[NU Sports] Q1: Columbus

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

Random musings from the couch again, in chronological
order ...

- Pregame looks like we're walking into a hornet's
nest. Madison and Kinnick are rough places to play
with some ferocious fans in the home crowd, but the
Shoe just gives you goosebumps. 100,000 folks in red
and a lot of noise caught in that horseshoe - the most
intimidating place for visitors in the league. Hope we
can keep our poise.

- Can't ask for a better opening drive. That 3rd and
long pass by Baz was sheer perfection and Sutton got
going as well with a BEAUTIFUL sweep run and cut up
the field. Looks like we're loose with the 6-win
monkey off the back. Keep it up, O! 7-0 CATS!

- Looks like OSU was ready for our pooch kickoff --
their kicker gets touchbacks, ours can't ... so maybe
we should just kick out of bounds all day to keep it
away from their speed.

- Dang! That fumble on OSU's first play was a BIG
chance missed.

- I guess the stat of only 24 TDs by opponents in
their 44 trips into the NU red zone surprises me a
bit. I thought it'd be worse.

- OSU is just bruising us up the gut - gotta stop the
run! But then they'll pass to Holmes and Ginn ...
ouch! We need a turnover.

- Nice closing speed by McGarrigle on the 2nd and goal
bootleg by OSU. But looks like we stopped him before
the goal on 3rd down. REPLAY! REPLAY! WHERE'S THE
FRIGGIN' REPLAY! Sure looked like that ball was down
at the 1 yard line before the body flipped
across?!?!?!?! Is the replay official awake? Even
Musberger saw it for cryin' out loud! UGH! Short field
- no passes - tie game. 7-7.

- Luck ran out the third 3rd and long and our kicking
game is KILLING us so far - coverage, kicks, field
position, everything. A late hit doesn't help either.
OSU may get two scoring drives that don't equal the
yardage of our one scoring drive but it's still 14-7
on the scoreboard.

- We need a turnover with the new RB in!

- Either our secondary is doing a heck of a job or
Smith is real gunshy, because he's having time to
throw in the pocket.

- Dang - there's the one pass to bail 'em out after
the penalty.

- Just too easy to let the Bucks run over us again and
again on a 40-yard field. 14-7 OSU.

- Nifty spin moves by Sutton after a big hit on that
last run ... but still another 3rd down and we can't
do another 3-and-out to give the ball back.

End of the quarter: 14-7 Bucks. We're probably ahead
on yards but field position is just KILLING us! And
yeah, I know OSU would have gone for it on 4th and 1
and probably made it, but I'm still wondering why the
Bucks' first touchdown wasn't replayed.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

* * * * * * * * *
STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!!


		
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