Finally! Finally! Finally! Ohio State has beaten an SEC team in a bowl game. The Buckeyes held on to beat Arkansas, 31-26, in a wild game at the 2011 Sugar Bowl.
At times it seemed like this game would not end and the fates had decreed that Ohio State was destined to lose. There was a weird safety call. Lots of injuries to key players, including Chimdi Chekwa, Cam Heyward, and Terrelle Pryor. A fumble by Boom Herron on a crucial fourth-down conversion. And ultimately a blocked punt that gave Arkansas the ball in great field position. But somehow Ohio State’s defense refused to crumble. Solomon Thomas intercepted Ryan Mallett as Arkansas was on Ohio State’s doorstep, and that sealed the win.
Say what you will about Terrelle Pryor, but he played a great game — and he is the only Ohio State quarterback to beat the SEC in a bowl game. Pryor ran, passed, and made a slew of big plays to convert third downs and move the chains. And Ohio State’s defense played a “bend, but don’t break” approach to perfection. Arkansas moved the ball, but the D would make a big play and force a punt or a field goal attempt by a team that is used to scoring touchdowns. Cam Heyward was a force on the defensive line all night long. He has been a great Buckeye — one who returned for his senior year, when he could have gone pro — and he was rewarded with a game that Buckeye Nation will remember forever. He will be missed. And the rest of the defense also did a great job in holding Arkansas at bay and then, finally, forcing the turnover that ended the game.
Ohio State can’t brag about their record against the SEC. They sprinted to a lead in this game, and then held on for dear life. But it feels very sweet indeed that the Buckeyes have finally thrown the SEC bowl game monkey off their backs, and in the process salvaged a bit of pride for the Big Ten conference. Congratulations to the entire team and Coach Tressel and his staff on a 12-1 season that showed, again, that Ohio State has fielded one of the best teams in the country.
Unfortunately, they have to try to get off the schneid against a very good team. Arkansas finished the season 10-2, losing only to Alabama and Auburn. The Razorbacks’ strength is a high-flying, pass-oriented offense that has put up a lot of points. Quarterback Ryan Mallett — familiar to Buckeyes fans from his days at Michigan — has had a fine year, throwing for more than 3500 yards and 30 touchdowns. Although the Razorbacks focus on the aerial attack, they also average more than 150 yards a game on the ground behind sophomore running back Knile Davis. Davis has breakaway ability and really came on at the end of the season. The Razorbacks defense is less touted, but played pretty well except for their track meet with Auburn, where Arkansas was torched for 65 points. The defense recovered from that embarrassment to play considerably better down the stretch, as Arkansas reeled off six straight wins.
Last year’s Rose Bowl saw Ohio State play against type, and I would not be surprised if Jim Tressel and his coaches have a similarly inventive game plan for the Sugar Bowl. Regardless of the game plan, however, the key will be whether the Buckeyes’ offensive and defensive lines can hold their own. Defensively, the Buckeyes have to get pressure on Mallett without rolling the dice on repeated blitzes and exposing their defensive backs to one-on-one cover scenarios. Offensively, the line needs to create holes for Pryor, Boom Herron, and the Buckeye ground game and give Pryor enough time to throw. To win this game, Ohio State will need to force turnovers and capitalize on their opportunities in the red zone; field goals aren’t likely to mean much in the face of the Arkansas scoring machine. And, oh yes — it would be nice for the Buckeye special teams to avoid the kinds of breakdowns that put them in holes against Miami and Wisconsin.
I’m sure that there are some Big Ten fans, somewhere, who are making excuses for the poor performances, and others who are saying that bowl games are all about match-ups and the match-ups were unfavorable. When it comes to college football respect, however, perception is reality — and yesterday’s string of bowl failures reinforces the perception that the plodding Big Ten can’t compete on the big stage. Going 0-5 is an embarrassment and just makes the Big Ten’s road to respectability that much steeper.
The players apparently accepted discounts on tattoos and sold items they had received from the University, including uniforms, Big Ten championships rings, and the tiny “gold pants” that Ohio State players receive when the teams beats Michigan. The incidents occurred two years ago, when the players were freshmen. Pryor, Herron, Posey, and Adams will be suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season, but will be permitted to play in the upcoming Sugar Bowl. In the meantime, Ohio State is appealing the penalties as being overly harsh.
