Game Two: #1 Ohio State 24, #2 Texas 7 (9/9/06)

[jimotis4heisman]

Originally Posted by MililaniBuckeye

Not to mention the deluge of rain they played in...

or the field didnt have a tarp on it, or the fact they soaked the thing with water the week of the game...

[BDtheBuckeye]

Originally Posted by jwinslow

how is that relevant to the psu game? Troy cost us MUCH more than Hamby in both games, and hurt our reputation as well. I think both should be forgiven and embraced as buckeyes by now. IIRC, Hamby had a key block on the Hall option TD vs UM to send us to tempe in 02.

Well, lets just say Hamby catches the ball in the endzone against Texas. I think the game would have turned out way differently. I cant even remember back from last week, so i dont know what the score or the exact details. Just Hamby...dropping the ball in the endzone...then getting whacked....It hurt...very badly.

Anyway, if you watch the PSU game you will see Hamby totally miss his block, on the right side. Smith, was looking downfield at the time and got hit. And i believe it was drive late in the game where they where starting to kinda rally back.

I agree with ya anyway, they have each had their mistakes, and i'll embrace them and forgive them. That was last year, it's done, no one can do anything about it. Cept, complain and say "what if" like me.

[jwinslow]

and Huston missed a FG, Smith missed a safety when Ramonce got lost in the endzone, Gonzo dropped an easy first down early in the 1st, and zwick didn't protect the ball. It's a team game, and hamby's play did not cost us the game.

Smith was facing hali, he has to have the sense to see that coming, but more importantly not throw the pick earlier in the game.

There are a lot of what-if's, but none larger than Troy's rustiness early in 05. It wasn't just the time off, but the immaturity as a passer. By late 05, he was going thru his reads, moving with poise in the pocket, and turning the offense loose like we had all hoped before the season.

[BDtheBuckeye]

Hehe, you clearly got the details down. It was all heartache for me and didnt even want to remember any of it. Huston did miss that FG, but wasnt it like a 50+ yard FG? He just needs to work on his accuracy, which he hasnt had a lot of time in games. I think last year was his only full year starting job. The other years he was injured, and of course the infamous NUUUUUGE had the starting job.

Ah well, only thing we can do is sit here and go over the game. We could disect every play, every minute, leading up to the 0:00 at the end of the game.

[MililaniBuckeye]

Originally Posted by jwinslow

It's a team game, and hamby's play did not cost us the game.

Sorry, but if Hamby catches that pass, it's a big kick in the nuts for Texas. Instead, it breathed new life into their defense. That drop was by far--by far--the biggest single play of the game...it was an absolutely monsterous momentum shifter.

[BuckeyeRob]

Originally Posted by BDtheBuckeye

Well, if i remember correctly, Ryan Hamby missed the block on the right side during one of OSU's drive. I think it was right around the OSU 40 or something. Anyway, Smith got nailed and lost the ball, which of course, caused the game to be pretty much over.

I dont mean to attack Hamby or anything, but do i need to bring up the dropped ball in the endzone against Texas?

That was a classic case of a totally blown assignment. I mean Hamby just was asleep on that play. Troy got HAMMERED as soon as he set up. He had no chance to do anything and didnt see it coming.

The sad thing is the offense was driving the ball. That drive started on the OSU 11. They drove the ball to the Penn State 45 when Hamby whiffed the hit was so hard that Smith had the ball knocked out of his hands and Paxson recovered it. That was the ball game as that play happened with just over 1:30 left in the game. Had they scored on that drive I think the buckeyes probably win that game in OT

[Bucky Katt]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeRob

That was a classic case of a totally blown assignment. I mean Hamby just was asleep on that play. Troy got HAMMERED as soon as he set up. He had no chance to do anything and didnt see it coming.

The sad thing is the offense was driving the ball. That drive started on the OSU 11. They drove the ball to the Penn State 45 when Hamby whiffed the hit was so hard that Smith had the ball knocked out of his hands and Paxson recovered it. That was the ball game as that play happened with just over 1:30 left in the game. Had they scored on that drive I think the buckeyes probably win that game in OT

And that's the only time anyone has ever missed a block? Come on. It happens. To single out Hamby for a missed assignment is unfair.

And just for the record, I fault the coaches more than Hamby for that play. You can't expect a TE to consistently block a first-round draft pick like Hali. To leave Hamby on the edge with no inside help puts him in a position where has a good chance of failing.

And Troy had plenty of time to see the hit coming. I have no idea how he didn't see it. Everybody in the stadium saw that hit coming, except Troy.

[BDtheBuckeye]

I understand that players miss block often and they go unnoticed most of the time, but in crucial times, the spotlight seems to be on Mr. Hamby. Im not hatin the guy or anything, but in all honesty, if that was a different TE in there during the the Texas game and PSU, i wonder what the outcome would've been?

Well, i guess if we are going to lose anybody, im glad it was the eventual #1 and #3 team in the country.

[BuckeyeRob]

Originally Posted by Bucky Katt

And that's the only time anyone has ever missed a block? Come on. It happens. To single out Hamby for a missed assignment is unfair.

And just for the record, I fault the coaches more than Hamby for that play. You can't expect a TE to consistently block a first-round draft pick like Hali. To leave Hamby on the edge with no inside help puts him in a position where has a good chance of failing.

And Troy had plenty of time to see the hit coming. I have no idea how he didn't see it. Everybody in the stadium saw that hit coming, except Troy.

Whats unfair about it? Hamby COMPLETELY WIFFED on the block. As in DID NOT EVEN TOUCH him. I dont know what you were watching but Troy did not have time to do anything. He dropped back had barely set his feet and whack....

Hamby was a senior and asking your TE to scrap the DE isnt asking too much. For TE to get beat so bad he doesnt even touch the DE is INEXCUSABLE... Picking on hamby my arse!

[Zurp]

Originally Posted by jwinslow

a safety when Ramonce got lost in the endzone,

Not bitching about this play, or the call, but what is the rule when the player has his knee down in the endzone? I didn't know that he could have his knee down, thinking it's a touchback, and have it turn out that it's not a touchback, not even a safety, but he can still get up and run around.

Am I missing a rule, somewhere? Or should the referee have called a safety?

[High Lonesome]

Originally Posted by Zurp

Not bitching about this play, or the call, but what is the rule when the player has his knee down in the endzone? I didn't know that he could have his knee down, thinking it's a touchback, and have it turn out that it's not a touchback, not even a safety, but he can still get up and run around.

Am I missing a rule, somewhere? Or should the referee have called a safety?

Was his knee down? i thought he tried to stay in and not come out but decided that his toes had gone over the line so he took off


edit: just rewatched the highlight, While ramonce does start to take a knee he actually never comes anywhere near the ground. Should be zero controversy

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Of course players are to be held to the standard of performing their assignments... If Hamby missed a block.. totally wiffed, as it's been said... then he should be held accountable for that missed assignment. But, to take a missed assignment and turn it in to the "reason" OSU lost is absurd. There were an additional 59 minutes and upwards of 45 seconds of game played that evening.

I agree with Mili's point on the momentum that Hamby's TD (had it been made) would have represented (as well, as the "shift" it did represent in it being a drop) But, lets not forget, OSU scored on 6 straight possessions (IIRC) and only one of those was six. Not punching it in to the EZ and taking 3 isn't Hamby's fault... Likewise, the things Jwin listed aren't Hamby's fault. Any of those plays, had they occured differently, could have been the difference... especially the Safety or the missed FG.. OSU scores there and Texas is down even after Sweed's catch (it was Sweed, wasn't it??) OSU isn't playing "desperation" football, Texas is... and maybe that would have made the result different. Considering how VY stepped up at deperation time v. USC, I'm not convinced the result (a Texas win) wouldn't have been the same... That's not to say I'm sure Texas would have scored again.. but it wouldn't have been as if the game was over, either.

In any case, that's football... some things go your way, some things dont. You'd expect a catch to be made when the guy is virtually all alone. You expect a tackle to be made when a guy is all but standing still (his key blocker being an official) It's fair to say "You need to make the play" but to break that down to the "Reason" the game was lost, I don't think so.. unless, perhaps, it's the very last play of the game.

I'm guess I'm just trying to say there is a line between "responsibility" and "blame."

[scooter1369]

He started to kneel but whoever his spotter was saw his foot cross and told him to go. Smith should have had him. I was in the front row of the south stands and saw that whole gut wrenching play up close and personal.

[Bucky Katt]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeRob

Whats unfair about it? Hamby COMPLETELY WIFFED on the block. As in DID NOT EVEN TOUCH him. I dont know what you were watching but Troy did not have time to do anything. He dropped back had barely set his feet and whack....

Hamby was a senior and asking your TE to scrap the DE isnt asking too much. For TE to get beat so bad he doesnt even touch the DE is INEXCUSABLE... Picking on hamby my arse!

After Hali came free, everyone of us was screaming for Troy to make a move. If he would not have been locked in on downfield, he would have seen Hali come free around the end and would have had time to make a move of some sort. Hali wasn't coming from the blindside. Troy should have seen him. I'm not saying Hamby did a great job on the play. He didn't, but to say, "Well, gee, if Hamby had blocked Hali, then blah, blah, blah" is pointless and more than non-productive.

Why don't people talk about Smith's int in the PSU game? What about Zwick's fumble or Smith taking a safety in the Texas game. What about Ginn's drops? There are any number of mistakes in any game that can change the result. Don't tell me you aren't singling out Hamby for his mistakes when you are giving everyone else a pass on their's.

I'm not going to continue this discussion in this thread. It is intended for the Texas game, and I have no intention of further cluttering it up with a topic that, to be quite frank, is ----->

[BuckeyeRob]

Originally Posted by Buckeyeskickbuttocks

Of course players are to be held to the standard of performing their assignments... If Hamby missed a block.. totally wiffed, as it's been said... then he should be held accountable for that missed assignment. But, to take a missed assignment and turn it in to the "reason" OSU lost is absurd. There were an additional 59 minutes and upwards of 45 seconds of game played that evening.

I'm guess I'm just trying to say there is a line between "responsibility" and "blame."

PSU took over with 1:21 left in the 4th.... No assurance that the buckeyes score on that drive but the turn over iced the game.