Fenwick graduation 2012
Ponitz graduation 2012
Cars and Parts Swap Meet
Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2009 > November > 21
Saturday, November 21, 2009
OSU-Michigan — Curses, tears and a heartfelt remembrance
ANN ARBOR — Here are some images and comments I heard and saw after Ohio State topped mistake-prone Michigan 21-10 Saturday before a crowd of 110,922 at Michigan Stadium:
— In the final minutes of the game, there was as real rabid back-and-forth exchange going on between some vocal Michigan fans seated in the front row just behind the Ohio State bench and a few equally-zealous Buckeye players, most notably fireplug freshman fullback Zack Boren, whose brother Justin started his college career as a Michigan offensive lineman, then transferred to Ohio State — he’s from Pickerington — and stated at left guard for the Buckeyes Saturday.
Both the fan and Boren were red in the face from all their yelling. I can’t print what was said — I can tell you it was pretty profane and sometimes pretty funny — but I will say there were some gyrations and hand gestures to go with it. And it went on for a while.
— A much nicer scene was involved Kurt Coleman — the Buckeye safety and team captain from Northmont High who had two interceptions — spotting his family in the stands, then pulling himself up to them and crawling over the blue railing so he could hug them and tell them he loved them.
He gave his dad the rose he was holding and “Pops,” as he call his father Ron Coleman, an assistant principal at Stebbins High, gave him his scarlet newsboy cap which Kurt put on backwards and then wore proudly off the field.
“What a way to go out,” Ron Coleman said of his son. “He had two interceptions, he probably could have had four and mostly he just made us so proud…Again.”
— I walked off the field with Michigan’s sophomore running back Michael Shaw, whose prep fame came first at Alter High and then at Trotwood Madison.
He had rushed for 13 yards on 7 carries and he was in tears:
“This is a tough pill to swallow, especially being from Ohio. I hate losing to Ohio State, but they got the best of us.
“I love Michigan though/ This is where I’m supposed to be and where I’m going to be. And I think the rebuilding is over here. I honestly believe Michigan will be back next season.”
— Another Wolverine from Trotwood Madison — sophomore receiver Roy Roundtree — will play a big part of Michigan ascension. He had nine catches for 119 yards Saturday. A teammates’ injury thrust him into the starting lineup four weeks ago and he’s responded with 26 catches for 393 yards and two touchdowns since He ended the season as the Wolverines leading receiver.
Coming off the field, he accepted a few hugs from Bucks players, then spoke briefly as he made his way toward the stadium tunnel:
“It felt great being in this game —I think our team fought the full 60 minutes — but you got to give O-State credit. They got the better of us.”
— The Ohio State players all wore a white decal bearing a black “SS” on their old school throwback uniforms that were reminiscent of the look of the 1954 Buckeye team.
The SS was a remembrance of Stefanie Spielman — the charismatic 42-year old wife of former Ohio State and NFL star Chris Spielman — who died Thursday after a long and quite public battle with breast cancer.
Coaches wore the emblems, too, and Jim Tressel talked about the heartfelt tribute.
“We talked about that after the game,” the Bucks head coach said. “We thought about how excited we were, but also how — when we get back home and have a chance to reflect a little bit — we need to send some love to the Spielman family. Some vibes.
“We know what kind of Buckeye she is and Chris is and the whole family is. They are part of our family.
“What she and Chris have done for the Columbus community — the example she had given us — was extraordinary.
“Going into this we talked about how the toughest team wins this game. And we said if we could be half as tough as Stefanie, we got a chance.”
TweetOSU-Michigan : The TOP 10 Performances Ever
ANN ARBOR — “Great players play great in the Michigan game.”
That — according to Ohio State linebacker Austin Spitler — was Earle Bruce preaching to the Buckeyes football team this past week as they prepped for today’s game with Michigan in Ann Arbor.
“Coach Bruce said. ‘If you don’t play great in the Michigan game, you ARE NOT a great player here at Ohio State,’” said the OSU senior captain from Bellbrook High. “It’s the last game of the year, the biggest game , the most fierce game — the greatest rivalry in college football — and everybody strives to make a big play that impacts the game.”
And over the years there have been some OSU and Michigan players who have impacted games in monumental ways.
Jim Naveau, who covers Ohio State quite well for the Lima News, came up with a list in his Friday paper of the 20 players he felt had had the most memorable performances in this storied rivalry. He listed his Top 10 from Ohio State, then his Top 10 from Michigan.
I agreed with most of his choices — though I’d put a couple of other people on the list and I’d change the order of importance of a few. But that’s the fun of lists — everybody makes them up differently .
Here are my top performers from both schools, ranked — as I see it — in the order of their impact on the game. Like I said, the list is debatable:
1 — TOM HARMON (Michigan) — Michigan’s first Heisman winner was so overwhelming dominant in the 1940 game, he got standing ovation from crowd — the Ohio Stadium crowd!!! He passed for 151 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 139 yards and two more touchdowns , intercepted a pass and returned it for a score and averaged 50 yards on punts.
2 — TROY SMITH (Ohio State) — His 2006 performance against Michigan sealed the Heisman Trophy for him, but his previous two games were just as good…..In 2004, he threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 145 yards and TD in 37-21 win….The next year he passed for 300 yards and a score as OSU came back from 9 down in the final minutes to win 25-21… Finally, in 2006, he threw for 316 yards and four TDs in a 42-29 victory.
3 — LES HORVATH (Ohio State) — The Buckeyes first Heisman winner, he played the entire 60 minutes of the 1944 game, running for two touchdowns, including the game-winner as No . 3 OSU edged No. 6 Michigan, 18-14 …In 1942, he ran for one TD and threw for another as OSU won 21-3.
4 — TSHIMANGA BIAKABUTUKA (Michigan) — Carried the ball 37 times for 313 yards as Michigan upset Ohio State 31-23 in 1995.
5 — CHRIS WELLS (Ohio State) — Ran for 222 yards on 39 carries and scored on a 62-yard run in 2007 …He ran for 134 yards — scoring on a 59 yard run — in 2008
6 — DESMOND HOWARD (Michigan) — He struck the Heisman pose after stunning the Bucks with a 93-yard punt return for a touchdown in the Wolverines’ 31-3 victory in 1991. He also caught a 50-yard pass that game…In 1990, he had five catches for 73 yards and a score.
7 — ARCHIE GRIFFIN (Ohio State) — The two-time Heisman winner was part of three OSU wins and a tie. He scored a TD as a freshman, ran for 163 yards as a sophomore and ran for 111 yards as a junior.
8 — BOB FERGUSON (Ohio State) — He rushed for four touchdowns and 152 yards in the Buckeyes 50-20 victory in 1961… In 1960, he scored the only touchdown in OSU’s 7-0 victory.
9 — CHARLES WOODSON ( Michigan) — He sealed his Heisman Trophy in 1997 when he returned a punt 78 yards for a score, caught a 37-yard pass and intercepted a Buckeye pass in Michigan’s 20-14 win…In 1995, he had two interceptions in Michigan’s upset of OSU.
10 — CHRIS SPIELMAN (Ohio State) — He had an unbelievable 29 tackles in a 26-24 loss in 1986. The next year he had 16 tackles and a quarterback sack in OSU’s 23-20 win.
Tweet
