Congratulations from a Buckeye
Congratulations, all. It was a hard-fought game and your team earned it. I’m disappointed in the result and I can nit-pick in vain where I wish the game went differently, but mostly I have to tip my cap to the team that thoroughly dominated in the trenches (which is where games are ultimately decided, right?).
Hutch was awesome. Michigan’s O-line pounded a defense that could do nothing about it. Haskins was a workhorse.
And of course all of you! You’re awesome! You earned it. All the many months of your clackety keyboarding paid off along with your memes & gifs, threads & hawt takes; all contributing to this victory. You did it! Pat yourselves on the back. (/s)
It sucks to lose The Game. And after many years of experiencing the suckiness of losing year after year, I get that you’re all enjoying the high of winning right now, especially when it was largely unexpected and propels you forward to bigger & better things that have thus far remained out of your grasp.
And I know you know that it sucks to lose. It really sucks. Winning 8 in a row is awesome; but winning 8 out of 9 sucks. Winning 15 of 16 is so spectacular that I never imagined I would ever witness something like that in my lifetime; but winning 15 of 17 really sucks. No matter how good a streak is, it’s never enough. Because there’s always the next game. Without winning the next game everything that came before it is rendered history. It’s NEVER. FREAKING. ENOUGH.
I did expect that Ohio State would come away with the victory, but I’m always petrified that things might go well enough for the bad guys that they might win. Here are the genuine concerns I posted as a comment in the game preview:
- Red zone, as has been discussed plenty. If OSU settles for a few FG attempts (or failed 4th down attempts such as vs. Oregon), that's one way Michigan can stay in the game, by getting a few 7s of their own.
Check. Ohio State twice settled for field goals and other than the pick at the goal line Michigan got 7s each time (and more than a few).
- I expect Michigan to gain a minimum of 350-400 yards. They'll move the ball and they'll score points. Haskins will churn out several chunk runs.
Check. Had you told me before the game Michigan would tally 487 total yards and 42 points, I would have been quite disappointed. Had you told me something more like 420 & 35, I would have reluctantly nodded my head as believable.
- I fear big plays by the likes of Anthony and/or Corum.
Half check. Corum broke off one big run, but otherwise Anthony & Edwards only played a minor supporting role. Corum’s big run was the game’s only play that cracked 40 yards, so it wasn’t a game marked by big-yardage plays.
- This Michigan team has shown something that prior teams haven't shown. This team went to Nebraska, to Happy Valley, and to Madison, and come away with victories. Prior Michigan teams didn't do that, and often looked like they didn't belong. This team has an intestinal fortitude that wasn't there from prior Michigan teams. Even the loss they did have, they were up 16 points; prior Michigan teams would never have been up by 16 points in a big game on the road.
Double check. This intestinal fortitude is what Michigan played with to win The Game.
- There's been a more concerted effort to be focused on OSU this year than prior years. A lot of talk about signs in the weight room, renaming practice drills, etc. Several of you poo-poo'd that and suggested that they should win on the field first. I contended at the time that "no, you have to establish the culture first." It looks to me like the culture has been established for this team to be ready for all the big games as well as ready for The Game.
Check. I was surprised by Harbaugh initially downplaying The Game as was evidenced in this clip from prior to The Game in 2015 and Jim barely acknowledges the rivalry exists. (see 0:40-1:30; even Brandstatter had to try to speak words on Harbaugh’s behalf.) This was very Cooper-esque. In 2021 The Game certainly became a priority.
- Mike McDonald was hired to win this game.
Check.
- ...and has Stroud ever thrown a pass in a cold weather game in his life?
Stroud did well. He wasn’t bad, after initial jitters. He was just always under pressure.
Henderson was bottled up several times but had a few decent runs. I wish he got a few more carries to continue to test the DTs and hopefully break a few big gainers; he had 17 carries to Stroud’s 49 pass attempts. We’ll see how the DTs come out in the UFR; I suspect they held up well, but I would have been willing to continue to test them. By passing down after down the pass rush was able to pin their ears back and go for it; a few more rushes might have made them stay honest against the run. (Am I safe to assume I’ll get to see an OSU UFR?!)
OSU’s offense didn’t really test Michigan’s secondary deep. I can only surmise from this that:
- Michigan’s secondary remained stout, and/or
- The pass rush didn’t allow long routes to develop so even if the secondary got got there was no taking advantage of it.
It also sucks that Stroud lost his voice due to a sickness he caught during the week. His inability to project his voice may have contributed to so many false starts and erroneous snaps. (That’s something I can imagine all of you having to say in prior years “of course our quarterback gets sick during the week of The Game and loses his voice.” Well, this time that kind of thing happened not to your team but to your opponent. Relish it.)
Winning 17 of 19 was phenomenal, but it’s never enough because winning 17 of 20 really sucks. No matter how good a stretch is going, you always need to win the next one.
Perhaps we may see some back & forth to the rivalry in upcoming years. Heck, this rivalry hasn’t had a strong sense of back & forth to it since the early-to-mid 1980s.
Dragonchild, thanks for your care & concern, but I’m fine. When I speak of being “petrified” it’s merely within the context of sports and I’m simply acknowledging that there are scenarios I can see which result in Ohio State not beating their rival. And I hate when Ohio State doesn’t beat their rival!
And, Clarkie my boy, I know you’ve been calling for me, eh? Wondering where I am, eh? I’ve been right here all along, lurking through all y’alls celebration mixed with vitriol. Had to wait to respond until things settled down a bit, when you all are ready to have a rational discussion. Besides, I wasn’t sure how or when to insert my response amidst the 40 new threads that were created every hour. So here it is.
And as much as I’d like to close by paraphrasing Fernando Vidal: “Enjoy it…it will be your last”, I’m inclined to tell you to take your blasted BPONE, bury it in Brian’s back yard that desperately needs weeded, and let’s have ourselves a freaking rivalry!
November 28th, 2021 at 11:34 PM ^
You're a good egg, Chuck. Very well-written. Already looking forward to it next year.
November 28th, 2021 at 11:35 PM ^
Respect.
November 28th, 2021 at 11:36 PM ^
You are one of the better ones Chuck. Weren't you the one who said you were interested to see how OSU tackles contained Hutch and Ojabo and I said no tackle has contained them yet? ;)
November 28th, 2021 at 11:38 PM ^
Damn you and your sensibility.
November 28th, 2021 at 11:39 PM ^
Great post. I too really hope this becomes an actual rivalry now. It’ll be a stiff test in the Shoe next year. The following year in the Big House the same for y’all. If Michigan’s culture towards this rivalry under Harbaugh has been established then I truly believe we are finally in for some parity.
November 29th, 2021 at 12:38 AM ^
On 11/26/2022, it will have been 1,463 days since Ohio State hosted Michigan. And 1,092 days since having beaten Michigan.
The place will be lit.
Looking forward to it already.
November 29th, 2021 at 1:25 AM ^
Good Chit-Chuck!!!
November 28th, 2021 at 11:39 PM ^
Amazingly well put. Bravo.
November 28th, 2021 at 11:40 PM ^
This was a great post Chuck. Thank you for being a great rival
November 28th, 2021 at 11:43 PM ^
And a tip of the hat to you, sir. Let the rivalry begin anew!
Has the team earned enough respect to get your support in the B1G championship and (hopefully) the playoffs, or is that a bridge too far?
November 29th, 2021 at 12:20 AM ^
Root for Michigan?!?
Pfft...get bent.
November 28th, 2021 at 11:44 PM ^
Rational take. Well written. Respect Chuck.
November 28th, 2021 at 11:45 PM ^
You're by far my favorite person on this board, Chuck. Thanks for a great post and know I'm rooting for y'all in the Rose Bowl
November 29th, 2021 at 1:23 AM ^
Why would you do that?
November 29th, 2021 at 1:57 AM ^
who are you really, gary3? You never cheer for Ohio State. Ever. …..unless you’re an Ohio mole
November 28th, 2021 at 11:46 PM ^
That was a good read Chuck, thank you.
You still get a down vote.
November 28th, 2021 at 11:47 PM ^
Thanks for sneaking in three comments about OSU's dominance in the series (8 in a row,15 of 16, 17 of 19) so that I can feel better saying that you're a good dude but can kiss my maize and blue ass.
November 29th, 2021 at 12:05 AM ^
Glad there’s at least one other board member who doesn’t feel the need to kiss his ass.
November 29th, 2021 at 12:23 AM ^
I just state those streaks to indicate that it's never enough. Whether it's 2, 3, 5 or 8, the next game is always out there and it needs to be had. If there was ever a 20-game streak, they would have to win the 21st game because it's never freaking enough.
November 29th, 2021 at 7:05 AM ^
Oh, I know. And I've given you enough precious MGoPoints over the years to think you didn't mean to come across as disrespectful. However, instead of, "The series has gone our way since Tressell and, just like it was for you guys when you had our number in the 80s and 90s, it still wasn't enough for me," this came across as, "You know how we've been kicking your ass? I mean REALLY kicking your ass? Like, devoting an entire wing in the Asskicking Hall of Fame? Not enough." Sorry, man. Came across as prickish.
November 28th, 2021 at 11:48 PM ^
That was great. Many of us can use the lesson in civility and sportsmanship!
November 28th, 2021 at 11:56 PM ^
Winning 15 of 16 is so spectacular that I never imagined I would ever witness something like that in my lifetime; but winning 15 of 17 really sucks.
"The future is independent of the past given the present"
- The Markov Property
November 28th, 2021 at 11:56 PM ^
I’ve been following your comments on various threads for years. They’ve always been that of reason and quality. Your contributions to this board are valuable, and worth more than some here would admit.
As an aside, I took a spin over to 11 Warriors yesterday post game. While I appreciate the quality of community of MGoBlog considerably more than that of 11W, I was notably impressed with the well reasoned takes about the outcome. Of course there were ‘hawt taeks’, but I was surprised by the their overall level-headedness.
November 28th, 2021 at 11:58 PM ^
Cool story bro.
Respectfully reject.
It's way past time that this flips in our favor but I'm sure the run was very enjoyable.
See you next year.
November 29th, 2021 at 12:30 AM ^
That's the same thing I heard in 2011.
And heard it again throughout 2015.
It takes at least two to start a trend. We shall see.
November 29th, 2021 at 7:01 AM ^
Maybe your pinch runner just got picked off third
November 28th, 2021 at 11:59 PM ^
Downvoted for your thinly veiled gloating and excuses.
November 29th, 2021 at 12:14 AM ^
Classy post. Nicely written. Nice to see that we can disagree without being disagreeable.
November 29th, 2021 at 12:15 AM ^
Honestly:
TLDR
I'm sure you're a good guy. All those words looked logical and fair and reasonable. We could likely be friends in the right situation. But eh, don't care. Go Blue
November 29th, 2021 at 12:28 AM ^
High road and great predictive insight -- looks like you had about 80% of this figured out. True also that it's been a long time since this rivalry has been back and forth. In keeping with your 17/20 sucks, here's hoping that we get a few years of "back" before you enjoy some "forth."
November 29th, 2021 at 2:34 AM ^
As measured and civil as Buckeye Chuck is in his OP, I wish upon him many more years of "suck" like what he's experienced this year and only 3 times in the last 20 games between us.
And yes, Chuck is a quality poster to this board, possibly the best of a handful of bucknuts who show up and post on this board semi-regularly. But in the end, he's still the enemy.
November 29th, 2021 at 12:34 AM ^
Sorry to break it to you Chuck, but we will have the upper hand in the rivalry the next six years. We have McCarthy to succeed McNamara, and OSU will begin to see a slow fade now, especially after your next coaching change. Day will go to the pros, and you will likely get Fickell, who has done as well as can be expected....but it won't be enough. This will be the case until our next coaching hire, and after that all bets are off.
November 29th, 2021 at 8:19 AM ^
Could be. All things are cyclical. We have to enjoy every moment because we never know what the next moment might be.
November 29th, 2021 at 1:04 AM ^
Bravo and thanks. This is much better than my friends here in Cbus whining about how the marching band was treated, how horrible it was to insult Day, etc. etc.
November 29th, 2021 at 1:16 AM ^
My group of buddies I grew up with, that I've been close with for 20+ years, are 3 Michigan fans (myself included), 1 Notre Dame fan, and 1 Ohio State fan. It's the blogs, twitter, etc that divide us. I'm sure you're a good dude Chuck. We all just want to win.
November 29th, 2021 at 1:44 AM ^
Thanks for the classy gesture. Let me say that I have also found your contributions here to be consistently thoughtful and classy, and I appreciate your presence here.
I also sincerely hope you are banned at some point in the distant future, not because you aren’t a good egg (because you are!) but because the rest of us have gotten so arrogant and full of ourselves from our twenty game rivalry win streak and eight nattys that your infinite patience and goodwill finally breaks down like OSU’s front seven vs Haskins yesterday.
:)
November 29th, 2021 at 2:04 AM ^
If you waste your time and drift over to the 11wankers board, you can see that Chuck is one of the few that has more than an ounce of sanity. I appreciate Chuck's constructive appreciation for the rivalry and giving congrats to Michigan in a Buckeye way.
Living in Central Ohio I got quite of few texts and calls after the game in congratulations. A decade ago, I was getting OSU flags planted in my yard and OSU bumper stickers adhered to my vehicles....and that was the night before "the game".
I see you threw in all that bullshit about past results, but it's no different than what we use do in the Cooper era. You give a good frenemy perspective about the game and the rivalry.
Thanks Chuck, and I appreciate your henchmen not spray painting my garage doors in red this year!
November 29th, 2021 at 2:04 AM ^
Double post.
Gives me the opportunity to say that no one has told me to move back to Michigan this year, which is a first.
November 29th, 2021 at 2:06 AM ^
I carefully considered your lengthy, well written, and reasonable post. It made me spend quite a bit of time thinking of a kind word I could share in response.
The best I came up with was...
But seriously, I appreciate the time and congrats. You seem like a good dude. After we beat you 8 times in a row sometime during my own lifetime, I hope I'll be similarly gracious.
For now, I'll just say "Congratulations from a Wolverine".
Your streak of 8 games was certainly an impressive one, even with the asterisk on 2016, accompanied by the words *JT was short".
I'm not holding that against you or making excuses. It was probably the first time the refs spotted the ball in cold weather, after all. It shouldn't mar the overall accomplishment of your 8 game streak.
Besides, there were also PI calls, holding calls, and yes even failed execution in the 4th quarter by my beloved Wolverines that led to OT.
I'll admit, these last few games I was afraid of your uber-athletic receivers running slants. Don Brown's defensive scheme just couldn't handle it and we got torched. Hats off to you. This year, you couldn't overcome the relentless pounding of our offensive line and Haskins as they decided to skip 3rd downs. The terrors streaking off the edge on defense were the stuff of nightmares as well.
So, whether it was our DB's getting torched in the past or your OT's getting put on their ass in this game, we've all understood the pain.
The ass-whippings of the past few years were difficult for us, it's true. I'm sure the Buckeyes of the past felt terrible in 1902, Michigan 86, Ohio State 0. I'll be hoping Ryan Day never actually hangs 100 on us and we have to experience something like that. Likewise I hope you never have to experience Harbaugh going for 2 because he couldn't go for 3, a la Woody.
After 117 meetings, streaks of a few years don't do the rivalry justice, however. Whether it's your red streak of 8 games or Michigan's all time black streak of 9 games, the roulette wheel spins and fortunes change, as you know. Nine is awesome, but we always want ten. 9-1 sucked for the old timer Wolverines as I'm sure 8-1 sucks for you now.
The most important statistic is, however, the change left in your pocket.
By last count it looks like it's 59-51-6 in Michigan's favor, which I'm thankful for on this Thanksgiving weekend. And... I'll still be rooting against you ever overtaking our number of wins in the series and all time wins in college football!
So as much as this year's loss and the breaking of your streak hurts, I want you to enjoy your streak of 8 games. You earned it. The coaching. The collection of 5 star talent. The rabid fanbase. Unprecedented. Truly.
It was impressive and I tip my cap at how close you came to 9 games and how close you've come to 59 wins in the series. You've really done well.
So, Go Blue! It's Game ON!!!
November 29th, 2021 at 3:15 AM ^
Hate that I can't hate BuckeyeChuck.
He's genuine and rational. Rarely if ever trolls, and is level headed and dare I say classy.
Life makes so much more sense when I can simply hate on mouth breathing pooper cooler Buckeye fans.
November 29th, 2021 at 3:35 AM ^
Very classy! You are always welcome.
November 29th, 2021 at 3:44 AM ^
But, I also upvoted everyone with less than nice things to say... because in the end you're the enemy.
November 29th, 2021 at 3:44 AM ^
Ditto on all points. Can’t do anything but tip our caps chuck. I haven’t been looking hard, but I haven’t seen the trolls from our fan base here since after the game. We gotta look at these guys and just take our lumps this year.
November 29th, 2021 at 6:20 AM ^
I knew who posted this before even clicking on it. Thanks Chuck. You are almost always one of the more level headed posters on this site, regardless of fandom.
November 29th, 2021 at 6:35 AM ^
You’re an excellent contributor to the blog Chuck. It was a long time coming, look forward to us trying to continue the winning streak next season ?
November 29th, 2021 at 7:09 AM ^
Nice post, almost shocking. Won't this get you banned from 11W or were you already?
November 29th, 2021 at 8:25 AM ^
I have no interest in the 11W comments section.
November 29th, 2021 at 7:13 AM ^
Well written.
November 29th, 2021 at 8:31 AM ^
Did I mention that winning 3 in a row is nice, but going 3/4 is not as nice?
Or that winning 4 in a row is even nicer, but 4/5 not so much?
etc. etc.
We get it.
The rest was good, though.