The Buckeye Blog

I have to admit, although I took more than a few jabs at them, the Mzone was good. And although they cheered for the wrong team, they seemed to understand the general lameness of the average Michigan fan.

It was the Mzone that was quick to point out the incredible lameness of the dreaded key shaking in the Big House. It was the Mzone who made maze shirts that read, “Down in front is not a cheer” on the back. It was the Mzone who painted the Michigan helmet on the Hindenburg after their defeat to Ap State and it was the MZone where I first heard the term Buckstache.

Although I often found them annoying, as I do most Michigan blogs, the Mzone was always worth a good read. But after three years of pounding away at the keyboard, the Mzone has called it quits. You can see their last post here.

You can see some of my past MZone inspired blog posts below:

Ohio State vs. Michigan: Caption Contest

How Lame is Michigan; Example #357 - Buckeyes Own Michigan in Their Own House

Buckeyes Slip to Seventh; Bring on Michigan

How Lame is Michigan; Example #353

Michigan/Appalachian State post game remarks; more fun than a historic upset

Ok, so it’s about 1:45 mountain time New Year’s morning. About an hour ago, I found myself in the desert west of Phoenix celebrating New Years with a couple of Afrikaners and discussing the history of the Dutch settlers in South Africa and how they have been mistreated by the current South African government for the last 15 years (go figure).

At one point, I remember singing something about, “Und Faderland,” and God only knows the rest of the translation. I’m pretty sure this is the closet I have come to Nazi Germany and let me just say, the view is not pretty.

Anyway, I find myself here at the early hours of 2008 with an urge to cleanse myself of a somewhat biased lesson in the history of Apartheid and to take out my frustrations on our old favorites, the University of Michigan.

Yes, in a few short hours, Michigan plays our beloved Florida in whatever bowl they managed to land (Oh yeah, the Capital One Bowl). And have you ever seen a more ridiculous story line for a bowl game. You would think that a game in which the first sophomore to win the Heisman trophy would be the feature event but no, Michigan, in their utmost failing, has managed to steel the spotlight.

If ever a team had something to prove, Michigan would be the team. However, how many times have we been through this. And what a slap in the face Michigan got. A coach, fresh from trashing a national championship to Pittsburgh, comes in and proceeds to fire the entire staff. Add to that the fact that Chad Henne, Mike Hart, et all, the team that was supposed to waltz their way to a national championship game, has still failed to win a bowl game or, of course, beat Ohio State.

So this is the last hurrah. Is there anyone out there who thinks they have a chance?

You might think that if there was ever a game to win, this would be it but Michigan has been a let down how many times now? Seven? If they can’t get up for a win against Ohio State, don’t expect big things from the bowl.

Oh, and did I mention Florida’s spread offense? Yes, Florida not only has a quarterback that can stymie the Wolverines, they have a coach that can run Llllllloyd Carr right into the ground.

While I wish there was a way that both teams could lose this game, I expect a score like 41-14 would be a gift for Michigan. Unfortunately, I’m afraid that this game will be yet another chance for the SEC to trash the Big Ten. No, it is not a good match up and no, Michigan doesn’t really deserve a New Year’s day bowl game. They’ve got it though. Great.

So with that, I leave you with the end of an era and of course, the last time I get to link to this video (now viewed more than 160,000 times):

Well, you could say this was over due but you would think they would at least get through the bowl game.

The Detroit News (and a number of blogs) is reporting that incoming Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez has pretty much cleaned house giving the pink slip to all nine assistant coaches. They will coach the Capital One Bowl and then they’re out.

If this one doesn’t leave me with mixed emotions, nothing will. As everyone knows, all Buckeye fans enjoyed having Llllllloyd Car and his staff to push around the past few years. Tressel had their number and there didn’t seem to be much they could do about it.

Now however, there will be a new game in town. And Tressel will have his work cut out for him. The Buckeyes one weakness has been the spread offense with a quarterback that can move and that is exactly what Rodriguez will bring to Michigan. Of the possible BCS teams, I think West Virginia or Missouri might have been more of a threat than Missouri for just that reason. I’m sure that Ohio State’s difficulties against the spread was of interest when Michigan chose Rodriguez.

However, like I said, it’s a love/hate sort of thing. I want to see Michigan get back in the game if only to make the Big Ten look better. At the same time, it has been fun to have a little whipping boy to push around. The Buckeyes will need to adjust but it is a good adjustment. The spread offense isn’t going away and it’s time the Buckeyes get on top of it. Rodriguez should provide the catalyst the Buckeyes need to adjust.

It’s official. Buckeye nation rules the world!!

I read about this on the MZone but I didn’t believe it until I saw this for myself.

For God’s sake, this is in their own house! At what point will they step up and stop the humiliation. Not even in the deepest depth of my imagination could I see something like this happening at the Shoe.

The writer from the Mzone claims that the atmosphere at the game was amazing. He goes on to clarify, “if you were sitting in the student section.”

He continues:

My buddy got us great seats, section 4, almost the 40 yard line…but apparently right in the middle of a fucking tax audit. These people had all the energy of a rotting corpse…which is almost an insult to rotting corpses.

On several “key plays,” I turned to look at the folks above me to see what they were doing. I was hoping to see yelling, screaming and general noise making. Instead, I think I saw breathing. Although even that might be debatable. Hell, these people don’t even shake their keys.

How pathetic.

Worst of all was when the Ohio State fans in attendance started their “O-H-I-O” going around the stadium. Thankfully, the student section stopped it since the cadavers around me were obviously trying to break some Guinness Book of World Records mark for quietest stadium section ever in a big game.

Wow, that is so amazingly pathetic. I was at the game last year and while yes, the #1 vs #2 rankings had a lot to do with it, I would say that for a Michigan fan, this atmosphere is anything but “amazing.”

The day that Michigan fans ever come anywhere close to doing something like this in Ohio Stadium…well…I’m sorry…I just can’t find the words.

Update
After searching a little further, it appears that yes, the cheer did circle Michigan Stadium three to four times getting louder each time (It took that long for the Michigan fans to catch on). You can see another view of the cheer here.

According to a comment on that YouTube link, you can hear it on the T.V. at about 2:00 left in the game.

Update II
“Courtney,” the cinematographer who captured this historic moment has left a comment below. According to Courtney, the cheer actually happened a number of times. Be sure to read her comment below and from all of Buckeye Nation, we thank say thank you.

I don’t know what feels better. Ohio State beating Michigan again or watching Michigan lose yet another game to the Buckeyes.

While last year’s game was one for the record books, this year’s game is about complete and total humiliation. I don’t know if it’s watching Carr most likely end his season with a loss placing him at 1-6 against Tressel or knowing that Mike Hart, Chad Henne, Jake Long and the other seniors will never know what it is like to have beaten Ohio State. One of the few classes in Michigan history to experience such devastation. It is something they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Whatever it is, Ohio State played a glorious game completely dominating the Wolverines holding them to all but a field goal. Beanie Wells was on fire coming through with more than 220 yards. Vernon Gholston played inspired leading a defense that absolutely stymied the Michigan offense.

And while I’m sure that Mike Hart is getting up in front of the press as we speak and telling the world that Ohio State isn’t really that good a team. That they should have beaten the Buckeyes without difficulty. We’ve heard it all before.

As he speaks, remember, if you look close enough you can see the “L” already forming on is forehead. A brand he will carry with him for the rest of his life.

At some point, every warrior comes to the revelation that we are more like our enemy than we ever want to admit. For Michigan fans, things have been tough. But for those of us old enough, we remember the pain of the 90s, the emptiness of the Earl Bruce years as we searched for another Woody, the pain of watching John Cooper repeatedly steal defeat from the jaws of victory, until finally, the renaissance of Jim Tressel and the decade of the Buckeyes.

Michigan fans sit where we did at the end of the 90s. They are at the end of an era filled with pain and disappointment. An era which at the outset held such hope, such dreams, only to be dashed repeatedly during recent years. The Michigan seniors who returned, passing up the fortunes of the NFL and boasting of a national championship are now battered and injured. Yet today, the injuries will not matter. Regardless of the pains that ail, this is the big game. A failure to win today will live with them until the day they die.

If you saw the HBO special about The Game, a former Michigan player (I don’t remember who) discussed the term Schadenfreude, a German term translating to pleasure taken in the pain of others. He told how he has releshed in the schadenfreude of a victory over Ohio State.

Today is a day for the Buckeyes to secure their schadenfreude for years to come. If the Buckeyes can send LLLLLLoyd Cooper into the sunset without a final victory, if the Buckeyes can keep the boisterous Mike Hart, Chad Henne and the rest of the Michigan seniors from the experience of a win over Ohio State, they will deliver a malicious joy that will be hard to match.

With that in mind, I direct you to a post by one of the best college football bloggers on the internet, Brian of Mgoblog. Brian has written an amazing post describing the current state of today’s Michigan fan. And I send you to this post not to express my schadenfreude at his suffering but to remind us all of the joy, the pain, the dreams, the dashed hopes and the memories that this game evokes.

Michigan is facing the end of an era. Next year, possibly with current LSU coach Les Miles at the helm, will start a new day for the Wolverines and new challenges for Ohio State Buckeyes. There is no question that Carr has lost his grip on the Ohio State/Michigan game. We all know that Michigan will recruit a coach in the same way that Ohio State recruited Jim Tressel. The number one priority will be to find a coach that understands the importance of “The Game” and knows how to prepare for a game like no other in college football.

The sun sets today over an epoch in college football history. And while I’ve enjoyed our recent dominance, the next could bring on battles reminiscent of the Ten Year War. Tressel has it in him, I believe the next Michigan coach will also.

So for now, during a brief ceasefire before the final battle, I ask that you cross enemy lines and tend to the wounded. Brian is a great writer and he truly captures the feelings embodied in this glorious battle.

When you return, it is back to battle stations. Bring on the game, bring on the Wolverines, bring on the schadenfreude of a glorious victory in their own house. For this is the day of the Ohio State/Michigan game!

Okay, so whoever the wise guy is that’s been hassling the Eggman to come out of “sucklusion” is, I’d like them to quit signing as anonymous and face my wrath. I’m betting it’s the Nittany Cryin’ that can’t get over the 50-gallon drum of whoop-ass the Buckeyes delivered earlier this year and had his Starbucks replaced with Folgers crystals.

I’m going to be bored this winter with the NBA and the Super Bowl when the Pats win their 4th ring to debunk Don Shula – cheating or no cheating. Bring it on! Gus, Ollie, is it you? Are you taking this thing personally? You must have a sense of humor living in Milwaukee. You still have Laverne and Shirley Re-runs. What I’d give to hang with Lenny and Squiggy for a weekend.

Granted, Nostroeggus laid an egg on the Wisconsin game going for an audacious 14 points. But, no matter with Boeckman underthrowing for three picks or Tress the Vest blowing two timeouts (one not called and the other called) the prediction was yet again bold and should have been correct. My bookie sez so. (Argue with Felix. I dare you…) There will be no towing the Vegas line or eking a daring one or two points either way. C’mon. Where’s the fun? My crystal ball has been re-calibrated and we’re good to go.

There a lot of people shaking in their boots in Columbus right now. We knew some bad karma was coming our way. It just came a little early. We were the nail and Ron Zook was the hammer. Or, OSU couldn’t squeeze the juice out of Orange Williams. Something like that. There is a point to be made, here.

There many reasons why the Gods should smile at the Wolverines. Now we’re holding our collective breath – hiding behind a facade of tradition, the Big House, Woody and Bo – yada, yada. After being ranked 5th in the nation Michigan came out of the chute and suffered an embarrassing loss to Appalachian State, then back-to-back lost another to the formerly respectable Pac 10 Champion Oregon Ducks. Mr. Carr is having his last hurrah.

The kind people of Michigan had enough of their version of John Cooper with Tress as Llllloyd’s boogeyman. They just aren’t going to tar and feather Bo’s understudy. They’re going to blame it on the onset Parkinson’s and promote him to Michigan AD. Classy move. Or, is it just plain clever – waiting out Michigan alumni, Les Miles’ running the sand out of his hourglass at LSU?

There should be an element of sympathy for the Michigan seniors, even 0 and 3 running back and poor sport Mike Hart, the second worse interviewer next to OSU’s own Dr. Robert Smith.

“We should have, I could have, we will…”

Bite me.

He should have a fruitful Pro career – with the Cincinnati Bengals. One can only hope.

Michigan also can win the Big 10 and a trip to the Rose Bowl if they beat the Buckeyes. Some say, Lllloyd, although a man of character rested the “injured” Hart and quarterback Chad Henne to lay down like a $10 ho against Wisconsin to be ready for “The Big Game.” It has been double hush hush, but, you can guarantee they’ll both play their final game even on crutches or with an injection of some kind of ‘cain.

What a great way to save face and revitalize their program going from riches to rags to riches. It’s the stuff stories are made of. I’ve already ghost-written the script for Al Gore – and man are we going to be rich(er). We’ll be able to buy hydrogen-powered RVs and have bitchin’ tailgates with Mr. Gates, Sir Richard Branson and Sean Penn if I must indulge him.

Despite all the hoo haw, the Eggman has come down from the mountain on a tattered, yet proud magic carpet to pee on the Wolverines’ legs – that the sound of Hail to the Victor will be interrupted by the beeping of the OSU dump truck full of monkey dung backing into the Big House.

Here’s how it goes:

OSU was superior to in every total category to Penn State and Wisconsin respectively. Michigan is one notch below them. Somebody tell me that that doesn’t count for something? And, the have two injured seniors driving their fiery chariot to Hades. The backup quarterback, Mallet (cool name – although unpopularly French) is a freshman and got his bells rung by the Badgers. I don’t care how good your line is, you cannot count to 15 in the pocket.

Regardless of home field advantage with a twelfth man and storybook potential, the kinetics behind Tressel’s machine should grind them down. Buy how much? What else? Fourteen points. Go figure. Buckeyes win 31 to 17.

While it stinks not to be in control of your own destiny, the first piece of the Buckeye return to New Orleans fell into place last night as Arizona beat Oregon 34-24.

The loss in the land of a thousand uniforms is the first of a very unlikely scenario that leads Ohio State to New Orleans.

From here, first and foremost, Ohio State must beat Michigan this weekend. Let me rephrase that. Ohio State must absolutely demolish Michigan this weekend. If Ohio State can go up there and run the score (go for three!!), it may help turn the heads of voters who, no thanks to Michigan, think the Big Ten basically sucks.

While there are a number of scenarios floating around the net, it starts with West Virginia losing to Cincinnati this weekend. While many may think this is a long shot, I say look out for Cincinnati. They have been tough all year and they have just the type of team that can do it. They are ranked something like 13th against the run and their defensive line looks good. If they can stuff W.V’s running game, this will be a close game.

LSU pretty much controls their destiny. A trip to the BCS Championship is theirs to lose (along with the home field advantage). Our best chance is for them to lose in the SEC championship. This won’t help much as the SEC p.r. machine will be out in force to remind the world how an LSU loss just proves how difficult the SEC is. The SEC lobbyists have been so effective that a two-loss SEC team could still play in New Orleans.

That leaves the Big 12. Kansas and Missouri still play each other which takes out one of the two. The winner of that game plays Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship. We need anyone to beat Oklahoma between now and the bowl season. I don’t care who, just someone needs to do it.

This brings me back to this weekend.

Coach Tressel, I know you’re a good sport and all but don’t hold anything back. Put points on the board and then put more points on the board. Run the score as high as it will go. We have to convince the world that we are better than Appalachian State and a close game won’t do it.

So, that’s it. That’s all we need to get back in the National Championship hunt. Personally, I’m a little ashamed of myself because in writing this, I have waved off the importance of the Rose Bowl. And for the record, it might not be all bad to go back to the pre BCS days when the Rose Bowl was the be all and end all of College Football.

Oh, wait, I forgot to factor Notre Dame into the equation.

UpdateAside from going back and fixing my previous error in this post (I don’t know what I was thinking on that one), ESPN is reporting this morning that Oregon Ducks quarterback Dennis Dixon is out for the season. According to ESPN, Dixon tore a ligament in their victory over Arizona STATE. Apparently Dixon knew the injury would need surgery but he had hoped to finish out the season.

Man, and I thought losing to Illinois was bad.

As if that isn’t always the key to the game.

On paper, Ohio State looks like the better team. Other than last weekend against Illinois, they have comfortably marched their way through the Big Ten. Ohio State leads Michigan in every catagory except passing. If you were just going to look at the stats, the Buckeyes stand in pretty good shape.

However, as we all know, none of that matters in this game — never has, never will. This year’s Ohio State/Michigan game will come down to one thing –who wants it more.

If you were to read the papers, watch ESPN, listen to the media, you would think that in terms of motivation, Michigan has this game in the bag. Mike Hart has been talking smack about beating the Buckeyes since moments after he lost “The Game” for the third time. Saturday is all that the Michigan seniors have left.

Add to that the fact that this is probably Lllllloyd Carr’s last Ohio State game and you would think that the Wolverines will be ready to crush Ohio State.

Meanwhile, word out of Columbus has been fairly quiet. Don’t let it fool you for a moment. The Buckeyes know what is at hand and Coach Tressel knows how to prepare for Michigan.

And actually, preparing for Michigan shouldn’t be too difficult this year.

The Ohio State defense is good no matter what happened last weekend. Besides, nobody on the Michigan team has the patience to slow down the game and just hold the ball like Illinois did during the fourth quarter. Unlike Michigan, Illinois has a good coach.

The defense needs to pressure Henne, hit him early, hit him hard and hit him often. And no, I’m not talking about taking advantage of his injury. If he gets pressured early, he will get flustered and if things get too bad, look for the replacement to come in. Once they go to Mallett, the Michigan offense suddenly becomes a pretty simple package–give ball to Hart, pass ball to Manningham.

As for the run, stop Heart, plain and simple. Don’t give him any opportunities. The Buckeyes need to shake his confidence. If he gets frustrated early, the Buckeyes will be able to jump on the opportunity.

On Offense, that’s easy. Beanie up the middle. Beanie left. Pass. Beanie right. Every now and then, let the other Wells get a little turf time and when Robinsky’s open, send it big. The biggest thing is that Ohio State needs to watch the turnovers. The Bucks have had the luxury of being generous with the turnover and (other than last weekend) it hasn’t hurt them too much. Michigan won’t give them the same opportunity.

Obviously, Tressel knows how to beat Michigan and he has the team to do it again. The question is, will Carr be able to get his head together enough to give the Bucks a run for it. You know his players want it bad but the Michigan coaching staff has a tendency to let everyone up there down.

Finally, you would think that playing away would be of concern. We need to remember that this is Michigan and not Penn State. We’ve seen rough away crowds this year. The average Michigan fan is also more than a little off balance. Take a look at their blogs. They are talking a good show but if you look closely, you can see that many of them have already conceded defeat. They know they are in trouble.

Michigan fans are weenies. They attempted a “yellow out” when Penn State came to town that flopped on its face. They even gave away yellow shirts and fans wouldn’t put them on. What’s the worst they will do, shake their keys at you.

If the Buckeyes get out quick, the crowd will panic and a good portion will leave the stands by half time. Granted of course, they can find their beloved keys.

The Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts have always given a Super Bowl worth cheering for.

Is it just me or do things seem a little quiet this year?

Maybe it is last weekend’s loss to Illinois. Maybe it is that this year’s Michigan has turned out to be such a dispointment. Maybe it is just the fact that last year’s Ohio State/Michigan game was probably one of the biggest in the history of the rivalry.

Last year at this time, The Buckeye Blog was getting somewhere around 2,000 hits and up per day. Yesterday, we hit 500+. Last year, CSTV.com asked a number of us to participate in a “Battle of the Blogs.” This year, things are quiet over at CSTV.com. I can barely find a reference to the game.

(If you haven’t read my post on CSTV.com, you can read it here. It will bring a tear to your eye.)

The build up to last year was insane and the game was one for the books.

This year, however, things are different. There is no national championship on the line (at least not like last year) and for the first time since the 1950s both teams are coming into the game off a loss.

If you’re reading this blog however, odds are you know that none of this matters. For those of us suckled on the hatred of the Ohio State/Michigan game, we know that there is nothing more pure, no purpose more clear, and nothing more potentially devastating then the game at hand. Yes, it hurt to watch our team lose to Illinois last weekend. Yes, it hurt to watch our dreams of national championship redemption slip out of our control. But there is not one Buckeye fan out there who at some point didn’t think to themselves, “Well, at least it wasn’t Michigan.”

Let the SEC lobby for their rankings. Let Notre Dame dream of days of yore. Let the rest of the college football world pass on by for the Ohio State/Michigan Game is at hand and unless you are in it, unless you have lived the rivalry, there is no way, none what so ever, that you can even begin to comprehend the essence of all that is Ohio State vs. Michigan.

Let the others fall by the wayside as this weekend’s game harks to a simpler time — a day before the BCS when the only bowl that mattered was The Rose. And what a classic set up it is. The Big Ten Championship is on the line. The winner will spend their New Year’s in Pasadena. The loser, well what does it matter. For Michigan, it will be the last shot for a team of desperate seniors (and a very desperate coach) who have not experienced a win over Ohio State.

And while yes, it is disappointing that we are no longer in control of our BCS Championship destiny, I can’t believe that Coach Tressel and his team have put these things aside. Both teams have been preparing all year for this moment and last weekend’s results won’t be enough to slow down those plans. If anything, it provides an opportunity to adjust and make corrections ahead of time as opposed to the field.

Bring on the game, bring on the Wolverines, this is the weekend we have waited for all year.

And remember:

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO BEAT MICHIGAN TODAY!!!

GO BUCKEYES