Let's talk about anger today.
Michigan State fired former head coach Jonathan Smith on November 30th last year before replacing him with Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern fame later this offseason. The Spartan brass presumably did so because of frustration — an emotion that often escalates into anger — with Smith putting together back-to-back losing seasons in wake of Mel Tucker's downfall, even before MSU had to vacate five wins from its 2024 campaign. As some pointed out around the time of his initial hiring, this was actually the second time Sparty had hired and fired a head coach named "John Smith" in some capacity within the last three decades following the four-season tenure of Mark Dantonio's predecessor, John L. Smith.
Most college football seasons end in anger. This reality is one that Ohio State fans are currently refamiliarizing themselves with after an undefeated record and historically remarkable defense proved all for naught across the Buckeyes' final two games. The two teams that triumphed to the chagrin of OSU will play for a national title one week from Monday.
This anger often finds itself channeled in inappropriate or worse ways. Some folks did so by threatening violence on Jayden Fielding. Some have chosen to melt down over a slow start for Ohio State in the transfer portal relative to a few of the sport's other rising powers such as Indiana. Some have already pivoted to basketball outrage.
August and the return of Buckeye football remain seven months away. That's a long time to emotionally process how the most recent campaign fell apart once the regular season ended. The common fan would go crazy stewing on anger for over half a calendar year.
It's important to recognize what makes yourself feel better while sorting through these emotions. In a weird way, one example of this can often be witnessing someone else get more upset than you currently find yourself over a circumstance you either deem insignificant or stand on the other side of observing.
That brings the subject back to John L. Smith, and hopefully on a weekend when some Buckeye fans likely continue to feel some sort of anger spilling over from New Year's Eve, this reflection can bring you some semblance of counter-balancing happiness.
However angry you find yourself in this moment, it probably pales in comparison to what Buckeye fans felt in October of the 2005 season. Ohio State returned to Columbus for the school's homecoming game after suffering a 17-10 loss on the road against Penn State and barely a month removed from falling short in a top-five showdown at home against the eventual national champion in Texas.
Michigan State made the trip after some heartbreak of their own in the form of a 34-31 loss to in-state rival Michigan at home two weeks prior, but the Spartans also had a bye-week to prepare. It was a considerable crossroads game for both teams given each school sat next to each-other in the AP Top 25 at 15th and 16th. The winner would have a nice set-up for a bounce-back to salvage their season, the loser would descend further into madness.
The game did not get off to a great start for Ohio State. Michigan State scored the first points of the game on a field goal midway through the first quarter during which the holder juggled the snap, perhaps foreshadowing the special teams disaster that would manifest sometime later.
However, the Buckeyes would commit the first of their own pair of blunders in that phase of the game on the following play, muffing the kickoff and allowing the Spartans to recover the ball inside of OSU's five-yard line. Three plays later, Michigan State held a 10-0 lead, and the vibes across Buckeye nation plummeted as a result. As viewers of the most recent Cotton Bowl will confirm, such an outcome often proves a subsequent consequence of a game-changing turnover that puts the opponent ahead by two scores.
Fortunately, Ohio State offered a quick response as five players later, Troy Smith uncorked a 51-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes that brought the lead for MSU back to merely a field goal. Both teams would then exchange punts, including a 76-yarder from A.J. Trapasso that had been the longest seen at Ohio Stadium in nearly 70 years. Despite the field flip, the Spartans then took the ball back and drove 85 yards into the end zone across 12 plays to go back ahead by 10 points on a 17-7 score line.
The Buckeyes then went three-and-out from inside their own red zone, prompting another punt back to Michigan State. Sparty quarterback Drew Stanton guided his team out to midfield before stalling out with just under 90 seconds to play, which prompted another punt. One of the most decorated return men in college football history then committed a rare error while fielding a bouncing ball, as Ted Ginn Jr. muffed the kick at the OSU's 27-yard line and the Spartans once again capitalized with a recovery.
The hallmark of Jim Tressel's tenure as head coach of Ohio State resided within special teams, and the Buckeyes were facing the prospect of a 13-point deficit at halftime because of their inability to execute in that phase on that afternoon.
Brent Musburger put it best on the call for ABC in saying, "you talk about a nightmare."
The Spartans progressed a bit further during the final minute of the half to set-up a more manageable field goal attempt, but had no timeouts remaining after Stanton went down on their final offensive play for no gain. That prompted Smith to rush his kicking unit out onto the field in a chaotic frenzy with just under 15 seconds remaining to add to the Spartans' points-off-turnovers for the game.
What happened next is best described by Ramzy Nasrallah from his My Favorite Things piece nearly six years ago that recalls with rich detail this hilarious moment in Buckeye football history:
- "Not enough Spartans on the field
- No clock management awareness
- It's only 3rd down
- The 11th player running off the field left a hole at 6 o'clock
Two Buckeyes came off the edge at perfect angles; one deep enough to catch the ball coming off the kicker's foot and another right behind him in case the kick's trajectory somehow sneaks through. This field goal was extrasupertriplefucked before it happened, then it got worse.
The only Spartan on that weak side of the line had three Buckeyes to choose from, and he decided to block AJ Hawk - but directly toward the kick. This put the Ohio State linebacker in the ideal position to erase the holder. Otherwise, he could have ended the play right there." — Ramzy Nasrallah, Eleven Warriors
Perhaps leaning on his basketball experience, Ohio State two-sport athlete Nate Salley received credit for blocking the field goal, while A.J. Hawk made a crucial neutralization of a Sparty player in position to halt a return. Defensive back Ashton Youboty — in an evident state of physical pain — then returned the ball 73 yards to give the Buckeyes a massive momentum boost heading into the locker room.
ABC masterfully captured the chaos of the events by replaying the sideline meltdown of MSU's Smith during the field goal attempt collapsing in on itself as both teams rushed off the field. Sideline reporter Jack Arute, during a time at which interviewing head coaches prior to half had not yet become a regular broadcast expectation, then caught up to MSU's Smith as he fled the scene and asked, "coach obviously, a miscalculation there and you're upset. Tell me about it!"
In a bizarre blend of pure rage but also recognition that he could not unleash outright vulgarity during a live television interview, Smith shouted out his response to the delight of Ohio State fans and the college football world alike:
Yeah, I'm very upset! We shouldn't have been in the ballgame with [a] fast field goal! The coach that sent them in...we shouldn't have sent them in. That's a dang coaching mistake! The kids are playing their tails off and the coaches are screwing it up! — John L. Smith, October 15th, 2005
Thankfully for Michigan State, the outburst did not totally shake the emotional composure of the Spartans. That said, MSU did emerge from the locker room having to punt after just five plays, and the Buckeyes responded shortly after with a redemptive 57-yard touchdown to Ginn Jr. that put the Buckeyes ahead for the first time that day by a 21-17 score.
Michigan State then received the ball and proceeded to go on an 11-play, 80-yard drive capped off by a six-yard rushing touchdown that gave a three-point lead back to the Spartans. Both teams would then exchange multiple punts before two plays into a drive that began with roughly nine minutes left in the game, OSU's Smith would fumble the ball away at the Buckeyes' 23-yard line — Ohio State's fourth turnover of the day.
Another vibe shift, another Musburger proclamation of a potentially grim fate in stating, "that might turn their lights out."
But after gaining just four yards following the recovery, MSU lined up for yet another field goal, only for a now-visibly healthier Youboty to strike off the same poorly protected weak edge of the line and get just enough of a fingertip on the ball to obstruct its flight right and short. Ohio State had now blocked its second field goal attempt within the last 30 minutes of game time.
Five plays later, OSU's Smith found Holmes for their second touchdown of 45+ yards in the game. It proved to be the go-ahead score as Michigan State went three-and-out on the next series before Holmes then made a crucial 35-yard punt return to set Ohio State up inside the Spartan red zone with under three minutes remaining.
OSU's Smith plunged across the goal line on a sneak three plays later to increase the Buckeyes' margin of victory by what proved to be a 35-24 final score.
Despite a brutal first half punctuated by muffed kicks, this game ultimately lives on in the annals of Ohio State history as a prime example of how much of a difference special teams execution can make for any football team. The Buckeyes found themselves outgained by 70 total yards on offense and had just 19 minutes of possession across the entire game compared to nearly 41 for MSU.
Michigan State finished with 456 total offensive yards — including 340 passing yards from Stanton — but scored only three touchdowns on the afternoon as multiple instances of settling for field goal tries ultimately doomed the Spartans. The 10-point swing at halftime combined with the blocked kick in the third quarter represented a 13-point difference that could have granted MSU the win given Ohio State's eventual triumph by 11 points.
Fueled by the thrilling comeback within this victory, Ohio State would go on to run the table the rest of the season and finish with a record of 10-2 capped off by a 34-20 win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. The strong end to the year foreshadowed a Heisman Trophy-winning campaign for Troy Smith punctuated by the all-time classic 2006 installment of The Game that saw Ohio State prevail 42-39 over Michigan.
As for Michigan State, the Spartans collapsed following the letdown against the Buckeyes and managed only one win the rest of the way, ending the 2005 season with a 5-6 record. By the start of November the following season, MSU held a 4-5 record that included a four-game losing streak after a 3-0 start to the year, and the school indicated it would not retain its own Smith at the conclusion of the schedule. The Spartans accordingly lost their final three games, and Dantonio took over shortly afterwards.
You may feel understandably angry at the moment, but there are plenty of folks that have felt even angrier than you now and throughout history while envying the space in football Ohio State continues to occupy. Take joy in what the Buckeyes have accomplished both recently and across the fields of time. Rest easy knowing the next OSU football season and chance for redemption will arrive soon enough.
