Tressels, Fickells, Urbans, Days, Johnsons and Days,
Maybe my context is 66-0.
The picture came up in my social media memories a couple days ago from 8 years ago. Jake is five years old, wearing his scarlet #5 Braxton Miller jersey and grinning from ear-to-ear.
We are in section 30A, my father-in-laws longtime section filled with longtime Buckeye faithful including a fan we called Marvin Martian. "Marvin" wore the same shirt to every game - try to guess what cartoon character was on the shirt - an old floppy scarlet and gray paperboy hat - even though he was 50 years too old and 50 pounds too heavy to sling the Dispatch - and "Marvin" arrived hurriedly but promptly like he did every game 10 seconds before kickoff.
There was also the nice grandparent couple that sat next to us in 30A. The wife had a decent voice for singing along to Carmen Ohio and her hands drummed/danced along to Fight the Team. My Grandma J used to drum/dance her hands along to the organ music when she faithfully attended mass at St. Pat's downtown every Sunday - and the connection made me smile. I think my Grandma J was tapping out the notes as if she was playing the piano, which she played beautifully, but the marching band has no piano. I think the wife next to us was a music teacher so she should have known there is no piano in Fight the Team - which also made me smile.
It was Jake's first Ohio State game and even at the age of five, he was a big fan of "JP Barnett" and "Joey Boseph." Wearing his #5, he was sad Braxton suffered a season-ending shoulder injury before the pre-season ended, but "JP" was filling in admirably in his opinion. In fact, next season, Jake had a #16 jersey.
Jake might be the first 5-year-old child to actually stay and closely watch an entire College Football game. He loved every moment...and who wouldn't at that age when our Buckeye heroes beat Kent State 66-0. Every play seemed like a touchdown and Ohio State was completely dominant from first whistle to final whistle.
Some may be doing the math, reliving that game, recalling the players on that team and already realize Jake's first game was a blowout win during Ohio State's 2014 National Championship season. The first-ever College Football Playoff Championship team.
I think I hold every Ohio State game against an out-of-conference cupcake to that standard - both the woodshed, lopsided nature of the Buckeye victory and the spectacle of a home game in Ohio Stadium through the lens of a child's first-ever game.
Maybe that's why I didn't really feel right about the lackluster, at times, 45-12 win last weekend against Arkansas State. I know that's dumb. But, I'm looking for that season again. I had to squint to see it last weekend, but I think it's there. Maybe I'll go buy a scarlet #7 jersey...and if anyone has extras in section 30A, let me know. I'm still in.
Touchdowns: TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., JSN, Julian Fleming
OSU 41 Toledo 10
Go Bucks! Beat Toledo! Josh Proctor for Heisman!
Large Father
