Saturday Afternoon
Greetings from our GameDay bus outside Ohio Stadium. We've got college football on four of our five monitors. U.S. Open is on the fifth. Only a few events are
allowed to intrude on a football Saturday in the bus: the Open (especially if it's Andre playing ... or Sharapova, Kirk adds) and The Breeders Cup. Maybe the World Series, if we like one of the teams involved. Oh, and a big fight in the late night window.
I am stunned by a couple things today:
• Michigan's Chad Henne was awful. I am not in the Wolverines huddle and don't know enough football to tell how much of his woes were due to confusion created by Notre Dame's inspired new defense or how much was due to Henne's pressing, stressed-out play. On fourth-and-goal, he threw the ball into the tuba section, giving his receivers no chance to make a play. It's fourth down, Chad.
Then, the late fumbled snap on an attempted QB sneak -- the one that was overturned by the replay ref -- awarded the ball to Notre Dame. Wow, no wonder Lloyd Carr lost it a bit on the sidelines. Maybe we'll hear the name of Matt Gutierrez this week, the one-time No. 1 QB before a preseason injury in 2004.
Irish fans can officially get euphoric now. You'll be 4-0 visiting Purdue, which will be a challenge, but I would put nothing past this confident bunch now. Well, I'd put upsetting USC past them. For now. But that'd be kinda fun: unbeaten ND and unbeaten USC in Rockne's house in mid-October! Sign us up. The bus knows the way to the 'Bend.
• Oklahoma clearly has issues. Ignore the 220 yards Adrian Peterson piled up late. That's very deceptive. OU's line was lethargic until late in the third quarter, trailing Tulsa 9-7. They muscled up late, but had to struggle to run on a Tulsa bunch that gave up 41 to Minnesota last week. Rhett Bomar was bad, again. Maybe his head was elsewhere after being cited for possession of alcohol by a minor following the loss to TCU.
• Iowa's offensive line was supposed to be solid. Not today. Iowa State's defense has pushed them around. Drew Tate was never comfortable. Iowa was stumbling around with uncharacteristic penalties and turnovers. Don't tell me that Iowa State always wants this game more. It's true, sure. But Iowa had to know this would be a monster game in Ames. No excuses. I thought they were vastly overrated by many of the preseason magazines (top 5, huh?), but they are better than this. Of course, Iowa State still can't kick the football, so this one stayed close.
Showdown in the 'Shoe
Kickoff is approaching here -- and it's getting a little nutty in Columbus, despite Ohio State's efforts to disperse the tailgating frenzy to acreage farther from the Horseshoe.
Killjoys.
(What is it with the Big Ten these days? Michigan AD Bill Martin sent e-mails to students asking them not to stand the whole game, lest they risk ejection. What? Is this college football? Tailgate to your hearts' content and stand all game if you want.)
I am looking out the window of our bus and the best sign I see is a huge Longhorns' logo, with the words "Me So Horny" underneath. It is attracting much attention from folks who want to pose with it, even OSU fans.
The Buckeyes faithful have slowly calmed down from a frenzy this morning when Desmond Howard and Nick Lachey, who is an Ohio native, sang Michigan's "Victors" while perched atop the Horseshoe during GameDay. I heard even the OSU administration was chafed. Somewhere, Woody Hayes was growling and spitting. C'mon folks. A little fun for the sake of good TV. There's not much room for humor where Michigan is concerned, though.
There is a see of red everywhere and small pockets in burnt orange. Texas only got 4,200 of the 102,000 tickets.
Vince Young and Co. have arrived at the stadium. Young will be joking, laughing, maybe even singing in locker room. It's his team. Young is relaxed personality has transformed Texas' mindset -- Mack Brown included. Young says he plays better loose -- and his record as a starter on the road bears it out.
I saw Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith a few minutes ago across the street at the team hotel. He looked like a young professional in a dark suit, wire rim glasses and a shiny silver laptop in his hand.
I wondered how he would handle the instinct to try to do too much tonight in his return from a suspension. Would he be too keyed up, needing to redeem himself?
No such concerns, Smith says. He'll be ready whenever Jim Tressel gives him a chance. That'll probably come in the second quarter or so. Then the hot hand will have the game in his hands in the fourth quarter.
Nine and a half months of anticipation is almost over. Can't wait for kickoff.
That's all for now. About time to leave the bus for the sidelines!
Saturday Morning
Good morning from the GameDay bus in Columbus. Here in C-town, it feels like Christmas morning -- Kirk Herbstreit told me he hasn't slept well all week he's so excited.
Me, I have slept just fine, thanks.
These Buckeye folks have awaited tonight since New Year's Day, when the Longhorns ran wild over the Maize and Blue defense. Ever since, Ohio State fans have been anxious to see how their guys stack up with UT. We'll show them real Big Ten defense, they say.
Tonight we'll know.
But let's not get carried away. It's huge, but more than that, it's fun. It will NOT define the season of either team. The winner becomes USC's top challenger in the early national title chase. The loser gets kicked to the curb. For now. But let's be clear: Texas has Oklahoma in a few weeks. Ohio State visits Michigan. THOSE games will define their seasons, as always.
If Mack Brown wins tonight, then loses to OU for a sixth straight time, do you think the Orangebloods will still be celebrating Columbus Day's big win? Nope.
If Tressel takes a perfect record to Ann Arbor and flops, what's 2005 going to be remembered for most? Not tonight's tilt.
That's not to puncture the hype, but let's be real.
Stars Out In Columbus
Ran into Earl Campbell last night. He was hanging with Archie Griffin at a big Texas-Ohio high school showdown (won by the Cincinnati team, 27-12). Earl couldn't stop talking about how Vince Young had grown in to the leader's role and even influenced the coaching staff to be looser and more relaxed the week of a big game.
Darrell Royal flew up for the game. So did Texas-ex Matthew McConaughey. Ex-Bucks legend Keith Byars says he will be on the sidelines as well tonight. Star power edge: Texas.
Fantasy Football
I am not talking about the annoying player-draft stuff that permeates the NFL, but
our own private fantasy: that more athletic directors and coaches had the courage to accept nonconference challenges like Texas vs. Ohio State ... and that the BCS system encouraged, not discouraged such risks.
Here are four more fantasy matchups we'd love to see:
1. Notre Dame-Texas. OK, not in the same year that the Longhorns are playing the Buckeyes. Shades of old Joe Montana heroics.
2. USC-Florida (or Miami). The Trojans rarely play the SEC and the Florida schools rarely challenge a West Coast heavy.
3. Michigan-Alabama. The 2000 Orange Bowl went to OT and was a classic. Let's see a sequel!
4. Ohio State-Tennessee. John Cooper (Tennessee native) could be Master of Ceremonies.
OK, back to reality. None of these are likely to happen in the regular season.
We'll talk to you from the bus after the Notre Dame-Michigan game.
Are the Irish really as good as they looked vs. Pitt? Well, the Panthers' loss last night at Ohio University makes you question the value of ND's win just a tad.
Talk to you soon.
