I KNOW WHO WILL WIN THIS GAME AND WHY

(pssst. it has something to do with a memo)

We should win this championship game.  Actually, there is no reason we shouldn’t decisively win this game.  But first, let’s review an interesting comparison between OSU vs. Miami in 2002 and OSU vs. Florida in 2006, but more importantly, the lessons and correlations from these two seasons. 

In 2002, it seemed to all OSU fans that Ohio State struggled in most of our games.  There were several close calls, in particular the game against Purdue where the Buckeyes dramatically came from behind with just 1:36 left in the game.  Craig Krenzel threw a pass on fourth down, where instead of needing just one yard for a first down, he opted to pass deep to Michael Jenkins for the ball game.  That play has since gone down in the rich OSU lore as, “The Pass” or, “The Throw” or most conspicuously as, “Holy Buckeye,” which was the comment ABC TV commentator Brent Musberger made after the catch.  Video tape replays of “Holy Buckeye” also reveal how well OSU travels, as the sound by OSU fans after the catch made it sound like we were playing at home instead of @ Purdue.

Then there was the 23-16 squeaker in overtime at Illinois in 2002, a game initially many thought OSU should have won easily.  It became a game of close calls and some controversy, including a touchdown pass by Illinois that was called incomplete by the officials.  Had it been ruled a catch, OSU would have an L next to that game instead of a W.  Video tape replay showed the officials got it right, but it was ultimately a very close call.

And who can forget that ugly game in 2002 against Cincinnati.  Bearcat receivers dropped two touchdown passes in the final minute, and Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel ran for a late touchdown as the sixth-ranked Buckeyes slipped past the Bearcats 23-19 Saturday, in front of the largest crowd to ever watch a sporting event the city.

Finally, there was THE GAME in the Horseshoe on Nov. 22, 2002 against the team we play last every year.  After yet another classic battle against The Bad Guys Up North (TBGUN), Will Allen intercepted John Navarre's pass just short of the end zone with 0:00 showing on the clock for the bend-but-don't-break Buckeyes (13-0, 8-0 Big Ten), who won six games by seven points or fewer that season.  The final score was 14-9 and reminded most people of the classic boxing match between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed in the movie, Rocky. 

Think about it; we won six games by seven or fewer points.  Our team that year offered a mediocre offense mixed with a superior defense and top-shelf special teams.  In 2002, we won because that team represented the ultimate of what all Buckeyes really want; a team of overachievers driven by determination and desperation, all the time while being lead by superior coaching.  It was Buckeye pride and “meat and potatoes” at its very best. 

Fast forward to 2006.  Florida this year has actually lost one game (L @ Auburn, 17-27), and had three squeakers of their own.  They managed a razor thin 21-20 win @ Tennessee, which is a very difficult place to win and one many people say parallels the Horseshoe.  Most people would say they got lucky in their other two close wins.  They barely beat Vanderbilt (W @ Vanderbilt 25-19) and needed a late 4th quarter TD run by Tebow against South Carolina at home in Gainesville (W 17-16) to come from behind.

I think the main differences are that going into 2002, no one really expected we would play for, let alone win the National Championship.  This year, Florida started out highly ranked and believed they could compete for a chance to play for the title.  Ultimately though, Florida had to overcome a lot of adversity this year, just like Ohio State did in 2002. 

In 2002, most everyone thought Miami would compete for and win the National Championship.  Miami virtually sailed through their season and featured a ton of weapons at most positions on offense.  Their defense was stingy, opportunistic, fast and strong.  In fact, going into that game I probably felt the same as most Buckeye fans, and that I hoped we would play well and give a good accounting of ourselves.  In being brutally honest, the thought of winning was not really on the table for me in the beginning of the 2002 Fiesta Bowl game.  I too felt Miami was a juggernaut and we were fortunate to actually be in the game. 

This year, for all practical purposes, Ohio State had NO close calls.  Don’t think for a minute you are going to convince me THE GAME was actually close, because it wasn’t.  Nor was Illinois in any real position to upset us.  Yep, we ARE the juggernaut this year. 

Any of this resonating yet?

Let’s get back to the title of I KNOW WHO WILL WIN THIS GAME AND WHY.  The answer resides in a memo.  In preparation for any game, both teams get a memo.  In 2002, it turned out Ohio State didn’t get the memo intended for them that read they were actually supposed to sit back and marvel in the aura of Miami.  The memo mentioned OSU was going to lose, so they might as well be big about it, just accept it and be thankful they were even there.  Meanwhile, Miami would in turn take it easy on them, provided of course Ohio State would go along with being a gracious loser, since the outcome was obviously predetermined. 

Miami actually got that memo.  It was similar to the ones that had been sent to them every week during the regular season.  The memo said that just like Muhammad Ali, they too were “The Greatest.”  Miami loved the memo and believed The Manifest Destiny of it all and happily accepted its fate.  But there was just one minor problem; Miami didn’t know that Jim Tressel actually intercepted the memo intended for the OSU players and tore it up.  As it turned out, no Buckeye player ever got the memo or even knew that one existed.  Instead, Jim Tressel gave our team a memo that said they would be in for the fight of their lives, and if they showed the same desperate determination they played with all year long, victory was a possibility.  OSU actually went into the game not knowing the outcome was preordained. 

Memos are being drafted for each team for this year’s championship game as well.  I really believe the outcome of this game WILL depend upon the memo each team reads and believes.  For Florida, Urban Meyer must intercept the memo – the one OSU never received in 2002.  Florida players must never know of its contents or existence.  Florida MUST go into this game feeling that they can’t be hurt, after all, they already have one loss so they know another loss to an otherwise superior team is not a bad reflection for them.  They must also play this game with the same desperation and determination that obviously got them through Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Arkansas and Tennessee.  Doing this will give them their best chance at victory.

We know what Ohio State must do if they want to lose; receive the memo Miami got in 2002 and handle it like Miami did.  In order to win however, Jim Tressel must intercept this memo (again) and replace it with one that urgently mandates that true champions must finish off a kill with the same determination and desperation of a hungry lion chasing their next meal.  This memo must detail that what has happened so far this year has nothing to do with what will happen next.  The prey must be hunted down with vicious determination and relentless pressure applied until the prey expires, and ONLY let down once the prey actually expires. 

In THE GAME this year, OSU applied relentless pressure in the first half.  They had chased their prey relentlessly, caught up with it and was going for the kill when halftime started.  In the third quarter, we decided the prey was close enough to death that we could let up.  While “toying” with the wounded-but–not-dead-yet prey, we also committed a number of turnovers.  Subsequently, the prey got a second breath – and a second chance.  As a result, the hunter now became the hunted.

Finishing the kill once the prey is caught is what Ohio State MUST DO to win this game.  THIS is the memo the Buckeyes must get, not the one Miami embraced in 2002.  Fortunately for us, this is one of the things Tressel excels at; preparation.

The winner this year will be determined by a memo.  Of that, I am totally assured.  The only question is which memo each team actually reads.

Pat

Click Logo to return to Home Page

B50 Editorial : Who Will Win The 2007 BCS Championship?