Ohio State pulled out a fantastic 42-39 win over Michigan with several big runs, including a long scoring dash from Antonio Pittman, and a brilliant first half from Troy Smith. Pete Fiutak gives his Stream of Consciousness Notes on the classic with his thoughts from start to finish.
By
Pete
Fiutak Welcome again to my pretentious, goofy and self-serving
stream-of-consciousness thoughts and notes on the big games, the
broadcasts, the ads and the teams for the attention deficit
disordered. E-mail
me with your own thoughts and notes and what you'd like to see.
Pregame
How often do we get two games
of the century in the same year? With a buzz still going from the
scintillating Texas win over USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl, now we get the
rare national title in the regular season. Oh sure, Florida, USC,
Arkansas and others are more than good enough to give both Michigan and
Ohio State a game, but this really is the national title in November.
Of course, the game has gone from being huge to something surreal with
the unbelievably ironic death of Bo Schemechler casting a big shadow. As
sad as his passing is, it makes for even more interesting theater with
more storylines in a game that didn't need any. Hopefully, all due
respect will be paid to the legend in the pregame and for the first
several minutes, and then it's let go a bit so the game can be about the
players. This game isn't about Bo, it's about the teams, the teams, the
teams.
First Quarter -
I know this might seem sacrilegious, but it would've been sort of cool
if Ohio State honored Schembechler by putting a small B next to the O in
the middle of the field.
- There are people in this world who don't care about the game.
They're either at the Auburn-Alabama game, or their taking a nap right
now in my house.
- Ohio State wins the toss and defers. Call me crazy, but I'd want the
ball first to establish the tempo.
Michigan starts on its own 20 - This first drive is all about Chad Henne. Oh sure, Michigan
will look to establish Mike Hart, but Henne has to be on right off the
bat. Everyone's talking about Troy Smith, but don't be shocked if Henne
comes up with a monster of a day.
- And there is it. Henne connects with Mario Manningham on a perfectly
timed three-step drop.
- Brent's first "Buck-aieyee" of the game. Drink.
- Brent's second "Buck-aieyee" of the game. Drink.
- The UM O line has blown the OSU D line off the ball on the first
several plays. If the back seven has to keep making stops on Mike Hart,
this will be a long day.
- Henne connects with Manningham on a good throw and a brilliant call
down to the one. Hart runs it in on the next play. Aggressive
play-calling on a way-too-easy drive. Ohio State, welcome to a real team
and a real offense for the first time since Texas. Troy, it's your turn. Michigan 7 ... Ohio State 0
- The driver in the AllState "accident forgiveness" ad might go on
to be the next Tom Hanks, but he'll always be the guy who did the O Face
in Office Space.
Ohio State on its own 31 - Don't get cute OSU. Pound the ball a little early to get the
offensive line going. - OSU gets cute early spreading things out going to Ginn twice
getting the first down.
- Ohhhhhhhhhhhh. Smith had Ginn open and just missed on a sure-six deep
ball. NFL scouts have just made a note that Michigan star CB Leon Hall
got beat deep.
- Is this going to be a shootout? Several people were telling me all
week that it would be, but I just can't believe it with these two
defenses. - Michigan is getting into the backfield, but the shotgun is giving
Smith that extra half tick needed to make plays. - Not that time. Rondell Biggs, who was close on the first few
plays, came up with a sack. - Excuse me. I've got gas from watching the Sonic ad with the
chili/cheese/tot/Frito wrap thing.
- Smith got it off again, but he got tagged by LaMarr Woodley.
Eventually, the pressure will take its toll. Smith was planted into the
turf, and that can't keep happening. However ...
- ... Smith just showed why he might win the Heisman. He throw a perfect
strike to Roy Hall to convert a third and 16. Michigan brought the
house, but the Buckeye O line did a fantastic job of picking it up.
- Noooooo, now you don't go to the running game. Smith is in a bit of a
groove. - OSU is in way too many third down situations early.
- It appears to be this simple: Michigan gets pressure, the OSU offense
will breakdown. Michigan can't get to smith, it's going to get picked
clean. Smith is making all the right decisions.
- Smith is razor-sharp. His throws are right on the mark under immense
pressure. This is a long, long drive using almost all passes. - Third and goal from the three. Forget Antonio Pittman; spread it
out and let Smith do his thing. - Empty set backfield, Smith finds Hall again, touchdown. That was
just way too easy for Smith. Michigan, welcome to a real team and a real
offense for the first time since Notre Dame. Chad, it's your turn.
- Piccccccckkkkkkk. On the replay, Ohio State simply ran a pick play
that should've been called, but wasn't. Good for the officials. I'd
rather have them swallow their whistles in this than call everything.
Michigan 7 ... Ohio State 7
- Alright, I'll say it; Cindy Crawford might be in the Yummy Hall of
Fame, but the Remington shaver ad doesn't work. There's sultry, and then
there's creepy, trying-too-hard, old has-been sultry.
Michigan on its own 20 - Henne had Manningham wide open. Manningham slipped on what
would've been a 20-yard gain. - Oooooh. Malcolm Jenkins came up and popped Hart. Now it's Michigan
first third down shot.
- Henne finds Breaston on a nice throw for a first down. Henne needs to
tighten up his throwing motion. There's way too much wind up when it
could be more compact.
- Manningham is wide open on every single play. He put on a wonderful
double move to get by Jenkins for what would've been a touchdown, but
Henne overthrew him.
- OSU had better find some semblance of a pass rush in a big hurry or
else the secondary has to start playing tighter.
- There it is. Great coverage play by OSU with Henne having to throw it
away.
- FACE MASK!!!! Ginn got his face mask ripped on the 15-yard type of
play and it got missed. Why can't the review booth call that? I've never
understood the reasoning why it can't be.
Ohio State starts on its own 20 - Nice timing on resodding the field, Ohio State. Everyone's
slipping all over the place. What does this mean? Expect one home run at
some point because a corner will slip.
- The Michigan coaching staff has to be going nuts. The OSU receivers
are throwing picks, early blocks, and generally coming very, very close
to several penalties that aren't getting called.
- Why does it seem like the Buckeyes are setting things up for the big
play? It's coming.
- By design, Smith should take off on a play or two just to throw that
into the mix early on. The more he can keep Michigan's linebackers on
their heels, that extra half second should be enough to hit on some big
plays later.
- Michigan brought the pressure and Smith threw it away. With his
wheels, he should've tried breaking to the outside.
Michigan starts on its own 14 - There's the Ohio State pass rush. Lawrence Wilson busted
through and blew up the play forcing Henne to eat it.
First Quarter Score: Michigan 7 ... Ohio State 7
Second Quarter
- It's interesting how Michigan isn't doing much to get Hart rolling.
It's all Henne and Manningham early on.
- Thank you Brent, Bob and Kirk for not going overschmaltz on the Bo
stuff in the first quarter.
- James Laurinaitis just came up with a huge pop to force fourth down.
Slowly but surely, OSU is winning the field position battle. Ohio State starts on is own 47 - No Cadillac, it's not going to work. Just because you put
young men and hip music in your ads, it doesn't mean you're going to get
the under-dead share of the market to buy your overrated, has-been gas
guzzlers.
- There we go with Smith running the ball. He got kissed, but he needs
to get moving. That's the one X factor Michigan can't account for.
- Chris Wells just earned himself a spot in OSU history. He was stopped
in his tracks in the backfield, spun out, and tore off a 52-yard
touchdown run. A 235-yard back shouldn't have that kind of speed. If
Michigan isn't tackling or making the initial plays on the line. , this
is going to be a long, long day.
Ohio State 14 ... Michigan 7
Michigan on its own 27 - Michigan can't deviate from the gameplan. It seems like it
wants to slow the game down and get the momentum back with the running
game, but it needs to keep firing. It'll have to now that the fired up
Buckeyes stuffed Hart.
- That's GOT to be intentional grounding. Henne wasn't able to get away
from the pressure running right into it and making things worse. ...
Yup. It was called.
- Michigan's O line dominated early, Ohio State's defensive front
owns it now. - Brain cramp from Ohio State. The Michigan center got blasted on
the punt, penalty, Wolverine ball. The game was just on the verge of
getting out of hand if the Buckeyes scored on the next drive, and now
the crowd is taken out of the game and Michigan has the ball back. A
killer.
- Michigan HAS to get throwing again. The running game just isn't there.
- The Wolverines might have gotten nothing out of the drive, but the
field position changed. That might change everything late in the second
half.
Ohio State on its own 7 - Someone should've done more research about what the song
Turning Japanese by The Vapors is about before tweaking it for a Dr.
Pepper ad. I have a line here about the 23 flavors of Dr. Pepper, but
I'll let it go. This is a family show.
- Even deep in its own territory, there's no reason to get conservative.
Smith isn't going to make a mistake.
- Heisman. That's what Henne, or most quarterbacks, can't do. Smith used
his feet to get out of trouble, found a new pocket, and then hit Brian
Robiskie for a huge game. Leon Hall missed the tackle allowing it to be
a big gain; he's struggling. Michigan had better start tackling better.
- Michigan is losing the footing battle in a huge way.
- My goodness is Smith good. He faked the Wolverine front defensive
front out of its jock and connected with Ginn on a bomb for a
touchdowns. In the last 81 minutes, Hall went from a sure-thing top ten
pick to a possible late first rounder. He's getting destroyed.
- 91 yards in four plays. This is not the Michigan defense that rocked
all year. This is not the same Ohio State offense that went through the
motions before the Northwestern game. Ohio State 21 ... Michigan 7
Michigan on its own 20 - If Michigan really wants to be the No. 1 team in the nation,
it needs to open it back up again. Go with what worked on the first
drive.
- Now the Wolverines are flat-out screwing up. Dropped pass on the first
play.
- Hart comes through with a nice 30-yard run. It wasn't the Wells home
run, but he put on a brilliant move to get into the secondary.
- Third and two. This is two down territory on the OSU 42. As the last
drive proved, field position means nothing at the moment, so go deep,
Michigan. Give it a shot to Manningham.
- Michigan does try to go deep and OSU got nailed with a pass
interference call. Jenkins jammed Manningham too far down the field.
First down.
- Talk about getting the momentum back, OSU's pass rush came through
again. Henne has to do a far better job of reading it and looking
downfield. He's bailing out too early.
- Henne gets time, is able to find his second receiver, hits Adrian
Arrington for a score. It's all about time in college football. Give a
good quarterback five seconds and he'll destroy you. Talk about having
heart, Michigan was about to get its doors blown off. Ohio State 21 ... Michigan 14
- AFLAC Trivia Question: Troy Smith has beaten Michigan twice. Who
is the only OSU QB to beat Michigan three times. This is embarrassing; I
should know this. Ohio State on its own 20 - Adjustment No. 1 Michigan has to make: keep Smith in the
pocket. He's starting to make big plays when he rolls to his right.
- Ginn is earning himself a lot of money.
- Michigan's energy level, at least watching on TV, seems sapped.
There's not a lot of movement or bouncing around. Someone needs to come
up with a huge play.
- Finally, Michigan crossed up its blitz and Shawn Crable crushed Smith.
- Michigan's tackling has been abysmal. Embarrassing. The OSU receivers,
when in space, are making the DBs look silly.
- Welcome to the show, Anthony Gonzalez.
- :40 to play, OSU needs to keep pushing. It has the Wolverine D on the
ropes.
- AFLAC Trivia Answer: Tippy Dye. 1934-1936. Not a chance on that one.
- OSU down to the seven. :24 to play.
- Michigan's defense has to be changed up big-time. This zone isn't
working.
- Too easy. Smith had time to make a sandwich, found Gonzalez,
touchdown. Too easy. Give credit to the Buckeye O line; it stepped up
its game in the second quarter. Ohio State 28 ... Michigan 14 - I'm under the belief that you don't turn in your Heisman ballot
until the season is over. It's going to be tempting for me to send mine
in about two hours from now.
Michigan on its own 20 - Get to the locker room, Michigan. Try again.
- Lloyd Carr looked at poor Lisa Salters like she just kicked his dog.
First Half Score: Ohio State 28 ... Michigan 14
Third Quarter
- Michigan desperately needs a big play early on. Ginn fumbled the
kickoff, but got it back. Ohio State on its own 29 - Smith threw for 241 yards in the first half. Michigan coaches,
earn your money.
- Two OSU dropped passes to start. That seems to be the only way the
Buckeye offense can be stopped.
- Wife walks in, says Jim Tressel looks like a penguin, walks out. - A stop?! Michigan's defense forces a three and out?! It was helped
by OSU, but there was a nice tackle on third down.
Michigan on its own 39 - Before this game, Hart was high on my Heisman list for
being the workhorse for the Michigan offense. Now the Wolverines need to
use him. - And there we go. Hart gets free and rips off a 33-yard run. He's
fast, but he's missing that Darren McFadden-like top gear.
- The offensive line is coming out firing. It'd be interesting to know
what kind of fire and brimstone the coaches came up with at halftime.
This is a different team.
- Touchdown Hart. Michigan ran the ball as easily as OSU threw it. I
still want to see Michigan's D prove it against Smith. Ohio State 28 ... Michigan 21
- Rocky Balboa? Really?
Ohio State on its own 16 - You know that nebulous "energy" I was looking for from
Michigan before? It seems to have it now.
- For the first time, Smith looked rattled. He threw off his back foot
and sailed his throw high and wide.
- Good time out from Tressel. I always think football coaches should do
that like basketball coaches do and get a time out to try to slow down a
momentum run.
- Of course, it doesn't always work. Smith once again looked flustered,
forced a throw, it got picked off by Alan Branch off the carom. Is Smith
trying to do too much? It looks like it.
Michigan on the OSU 25 - Hart for five yards. Michigan isn't going for the home run
right off the bat after the big play.
- Hart 16 carries, 117 yards.
- Manningham's in single coverage, Manningham's in single coverage ...
- ... I don't know if Henne has the freedom to change up plays, but he
should've seen that and called a different play sending Manningham deep.
Instead he had to eat it.
- Field goal. Ohio State 28 ... Michigan 24
- Ginn seems overdue to crank out a big kickoff return.
- Close. He got to the 25 and a bad late hit call gave OSU ten more
yards. Ohio State on is own 45 - Get Smith back on the horse. Let him start throwing again
right away.
- He does hitting Ginn for a nine-yard gain.
- The Michigan safeties decided to go to the powder room for a
refresher. Antonio Pittman gets a little bit of a hole, and he's gone
for another long touchdown run. UM had nine guys in the box, but there
were awful, awful, awful angles from the defensive backs. Ohio State 35 ... Michigan 24
Michigan on its own 20 - Michigan doesn't need to panic, but it does need to score off
this long drive. The defense just hasn't shown up.
- Third and four, now Henne has to come up with a big throw and look
like the quarterback who came out rolling on the first drive. - Would it kill ABC to stop showing the D-IAA scores for just 30
seconds? - Where's Mario Manningham?
- No. 86 might be out of the mix, but No. 16, Adrian Arrington, is
making plays.
- Just knowing I'll get yelled at by a few Buckeye fans about this: can
the OSU defense hang with the USC receivers? - Third and ten, and the Michigan offensive line, which was so
strong at the start of the half, got ripped through again. Henne had no
time.
- Michigan has to go for it. With the way the D is playing, it just has
to. - You have to be kidding. Fourth and ten and Michigan runs a
six-yard route. Steve Breaston slipped, but he would've been stopped
anyway.
Ohio State on its own 27 - Go for the long ball to Ginn, OSU. - Once again, Smith looks off. It's partially because of decent
pressure, but Smith's head isn't on the swivel it was in the first half
and his accuracy is a bit off.
Michigan on its own 34 - Speaking of being off. Henne had a wide open Arrington and air
mailed his throw into the third row.
- Hart should've been nailed for a three-yard loss, but his footwork and
quickness got him a big gain to make it third and short.
- Ugh. What is Michigan doing throwing it deep? Henne throws an awful
pass that got picked off by Jenkins.
- It's under review, but you can't overturn that. There's just not
enough to change it. Give him the interception on principle alone for
such a bad play call. - How in the wide, wide world of sports is that "indisputable"
evidence? - Fourth and one, you have to go for it. If you're a No. 1 team, you
get one yard on your own 42. Michigan only has two, maybe three
possessions left and is down 11.
Ohio State on its own 20 - Michigan needs a turnover. It needs something big to change
things back around. As I write this ...
- Bad snap ... Michigan ball. - Once again, Smith is pressing. He was running the play without
the ball. If Ohio State loses this, I really don't hope it's because the
calm, cool leader melts down.
Michigan on the Ohio State 10 - Hart down to the nine. Third Quarter Score: Ohio State 35 ... Michigan 24
Fourth Quarter - Michigan just won't go away.
Breaston tears off an end around for the touchdown, but ...
- ... his knee was down at the one. This can't be overturned. It's too
close to reverse it. Good job ABC of getting a camera on the goal line.
Now put the camera on the other goal line.
- Reversed?! Sorry, but that's 0-for-2. Third and goal now for the
Wolverines. Just sneak it.
- It worked, but it shouldn't have. Hart powered it in, but I hate,
hate, hate, hate it when an offense hands it off five-yards deep when on
the one.
- Going for two. Spread it out and let Henne make the call.
- Thank you Ohio State and Michigan for making this good.
- Kicking the extra point?! Well over 14 minutes left, there's still
plenty of time, but with a field goal kicker like Garrett Rivas, this
might come back to haunt Lloyd Carr. Ohio State 35 ... Michigan 31
Ohio State on its own 20 - Smith one of seven for nine yards and an interception in the
second half.
- Michigan's defensive backs are playing far tighter.
- Pittman runs up the middle for a first down. That looked like it was
this close to being popped for another home run.
- Oh dear lord what a move by Ted Ginn. Smith made a good read and a
nice throw, and Ginn made a great spin move for an extra 20 yards.
- I'd still like to see a few Smith runs. He appears to be settled down
now, but with Michigan so worried about the receivers, Smith has seven
to ten yards there for the taking.
- Third an one ...
- ... fumble on a bad snap and Michigan gets it. Wow, 35-31 with 11:40
to play.
Michigan on its own 33 - Manningham drops the first pass. He would've had plenty of
room to rumble.
- Why not just run Hart and keep him rolling?
- Hart's run should've come on first down. Now it's third and three.
- Big, big, big stop by Ohio State. Bad read by Henne, bad pass, lousy
play calls. The fumble means nothing now.
Ohio State on its own 15 - Michigan is doing a great job of bottling up Ginn on punt
returns.
- Oh s***. Does such a close game mean the rematch talk will start?
- THERE we go. Smith rolls out to the outside and has an easy
first down.
- Wow. Late in the fourth and it's only Brent's third "Buck-aieyee" of
the game. Drink.
- Great fake on a draw play to Pittman. More poor tackling from the
Michigan defense and Pittman rumbled for a nice run.
- Michigan got its big turnovers from its defense and didn't quite take
advantage. Now it looks like Smith and the Buckeye offense is about to
drop the hammer.
- First down. Smith is getting too much time.
- For the first time all game long, a Buckeye running play isn't just
stuffed, it's stopped for negative yards.
- Still waiting for another home run ball to Ginn. Of course, it's hard
to do that when LaMarr Woodley is coming from the blindside and stopping
your quarterback's guts out.
- Third and 15 ... where's Anthony Gonzalez?
- Smith scrambles, misfired, but personal foul on the Wolverines.
- OH THAT'S TOTAL CRAP. Helmet to helmet, yeah, but I hate that call
with less than seven minutes to play in a game like this. Yeah, it had
to be called, but still, swallow the whistle.
- Smith is so freakin' tough. He's getting beaten on and keeps coming
back with big throws.
- Michigan is going to get the ball back with about five minutes to
play. Now it's just a question of being down seven or 11.
- The turf claims another Wolverine. I'm already annoyed with the
whining that's going to ensue from all Wolverines about the turn. Morgan
Trent slipped in the end zone and Brian Robiskie made a nice grab for a
touchdown.
- Shawn Crable is going to get dogged big-time for keeping that drive
alive.
- That was a five minute, killer drive. Ohio State 42 ... Michigan 31
- Never in a million years did I think these two could score this
many points. Michigan starts on its own 18 - Now's when Ohio State's defense can pin its ears back and
close this out. Henne can't move, there's no time to run the ball, and
the pass rush should be deadly.
- Mario Manningham, where are you?
- What is with the D-IAA scores STILL going non-stop on the bottom of
the screen? ABC, you don't have to do that. You're not CSTV.
- OSU will let Henne dink and dunk for little five yard plays all day
long.
- BIG throw from Henne to Manningham for a 17-yard strike. This drive
went from sputtering to being really interesting.
- 3:45 to play.
- Here's where to not going for two is a killer. Now a touchdown means
you have to go for two.
- 3rd and 14 after a slightly shaky holding call. This is where OSU it
two plays away from Glendale.
- Sack by Jay Richardson. The Wolverine receivers ran their routes too
deep.
- Michigan uses its last time out.
- 2:55 to play.
- Michigan won't win this game, but it's driving for a touchdown to get
the rematch talk going. 42-31 means there's no shot at a part two.
- Fourth and 16 ...
- Pass interference. Henne chucked it deep to Manningham and it wasn't
even close. The DB's back was never turned.
- It's only a 15-yard penalty. Michigan is still only on its 35.
- 2:37 to play.
- Another first down. Mike Massey with a wonderful catch ... that has to
be reviewed.
- Why isn't more being made of that? Give another replay or review. It
looked like that ball could've bounced, but it was at least worth
another look.
- Manningham is on the sideline. He's clearly out of gas.
- Wonderful job by Henne to move up out of the pressure to hit Tyler
Ecker for a touchdown. He kept his cool, stepped up, and made a nice
throw for the score.
- Going for two ...
- ... got it. Another terrific throw from Henne hitting Steve Breaston.
Hello Glendale for round two. Ohio State 42 ... Michigan 39
- Ball game. OSU got the onside kick. Two minutes left. No Michigan
timeouts left. Watch for the parade of "injured" Michigan players to
start.
Ohio State on the Michigan 50 - Ooooh. Two straight running plays, now it's third and two with
:40 to play. At best, Michigan will get the ball with about ten seconds
left.
- Ohio State will play for the national title. Pittman runs for the
first down for the win in an absolute classic.
- Shortest post-game handshake ever between Carr and Tressel.
- Tressel is so happy he sounds like he's going to go have a slice of
dry white toast and a glass of water.
- O.K. USC, now it's your turn.
