Buckeye Blogger NetworkOnce again, Joe brings the 411 on the doings at last night’s game.
This week’s commentary is brought to you by my inner grumpy old man:
One comment on Eastern Michigan, since all we do is talk Buckeyes here. Throughout the game I was having Dennis Green “They are who we thought they were” flashbacks, although not in ways that were complementary.
I get mine at Costco
Ok, let’s get our weekly dose of Blue Haterade out of the way up front: Maybe I saw this wrong, but it sure seemed as if the Broncos had empty seats in the upper reaches of the visitor’s side of their stadium. You know, the 30,000 person stadium that they have? If my eyes were right, you’re going to have to go a long way to convince me how you deserve to be considered a “major program” if you can’t fill 30k seats in a game where your opposition only comes from one state over.
Look, I love me some Musberger (note: sarcasm), but yesterday I heard these words fall out of his mouth, “… this is the second team from a BCS qualifier that the Broncos have played this season…” And he was using that as rationale that they should be considered in the national title hunt… Gosh, I wonder what it must be like to play eight or nine or ten teams from BCS qualifiers during the course of a season?
If there are regulations limiting the size of LSU’s “Eye of the Tiger” at midfield, tell me again how a team can have a blue or red field?
Why is/was Oregon State ranked? I know they won’t be after this week, but why were they? I’ve been impressed with some of the things that they’re doing in Corvallis, but I think that they’re still benefiting from those upsets of USC over the past few years. If we were putting together a list of the top PAC10 teams, I’m not sure toOSU would be in the upper half. Oregon, Stanford, USC are the top three; Arizona and UCLA have to be in the conversation based on how they’re playing. This is not a critique of the Beavers, but of ridiculous pre-season polls.
Hopefully this well help you all get through your day, watch each video 4 or 5 times and it will be time to go home before you know it.
I hope you enjoyed that, I know I did.
"Holy Buckeye" - The two most prolific words ever spoken by Brent Musburger
If you’re reading this, you’re probably a Buckeye fan. Do I really need to explain what this picture shows?
Didn’t think so.
Michael Jenkins, today’s your day. Time and time again, you made the catch that saved our asses. You deserve a whole week to yourself for the effort and the grit you gave. Thank you from the bottoms of all our hearts!
12 days to go!
There was absolutely no doubt about who our honored guest would be for Day #16. The legendary season of 2002 was all we ever needed to see in order to make the name Craig Krenzel a household name throughout the glorious state of Ohio.
4-touchdown underdogs never looked so sweet
We could start a poll and try to select a play from the 2002 National Championship season that truly encompasses the magnificent year that Krenzel and the Buckeyes had….but no single play could ever do it justice. Yes, Holy Buckeye would win that poll, but there were at least 10 other plays that will still bring a tear to my eye.
As a matter of fact, there were so many ridiculous plays from that season, I actually had to break out my list of box scores from 2002 to see if I missed anything.
Two plays will always stand out in my mind as the best possible result for Buckeye fans. Let’s jump in the Way-Back Machine for this journey.
Play #1 – November 16th, 2002 - Ohio State is 11-0 heading into a showdown with Illinois. Traditionally, Illinois always gives us problems. Being the game before Michigan Week just made this game extra-extra-scary. Letdowns happen, as many Buckeye fans will attest.
The Illini have again shown us that they are for real, and they will not go away quietly. Their defense has been tenacious and Krenzel has had a hard time throwing the ball successfully. With 8 minutes to play in the game, Ohio State has a precarious 16-13 lead and a tough 3rd-down-and-9 situation at the Illinois 35.
Krenzel went into the shotgun formation and took the snap. He dropped back a few steps, got happy feet and retreated to the 45, where he was being surrounded. One defender came at him hard from his left, while another grabbed his right arm. They spun him around a full rotation and the Illinois crowd roared for the apparent sack.
But Krenzel didn’t go down. The spin move he was forced into actually freed him from his opponents’ grasp, and he stumbled a few feet as he ran towards the left side of the field. He regained his form and picked up speed as he approached the first down marker, and was hit at the 28. His momentum carried him over the 25 for a huge first down, as WR Chris Vance pumped his fist into the air near the end of the play.
Watch the play here – it’s the second play in this short highlight film;
Play #2 – November 9th, 2002 - Ohio State is at Purdue, and they’re in big trouble. On what would most likely be their final chance with the ball, the Buckeyes take possession at the Purdue 46-yard-line, trailing 6-3. Ohio State loses four yards on their first two plays. On 3rd-and-14, Krenzel escapes pressure and finds TE Ben Hartsock for a 13-yard gain at Purdue’s 37. Facing 4th-and-1 on the road, and more pressure than any team should ever experience, Jim Tressel did something NONE of us thought he would do. He sent in a pass play.
The sold-out crowd was erupting. The Boilermaker whistle was blowing loudly. Two full fan bases were facing heart attacks as the players approached the line of scrimmage.
The rest of the story is summed up in two words from the lips of Brent Musburger…..”Holy Buckeye”.
Watch the final two plays here and feel the excitement;
If you’re not getting tears in your eyes right now, you’re not human. Or you’re not a Buckeye fan.
Craig Krenzel had ice water in his veins every single week. He will never be listed among the greatest quarterbacks of all-time at Ohio State, but for 14 straight games, he never let us down. In the end, he earned his biggest title of all – Champion.
Here’s to you, Craig Krenzel.
16 days to go!
