A Time For Hate
Accordingly, it is too late for me to bask on the victory against Iowa, which will set us up for our first Rose Bowl since the 1996 season. After all, I remember what happened that last time, when we clinched the 1996 Big Ten championship prior to the Michigan game. It’s hate time now.
With respect to the Iowa game, I can add that it should be clear to all that Iowa is clearly top tier in the Big Ten this season, along with us. Their offensive line played a whale of a game. They afforded their quarterback the time to dink and dunk down the field with easy throws1 against a secondary that sadly showed why we thought of them as the weak link in the team way back in August. Kirk Ferentz is one hell of a coach and had a great gameplan2 for this game and, whoever they play in January will likely have their QB grounded into a fine powder by Adrian Clayborn. You may have been able to read into my preview post a great hesitation about the game. Iowa showed why, fortunately in a losing effort.
Still, with all the images of roses and alternate jerseys floating around, I’m going to echo Bo Biafra’s desperate pleas to embrace the hate. Pure hate. Let the hate consume you. A win against Michigan accomplishes so many things (outright Big Ten title, keeping Michigan at home for the winter, hopefully makes more Michigan fans cry on TV). This Buckeye team has already set themselves out as unique in the Tressel era: his first Rose Bowl team and one that comes on a “down year”. However, no one is going to remember this team fondly if it’s the team that loses to Michigan for the first time in 6 tries. Losing to Michigan is not an option. Hate — pure hate — is the only option.
With that in mind, here’s some preliminary hate directed at Michigan in the form of one of the most revered kickers in Ohio State football lore: Mike Lantry.
More hate will follow through the week…
Written by: Vico |
Except that we won, this game didn’t play out at all the way I had imagined. First and foremost, a huge hat-tip to Ferentz, his staff, and especially the Iowa players. Hawkeyes came in with a solid game plan, were well-coached for this game, and the players played very well.
Yep it’s kind of a “well, we won” type of win; certainly no laurels to rest upon. You are absolutely right, Vico, we need to really focus on task at hand and be ready for a helluva fight in AA. With the Total Suck that has been’s Michigan’s season, you know they’ll be fired up to put one on the Buckeyes.
I don’t think there’s ANY chance – like none whatsoever – that the TEAM is going to lose sight of what’s required this week, whether due to Iowa-basking or dreams of Pasadena or whatever. No way Tressel or the seniors allow the youngsters to slack off.
I remember that pic above after we beat them in 2007. I was laughing!
Methinks that Dick-Rod’s young career at scUM is already in trouble. He will probably pull out all the stops because he has nothing to lose and everything to gain by beating us with fakes, trick plays, etc.
I have confidence however and know that we will prevail. Look, we played badly early in the season (letting Navy get as close as they did, and losing to USC)… we also just plain lost focus by losing the Purdue game.
But I think the Purdue loss was a wake up call for players and coaches alike. Look how we have played since. This is like a different team than it was about a month ago.
GO BUCKS
Tressel does not lose to MeatChicken…………..
Tressel will have the team ready, the only way we can lose to DickRod’s scUM bums is if we shoot ourselves in the foot repeatedly, ala Purdue. But I sure hope he’s going to go for the kill early and not let these guys hang around. I think he’ll be more confident to air out against the Weasels’ sorry D…
Interesting thing about that 74 clip is JoePa providing color commentary??
[...] the hate up. Our fellow blogging brethren are letting the hatred flow: 11W (lots of it, actually), Our Honor Defend, The BBC, [...]