Game Thread Ohio State vs Indiana, 10/08/16 @ 3:30 ET, ESPN/WatchESPN

[ScriptOhio]

ENTER THE CHAOS TEAM

You do not appreciate just how badly it sucks to lose a football game to Indiana.

That's because it rarely happens. If you're 28 or younger (!) you have never felt such shame. We can fix that right now with a quick story: When IU last departed the Horseshoe with a win back in 1987 the losing Ohio State coach - who dotted the i last weekend - famously groused:

I've known about Ohio State football since I was a freshman here in 1949. This is the darkest day in Ohio State football since I have been associated with it.

Consider that between Earle Bruce's freshman year and the darkest day the Buckeyes:

• Lost to Michigan 16 times
• Dropped six Rose Bowls, two in which Bruce was the coach
• Were blown out by Alabama in the Sugar Bowl
• Squandered three national championships in bowl games in heartbreaking fashion
• Watched their beloved coach punch an opposing player on live national television
• Fired their beloved coach who punched an opposing player on live television

You probably knew all of that. What you didn't know is losing to Indiana was somehow worse.

In 2015 Ohio State did everything to lose and won.

The Hoosiers beating the Buckeyes in football is the sum of all fears. It's why you never bothered to rewatch the 2015 Ohio State-Indiana game in which the home team dominated time of possession, won the turnover battle 3-0 and picked up 21 1st downs to Ohio State's 13.

The defending national champions also racked up 109 penalty yards (easily the highest during Urban Meyer's tenure in Columbus) converted only two 3rd downs out of 14 and yet still won the game, because - and there's no elegant way to explain it - that's just what history has decided for when Ohio State faces Indiana.

Saturday the Buckeyes will attempt to defeat the Hoosiers for the 73rd time. No team has taken more Ls from your favorite team than the Crimson and Cream, so it makes sense that the idea of taking an L instead is so frightening and how facing that reality pulled the darkest day declaration out of Earle.

Well it's about to get scarier, because Indiana football is no longer Kevin Wilson trying to dig a program out of the rubble left by Bill Lynch. It no longer carries a roster with just 60 scholarships and 25 voluntarily unissued ones, as IU operated when Cam Cameron was inexplicably allowed to be in charge of anything.

Entire article: http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2016/10/74906/enter-the-chaos-team

 

[Jaxbuck]

Jesus, I've never felt much animosity towards IU, but I just skimmed their rivals board....and fuck these fucking fucks. Other than the whole pedophile cult [Mark May], that board has a creepy bwi vibe. These candy stripe pants wearing morons should be bending down and kissing our bucknuts for keeping their AD solvent and letting them live the illusion that they're a big boy athletic school. I hope Urban hangs 80 on them.

The town in Ohio I am from is on/near the Indiana border.

They are insufferable.

Why do you guys think I am always going on about Darkest Day I and II? It happened before any of these kids were alive and I still wan them to suffer for it.

EDIT***
Holy hell, I didn't see the article from Script.



What they said. If you are too young to remember it, there is nothing worse than losing to IU. It's not just soul crushing, it's bizarre.

 

[Zurp]

Jesus, I've never felt much animosity towards IU, but I just skimmed their rivals board....and fuck these fucking fucks. Other than the whole pedophile cult [Mark May], that board has a creepy bwi vibe. These candy stripe pants wearing morons should be bending down and kissing our bucknuts for keeping their AD solvent and letting them live the illusion that they're a big boy athletic school. I hope Urban hangs 80 on them.

Ha - I like that the one guy says he sat in front of some Buckeye fans in 1986 who wanted Earle Bruce fired. I was pretty young, then, but did anyone want him fired in 1986?

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

Ha - I like that the one guy says he sat in front of some Buckeye fans in 1986 who wanted Earle Bruce fired. I was pretty young, then, but did anyone want him fired in 1986?

Lots of people

Lots of people back from a decent team. Preseason #2 according to The Sporting News. High expectations. 6-4-1

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Lots of people

Lots of people back from a decent team. Preseason #2 according to The Sporting News. High expectations. 6-4-1

Yeah, the knives were pretty much out for Earl after the 1984 team that was as loaded with nfl talent as last year's Buckeyes went 9-3 and lost the Rose Bowl.

 

[Zurp]

Lots of people

Lots of people back from a decent team. Preseason #2 according to The Sporting News. High expectations. 6-4-1

The 1986 team was 10-3 and won the Big Ten and the Cotton Bowl.
The 1987 team went 6-4-1.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ohio_State_Buckeyes_football_seasons

Yeah, the knives were pretty much out for Earl after the 1984 team that was as loaded with nfl talent as last year's Buckeyes went 9-3 and lost the Rose Bowl.

Ok, well I'll take you guys's word for it. But, meh - until they lost to Michigan they were right there hoping for a Rose Bowl bid.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

The 1986 team was 10-3 and won the Big Ten and the Cotton Bowl.
The 1987 team went 6-4-1.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ohio_State_Buckeyes_football_seasons



Ok, well I'll take you guys's word for it. But, meh - until they lost to Michigan they were right there hoping for a Rose Bowl bid.

You're right Zurp, I was a year off

Still true though

Play calling was ridiculous (short side of the field on every third down, season after season). Recruiting was abysmal

Earl almost saved his job by beating aTm in the cotton bowl. There was a huge argument at the time between people who thought 3 losses a year was unacceptable at Ohio State and those who thought that having the winningest program in the conference was as much as we dared to demand.

Then 1987 happened

Cooper proved pretty quickly that we had every right to expect better recruiting at the very least. Shortly after that he had OSU back to competing for NCs.

Don't get me wrong. I like Earl. He's a good man and a good coach. But he never was an Ohio State level coach. I'm sorry, he just wasnt

 

[Zurp]

That courtsensetwo guy is one of my new all-time favorite posters. I want to subscribe to his newsletter. I'm currently reading some tiff he's having about how he's always right. I'm waiting to see "and you can take that to the bank!"

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Too many slow white guys

 

[Zurp]

Still true though

Fair enough. I was 10 in 1986. First real year of watching and loving football. But I'm sure any "Fire Earle" comments got missed by me.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

You're right Zurp, I was a year off

Still true though

Play calling was ridiculous (short side of the field on every third down, season after season). Recruiting was abysmal

Earl almost saved his job by beating aTm in the cotton bowl. There was a huge argument at the time between people who thought 3 losses a year was unacceptable at Ohio State and those who thought that having the winningest program in the conference was as much as we dared to demand.

Then 1987 happened

Cooper proved pretty quickly that we had every right to expect better recruiting at the very least. Shortly after that he had OSU back to competing for NCs.

Don't get me wrong. I like Earl. He's a good man and a good coach. But he never was an Ohio State level coach. I'm sorry, he just wasnt

I wouldn't say "shortly" after. Cooper had a good stretch of pretty mediocre teams before his breakout season of 1993. Throw in Earl's last year to make it six years (87-92), and that was probably the worst stretch of Ohio State football since Woody's hiring.

Earl's recruiting was among the best in the nation for the first half of his tenure. It was only after it became evident that all that future NFL talent would go 9-3 every year that it took a nosedive.

 

[Jaxbuck]

Agree with all those who remember the knives out for Earl but he was such a well liked guy and so loyal to OSU the way it was done put a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. I know it did mine.

Also agree that from about 87-92 OSU was a regional power at best. It was awful.

He wasn't a "great" coach but I love Earl. Had a winning record against tsun and some of the biggest names in coaching were assistants under him so he was doing something right. First half of his era had some of the biggest names in OSU history.

 

[Steve19]

This game is not going to be close. Indiana rely more on the pass than the run. They have not seen a secondary like the Buckeyes and Lagoe already has 6 interceptions with only 9 TDs. Silver Bullets won't let Indiana establish the run or give up big plays.

Buckeyes know that they will see a trick play or two. Expect the Silver Bullets to put that silliness where the sun don't shine...

Buckeye offense will see plenty of encouragement from the Hoosiers, who were flattered by MSU's horrible offense.

Buckeyes 52-10.

 

[Zem]

Fair enough. I was 10 in 1986. First real year of watching and loving football. But I'm sure any "Fire Earle" comments got missed by me.

Folks were losing their shit when OSU started one of those years 0-2 after losing to a team I forget and also Alabama in the kickoff classic. The 3 losses per season pattern had become established. Here's the last few lines of a rap song made by a Q-FM dj (Lee Randall, I think) after that second loss...
"...
Now we're all just hoping for 9-3
We can't do that; we play an extra game
One more week that Earle'll get the blame
Wake up, wake up from this bad dream
Don't lose faith, cheer your team. "

There was another line in the song that was critical of Earl's body shape.

 

[Jake]

Agree with all those who remember the knives out for Earl but he was such a well liked guy and so loyal to OSU the way it was done put a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. I know it did mine.

Also agree that from about 87-92 OSU was a regional power at best. It was awful.

He wasn't a "great" coach but I love Earl. Had a winning record against tsun and some of the biggest names in coaching were assistants under him so he was doing something right. First half of his era had some of the biggest names in OSU history.

"Nine and three" Earl's last game was also mine (as a student). We almost didn't get out of Ann Arbor alive (we may have been a tad obnoxious after the come back win).

I was fortunate enough one season to have him seated directly behind me at basketball games. Once we got the nerve to speak to him he couldn't have been nicer. He got into the games, too. Sure did complain about the refs a lot - like any good coach.