Florida just wanted it more.
You can talk 51-day layoff, Heisman jinx, SEC speed or SEC schedules. I might give some weight to Ted Ginn, Jr’s injury. I’d be even more inclined to ask who left the manual on how to make adjustments back in Columbus.
It isn’t in the DNA of Buckeye Nation to give the opponent much credit, but Urban Meyer had his team ready. Maybe the Gators did benefit from playing two games while the Buckeyes were in limbo. Maybe they’d had it up to here with hearing how they backed into the game. Maybe they didn’t appreciate University of Phoenix Stadium’s red and gray seats. Whatever the reason, Florida had a chip the size of a sequoia on its shoulder, and they put an emphatic end to Ohio State’s 19-game win streak and hopes of a second national crown under Jim Tressel with a 41-14 blistering of top-ranked OSU.
It absolutely couldn’t have begun any better. Ted Ginn, Jr. gathered in the opening kickoff at his 7, and with Dionte Johnson and Austin Spitler absolutely burying two Gators to open a huge hole, Ginn slipped Kyle Jackson, turned the corner and motored 93 yards for a touchdown. It was Ted’s second career kickoff return for a score, and the second in Ohio State bowl history following Keith Byars’ 99-yard return against Pittsburgh in the 1984 Fiesta Bowl. Sixteen seconds in, the Bucks had drawn first blood, but in the celebratory pileup in the endzone, Ginn suffered a sprained ankle. He would stay in the lineup for OSU’s next offensive series, but would leave the field later in the quarter and be done for the night, and most likely for good in Scarlet and Gray.
Although Ginn’s return came right at our section, it wasn’t until I watched a replay of Fox’s broadcast that I noticed a big reason why the injury probably occurred. Ginn may have never been hurt if he had turned to greet his teammates instead of concerning himself with facing Florida’s student section with his finger to his lips, “shushing” them.
Last season, after the Fiesta Bowl, I took some minor flak for calling out Santonio Holmes as he punctuated his 85-yard touchdown catch by raising his fist in the air for the last 10 yards, and then having to grab onto the football as Tom Zbikowski almost knocked it free. It amazes me, whether it’s Holmes or Dwayne Jarrett in this year’s Rose Bowl or practically anyone in the NFL, how it’s not enough to score or make a big play. We have to see woofing at opponents, woofing at fans, dancing, posing, posturing and on and on. Well, Ted Ginn just couldn’t resist stooping to low-class behavior, and next thing you know his team is all over him, he gets hurt and Florida’s defensive job just got a whole lot easier. No, the kick return unit didn’t need to tackle him and no, his presence may not have made the outcome much different. But I guess we’ll never know. I sincerely hope that the coaching staff utilizes this opportunity to put the showboating crap to a stop once and for all.
Just as quickly as the special teams lit the fire, they flat doused it. Even though the game was indoors, Aaron Pettrey didn’t hammer the ensuing kickoff, instead booting a line drive that Brandon James returned 32 yards to the Florida 39. Pettrey dragged James down by his facemask, drawing a 15-yard flag and setting the Gator offense up at the Ohio State 46. Chris Leak promptly hit on his first three passes to gain a first down at the Buckeye 36, then after a 4-yard gain by DeShawn Wynn, Leak beat the blitz with a 10-yard dumpoff to fullback Billy Latsko. Freshman quarterback Tim Tebow entered and- SURPRISE! - ran up the middle for 7 to the OSU 15. Leak sent four receivers to his right on the next snap, but came back to the only guy on his left, Dallas Baker. Baker ran at Malcolm Jenkins, then released and Leak floated the ball right over Jenkins’ head to Baker for the score. The game was less than five minutes old and the 7-7 score had everyone anticipating another Ohio State/Michigan track meet, but Florida’s defense was having none of it. Corner Tremaine McCollum showed nice closing speed to bat down a first-down pass, then on third down end Derrick Harvey began his residency in the Buckeye backfield by sacking Troy Smith for a loss of 7. Tight end Rory Nicol, lined up over Harvey, had turned to tap tackle Alex Boone on the shoulder to communicate something, but the ball was snapped and Nicol never had a chance as Harvey blew right by him. A.J. Trapasso got off a 38-yard punt that James brought back to his 49, but Larry Grant was tagged for a late-hit and the 15-yard penalty put the Gators in OSU territory once again at the 34.
Runs by Percy Harvin and DeShawn Wynn picked up 6, then Leak dialed up Cornelius Ingram for 21 to the Ohio State 7. Tebow carried for 3, then Harvin took an option pitch around the left side for a phantom touchdown to give Florida the lead. Harvin’s knee had clearly gone down inside the 2 before he stretched the ball across, but with the replay officials from the Oklahoma/Oregon game apparently on hand, the call was upheld. Chris Leak was now 6 of 6 passing for 56 yards and a touchdown, and five different receivers had already snagged receptions as the Gators had moved out in front 14-7.
For the second straight kickoff, Anthony Gonzalez was positioned in Ginn’s usual deep spot, and he broke off a nice 31-yard return to his 35. Antonio Pittman gained 4, then Smith showed a bit of rust, firing behind Brian Hartline on a quick out to the left. Hartline hauled in the pass and regained his balance to push ahead for 5. Pittman pounded for 4 and Ohio State’s initial first down of the night, but that joy was tempered as Ted Ginn, Jr. headed for the locker room. Moments later, the Buckeye faithful were further deflated as Derrick Harvey chased Smith down for a loss of 10. A false start call brought up a 2nd-and-25, and Pittman got 11 of it back on a short pass reception. With Florida blitzing on 3rd-and-14, Smith sailed one well short of Brian Robiskie and Reggie Lewis made a diving interception at the Gator 29.
Chris Leak, the senior who had been booed in “The Swamp” as recently as this season, continued to torch OSU’s defense, hooking up with Ingram for 20, Jemalle Cornelius for 18, and then converting a 3rd-and-5 with a 6-yard toss to Andre Caldwell, giving Florida a first down at the Buckeye 18. Caldwell then struck on the ground, taking a reverse flip for 11 to the 7. After Leak’s first incompletion in 10 throws, Tebow trotted out and- SURPRISE! – hammered for 5 to the Ohio State 2 as the first quarter ended.
Now heading for the endzone in front of the Florida band and students, the Gators stacked three runningbacks in an “I” behind Leak. The deepest, DeShawn Wynn, got the handoff and with a nice second effort twisted in for another Florida score. Wynn, a Cincinnati Reading graduate and the only Ohioan on the Gator roster, was reveling in this moment as the Orange and Blue fattened their lead to 21-7.
OSU’s offense, starting the next series at their own 35, showed the form that they had displayed all season long. Troy Smith connected with Brian Hartline at the sideline for 14 yards, and the Bucks got a gift 15 as Gator linebacker Brandon Siler was whistled for a questionable roughing call. From the Florida 36, Smith toted for 13, and Antonio Pittman followed with 5 more, setting up 2nd-and-5 from the 18. Pittman fired up the middle on the next play behind excellent blocking, particularly by guard Steve Rehring on Siler. Eluding safety Tony Joiner as he cut left, Pitt reversed field once more at the 10, and behind a great double-team block by Gonzalez and Robiskie, took it in standing up. The Buckeyes had taken less than a minute-and-a-half to narrow the margin to 21-14, and the Scarlet and Gray contingent among the 74,628 came to life.
Chris Leak threw the ball away on first down, then appeared to take forever to get the second-down play off. I couldn’t find the 25-second clock fast enough in person, but if Fox’s clock was accurate on its broadcast, it set on zero for two more seconds as Leak and Cornelius worked a crossing route for 10 yards and a first down at Florida’s 30. Another crossing route, this time to Baker, was good for a third-down conversion moments later, moving the chains to the Gator 43. But finally the Buckeye defense got a stop as Leak’s pass for Caldwell fell incomplete- Florida’s first misfire on third down in six tries. Eric Wilbur boomed a 59-yard punt into the endzone, putting OSU on its 20, and slowly, very slowly, momentum seemed to be shifting. But on one of the most critical series of the night, the offense, which had looked to be in high gear on its previous drive, came up empty.
Troy Smith actually got great protection for one of the few times of the evening on first down, but Florida’s coverage was excellent and Troy had to throw it away. Brian Robiskie appeared to have a first down with a reception, but it was ruled incomplete. Both replays that Fox showed were from behind Robo, so I can’t make a definitive call, but it certainly looked like a catch. At this point former Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez, doing color commentary on the TV broadcast, asked the same question a lot of us were thinking- “Where’s the running game?” Faced now with third-and-long, Smith was forced to throw and end Jarvis Moss got a paw on it. The ball sailed out of bounds, and just like that a golden opportunity went by the boards.
Florida continued to mix the run with a short passing game, and before long they were at the OSU 21. A pass for Billy Latsko was off target as Vernon Gholston was a step short of getting his hands on it. Leak went for Percy Harvin on second down but Malcolm Jenkins almost came up with it. After a false start, Leak threw his third-down pass away, and despite a 1 for 10 mark on field goals from 30 yards or more, Chris Hetland was sent in to try a 43-yarder. In another indication of how this night was going, Hetland drilled it through with ease and the Gators went up 24-14 with six minutes left in the half.
For all intents and purposes, Ohio State lost the ballgame on the next series. The Buckeyes went back to the run and two Chris Wells carries worked for 9 to the OSU 29. Troy Smith tried a sneak- on third down? – and lost the handle, falling on the ball for no gain. With less than four minutes to go, Jim Tressel elected to gamble and went for it. Call it panicking or trying to fire up the team, but whatever the case it didn’t work. Defensive tackle Ray McDonald came around from the backside to grab Chris Wells, and as he attempted to fight forward, Wells tripped over Steve Rehring who had been decked by linebacker Brandon Spikes. Wells got nothing and the Gators took possession.
The Buckeye defense did its best to stem the tide, forcing Florida into a 4th-and 4 from the 23. Back came Hetland for a 40-yard field goal try, and again he split the uprights with room to spare, putting his team up 27-14. Maurice Wells downed the kickoff in the endzone, so Ohio State had 1:53 to work with and all of its timeouts. Troy Smith dropped to throw, but Jarvis Moss beat Alex Boone like a drum, forcing Smith to run. Antonio Pittman dropped off to block Moss, but the big defensive end never gave up on the play and left Boone and Pittman flatfooted as he got to Smith and stripped the football. Derrick Harvey scooped it up at the 14 and lumbered to the 5 as Kirk Barton saved a touchdown. Now with 1:28 to go in the half, Florida went for the kill.
Tim Tebow came in and- SURPRISE! – bulled down to the 2 as Florida elected to let the clock run. Tebow took the snap with 37 seconds left and- SURPRISE! – ran again down to the one. This time Urban Meyer called his last timeout, and with the Buckeye defense intent on stopping Tebow from running, the Florida braintrust came up with a beaut. Tebow took the shotgun snap, and after taking a couple of steps towards the line, winged it to Andre Caldwell for a backbreaking touchdown. Caldwell had come in motion from right to left with Jamario O’Neal trailing him. Instead of sliding behind his defensive line, O’Neal looped all the way behind the umpire and as Tebow cocked his left arm, O’Neal was in no position to make a play, much to the chagrin of Malcolm Jenkins who had been screened off by Dallas Baker. Florida had scored on six of its seven possessions in the first half, and they took a 34-14 lead into the break. I won’t claim to speak for everybody, but in Section 102 of University of Phoenix Stadium, everyone was in shock. Buckeye fans couldn’t believe what they were seeing, while Gator rooters were stunned that it was coming so easy for them.
The Ohio State Marching Band did an encore performance of its excellent “Hollywood Blockbusters” halftime show from the Michigan game, although this time the formation of a boat going underwater to the strains of “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic” seemed a bit more poignant. Click here for photos from their practice session the day before.
Florida had the ball to start the third quarter, and Ohio State had only one prayer- stop the Gators, then take the ball down and get points. The “D” did its job, although Leak and Co. looked a little shaky. Leak had to throw the ball away on first down after he ran down a shotgun snap that got over his head, then DeShawn Wynn was called for a false start. After Marcus Freeman continued his career evening by stopping Jemalle Cornelius short of the first down, Eric Wilbur only managed 19 yards on a rugby-style punt.
Ohio State had its best field position of the evening at the Florida 46, but the Gator defense immediately stood up as linebackers Brandon Siler and Brian Crum dropped Antonio Pittman for a loss of 4. Siler ran right by Stan White, Jr. who blocked absolutely no one on the play, while Crum blew around Rory Nicol who double-teamed with Alex Boone. Troy Smith looked for the screen on second down, but nothing was there and he scrambled for 2 before slipping at the Florida 48. The nail went in the coffin on third down as Earl Everett lost his helmet as Pittman blocked him, but nonetheless stayed with the play and grabbed Smith after a gain of one. It was just like Pittman’s “block” on Jarvis Moss in the second quarter, where Moss just kept going and forced the Troy Smith fumble. Apparently Ohio State felt one shot would keep Florida blocked. A.J. Trapasso had to punt, and any slim chance of the Buckeyes making an early second-half statement went up in smoke.
With the Gators starting at their own 9, OSU’s defense forced a 3rd-and-2, but just like on the opening scoring drive, fullback Billy Latsko came uncovered out of the backfield and hauled in a 7 yard catch. Quinn Pitcock rang up a TFL on Caldwell, and Vernon Gholston caught Leak for Ohio State’s only sack of the game as the stop troops forced another punt. The Bucks again had good field position at their own 44, and two plays later they moved into Florida territory with a 12-yard option run by Pittman. But a holding call on Steve Rehring derailed the drive, and again the Buckeyes had to punt.
DeShawn Wynn scooted through the middle for 17 to ignite Florida’s next series, and Cornelius again took advantage of the underneath routes being wide open with an 11-yard reception. The march bogged down and the Buckeyes took over on their 20 as the third quarter concluded. The Gators did what they had to do- shorten the game by milking every possible second off the clock, keep OSU’s offense off the board, and work the short crossing routes since the Buckeye defensive line would have to pay long-distance charges to communicate with the linebackers.
Meanwhile, the Florida D-line continued their outstanding night as Jarvis Moss blew in untouched on 3rd-and-9 and flattened Smith for a 13-yard loss. The Gators regained possession at the OSU 39, and Leak revved up the offense one more time for the knockout blow, lighting the fuse with a 14-yard keeper. After a false start, Cornelius Ingram hauled in a 13-yard reception on a pass that Leak floated all the way across field, but no Buckeye defender could react. Tim Tebow ran right through James Laurinaitis on a 10-yard counter, making it 1st-and-goal at the Ohio State 7. Tebow picked up 1, then after another Florida false start, Percy Harvin danced down to the 2 on a quick out. Out of the stack-I, DeShawn Wynn was stopped short of the goal line, bringing up fourth down. Urban Meyer went for it, and Tebow stuck the dagger, rolling over the right side for the touchdown. The count went to 41-14, and for the second straight game the Buckeye defense had surrendered a record number of points for the Jim Tressel era.
The Gator defense put the icing on the cake on OSU’s final series, as Derrick Harvey capped off a miserable night for Troy Smith with a 14-yard sack. Wynn and backup Kestahn Moore kept it landlocked to run out the clock.
The Florida Gators celebrated their 100th football season with their second national championship. In 1996, Florida had been ranked #1 until a loss to archrival Florida State in late November. With the Seminoles at #1 heading into the bowl games, the third-ranked Gators got a shot at a rematch and beat up on FSU 52-20 to win their first national title. Folks groused back then at how Florida was extremely lucky to get a rematch, just as everyone felt they were overly fortunate to be in this year’s game. Florida has won both of those games by a combined 93-34 score. Just as Ohio State proved in 2002, when you spend these long layoffs waiting for your bowl game and hearing how you don’t belong in it, it’s funny how that team responds.
RANDOM THOUGHTS- This was the ninth BCS Championship Game since the format was inaugurated in 1998, and as of yet there have been no two-time champions…Big Ten fans may have had a bit of déjà vu as the Gators roared back from the Ginn kickoff return. In the 2003 Orange Bowl, Iowa’s C.J. Jones returned the opening kick 100 yards for a touchdown, but USC stormed back to win 38-17…Ohio State finishes #2 in both polls, although Boise State got 1 first-place vote in the AP…Urban Meyer joins a select group of coaches to win it all in his second season at a school, joining Oklahoma’s Barry Switzer (1974) and Bob Stoops (2000) as well as Ohio State’s Paul Brown (1942) and Jim Tressel (2002)…
Florida 41 Ohio State 14
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VS
January 8th, 2007
University of Phoenix Stadium -
Glendale, AZ
Attendance 74,628
