Notre Dame v. Ohio State
RJ Karas
Issue date: 11/22/06 Section: Sports
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With one of the most highly anticipated collegiate football games in recent history happening this past weekend, it seemed as though everywhere I turned the topic of conversation was Chad Henne and Michael Hart's attempt to break through what has become the best defense in Division I. Ohio State's defense, which had to replace nine starters from last season, including All-American linebacker A.J. Hawk, somehow has found a way to hold their opponents to fewer points per game than their predecessors. Although the constant coverage that ESPN labeled as "Judgment Day" was a bit excessive, I did not mind hearing it considering my alternatives. Any other week of the season ESPN, along with most of the University of Dallas, would be proclaiming how great Notre Dame is and how much they would beat whichever joke of a team they were playing. And although ESPN had no spotlights on Brady Quin or any other member of the Fighting Irish, I am sure that if I really wanted to hear how much better Notre Dame is than Army I could simply ask any number of students here on campus.
With no mention of Notre Dame, who had little trouble with the Cadets of Army, winning 41-9, I was hoping that maybe this so called "Judgment Day" would live up to just some of the weeklong hype that it had been receiving. Just maybe Ohio State and Michigan would provide fans nation-wide with a classic game, coming down to the final seconds. A game parallel to the 1997 game where Ohio State's David Boston and Michigan's Charles Woodson stood face-to-face and defined what maybe the best rivalry in college sports with a fist-fight that ended with both players tearing each other's helmets off. With all the hype there really was no way this game, the first time Ohio State and Michigan have played as the top two teams in the nation, could be as good as expected…right?
Though every fan in the nation had their own ideas of how the game would end, I for one believe that Saturday night's match up not only lived up to the hype but exceeded all preconceived expectations that I had for the much heralded duel. A game pitting two offenses that have traditionally been known for their brands of smash mouth football as well as two of the strongest defenses in the country provided fans with eighty-one total points. On top of that, Ohio State's quarterback Troy Smith not only punched his team's ticket for the national title game but also his ticket for the Heisman Trophy which, if he did not want to wait until December 9th to be awarded the trophy could probably pick up anytime he pleases. Oh by the way, for all you Notre Dame fans who are going to argue that Brady Quinn deserves the Heisman Trophy more so than Troy Smith, just grab that game tape from last year's Fiesta Bowl - Smith and the Buckeyes' torched the Irish 34-20 in a game that was never as close as the score indicated. If that's not enough, compare Ohio State's season to that of the Fighting Irish, not only has Troy Smith out preformed Brady Quinn but he's also played a significantly more difficult schedule.
Though the BCS will have the final say as to who the Buckeyes' opponents will be on January 8th, I for one would have no problem seeing a repeat of Saturday night's classic performance. However, with the likelihood of that being between slim and none I will just have to settle for watching the remainder of the season and hoping that Ohio State's next opponent will be as formidable as the Wolverines were on Saturday night.
With no mention of Notre Dame, who had little trouble with the Cadets of Army, winning 41-9, I was hoping that maybe this so called "Judgment Day" would live up to just some of the weeklong hype that it had been receiving. Just maybe Ohio State and Michigan would provide fans nation-wide with a classic game, coming down to the final seconds. A game parallel to the 1997 game where Ohio State's David Boston and Michigan's Charles Woodson stood face-to-face and defined what maybe the best rivalry in college sports with a fist-fight that ended with both players tearing each other's helmets off. With all the hype there really was no way this game, the first time Ohio State and Michigan have played as the top two teams in the nation, could be as good as expected…right?
Though every fan in the nation had their own ideas of how the game would end, I for one believe that Saturday night's match up not only lived up to the hype but exceeded all preconceived expectations that I had for the much heralded duel. A game pitting two offenses that have traditionally been known for their brands of smash mouth football as well as two of the strongest defenses in the country provided fans with eighty-one total points. On top of that, Ohio State's quarterback Troy Smith not only punched his team's ticket for the national title game but also his ticket for the Heisman Trophy which, if he did not want to wait until December 9th to be awarded the trophy could probably pick up anytime he pleases. Oh by the way, for all you Notre Dame fans who are going to argue that Brady Quinn deserves the Heisman Trophy more so than Troy Smith, just grab that game tape from last year's Fiesta Bowl - Smith and the Buckeyes' torched the Irish 34-20 in a game that was never as close as the score indicated. If that's not enough, compare Ohio State's season to that of the Fighting Irish, not only has Troy Smith out preformed Brady Quinn but he's also played a significantly more difficult schedule.
Though the BCS will have the final say as to who the Buckeyes' opponents will be on January 8th, I for one would have no problem seeing a repeat of Saturday night's classic performance. However, with the likelihood of that being between slim and none I will just have to settle for watching the remainder of the season and hoping that Ohio State's next opponent will be as formidable as the Wolverines were on Saturday night.
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