FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[Small but Slow]

Playing meaningful mid to late out of conference games is ridiculous to expect and would be totally unnecessary if FBS had a playoff system.  ESPN will never allow it because the added drama and controversy surrounding the present system improves their ratings.  ESPN gets the BCS series in two years so don't expect any changes in the near future.  I'm just thankful that DIII still has a playoff, although I did hear a radio report that due to the recession the NCAA is considering curtailing all playoffs for the 2009-'10 season.  My understanding of the report was decreasing the number of teams in baseball, softball, and some of the other low revenue sports.

[SaintsFAN]

The thing that REALLY gets to me is the fact USC won't visit South Bend unless its in early October.  Notice how when the game is played in Los Angeles, its the last week of the season, but not when its in South Bend.

Why in the world would you expect them to do that? I doubt if they sit around the football offices thinking "what's the best way we can put ourselves at risk for a loss and freeze our butts off at the same time". At least when the game is in October the only disadvantage is playing on the road, just as it would be for the Irish in L.A.

Thats just it... I DON'T expect them to do it.  It is what it is... and it wasn't established by Pete Carroll.  But it still doesn't make it right. 

And the disadvantage for the Irish is the fact they have to play USC right now.  The last time the game was remotely close was 2005.  USC is just better.  Hell, they'd still win going away in November in South Bend. 

[reality check]

What an experience!!!  If I never see another Ohio State game I'm okay with it because that was a helluva ballgame.

Well I apologize if I bore anyone with this but that was the best decision I've ever made.  I can't wait to watch the tape of the game but here were my initial thoughts:

My day started out nice enough, $30 parking was the standard rate at stadium owned lots and independent businesses.  I cross the street north of the stadium, parked in a Cabela's Hunting Store lot and paid zero.  Then I had to meet my coaching buddy who was working a beer tent inside the Fiesta Bowl Party (another $30-45) ticket depending on the package.  I met with security and explained I needed to find him to give him his ticket.  To my surprise I was given a free admission ticket to the party by the security supervisor.  THANK YOU! 

Seeing the script Ohio in person is something I'll never forget.  The crowd starts buzzing and I'd swear the whole dome was wearing scarlet and gray when they began marching that out based on the increase in crowd noise.

The Blind Boys From Alabama did a wonderful job on the anthem.  And the Colgate 13 who sang God Bless America gave me goosebumps.  Both renditions were spot on.

The PA Announcer was worse than most high school football PA announcers.  He couldn't count or add/subtract and corrected his math on yards gained on plays at least a dozen times.  And the referee kept forgetting to turn off his mic after penalties and we were subjected to his whistle over the stadium speakers five or six times. 

The crowd was pretty well split.  They announced it was another sellout (74,000+) but there were some open seats and there were two sections (not to be seen on tv) on the OSU sideline in the upper deck without a body in them (had to be 800+ empty seats).

I don't know about the TV broadcast but I was on the jumbotron.  I knew a camera went into our section about eights rows behind me and when it panned down to the field I jumped up and made an idiot of myself.  My friend says, "I definitely just saw you being stupid on the jumbotron!"  Mission accomplised.

As for the game and play-calling, I was impressed at what OSU did in the first half.  There was no apparent athletic advantage for Texas.  These teams seemed evenly matched to me.  Pryor and McCoy both moved extremely well respectively.  What killed OSU in the second half was the play-calling.  Granted they only had six plays in the third quarter when Texas ran off 14 points, but those six plays were ultra-conservative.  And the defensive play-calling was as if OSU was playing to protect a lead it didn't have.  When they were under the gun and needed to score, they opened the offense up, let Pryor use his legs, and good things happened.  But I'm proud of the way OSU played.  They surprised a lot of people and played a great game; maybe the best game of the bowl season. 

Below are a couple images from the game... sorry if I bored anyone.

[runyr]

I still say Cleveland made a mistake building their stadium as it is. It doesnt help their game either with the crew they have now. If ever a venue screamed for a retractable roof......Cleveland does.

They put that open stadium in the worst possible place imaginable!  Cleveland needs a venue like Indianapolis.

[runyr]

rc, thanks for the game summary (nice pics too).  I agree with everything you said about the game.  It was one of the best of the season.  I also liked Utah vs Alabama and the ND vs Hawaii game (excuse bias).

The Utah game really punched a hole in the great myth of the SEC and the screwball way they pick a national champion.  I'd love to see the Ute's or USC play Florida on a completely neutral field.  Can you imagine how bad the Ute's would have beat 'Bama if the game had been played in Salt Lake City? 

[reality check]

I still say Cleveland made a mistake building their stadium as it is. It doesnt help their game either with the crew they have now. If ever a venue screamed for a retractable roof......Cleveland does.

They put that open stadium in the worst possible place imaginable!  Cleveland needs a venue like Indianapolis.

Fun with quotations! 

"They put that open stadium in the worst possible place imaginable: Cleveland."

[JK]

RC-

Glad you had a great time.

I was very impressed with the Buckeyes.  It would have been great if they would have won, but for the first time in a while they played like they belonged on the same field as their opponent in a big-time game.  That loss might actually do wonders for their psyche.  Texas is the better team of the two and the Bucks went to the wire with a chance to win.  They fought back into the game and gave themselves a chance to win against a team that is going to be in the top 5 in the country.

This was unlike anyting we had come to expect from the Bucks in big games.  The play calling on offense was pretty creative, the playcalling on defense was aggressive.  I thought it was going to be more of the same as we were going through the 3rd QTR, but once they finally scored an offensive TD, it was like the lights went on.

Last comment... announcers asked if OSU scored too quickly at the end, giving McCoy roughly 2 mins to work with.  But, I would have taken that situation any day of the week.  4 point lead with under 2 mins to play and your best unit, your defense, on the field with a chance to wrap it up.  If you would have asked any OSU coach before the game if they would like to be in that situation, I bet 100% would have said "yes."  Give McCoy and Texas credit, they got it done.  That is what great teams and great players, of which Texas and McCoy are, do.

Again, at least it was a good game.

[reality check]

Forgot to mention that I chose to wear one of my ONU football shirts to the pre-game.  I went into one of the sports bars across from the stadium and the first guy I saw said he was ONU c/o 1993.  I crossed the parking lot and went into Cabela's to make sure I was not going to get towed and the first guy inside the door saw my shirt and exclaimed "Capital class of 1993".  JK he knew you!!!  His last name was Goss (?) and told me he played center and I believe he said he was a senior when you were a freshman.  While the two of us were talking I was interrupted by someone who informed me they were from Lima.

Glad I wore the ONU shirt and got to do some DIII talking while I was there!  I wore my OSU stuff overtop during the game though.

[SaintsFAN]

Last comment... announcers asked if OSU scored too quickly at the end, giving McCoy roughly 2 mins to work with.  But, I would have taken that situation any day of the week.  4 point lead with under 2 mins to play and your best unit, your defense, on the field with a chance to wrap it up.  If you would have asked any OSU coach before the game if they would like to be in that situation, I bet 100% would have said "yes."  Give McCoy and Texas credit, they got it done.  That is what great teams and great players, of which Texas and McCoy are, do.

Agree, JK.  I thought they had them just where they wanted them.  Too bad.  The one thing I don't understand is going with cover 0 on the 26 yard line with 20 seconds left in the game???  A FG wouldn't have won it for Texas.  Instead, they put Russell on an island against Cosby and paid for it.  Which I think pretty much sucks.


reality,

One thing I remember about Phoenix from going to The Crow's Nest during the Phoenix Open is the pricing (and believe me, with the condition I was in... the pricing had to be HIGH for me to remember it).  Thats Phoenix for you... and if I can get corporate passes, I'll be back some year for the Phoenix Open (or whatever corporate America makes them call it now).

I ended up climbing up Camelback Mountain that first night at like 3am.  drunk... not a good decision.  Going up was easy, coming down... not so much

[JK]

"Capital class of 1993".  JK he knew you!!!  His last name was Goss (?) and told me he played center and I believe he said he was a senior when you were a freshman.

Mont Goss was a senior when I was a freshman.  He was our starting center, an all-OAC second team pick in 93, and a guy I really looked up to as a player and a person.  I believe he was academic all-OAC as well in Biology/pre-med.  Good player, super guy. 

[JK]

Agree, JK.  I thought they had them just where they wanted them.  Too bad.  The one thing I don't understand is going with cover 0 on the 26 yard line with 20 seconds left in the game???  A FG wouldn't have won it for Texas.  Instead, they put Russell on an island against Cosby and paid for it.  Which I think pretty much sucks.

Not sure they were in Cover 0 there.  I think the LB's that would have had the undernaeth on that quick slant were screwing around at the line "showing" blitz and didn't get dropped out in time.  McCoy saw it, snapped it and got the pass off quickly enough that Laurinitis or Freeman (can't remember which) couldn't recover.  I don't recall without seeing a replay, but I don't think either of the LB's actually blitzed to leave the secondary in cover 0.  Plus, if Russell was in cover 0 he wouldn't have been playing in the middle of the field that far off Cosby.  He would have been over top him and up a little tighter.  The LB should have been occupying the zone where the pass was caught and Russell had it over the top to keep everything in front.  Russell had to come up and try to make a play on a guy running full speed with no help.  Tough place to be in.

[reality check]

Wasn't cover 0.  The LB's were showing blitz.  Laurinaitis did rush but it was Freeman that was showing and didn't get to his drop to McCoy's left.  The ball went right by Freeman's head and the safety gambled and missed the one tackle he'll always want back.

Still a great showing by the Buckeyes in the national spotlight. 

I've been to two games in that stadium (the other being the great game between the Cards and Browns last year that went down to the final play).  In that first game, I told my buddy all the scoring except for a FG took place in the north endzone.  That was funny except that I had seats six rows off the grass on the south endzone goal line.  There was a FG scored in the south endzone last night but all other scoring took place in the north endzone again...until 16 seconds left in the game.

[JK]

Didn't think it was.  Just looking at where Russell was playing gave it away, though you don't always get the best look at it on TV.

[usee]

Don't mean to butt in but that last TD was definitely a blitz and man to man defense with no free safety. If you look at the replay Texas had 5 wide/no backs and OSU had 6 man front, bringing 5. Texas RT blocks Laurinitas and the DE to the wide side comes unblocked. Freeman lines up over the LG to get him to commit to block him and then drops out at the snap. I think since there are no RB's there was likely an adjustment where the FS went to cover the #3 reciever to the field and the LB is supposed to drop to the "hole" and help with crossing routes. but it was a blitz and definitley m2m defense. might have been the 1st missed tackle OSU dbacks had all day.

[SaintsFAN]

Don't mean to butt in but that last TD was definitely a blitz and man to man defense with no free safety. If you look at the replay Texas had 5 wide/no backs and OSU had 6 man front, bringing 5. Texas RT blocks Laurinitas and the DE to the wide side comes unblocked. Freeman lines up over the LG to get him to commit to block him and then drops out at the snap. I think since there are no RB's there was likely an adjustment where the FS went to cover the #3 reciever to the field and the LB is supposed to drop to the "hole" and help with crossing routes. but it was a blitz and definitley m2m defense. might have been the 1st missed tackle OSU dbacks had all day.

thats exactly the way I saw it.  Texas could've ran that slant and nothing else with the way Russel was lined up (the DE would've gotten there if the play needed more time to develop).  They had the perfect sight adjustment ready for that look Ohio State gave.