McCormick was a member of the University of Oregon 2016 recruiting class. To provide a sense of how long ago that was, a key Ohio State recruit that year was Nick Bosa–who’s been a big star in the NFL for years now. McCormick redshirted his first year and then played as a redshirt freshman. Thereafter, his playing time was affected by a series of injuries that caused him to miss a few entire seasons, and he was granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID. Then, after seven years at Oregon, he transferred to the University of Miami, where he has been for two years. McCormick is now 25 years old and still harbors dreams of playing in the NFL.
When I was in college, we sometimes referred to classmates who weren’t exactly taking crippling course loads as being on the “five-year plan.” What would it be like to be on a “nine-year plan,” and spend almost a full decade in college? At least McCormick has used his time productively: he’s got a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communication and a master’s in Advertising and Brand Responsibility from the University of Oregon, he’s completed a number of internships, and he’s currently enrolled in the University of Miami’s post-baccalaureate program.
It’s hard to imagine nine years in college, following a football dream, but you have to give McCormick props for dedication and determination. Whether he makes it to the NFL or not, he’s given his dream his best shot–and nine years on campus.
We’re only a few hours away from this year’s titanic clash of the Men of the Scarlet and Gray with That Team Up North. Number 2 versus Number 3. The winners take the Big Ten East crown, punch their ticket to the Big Ten championship game, and may end up in the College Football Playoff; the losers have to lick their wounds for another year. The stakes don’t get much higher than this, but that’s par for the course for The Game.
As is true every year, this year’s matchup has its own set of off-the-field storylines, with controversy swirling around TTUN and its program, and Ohio State and its coaching staff dealing with the pressure of trying to reverse a two-year losing streak. But I woke up early this morning, adrenalin surging, thinking about the football, not the surrounding distractions. Here’s my take.
I think the problem with predicting the outcome of The Game this year is simple: the Big Ten doesn’t have many multi-dimensional offensive teams. TTUN and Ohio State both fall into that category, but most of the other teams don’t. Ohio State has played a slightly tougher schedule, thanks to its win in South Bend, but that same one-dimensional issue was true for Notre Dame–at least, it was back when Ohio State played the Fighting Irish. There just aren’t that many Big Ten teams that can both run and pass effectively. Perhaps Maryland falls into that category, but that’s about it–and interestingly, the Terrapins gave both Ohio State and TTUN a game.
The novelty of facing a true multi-dimensional opponent means that, even though both teams have played 11 games already, today’s matchup will present a fundamentally different challenge for the defenses. I think we’ll get a sense early on as to whether the multi-dimensional aspect of the opponent poses problems for these two defenses, both of which have put up strong numbers. And don’t kid yourselves–this edition of The Game will boil down to which defense is stouter, and which defense can make the tough stops and avoid the breakdowns when The Game is in the balance. For the past two years, that is what TTUN has been able to do–perhaps aided by an unfair advantage–and what Ohio State has not been able to do. Today, the Buckeyes will try to change that result.
Can they do it? It’s the question every member of Buckeye Nation will be asking at noon today, when The Game kicks off in Ann Arbor.
Yesterday the Big Ten conference announced that coach Jim Harbaugh would be suspended from coaching That Team Up North’s final three regular-season games. The sanction was the initial punishment for TTUN’s involvement in what certainly appears to have been a conscious, intentional, institutional effort to violate NCAA rules on advance scouting of opponents’ games in an effort to steal their play-calling signs. It’s unclear at this point whether additional sanctions might be forthcoming.
The Big Ten explained the rationale for its decision in a 13-page letter that stated that the school “violated the Sportsmanship Policy because a University football staff member engaged in an organized, extensive, years-long in-person advance scouting scheme that was impermissible.” (The presumed “staff member,” Connor Stalions, is shown standing next to Harbaugh in a photo taken during a game earlier this season.) The letter added: “The integrity of the competition is the backbone of any sports conference or league,. That is especially true for sports contests between student-athletes. Athletes compete to win. Competition that is only about winning while disregarding the rules of fair play diminishes all of us, including our institutions. The integrity of the competition must be preeminent. Its value is fundamental and far exceeds the value of winning; indeed, it is the very source of any value in winning.”
Those are ringing words, but they didn’t convince TTUN that it should accept the punishment. Instead, the controversy promptly moved to the courthouse, with TTUN filing a complaint and a motion for a temporary restraining order in a Michigan state court last night. The TRO, if granted by Judge Carol Kuhnke of Washtenaw County Trial Court, would allow Harbaugh to coach in today’s game against Penn State. The lawyers for TTUN and Harbaugh argue that the Big Ten breached its contract with Michigan, didn’t provide due process, and that the suspension causes “irreparable harm” by “threatening the loss of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for dozens of student athletes and irreversible harm to the University’s and Harbaugh’s reputation.” The filing also contends that “[t]he actions by Defendant Conference were fraudulent, unlawful, unethical, unjustified, and per se wrongful, and were done with malice for the improper purpose of causing the termination or disruption of Plaintiff Harbaugh’s relationship and expectancy,”
So the lines have been drawn, and a state court judge will decide whether coach Harbaugh will be on the sidelines at noon today. As of this writing, there has been no word on a ruling, but we can expect to get word of one at any moment. Making the decision will be a big challenge for a local judge.
One point about the TTUN court filing caught my attention. To the extent TTUN and Harbaugh think their reputations are “threatened” by the Big Ten’s suspension decision, they should know that that ship has sailed. Those reputations have been unalterably soiled by what TTUN has done over the past few years, and enjoining the Big Ten’s action isn’t going to change that fact. The “leaders and best,” indeed!
Ohio State gutted out a victory over Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium last night, 24-10. Playing in a night game before an amped-up crowd of Badger faithful, the Buckeyes brought some tough defense to the table, effectively throttling the Wisconsin offense except for one drive that started the second half and tied the game. Offensively, Marvin Harrison Jr. caught two touchdown passes and had his customary 100-yard game, and the Buckeyes found their running game in the form of TreVeyon Henderson, who rushed for 162 yards and scored the clinching touchdown on a great gallop that saw him run through pretty much the entire Badger defense.
It wasn’t a flawless, dominating win by any means. Quarterback Kyle McCord threw two interceptions–one of which was the result of a really bad decision–and had one fumble, all of which killed decent drives and gave Wisconsin life and kept the score too close for comfort until late in the fourth quarter. We tend to forget that McCord really hasn’t played much until this year, and as a result he’s never known what it’s like to try to march his team down the field in a prime-time game in a hostile environment. He’s now done that in two very tough venues, at Notre Dame and at Wisconsin, and we’ll hope he’s learned from those experiences. We’ll particularly hope that he gets those terrible turnovers out of his system before the toughest road test of all, against That Team Up North at the end of November.
I’ll never take a win against Wisconsin on the road for granted; many good teams have gone into Camp Randall Stadium and come out losers. But what I’ve seen of TTUN this season tells me that if Ohio State loses the turnover battle on November 25 the result is not going to be a happy one for Buckeye Nation. If we want to notch a win in Ann Arbor, we’ll need to hold onto the ball and avoid those bad decisions that lead to interceptions.
Yesterday the Washington Post published a story providing some context and background about the NCAA investigation and what caused it. Citing anonymous sources, the Post reported that the “an outside investigative firm approached the NCAA with documents and videos the firm said it had obtained from computer drives maintained and accessed by multiple [TSUN] coaches.” According to the Post, the unnamed outside investigative firm began looking at TSUN’s activities this season and interviewed witnesses and reviewed documents and videos related to the travel and sign-stealing efforts. The Post‘s anonymous sources said the investigative firm presented the NCAA with evidence that included “a detailed schedule of [TSUN’s] planned sign-stealing travel for the rest of this season, listing opponents’ schedules, which games [TSUN] scouts would attend and how much money was budgeted for travel and tickets to scout each team.”
Of particular interest to Buckeye Nation, the Post reported:
“The opponents targeted the most on this schedule, these people said, were not surprising. Atop the list was Ohio State, [TSUN’s] top rival in the Big Ten, and scouts planned to attend as many as eight games, costing more than $3,000 in travel and tickets. Next on the list was Georgia, a potential opponent in the College Football Playoff, with four or five games scheduled for in-person scouting and video-recording, also costing more than $3,000 in travel and tickets.”
“In total, those people said, [TSUN’s] sign-stealing operation expected to spend more than $15,000 this season sending scouts to more than 40 games played by 10 opponents. According to the university’s public salary disclosure records, Stalions, listed as an administrative specialist in the athletic department, made $55,000 in 2022.”
Interestingly, the Post also reported that the investigative firm provided the NCAA with photos of what the firm thought were TSUN sign-stealers in action:
“The outside firm also presented to NCAA officials photographs of people investigators believed to be [TSUN] scouts in action — including current students interning with the football team. The photos showed these people seated at games of [TSUN] opponents this season, aiming their cellphones at the sidelines. Days later, the outside firm told the NCAA, cellphone videos depicting the coaching staffs from these games were uploaded to a computer drive maintained and accessed by Stalions as well as several other [TSUN] assistants and coaches.”
It’s pretty hard to argue with video, photographic, and computer evidence, although in these days of AI and deepfakes anything is possible. It will be interesting to follow the investigation as it proceeds, and to learn the identity of the investigative firm and how it came to have access to knowledgeable witnesses and video and photographic evidence. I expect that a focus of the NCAA investigation will be to confirm whether or not there was an organized sign-stealing effort, and if so figure out how many people in the TSUN football program were aware of and involved in it. Jim Harbaugh, head football coach for TSUN, has denied any knowledge or involvement.
There’s a big game in college football today between two teams ranked in the top ten. The undefeated Penn State Nittany Lions travel to Columbus to take on the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes. It should be a great battle between two great teams.
The only thing weird about it is that the game kicks off at 9 a.m., Marana time. You’d think this kind of match-up would be a night game, but the networks wanted a noon start. And while Arizona is in the Mountain Time Zone, which is supposed to be two hours behind the Eastern Time Zone, Arizona doesn’t recognize Daylight Savings Time so whenever the rest of the country is on DST, Arizona falls three hours behind.
I don’t think I’ve ever watched a football game at 9 a.m. A high school football practice, maybe, but certainly not an epic struggle between two unbeatens with clear College Football Playoff implications. I know that Pacific Time Zone friends accept such early-morning games as a matter of course, but it’s very strange for a native Midwesterner. You’ve got to get mentally stoked up for a big game like this, and a 9 a.m. kickoff doesn’t allow much time to do that. And forget about cracking open a traditional brewski at the kickoff to enjoy during the game. With a 9 a.m. kickoff, I’ll still be guzzling coffee, and my taste buds won’t be ready for a frosty adult beverage for hours to come.
It’s odd to think that, as I wipe sleep out of my eyes and write this post, there are thousands of wide-awake scarlet-clad people tailgating in the parking lots around the old Horseshoe on a cool morning, analyzing the game, enjoying tailgate food and warming adult beverages, and getting ready to head into the Stadium and scream their heads off. But when 9 a.m. Marana time rolls around, I’ll do my best to be ready, to add my morning rooting efforts to the collective vibe emanating from Buckeye Nation.
I saw only snippets of the Ohio State win over Maryland yesterday. Regrettably, I missed most of the offensive onslaught in the second half that allowed the Buckeyes to pull away from the Terrapins and notch a solid 20-point victory, 37-17.
From what I saw and my analysis of the box score, there was a lot to like in the triumph over a previously undefeated Maryland team. Ohio State remained unbeaten and stays in the thick of the race for the Big Ten East title and potential spots in the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoff. For me, the highlights from yesterday’s game included the play of an opportunistic defense that forced two crucial turnovers and one defensive score and held an explosive Maryland team in check during the key moments in the second half. I also liked the continuing development of quarterback Kyle McCord, who threw for more than 300 yards and hit some key chunk-play passes in the clutch.
But, I wouldn’t be a lifetime member of Buckeye Nation if I didn’t also look for areas of improvement, and there is a glaring one about this team: the running game and continued struggles in converting third-and-short and fourth-and-short situations. Yesterday Ohio State ran for a measly 62 yards on 33 carries, which comes out to an embarrassing average of 1.9 yards per carry. Legendary coach Woody Hayes must be rolling over in his grave at that statistic; he took pride in the “three yards and a cloud of dust” description that will be forever associated with his run-oriented offenses. Obviously, the run component of this Buckeye offense hasn’t jelled . . . at least not yet.
The running game starts with the big boys up front. This season, Ohio State’s linemen, may of whom are new starters, seem to be routinely stood up at the line of scrimmage, leaving few holes for running backs, and the problems are especially noticeable when the Buckeyes are looking to move the chains. This is very concerning because experienced Big Ten fans know that when the weather turns cold and foul, the run game is essential. A lot of tough games are coming up, and if Ohio State’s offensive line can’t win the battle at the line of scrimmage, open some holes, and establish a running game, it will seriously impair the team’s ability to realize its goals of a Big Ten championship and another trip to the CFP.
Next Saturday, the Buckeyes travel to West Lafayette to take on the Purdue Boilermakers–a venue where past Ohio State teams have endured some hard losses. I’ll be watching those big boys up front to see if they get a push whenever Ohio State tries to run the ball.
Today Ohio State plays Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. It’s a “big game” by any definition of that well-worn phrase. Both teams are undefeated, both teams are ranked in the top ten, and both teams are storied college football programs with lots of tradition. It will be nationally televised and played in front of a crowd of frenzied fans and “Touchdown Jesus,” and the Fighting Irish will be wearing their lucky all-green uniforms. It will be a great atmosphere and a great test for both teams.
But by midnight tonight, all of the hoopla will have ended, the game will have been played, and one team will have won and the other will have lost. And the coaching staff and fans of the losing team may well shake their heads and wonder: why did we schedule this game? I’m guessing that is exactly what Alabama’s coaching staff and fan base thought when the Crimson Tide lost at home to Texas earlier this year.
That’s the big question about “big games” in college football. If you schedule a tough non-conference opponent and win, it’s a great resume-builder that helps to put you into position to qualify for the College Football Playoff. But if you lose, you fall out of the ranks of the unbeaten, and you’ve got that loss on your record that you need to overcome when the CFP selection process starts. So, is it better to take the risk and look for early-season challenges against other big-name programs that will excite college football fans, or to schedule a bunch of patsies that will allow you to get to your conference schedule without a loss? Obviously, some teams take one approach, and some take the other.
I like the challenging match-ups like today’s OSU-ND tilt–and I’m pretty sure I will feel that way after the game, too, regardless of the outcome. Such games are fun for the fans and the players, and good for the sport. I also hope that the committee that ultimately decides on the CFP participants is savvy enough to recognize that losses in early-season “big games” shouldn’t be disqualifying.
But next year, when the CFP expands to 12 teams, I’m hoping that the “big game” equation will change. A single loss won’t be such a black mark, and perhaps then the CFP selection committee will start looking carefully at strength of schedule and quality of wins. If that happens, the teams that go on the early-season cupcake parade might regret their lack of a meaty “big game” on their resumes.
Ohio State’s football season starts tomorrow, when the Men of the Scarlet and Gray travel to Bloomington to take on the Indiana Hoosiers. Every college football team starts the season with questions, as familiar faces have graduated and new faces must fill in–but for this Buckeye squad, perhaps, there are more questions than is usually the case.
The first question is at quarterback. After a long evaluation during spring practice and training camp, OSU head coach Ryan Day has chosen Kyle McCord as the starter–although he plans to play Devin Brown a lot as well. Neither quarterback played much last year, and they certainly didn’t have to make big plays when the chips were down. Ohio State’s offense in recent years has required a lot from its quarterbacks, and Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud both filled that role brilliantly. Will McCord and/or Brown be able to react well under pressure, make good decisions with the ball, and be able to spread the ball around to Ohio State’s deep and talented corps of receivers? Having great pass-catchers is wonderful, but someone has got to get the ball to them, on time and on target.
The second question is a related one: will Ohio State’s offensive line be able to provide the protection needed to make Ohio State’s passing offense work, and can it open holes for Buckeye running backs? Three starters on the Ohio State offensive line moved on to the NFL, leaving three holes to be filled by new players, including the crucial center position. The Buckeyes’ talent at the offensive skill positions will get a chance to shine only if the line holds up. It also typically takes time for a new collection of linemen to gel as a unit. We’ll be keeping an eye on the performance of the O-line tomorrow and in the coming weeks. And one of the key indicators will be whether Ohio State can convert on third-and-short with its running game.
And the third big question is the defense. Last year Ohio State’s D was gouged in its last two games of the year–the biggest games of all, against The Team Up North and eventual national champion Georgia. The D suffered perplexing big-play breakdowns that left members of Buckeye Nation scratching their heads. This year, with another year of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ scheme and coaching under their belts, the expectation is that the defense–which also features a lot of talent–will be a lot less porous and a lot more disruptive. The D’s performance will be another focus for me in tomorrow’s game.
Starting the year with a Big Ten game, away, is unusual from a scheduling perspective, but it will present a good challenge for the new-look Buckeyes. When the kickoff happens at 3:30 tomorrow, we’ll start to see how these questions are going to get answered. Go Bucks!
How big can the Big Ten get . . . and how big should the Big Ten get? It’s not the same question, of course. As for how big the Big Ten can get, there’s probably no limit. The conference is awash in money from TV contracts, and with conferences like the poor old PAC-12 apparently falling apart, why wouldn’t schools like Oregon and Washington want to join a conference that will provide them with cash and TV exposure and a chance to regularly play teams like Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State in high-stakes matchups on national TV? What’s their alternative?
As for how big the Big Ten should get, we can expect the Big Ten Commish look into TV markets and potential ad revenue for the Big Ten network as part of his analysis. The fans and the athletes might have a say, too. Athletes who are interested in maximizing the NIL value might like that additional TV exposure in a new part of the country.
As for fans like me, the conference no longer bears much resemblance to what we remember from our youth–but we’re probably not the audience the conference cares about, anyway. Do you know off the top of your head how many teams are in the Big Ten right now, if you add UCLA and USC into the mix? Other than Ohio State-Michigan, what are the “rivalries” these days, since Rutgers, and Maryland, and Nebraska joined the group? Why shouldn’t Big Ten alums who’ve moved west have the chance to see their alma maters play teams that wear fluorescent uniforms in faraway venues?
College football as it existed in the ’60s and ’70s is as outdated as rotary telephones and Nehru jackets.
I’ll always watch the Buckeyes, whoever they play; it’s part of my DNA. But it’s strange to think that the Big Ten might some day have multiple member teams on the west coast, and grow to 20 or 24, or 30 teams–or even more. The Big Ten gets ever bigger.
Yesterday I joined a group that headed to Ohio Stadium to watch the Ohio State-Indiana game. On a cold and snowy day, we watched the Buckeyes pulverize the outmatched Hoosiers, 56-14. The win keeps the Men of the Scarlet and Gray undefeated and on track to be in a position to achieve their goals: beating Michigan, winning a Big Ten championship, and competing for a national title.
For the true Buckeyes fan, however, every game, no matter how lopsided, involves good points and areas of lingering concern–because true Buckeye fans hold their gridiron team to impossibly high standards. Yesterday was no exception. The good points included 660 yards of total offense, achieving a nice balance with the ground game and the air attack each racking up more than 300 yards, and five touchdown passes for C.J. Stroud. Putting up these kinds of numbers in cold, snowy conditions is an added plus, because if you play football in the Midwest in November, when the really big games occur, you’ve got to be able to move the ball in cold, sloppy weather conditions. And the Buckeyes’ defense played well, harassing the Hoosier offense throughout the game and holding Indiana to two scores (one coming when the game was well out of reach) and well under 300 yards of offense.
So what are the areas of concern? I’m still worried about Ohio State’s ability to convert in short-yardage situations. Ohio State had some failures on third-and-short yesterday, against a team that doesn’t really match up against the Buckeyes in the trenches. Long runs are great and make the rushing game statistics look good, but as the season winds down, being able to pick up the tough yards, get first downs, and keep the ball in the hands of the offense will become increasingly crucial. The key question that we’ll get answered in the very near future is: can Ohio State and its offensive line do that against a team that has a great defensive line and will make the Buckeyes fight for every yard?
With yesterday’s win, the Buckeyes move to 10-0. Next up is Maryland on the road, and looming behind is That Team Up North, which also stands at 10-0, tied with Ohio State at the top of the Big Ten East. This season is feeling a lot like past seasons, where everything is leading up to The Game once again.
Today we joined a loyal slice of Buckeye Nation at JT’s Pizza and Pub to watch the Buckeyes come back strong in the fourth quarter to top Penn State in Happy Valley. We cheered lustily, did “OH-IO” chants, marveled at the talent of Marvin Harrison, Jr., and tried to learn how to correctly pronounce the last name of the newest Buckeye hero, J.T. Tuimoloau. (It’s easier to just call him “number 44.”) it was a great game, a great win, and a lot of fun watching the game with a raucous crowd.
Bar owners in Columbus love the football season because they know people will turn out to root for the Bucks, eat, and down a few beers. Today’s noon start isn’t the preferred time slot, however. Pubs like the 3:30 slot best because people come early, enjoy the game, and then roll right into the slate of night games. When the Buckeyes play at noon, however, the crowd tends to head out after the game rather than making a full day of football and feeling guilty about it. Today, a full bar had emptied out about a half hour after the game ended and excited debriefing had occurred.
No worries, though—I’m betting another shift of Buckeye fans will fill the seats tonight, to see if Michigan State can knock Michigan out of the ranks of the unbeaten.
Ohio State played the Toledo Rockets, one of the best teams in the Mid-American Conference, last night. The Buckeyes were a heavy favorite, but this season many college football favorites have gone down to ignominious defeat at the hands of an underdog–and for a time, shifty and speedy Toledo quarterback Dequan Finn gave the Buckeyes’ defense fits. In a normal game, his playmaking ability would have been a cause of concern.
But this was no normal game. Finn’s heroics didn’t really matter, because the Ohio State offense played about as close to perfection as human beings can get. They scored 77 points against a pretty good team, and their offensive metrics were unbelievably gaudy. The team racked up more than 760 yards in total offense, including 482 yards passing and 281 yards rushing. The Buckeyes scored at least two touchdowns in every quarter–including four touchdowns in the first quarter and 42 points in the first half–and responded to every great play by the Rockets quarterback with another score.
If I recall correctly, the Men of the Scarlet and Gray scored on 10 of 12 possessions, with the 12th possession focused on running out the clock at the end of the game. None of the touchdowns were on fluke plays or short fields; the team repeatedly put together long drives and chunk plays that shredded the Toledo defenders. The offensive line opened big holes for Ohio State running backs, protected their quarterbacks, and had only a few modest penalties. The Buckeye starters looked great, the back-ups looked great, and the back-ups to the back-ups–including freshman running back TC Caffey, pictured above, who kept his legs moving, escaped the pile, and took a 49-yard carry to the house–looked great. Coaches always find some flaw, less-than-stellar blocking technique, or missed assignment to coach up, and I’m sure the Ohio State offensive coaches will, too–but they are going to have to truly scour the game film to find much to discuss.
The Wisconsin Badgers come to town next Saturday, and with that game the Big Ten season will begin. Playing sound defense will be a lot more important, touchdowns will no doubt be much harder to come by, and last night’s performance against Toledo will fade into the background. But while the memory is fresh, I hope Buckeye Nation pauses for a moment and appreciates just how amazing last night’s offensive performance was. It truly was a game for the record books.
Having watched a terrific college football game last night, my appetite is whetted for more. I’m ready to plop myself down on the couch, crack open a cold one, and watch some NFL football today. I’m ready to hear the pads cracking and revel in the extreme athleticism, speed, and power of oversized human beings racing around on the gridiron.
Except . . . there is no NFL football today. Even though we got a full slate of college ball last night, football fans hungry for another pigskin fix will be hearing crickets over the Labor Day weekend. The NFL regular season doesn’t kick off until Thursday. So what are football fans to do? Watch the U.S. Open, baseball, or golf? Catch up on HBO’s House of the Dragon? When you’ve got a hankering for clashes on the turf, nothing else really satisfies.
What’s up with this sad reality? Can’t the NFL schedulers and the college schedulers get together and declare that the football season is formally here, so fans can get into their normal Saturday college/Sunday pro routine? Getting only the Saturday half of the equation is like getting the yin without the yang.
We went to the Ohio State-Notre Dame game last night. It was a great, hard-fought game between two of the most storied programs in college football. The Fighting Irish lived up to their name and put up a tough battle, leaving the game in doubt until the Ohio State offense finally found its footing in the second half, the Buckeye offensive line asserted itself, and the running game helped the team grind out a clutch, 90-yard drive that finally put the game away, leading to a 21-10 win. I’m an old school football fan, and any game where good defense and the rushing attack make the difference is just fine with me.
But, speaking of old school, this fan who went to his first Ohio State home game more than 50 years ago was struck by the atmosphere and the hoopla surrounding the game itself. If you haven’t been to a game at the Old Horseshoe recently, you might be surprised by the in-game experience. Some might call it a feast for the senses; others would say it has become a cluttered confusion geared for people with short attention spans, where the new stuff is threatening to crowd out the traditional elements of a college football game.
Don’t get me wrong, some of it was cool. Last night’s game began with a pinpoint Navy parachuting exhibition, where the parachutists dropped into Ohio Stadium at high speeds and landed flawlessly on the field to the cheers of a huge crowd. I particularly liked the member of the parachute squad who swept into the stadium and onto the field trailing an Ohio State flag, as shown in the first two photos above. I also liked the concept of the drone formations that accompanied the band’s halftime show–although we couldn’t see most of the drone stuff, from our seat in B Deck, which made me wonder how many of the fans outside of the closed end had an unobstructed view–and also the mass cellphone flashlight waving, which made the ‘Shoe look like it had been invaded by a million lightning bugs. The South Stands, in particular, embraced the flashlight waving with gusto, as shown in the bottom photo of this post.
I was also happy to see that some of the traditional elements of a home Buckeye football game remain. The band’s ramp entrance, seen above, remains a central focus, and it never fails to get the fans amped. Script Ohio and a Sousaphone player high-stepping and dotting the i will never get old. The team’s rush onto the field has been jazzed up, with fire blasts, billowing smoke, and fireworks, but at least the band and cheerleaders are still part of it. I like that they continue to use at least some of the breaks during the game to trot people out onto the field for recognition; yesterday’s game honored a 100-year-old World War II vet, the OSU women’s hockey national championship team, and Coach Jim Tressel and the 2002 Buckeye national championship football team, among others. And singing Carmen Ohio with the team and the band at the end of the game is a sweet way to celebrate a win.
But there are other things that this old codger found annoying. Ohio State has hired some loudmouth guy with a microphone who presumed to instruct those of us in the crowd about what to do–like barking out commands for fans to “show their Buckeye spirit” or trying to start O-H-I-O chants as t-shirts are hurled into the stands–as if we really need to be told to cheer and get loud during an exciting football game. Couple Mr. Loudmouth with blasting rock and rap music during some breaks in the action and a few dumb on-field activities, like a relay race between teams encased in large inflatable balls, and you feel like some master planner believes that the fans will become hopelessly bored unless something really loud is happening at every second. And, if you haven’t been at Ohio Stadium since beer sales became part of the experience, be ready to stand up constantly for the beer drinkers in your row to pass by for repeated replenishment and depletion. Some of the guzzlers in our section went by so often we wanted to install a turnstile and charge a fee to let them pass.
I don’t think an Ohio State home game, in one of the most storied venues in college football, needs all of this sideshow stuff. It crowds out the opportunities for the band to play and for the cheerleaders to do some of their routines in front of the fans–which are two of the key things that distinguish a college sporting event from the pros. All of the noise also interferes with another nice part of the Ohio State football experience, which is to talk to surrounding fans, who are typically pretty knowledgeable about football, about the game itself. What a novel concept: football fans wanting to talk about football during the game without being prompted to do something by a loud guy with a microphone! I’d vote to give Mr. Loudmouth his walking papers, ditch the inflatable ball races, and let the band play.
Webner House 