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#15 is Gone, but ’16 is a Fiesta
(Bleacher Report)
Ohio State 44
Notre Dame 28
Following one of Ezekiel Elliott’s triumphant four touchdowns in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl in Arizona, the aforementioned Buckeye running back modestly shrugged off another highlight run.
Actually, Elliott was paying tribute to teammate Joey Bosa who was suspended after targeting the Notre Dame’s quarterback DeShone Kizer with the crown of his helmet in the first quarter. The no-big-deal shrug is a trademark of Bosa, who will be entering the NFL Draft early (along with Elliott and others) as a potential #1 overall prospect.
Upon further reflection, the picture above captured a sentiment many in Buckeye Nation are feeling after a victorious Fiesta Bowl win.
Yeah, we can be that good. But, what can you do now?
The Buckeyes won impressively in the desert in 2016, but it wasn’t the win everybody imagined. The National Championship game will be played in a week and a half on the same field as this year’s Fiesta Bowl: The University of Phoenix Stadium. All the sports experts had The Ohio State Buckeyes in the playoff and, more ambitiously, playing in the title game. However, the shocking loss to Michigan State in the Horseshoe in November stopped the powerful Buckeye train one station too soon.
And yet, with the continued frustration from that loss still lingering, Ohio State’s victory today provided fans and casual viewers a valuable lesson for the New Year:
When our most grandiose dreams collide with harsh reality, shrugging off the ashes of failure and responding with a gritty, revitalized work ethic is what opens the (running) lanes for renewed opportunities and success…
like a phoenix.
Congratulations Ohio State and Happy 2016 Everybody!
That Other Team Up North
However strange the following term is for college football, it’s appropriate in the competitive sense.
It’s money time.
Ohio State vs. Michigan State will kickoff tomorrow in Ohio Stadium at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. Buckeye Nation will paint the Horseshoe in scarlet and gray. Traveling fans from East Lansing may provide a sprinkle or two of green in the crowd.
Just think of the red and green as Ohioans getting excited for Christmas.
This is the toughest game so far for both of these teams and the past three meetings have proven a Goliath vs. Goliath match-up. A trip to the Rose Bowl and a pathway towards the National Championship have essentially been all that’s separated these two programs the past 3 seasons when they’ve competed.
With several recruits planning to be in attendance, this is one of those games.
And everyone’s waiting to see the marching magic from The Best Damn Band in the Land for senior day, the final home game of the season.
Go Buckeyes!
Ohio Against the World
Jesse Owens ran in a lane nobody thought was possible.
Rarely are sports simply about the competition alone. The undercurrents run much deeper and the motivation for an athlete can reveal their character. In the case of Jesse Owens, a once-in-a-lifetime runner and jumper, his finish line was different and more profound than everybody else on the track. The risk-reward for Owens was so great it extended beyond Ohio’s borders and got the attention of Nazi Germany and Hitler himself at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
Ladies and gentlemen, you’ll never look at track and field or Owens the same way again after watching this brand new trailer for Race.
While it feels like a marathon to get the story of Jesse Owens told on the silver screen, his life on-and-off the track will win over our hearts and minds in a matter of seconds.
10.3 to be exact.
The Sky Full of Buckeyes
January 12, 2015: A gr8t night for Buckeye Nation.
It was a result 12 years in the making that was an absolute dream for the fans, players and coaches for The Ohio State Buckeyes football team. The last national title win was back in January 2003 against the explosively fast, electric and seemingly unbeatable Miami Hurricanes. Interestingly, both of Ohio State’s last two national championships were not-so-subtly underscored by notions by the “experts” that we don’t belong, aren’t fast or talented enough. The Oregon Ducks (and Alabama Crimson Tide) were each a Goliath in their own right in 2014.
And yet, the video below is The reality:
42-20.
The journey to becoming the best damn team in the land for the 8th time was historically improbable, as the Buckeyes were not guided by their Heisman-caliber QB in Braxton Miller, but first by their backup J.T. Barrett and then by their 3rd string quarterback Cardale Jones. They were, by all accounts, a year early in their return as the kings of college football. But before the 2015 season starts, this past season will not soon be forgotten.
OH-IO!!!
Jimmy's Daily Planet 