Sadly,games last four quarters and with a turnover followed up by an injury to Braxton Miller,who had played very well,well the wheels were not only off,it reminded one of those old 1980's NASCAR wrecks where only the cyclone fences kept the car from leaving the facility.
In any event-Nebraska 34 Ohio State 27.
Ohio State drops to 3-3 and will host undefeated Illinois next Saturday.
Buckeye Leaves
1) This game never felt like it was over to me.
I suppose years of rooting for bad teams does that to a person,but it seemed like (yes another sports comparison) a horse that sprints to a huge lead and knows the horse from off the pace is going to make his run.
The question becomes how close is the wire???
2) I did not see either the Braxton Miller fumble that handed the Huskers great field position for the score that started the rally or the play that put Miller on the sidelines for the evening.
I was in the car on the way to work and was listening to the Nebraska radio network,which gives one hundred dollars to the FFA for each Husker TD,for those of you that care.
3) Those two plays clearly turned the tide against the Buckeyes,but I was encouraged by Miller's play until that point.
Miller ran with confidence and his throws looked crisper,although he still needs refinement as a passer.
I might have even gone as far to say this- Miller stays in the game,OSU holds on....
4) Well,Joe Bauserman just exhausted my last branch of excuse last night.
Bauserman throws half of his passes into the bench and not with style either.
Bauserman's deep throws remind me of the type that Seneca Wallace threw for the Browns last season.
That equals UGH,my friends...
5) I also thought Carlos Hyde ran well and gained the tough yards that a back of his size needs to get.
Hyde scored two touchdowns on the day with a total of 104.
6) The defense was just beaten up in the second half.Rex Burkhead just ran all over the Buckeyes and they had simply no answer for the Huskers running game.
Simply put the larger and more physical team pounded them down and that bodes poorly for Wisconsin in two weeks...
7) I did not understand the early fourth quarter play calling on this key drive.
Still with a seven point lead,Ohio State threw two passes on second and third down and then passed on a 49 yard field goal attempt for Drew Basil in favor of a punt.
The weather was not great,but the explanation was they wanted to be a few yards closer.
Well, perhaps a running play on one of those two poor Bauserman tosses might have gotten you those few yards to feel more comfortable trying the field goal.
8) Jim Bollman was just awful in this collapse as well.
Bollman kept calling the same play-pass plays that feature routes that Joe Bauserman cannot hit his receivers on.
It has become crystal clear that Jim Tressel spent considerable time protecting Jim Bollman.
I look forward to next season without him in the press box.
9) I called for more time for Kenny Guiton after the loss to Michigan State,but Braxton Miller played well in the start.
However,if Miller is missing the Illinois game with his ankle sprain,I propose Guiton get the start.
It is clear that Joe Bauserman is not the answer and Guiton has more similarities to Miller than Bauserman does,so the theory is perhaps Guiton could be more effective in the OSU offense...
10) Finally,a non-game note.
The Ohio State University needs to clean house now.
Starting with President Gordon Gee,moving on to Athletic Director Gene Smith and taking the hit by announcing Luke Fickel will not be returning next season.
The NCAA is dragging their feet on the punishment headed Columbus way and there is a chance to make this look better-by taking a step forward and cleaning out some of the enablers.
This is selfish on my part as my reasoning is to get as light as possible in a bad year and hope to save 2012 recruiting as much as can be and get things rolling again for 2013.
A step or two back is inevitable,that is occurring now-the key is to keep it at that distance...
The Devils play Carolina Monday at one,I will be doing a dual recap on that game with the loss in the opener last night then....
Photo Credit:Dave Weaver-AP Photo
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