Tressels, Fickells and Urbans,
I’m extremely excited for the Ohio State vs. Purdue game this Saturday in prime time!
This is one of those seasons that would be storybook-amazing if Ohio State can continue winning despite all of the headwinds they have faced this season. Other than 2011 when Luke Fickell took over the team following Jim Tressel's suspension and lost some of his best players in the process, I can’t think of many OSU seasons that have had as many difficult hurdles for a team to overcome. And yet here we are with Ohio State having won the first seven games.
The tumultuous events for this team all started August 1st when reports of Urban‘s mishandling a coaching situation began to surface...and the headwinds continued last week when the best player in college football was officially deemed inactive for the remainder of the season.
There have been so many injuries on this team, guys I’d never thought would see the field during meaningful snaps are now thrust into the spotlight. I know the roster fairly well, but even I find myself needing to look up a number because I’m not sure what players are getting meaningful snaps in a competitive game. If the team can get through some hurdles and get players healthy, they may be able to go on a deep run for the second half of the year.
They definitely need to get to the bye week...and just one more game stands in the way. This is a big game even before it was moved to a nighttime kick. This is the last hurdle separating Ohio State from the much needed bye week and rest. Also, West Lafayette has been an interesting place for Ohio State over the last couple decades. Everyone remembers Holy Buckeye in 2002. And I remember all too well Drew Brees engineering a fourth-quarter comeback against Ohio State in 2000. There was the melt down for Terrell Pryor in 2009. For some reason, the games at Purdue are always interesting and good reality television.
Also, I’m very excited for this game because I deeply cherish every game I get to watch with my nine-year-old son who is as much of a Buckeye football fan as I am. I know the years will go quickly, so I take it one game at a time and soak it up now. We love talking about the upcoming game...getting excited for the game...getting into our Buckeye football routines...and cheering loudly for our Buckeyes once the ball is kicked. Looking at this season through his eyes as opposed to the perspective of an adult, Ohio State is undefeated, ranked second in the country and worthy of that ranking.
Yes, the Buckeyes have lots of flaws when looking with the perspective of 45-year-old eyes, but to a nine-year-old they are one of the top teams in the country and he is extremely excited and hopeful about their prospects to keep it going...and so am I.
Touchdowns: Dobbins, Bin Victor, Weber, Campbell, Austin Mack, KJ Hill, KJ Hill
OSU 52 Purdue 38
Go Bucks! Beat Purdue! BB Landers for Heisman!
Vast Vater
