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Optimism Following Saturday’s Near Tragedy For Ohio State
jcollingsworth via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Buckeye Nation sat this past Saturday afternoon watching in disbelief as Indiana nearly delivered a fatal blow to The Ohio State University’s #1 football team’s chances of repeating for the National Championship.
It was a nail-biter literally from the opening kickoff to the very last play in the 4th Qtr. Speaking for me – it was not a fun game to watch as I sat with that wretched pit in my stomach wondering if this was the game where the Buckeyes would have their regular season winning streak in the Big 10 snapped – which they did not – extending it to 25. But to arrive at witness to this reality we had to take a ride to the very last play and the very last second of the game.
This game was important. As I have been saying all along – Indiana is a vastly improved team. They were fired up and feeling like Buster Douglas. Unlike Tyson in that bout the Buckeyes stood the count and prevailed victors.
As doom slithered its ugly shadow upon Buckeye Nation with 0:16 seconds on the clock and IN on the Buckeyes goal – I made that dreaded decision that all hard-core fans make – I turned off the television set. It after all was because of me that this impossible scenario was in fact happening. So when I turned the set back on and saw that the Buckeyes survived I gladly take credit for the win. It wasn’t Eli Apple’s shaking the desperation pass off that sealed the victory … but my superstitious surrendering to see real-time as it all transpired.
Now aside from such nonsense (which fans, my self-included, sometimes believe in the midst of the battle) the Buckeye’s win appears to all the pundits as a concern.
The Positives of this game I feel smothers the negatives.
First, our hats need to go off to an Indiana Hoosiers team that has been greatly improved. They came to play. Nate Sudfeld & Jordan Howard, though both getting hurt, are exceptional talents. Zander Diamont, a more than capable replacement, felt his moment to shine and did precisely that. On the receiving end Simmie Cobbs is a threat.
It is easy to say after such a game …”if?” The “if” means nothing. The absurdity in this summation only highlights the word. “If” is a big word that only delivers imaginary results.
So let’s look into reality.
The optimism of this scare in Bloomington is that contrary to some missed passes, Cardale threw for 245 yards out of 27 attempts and 18 completions; a good solid game according to “realistic” standards. Ezekiel ran for 274 yards out of 23 carries with 3 TD’s. Perhaps any concern on the offensive side was Cardale’s -20 yards in rushing & his interception in the red-zone (a bad decision!).
But let’s focus on the positives!
The Defense again proved to be the savior. Even though they had a bit of an off game, they stood tall, battled the pursuing doom, and shined at the end as warriors do.
So what do we make of this?
We don’t! It is a win. A (W) is a (W). To harp on what’s & if’s will only cloud moving forward.
The Buckeye’s had a good game. They had some good performances. Ezekiel and his usual phenomenal self-stepped up and took control as superstars do. But in the mist and sighs of relief from this scare we are arrogantly ignoring something true and real …
…The Indiana Hoosiers simply played a better game. And in pursuits of greatness “…it happens!”
The post Optimism Following Saturday’s Near Tragedy For Ohio State appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
jcollingsworth via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Buckeye Nation sat this past Saturday afternoon watching in disbelief as Indiana nearly delivered a fatal blow to The Ohio State University’s #1 football team’s chances of repeating for the National Championship.
It was a nail-biter literally from the opening kickoff to the very last play in the 4th Qtr. Speaking for me – it was not a fun game to watch as I sat with that wretched pit in my stomach wondering if this was the game where the Buckeyes would have their regular season winning streak in the Big 10 snapped – which they did not – extending it to 25. But to arrive at witness to this reality we had to take a ride to the very last play and the very last second of the game.
This game was important. As I have been saying all along – Indiana is a vastly improved team. They were fired up and feeling like Buster Douglas. Unlike Tyson in that bout the Buckeyes stood the count and prevailed victors.
As doom slithered its ugly shadow upon Buckeye Nation with 0:16 seconds on the clock and IN on the Buckeyes goal – I made that dreaded decision that all hard-core fans make – I turned off the television set. It after all was because of me that this impossible scenario was in fact happening. So when I turned the set back on and saw that the Buckeyes survived I gladly take credit for the win. It wasn’t Eli Apple’s shaking the desperation pass off that sealed the victory … but my superstitious surrendering to see real-time as it all transpired.
Now aside from such nonsense (which fans, my self-included, sometimes believe in the midst of the battle) the Buckeye’s win appears to all the pundits as a concern.
The Positives of this game I feel smothers the negatives.
First, our hats need to go off to an Indiana Hoosiers team that has been greatly improved. They came to play. Nate Sudfeld & Jordan Howard, though both getting hurt, are exceptional talents. Zander Diamont, a more than capable replacement, felt his moment to shine and did precisely that. On the receiving end Simmie Cobbs is a threat.
It is easy to say after such a game …”if?” The “if” means nothing. The absurdity in this summation only highlights the word. “If” is a big word that only delivers imaginary results.
So let’s look into reality.
The optimism of this scare in Bloomington is that contrary to some missed passes, Cardale threw for 245 yards out of 27 attempts and 18 completions; a good solid game according to “realistic” standards. Ezekiel ran for 274 yards out of 23 carries with 3 TD’s. Perhaps any concern on the offensive side was Cardale’s -20 yards in rushing & his interception in the red-zone (a bad decision!).
But let’s focus on the positives!
The Defense again proved to be the savior. Even though they had a bit of an off game, they stood tall, battled the pursuing doom, and shined at the end as warriors do.
So what do we make of this?
We don’t! It is a win. A (W) is a (W). To harp on what’s & if’s will only cloud moving forward.
The Buckeye’s had a good game. They had some good performances. Ezekiel and his usual phenomenal self-stepped up and took control as superstars do. But in the mist and sighs of relief from this scare we are arrogantly ignoring something true and real …
…The Indiana Hoosiers simply played a better game. And in pursuits of greatness “…it happens!”
The post Optimism Following Saturday’s Near Tragedy For Ohio State appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...