Massacre in Glendale
Posted January 8th, 2007 by Brian Windhorst
I got an e-mail from a friend and big Buckeyes fan a few moments ago, he said he was too shocked to be upset. Not even the most confident Florida supporter could’ve dared to predict a four-touchdown victory.
I’m just back from the Ohio State press conference, where Troy Smith both took all the blame and summed it up to "not everything can be a storybook ending." He said the team brought a lot of smiles to people Ohio and those can’t be taken back. That’s true, but it is not all. This game will haunt Ohio State for a long time. Not just because they got beat, but because they got beat so badly when, to a man, they were all 100 percent sure they were the dominant team.
Lots of things went wrong for the Buckeyes, starting with the injury to Ted Ginn, but they were completely overwhelmed from the head coach on down. This was a night when perhaps the greatest team in Ohio State history could’ve been crowned, the greatest Buckeye in history could’ve been established. Instead it was a worst failure in Jim Tressel’s career and the bitterest end to a bunch of great careers.
No, not everything can end with the roses. But this ended with so many expected thorns.
January 9th, 2007 at 5:44 am
If OSU players, 100% to a man, thought they were the dominant team before playing the game, then it’s less surprising they lost. Having a big head gets you ready for the ultimate fall.
At least Troy Smith took the loss like a man instead of whining like a baby, ala bad-loser Matt Leinert last year.
January 9th, 2007 at 6:27 am
I think you mean UN-expected thorns, right?
January 9th, 2007 at 9:14 am
i’ve said all year that quinn from ND impressed me as a qb more than smith mainly beacuse smith was a front-runner. did well when his team was ahead but i never really saw him lead a comeback this year. in fact, in the PSU game the D bailed him out. meanwhile, playing with a LOT less talent, quinn had like 3 comebacks that he lead this year.
but the true problem here is having such a stupidly long layoff between games. it’s no way to determine a champion.
January 9th, 2007 at 11:33 am
Smith can run and he can throw, but he can’t throw very well while he’s running. That doesn’t bode well for him in the pros.
January 9th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
No running game, no win. With Ginn out, they should’ve asserted the run and put them on their heels with the pass. I still can’t’ figure out why they both didn’t do this more and adjust the O and D to the game.
Regardless how well the rest of the season went, the last note always resonates the most.
January 9th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
No running game, no win. With Ginn out, they should’ve asserted the run and put them on their heels with the pass. I still can’t’ figure out why they both didn’t do this more and adjust the O and D to the game.
Regardless how well the rest of the season went, the last note always resonates the most.
January 10th, 2007 at 6:57 am
getting back to regularly scheduled programming here, that was maybe the best game i’ve seen LBJ play this season last night. it wasn’t just the shooting and passing but the defense! he abused the “stopper” artest at BOTH ends of the court. impressive…
January 10th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
Big Ten: 2-5 in bowl games. The SEC is a superior conference, and it showed. The OSU-Michigan game was NOT a battle of the best two teams; rather, the LSU-Florida game was.
Never woulda thought it, but Tressel got out-coached. He’s still one of the best, though.
Personally, I loved every second of it, after the first 6, anyway.
January 11th, 2007 at 2:16 am
when i confirmed that ginn hurt himself while celebrating his TD run, my first thought was: hubris, ate
i loved it!