An unforgettable experience
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Credit: Marcus Hartman
My brain was fried Monday night when I got back to the press box at 1:30 a.m.
With cigar smoke from the victorious locker room still clinging to my blazer, I thought about seeing all the confetti go up in the air, the players lifting the trophy and the spontaneous expressions of joy breaking out all around me.
***
On the field, I saw multiple generations of Buckeyes sharing in the fun, a group that included Orlando Pace, Maurice Clarett and former Northmont standout Kurt Coleman, among others.
I spoke to Springfield’s Aaron Scott Jr., Alter grad C.J. Hicks and Wayne alum Joshua Padilla and listened in on interviews between players and TV stations from all across the state.
I also managed to get Jim Tressel’s thoughts on what went down, and that was a little surreal in itself.
He was hired to be the coach of the Buckeyes when I was a senior in high school. I was there for his first game as OSU head coach at the newly renovated Ohio Stadium, and he was an established national championship winning coach by the time I joined the Ohio State beat in 2005.
So was Urban Meyer when he was hired in 2012, so covering Ryan Day has been a different experience.
Day is closer to my age, and he had been an anonymous assistant when he showed up in Columbus in 2017, but now he’s joined the club of coaches to lead Ohio State to the national championship.
Here is a look at all our coverage from before and after the game: LINK
Day gets it done for Buckeye Nation
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Credit: Marcus Hartman
I wrote when Day was hired that we would learn if Ohio State is truly too big to fail.
He started strong in 2019 and ’20 with a pair of Big Ten titles and playoff appearances, but after Michigan pierced the sense of invincibility the Buckeyes had in The Game, I started to wonder if he was really getting through to his players or just good at rhetoric and designing pass plays.
As this playoff run played out over the past month-plus, Day spoke repeatedly about crediting the players and trusting them to get the job done, and the players said over and over again they wanted to win for Day.
They made it happen, but he still deserves credit for putting the whole package together after Meyer’s recruits were long gone and the program became fully his.
Bengals hire new defensive coordinator
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
In a somewhat unexpected but convenient crossover of beats, I was able to get an up-close look at the next defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Al Golden put together a defense that helped Notre Dame get to the National Championship Game, so I hung around him for a little while during media day in Atlanta on Saturday and was impressed to hear him talk about crafting a game plan and explain how he teaches fundamentals for head coach Marcus Freeman’s team.
That caught my ear because those have been lacking for the Bengals since they started a youth movement on defense.
Golden ran a flexible, pro-style defense at Notre Dame known for playing a lot of man coverage, but perhaps more importantly he was able to adjust on the fly despite having a lot of personnel changes because of injuries.
That was Lou Anarumo’s biggest weakness as Bengals DC. If he had the right personnel, he could do great things. If not, he could barely do decent things.
If Golden can just raise the floor for the Bengals defense, the ceiling is unlimited for the team with Joe Burrow leading the offense.
About the Author
