Ohio State’s Vaughn Broadnax shares the conflicting feeling he felt during the Ohio State-Iowa game — anger about Jim Tressel’s playcalling and joy about winning the Big Ten title.
This past weekend could be described as a study of opposites. A coach was cursed for being too conservative and one was cursed for being just opposite. Although both actions had vastly different results, it bears witness to the travails a football coach faces if they are in the spotlight.
If you had the pleasure (or displeasure) of sitting in Ohio Stadium this past weekend for the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes, you probably experienced some gut-wrenching moments during the fourth quarter. There was jubilant elation and disgruntled puzzlement all in the matter of a few minutes.
When Brandon Saine took the handoff and raced through the left side of OSU’s offensive line and sprinted to a lead cushioning 49-yard touchdown, all was well in the stadium. Unfortunately, Iowa had other thoughts on their mind and – much like most of their games this year – conducted a furious comeback. Starting with a kickoff return for a touchdown that slapped a muzzle on the OSU fans, a sure interception that turned into a heaven-sent Iowa reception on third down, and a touchdown over Chimdi Chekwa that tied the game, Iowa seemed destined to pull out another win.
However, OSU had 2:42 to go and surely Jim Tressel would ride the legs and arm against uber-QB Terrelle Pryor. The headlines would read “Pryor leads team to victory” or “Pryor takes a step into immortality.” Unfortunately, that wasn’t what Tressel had in mind. Tressel decided to forego any attempt to score points and play for a tie.
Forgetting the fact that Iowa just drove 70 yards in 2:00 to tie the score, he decided to let his defense hold off Iowa’s new wunderkind James Vandenberg. OSU’s punts were not sailing as high or as far this past Saturday and true to form, the last punt of the game was no different, not even going 40 yards. Iowa now had the ball with just over a minute to go and it looked like another great comeback victory for the Hawkeyes. They had great field position and a kicker that had been nails all year.
However, Kirk Ferentz must’ve wagered that no coach was more conservative than he was because he inexplicably ran out the remaining time and play for the tie.
Going into overtime, I have never heard more illustrative descriptions of a person’s manhood or mindset in my life. I must admit. I may have agreed with a few of colorful opinions myself, but I stayed in my seat because as Yogi Berra says, “It ain’t over till it’s over!” Especially with a Jim Tressel coached team.
In overtime I was hoping it wouldn’t come down to a field goal. I was hoping that if OSU got the ball first, somehow someone would break a tackle and score a touchdown. There was no way we could settle for a field goal. No offense to Devin Barclay, but seeing him miss a chip shot earlier did not give me the Snuggie-like comfort a Mike Nugent would have provided. I knew we were doomed and Iowa would win. But lady luck had the Buckeyes in mind as the coin toss was won by the Buckeyes and we were able to defer our offensive possession and let Iowa have first crack.
Then something strange happened in overtime. A defensive line that was kept at bay all game from Iowa’s quarterback suddenly seamed as though they were unleashed like hounds. Why they didn’t attack the freshman quarterback throughout the game was curious enough. They sacked him twice in a row and knocked them out of field goal range. As Vandenberg was forced to throw a Hail Mary, you thought the gods would again curse the Buckeyes. Thank god we intercepted it.
As the fans rushed the field, all seemed to be forgiven. We won the game. That’s all that really matters. Forget the fact that some fans even apologized for doubting Tressel. I felt like singing Carmen Ohio, but soon realized I had lost most of voice from the expletives spewing from my pie hole minutes earlier. I had calmed down and tried to see the bigger picture. The coach who I earlier questioned the size of his cajones, showed me exactly how big they really are by going into overtime and resting them on the leg of a 26 year old ex-MLS soccer player.
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A former Ohio State running back, Broadnax now resides in Indianapolis, IN and supports Starfish Initiative, which prepares students for college.
Got a question or comment? E-mail him here
All Vaughn Broadnax Blog Posts
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