That made them mad. They came into this championship game with a chip on their shoulder and the backing of almost the entire ESPN staff (not that matters much, ESPN picked them last year too). They brought the #1 rated defense in all football and 'beanie' wells, the running back who made Michigan go away. They were ready to take it all.
LSU 'backed' into the game, some even say didn't deserve to be there (Oklahoma, USC, Georgia certainly would say it), much like Florida last year. ESPN hyped up the fact that LSU was playing basically a home game (Lee Corso ran hard with this, pumping up the Buckeyes) and was too 'fast' for OSU. LSU had the 3rd ranked defense, but lately they had given up quite a few yards and points to some 'low' competition.
The game kicked off and less than a minute and a half in, OSU had a 7 point lead ...
ESPNNEW ORLEANS -- Through an entire season of upsets and upheaval, teams moved in and out of the top of the polls as if it were a fleabag motel instead of the Ritz-Carlton. No one stayed long, and the ones that claimed they belonged didn't exactly look the part.
Until the last night of the season, that is. On the last night of the season, college football found an occupant for its penthouse.
Doug Benc/Getty Images
For the second time in five years, the Tigers are holding the crystal football.The LSU Tigers are a dominant champion. They are a deserving champion. And as a fitting end to a season that never followed its script, they are college football's first two-loss champion. LSU rolled over Ohio State 38-24 in the BCS Championship Game, becoming not only the first two-loss champion but the first two-time champion in the 10-year history of the BCS. That the Tigers managed to achieve both distinctions captures the uneven nature of their season, in which they lost two games in triple overtime and won three others in the final 90 seconds of regulation.
There would be no such thrills Monday night because LSU cut way down on its mistakes. The team that finished the season 118th in the nation in penalties per game (8.7) committed only four in the last, most important game. The Tigers (12-2) committed only one turnover. Ohio State (11-2), the team known for not beating itself, committed seven and three, respectively.
It was a great game and a needed one ;) that win was the difference between being tied for 4th and tied for 1st in the 'pool'.
tag: Ohio State, LSU, football, SEC, Big Ten, championship, BCS, Div I, Verlin Martin, Lord Nazh
Labels: championship, college sports, football
posted by Lord Nazh @ 07:33 | View blog reactions
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This game was never close. OSU looked like Notre Dame did against LSU in the Sugar. Troy Smith was on the run for the whole night (he ended with 35 passing yards and -25 rushing yards I think) and the OSU offense looked like it had taken 2 years off, instead of simply 51 days.
(Jason Parkhurst/US PRESSWIRE)Chris Leak was nearly perfect early as the Gators built their lead.Gate-R DoneOhio State started the night off with a bang but it was Florida which fired off the most rounds. The Gators routed the Buckeyes 41-14, claiming the BCS title. Box Score
Florida's offense, led by Chris Leak (with assists by Tim Teabow) was unstoppable for most of the night. When the Buckeyes managed to stop Leak and Co. the Gator defense put a stop to any hopes of a comeback.
From the openening kickoff you could see that this game would be high scoring, with lots of big plays. Yet, after that stunning start, Ohio State folded up and went home early. The lack of overall team effort reflects badly on coaching and preperation. Possibly they watched too much ESPN and read too many papers that had them winnning easily and going 'wire-to-wire' to win it all for Tressell's second title in this century.
Big win for the SEC and bigger win for Florida. Go Gators (note: I hate Florida^^)
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Reason to celebrate
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Labels: BCS, championship, college sports, football
posted by Lord Nazh @ 23:01 | View blog reactions
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