ND <t>Other than the disappointment in the game outcome something else really bothered me. Why such a large difference in the amount of OSU vs ND fans at the game. Looked like 70/30 in the Buckeyes favor. I really anticipated a larger ND turnout.</t>
Tim, Interesting observation, Ohio State returned about 3500 tickets to the Fiesta Bowl, apparently many West Coast alumni bought the tickets plus some more? Ohio State fans have a fabulous record of following the Buckeyes!
Just looking at this year I think Kelly did a better job of coaching. Unlike Meyer, he didn't start the year as a unanimous No. 1 in the polls with the defending national champion and a wealth of QBs. We all know the injury plague that hit us this year but with a red shirt frosh with no real game experience Kelly was in the playoff picture right up until the final play at Stanford. Losing to Clemson on the road in a driving rain storm doesn't seem as bad as losing to MSU at home. In the end we got more from the ND than we realistically should have expected in Sept. I'm sure that the OSU guys will admit that the season was sort of a disappointment.
Gipper, No doubt about being somewhat disappointed and not being able to play for all the marbles, but things are what they are and you move on. One local poll indicated most fans would have preferred to play Stanford in the Rose Bowl. Stanford would have bee a very tough opponet. Who knows how that would have worked out? Still all in all I was satisfied with the record and it's always nice to beat Notre Dame! :wink:
:idea: :arrow: Congrats to all Buckeyes on a well deserved win. I've thought all year that Ohio State had the best team on paper and that there is some distance between the top 2 on paper (OSU and Bama) and whatever teams are ranked after that. That was a tough draw for the Irish and whoever put Oklahoma and Michigan State in the playoffs instead of Ohio State and Stanford is out of their minds... I think Kelly stretched the "Next Man In" theory about as far as it could go. We ran out of linebackers. Jarrett Grace gave it his all, but he was over-matched all day. I lost count of his missed tackles and he was lost in passing situations... What happened to Te' von Coney? He was helped off the field, but I didn't see him make any contact... DeShone Kizer appeared "deer in the headlights" frozen on the big stage at the beginning, but he eventually settled in. Maybe it's just me, but I think this was the kind of game that Malik Zaire could have won. We'll never know about that, but I'm looking forward to their competition against each other. They each bring something strong to the table...