Post-game Buckeye blues
Big news right?
Well, it's too bad that they started the game at midnight and it finished up at 4:30 in the morning. Although that is stretching it, ESPN did manage to get the game on late and, sadly, the exciting conclusion to what turned out to be a great football game was seen by about half as many people as it should have been. By the time OSU squandered a chance to put the game away, had a punt blocked setting up a doomsday situation with one minute to play, only to get an interception to seal the deal two plays later, many a fan was dreaming about swimming in figgy pudding, traveling through time with Steve Jobs or dinner parties with Trudy from Facts of Life.
If you did stay up long enough, then you got to see the half-hour special which aired after the game, titled "I'm Sorry: The Terrell Prior Story." Prior spent most of the post-game in front of the national cameras apologizing for both himself and his four teammates who made the mistake of getting tattoos two years ago with ill-gotten-booty such as pins and golden pants, which they traded out for their tats. It almost got to the point that I wanted to suspend Prior for five more games just for bringing it up so much.
Speaking of Prior, he again showcased his incredible talents all night long. He threw the ball decent, but it was his legs that helped him escape from numerous would-be sacks to keep Buckeye drives alive. That being said, his missing five games next season due to the NCAA-imposed sanctions will not help his already shaky case to become a pro quarterback. On the reverse side, some of the Razorback wide receivers looked like my loopy uncle trying to keep an olive perched on a saltine cracker as he tried to get it from hand to mouth without having it fall to the floor. Is it just me, or am I the only one who thinks that Arkansas wins that game 44-31 if their receivers don't play hot potato with the football all night?
Prior as MVP? That honor should not have even gone to a Buckeye. That honor should have gone to Arkansas punter Dylan Breeding, who pinned the Buckeyes inside the 5-yard line so many times that they should have been paying rent.
I truly think Jim Tressel is a fantastic coach, but once again, his submissive style of football nearly cost his team a victory. OSU had its way with Arkansas early, and rather than going for the jugular in the second half, it was play-it-close-to-the-vest time for The Vest.
OSU's pressure on Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett was a huge key to the victory. Mallett was battered and bruised all night long by the Buckeyes, but he certainly didn't help himself by throwing some massively ugly passes after stepping up in the pocket to avoid the pass rush. The all-out Buckeye pass rush looked like a cattle call to the QB. There were so many OSU defenders surging in on Mallett that at times it looked like my Tudor NFL Electric Football game, where the little plastic men vibrate without direction. Usually the QB vibrated into the corner and was surrounded by seven guys from the other team and one blocker, while the rest of my team moseyed down into the other end zone.
Best line of the night was Brad Nessler's spot-on "Shouldn't that be called a vest bump?" when Prior and Tressel bumped chests after a Prior TD pass. Maybe it was just me, but that seemed a little weird, kinda like chest bumping your 84-year-old uncle when he comes to visit for Thanksgiving.
That safety call on Boom Herron was a bit bizarre. Herron did manage to slip away for a split second after the initial contact was made, but he was wrapped up and done for by the time he hit the 2-yard line and was forced back into the end zone. That call is never made like that, and had it been a big name star, the refs certainly would have placed the ball at the two.
Are you one of those people who think Tressel should have suspended his five tattoo boys from the game despite what the NCAA said about letting them play? Wow, do you ever need to get over yourself. The tattoo incident aside, what we got was an extremely entertaining football game, with a lot of really good players making plays all over the field (discounting the Razorback wide receivers, of course). In reality, what those five guys did was not like they stabbed a dog or robbed grandma of her heart medicine.
They were young freshman, did something stupid and are now willing to take whatever sanctions come their way. If you think they shouldn't have played, I guess that makes you the first person to never have done something stupid. Congrats!
Could the Buckeyes have played with Auburn and Oregon for No. 1? Yes, I think OSU would have fought a valiant fight against either team, but in the end, they really should have lost to No, 8 Arkansas, and neither Auburn nor Oregon would have done some of the things that led to Arkansas' defeat. Frankly, the best team in football won't be playing for the National title. Stanford looked awesome in disposing of Virginia Tech.