Michigan painted a target on OSU's defense
Hope rises for other title hopefuls as No. 1 Buckeyes look good, not great
Jay Laprete / APMichigan running back Mike Hart runs for one of his three touchdowns against Ohio State. The Buckeyes gave up 39 points and 397 yards on defense — hardly the sort of numbers that will frighten a title adversary, writes MSNBC.com contributor Joey Johnston.
But here’s a new twist.
Going into Saturday’s Ohio State-Michigan game, I thought we might be witnessing the de facto national-title game. Buckeyes or Wolverines, regardless of the winner, would be an overwhelming choice to take home the national title.
Now I’m not so sure.
When the celebration dies down, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel will address the problems encountered by the Buckeyes.
The inability to contain Hart. Poor pass protection at times. Way too many mistakes.
The Buckeyes and Wolverines, in what was supposed to be a defensive-minded game, combined for 900 yards of total offense.
Wonder what kind of conversation Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes had after this one?
“There were a lot of good playmakers out there today, and some of the points Michigan scored, we gave them the ball down close,” Tressel said. “It was a fastbreak game the whole time. That was the way we had to play.
“Sometimes, it goes that way. Sometimes, it goes the other way. But those were two good offenses, two good defenses, two good football teams.”
Give it up for Tressel’s game plan. From the beginning, he attacked. Smith was 21 of 26 passing in the first half with three TDs. And the Ohio State running game had its moments, with two long touchdown runs (52 yards by Chris Wells, 56 yards by Antonio Pittman) and 187 yards overall.
This against a Michigan defense that had been surrendering an average of 29.9 yards on the ground.
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“We did some things right and we did some things wrong,” Buckeyes linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “Part of that, I think, is due to Michigan. They’re really good, the best team we’ve played. Hart is the best running back we’ve faced. They played a great game overall, but we had just a little bit more.”
That little bit more was summed up in two words — Troy Smith.
He continued as the ultimate Wolverine-killer, becoming the first Ohio State quarterback in 70 years with three victories against Michigan (Tippy Dye, 94, the last man to do it was actually at the Horseshoe on Saturday).
Overall, Smith has accounted for 1,051 yards of total offense and three touchdowns against the Wolverines.
“They are particularly an outstanding offensive football team because they do a good job protecting the quarterback,” said Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who dropped to 1-5 against Tressel. “It’s hard to get to him because of his mobility. He made a couple plays scrambling where we had decent field position and then let him out. That’s what he does.”
Michigan turned up the defensive heat early in the second half, when Smith missed on his first five pass attempts (including an interception), but the Wolverines couldn’t take full advantage, settling for Garrett Rivas’ 39-yard field goal (despite taking over at the Ohio State 25-yard line on the interception).
“We did make some uncharacteristic errors, but you know what? Right now, I don’t care,” said Buckeyes offensive tackle Kirk Benton as he chewed on a victory cigar. “We did enough to win this game. That was our objective.
“We didn’t have a bye week until now. Now we can kick back, rest a bit and let this all absorb into our minds.”
The Buckeyes have won their first outright Big Ten Conference championship since 1984 (an astounding statistic).
They will be playing for their second national title in the past five seasons.
They have won 19 consecutive games, a figure that leads the nation.
Whether the BCS Championship Game opponent is USC, Notre Dame, Florida, Arkansas or (gasp) Michigan, the Buckeyes will be favored. The line might hover near double-digits in some cases.
But under the right circumstances, Ohio State can be beaten. It is not a prohibitive favorite to get this thing done.
History says it’s never wise to go against Tressel in a big-game situation. The Buckeyes have some things to get cleaned up, though, and they will also have a 51-day break before playing again — unprecedented in college football history.
Ohio State is one step away from another national title. But as the scare against Michigan displayed, it’s anything but a slam dunk.
Joey Johnston writes regularly for MSNBC.com and is a columnist for the Tampa (Fla.) Tribune.
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