Yesterday, on a cold and blustery day in Columbus, the Ohio State Buckeyes pulverized the Michigan Wolverines, 37-7. The win in The Game was the seventh in a row for Ohio State over its archrivals.
Buckeye bagpipers at French Field House
At Ohio Stadium it was a festive atmosphere from start to finish. A troupe of bagpipers walked among the tailgaters at the French Field House lot playing Carmen Ohio. Brutus rode by, hanging out of the window of a pickup truck and pumping up the raucous crowd. Inside the Horseshoe the 105,000 fans also had their game faces on, heckling and booing the Michigan band, cheerleaders, fans, and anyone else who dared to wear maize and blue.
When the game finally began, Ohio State started slowly. Michigan, on the other hand, moved the ball. Then the Ohio State defense forced a crucial turnover, Ohio State finally broke through to score 10 points, and when Michigan answered with its one touchdown Jordan Hall broke Michigan’s back with a return for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff. After that it was no contest. The Buckeyes methodically ground up the Wolverines, forcing two more turnovers and pounding Michigan on the ground. The only thing that kept the game even remotely close was the absurd refereeing, which punished college kids for making the “O” sign and negated Boom Herron’s brilliant 99-yard touchdown run with the worst downfield holding call in college football history.
The team and band sing Carmen Ohio after the win
Although Michigan has struggled this year, this nevertheless was an impressive win for the Buckeyes. The offense did not play its best game, yet still Terrelle Pryor, Boom Herron, Dane Sanzenbacher, DeVier Posey, and their teammates scored 30 offensive points — and could easily have scored more if Coach Tressel had not called off the dogs in the fourth quarter. The defense, on the other hand, played one of its best games. It held the high-powered Michigan offense to its lowest point total of the season and pretty much shut down the Wolverines after they scored their lone touchdown. The Buckeyes clearly wanted to contain Denard Robinson, and for the most part they succeeded. When Robinson went out with an injury, every Buckeyes fan breathed a sigh of relief. Although Tate Forcier is a decent quarterback, he is a much easier player to defend.
At the end, as we listened to the team sing Carmen Ohio and looked at the scoreboard memorializing a decisive victory over the Wolverines, it was a sweet moment. Beating Michigan never gets old.
Webner House 