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My apologies.  By the time I…

My apologies.  By the time I got back to my laptop it had already been moved, so I never saw any explanation of what I did wrong.  From some of the comments I am inferring that it should have been put in the Message Board, not as a Diary.   My bad.

I was offered a ticket to go…

I was offered a ticket to go, but turned it down because it really was uncomfortable for me to sit on the bleacher seats, I was having severe difficulty with my left hip (since replaced with titanium), and I was worried that the weather would not be conducive to my long-term health.  So I watched from the comfort of our den, with a huge smile on my face for most of the afternoon.  Simply glorious.

Thank you.  (My older…

Thank you.  (My older brother does not think I am pleasant, but he was born in the OSU hospital, so ...)  It is/was a sad situation.  If Cade had been able to realistically assess things, and stuck it out here (and there might well be some blame there on the staff) he would have more rings, and be in line to start next year.  As I understand things, he red-shirted in 2019, played in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.  He is planning on using the Covid-shirt to play next year.  He might be able to get a medical red-shirt for 2022, and have two years more.  I liked Cade's moxie, character (until he decided to transfer), and determination, but JJ's skill-set was far superior.

I watched that on TV in our…

I watched that on TV in our house in Athens, GA.  The live broadcast used an on-field sideline camera because they wanted to capture the ferocity of the hitting.  The result was that I had no idea what was happening.  Musburger screams about a blitz, they show Harbaugh on the turf, and I was afraid the hit had caused Harbaugh to throw a wounded duck that was being returned for a pick-6.  Eventually they put a camera on Kolesar as he crossed the goal line, and my impending cardiac arrest faded.

So much to say about this. …

So much to say about this.  To be really honest, the pass to Loveland on the previous drive was probably the "big play," because it led to Corum's TD that put us up by two scores with about 5 minutes left.  But a lot can happen in 5 minutes!  (See: Rose Bowl, 4th Qtr, 1/1/24.)  So this was the dagger that sealed the win.  And, no, you don't take a knee when you are running as free from traffic as Mike was.  House it if you can (and he almost did).

And, yes, I can watch this one on an infinite loop.

These things are all a…

These things are all a matter of taste, so I am making no judgments, but I prefer this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3gzo-lurpg&t=12s

There are online apps that…

There are online apps that will allow you to do that.

The early 70s teams---71--74…

The early 70s teams---71--74---went 41-3-1, I think; the losses were to Stanford in the 72 Rose Bowl, and to OSU in 72 and 74; the tie, of course, was the epic 73 10-10 game.  After that 73 OSU game, some folks hung a large banner behind the Fishbowl on the Diag:  "We are Proud of our football team!"

Those were "my" four teams.  There was a lot of post-game finger-pointing regarding the Rose Bowl and OSU losses, because there was a lot of feeling that Bo's play-calling cost us.  IIRC, Joe Falls devoted an entire chapter to the 72 OSU game, titled, "Kick the Field Goal, Bo!"  Dennis Franklin and Rob Lytle, two stars of the 72--74 teams (Lytle also played in 75 and 76) were very much appreciated on campus.

The late 70s teams---with Rick Leach at QB---were after my time, so I cannot speak with much authority.

 

The 72--74 guys really got screwed.  They went 30-2-1, the only blemishes being OSU games (all three of which they arguably could have won), but got zero bowl games, because of the "one bowl team only" policy of the Big Ten at that time.

I have my set from 1997;…

I have my set from 1997; used to watch it a lot when I got depressed over something. 

Not Purdue---Iowa.  I should…

Not Purdue---Iowa.  I should have remembered watching that game as we damn near blew the entire season there.  Great comeback by Griese.

Mike Sainristal.

Mike Sainristal.

There is a lesson here for…

There is a lesson here for all of us---don't post until fully caffeinated.

"The last time Brian Griese…

"The last time Brian Griese ran that far, his Daddy was chasing him with a stick!"---Keith, after a 40-yard scramble by Brian against Penn State in 1997; his analyst, of course, was Brian's father, Bob Griese.

(Sainristil was #19 and then…

(Sainristil was #19 and then #5 on offense.)

At the time the position switch was announced I thought it reflected concerns about DB depth and quality, concerns that were not mis-placed.  And he did have stand-out plays in each of the OSU wins:

21:  Caught the flea-flicker from Cade that set up the 4th TD of the day.

22:  The absolute gob-smackingly great PBU on Stover.

23:  He came flying out of nowhere to just collision-slam an OSU RB (Henderson?) in the second half.  It was a statement play---"You may be big and fast but I'm putting you on the ground just by running in to you!"

Well said (written)---Go…

Well said (written)---Go Blue!

Man, do I agree with this…

Man, do I agree with this post.  My son was born in November of 1997;  he was only home a few days before the 1997 OSU game, which he watched while filling his diaper in my lap.  This was an epic game, and a wonder to watch.

This team is so special.

I may sleep tonight, but no promises.  Tomorrow we are supposed to get snow.  Anyone have a teenager in northeast AA who might want to shovel our walk and driveway for an old dude?

I was going to say that!

I was going to say that!

My friend, I feel for you. …

My friend, I feel for you.  We lived in Madison (Huntsville's one suburb) from 1987--2001 before moving back to AA.  With all the engineers employed there, I can't believe there still is not an Alumni group.

Good luck, and Go Blue!

Has there ever been an…

Has there ever been an explanation of why the other captains were late?

(I'm flattered that you…

(I'm flattered that you quoted my post.  Thank you.)

I have been nervous about the punt returners all season long.  Thaw looks awkward out there, and Morgan looks scared.  Kind of late in the season to be breaking in a new guy, though.

As for plays not from last…

As for plays not from last night:

The two Heisman moment punt returns are simply iconic.

Harbaugh to Kolesar might be my favorite of all time.  I was watching the game in my house in Athens, GA, and the live TV feed was very confusing.  Musberger says something about a blitz, you can't see anything downfield, Harbaugh is on the ground, and then they finally get a camera on Kolesar hitting the end zone.  At this point I start screaming with joy, my wife comes to see if I am OK, our dog runs over to comfort me, but all is right in the world.

People are mentioning a…

People are mentioning a number of great plays, and I agree with almost all of them.  My faves from last night are:

1.  Corum's TD in OT; the kid simply would not be denied, it was epic Corum.

2.  Wilson's grab.

3.  Several plays from The Stand:

     3a.  Graham's TFL.

     3b.  The stop by Wallace on 3rd down.

     3c.  Fourth down

 

Kristian Epperson?  Where is…

Kristian Epperson?  Where is this kid from?  I am not much of a hockey fan, but given that we share a last name I may become one.  (FWIW, my family roots are in Virginia, not exactly prime hockey country.)

JFE = James F. Epperson

I thought it was hilarious, …

I thought it was hilarious,  One change I would suggest.  Cut the Benny Hill theme as soon as Harbaugh appears (at the end) and maybe add "The Victors" in the background.

I share the general concern…

I share the general concern about going into a shell on the last two drives.  The thing is, we didn't need to go for it on the 4th downs, we just needed less conservative play-calling on 2nd and 3rd downs. 

I lucked into tickets for…

I lucked into tickets for that game, with friends from my undergraduate days (mid-70s).  It was f---ing wonderful for about 55 minutes of game time, or whenever it was that Hoke/Borges dreamed that stupid 2-pt. conversion play.  (I thought going for two was a great decision, but the playcall itself was supremely stupid.)

The fight itself was also stupid.  If we had been more disciplined it would not have been eject one each way, offsetting penalties, yada-yada, BS.  The 2021 team handled it better, with more provocation.

 

I think the determining…

I think the determining issue would be if the ball was moving prior to Wilson crossing the plane, and I don't think it was.

Just a minor correction:  i…

Just a minor correction:  i think Brian Griese won three OSU games in 1995, 1996, and 1997.  The '96 game can be argued, because I think Driesbach played the first half, but the fact remains that we were down when Griese took over

The dude is simply a player…

The dude is simply a player.  Full stop.  (Except Mike S. never does.)

Like most folks here, I am…

Like most folks here, I am stupefied by this news.  I'm not an attorney, but I thought there was a good case to be made on the grounds of lack of due process.  My first reaction is that there are two possible explanations, one that is very good, one that is very bad:

1.  There is some "behind the scenes" agreement to settle everything, and this was the punishment imposed under that agreement.

2.  Another very large shoe of negative news is about to drop.

I fear that the news about Coach Clinkscale's Xwitter account has me worried that it is Door #2.

 

JFE

I think a much larger sample…

I think a much larger sample size exists, or could be constructed.

This issue was often raised back in the Bo era.  If we lost a regular season game to someone other than the Bucknuts, it would be Purdue (a grass field) or Sparty (ditto).  And we lost a lot of Rose Bowls.  In fact, after the original Tartan Turf field was pulled up, there was an effort to install natural turf.  The 1997 Natty team played on a grass field in the Big House.  Alas, the effort to maintain the grass was, in the long run, a losing game, and in the early aughties the shift was made to today's Field Turf.  (Came up for my 25th reunion in 2000 and watched us beat Antwaan Randle-El; there was a lot of slipping and sliding as the turf often slid out under a strong cut.)

I think this is an issue for a lot of teams that have artificial home fields, but not as much of one with the Field Turf kind of surface. 

So, I recall the bowl game …

So, I recall the bowl game (Alamo?  Outback?) against South Carolina following the 3-starting-QB year of 2017.  I missed the game because I was driving south to take our son back to school, but I recall the South Carolina players saying that they knew what we were going to do on almost every snap.  Did anyone investigate them for this?  Is it not possible that this is all simply the result of good players being well-coached?  It's not like Indiana's offense was setting any kind of positive records before last Saturday.

What a bunch of <bleep>.

So, we are under…

So, we are under investigation for having a good defense and a coaching staff that makes good adjustments?  When did this become illegal?

 

I can honestly say that I…

I can honestly say that I managed to not get totally blotto during the game---I reserved that for afterwards.  And at my age (70) the restraint was impressive.

Almost all of my criticisms go to the coaching staff:

1.  TCU's run defense looked a lot like Maryland's and Indiana's---shoot second and third level players down to stuff the run.  We seemed unprepared for this.  Bad.

2.  The "Philly Special" might have been the most outstandingly stupid play-call I have seen.

3.  Except, perhaps, for the safety blitz that gave TCU the long TD when DJ Turner missed the tackle.  Note to Jesse Minter:  How well did this work in Columbus?

4.  I do not understand the reasoning behind overturning Roman Wilson's first TD.  As I saw it, he caught the ball in his gut as his butt was lying on the goal line, so the ball was ON the goal line, ergo TD.

5.  So much changes if we get those two TDs.  If we assume the rest of the game flow is as it was (not entirely valid), then TCU's last possession begins with them down 59--51.  Just giving us one of them, we are still up 52--51.

6.  Supposedly one of the refs was an Ohio State graduate.  Not something you really want to complain about, but ...

7.  Whatever happens with Harbaugh (I really wish he would put all this off-season bullshit to bed with a simple declarative sentence) his post-game remarks were, IMO, spot-on.  The kids fought hard.  They found themselves in a damn big hole, and nearly dug out of it.

8.  I think a lot of the conservative play-calling regarding JJ runs was due to Cade's injury.  Without a seasoned backup, you do not want to risk the starter.

 

On OSU's decision to test JJ…

On OSU's decision to test JJ:  Yes, it was his first start in The Game.  But he hit at least one downfield pass (to Wilson) last year, and several others in other games (WMU, Wisky).  IOW the potential arm talent was there, they were testing his football "stones," and it is clear that OSU made a bad gamble there.  Just as they made a bad gamble running a safety blitz at Harbaugh in 1985.  (I'd embed the video, but I don't know how.  I just remember scaring the <bleep> out of my wife and dog at the time.)

OK, here is the URL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlR5gdnWzSI

As others have said, this…

As others have said, this was massively informative.  The TV crew essentially made many of the same points on the two CJ TDs and the McCarthy keeper, but they did not have the time---they need to move on, also need to sell whatever is paying for the broadcast---to get into much depth on either of the two Edwards runs.  (Also, Klatt is a QB, so does not analyze running plays as well.)  In real time, I just saw one hell of a set of blocks by Olu and Zinter, plus the fact that Edwards is, well, fast.

Not much point to this, but considering the potential ball security issues with Edwards and his right hand in a cast, it seems that making us go downfield 6 yards at a time would have been a better idea, as it increases the chances of a ball security issue.

 

I thought it was weird at…

I thought it was weird at the time, and the replay confirmed it.  Speculation is just that---speculative, meaning we don't know.  He may have been gassed and did not think he could make the remaining 50 yards w/o risking getting hit (w/o eyes in the back of his head, he does not know that the last guy with a serious chance just dove at his ankles and missed).  The several comments that he is a bit banged up also have merit---after all, his load this season is higher than last year (245 attempts vs. 144).  So going OOB to avoid a hit might well be the reason.  If he had been aware that the guy right behind him (# 7) was no longer a factor, he might have stayed with it---it almost looks like he steps out before the guy completes his diving missed tackle.

It is not a trivial issue---a 14-0 lead at that point changes the game a lot, IMO.

My favorite memory of that…

My favorite memory of that game was Beano Cook predicting a PSU victory, and then, after the game, sitting at the on-site desk wearing a Michigan helmet.  I wish there was a YouTube clip of that moment!

JFE

True story:  I was living in…

True story:  I was living in Alabama then, and I recall the preview in the local paper.  Two key points that I still remember from that article:

1.  Even though Alabama's corners were young, they matched up well against Michigan's receivers.

2.  Bama's place-kicker was much better than Michigan's.

I really wanted five minutes with that sportswriter after the game!

You talk as though Ian Gold…

You talk as though Ian Gold was a recent shift to LB---He was a reserve LB on the 1997 team, played a lot in the Rose Bowl.

You left out a nose tackle: …

You left out a nose tackle:  Tim Davis was the starting NT during much of my time on campus (71--74).  In fact, I think he split time with Don Warner in the 1973 10-10 tie with OSU.

Thoughts from an oldie

Agreed it is a long-term problem---in my four years at UM, I attended a single basketball game.  Since moving back to town in 2001, I've been to two.  Why?  Part of it can't be fixed---night games in the dead of a cold Michigan winter are going to keep folks at home, and that's just a fact of life.  One thing that could be fixed is easier access to Crisler---when I went to my one game as a student, my roomie and I walked from Central Campus to Crisler; has anyone thought of running buses from Central Campus to Crisler on game nights?

My son ...

My son was born the Tuesday before the game.  I watched it with him in my lap, doing what 4-day-old babies do.  I changed him at halftime, and he fell asleep in my lap during the second half.  Because I didn't want to wake him up, I was uncharacterisically restrained at the end.  Somewhere we have a picture of this, I think.

I really liked seeing the

I really liked seeing the postgame repartee' between Brian and Bob Griese, but did anyone get Corso's comments on his "pick"?

Thanks!---I remember the 4th

Thanks!---I remember the 4th down conversion.  From the endzone we had a great view of Seyfirth going over the line to pick it up.

I was a freshman

I was a freshman Engineering student, freezing my butt off in the North endzone.  I'd love to see the Darden INT that sealed the game and drove Woody bonkers.

"Every Michigan fan is

"Every Michigan fan is contractually obligated to be upset about 1973, when the winning field goal was erroneously ruled wide, ending The Game in a 10-10 tie and setting in motion a sketchy 6-4 vote to send the weaker Buckeyes to Pasadena."

 

Sorry, but neither FG near the end was close to being good.  The first, from 58 yards, had the distance but was wide left.  The second was wide right.  I think you have conflated 1974 and 1973.  At the end of the 74 game (my senior year) Lantry kicked one that was arguably good, but called a miss.

Robinson

Am I the only one who noticed that Robinson had a black eye yesterday?  Has there been any explanation?

Someone mentioned RichRod ...

 

The incident occurred in 2009, when RR was coach.  What was his response to it?  If we are going to question Hoke's (admittedly ham-handed, possibly lawyer-directed) handling of something he might not have known about until this fall, what about RR's handling of it?

Some of this makes no sense

 

Remember, BG was hardly seen as a team asset when Hoke came in, and Hoke landed Wile.  So, if Hoke knew about this (as we know about it now), it would have been easy to kick BG off the team then and give the kicking job to Wile.  Hoke was willing to discipline Fitz and Clark for less egregious offenses in 2012, so it seems unlikely he would fail to do so in his first weeks on the job.  I think the team is definitely looking bad for the way this has been handled, and Brandon needs to earn his salary doing damage control that does not hide behind "we can't comment" kinds of things.  He has to explain, to the public, how this was allowed to linger for four years.  And Lewan needs to do some explaining as well.