Buckeyes to Take Shot at Pure Revenge in Austin
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by user Ross K.
Now that the Ohio State Buckeyes are in the midst of what could end up a full-out rout of Northern Illinois University, I’ve grown bored of this week's game and am ready to look towards next weeks match up against the University of Texas.
The Buckeyes have a unique opportunity to get actual, equal revenge against the Longhorns because Texas is in the exact same spot that Ohio State was in last year: the middle of a quarterback controversy.
Last year, when these two teams met in Columbus, OSU Coach Jim Tressel was still facing quilt in giving up his longtime friendship and loyalty with Justin Zwick and his family. He had a hard time giving up the reigns to Troy Smith who has quickly become a Heisman candidate.
The Texas game is where Smith finally got his shot and started to earn his stripes, but it came too late in the game and Texas held on to win. Had Smith started the season and been prepared for the game, Ohio State (in my humble opinion) would have beaten Texas and may have been the ones beating USC in the national championship game. However, hindsight, as they say, is 20/20 and OSU just ended up completely dominating Notre Dame instead.
Enough about last year though, this year Texas is choosing the fates of freshman quarterbacks Colt McCoy, who has been given the first shot, and Jevan Snead who was considered Texas’ top-offensive recruit for this class. Although ESPN referred to McCoy as “masterful” in his first start (a 56-7 rout of North Texas), you know a new starter – and especially a freshman – can never be completely ready for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes showed all of the nay-sayers out there that they may only have two returning starters on defense, but guess what, they had nine All-Americans waiting in the wings hungry to play. Then there’s the fact that they’ve been practicing against the nation’s top-ranked offense the entire off-season. The Buckeyes are much more ready for McCoy than MyCoy is ready for them.
There’s a chance that next week, as Tressel looks for his 52nd win, the script in Austin will play out in complete reverse of last year. The Buckeyes could come out and knock the snot out of McCoy and Snead will end up coming in and taking over the program.
When the Buckeyes roll into Texas next week, they will be prepared for battle. Texas’ chances to fight them off lie in the hands of an unproven, inexperienced freshman. Only time will tell if the rolls are reversed and it’s Mack Brown’s turn to play QB Hook’em.
Date
Sat 09/02/06, 12:53 pm EST
