As everyone was celebrating Ohio State’s 2nd National Championship under Coach Jim Tressel, a funny thing happened…the game. The Florida Gators dominated the Buckeyes in a 41-14 rout in the BCS title game. It ended the OSU winning streak at 19 games, and it sent the Buckeye senior class out on a very sour note.
After Ted Ginn Jr. returned the opening kickoff for the touchdown, it was all Gators. QB Chris Leak never made the mistakes he was prone to all season long, and he completed short pass after short pass and let the Florida receivers gain huge chunks of yardage after the catch. It was surprising that the Bucks did not try to put more pressure on Leak early in the game to force him into some mistakes. Ohio State appeared content to sit back and hope the Gators would turn the ball over rather than forcing the action. Perhaps this strategy was the result of the great field position Florida had early in the game, the result of two personal foul penalties.
It is interesting to note that the OSU defense spent the first part of the season forcing a lot of turnovers, but didn’t force any in the last two games. They allowed 80 points in those contests.
By the time the defense went into attack mode, it was too late. Florida had already put 27 points on the board, and after a Troy Smith fumble, the Gators took a 34-14 lead into the locker room at halftime. On offense, the line could not protect its Heisman Trophy quarterback, making Smith look like the various signal callers the Browns employed this season. It is very difficult to be accurate when you are constantly running for your life. In spite of the performance not being the fault of Smith totally, it should lay to rest the notion that the Browns should use the 3rd or 4th pick in the draft to take the former Glenville star.
Tressel also seemed to lose interest in the running game, probably because the Bucks fell behind early, but it was still early enough to not ignore the running game. The only drive that ended in a touchdown featured running by both Antonio Pittman and Smith, but the Buckeyes seemed to abandon the strategy after that point. Except for late in the second quarter, when Ohio State faced a 3rd and 1 on their own 29, didn’t convert on two running plays. For a coach who talks a lot about field position, it was a curious decision to be sure.
I also think since Ohio State rarely trailed this season, they did not know how to react when they fell behind last night. The cameras showed Smith trying to exhort his teammates, but the offensive linemen appeared to be bewildered on the bench. There is something to the theory of having done something before, and Ohio State never had to come from more than seven points down all season. They never developed the grittiness the 2002 team found.
We all know the seniors are leaving, but it says here that Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez, and Antonio Pittman should stay another year in Columbus. Ginn’s hands are not consistent enough, although the NFL scouts will be enamored with the size and speed and will make him a top 10 pick in April. He will move on for sure. Gonzo probably wants to stay anyway, and I don’t think Pittman will be a 1st or 2nd round pick in the draft this spring.
In spite of last night’s debacle, this was a great season for the Buckeyes. Getting to the National Championship isn’t something that happens every year. Although they didn’t win a ring, they did get the chance to play for a title.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 