Wow!! What a game!!
As many of you know, I was one of the lucky ones to score tickets to the Ohio State vs USC game yesterday. I met my brother-in-law Matt early in the morning and we spent the whole day on campus soaking in the atmosphere and awaiting the prime time showdown in The 'Shoe.
I have to be honest, I didn't know what to expect going into this game. On one hand, USC is among the top 2 or 3 teams in the nation year in and year out. They don't rebuild after losing top talent to the pros, they just reload. And after last year's 35-3 embarrassment at The Coliseum, I was secretly hoping just to avoid getting blown out at home, let alone picking up a win.
But on the other hand, USC seemed as vulnerable as they have in a long time. They would start a true freshman quarterback, Matt Barkley, before a rabid crowd of over 105,000 in Ohio Stadium (by the way, actual final attendance was 106,033 -- a new record for Ohio Stadium). So all bets were off as to how Barkley would respond to the pressure and the crowd noise. Bucks fans were no doubt hoping the intimidation factor of the large crowd could force him into a few mistakes.
What actually happened was a little bit in between.
Ohio State's defense played a whale of a game, holding the dynamic Trojan offense in check for most of the night. However, when all was said and done, the USC offense came through when it mattered while the OSU offense sputtered all night, costing Ohio State a chance for the big win.
The OSU defense seemed to control the game for 3 1/2 quarters. They got pressure on Barkley and forced him to hurry a lot of his throws. And they were able to hold the running game in check early on. Anytime you can hold an offense like USC's to 10 points through 3 1/2 quarters, you are doing something right.
Meanwhile, the OSU offense made some big plays early, but then went stagnant. Terrelle Pryor made a few good plays, but overall played very average. OSU's offensive play calling was again ultra vanilla. Pryor, who could be one of the best running QB's in the nation, ran just 10 times for 36 yards, with most of those plays being scrambles. And his passing was hit or miss, going 11 for 25 with 177 yards and an interception. Instead of utilizing Pryor's running abilities, the team decided rather to attempt running Dan "Boom" Herron up the middle over and over again. Not a great idea when the offensive line was obviously overmatched.
So the net result was a low-scoring game that came down to the wire, typical Tressel-ball. Tressel showed complete lack of faith in his offense, with ultra-conservative play calling and choosing multiple times to punt for field position instead of going for points. And for awhile, it seemed like that strategy would work.
But you can't hold an offense like USC's down for long. Eventually, they are going to score their points. So with OSU leading 15-10 with 6 minutes left in the game and USC taking over possession, I got a sinking feeling in my gut. And sure enough, Barkley and the Trojans marched right down the field, going 86 yards in 14 plays and scoring the go-ahead touchdown with only 1:05 left in the game. They then made good on the 2-point conversion to take the 18-15 lead.
Ohio State had one last chance, but squandered all hope with an intentional grounding penalty. And just like that, the game was over with Ohio State again on the short end in a big game and USC leaving Columbus with the 18-15 victory.
This game reminded me a lot of both the Texas game in 2005 and the Fiesta Bowl against Texas last year. Each time, Ohio State played a great defensive game, but lost in the final minute. When you play close games, your margin for error is tight. It seemed like Tressel played not to lose instead of playing to win. Yes, our defense appears to be the team's strength and it's ok to build your game plan around that. If you would have told me before the game that our defense would hold USC to just 18 points, I would have been ecstatic. But you still have to score points to win. And anyone can tell you that you need to score more than 15 points to have any chance to beat a good team like USC.
A great defense with only an average offense is a recipe for a lot of close games. So it looks like we may be in for a frustrating season of a lot of close games that go down to the end. And sometimes in close games, you come out on the short end.
So while the outcome wasn't what I had wanted, Matt and I still had a great time. I'm sure I'll be excited to go again next year.
As many of you know, I was one of the lucky ones to score tickets to the Ohio State vs USC game yesterday. I met my brother-in-law Matt early in the morning and we spent the whole day on campus soaking in the atmosphere and awaiting the prime time showdown in The 'Shoe.
I have to be honest, I didn't know what to expect going into this game. On one hand, USC is among the top 2 or 3 teams in the nation year in and year out. They don't rebuild after losing top talent to the pros, they just reload. And after last year's 35-3 embarrassment at The Coliseum, I was secretly hoping just to avoid getting blown out at home, let alone picking up a win.But on the other hand, USC seemed as vulnerable as they have in a long time. They would start a true freshman quarterback, Matt Barkley, before a rabid crowd of over 105,000 in Ohio Stadium (by the way, actual final attendance was 106,033 -- a new record for Ohio Stadium). So all bets were off as to how Barkley would respond to the pressure and the crowd noise. Bucks fans were no doubt hoping the intimidation factor of the large crowd could force him into a few mistakes.
What actually happened was a little bit in between.
Ohio State's defense played a whale of a game, holding the dynamic Trojan offense in check for most of the night. However, when all was said and done, the USC offense came through when it mattered while the OSU offense sputtered all night, costing Ohio State a chance for the big win.
The OSU defense seemed to control the game for 3 1/2 quarters. They got pressure on Barkley and forced him to hurry a lot of his throws. And they were able to hold the running game in check early on. Anytime you can hold an offense like USC's to 10 points through 3 1/2 quarters, you are doing something right.Meanwhile, the OSU offense made some big plays early, but then went stagnant. Terrelle Pryor made a few good plays, but overall played very average. OSU's offensive play calling was again ultra vanilla. Pryor, who could be one of the best running QB's in the nation, ran just 10 times for 36 yards, with most of those plays being scrambles. And his passing was hit or miss, going 11 for 25 with 177 yards and an interception. Instead of utilizing Pryor's running abilities, the team decided rather to attempt running Dan "Boom" Herron up the middle over and over again. Not a great idea when the offensive line was obviously overmatched.
So the net result was a low-scoring game that came down to the wire, typical Tressel-ball. Tressel showed complete lack of faith in his offense, with ultra-conservative play calling and choosing multiple times to punt for field position instead of going for points. And for awhile, it seemed like that strategy would work.
But you can't hold an offense like USC's down for long. Eventually, they are going to score their points. So with OSU leading 15-10 with 6 minutes left in the game and USC taking over possession, I got a sinking feeling in my gut. And sure enough, Barkley and the Trojans marched right down the field, going 86 yards in 14 plays and scoring the go-ahead touchdown with only 1:05 left in the game. They then made good on the 2-point conversion to take the 18-15 lead.
Ohio State had one last chance, but squandered all hope with an intentional grounding penalty. And just like that, the game was over with Ohio State again on the short end in a big game and USC leaving Columbus with the 18-15 victory.
This game reminded me a lot of both the Texas game in 2005 and the Fiesta Bowl against Texas last year. Each time, Ohio State played a great defensive game, but lost in the final minute. When you play close games, your margin for error is tight. It seemed like Tressel played not to lose instead of playing to win. Yes, our defense appears to be the team's strength and it's ok to build your game plan around that. If you would have told me before the game that our defense would hold USC to just 18 points, I would have been ecstatic. But you still have to score points to win. And anyone can tell you that you need to score more than 15 points to have any chance to beat a good team like USC.
A great defense with only an average offense is a recipe for a lot of close games. So it looks like we may be in for a frustrating season of a lot of close games that go down to the end. And sometimes in close games, you come out on the short end.
So while the outcome wasn't what I had wanted, Matt and I still had a great time. I'm sure I'll be excited to go again next year.
3 comments:
You are such a talented writer!
I agree with Lauren! I may be a bit biased, but you have always displayed creative writing ability. The Paulding Progress sports articles just aren't the same since you penned them back in your high school years. By the way...happy birthday Thursday! Love you, Mom
PS Sorry your Buckeyes lost. I'm glad you had a good time with your brother-in-law. Mom
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