at this point. They ought to run the playclock down to
one, then call timeout before punting it away. Yup, that's what they're
doing. There's just 1:31 to play. This seems like a good time to point
out how few times the Michigan band has played their fight song today.
Back in the Cooper era, it seemed like we heard that stupid thing
every two minutes.
4:26 pm: Michigan takes over at their own 30 with
1:26 to go.
4:28 pm: A pass interference call gives Michigan
the ball at their own 49 with 0:48 on the clock.
4:28 pm: This time it's Nate Salley who breaks up
the bomb to Edwards. Another nice play by the Buckeye defensive backs.
4:29 pm: Bobby Carpenter just turned Jason Avant
inside out on a pass over the middle. The ball fell incomplete, and
Avant is in about three pieces right now.
4:29 pm: Youboty breaks up yet another bomb to Edwards.
I've watched every Michigan game this season, and this is by far the
best anyone has covered Edwards all year.
4:30 pm: It's 4th-and-10 with 0:29 to go. Henne's
pass gets picked off by Salley, and it's party time.
4:31 pm: Ballgame. Your final score, OSU 37, Michigan
21. And it really wasn't even that close. The Wolverines flat-out
got their asses kicked today. The Buckeyes outrushed them 203-71 and
outgained them 446-399.
4:37 pm: In the midst of the chaos on the field,
the team starts singing the alma mater, but a few guys aren't there.
They're getting carried off the field by a horde of fans.
4:45 pm: This is just a tremendous win for a number
of reasons. Of course, any win over Michigan is big. It also allows
the senior class to go out 3-1 against the Wolverines, the first class
to do so in a long time. It pushes Jim Tressel's record against Michigan
to 3-1 as well, including two major upsets, and you just know that's
eating Lloyd Carr alive inside. Michigan loses their outright conference
title and possibly their Rose Bowl as well (Late-night addition: Stupid
Badgers). It also turns what had been a very lackluster season into
something of a success. Now, if the Bucks win their bowl game (Alamo,
most likely) you're talking about an 8-4 season including a very inspiring
season-ending two-game win streak
I'm reminded of something Brent Musberger said at the end of the
OSU-Michigan game 10 years ago. As Buckeye fans were flooding the
field, and players were carrying John Cooper off on their shoulders,
Musberger said something along the lines of, "and next year,
they'll do it all over again. But the scene will be different: Ann
Arbor. This was Columbus and the home team prevailed."
Even ten years later, I think that sums it all up pretty neatly.
Hey Michigan, we'll see you again in 364 days.
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