Well, it was a great game, but the Buckeyes ended up losing the Fiesta Bowl to Texas 24-21. The Buckeyes and Longhorns played a defensive game for the first half with the Buckeyes going to the locker room with a 6-3 lead. After a tough 3rd quarter where the Longhorns' no-huddle offense wore out the Buckeye defense, the Buckeyes charged back in the 4th quarter. A new play with Todd Boeckman at QB and Terrelle Pryor as a receiver got the Buckeyes close. The out-going former starter, Boeckman, lofted a jump pass touchdown reception to the freshman star, who stood taller than the defensive back defending him. Later, the Buckeyes took the lead with just over two minutes left to play. It was a great power run by "Boom" Herron. The Buckeyes then had to play defense against the heralded Texas offense. The defense played tough and the Longhorns converted a first down. On the subsequent play, the Buckeyes decided to blitz most everyone and play the receivers man-to-man. Colt McCoy hooked up with his receiver, who slipped Anderson Russell's tackle attempt and ran into the end zone for the go-ahead score with 16 seconds left on the clock. Jubilation went to disappointment for Buckeye fans once again.
I was proud of how tough the Buckeyes played in the Fiesta Bowl. They didn't collapse after getting down in the 3rd quarter. They fought and fought and showed great perseverance. While they lost, they showed that they are heading in the right direction and things look promising heading into the 2009 season, which kicks off with a game against Navy followed by a re-match with USC.
The national critics still won't get off the Buckeyes' backs, but hopefully next year the team will respond and shut them up.
Go Bucks!
No comments:
Post a Comment