Tressels, Fickells, Urbans, Days, Johnsons and Days,
Thinking back on the 2015 season, I remember something didn't look right from the very start. That was the last time Ohio State took the field as defending National Champions.
Here's what I wrote after just the 3rd game of the 2015 season, an uninspiring 20-13 win over Northern Illinois:
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I do OK dealing with ambiguity in real, everyday life. I get it pretty easily...once you add a big variable to any situation, there are multiple sides to every argument and you'll never really find just one absolute truth...there is no such thing as true consensus. That's just the way it is and I'm OK with that. The uncontrollable element here is real people with all our human imperfection and perfected uniqueness. Typically, I actually even like the gray-area that our natural differences create...it makes life a lot more interesting.
But, when it comes to Ohio State football, I have a little more trouble living in this space. It's not supposed to be real life; everything should be tidy and easy to digest in 12 to 15 individual weekly chapters.
In my mind, it was very clear - Ohio State football won the 2014 National Championship and is still really good, so they will blow out teams like Hawaii and Northern Illinois. But, then people with all their realness came into the equation and screwed all that up. Real coaches who know the emotional state of their team and make their decisions...real players who are dog owners...real quarterbacks who wonder if they should have taken the money...real linemen who aren't living up to their 2014 legacy...etc. Things get so bad that I actually find myself celebrating with 100,000 other people in Ohio Stadium when Darron Lee returns an interception for a touchdown against Northern Illinois. In my mind, I didn't plan to celebrate an individual touchdown...I expected many of them, all easy and a lot less interesting...and all not truly celebration-worthy.
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That feeling continued throughout the 2015 season. The team was talented enough to repeat, 19 of 22 starters became NFL players, but something was always missing and they did not repeat. That was a difficult team to watch from week-to-week. It felt like they were biding their time before moving on to the NFL, and admiring their 2014 rings.
I felt completely differently while watching 2025 Ohio State against Texas last weekend.
I keep hearing the 2025 players and coaches say they are not "defending" anything; they are attacking. That was on full display in the season opener.
Ryan Day said he has never broken up as many fights during summer camp. The players were always full-go. Day keeps describing this team as gritty and motivated.
I hope our 2025 Buckeyes keep attacking, not defending, all season long.
Touchdowns: CJ Donaldson, James Peoples, Max Klare, Jeremiah Smith, Jelani Thurman, Bo Jackson, Mylan Graham, Mylan Graham, Jermaine Matthews, Nate Roberts
OSU 70 Grambling 0
Go Bucks! Beat Grambling! Harry Miller and Eddrick Houston for Heisman!
Stout Pops
