Tressels, Fickells and Urbans,
Sometimes things happen in the wrong order...
Next year was supposed to be the year...but instead a freshman running back was better than expected, creating the perfect complement to a lock-down defense and willed a timely strip of Sean Taylor during the BCS National Championship game.
They were supposed to be on the outside looking in...but instead a team comes together after the death of a teammate and played inspired beating Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten Championship game clearing a path to the first College Football Playoff.
Everyone assumed they would repeat as champions during their junior season after the Super Sophs beat O.J. Simpson and the USC Trojans in the Rose Bowl...but instead came up short late in the season against a first-year coach in Ann Arbor.
...and we all know last year was supposed to be the year. We will look back years from now in amazement that the 2015 Buckeyes lost a game. One of the biggest NFL draft classes ever...extremely talented. The Buckeye roster last season was absolutely loaded - but it was missing one thing.
Sometimes things happen in the wrong order...
I'm assuming most of us will watch the Ohio State game this weekend with the two-deep roster in hand; continually checking to see "who was that?" Many can probably count the number of 2016 Buckeye players they know today easily on two hands...and possibly only one. Even those we think we know will be confusing; OSU fans will correctly identify #97 as "Bosa"...but that's no longer Joey - it's now his little brother, Nick. Close enough, right? :)
I kind of like that we know so few of these players. This is an extremely young team...more than half of them (44) have freshman eligibility. Those players don't have a National Championship ring. They don't have assured NFL contracts, thousands of Twitter followers and agent influences...at least not just yet.
Urban is very consistent...and extremely direct. I think he's too intense to hide his true feelings...and too busy to worry about pulling punches. And, from his comments the last few weeks, it looks as if he really likes this team. He continually says it is a very talented team. All of these guys were the best of the best in their recruiting class. This is the first year where the entire roster was recruited by Urban and they have only played under his system...which is brutally competitive.
I briefly saw this team in practice...and these guys are machines. Even the players that have no chance of seeing the field this season look like machines; built big, strong and fast. They look different from even other Ohio State teams - in a good way. But, very few of them have earned anything just yet.
Urban briefly spoke to our group and said the future was bright...but there are two things that will determine if this team will be one to remember.
Are they tough enough?
How do they react if they are down on the road at night like they were two years ago at Penn State? What happens when they are playing in front of 108,000 fans this weekend?
Do they come together?
Will they do extraordinary things for their fellow teammates? Will they put the team first above self-interest?
The country doesn't realize it just yet, but this roster is absolutely loaded, too. Sometimes things happen in the wrong order...we'll get a glimpse of the future this weekend; this team is built and trained to win it all.
Touchdowns: JT, Mike Weber, Noah Brown, Curtis Samuel, Dontre, Austin Mack, Dante Booker
OSU 49 BG 13
Go Bucks! Beat BG! Dante Booker for Heisman!
Large Father
