QB Fortunes in M-OSU Rivalry

Submitted by DanDiego1999 on

Previously wrote this as a response in a prior post, then realized I now have enough Mgopoints to start my own(!)... Happy to say this is my first post after 10 years of following this blog (took me long enough!)

If it's the case that Speight is too injured to play at 100% in Columbus (and may even need be replaced by O'Korn), this would be yet another QB set-back in a series of such set-backs that negatively impacted us (eventually or immediately) for The Game...

2001 - Henson left and John Navarre started one season too early

2004 - redshirt soph. Matt Gutierrez being injured led to a true freshman Henne starting the season (Gutierrez as the season-long starter would've arguably given us a better chance against OSU than with Henne, as the former was presumed starter around which OC Terry Malone was implementing his "motion offense" during the entire off-season)

2007 - a senior Henne entered The Game with an injured throwing shoulder

2012 - a senior Denard entered The Game with an injured throwing elbow

2013 - Devin Gardner broke his foot in The Game which had an impact on the final play (otherwise could've run in for the score)

2016 - ???????

On the flip side, OSU seems to have the best of luck with QB's by the time they play us...

2001 - soph Craig Krenzel appears out of nowhere and plays his best game against us, defeats us for the first time in Ann Arbor in 14 years, then wins the national title in 2002

2004 - soph Troy Smith appears out of nowhere and owns us for 3 straight years... It can easily be argued that, if starter Justin Zwick never became injured in '04 (right before The Game) and started as planned against us, we would've defended him much more effectively than Smith... In this case, their loss was their gain

2008 - OSU hits the jackpot with Pryor (same story)

2011 - Braxton Miller almost beats us, makes up for it the next 2 years

2014 - Miller, Barrett, Jones

2016 - Barrett runs the ball as much as Denard ever did, but stays healthy (so far)

Comparatively speaking, we just seem to be cursed this century when it comes to having the best QB in his best condition when it came to The Game, while OSU has the best possible fortune. I just don't understand this

JTrain

November 13th, 2016 at 11:52 AM ^

Well. Look at it this way.... at least OSU doesn't recruit well. I'm sure they'll tail off the next couple years and we will dominate the big ten again...er...umm. Never mind.
SMH.
This team has to find a way to beat OSU. It's possible. They have played a few bad games this year. The odds of them laying an egg on the OSU seniors last day in their home stadium durning a nation championship run under Urbs is not likely.
If anyone can do it tho it's this team. With these coaches. See Stanford vs USC a few years back when Harbaugh was coaching them.
We will need our best game...and then some.
(((GO BLUE)))




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snarling wolverine

November 13th, 2016 at 3:14 PM ^

That's not quite right about 2004 - Zwick was injured midseason and Smith started several games before playing us.  We knew he'd start, but our gameplan against him was awful all the same.  

I feel like your argument overall tries to cover too many bases.  In 2001, '04, '07, '08, '11 and '14 they had inexperienced QBs going up against us.  In fact, in '14 we actually knocked Barrett out  (Miller was already out) and they had to finish the game with a totally untested Jones.  They haven't always had good fortune.  Their team overall has just outplayed our team.

(BTW, Barrett has 140 carries in 10 games.  Denard had 256 (!) carries in 13 games in 2010.)