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NEW ORLEANS - Ohio State knows how to start a national championship game. It just hasn't figured out how to finish one.
The Buckeyes jumped out to a 10-0 lead over LSU on Monday night in the Superdome. You know what came next.
The SEC.
Last year, Florida spotted Ohio State a 7-0 lead on Ted Ginn Jr.'s opening kickoff return for a touchdown, then dominated the rest of the game en route to a 41-14 victory.
LSU played the first six minutes as though it were suffering from a Mardi Gras hangover. It spent the rest of the game giving Ohio State the SEC bowl treatment.
Ohio State tailback Chris Wells scored on a 65-yard touchdown on the game's fourth play. On its next possession, Ohio State drove 51 yards in five plays to set up Ryan Pretorious' 38-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 9:12 to play in the first quarter.
It was akin to the Buffalo Bills taking a lead in a 1990s Super Bowl.
LSU scored the next 31 points, including 21 in the second quarter, on the way to a 38-24 victory and its second national championship in five years. With the defeat, Ohio State fell to 0-9 in bowl games against the SEC.
Who says a Michigan guy can't beat the Buckeyes? All he needs is SEC players.
A month ago, LSU coach Les Miles was being rumored as the leading candidate to replace Lloyd Carr as Michigan's head coach. Although the Michigan alum turned down his alma mater, he was at least considerate enough to beat its arch-rival.
LSU had too many weapons on offense and defense for the Buckeyes. Quarterback Matt Flynn, who sat out the SEC championship game with a shoulder injury, threw four touchdowns against the nation's No. 1-ranked defense; tailback Jacob Hester rushed for 82 yards between the tackles; and LSU's heralded defense lived up to its billing after a shaky start.
"The defense just settled down," Miles said of LSU's turn-around. "And they really couldn't score with us."
Flynn was honored as the game's offensive MVP. Defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois was the defensive MVP.
Jean-Francois, who plays alongside All-American Glenn Dorsey, delivered one of the biggest plays of the game when he blocked Pretorious' 38-yard field-goal attempt with the game tied at 10-all early in the second quarter.
The Buckeyes didn't just lose their momentum. They lost their composure.
They were flagged for two personal fouls and penalized three times for 43 yards in LSU's three-touchdown second quarter. The worst was yet to come from a penalty standpoint.
With LSU facing a fourth-and-23 on its 40 to open the third quarter, Ohio State's Austin Spitler roughed LSU punter Patrick Fisher. That gave the Tigers a first down. On the next play, a personal-foul penalty gave the Tigers another first down.
Those were crucial mistakes in LSU's 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive.
"They can hit you in so many different ways," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said of LSU's offense. " They spread it out to their wide receivers. They throw it to their tight ends. They run a little option.
"They give you so much to prepare for. And they can execute all that."
Versatility aside, LSU's offense began to struggle after its first drive of the third quarter. Malcolm Jenkins intercepted a Flynn pass to set up an Ohio State touchdown, and the Tigers failed to move the ball on three consecutive possessions.
But an LSU defense that was healthier than it has been since early in the season was up to the challenge. When the Buckeyes drove to LSU's 31 early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers sacked quarterback Todd Boeckman on back-to-back plays.
"They beat us and just out-physicaled us," Ohio State All-American linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "We had a chance early and a chance late. LSU just made too many plays."
And the Buckeyes made too many mistakes. Again.
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.
© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Posted by nicksjuzunk on January 8, 2008 at 3:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm mildly surprised it wasn't worse.
The Pig Tin just can't keep us with the SEC. Don't worry, I'm sure Michigan or OSU will get back next year for a third straight SEC whipping... from TN I hope!!
Posted by TurboFan on January 8, 2008 at 6:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well, I called that one wrong. With two of the top defenses in the nation who thought so many points would be scored, didn't give Miles opportunity to screw up.
Posted by cltvol on January 8, 2008 at 8:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Herbsteet, Corso, and Blackledge all picked osu in pregame. I was surprised, thought it would be closer. We are better than any big ten team in my opinion. Thanks to Mich and GA, we now have a formula that stops the gators. Post Oct. -07, we were a top 10 team. Hopefully, next year is our year. Injuries, tunovers, grades, off-field behavior, penalties, new qb, new OC - if we manage all that well, we have chance = to all others to win SEC. Also, predicting spurrier will quit if gamecox don't improve. Leopards don't change their spots, and this cat quits when the going gets tough.
Posted by auttat on January 8, 2008 at 9:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Bet you can't slap the smile off of Adams' face.
Go home!!
Posted by DennisVols on January 8, 2008 at 9:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
UT was one bad decision from beating LSU in the SEC title game. LSU beats down OSU for the NC.
Looks like we are not as far from our goal as some would suggest.
The right steps need to continue, hiring the right OC could be the missing piece to this puzzle.
Posted by cgbtn on January 8, 2008 at 11:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
DennisVols, If one applies that logic to our games with Vandy and Ky, they are getting close to a national championship. A long, long time before you were probably born, a sports writer used such logic to award Slippery Rock a national championship. He made Slippery Rock famous in Knoxville. Each Saturday hundreds of callers would phone into an old radio football scores program called "Hold that Line" and ask for the Slippery Rock score.
Posted by DennisVols on January 8, 2008 at 12:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
cgbtn
If you chose to discount the wins over Vandy and KY as lucky do you not apply that same logic to the bad call against UT in the UF game last year or the lucky break they got against USC to win that close game? How about Vandy’s fumble inside GA’s 10 in the final minutes that allowed GA to get the ball and come back to win?
You cannot find a single year in which any team won a game or a championship without a lucky break or a bad call that probably influenced the outcome. Vandy had their chance and did not get it done as did KY. That same KY team beat this year’s NC and that fumble cost Vandy a win over #2 GA. Fact is it did not happen, the breaks did not go their way on that day. Do you think anyone in Michigan says “if only they hadn’t blocked the field goal we would have won” as a way of discounting the loss to Appy State?
I heard an announcer say once “I’d rather be lucky than good” Every team wins and losses games and titles every year with a bit of good or bad luck involved. In the end it is the record (wins & losses) that matters. When you win the game it goes in to that column without a * beside it.
This team won 10 games for the first time since 2004, won a bowl game against a ranked opponent for the first time since the ’05 Cotton bowl. They are ranked higher than they were at the start of the year, won the East division in a year they were picked to be 3rd in most polls, rebounded from terrible games against Florida and Bama. I think we should never lose a game that way and we should win the SEC not just play for the title. But I do see a lot of improvement since ’05 and during this year. I expect and want more for UT. The question of how good or bad the hiring of our new OC is will be settled on the field and there will be different opinions about whoever that is before we ever get to that point. This team did however finish better than most even thought possible after a 1-3 start to the year (I include the Jan. 1 loss to PSU).
Posted by tennisvol on January 8, 2008 at 2:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ohio State should never have been playing for the championship. Several teams in the top 10 would have done the same to them. Another great BCS matchup? Weak schedule just like Hawaii. I think some people who went to the Sugar Bowl felt sorry for Hawaii. Time for some kind of a playoff or just go back to bowl matchups and scrap the BCS.
Posted by txsvol on January 8, 2008 at 4:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
cgbtn, Slippery Rock scores and "Hold That Line" bring back memories of the late '50s and '60s--the ride back to Chattanooga initially, and the ride to where ever the party was when I was in Knoxville. Didn't know that somebody had postulated that Slippery Rock should be the national champion, though. Who was that, Tom Siler? Go Vols! SAVol
Posted by murrayvol on January 8, 2008 at 9:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I actually thought this would be a good game. At least better than last year. I was right for about 9 minutes which is 8 minutes longer than last year.
Has anyone figured out what Tressel & Co. were up to with 8 minutes and change left and down 2 tds? They were managing the clock as if it was early in the 3rd quarter. No sense of urgency. Nothing. Painful to watch!
Posted by LongtimeVol on January 9, 2008 at 1:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
No matter how much fun it is, or how much passion it arouses, comparing teams by comparing multiple games never really proves anything. But because it is entertaining we will continue to do it, just don't delude yourself to believe it means anything. Second, equally fun is speculating on what "woulda or shoulda" happened on either wins or losses. It is equally meaningless. As the pro Fulmer crowd says (at least this year) a win is a win. What they don't like that is equally true, a loss is a loss no matter the spin and they are still spinning last years FLA/LSU games and this years Cal/Ala/LSU games. You can't reach any meaningful conclusion about a UT/OSU matchup by comparing the LSU game with both. I am just glad we didn't embarrass the SEC again this year in the bowl game.
Posted by mp28002 on January 9, 2008 at 5:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
All TN has to do is join the Big 10. That would increase our chances dramatically in making the NC game 3-4 times every 10 years. Ohio State has figured out the formula. Just be the best in OH and you can make the big one.
Posted by pdhuff on January 9, 2008 at 5:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Agreed longtimevol 1:09 -shoulda-coulda- perhaps I shouldn't, but as much as I enjoyed the Ga-Arkie-Wisconsin victories, they were more than evened out by the horrible outing against a six-loss Bama.
Fla you kind of expect, but not to give up 59. The year overall was not what it should have been. I guess I expect too much wanting to at least stay in the top 10 since the rest of the league is so tough. I would have liked to seen us be tough enuf to be competitive, not get slaughtered. Just one perhaps unrealistic fan's view.
Posted by Singaporehillbilly on January 9, 2008 at 6:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The biggest weapon LSU had was the media and the bowls. The Rose Bowl picked Illinois instead of Georgia so there would not be a repeat of the 2003 results.
The invitational game has about as much validity as the heisman.
Posted by LongtimeVol on January 9, 2008 at 7:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
pd, I completely agree that the incredibly poor outings at Cal, Fla and Ala took much of the joy out of this year. For as much as some people like to talk about the value of stability in the staff I would like to see it translate into stability on the field. The very wide swings in the performance level are hard to figure and did not really correlate to the competition.
Posted by murrayvol on January 10, 2008 at 12:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
pd, I think the ongoning problem with playing in the SEC is twofold: 1)every fanbase really wants and (realistically or not) expects to be in the top ten and 2)many of those groups are both willing and able to pony up the cash, resources, and support system to make it happen.
Just look at the coaching establishment in the SEC. Personnal feelings about individuals aside, how many bad coaches are on that list? There are no Goffs, Donnans, and Orgerons to push around anymore.
Posted by hueypilot on January 10, 2008 at 10:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Right Murray. All the more reason to regard an SEC championship as winning and competing against the best. MIles Saban Nutt Petrino Turbeville Spurrier Fulmer, Richt, Brooks. That is a pretty impressive lineup of college coaches. And Look how close the Auburn/LSU, Florida/LSU, Georgia/Vanderbilt, UT/Vand and UT/KY games were and then look at LSU beating KY. A bounce here, a penalty there and everybody's season is different. Gotta admit it was one of the wackiest and most entertaining SEC seasons in memory. Anybody could beat anybody, except, we still can't beat Florida. Probably right now some Georgia fan is thinking, "If only we could beat Tennessee." A tough league.
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