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For Buckeyes, Failure Breeds Failure
By MoonDog | July 18, 2008
It started in 1977, over 30 years ago when the streak began. Woody Hayes, the most beloved of any Ohio State head coach past or present, was the first to endure the pain that has now extended into three decades.
How can one team with such a rich history that includes 798 victories, 32 Big Ten championships and seven national championships not have a victory against an SEC opponent?
Failure.
Simple and pure, like the morning dew or a new born infant.
Buckeye fans can’t explain it any more than they can the theory of relativity.
Since that fateful day in 1977 when the Buckeyes were destroyed by the Bear Bryant led Alabama Crimson Tide 35-6, the failures have been passed down from generation to generation like a nasty hereditary disease.
Twelve years would pass before Ohio State had to endure another beat down. A new head coach in the form of John Cooper walked the Ohio State sidelines, directing his first game against an SEC opponent.
Cooper was introduced to the pain, a pain he didn’t realize that would have no end. Playing on New Year’s Day at the Hall of Fame Bowl, the Auburn Tigers crushed the Buckeyes 31-14.
Cooper would go on to see his Buckeye teams face an SEC opponent three more times. In 1992, Georgia defeated the Buckeyes 21-14. 1994 would be the next opportunity for the Buckeyes to get their first win against the SEC but again they came up short, falling to Alabama 24-17.
The following year, Ohio State was primed for victory. Going 10-0 before losing to hated rival Michigan, the Buckeyes were still considered one of the top five teams in the nation. But on a rainy New Year’s Day in Orlando, the Buckeyes would fail yet again, losing to Tennessee 20-14 in the Citrus Bowl.
Five more years would pass, the final chance for John Cooper to earn a victory against the SEC. Amid talks of his imminent dismissal as head coach, the Buckeyes surely would go out and win one for the Cooper. But again failure and pain - synonymous with Ohio State football against the SEC - saw the Buckeyes fall to South Carolina 24-7.
A new day dawned with the hiring of Jim Tressel, the sweater-vest wearing coach brought renewed hope. Like Neo, he was the one. The Messiah that was going to wipe away the tears and frustration and lead the Buckeyes to victory against the mighty SEC.
2001 brought a rematch against South Carolina - revenge, sweet revenge - the oldest of all motives. The Buckeyes battled and scratched, giving their all for old Columbus with the vision of Woody Hayes taking a cheap shot against a Clemson player dancing in their heads.
But in the end, it was not to be. South Carolina kicked a late field goal and defeated the Buckeyes 31-28. The pain coarsed through Columbus like the plague. There was no cure and no relief from the agony.
Tressel would lead Ohio State to the BCS national championship in 2002, getting past Miami (FL), but only as a result of a terrible 4th-down call against the Hurricanes that literally gave the Buckeyes the win.
But the victory was hollow, for it hadn’t been earned against the vaunted SEC.
Finally, 2006. The Ohio State team that was going to accomplish the unthinkable and defeat an SEC opponent. The biggest stage, the brightest lights, the grandest of all moments.
This wasn’t a bowl game, it was THE bowl game, the BCS national championship.
The winner would be crowned kings of college football and for Ohio State, the opportunity to rid themselves of the pain and failure.
They would face the mighty Gators, champions of the Southeastern Conference who would carry the torch against the failures from up north.
The opening kick-off fell into Ted Ginn’s hands, and he bolted down the sideline racing into the end zone giving THE Ohio State a quick 7-0 lead. But from there, the pain - oh the unbearable pain - would return. Woody Hayes felt it, as did John Cooper. Tressel knew about the pain too, but he didn’t feel it initially.
Being blinded with unfounded optimism following the quick score, the Gators would bring the pain, unlike any pain the Buckeyes had ever felt. The Gators swarmed all over Ohio State, giving no quarter to the demoralized Buckeyes. When it was over, the Gators had taken the pain to a new level, thrashing Ohio State 41-14.
The darkness still covered Columbus, a shadow that wouldn’t pass, a constant reminder of decades worth of failures.
Gloom, despair and agony on me. Deep dark depression, excessive misery. If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all. Gloom, despair and agony on me.
We move forward to earlier this year, with the Buckeyes getting a shot at redemption. Having caught a few breaks - as did LSU - Ohio State would face the Bayou Bengals in New Orleans for the BCS championship.
The script wasn’t unlike the previous year, with the Buckeyes playing inspired football early. Tressel’s sweater-vest glowed, nearly blinding those in attendance with its radiance. Finally!
Neo, I mean Tressel, would lead the Buckeyes through the swamps of the Bayou and out of the Matrix - He WAS the one! He would make the pain cease and desist!
Then LSU got on track in the second quarter. Speed kills. Athleticism, talent and toughness - the very trademarks of the SEC. The force was strong with the Tigers on this night, as LSU would go on to easily defeat the Buckeye’s, 38-24.
Tressel, looking dismayed, perplexed - and in obvious pain - could only contemplate yet another failure. Why? Why must we bear this cross? The hills surrounding Columbus were haunted, echoing its name - SEC…SEC…SEC.
As we embark upon a new season, the Ohio State Buckeyes are again primed for a run to the BCS national championship. Returning a wealth of experienced and talented players, the Buckeyes have set their sights upon the grand prize.
In doing so, they can only hope their pain will end with some good fortune and pray they don’t have to face another SEC team in the BCS title game.
Otherwise, well, we know what will happen. Pain. And failure.
Tags: Tennessee Vols, Ohio State Buckeyes, Pain, NCAA Football, BCS, Georgia Bulldogs, Auburn Tigers, Woody Hayes, Failure, florida gators, Southeastern Conference, South Carolina Gamecocks, BCS National Championship, Jim Tressel, alabama crimson tide, LSU Tigers, SEC, Southeastern Conference, John Cooper, MoonDogSports.comRelated posts
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July 18th, 2008 at 5:11 am
OWNED!
July 18th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Moondoggy! WOW. Great piece of writing there, my man, I enjoyed it. And I love the Hee Haw reference!
July 18th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Golden!
July 18th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Very nice article. good job, will link to it.
July 18th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
great article. we have a similar one at http://www.secsportsfan.com/ohio-state-vs-sec.html
i’ll link to it from there
July 19th, 2008 at 12:11 am
The Suckeyes will get an early start on pain and failure this year playing USC. Then they get to beat up on the rest of the Little Ten, which should get them a nice bowl game. They can just keep hoping it isn’t against any team from the SEC.
July 19th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
SEC USC tOSU should be ready to lose. Great post. Nice history lesson.
July 21st, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Like it…especially the Hee Haw reference. Just 39 days till the start of SEC football!!!!!
August 21st, 2008 at 11:42 am
[...] in bowls. Ohio State knows their place. Moondog did a great job of a complete data-mine on Ohio State’s fails vs. SEC teams. After reading his piece, a logical one would conclude that Ohio State would have a [...]
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:47 am
Ohio State kucks as$. We had bad games but are best team un the cuntry.
August 22nd, 2008 at 6:09 pm
WHAT ABOUT THE REGULAR SEASON GAMES? HOW CAN YOU JUDGE A TEAM HISTORICALLY AND NOT INCLUDE THE REGULAR SEASON GAMES WE DESTORYED THE SEC IN??? OH WAIT THATS RIGHT JUST THE CIVIL WAR YOU HILLBILLIES ONLY REMEMBER THE PARTS YOU WANT TO AND I GUESS THAT CONTINUES WITH FOOTBALL AS WELL. TAKE YOU 4,000 COLLEGE EDUCATION AND GO BACK TO THE COTTON FIELDS.
August 22nd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Do a little research.. OSU has done fine vs the SEC in home and home series, but the fact is the SEC will rarely ever come north.. UF got destroyed by UM in ORLANDO.. Losing to LSU in Louisana is something Florida did last yr. as well. No shame in that. Playing a good LSU in New Orleans is not a bas loss
August 22nd, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Penn State is 5-2 vs the SEC since 1990. Michigan owns the same mark. OSU’s 0-6 record against the Southeastern Conference during that time would point to disaster against its two most competitive conference rivals, but we know better. The Buckeyes own the Big Ten’s best record during that time and have won 15 of 27 against Joe Pa and the Maize and Blue. (from sec country) SEC is better then the Buckeyes but not the Big Ten
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:59 pm
The article is a little conceited don’t ya think? Tress was hired to turn the things around against SEC and get revenge? HARDLY. Tress was hired to beat Michigan and win Big Ten titles which is something that Cooper couldn’t do. But of course this article has to put the biased spin on it. At least this isn’t a mainstream piece. No one gave a crap about the SEC when JT was hired. No one gave a crap about the SEC until 2006. The 2002 championship only felt “hollow” to you because the SEC sucked in ‘02 and couldn’t put a team in the game.
Get over it.
I wait to see how you react when the Bucks turn it around and slaughter an SEC team in a championship game.. Will you stand up and face the music like Buckeye Nation has? I doubt it. You will probably crawl into your holes and hide for a year.
It is not like OSU had never beat an SEC team. Look up the regular season games.
August 22nd, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Maybe among the most moronic pieces to be published on the web in a very long while. Riddled with bias and errors, the lone correct fact (and never quite put in that way) is the BOWL record. Nor the fact that they were the underdog in most of those games (FL being a notable exception). If one wants to talk about bad calls, look at Cryami’s first touchdown pass where a Buckeye defensive end is literally pulled down by the collar from BEHIND. Look at the illegal cleats Tennessee used in the rain in that game? I’ve read “MoonDog” drivel before and it’s as narrow-viewed and biased as they come. When the worm turns (and it ALWAYS does) where will he be? Cringing in his “dawg-house”, as his Georgia brethren would call it, and wondering what put a whuppin’ on his beloved errr Conference? What ever happened to picking a TEAM and rooting for them?
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:56 am
you’re a dick.
August 23rd, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Thank you for keeping up with Ohio State. Florida doesn’t even come close to the history of Ohio State so not much too read about there. As far as the Miami game, I luaghed my rear end off. A “bad” call gave Ohio State the game? That showed me right there that you know nothing and just wanted to try to flame. I don’t keep up with any SEC team, because they don’t matter and I don’t care. Please continue to keep up with my Buckeyes, becuase you wrote this article because Ohio State truly matters, unlike the SEC.
August 23rd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
You SEC fans are so classless!! Thank god I don’t live in the South.
August 23rd, 2008 at 12:47 pm
A SEC team will play USC in the NC game. Vs the SEC USC has a much diferent record.
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
[...] For Buckeyes, Failure Breeds Failure [...]
August 24th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
The South lost the war. The North beat your sorry asses all over the country. Get over it.
August 24th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
If OSU is so pathetic and inconsequential, why do you feel the need to spend your time writing about them? You could have spent that time with your family and friends, oh wait, shockingly I didn’t see any mention of either in the bio. Oh well, sorry, my bad, carry on then…..
August 27th, 2008 at 12:33 am
While it is true that WE at the BUCKEYE NATION find it necessary to send a few of our young BUCKS to banter about with the help in the south in an effort so they may understand for themselves what it is that WE know that you “all” don’t think WE know.
WE have always known that you are painfully aware of the fact that you are not now, nor have you ever been, “better” than us. Have you done more since we taught you to walk upright than struggle to mimic us? It is merely a function of OUR current societal trends that WE even tolerate you.
Now, because you “all” would have no way of knowing this and because I would prefer you have the opportunity to experience and embrace truth, I am going to tell you “the secret from the south” that WE all learn here at a very young age.
The reason you don’t know, that WE have always known what you don’t think WE know, is because WE are smarter than you! And because WE are smarter than you WE will always in some manner, control your life. Your transparent confidence exists at this particular moment in history only because WE apparently still seem to be amused by you.
–the great Bucknodious 13-2008-0
August 27th, 2008 at 1:15 am
#23,
If “yall” are so much smarter why haven’t “yall” figured out a way to beat a meaningful SEC opponent? Vandy, UK, and the other SEC cellar dwellers “yall” beat 50 years ago are irrelevant wins.
Please use your massive intellect to figure out how to stop S.E.C. SPEEEEED smart guy.