| 09 November 2009
I want to see a show of hands. How many Buckeye fans wives, or husbands, I know there are some lady Buckeye wackos out there, who believe their spouse might kill them before the season is over?
I know all of you are as fired up as I am. A tumultuous season. Many of us tired of seeing the same old thing continue to cost us. Now we hit the high of highs. We beat a major rival, a legendary program led by a legendary coach, and we do it in their joint. Not only did we beat them, we dominated them. My wife avoids me on football Saturdays. I was as excited as the dogs when she came home Saturday evening. I swear I think she likes me better when things are not going well. I have not calmed down. She is not amused. We win out, something that is highly likely, and go to the Rose Bowl. Who woulda thunk it? What brought us to this state?
Several things but maturity is right at the top of the list. I think the coaching staff has uncinched a notch, maybe two, on the belt. We are not as predictable. It would not have mattered if this young team had not shown maturity. Minnesota and New Mexico State will never be seen as big victories but they could be the most important games of the year. This young team needed to have some success. That happened in those two games. I think this huge win would not have happened if the pups did not get the chance to good for a couple of weeks, and find their confidence.
Look at the offensive line. Never forget that offensive linemen come along so much slower than other positions, so the small number of starts with the bulk of this offensive line is that much more magnified. Posey did not play alot last year. Look at the difference in him the last few games. Zack Boren became the lead fullback we have been looking for. Mike Adams is still the most physically gifted offensive lineman that has come into the program since Orlando Pace but Andy Miller is the better player right now. Notice how the line settled in once Miller was getting the bulk of the reps. He is playing very smart football, and I have noticed a tenacity about him. He hangs tough. Plays to the whistle. One thing that drives me nuts about Adams is when he is beat, he is beat. I want to scream at him that he has one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the game back there. Stay with it. Your not beat until he is on the ground. Miller does that. Keeps after his man. I wonder if things would have been different if he was not out of the Purdue game. He might not have fallen for the head games Purdue was playing that left Adams not knowing which way was up. Notice the amount of man coverage in this game. You would think Penn State would be the last school that the staff would decide to put the corners on an island against. The staff knew they were ready for it.
We will win out. We will play in the Rose Bowl. Those are the things we are in control of. What we are not in control of is the one element that makes this a season to remember, a rematch with USC. We should have beaten them in September. We will beat them in January. That is, if we get the chance. Make offerings to the god of football, the great Gridiron, for the opportunity to exorcise the demons of failures past. I am told the burning of Clarett jerseys is a good way to be granted favors. I propose a mass burning. Bring an extra jersey. We don't want to see a bunch of half naked guys dancing around. Of course, this request does not extend to Lady Buckeyes.
This young team looks like it has found its mojo. Woe be to anyone that steps on the field against them.
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