Imagine that you are a fly on the wall somewhere in the vast NBC complex and you overhear this conversation.
Producer: Alright, who has an idea for next week’s show?
Writer: I think I have something. We have a true living legend of a football coach – the guy’s been coaching for more than half a century. The suspect is one of his assistant coaches and he’s also a former player. He uses his position to set up a foundation for kids and he runs youth football camps and that’s where he selects his victims.
Producer: Not bad, not bad. Do we open with a murder? Is he killing these kids too?
Writer: No, I had a better idea. A graduate student who is an assistant to the team walks in on the coach having sex with a young boy in the locker room shower.
Next week on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit…
It’s not a bad episode is it? The coach comes out and tries to deny and eventually tries to defend himself and all the while, Detective Elliot Stabler (played magnificently by Christopher Meloni) does his very best to not beat the snot out of the suspect with his bare hands. Do me a favor and keep this scenario in mind for a few minutes.
There’s only one problem…
GRIEF
Everyone in the country knows that one of the bigger jokes is the NCAA. On one hand they trumpet the virtues of the student-athlete who cares about getting his degree and is learning valuable lessons on his way through college by playing sports. On the other hand, there is Division I (Bowl Subdivision) football and Division I Men’s Basketball. When I look at water polo or field hockey or rugby or underwater basket-weaving (a very competitive sport, so they say) I can think about the student-athlete without gagging.
When I look at Division I Football (Bowl Subdivision) and Men’s Basketball, I can’t help but think that I can add up the GPA’s of the entire teams on both hands. There are always exceptions – for instance, if I remember my facts correctly, the presumptive top pick in next year’s NFL draft has a GPA over 3.5… from Stanford. So what exactly am I getting at with all of this?
When it comes to big-time college football and basketball, the players are not there to get a degree or to spend four years in college. They are there to enhance their draft stock and hopefully play professionally in their sport. The sad truth of the matter is that everyone exploits these kids for their freakish ability to jump high or to throw a football fifty yards downfield while four three hundred pound behemoths try to rip his head off. Yes, I said EVERYONE.
Fans exploit the players to the extent that they want to watch the event.
Universities exploit them by selling tickets to said events.
The NCAA exploits them by negotiating ridiculously lucrative television contracts to air the biggest events.
The coaches exploit them (perhaps worst of all) because they are the coach’s meal ticket. If a coach recruits good players, the team does well. If the team does well, the coach either gets a raise or gets offered a job at another university with greater pay and responsibility.
So again, I’ll ask, where is this heading? It’s heading towards recruiting violations and the illusion of the amateur athlete and how the former is making a complete mockery out of the latter. I can think of four huge programs that are either under investigation or were recently for awful recruiting violations in the last ten years and all of them have either played for or won a BCS National Championship… and I thought about it for about thirty seconds.
I don’t think that college athletes should be paid. A number of them get some form of scholarship and if you went down to the college students on Wall Street, I’ll bet that they would value that a bit higher than the players who receive them do. I don’t like recruiting rules but they are the rules and if you break them, you should be punished. When it comes to texting a player too much, I can live with that. You lose a scholarship this year, don’t do it again. When it comes to supposedly offering a guy’s family $180,000 to convince him to come and play for your university, that’s way too far. I don’t think college titles should be bought (at least not in that fashion). They should be earned by the coach taking the time to go out around the country and meet the guys and convince them to come to State University. Alas, it goes on despite the efforts of the NCAA’s enforcement staff.
Years ago, when I was young and naïve, I denied that anything like this could possibly happen.
As I got older and watched the news of it happening on Sportscenter, I got angry at the coaches that so flagrantly broke the rules.
As I saw the unfathomable proliferation of these practices throughout college athletics, I softened my stance on paying players (maybe it would reduce a lot of these problems after all).
When I heard people actually articulate the details of paying players, I got depressed when I realized that it could and would never happen.
And finally, at some point last season, when the presumptive (and eventual) Heisman Trophy winner was leading a team towards the BCS National Championship Game (which he won) I gave up and accepted that this was the way big time college sports was always going to be. There were always going to be rule breakers and people would always put up with them. After all, if it actually happened, why should Auburn University care about the $180,000 they supposedly paid the Newton family when they went 14-0 and won the national title? How much extra money did they make during that season?
As you can see, when it comes to the awful corruption that is rampant in college sports, I went through the five stages of grief. I firmly believe that I went through all the stages and came out the other side and accepted it so easily because after all, these players are making million upon millions of dollars for the universities and the NCAA so why should they not get a little on the side for themselves? After all, it’s not like they’re hurting anyone…
JERRY SANDUSKY
As much as it pains me to write this, the idea for an episode of NBC’s Law & Order: SVU about a serial child molester is not fiction. At this point I must point out that nothing has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt yet so there is not yet a perpetrator, just a defendant.
Jerry Sandusky played football at Penn State under coach Joe Paterno and later returned to the team and was an assistant coach there for just over three decades. During that time he founded an organization that that reached underprivileged children through different programs and camps and it is here, prosecutors allege, that he selected his victims.
In paperwork filed with the Centre County District Magistrate Judge’s office at the end of last week, Jerry Sandusky is accused of 40 counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of someone under 16, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault of someone under 16, indecent assault of someone under 13, and corruption of minors. These crimes were allegedly committed against eight different boys from 1996 to 2005. The details are still coming in but if you’re wondering what some of the details of the alleged offenses are, you can find the Grand Jury Report here – http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2011/1107/espn_e_Sandusky-Grand-Jury-Presentment.pdf
In this report you will find that a graduate assistant testifies that he walked into the locker room and witnessed Sandusky having sex with a boy he described as being about ten years old in the showers. According to testimony, he called his father and asked what he should do. The next day he went to head coach Joe Paterno and told him what he witnessed. Paterno then contacted his boss, athletic director Tim Curley, and told him of what the graduate assistant had told him.
This is where the waters get a bit muddied. If you read the testimony presented by Mike McQueary (the graduate assistant), Joe Paterno, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz (Vice President for Finance and Business at Penn State), and Graham Spanier (President of Penn State University), it appears at best that the three men in the middle of this chain of communication (Paterno, Curley, and Schultz) were guilty of simple misrepresentation or misunderstand of the story being presented to them. At worst, it was an attempt to sweep the whole incident under the rug and cover the whole thing up to protect a man that had given 36 years of his life to the football team.
President Spanier testified that he was told a story of “Jerry Sandusky… and a younger child and that they were horsing around in the shower”. How we got there from McQueary saying he thought anal sex was involved is more than a mystery; it’s potentially criminal. I should note at this point that both Curley and Schultz are now facing perjury charges because of what they said to the Grand Jury.
So what is the point of my telling you this sordid tale and what is the tie to recruiting violations? It’s the culture of “we can do whatever we want”. This particular event involving McQueary allegedly took place nine years ago. NINE YEARS! Sandusky was more or less given an emeritus position with the football team since his retirement in 1999 and has had virtually unfettered access to Penn State athletic facilities since then. Can anyone explain why?
So now, my feelings on the entire corrupt system have gone into reverse big time – all the way from acceptance to blinding rage. Even if we put aside the Pennsylvania state law that requires all instances of possible child abuse to be reported to certain state agencies, how were the police never contacted? How and why did “anal sex” become “horsing around” when the matter came before the university president?
One potentially devastating answer to those questions swings back to what I was talking about earlier: college football is a huge business and when you look at these events through the lens of what the PR hit will do to your bottom line, all of a sudden there is a tremendous motive to make sure this never sees the light of day. Every time the Nittany Lions play at home, they fill their stadium (which seats an estimated 107,000) to capacity and those people all buy their fill of concessions and beer. Now imagine that number goes down 5% because of this news. Now imagine they are eligible for a BCS at-large bid but no BCS bowl wants to select them because they don’t want the bad publicity. Now they are playing in the Gator Bowl instead of the Orange Bowl with its $15 million payout. I hope that this isn’t the reason why this issue was never given the due attention is required but it is simply too big of a motive to just dismiss.
FALLOUT
The last thing to be determined in this case is what is the fallout going to look like for all parties involved? Given the charges levied against Sandusky, if he is found guilty on half of them, it’s entirely possible that he won’t ever be a free man again and if he did indeed violate the trust of these children, he deserves far worse than he will get.
According to the Grand Jury Report, McQueary was found credible and Curley and Schultz were not. If they are found guilty, they should go to prison. I don’t know what the penalties are for perjury in the state of Pennsylvania but I know that they should be severe.
McQueary is a wildcard and he has already inspired some conspiracy theories of his own. For instance, why did he go from a graduate assistant to a position coach within the Penn State football community? Did it have anything to do with the fact that he called his father and then Joe Paterno instead of the far more natural instinct to dial 9-1-1? I know that that is a serious accusation and I have no evidence whatsoever of his any wrongdoing on McQueary’s part. I simply find it strange that a grown man (he was 28 at the time) would call his father and then the head coach instead of the police when he sees a 58 year old molesting a 10 year old. Whether it was happening or not is beside the point; according to his testimony, that’s what he thought was happening.
Lastly, we come to Joe Paterno. He coached his first game for Penn State in 1966 and if I had my way, he coached his last game for them three days ago. The district attorney has already said that Paterno has not been indicted and everyone attached to Paterno has been quick to say that he fulfilled his legal requirement by notifying his superior, the athletic director. Morally, I find his behavior in this matter to be reprehensible. What he should have done is call the athletic director and notify him of the report that Paterno had just received and that he was calling the police to report the alleged offense. The fact that he took no steps that have come to light as of yet other than to notify his boss and he also allowed Sandusky to keep his access to Penn State’s athletic facilities (he was reportedly in the football facilities as recently as last week) is nothing short of absurd and for his whole role in this, Joe Paterno should be ashamed.
So what do I think should happen? I think the university should clean house and make an example of the man that has won more than 400 games, three Big Ten titles, and two national championships. The university needs to come out with the message that this behavior was unacceptable and the fact that it took nine years for this issue to be properly dealt with is worse. It’s despicable how one of the “good guys” could let this go on right underneath his nose.
COACHES AND POWER
The last issue I’d like to address is an issue that has reared its ugly head twice in the last year. When it came to light that Ohio State coach Jim Tressel had indeed known about the violations long before the NCAA found out about them and had lied about his knowledge, the obvious question posed to university president E Gordon Gee was if he would be firing Jim Tressel. His response?
“No, are you kidding me? Let me be very clear. I’m just hoping the coach doesn’t dismiss me.”
When this scandal at Penn State started to take off, the same implication was made by journalists and analysts alike; Joe Paterno wouldn’t be fired because he’s Joe Paterno and he’s bigger than anyone else at Penn State.
I understand that I just compared a situation where players got tattoos in exchange for memorabilia and one where an assistant coach molested young boys on university property but the problem I’m bringing up is the same in both cases. The coach has so much power that it is explicitly stated that he can do the firing if he wants to. Universities are so desperate for a good football team that they are more willing to appease a coach with questionable morals rather than upset the fan base that pays the bills.
At least when Woody Hayes assaulted a player on the field of play, he was fired within 24 hours. Joe Paterno was supposedly privy to knowledge about something far, far worse.
Nine years later, he’s still employed.
Showing posts with label Jim Tressel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim Tressel. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Random Notes From the World of Sports (and the World Beyond)
There are a handful of stories floating around the world of sports (and the world in general) and while I have a lot to say about a lot, I don’t necessarily have a lot to say about these particular topics. Therefore, I’m just going to lump them in here together.
Today, my topics will be:
Jim Tressel
Osama Bin Laden
Rashard Mendenhall
JIM TRESSEL
This situation has been stewing for me for quite a while. Anyone who has talked to me over the course of the past five years knows the kind of respect that I had for Jim Tressel. I thought that he was an outstanding coach and a wonderful example to the dozens of young men that he influenced during his tenure at one of the biggest, most prestigious football programs in the country.
The way that he has handled that stature is nothing short of awful and I am sure that I am not alone in feeling betrayed by the Vest. I even praised him for his handling of the situation, saying that the five players could play in the Sugar Bowl if they promised to come back next year and serve their five game suspensions. Then I found out that he knew about it all along and told nobody. The reaction from Tressel and the university (specifically the athletic director and the president of the university) was very telling. It took Tressel days to apologize and even then it didn’t seem genuine and when the AD and the president came out and more or less scoffed at the notion of Tressel being fired, it sent the message loud and clear that at Ohio State, Jim Tressel is the be all and end all and winning is more important than integrity.
NCAA, you need to come down on Ohio State and Tressel and you need to come down hard. Tressel needs to be suspended for longer than just his self-imposed (image salvaging) five games and Ohio State needs to be punished for allowing this to happen, even if it is a relatively minor infraction. Here’s a suggestion; each time a coach is found to have done something like this, take away a few scholarships. It’s easy to see over time that the loss of scholarships can cripple a football program and while that shouldn’t be the goal, it would send a clear message that you won’t stand for this anymore.
What will happen? Tressel will get slapped on the wrist and will be forced to write “I won’t lie to my bosses anymore” 1,000 times… a task which he will give to an assistant.
OSAMA BIN LADEN
It has now been since the president said that Osama Bin Laden has been killed during a Navy SEAL raid. I found myself extremely interested in the news but not emotionally invested in it. The overwhelming sentiment that was permeating my mind was “so what?” and please, before you judge me or call me “un-American” allow me to explain. Strategically, his death truly meant something as he has eluded capture for more than two decades and has planned and ordered numerous attacks upon American installations and personnel (both military and civilian). In that sense, this was a very important day in the “War on Terror”.
However, the window for this event eliciting an emotional response from me has long since closed. If they wanted me to be dancing in the streets over the capture or assassination of Bin Laden, they would have had to do that years ago. I completely understand that was completely unreasonable especially considering that we’ve been attempting to find him and bring him to justice since well before September 11th, 2001. I do not fault the American military or intelligence services for taking this long to kill him. Personally, I think the fact that they found him at all is a testament to the quality and perseverance of all those involved.
Do I think that President Obama wrapped up the 2012 election? No.
Do I think that Al Queda is done for? Perhaps, but that has more to do with the next year than anything else.
Do I think the world is a better place without Osama Bin Laden in it? Absolutely.
RASHARD MENDENHALL
Shortly after the aforementioned assassination of Bin Laden, Rashard Mendenhall took to Twitter to express his feelings and perhaps he thought them through and perhaps he didn’t.
Personally, I have no problem with him questioning whether or not people should be celebrating the death of anyone. That is definitely a discussion that should occur somewhere at some time. Perhaps as soon after the death of Bin Laden wasn’t tactful. Whatever, my single biggest reaction to that part of his tweeting was “who cares?”
My much bigger problem was that he more or less suggested that he subscribes to the conspiracy theory that it was more than just two jetliners that managed to take down the two towers of the World Trade Center. He talks about combating ignorance with regards to the celebration of people’s deaths and yet he ignores enormous amounts of evidence that say it was nothing more than two planes. I don’t know if Rashard Mendenhall studied any structural engineering during his three years at Illinois or if he talked to anyone who has studied structural engineering before making his Tweets but if he didn’t, he is the one who is being ignorant.
Frankly, I don’t care what people think or believe and everyone is entitled to their opinions. If Mendenhall spoke to an architect, a structural engineer, or a civil engineer (or if he has studied any of those disciplines) and he has evidence that supports his theory that something other than burning jet fuel and that heartless wench gravity took down those towers, I will listen and if his evidence is at very least sketchy, I’ll admit he may have a point.
However, if he has his own hunch or his own suspicions about the events of that horrific day nearly ten years ago and they aren’t backed up by anything remotely scientific, then he is being the ignorant person that he was railing against and all he’s doing is pouring gasoline on the fire, not raising the level of debate about whether or not we should be celebrating the death of public enemy number 1.
This is something that he never addressed in the blog post he wrote. He talked about people celebrating and focused on that. In that respect, he has a legitimate point and I honestly believe that that is a discussion that should happen and I have a great amount of respect for him to bring that up, knowing how unpopular it would be. With regards to what he said about 9/11, he has since said nothing and that comment was even deleted from his Twitter page, which might be saying something in and of itself.
A sponsor has bailed on him and his team more or less came out and emphatically said that he was not speaking for us, i.e. you’re on your own. Here, he has a very unique opportunity. He can remain quiet and attempt to gradually rehabilitate his image or he can feed the beast. If he takes the former path, he might be remembered as the guy who said that one controversial thing once. If he decides to feed the beast and stand by what he said and follow up on it, get involved with discussions about that day (when, it should be pointed out, he was just 14 years old) and the 1st of May this year when the news broke, then he can be remembered as something more. Someone who had an unpopular opinion, a minority opinion, but someone who was brave enough to stand up and say this is what I think, now what do you think? If he was able to do that and if he was able to somehow remove emotion from the debate (calling him un-American for his comments was nothing short of asinine) then his legacy could be that he stood up for peace and for life.
Instead of sitting there, wherever he is, and saying nothing.
Check back periodically for more of these "Random Notes" type columns...
Until next time, enjoy the baseball!
Today, my topics will be:
Jim Tressel
Osama Bin Laden
Rashard Mendenhall
JIM TRESSEL
This situation has been stewing for me for quite a while. Anyone who has talked to me over the course of the past five years knows the kind of respect that I had for Jim Tressel. I thought that he was an outstanding coach and a wonderful example to the dozens of young men that he influenced during his tenure at one of the biggest, most prestigious football programs in the country.
The way that he has handled that stature is nothing short of awful and I am sure that I am not alone in feeling betrayed by the Vest. I even praised him for his handling of the situation, saying that the five players could play in the Sugar Bowl if they promised to come back next year and serve their five game suspensions. Then I found out that he knew about it all along and told nobody. The reaction from Tressel and the university (specifically the athletic director and the president of the university) was very telling. It took Tressel days to apologize and even then it didn’t seem genuine and when the AD and the president came out and more or less scoffed at the notion of Tressel being fired, it sent the message loud and clear that at Ohio State, Jim Tressel is the be all and end all and winning is more important than integrity.
NCAA, you need to come down on Ohio State and Tressel and you need to come down hard. Tressel needs to be suspended for longer than just his self-imposed (image salvaging) five games and Ohio State needs to be punished for allowing this to happen, even if it is a relatively minor infraction. Here’s a suggestion; each time a coach is found to have done something like this, take away a few scholarships. It’s easy to see over time that the loss of scholarships can cripple a football program and while that shouldn’t be the goal, it would send a clear message that you won’t stand for this anymore.
What will happen? Tressel will get slapped on the wrist and will be forced to write “I won’t lie to my bosses anymore” 1,000 times… a task which he will give to an assistant.
OSAMA BIN LADEN
It has now been
However, the window for this event eliciting an emotional response from me has long since closed. If they wanted me to be dancing in the streets over the capture or assassination of Bin Laden, they would have had to do that years ago. I completely understand that was completely unreasonable especially considering that we’ve been attempting to find him and bring him to justice since well before September 11th, 2001. I do not fault the American military or intelligence services for taking this long to kill him. Personally, I think the fact that they found him at all is a testament to the quality and perseverance of all those involved.
Do I think that President Obama wrapped up the 2012 election? No.
Do I think that Al Queda is done for? Perhaps, but that has more to do with the next year than anything else.
Do I think the world is a better place without Osama Bin Laden in it? Absolutely.
RASHARD MENDENHALL
Shortly after the aforementioned assassination of Bin Laden, Rashard Mendenhall took to Twitter to express his feelings and perhaps he thought them through and perhaps he didn’t.
Personally, I have no problem with him questioning whether or not people should be celebrating the death of anyone. That is definitely a discussion that should occur somewhere at some time. Perhaps as soon after the death of Bin Laden wasn’t tactful. Whatever, my single biggest reaction to that part of his tweeting was “who cares?”
My much bigger problem was that he more or less suggested that he subscribes to the conspiracy theory that it was more than just two jetliners that managed to take down the two towers of the World Trade Center. He talks about combating ignorance with regards to the celebration of people’s deaths and yet he ignores enormous amounts of evidence that say it was nothing more than two planes. I don’t know if Rashard Mendenhall studied any structural engineering during his three years at Illinois or if he talked to anyone who has studied structural engineering before making his Tweets but if he didn’t, he is the one who is being ignorant.
Frankly, I don’t care what people think or believe and everyone is entitled to their opinions. If Mendenhall spoke to an architect, a structural engineer, or a civil engineer (or if he has studied any of those disciplines) and he has evidence that supports his theory that something other than burning jet fuel and that heartless wench gravity took down those towers, I will listen and if his evidence is at very least sketchy, I’ll admit he may have a point.
However, if he has his own hunch or his own suspicions about the events of that horrific day nearly ten years ago and they aren’t backed up by anything remotely scientific, then he is being the ignorant person that he was railing against and all he’s doing is pouring gasoline on the fire, not raising the level of debate about whether or not we should be celebrating the death of public enemy number 1.
This is something that he never addressed in the blog post he wrote. He talked about people celebrating and focused on that. In that respect, he has a legitimate point and I honestly believe that that is a discussion that should happen and I have a great amount of respect for him to bring that up, knowing how unpopular it would be. With regards to what he said about 9/11, he has since said nothing and that comment was even deleted from his Twitter page, which might be saying something in and of itself.
A sponsor has bailed on him and his team more or less came out and emphatically said that he was not speaking for us, i.e. you’re on your own. Here, he has a very unique opportunity. He can remain quiet and attempt to gradually rehabilitate his image or he can feed the beast. If he takes the former path, he might be remembered as the guy who said that one controversial thing once. If he decides to feed the beast and stand by what he said and follow up on it, get involved with discussions about that day (when, it should be pointed out, he was just 14 years old) and the 1st of May this year when the news broke, then he can be remembered as something more. Someone who had an unpopular opinion, a minority opinion, but someone who was brave enough to stand up and say this is what I think, now what do you think? If he was able to do that and if he was able to somehow remove emotion from the debate (calling him un-American for his comments was nothing short of asinine) then his legacy could be that he stood up for peace and for life.
Instead of sitting there, wherever he is, and saying nothing.
Check back periodically for more of these "Random Notes" type columns...
Until next time, enjoy the baseball!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
#2 Ohio State 36, #12 Miami 24
THE SCORE
#2 OHIO STATE 36, #12 MIAMI (FL) 24
THE STAR
Jim Tressel. With one exception, Ohio State’s coach got everything he wanted from a typical conservative game plan. Kicking, defense, special teams, and a quarterback who can manage the game.
Senior kicker Devin Barclay connected on 5-6 field goal tries (and it should have been all six since the one miss was from 32 yards) and the kickoff team performed well after their one blunder. Defensively, the Buckeyes asserted themselves, holding Jacory Harris to 23-39 passing and intercepting him four times. Admittedly, not all of the blame belongs on Harris’ shoulders. On one of the interceptions, it appeared that the receiver was lining up the defensive back for a run block when the ball went right over his shoulder into the hands of the guy he was going to block.
Terrelle Pryor appears to be much the same quarterback that lit up the Pasadena night last January in the Rose Bowl. While he only completed 12-27 passes, he threw for 233 yards and a touchdown without any turnovers. Some of his passes were offline but some of them were nothing short of stupendous and the only thing standing between him and being a Heisman finalist is consistency. One thing I saw in him today was that not too many of his passes were near interceptions. There were some but most of his passes fell into the category of “if my guy doesn’t catch it, nobody will”.
On top of his decent passing day, Pryor ran the ball 20 times for 113 yards and a touchdown and was by far the most reliable runner for Tressel.
The elephant in the room is special teams. In less than one half of football, the Buckeyes gave up an 88 yard kickoff return and a 79 yard punt return for two of the three touchdowns Miami managed. Without those, the score might have looked more like the 36-10 margin that it should have been.
BY THE NUMBERS
Ohio State outgained Miami 414-346, 233-232 through the air (let’s call that one a tie) and 181-114 on the ground. The Hurricanes committed 8 penalties for 59 yards while the Buckeyes (in typical Tressel fashion) committed just 2 for 25 yards. The biggest number in the entire box score though is 4. Miami threw four interceptions and Ohio State did not turn the ball over.
THE SPIN
First and foremost, I realize that this game was played in front of more than 100,000 fans, most of who were not pulling for the Hurricanes. Nevertheless, what I saw was two teams that both had the same goal and only one that had a chance to realize that goal.
Ohio State did make some mistakes but overall they played a very solid game. Their defense was excellent and opportunistic, their offense was efficient and just needs a few tweaks that can easily come with more game time this fall, and their special teams has room to improve. This is a team that can go all the way and right now the only thing that I think can hold them back is Jim Tressel’s playcalling. If he opens up his playbook the way he did in the Rose Bowl, look out.
Miami came into this game ranked #12 and leading up to this game it appeared that they wanted to let the world know that they had returned to prominence and that they were seeking revenge for a title game loss that occurred when the current crop of seniors was in 8th grade. On both goals, they fell flat. Their defense played well but had no answer for Terrelle Pryor and allowed too many big plays. Their special teams were solid but allowed a few big kickoff returns, including one where senior kicker Matt Bosher was juked by the Buckeyes return man, nearly fell down, and then recovered and ran him down a few yards later to make the tackle.
Offensively, the Hurricanes struggled with Ohio State’s defense. Even putting the four turnovers aside for a second, they managed to get into the red zone just twice and those two possessions resulted in a missed field goal and an interception that was nearly returned for a touchdown.
I understand that they were playing in a hostile environment against a top tier team. When the newest rankings come out this week, I don’t think they’ll be hurt too much by this loss and I don’t think that Ohio State will benefit too much from this win. The most important thing that I’ll take away from this game is these two teams are on two different levels.
To all you Alabama fans out there:
FEAR THE SWEATER-VEST!
#2 OHIO STATE 36, #12 MIAMI (FL) 24
THE STAR
Jim Tressel. With one exception, Ohio State’s coach got everything he wanted from a typical conservative game plan. Kicking, defense, special teams, and a quarterback who can manage the game.
Senior kicker Devin Barclay connected on 5-6 field goal tries (and it should have been all six since the one miss was from 32 yards) and the kickoff team performed well after their one blunder. Defensively, the Buckeyes asserted themselves, holding Jacory Harris to 23-39 passing and intercepting him four times. Admittedly, not all of the blame belongs on Harris’ shoulders. On one of the interceptions, it appeared that the receiver was lining up the defensive back for a run block when the ball went right over his shoulder into the hands of the guy he was going to block.
Terrelle Pryor appears to be much the same quarterback that lit up the Pasadena night last January in the Rose Bowl. While he only completed 12-27 passes, he threw for 233 yards and a touchdown without any turnovers. Some of his passes were offline but some of them were nothing short of stupendous and the only thing standing between him and being a Heisman finalist is consistency. One thing I saw in him today was that not too many of his passes were near interceptions. There were some but most of his passes fell into the category of “if my guy doesn’t catch it, nobody will”.
On top of his decent passing day, Pryor ran the ball 20 times for 113 yards and a touchdown and was by far the most reliable runner for Tressel.
The elephant in the room is special teams. In less than one half of football, the Buckeyes gave up an 88 yard kickoff return and a 79 yard punt return for two of the three touchdowns Miami managed. Without those, the score might have looked more like the 36-10 margin that it should have been.
BY THE NUMBERS
Ohio State outgained Miami 414-346, 233-232 through the air (let’s call that one a tie) and 181-114 on the ground. The Hurricanes committed 8 penalties for 59 yards while the Buckeyes (in typical Tressel fashion) committed just 2 for 25 yards. The biggest number in the entire box score though is 4. Miami threw four interceptions and Ohio State did not turn the ball over.
THE SPIN
First and foremost, I realize that this game was played in front of more than 100,000 fans, most of who were not pulling for the Hurricanes. Nevertheless, what I saw was two teams that both had the same goal and only one that had a chance to realize that goal.
Ohio State did make some mistakes but overall they played a very solid game. Their defense was excellent and opportunistic, their offense was efficient and just needs a few tweaks that can easily come with more game time this fall, and their special teams has room to improve. This is a team that can go all the way and right now the only thing that I think can hold them back is Jim Tressel’s playcalling. If he opens up his playbook the way he did in the Rose Bowl, look out.
Miami came into this game ranked #12 and leading up to this game it appeared that they wanted to let the world know that they had returned to prominence and that they were seeking revenge for a title game loss that occurred when the current crop of seniors was in 8th grade. On both goals, they fell flat. Their defense played well but had no answer for Terrelle Pryor and allowed too many big plays. Their special teams were solid but allowed a few big kickoff returns, including one where senior kicker Matt Bosher was juked by the Buckeyes return man, nearly fell down, and then recovered and ran him down a few yards later to make the tackle.
Offensively, the Hurricanes struggled with Ohio State’s defense. Even putting the four turnovers aside for a second, they managed to get into the red zone just twice and those two possessions resulted in a missed field goal and an interception that was nearly returned for a touchdown.
I understand that they were playing in a hostile environment against a top tier team. When the newest rankings come out this week, I don’t think they’ll be hurt too much by this loss and I don’t think that Ohio State will benefit too much from this win. The most important thing that I’ll take away from this game is these two teams are on two different levels.
To all you Alabama fans out there:
FEAR THE SWEATER-VEST!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Memories of the Decade - College Football Edition
This decade started with Bobby Bowden coaching in his second of three straight appearances in the BCS National Championship Game and ended with Bowden spiking the Seminoles’ Spear into the turf at the Gator Bowl right before he coached the last game of his illustrious career. The past ten years have given us everything from old-fashioned (Ohio State old school football under Jim Tressel) to the new (spread offense under the direction of Urban Meyer). For the first time in BCS history, we saw a small school play in one of the biggest bowl games of the year and then later, we saw two of the four at-large choices come from the Mountain West and Western Athletic Conferences.
Reading through the series of articles on espn.com about the “everything” of the decade (player, coach program, game, etc.) I’ve decided to make a list of my favorite memories from the past ten years of college football to be followed by my memories of the decade from the National Football League and then Major League Baseball.
Before I begin, however, I must put forth a disclaimer. I was born and raised in northwestern Washington and my first memory of college football was watching the Huskies play in three straight Rose Bowls from 1991-1993 when I was just 6 years old. Ever since I have been a big fan of the Washington Huskies in specific and the Pac-10 in general.
Lastly, there isn’t really an order to these so try not to read too much into why one game was before another.
Now, on to the memories…
GAMES
September 19, 2009
Washington 16, #3 USC 13
The Huskies have a long and storied history which includes 656 wins, 15 conference titles, 20 consensus All-Americans, and 4 claimed national championships. They started the decade (more or less) with a 34-24 victory over Purdue in the Rose Bowl and that 2000-2001 season saw them finish 3rd in the polls. The program slowly slid downhill over the course of the decade, reaching rock bottom December 6th of 2008. They lost 48-7 to California to finish the season 0-12. In virtually every number, offensive, defensive, and special teams, they ranked lower than 100.
To open the 2009 season, they lost their fifteenth straight game to LSU 31-23 but they fought hard and it gave the team a lot of hope for the future of Huskies football. The next week, they broke the streak with a 42-23 win over Idaho and then they had a match-up with #3 USC in Seattle. For all of you Trojans fans out there, there are plenty of reasons why they were not as competitive in this game as they should have been. Their starting quarterback was out, several of their defensive backs were injured, and they were coming off of an emotional win over the Buckeyes in Columbus. Regardless of all of that, the Huskies got the ball back with 4:01 remaining in the game and Jake Locker took the Huskies 63 yards in 10 plays, culminating with Erik Folk kicking a 22 yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining. Huskies 16, Trojans 13.
Washington football is on its long way back.
January 5, 2005
#1 USC 55, #2 Oklahoma 19
In 2004 the Sooners were #2 from wire to wire and the Trojans were #1 from wire to wire and from the beginning of the season, they seemed destined to collide in Miami. Both teams had come close to a BCS championship the year before when USC had been left out by the BCS formula and Oklahoma had been shut down by Nick Saban’s defense in the title game. The game featured two former Heisman trophy winners (quarterbacks Jason White for OU and Matt Leinart for USC) and four of the five Heisman finalists (Leinart, White, OU running back Adrian Peterson, and USC running back Reggie Bush).
Everyone knew that it was going to be one of the all-time great games featuring some of the best players in the history of college football and two of the better teams in college football history. Instead, it was a complete and utter beat down. It was 38-10 at halftime and if it wasn’t for 9 late points by the Sooners in garbage time, the final score might have been 55-10. The reason that this game stuck out to me is because it was a very similar Oklahoma team to the year before and a very similar USC team to the year before when many thought the Trojans should have replaced the Sooners in the Sugar Bowl against LSU. It cemented USC’s place as one of the best teams of the decade, if not ever.
January 4, 2006
#2 Texas 41, #1 USC 38
Since the Associated Press started awarding a national championship in 1936, there have been ten instances where a team has won back-to-back national championships. They are:
Minnesota 1940-1941
Army 1944-1945
Notre Dame 1946-1947
Oklahoma 1955-1956
Alabama 1964-1965
Nebraska 1970-1971
Oklahoma 1974-1975
Alabama 1978-1979
Nebraska 1994-1995
USC 2003-2004
Not one time, however, not once, has a team won three straight AP National Championships. When USC played in the Rose Bowl against Texas, they had a chance to win their 35th straight game and their third straight AP National Title. The former is important because even with several players departing to the NFL after the season, it would have put them within range of Oklahoma’s record winning streak (47 games).
On the other side, the Longhorns came into the game having won 19 straight games, including a thrilling 38-37 win over Michigan in the Rose Bowl the year before. They were definitely the underdogs and one of the storylines was whether or not they would be able to get up to the level they needed to play at to beat USC after having won the Big 12 Championship, finally overcoming the stranglehold that Oklahoma had over the South Division in the first half of the decade.
The result was an instant classic that propelled Vince Young into the NFL on a video game type game (267 passing yards, 200 rushing yards) but I also remember this game for another reason. This game directly led to me despising (and no, I’m not understating that) the prevent defense. I don’t mean to undermine Young’s unbelievable comeback in this game but he could not have done it without the help of the USC defense. With the score 38-26 and 6:42 remaining in the game, it almost seemed as if the Trojans thought the game was over and they were already assured of their place in history. They dropped back into deep coverage and allowed the Longhorns to move down the field and score in just 2:39 to make the score 38-33. Then, after a failed 4th down conversion, the Longhorns again went on to a touchdown, taking just 1:50 to score the winning touchdown.
Countless times in college football and in the NFL, teams sit on a lead and drop players back in coverage, deathly afraid of giving up a big touchdown pass to allow the trailing team to get back in the game. The problem is that it allows the trailing team to put a drive together and get chunks of yards with relatively little time coming off the clock, allowing that team to get into a rhythm and become more efficient on offense. Then, when the leading team actually needs to come up and make a key stop, they can’t. Now, this doesn’t always work out that well but when the two teams are evenly matched, you absolutely cannot give the other team a chance to get some momentum together.
January 3, 2003
#2 Ohio State 31, #1 Miami 24 (2 O.T.)
Coming into the Fiesta Bowl, the Miami Hurricanes had won 34 consecutive games, including the previous year’s national championship. En route to the Fiesta Bowl, the Hurricanes played just two games that were decided by one possession (28-27 over #9 Florida State and 28-21 over Pittsburgh). On the other side, the Buckeyes won 6 of their 13 games by 7 or fewer points.
The game was what a championship game should be. It was close and hard fought and given the two teams, the defensive field-position style of play favored Ohio State.
The turning point of the game was early in the fourth quarter with the Buckeyes leading 17-14. Willis McGahee, who had run for 1,753 yards and 28 touchdowns, ran right and was taken down and out by Ohio State safety Will Allen. Even though the tackle was a clean play, Allen’s helmet hitting right on the side of McGahee’s knee tore three ligaments and changed the question about McGahee’s future from where will he be drafted in the top 10 to will he be drafted at all. Even though Ohio State was leading at the time, there was a big drop-off from McGahee to backup Jarrett Payton. It limited the effectiveness of the Miami offense and played into the hands of the outstanding Ohio State defense.
Still, the game went to overtime and in the second overtime, freshman Maurice Clarett (before he failed to get into the NFL and then was sent to prison for carrying an arsenal in the back of his vehicle) capped off a lackluster day with a 5 yard touchdown run to give the Buckeyes the lead 31-24. The Ohio State defense held and won the BCS National Championship.
First of all, this was a great game and a lot of fun to watch. Secondly, it showed that, at least in college, a good defense can beat any offense. Lastly, it signified the emphatic arrival of one of my favorite coaches in all of football, college or pro, Jim Tressel…
…and of course, his sweater vest.
January 1, 2007
#8 Boise State 43, #10 Oklahoma 42 (OT)
Following a 12-0 regular season for Boise State, they became just the second team not from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, SEC, or Pac-10 to play in a BCS Bowl (after Utah in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl). They were up against one of the so called “blue-bloods” of college football, the Oklahoma Sooners. First of all, a quick side note… This was not the Sooners juggernaut of 2003 or 2004 that played for the national title both years but it was still a 10-2 team that won the Big 12 and had Adrian Peterson back from his broken collarbone of earlier that year.
The big question was whether or not a team like Boise State could hang with a team like Oklahoma but the Broncos put that discussion to rest in the first half. Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky threw touchdown passes of 49 and 32 yards and Ian Johnson ran for a 7 yard score to give the Broncos a 21-10 halftime lead. Midway through the third quarter Marty Tadman picked off a Paul Thompson pass and returned it 27 yards for another touchdown and a 28-10 Boise State lead.
One aspect of this game that many people overlook is the fact that after taking that 18 point lead, the Broncos got a little bigheaded and allowed the Sooners to get back into the game. Oklahoma slowly chipped away at the lead until they drew even with a 5 yard touchdown pass and then a two point conversion (after two penalties) to make the score 28-28 with 1:26 remaining. Completing the comeback was Marcus Walker who intercepted Zabransky on the first play after the touchdown by Boise state and took it 34 yards for a touchdown and a 35-28 lead.
That is where this game ceased to be just another game and entered its name into the discussion for the best games in college football history. After a pass completion, a sack, and then two incompletions, Boise State faced a 4th and 18 from midfield. Jared Zabransky, Drisan James, and Jerard Robb then executed the perfect hook and ladder play. James ran a hook route and caught the pass from Zabransky about 15 yards downfield. He then took a couple steps towards the middle of the field to draw the defense and then threw a lateral to Robb, who was coming across from the far side of the field. Robb outran the Oklahoma secondary for a touchdown that tied the game and sent it to overtime.
It became clear that Boise State’s time was running out on the first play of overtime when Adrian Peterson took the handoff and went 25 yards virtually untouched for a touchdown and a 42-35 lead. On the ensuing Boise State drive, they faced a 4th and 2 from the Oklahoma 5 yard line when Zabransky went in motion and the snap went to backup wide receiver Vinny Perretta. Instead of running behind the three receivers, he rolled right and threw a touchdown pass to draw them within 1 point, 42-41. Instead of having his tired defense faced the Sooners offense again; Chris Peterson decided to go for it. The result was a Statue of Liberty fake and handoff to Ian Johnson who went into the endzone untouched for a 43-42 victory.
Do I need to tell you why I still remember this game?
DYNASTIES
This decade was marked by one dynasty rolling into another which rolled into another. From 2000-2003, the Miami Hurricanes went 46-4, won all 4 Big East titles, won one national championship, and played for another and on top of that, they added a 34 game winning streak and a 39 game regular season winning streak. I don’t remember as much about this dynasty as the other two that will be mentioned later but if you want to know how good these teams were, just look at who went from one of those teams to the NFL. The other thing that made this team noteworthy in my mind is that they didn’t possess the brash cockiness that previous and subsequent Miami teams were known for. They were the best team in the country; they knew it, you knew it, and there was nothing you could do about it.
In the 10 years from 2000-2009, the Trojans of USC went 102-26 and if you take out their seasons in 2000 (5-7), 2001 (6-6), and 2009 (9-4), they went 82-9 over a 7 year stretch in which they won the Pac-10 title every year. However, for this discussion, we’ll focus on their run near the top of the college football landscape. From 2003-2005, they went 37-2, winning the AP national championship in 2003 and 2004 and then the BCS national championship in 2004. Finally, in 2005, they were 12-0 and were prevented from making even more history by Vince Young and Texas (see above). Still the 2004 team is widely considered to be one of the best single season teams of all time and their roster included 53 players that would go on to play in the NFL.
CONTROVERSIES
There have been many controversies over the brief 12 year history of the BCS but for the purposes of brevity (something I occasionally struggle with) I’m just going to highlight two of them.
In 2003, USC finished the season 11-1, LSU finished 11-1, and Oklahoma finished 12-0. While LSU defeated #5 Georgia 34-13 in the SEC Championship Game, Oklahoma forgot to show up for the Big 12 title game and got blown out by Kansas State 35-7. Despite being ranked #1 in both the Coach’s Poll and the AP Poll, USC was ranked #3 in the BCS and went to the Rose Bowl against Michigan.
USC defeated Michigan 28-14 in a game that wasn’t even as close as the score while LSU defeated Oklahoma 21-14 in a game where the Sooners didn’t appear to belong on the same field as the Tigers.
The other big controversy happened the next year when 5 teams finished the regular season undefeated (USC, Oklahoma, Auburn, Utah, and Boise State). While there wasn’t a ton of noise calling for Utah or Boise State to be in the National Championship Game, Auburn certainly felt they deserved to be there, having gone 12-0 in the SEC. While Auburn struggled to dispatch Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl, USC dominated Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl 55-19, which brought many questions as to whether or not the BCS had gotten it right.
My personal take is that the BCS wasn’t completely wrong either year. In 2003, given that LSU and USC did not play each other, it was perfect for them to share the national championship. The only way it could have been better is if they had played for the title. The following year, I’m not at all convinced that there was anyone who could have beaten USC in that game so it would have been for the honor of being in the national title game and the opportunity to get pasted by USC.
To sum up, it’s been a great decade in college football that has seen relative nobody’s on the national stage stand up and demand attention from the establishment. It has also seen traditional powers struggle at times proving that everybody must endure rebuilding years in a sport where athletes are staying at most 4 years, and more commonly 3 years. The BCS has had more than its share of detractors but it’s hard to say that it hasn’t created its share of thrilling games.
Until next September, we’ll have to dream about the decade that was and the decade that will be in college football.
Reading through the series of articles on espn.com about the “everything” of the decade (player, coach program, game, etc.) I’ve decided to make a list of my favorite memories from the past ten years of college football to be followed by my memories of the decade from the National Football League and then Major League Baseball.
Before I begin, however, I must put forth a disclaimer. I was born and raised in northwestern Washington and my first memory of college football was watching the Huskies play in three straight Rose Bowls from 1991-1993 when I was just 6 years old. Ever since I have been a big fan of the Washington Huskies in specific and the Pac-10 in general.
Lastly, there isn’t really an order to these so try not to read too much into why one game was before another.
Now, on to the memories…
GAMES
September 19, 2009
Washington 16, #3 USC 13
The Huskies have a long and storied history which includes 656 wins, 15 conference titles, 20 consensus All-Americans, and 4 claimed national championships. They started the decade (more or less) with a 34-24 victory over Purdue in the Rose Bowl and that 2000-2001 season saw them finish 3rd in the polls. The program slowly slid downhill over the course of the decade, reaching rock bottom December 6th of 2008. They lost 48-7 to California to finish the season 0-12. In virtually every number, offensive, defensive, and special teams, they ranked lower than 100.
To open the 2009 season, they lost their fifteenth straight game to LSU 31-23 but they fought hard and it gave the team a lot of hope for the future of Huskies football. The next week, they broke the streak with a 42-23 win over Idaho and then they had a match-up with #3 USC in Seattle. For all of you Trojans fans out there, there are plenty of reasons why they were not as competitive in this game as they should have been. Their starting quarterback was out, several of their defensive backs were injured, and they were coming off of an emotional win over the Buckeyes in Columbus. Regardless of all of that, the Huskies got the ball back with 4:01 remaining in the game and Jake Locker took the Huskies 63 yards in 10 plays, culminating with Erik Folk kicking a 22 yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining. Huskies 16, Trojans 13.
Washington football is on its long way back.
January 5, 2005
#1 USC 55, #2 Oklahoma 19
In 2004 the Sooners were #2 from wire to wire and the Trojans were #1 from wire to wire and from the beginning of the season, they seemed destined to collide in Miami. Both teams had come close to a BCS championship the year before when USC had been left out by the BCS formula and Oklahoma had been shut down by Nick Saban’s defense in the title game. The game featured two former Heisman trophy winners (quarterbacks Jason White for OU and Matt Leinart for USC) and four of the five Heisman finalists (Leinart, White, OU running back Adrian Peterson, and USC running back Reggie Bush).
Everyone knew that it was going to be one of the all-time great games featuring some of the best players in the history of college football and two of the better teams in college football history. Instead, it was a complete and utter beat down. It was 38-10 at halftime and if it wasn’t for 9 late points by the Sooners in garbage time, the final score might have been 55-10. The reason that this game stuck out to me is because it was a very similar Oklahoma team to the year before and a very similar USC team to the year before when many thought the Trojans should have replaced the Sooners in the Sugar Bowl against LSU. It cemented USC’s place as one of the best teams of the decade, if not ever.
January 4, 2006
#2 Texas 41, #1 USC 38
Since the Associated Press started awarding a national championship in 1936, there have been ten instances where a team has won back-to-back national championships. They are:
Minnesota 1940-1941
Army 1944-1945
Notre Dame 1946-1947
Oklahoma 1955-1956
Alabama 1964-1965
Nebraska 1970-1971
Oklahoma 1974-1975
Alabama 1978-1979
Nebraska 1994-1995
USC 2003-2004
Not one time, however, not once, has a team won three straight AP National Championships. When USC played in the Rose Bowl against Texas, they had a chance to win their 35th straight game and their third straight AP National Title. The former is important because even with several players departing to the NFL after the season, it would have put them within range of Oklahoma’s record winning streak (47 games).
On the other side, the Longhorns came into the game having won 19 straight games, including a thrilling 38-37 win over Michigan in the Rose Bowl the year before. They were definitely the underdogs and one of the storylines was whether or not they would be able to get up to the level they needed to play at to beat USC after having won the Big 12 Championship, finally overcoming the stranglehold that Oklahoma had over the South Division in the first half of the decade.
The result was an instant classic that propelled Vince Young into the NFL on a video game type game (267 passing yards, 200 rushing yards) but I also remember this game for another reason. This game directly led to me despising (and no, I’m not understating that) the prevent defense. I don’t mean to undermine Young’s unbelievable comeback in this game but he could not have done it without the help of the USC defense. With the score 38-26 and 6:42 remaining in the game, it almost seemed as if the Trojans thought the game was over and they were already assured of their place in history. They dropped back into deep coverage and allowed the Longhorns to move down the field and score in just 2:39 to make the score 38-33. Then, after a failed 4th down conversion, the Longhorns again went on to a touchdown, taking just 1:50 to score the winning touchdown.
Countless times in college football and in the NFL, teams sit on a lead and drop players back in coverage, deathly afraid of giving up a big touchdown pass to allow the trailing team to get back in the game. The problem is that it allows the trailing team to put a drive together and get chunks of yards with relatively little time coming off the clock, allowing that team to get into a rhythm and become more efficient on offense. Then, when the leading team actually needs to come up and make a key stop, they can’t. Now, this doesn’t always work out that well but when the two teams are evenly matched, you absolutely cannot give the other team a chance to get some momentum together.
January 3, 2003
#2 Ohio State 31, #1 Miami 24 (2 O.T.)
Coming into the Fiesta Bowl, the Miami Hurricanes had won 34 consecutive games, including the previous year’s national championship. En route to the Fiesta Bowl, the Hurricanes played just two games that were decided by one possession (28-27 over #9 Florida State and 28-21 over Pittsburgh). On the other side, the Buckeyes won 6 of their 13 games by 7 or fewer points.
The game was what a championship game should be. It was close and hard fought and given the two teams, the defensive field-position style of play favored Ohio State.
The turning point of the game was early in the fourth quarter with the Buckeyes leading 17-14. Willis McGahee, who had run for 1,753 yards and 28 touchdowns, ran right and was taken down and out by Ohio State safety Will Allen. Even though the tackle was a clean play, Allen’s helmet hitting right on the side of McGahee’s knee tore three ligaments and changed the question about McGahee’s future from where will he be drafted in the top 10 to will he be drafted at all. Even though Ohio State was leading at the time, there was a big drop-off from McGahee to backup Jarrett Payton. It limited the effectiveness of the Miami offense and played into the hands of the outstanding Ohio State defense.
Still, the game went to overtime and in the second overtime, freshman Maurice Clarett (before he failed to get into the NFL and then was sent to prison for carrying an arsenal in the back of his vehicle) capped off a lackluster day with a 5 yard touchdown run to give the Buckeyes the lead 31-24. The Ohio State defense held and won the BCS National Championship.
First of all, this was a great game and a lot of fun to watch. Secondly, it showed that, at least in college, a good defense can beat any offense. Lastly, it signified the emphatic arrival of one of my favorite coaches in all of football, college or pro, Jim Tressel…
…and of course, his sweater vest.
January 1, 2007
#8 Boise State 43, #10 Oklahoma 42 (OT)
Following a 12-0 regular season for Boise State, they became just the second team not from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, SEC, or Pac-10 to play in a BCS Bowl (after Utah in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl). They were up against one of the so called “blue-bloods” of college football, the Oklahoma Sooners. First of all, a quick side note… This was not the Sooners juggernaut of 2003 or 2004 that played for the national title both years but it was still a 10-2 team that won the Big 12 and had Adrian Peterson back from his broken collarbone of earlier that year.
The big question was whether or not a team like Boise State could hang with a team like Oklahoma but the Broncos put that discussion to rest in the first half. Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky threw touchdown passes of 49 and 32 yards and Ian Johnson ran for a 7 yard score to give the Broncos a 21-10 halftime lead. Midway through the third quarter Marty Tadman picked off a Paul Thompson pass and returned it 27 yards for another touchdown and a 28-10 Boise State lead.
One aspect of this game that many people overlook is the fact that after taking that 18 point lead, the Broncos got a little bigheaded and allowed the Sooners to get back into the game. Oklahoma slowly chipped away at the lead until they drew even with a 5 yard touchdown pass and then a two point conversion (after two penalties) to make the score 28-28 with 1:26 remaining. Completing the comeback was Marcus Walker who intercepted Zabransky on the first play after the touchdown by Boise state and took it 34 yards for a touchdown and a 35-28 lead.
That is where this game ceased to be just another game and entered its name into the discussion for the best games in college football history. After a pass completion, a sack, and then two incompletions, Boise State faced a 4th and 18 from midfield. Jared Zabransky, Drisan James, and Jerard Robb then executed the perfect hook and ladder play. James ran a hook route and caught the pass from Zabransky about 15 yards downfield. He then took a couple steps towards the middle of the field to draw the defense and then threw a lateral to Robb, who was coming across from the far side of the field. Robb outran the Oklahoma secondary for a touchdown that tied the game and sent it to overtime.
It became clear that Boise State’s time was running out on the first play of overtime when Adrian Peterson took the handoff and went 25 yards virtually untouched for a touchdown and a 42-35 lead. On the ensuing Boise State drive, they faced a 4th and 2 from the Oklahoma 5 yard line when Zabransky went in motion and the snap went to backup wide receiver Vinny Perretta. Instead of running behind the three receivers, he rolled right and threw a touchdown pass to draw them within 1 point, 42-41. Instead of having his tired defense faced the Sooners offense again; Chris Peterson decided to go for it. The result was a Statue of Liberty fake and handoff to Ian Johnson who went into the endzone untouched for a 43-42 victory.
Do I need to tell you why I still remember this game?
DYNASTIES
This decade was marked by one dynasty rolling into another which rolled into another. From 2000-2003, the Miami Hurricanes went 46-4, won all 4 Big East titles, won one national championship, and played for another and on top of that, they added a 34 game winning streak and a 39 game regular season winning streak. I don’t remember as much about this dynasty as the other two that will be mentioned later but if you want to know how good these teams were, just look at who went from one of those teams to the NFL. The other thing that made this team noteworthy in my mind is that they didn’t possess the brash cockiness that previous and subsequent Miami teams were known for. They were the best team in the country; they knew it, you knew it, and there was nothing you could do about it.
In the 10 years from 2000-2009, the Trojans of USC went 102-26 and if you take out their seasons in 2000 (5-7), 2001 (6-6), and 2009 (9-4), they went 82-9 over a 7 year stretch in which they won the Pac-10 title every year. However, for this discussion, we’ll focus on their run near the top of the college football landscape. From 2003-2005, they went 37-2, winning the AP national championship in 2003 and 2004 and then the BCS national championship in 2004. Finally, in 2005, they were 12-0 and were prevented from making even more history by Vince Young and Texas (see above). Still the 2004 team is widely considered to be one of the best single season teams of all time and their roster included 53 players that would go on to play in the NFL.
CONTROVERSIES
There have been many controversies over the brief 12 year history of the BCS but for the purposes of brevity (something I occasionally struggle with) I’m just going to highlight two of them.
In 2003, USC finished the season 11-1, LSU finished 11-1, and Oklahoma finished 12-0. While LSU defeated #5 Georgia 34-13 in the SEC Championship Game, Oklahoma forgot to show up for the Big 12 title game and got blown out by Kansas State 35-7. Despite being ranked #1 in both the Coach’s Poll and the AP Poll, USC was ranked #3 in the BCS and went to the Rose Bowl against Michigan.
USC defeated Michigan 28-14 in a game that wasn’t even as close as the score while LSU defeated Oklahoma 21-14 in a game where the Sooners didn’t appear to belong on the same field as the Tigers.
The other big controversy happened the next year when 5 teams finished the regular season undefeated (USC, Oklahoma, Auburn, Utah, and Boise State). While there wasn’t a ton of noise calling for Utah or Boise State to be in the National Championship Game, Auburn certainly felt they deserved to be there, having gone 12-0 in the SEC. While Auburn struggled to dispatch Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl, USC dominated Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl 55-19, which brought many questions as to whether or not the BCS had gotten it right.
My personal take is that the BCS wasn’t completely wrong either year. In 2003, given that LSU and USC did not play each other, it was perfect for them to share the national championship. The only way it could have been better is if they had played for the title. The following year, I’m not at all convinced that there was anyone who could have beaten USC in that game so it would have been for the honor of being in the national title game and the opportunity to get pasted by USC.
To sum up, it’s been a great decade in college football that has seen relative nobody’s on the national stage stand up and demand attention from the establishment. It has also seen traditional powers struggle at times proving that everybody must endure rebuilding years in a sport where athletes are staying at most 4 years, and more commonly 3 years. The BCS has had more than its share of detractors but it’s hard to say that it hasn’t created its share of thrilling games.
Until next September, we’ll have to dream about the decade that was and the decade that will be in college football.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
BCS Preview: Rose Bowl
The Bowl Championship Series this year starts with the granddaddy of them all, the Rose Bowl. This year’s edition matches the Big Ten Champion, the Ohio State Buckeyes, against the Pac-10 Champion, the Oregon Ducks. This game features two drastically contrasting styles of play and it is in those contrasts that this game may very well be decided.
By the Numbers
Ohio State under Jim Tressel relies on defense and special teams with just enough offense. While they scored 30 or more points 7 times, they broke 40 just once and their average (29.25) ranked 47th in the country. The only two games in which they failed to score 20, they lost. On the flipside of the coin, they allowed more than 20 points just three times and they won two of those games. Behind the strength of their 5th ranked defense, they allowed just 12.2 points per game.
The Ducks, on the other hand, scored 40 or more points 7 times and scored at least 30 in another 3 games. They like to move the ball up and down the field and because of that, they ranked very well in offense (6th in rushing, 25th in total offense), and relatively poorly on the defensive side of the ball. They were 38th against the run, 37th against the pass, and 32nd overall, allowing 23.6 points per game. Four times the Ducks allowed 30 or more points and Heisman Finalist Toby Gerhart and Stanford gashed the Oregon defense for 254 rushing yards (223 by Gerhart), 251 passing yards, and 51 points.
Why the Buckeyes Will Win
Jim Tressel is one of the best coaches in America. Ohio State boasts one of the best defenses in the country. Terrelle Pryor is one of the premier playmakers at the quarterback position, although still an unfinished product as a sophomore. One of their defensive strengths (against the run) matches up against Oregon’s offensive strength (running the ball). Lastly, the Buckeyes were 4th in the country in turnover margin.
Why the Ducks Will Win
It has been quite a while since Ohio State won a big game and even longer since they won a BCS Bowl. On the other side, the last time Oregon played in a BCS game, they beat up Colorado in the 2002 Rose Bowl 38-16. They fashioned themselves as a top-10 team and a national title contender earlier this year before they lost badly to Boise State (19-8) and then later to Stanford (51-42). All of this means they will have a chip on their shoulder and will come out gunning in an attempt to finish the season with some momentum and build towards another title run next year. LaMichael James stepped in for LaGarrette Blount after the Boise State game and rushed for 1,476 yards and 14 touchdowns but the key to this game for Oregon will be Jeremiah Masoli. The junior had a passer rating of 133.7 and did show that he could throw the ball when called upon (334 yards against Stanford) but the key will be his running ability. He rushed for 50 or more yards 7 times and if he is able to take pressure off of LaMichael James, the Ducks could fly to victory.
The Verdict
This game features a very tough match-up for the Buckeyes. They are going against a defense that I would categorize as “above average” to “good”. The Buckeyes need to stay disciplined and within their game plan. There is definitely the potential to look at the Ducks defense and their body of work and say “we can outscore them”. The problem is, the strength of the Ducks is their offense. The more you score, the more you give the ball to that high powered offense. Ohio State cannot get into a shootout or they will find themselves trailing and a ball control offense is not conducive to making comebacks. If they can keep the score in the teens or twenties, the Buckeyes will win. Anything past that and Oregon has a distinct advantage.
Oregon 31, Ohio State 21
By the Numbers
Ohio State under Jim Tressel relies on defense and special teams with just enough offense. While they scored 30 or more points 7 times, they broke 40 just once and their average (29.25) ranked 47th in the country. The only two games in which they failed to score 20, they lost. On the flipside of the coin, they allowed more than 20 points just three times and they won two of those games. Behind the strength of their 5th ranked defense, they allowed just 12.2 points per game.
The Ducks, on the other hand, scored 40 or more points 7 times and scored at least 30 in another 3 games. They like to move the ball up and down the field and because of that, they ranked very well in offense (6th in rushing, 25th in total offense), and relatively poorly on the defensive side of the ball. They were 38th against the run, 37th against the pass, and 32nd overall, allowing 23.6 points per game. Four times the Ducks allowed 30 or more points and Heisman Finalist Toby Gerhart and Stanford gashed the Oregon defense for 254 rushing yards (223 by Gerhart), 251 passing yards, and 51 points.
Why the Buckeyes Will Win
Jim Tressel is one of the best coaches in America. Ohio State boasts one of the best defenses in the country. Terrelle Pryor is one of the premier playmakers at the quarterback position, although still an unfinished product as a sophomore. One of their defensive strengths (against the run) matches up against Oregon’s offensive strength (running the ball). Lastly, the Buckeyes were 4th in the country in turnover margin.
Why the Ducks Will Win
It has been quite a while since Ohio State won a big game and even longer since they won a BCS Bowl. On the other side, the last time Oregon played in a BCS game, they beat up Colorado in the 2002 Rose Bowl 38-16. They fashioned themselves as a top-10 team and a national title contender earlier this year before they lost badly to Boise State (19-8) and then later to Stanford (51-42). All of this means they will have a chip on their shoulder and will come out gunning in an attempt to finish the season with some momentum and build towards another title run next year. LaMichael James stepped in for LaGarrette Blount after the Boise State game and rushed for 1,476 yards and 14 touchdowns but the key to this game for Oregon will be Jeremiah Masoli. The junior had a passer rating of 133.7 and did show that he could throw the ball when called upon (334 yards against Stanford) but the key will be his running ability. He rushed for 50 or more yards 7 times and if he is able to take pressure off of LaMichael James, the Ducks could fly to victory.
The Verdict
This game features a very tough match-up for the Buckeyes. They are going against a defense that I would categorize as “above average” to “good”. The Buckeyes need to stay disciplined and within their game plan. There is definitely the potential to look at the Ducks defense and their body of work and say “we can outscore them”. The problem is, the strength of the Ducks is their offense. The more you score, the more you give the ball to that high powered offense. Ohio State cannot get into a shootout or they will find themselves trailing and a ball control offense is not conducive to making comebacks. If they can keep the score in the teens or twenties, the Buckeyes will win. Anything past that and Oregon has a distinct advantage.
Oregon 31, Ohio State 21
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