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I was there as well - 1st ever game in the Shoe! 9 rows up in the corner of the endzone. Best game I've ever been to by far!
I still have a chunk of that sod after rushing the field!
I too was there. Just one helluva game. With Bo passing the day before and the entire 1vs2 aspect, just wow.
You just gave me a reason to skip two classes and watch this game. I applaude you
I'm pretty sure "We don't give a d..." was being sung almost the entire game. It was one of my top 5 favorite moments at the Shoe.
Really wish the military guys would do those push-ups in the north end more often. That was pretty effing loud counting to 42.
I completely forgot we started John Kerr at LB.
"Jim Tressel is simply the best play caller in college football I've seen in a long, long time."
My senior year. Since I'm a Boston Buckeye, it was my first OSU-UM game. What I will always remember is the sheer pandemonium after every score.
I worked with a few Michigan fans and they seem to disagree with me. Perhaps it was the utter arrogance that team inspired but I never at any point felt like Michigan was going to win that game and felt that the game was a lot less close than the score would indicate. OSU out gained them by over 100 yards and, held the ball longer, had 7 more first downs, was better on third down. OSU also hit a lot more big plays-three TD's of 35 yards or more.
Don't get me wrong it was a great game but looking back on it (through Scarlet colored glasses, admittedly) I thought that was more of a big win than the 3 points would indicate.
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
@BREWSTER - Agree completely. One of the most epic games in The Game's history (death of Bo, 1 vs. 2, etc.), but it was a lot less close than the score would indicate. They were chipping at our lead all second half, but it wasn't until the absolute end of the game that it even got close. Still an epic game, but not on par with the '03 Fiesta Bowl for sheer drama.
The wiki is slightly biased, I think:
That was my alltime favorite college football game. I agree with what others are saying about the closeness of it. If Datish/Smith don't mishandle those snaps we're looking at a 42-27 score rather than the 42-39. Michigan's defense never actually stopped our offense. Their only relief was the turnovers. Should have been worse, but it will live on as one of the greatest if not greatest game in the rivalry.
I don't think any game can/will ever match the emotion and intensity you could feel in the Shoe that day. I did not get to attend the Texas or USC night games, so I cannot compare to them, but I just can't imagine anything topping this game.
I'll agree the game never felt like it was in the balance until towards the end. It was basically an 11 point lead most of the game, with UM playing catchup. If it weren't for the bad snap, I think we would look at this game in a different light because the OSU offense was just unstoppable.
"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
Epic evening! The Game ('nuff said), #1 vs #2, Teddy, Troy, Beanie, Pittman, Gonzo, Bo's death, the flyover, the band's Titanic performance, etc. Did anyone notice how cold it got during halftime? I thought it was really eerie. The fans were super pumped and I saw a few fights while pregaming around campus. Almost got tear gassed while walking home from the game because the drunk morons on Lane started throwing full cans of beer at the police. One of the best nights of my life.
@Hodge,
The wiki author must be a Michigan fan. The one thing I remember more than anything from that game is Crable's late hit out of bounds. I don't recall many details other than that ruined our shot to complete the comeback.
What I do remember is that is was a great game, even though we fell short. What I wouldn't have given to get a shot at a rematch after the TRUE game of the century. I guess only the SEC can muster that scenario...
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
@HAIL - I assumed as such, I'm not saying that the hit wasn't controversial, but the particular emphasis given to it in the overview of the game goes a long way toward showing the author's sympathies.
And I agree, the Championship should have been a rematch. Michigan was purposely screwed by the pollsters to ensure that, the politicking in the polls disgusts me.
Hail: it was a phenomenal game. Watching it live, I couldn't imagine a more epic contest.
When I rewatch the game now, though, with benefit of hindsight, I can't help but dwell on . . . here was two defenses that had shut down almost every opponent they'd played in their previous 11 games, respectively, but in this game, they gave up 81 points and 900 yds between the two of them.
That realization doesn't take anything away from the epicness of The Game, itself - and both teams might have peaked leading up to and during this game; and both teams were better than their bowl results would suggest - but it's still bittersweet nonetheless.
Yeah, I'm sure you would've rather tried your hand at us again, rather than Urban and Florida.
Didn't mean to imply the crable hit was controversial---it was pretty blatant and will be called everytime when a QB is involved.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
@run
That's one of the best parts about The Game: You can throw the stat sheets out the window. Anything goes and the unlikely is likely when we meet.
If I remember correctly, it was pretty warm for the '06 game. The week before we traveled to Bloomington to watch UofM @ IU...I think it was about 25 degrees and we were up about 70 rows in the teeth of the wind.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
As great as that November afternoon was, I'll always have trouble separating it from the January night in the desert that followed. The pasting we took in the Championship game (along with USC blowing out michigan in the Rose Bowl) was the undoing of the B10's reputation. For everyone that complains about ESPN's coverage of the B10 in general, and OSU in particular, all you have to do is think back to the unparalleled hype leading up to The Game in '06. B10 was 1 and 2, and the talk was of a championship rematch. We've come a long way in a relatively short time.
Good point, Ahhh Saturday. If tOSU and scUM would have both won their bowl games that year, perhaps the SEC wouldn't have all the fanbois. Since we didn't win, we need to earn back that respect and recognition.
I wasn't for the rematch then and I wasn't for the rematch this year. You had your chance and blew it, why should there be a do over? IF we would have met AACC in Glendale that year AND lost it would have been insufferable. "We beat ya when it counted" bullshit from tsun would have been constant. I would have rather been shellacked by Fla. than lose to AACC by 1. As devastating as the 41-14 was, it would have been a gabillion times worse to lose to the SkunkBears. Their fans are bad now after they beat our worst team in a generation, I can't fathom what it would have been like if they beat one of our best for the crystal football.
We didn't really do anything in the 2nd half except Pittman's long run and the last scoring drive. Bunch of drives that stalled or ended in turnovers. Not really fair to say "their defense never stopped out offense."
This was the start of the undoing of Heacock (and Fickell to an extent) and our defense. Texas - 23 (plus a saftey to make 25), ND - 20, Miami - 24 in 2 OT's. I'm struggling to come up with bigger totals given up before the 39 Michigan laid on us that day - I guess NC State in '03 in 3 OT's - and maybe some of those games in '04, but this was the start of the end of the truly stout D's during Tressel's era. UM, Florida, USC, LSU...we can't/couldn't win shootouts and when they all hung close to 40 or more, we were doomed. That never happened prior to this game.
Was there. Unreal experience.
vacuuming sucks
@Redstorm45, what are your thoughts then on our defense now with Fickell in charge? I'm a little worried it won't be as shutdown as we think.
Was anyone else at the Hate Michigan Rally at the Newport that year? It was surreal for me. I was up in Michigan working the day Bo died and was heading back that evening for the rally. To their credit, the Dead Schembechlers, were about as classy as their name would allow.
"Because the rules won't let you go for three." - Woody Hayes
THE Ohio State University
@RedStorm, the games you mentioned were all disappointing performances by the defense for sure, but I think you need to consider the outstanding performances by the defense in the Rose Bowl v Oregon, and the Sugar Bowl v Arkansas to get a full picture of what the Buckeye defense was under Heacock. The 4th quarter D against the Razorbacks was one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen. Their average starting position was actually on our side of the field and in 4 possessions I think they gained something like a total of 20 yards and scored one FG. I thought Cam Heyward was going to eat Ryan Mallet.
Redstorm: to be fair, those rough outings by the defense - FLA 2006/7, LSU 2007/8, USC 2008 - were against championship-caliber offenses. You don't really know whether a defense will play championship level defense until it faces a championship level offense.
In 2002, the Buckeyes D played lights out against Miami, but its regular season stats weren't that much better - I don't think - compared to the 06's D prior to the Michigan game.
In retrospect, we see that Heacock's defenses ultimately failed to live up the standards of the 2002 and 2003 defenses, but we're talking about a rare fraternity. The Buckeyes Ds after 2003 weren't the only seemingly excellent defenses that got exposed against championship offenses (2004 Oklahoma, USC 2005, Texas 2009, LSU 2011).
Not necessarily. 2005 - 23 points by the defense and a safety on offense to Vince Young and Texas. That was the lowest scoring game for the Longhorns that season.
Granted, the Big 10 doesn't always offer up the most potent offenses.
My point is that the '06 Michigan game opened up the floodgates so to speak. Our D lost something when Dantonio left and I don't know if we've ever gotten "it" back. For all the offense we had in '05 and '06, we didn't win a title, yet we won with Craig Krenzel in '02 (all respect to Craig).
Those weren't the only "championship offenses" we faced in the last 10 years. By our standards, they shouldn't have hung 35+ in 3 to 3.5 quarters. Hard to place the "blame" on the players, Heacock, Tressel, Fickell, etc. I mean, those teams had a lot to do with it, but we've slowed down other high-powered offenses as several have mentioned.
The crazy thing is that those '02/'03 defenses were great in large part because Chris Gamble switched over to corner becuase of an injury at the position (I want to say Underwood?). That injury never happens and we may not win the NC.
We'll see about this year and going forward. In terms of talent, we should be top 5 the next few years, but talent isn't everything. I think we'll be a top 15 D, but maybe not at previous years levels.
Dantonio's defenses were much more agressive than those of Heacock's tenure. I'm convinced that it's the only reason that we beat Miami in '02. They had better players everywhere (except D-line), but we outschemed them, zone-blitzing them to kingdom come.
yes the game was awesome...but it pisses me all over again when i think that that same time got dismantled a month later...made no sense to me
"Winter is coming" - Urban Meyer
BEST GAME OF MY LIFE! I actually bought the itunes version of this game and have watched it many times. Just keeps getting better!
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog
Keep in mind that in most of those games where the Buckeye deffense looked bad it was a direct result of the offense giving the ball up (turnover) for a cheap score or bad feild position for the defense and the stats went against the defense not the offense.
Fickell has been and will continue to be a big part of the defensive success of the Buckeyes
Go Bucks
O H I O is the Buckeye State
Gamble switched after Richard McNutt's Hesiman campaign fell apart due to his injury.
Wikipedia needs to be changed. Anyone who watches that crable hit would clearly see that it was helmet to helmet. His "shoulder pad" never touches troy.
Just started watching it on youtube actually, the intro if you haven't seen it recently watch it again. Just puts absolute chills down my spine when I watch it.