COLLEGE FOOBALL: A U.S. SOLDIERS VIEW
I have written quite a few articles on this site mostly having to do with The Ohio State University. I was sitting down reading some of the other articles which have been published and it got me to thinking about my job and how it relates to all these die hard fans of College Football.
I am always amazed to see the passion and love most fans have for their teams. I myself am a die hard Buckeye fan and I can honestly say it hurts me emotionally when they lose.
As I get older, and read about other teams and their fan bases, I come to the conclusion that most feel the same as I do when their team falls. This being the case, I couldn't be more proud at this moment to be a fan of college football.
Now for all you SEC fans, don't use this article against me later when I start talking smack about your team or your fans. This is just my perspective on why the college game is so special.
I had the privilege of going down to New Orleans to watch the National Championship Game and also enjoy some time on Bourbon Street. While I was down there, a few things stuck out to me.
First, LSU fans and SEC fans in general are as passionate about their teams as us Buckeyes are. Second, when you actually have some time to talk to fans from other conferences it gives both you and them a better perspective on each others football knowledge.
I was surprised and pleased that on the whole, SEC fans weren't nearly as bad as the blogs pegged them to be. Before my adventure to Louisiana, you would have thought that the LSU fans were going to reenact the scenes from Deliverance on us Buckeyes.
As it turned out, we both just love our team and have a pride in our state unmatched in any other sport. I know this sounds like a lovey dovey article about my feelings for the SEC, but like I said before, after this it's game on.
The main reason I felt the need to write this is that as I went through the bowl experience and read different fan sites, I got the feeling that college football is a large part of what makes our country so special.
As you may or may not know, I am a U.S. Army Soldier preparing for my third deployment to war. As I prepare to deploy, I look for the reasons to fight as hard as I can against the terrorists trying to take these very freedoms from us. I prepare in my head, a list of all the things I love and cherish about our country and I focus on those when I am having doubts or tough times.
First and foremost, I think of my family and all my fellow soldiers' families. Then I think of all the people before me who have sacrificed everything so that I can sit in the Shoe on a Saturday afternoon and listen to the crowd roar to "Hang on Sloopy," or as I walk by and scream O-H, knowing I am going to get a thunderous I-O in return.
I know similar traditions occur all throughout the country, whether it's the 12th Man at A&M, Clemson's players touching Howard's Rock, seeing UGA snap at the opposing team, the Trojan galloping on his horse, or hearing "Rocky Top" 10,000 times a game.
You see, it is all these special moments that I think about when I am away in a foreign country remembering how very lucky I am to be an American, especially a college football fan. I know most people would never like to admit they watch other teams, and most would definitely say the thing they hate the most is whatever your enemies fans are doing.
I fall into the same category, but deep down I don't know how my life would be without hearing "tigerbait, tigerbait" or "war eagle" or my personal favorite "Michigan Sucks," but truth be told, this is what makes the worlds of us, the true college football fans, go round.
It is also what brings us together each and every fall. Without these football traditions it just wouldn't be the same.
Remember, after blood has been spilled on the football field, and your team has won or lost, there is still American blood being shed on real battlefields across the world. Soldiers are fighting, and dying for our freedom, giving us the ability to enjoy each other's company each Saturday afternoon.
So, next time you are in a packed stadium screaming for your team to win, remember that in the grand scheme of things we are all on the same team, fighting for the same causes. We are all college football fans. Oh, and by the way, MICHIGAN STILL SUCKS!! Go BUCKS! blog.buckeyetopia.com
FOR THE LOVE THE BUCKEYES!!
College football
- The Dispatch's Ken Gordon posts about his interview session with Marcus Freeman, Malcolm Jenkins, James Laurinaitis and Alex Boone.
Blogging the Buckeyes
- The Dispatch's Ken Gordon talks to Alex Boone, Marcus Freeman, Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurinaitis about their decision to return to Ohio State.
Audio slide show
In the moments after Ohio State lost to Louisiana State in the national championship game, a number of OSU juniors who were considering leaving school a year early found themselves in the locker room shower together.
Then and there, they decided as a group to return.
That was one of the bigger revelations that came out of a recent discussion with James Laurinaitis, Marcus Freeman, Alex Boone and Malcolm Jenkins.
With the stress of their decisions behind them, the mood was relaxed. Laurinaitis arrived late -- and hungry. In short order, he downed an orange, apple, some carrot sticks, grapes and finally a ham sandwich.
Question: Now that you're all through with this process, what has the last week been like? Dealing with the emotions of the game, and then you have this big decision to immediately make?
Freeman: After the game, with all the emotion, you could've asked us right there if we had to choose, a lot of us probably would have said, "Hey, we're leaving," just for the fact that a lot of disappointment comes out of there, losing two years in a row, and you're like, "Man, do I want to do this again?" But I think when you really sit back and evaluate the situation, you realize there's a lot more into it than just those two (national title) football games.
Boone: Like Marcus said, you're bitter. Before the game, you're thinking, "I'm going to be back another season," and then after the game, you're like, "Man, I'm gone, I don't know if I can handle another season like this." It's been crazy, up and down. And everyone, as soon as the game is over, everyone is already asking you, "What are you doing? What are you doing?" That was hard.
Question: Did you guys talk among yourselves after the game about coming back?
Boone: We were sitting behind closed doors, and we were like, "What are we going to do?" And we were like, "You know what, I'm coming back," and then we were all like, "Yeah, I'm coming back, too."
Question: This was when?
Freeman: Right in the shower.
Boone: It was (Todd) Boeckman, (Freeman, Jenkins), me, Donald (Washington), (Laurinaitis) -- all the guys everyone wanted to know (about), and we were like, "Yeah, I'm coming back."
Question: You actually were in the shower?
Boone: I remember that, seriously remember standing there.
Jenkins: It was like everyone who could leave was in the shower at the same time. We were the last people in the locker room, and we decided.
Question: You guys passed up a lot of money to stay. You're living on scholarship checks.
Jenkins (smiling): Every time you look in your refrigerator and you've only got peanut butter and jelly, you know, it makes you (think) like, "Dang, I wish I would've taken that 15 million dollars."
Laurinaitis: You do realize that. I was talking to my dad and he was saying the first (NFL draft) pick last year had like 30-something (million dollars) guaranteed, and the 10th pick had $13 million. And then you go look in your car and you have that $600 scholarship check, and you realize that's all going to go toward rent.
Question: How much outside pressure did you guys get? Family, friends, classmates, agents? How much of that was there?
Jenkins: Most of my friends wanted me to stay, just because they know that (fall) would've been my last quarter in school. I probably would've been somewhere training right now (for the draft). My parents were like, "We support whatever you do -- you go, you stay, it don't matter." My mom was like, "If you go, I'm moving with you." Other than that, luckily, I wasn't really pressured.
Boone: I was the same; my family told me whatever I do, they'll support me. But it's the outside people, it's the people in your class like, "Oh, my gosh, you've got to stay, you've got to stay," and you get the people back home like, "You've got to go, you've got to go." But you just tune it all out, and talk to your family. I listened to them and they said, "Whatever you do we'll love you and support you and it will be fun no matter what."
Laurinaitis: I didn't feel a whole lot of pressure. You're going to have friends and family that call you up that you haven't talked to in so long. I got certain Facebook messages from friends that seriously I hadn't talked to since freshman (year) in high school saying, "Hey, man, you have to go. Man, I'm so proud of you." You get text messages from numbers I've never seen before saying, "Thanks for being a good Buckeye," just assuming you're leaving.
Question: Let's talk about next year. What's the outlook: Excitement? Determination? What's the feeling?
Laurinaitis: I think (the) first thing we have to realize is it's going to be harder because we're not going to come in expecting to be third, fourth in the Big Ten. The expectation level, not only around Columbus but around the nation for Buckeye fans everywhere ... people were supporting us last year, but people also kind of had that attitude of, "How can we replace some of these guys?" And really, next year is going to be about having high expectations like we did in 2006, but are we going to be able to go through it? I think in every big game we encounter, people are still going to doubt us; we're still going to get that same stuff we've gotten the whole time.
Jenkins: I think the biggest thing for us is all this expectation, and yeah, we have all these guys back and our defense is going to be blah blah blah blah blah. Nothing is guaranteed, nothing is promised to anybody. I mean, Michigan brought back their top three guys to win a national championship and to win the Big Ten. And I don't know what they put into it, but they didn't get their goals accomplished.
Question: I asked coach (Jim) Tressel the other day if he thought the fact that you guys lost in the title game had an effect on whether you came back. He didn't think so. He believes you guys looked more at the big picture. Was the loss a big factor in coming back?
Freeman: I think a lot of people are going to try and say, "Oh, they're coming back just to win a national championship." But I think if you say (that), you've got the wrong thing in mind, because the chances of getting to a national championship are very, very tough. We're coming back to be a part of a great football team, to be a part of Ohio State football again, and to be with each other one more year. Our goal is to win a national championship, but you have to have other things in mind.
Boone: Like Marcus said, you're coming back to be with the guys. To win a championship, that's hard. It's the things before you win the championship that you want. You want to be with the guys, you want to have fun, you want to be in college. Just to be around here with these guys is an amazing experience, and it would be hard to leave it right now.
2008 DEFENSE LOOKING JACKED UP!!
Competition stiff on Ohio State's No. 1 defense
Columbus -- Ohio State's No. 1-ranked defense is losing two starters in senior linebacker Larry Grant and junior defensive end Vernon Gholston. But the Buckeyes will throw three formerly injured regulars back into the mix, so maybe a 12-man lineup is the way to go next year.
With nine starters back, there will be 181 games of starting experience among 16 different returning players. With so few spots open, players who have been biding their time will find it hard to punch their way into the lineup.
Two players forced to red shirt by injuries, defensive end Lawrence Wilson (broken leg) and linebacker Ross Homan (torn foot tendons), are the leading contenders to take over for Gholston and Grant. But linebacker Curtis Terry, who started three games in 2006 before sitting out all of this season with a foot injury, also will be back as a fifth-year senior.
And cornerback Andre Amos, who didn't make a run for the nickel corner job this year because he was recovering from a torn ACL, will be healthy.
And linebacker/rush end Thaddeus Gibson will continue to force the coaches to find him a role. And special teams star Brian Rolle might be ready for linebacker work. And defensive end Robert Rose, after surgery on both shoulders, might finally be ready to show what kind of player he can be.
Maybe a 15-man lineup is more like it.
No matter the numbers, Homan almost has to be there. He'll be a redshirt sophomore, barely slipping in under the redshirt rule after suffering his initial injury in the third game at Washington. At the time, he was sharing the starting weakside linebacker job with Marcus Freeman, rotating by series. It was only after Homan's injury that Freeman began his breakout year, as he finished as Ohio State's second-leading tackler, and among the top 80 in the country, with 109.
That could have been Homan.
"I was happy with my play," Homan said. "I always want to be better, but I thought I was playing well."
Then, what he thought was a turf toe injury lingered and was eventually diagnosed as torn tendons in his left foot. Because he had played in three games, and not four, he was able to redshirt and retain his year of eligibility. The same thing had happened to Freeman after he hurt his knee in the 2005 opener and took a redshirt year. Now that injury has allowed him to return for a fifth season in 2008.
"Marcus has been a big help for me, telling me everything happens for a reason," Homan said. "I look at it as though it could be a good thing for me eventually."
Terry, Rolle, Tyler Moeller and maybe even current backup middle linebacker Austin Spitler figure to push Homan during the spring and preseason.
"I can only work out and know I'm there to compete for a job," Homan said. "I'm not going to fall into a job."
Gibson will be competing as well to make up for the pass rush lost with Gholston's early entry to the NFL draft. Wilson barely had a chance to show what he could do before being injured in the opener against Youngstown State, and Cameron Heyward, forced into major playing time as a true freshman, should be that much better as a sophomore. But Gibson in spots showed his skills as a situational pass rusher, and he has his head on straight now, too. He was kept off the travel squad for the Purdue game after an argument with a coach at practice.
"That was the biggest learning experience of my life," the Euclid High grad said. "I regret it, but you live and you learn and I think it's made me a better person. You have to put your team first. No one is bigger than the team. Once you realize that, everything will work out in your favor."
Gibson's frustration was created by his desire to play. With so much back on defense, a lot of qualified backups should be feeling that. Directed the right way, it could make a defense that led the nation in fewest points (12.8 a game) and fewest yards (233 a game) allowed even better.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
dlesmerises@plaind.com, 216-999-4479
BUCKEYE NATION; PREPARE FOR BLAST OFF!
WHAT WILL THE BUCEYES O LOOK LIKE IN 2008?
This was an interesting article in the Plain Dealer about how the offense might change for 2008. I think if Pryor comes in you have to think it would be a Florida type situation from 2006.
Ohio State's veteran offense could have a fresh look in 2008
Columbus- What will Ohio State's offense look like in 2008? How about the 2007 version plus Terrelle Pryor?
"I'm not questioning coaches, but if a coach doesn't build his offense around Terrelle Pryor," said Pryor's high school quarterbacks coach, Roy Hall, "he's crazy. Whoever gets Terrelle Pryor, it's like hitting the lottery."
The Buckeyes are losing just two starters, right tackle Kirk Barton and fullback Dionte Johnson, from the 41st-ranked offense in the country, which averaged just over 31 points per game. So the biggest change won't be by subtraction, but by the potential division of the quarterback duties.
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Whether it's Pryor, the nation's top quarterback recruit who is three weeks from most likely choosing either Ohio State or Michigan on National Signing Day, or No. 2 quarterback Antonio Henton, the Buckeyes should be prepared to implement a second quarterback into their 2008 offense.
Why wouldn't they? Florida won a national title two years ago playing true freshman Tim Tebow as a situational backup to Chris Leak. LSU played two quarterbacks in the national title game and during the entire season. It's not only about what that does for your offense, but what it does to the opposing defense.
"A lot of things an offense does is to make you prepare. We don't know what they're going to do," Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said of LSU's two-quarterback system before the national title game. "That takes that much more to prepare for people and what they're going to do. Sometimes on game day, it isn't as big a deal, but in the preparation it is."
Despite not playing a meaningful snap all season, Jim Tressel said there was a 50-50 chance Henton would see time against LSU. He didn't, but the Buckeyes got him ready during bowl preparation. If he hadn't been suspended for seven games, Tressel said Henton could have worked into the regular game plan during the season.
No offense to starter Todd Boeckman, who undoubtedly will take the opening snap against Youngstown State if he's healthy, but he's going to be Todd Boeckman. Either Henton or Pryor, with their abilities to run, throw and throw on the run, would offer something Boeckman doesn't.
If the Buckeyes want to land Pryor, they almost have to promise him playing time as a true freshman. New Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez can offer Pryor four years of every snap the Wolverines take, and sitting and watching for a year doesn't seem very appealing by comparison.
"Terrelle knows [Boeckman] has one more year, whereas at Michigan it's wide open," Hall said. "At Michigan, with Rodriguez coming in with his new offense, everybody has to learn so he'd be on the same page with everybody. At Ohio State, all these guys know the system."
Hall said the spread Rodriguez runs is much like the offense they run at Jeannette High School outside Pittsburgh. He said Pryor is most comfortable in the spread, but could adjust to any offense and would be ready to play anywhere. But it's not only the offense that will be the deciding factor.
"His biggest concern when we were talking the other day," Hall said, "is he just doesn't know who to trust. Right now, he's a little flustered. He doesn't know what to do."
Pryor told Rivals.com that he's visiting Michigan this weekend, and along with Ohio State, Oregon and Florida has also added to LSU to his possible destinations.
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With or without Pryor, Henton offers a viable option at quarterback. Running back Brandon Saine should be much more involved in the offense as a sophomore, if the national title game is any indication.
Among the incoming recruits, five-star receiver DeVier Posey could see the field. Offensive line recruits Mike Adams, Michael Brewster and J.B. Shugarts could push for playing time. At this point, current redshirt freshman Bryant Browning is the most logical addition to the line, either at Barton's right tackle spot or at left guard, with Steve Rehring moving to tackle.
What matters most is the quarterback, or quarterbacks, they'll be blocking for.
Oklahoma ahead:
Ohio State announced Tuesday a future two-game series with Oklahoma. The Buckeyes will play at Oklahoma on Sept. 17, 2016, then host the Sooners on Sept. 16, 2017. Following the 2008-09 series with Southern Cal, the Buckeyes have two-year series with Miami, Cal and Virginia Tech before getting to Oklahoma.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
dlesmerises@plaind.com, 216-999-4479
COLLEGE FOOTBALL, GIVING TROOPS A REASON TO FIGHT
I have written quite a few articles on this site mostly having to do with The Ohio State University. I was sitting down reading some of the other articles which have been published and it got me to thinking about my job and how it relates to all these die hard fans of College Football. I am always amazed to see the passion and love most fans have for their teams. I myself am a die hard Buckeye fan and I can honestly say it hurts me emotionally when they lose.
As I get older, and read about other teams and their fanbases I come to the conclusion that most feel the same as I do when their team falls. This being the case, I couldn't be more proud at this moment to be a fan of College Football. Now for all you SEC fans, don't use this article against me later when I start talking smack about your team or your fans. This is just my perspective on why the college game is so special.
I had the privilege of being able to go down to New Orleans to watch the National Championship Game and also enjoy some time on Bourbon St. While I was down there a few things stuck out to me. First, LSU fans and SEC fans in general are as passionate about their teams as us Buckeyes are. Second, when you actually have some time to talk to other fans from other conferences it gives both you and them a better perspective on each others football knowledge. I was suprised, and pleased that on the whole SEC fans weren't nearly as bad as the blogs pegged them to be. Before my adventure to Louisiana, you would have thought that the LSU fans were going to reenact the scenes from Deliverence on us Buckeyes. As it turned out, we both just love our team and have a pride in our state unmatched in any other sporting event. I know this sounds like a lovey dovey article about my feelings for the SEC, but like I said before, after this it's game on.
The main reason I felt the need to write this, was as I went through the bowl experience and as I read different fan sites I got the feeling that College Football is a large part of what makes our country so special. As you may or may not know, I am a US Army Soldier preparing for my third deployment to war. As I prepare to deploy, I look for all the reasons to fight as hard as I can against the terrorists trying to take these very things from us. I prepare in my head, a list of all the things I love and cherish about our country and I focus on those when I am having doubts or tough times. First and foremost I think of my family and all my Soldiers' families. Then I think of all the people before me who have sacrificed everything so that I can sit in the Shoe on as Saturday afternoon and listen to the crowd roar to "Hang on Sloopy", or as I walk by and scream O-H only to get thunderous I-O. I know similar traditons occur all througout the country, whether it's the 12th Man at A&M, Clemson's players touching Howard's Rock, seeing UGA snap at the opposing team, or hearing "Rocky Top" 10,000 times a game. You see, it is all these special moments that I think about when I am away in a foreign country remembering how very lucky I am to be an American, especially a College Football fan. I know most people would never like to admit they watch other teams, and most would definently say the thing they hate the most is whatever the other teams fans are doing. I fall into the same category, but deep down I don't know how my life would be without hearing "tigerbait, tigerbait" or "war eagle" or my personal favorite "Michigan Sucks", but truth be told this is what makes us true College Football fans world go round. It is also what brings us together each and every fall. Without these football traditions we just wouldn't be the same .
Remember, after the blood has been spilled on the football field, don't forget there is still blood being spilled on the real battlefields, Soldiers fighting for our freedom and giving us the ability to enjoy each other's company every Saturday afternoon. So, next time you crack on the team you are playing or are talking some smack, remember, in the grand scheme of things we are all on the same team. Oh, and by the way, MICHIGAN STILL SUCKS!! Go BUCKS! blog.buckeyetopia.com
WHO IS THE BEST?
GEORGIA, THE BUCKEYES WILL SEE YOU IN 2008 AND BE 1-9 VS. SEC
THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES 2008 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
If you thought the Buckeyes football program was finished after the National Championship game, think again. All the pieces are there for the Buckeyes to return for the third time to the "Big Game".
I know everyone is tired of seeing the Bucks at the top, but we really have nothing to apologize for.
Is it really Ohio State's fault that a 41-point underdog went into the Coliseum and beat the Greatest College Football Team ever?
Is it our fault that UGA was throttled by the Volunteers?
I think not.
Amidst all the whining and crying that everyone did at the end of the season, I feel deep down the best team in the Nation won and no team was going to change that, not even USC. I do know this: The more people trash talk OSU and view us as sub par to the elite teams, the more the Buckeye team and fans will love proving you wrong next season.
The Buckeyes will be back in 2008 stronger than ever and the Big Ten better be prepared. Most of the team will be returning as well as some dynamic new young players and an offensive line that will be dominant for years to come. With the return of Malcolm Jenkins, Marcus Freeman, Alex Boone, Brian Robiskie, and possibly Laurinaitis, OSU will be a force to be reckoned with.
I want to personally congratulate LSU on their Championship, and by the way, you have great fans. What a class act Glenn Dorsey is returning to lead his team to a Championship.
I also want to thank LSU and Florida because in playing them, we have learned what it takes to play with a swagger, and yes Big 10 fans; we learned some things from the SEC. We have become a better team thanks to those games.
With all of our juniors doing what Dorsey did by staying for the love of their team and university, we will get the chance to do something very special and rare next year by returning to a third National Championship.
Write this date down in your calendar and remember it, September 13, 2008. This is when we will see the Buckeyes ready to regain the respect of the nation.
On this date, we travel to the Coliseum and play against the team all the analysts and writers feel is an NFL team (I think because of their payroll, thanks Reggie Bush) trapped in a college world. If you think Ohio State is a joke or that we just don't have what it takes to play with the elite teams, then I suggest you watch the 2008 season very closely.
A message to all you fair weather Buckeyes who were calling for change in Columbus: Go to Athens, Georgia and ask them if they would trade places with you. Or, take a trip to any other University and ask if they would like to have played in 3 National Championships in 6 years. I am sure you would hear a resounding "YES!!" from any college football fan.
Congratulations once again to LSU, but be forewarned. We here in Columbus are ready for 2008 and our third run at the National Championship. Don't take the Buckeyes lightly or doubt our talent, it might just sneak up and crush you.
BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP THE MOST IMPORTANT IN HISTORY
If you think that this National Championship Game is all the Buckeyes are playng for you couldn't be more wrong. These Buckeyes are playing for personal pride, conference pride, state pride and most importantly national recognition. Right now, the Buckeye Nation feels as though the world is against them, except Lou Holtz.These players have heard for almost 365 days about how slow they are, how the SEC is far superior to the Big 10, and how they do not deserve to be in the National Title game. Some, even go as far as to say that if Ohio State loses this game that they should not be allowed back in the championship again. The embarrassment suffered at the hands of Florida last year changed the entire perspective on Ohio State and the Big 10 forever. I can't remember before that game hearing anything about how slow we were or how poor the Big 10 was. In fact, I remember that prior to the Michigan-Ohio State Game people were saying the loser could possibly play in the title game for a rematch. I have heard all the arguments and see that the only way for this to subside is for Ohio State to beat LSU and do it handily. I am having some trouble understanding why one game changed the perception of a team and program forever. If you look at Oklahoma they are the team that has been a bust in BCS games, but every year they will be in the talk about being the best team in the nation. I am not certain, but 4 out of 5 BCS losses isn't exactly National Championship material.
Now, don't get me wrong I love Oklahoma, after all Stoops is an Ohio guy, but why is it that everyone is convinced Ohio State is so slow and pathetic. I am sure nobody was spewing these lies after the 2003 National Championship, 2004 Fiesta Bowl, 2006 Fiesta Bowl , and the Texas game in Austin. It is as though that Florida game set us back 50 years. Well, it is time to change the national perception. This game will be a coming out party for the Buckeyes a pedestal to show the sports world that last year was an unprepared, overhyped team playing against a team which felt disrespected and was playing against all odds. Sound familiar Buckeyes, if you don't think these kids have a lot to play for, then you just need to tune into the TV and radio and you'll hear ever reason the weight of the programs future is on the shoulders of these 2007 Ohio State Buckeyes, and they are hungry redemption.