It wasn't pretty, but Ohio State capped off a perfect regular season. Now, the naysayers will come out of the woodwork to tell you the OSU isn't that good and that there are lucky to be in the Fiesta Bowl. Well, there's always a little bit of luck in going 12-0, but Ohio State doesn't have to apologize to anyone.
Thay are a really good team. And they didn't back in to the title game. So they played a whole bunch of close games. Who cares? That's bound to happen when your team is founded on excellent defense and a pounding rushing attack. And let's give a little bit of credit to Craig Krenzel. The guy has been absolutely clutch when they have needed him most. He might not throw the ball a whole lot (just 214 attempts on the year), but he averages 8.7 yards per pass, putting him among the NCAA leaders. For an excellent quarterback, he gets almost no respect. Kind of like his team.
Remember, Ohio State beat Washington State, the #3 team in the country. So no Buckeye fan has to make excuses for this team. They are just really good. And they're going to Tempe.
Oh, it's almost time. Ohio State-Michigan. This year, it's the highest profile rivalry game. The last six time OSU has had a title shot going into the Michigan game, they have come out with a loss. That pretty much explains how badly they want this game. Read all about here or here or here or even here.
Much has been made that OSU always chokes right about now. But Jim Tressel isn't John Cooper. He's not afraid of this game. In fact, he lives for the big games like this. and that's why OSU will win. Because they aren't afraid of the pressure. Oh, that and they are simply better.
posted by Poseur 11/22/2002 03:50:00 PM email
John Lopez of the Houston Chronicle discussed Yao Ming's development here:
...Throughout his young NBA life, Yao's anxiousness -- nervousness, perhaps -- could be gauged by how often he would fiddle with the bracelet. But Thursday night, Yao had the world on a string, looking comfortable and confident.
He blocked a shot on one end of the floor and finished with a dunk on the other. He split the Mavericks' zone defense, sprinting to the basket and slamming home a rim-rattling dunk. He posted up low on the block -- a place that had been as foreign to him through his American odyssey as the ground on which he walked.
He faked one way, turned the other and plopped in beautiful turnaround jumpers over the Mavs' 7-6 center, Shawn Bradley. He hustled for rebounds that even a week earlier would have fallen into someone else's hands. ...
OK, he's getting better.
And that's nice. But Shawn Bradley? Come on, who can't make Bradley look silly?
posted by Poseur 11/22/2002 11:27:00 AM email
Harry Watson died yesterday. It's a shame, but he was 79 and apparently lived a full life. But it just shows how far hockey lags behind the other sports in the US. How many casual sports fans have even heard of this guy? He's a Hall of Famer! Yet he's obscure. What a world.
posted by Poseur 11/22/2002 10:26:00 AM email
Miami dodged a real bullet last night. Honestly, the guy was open in the end zone and Rutherford looked like he got too excited and just overthrew the target. It was a great game, worth missing ER for. So, is miami the best team in the country? This isn't last year's version. Through no fault of their own, the schedule hasn't been that tough (can't blame them for Tennesse and Florida's subpar years). Still, it doesn't change the fact that either this or FSU was the hardest game on the schedule. And that my friend, sucks.
