While some of OSU's seniors remember the pain of a BCS defeat, Jim Tressel is concerned that success may have softened his Buckeyes' mindset.
As the confetti rained down on the victorious Florida Gators, Ohio State's Heisman QB Troy Smith was consoled by Florida counterpart Chris Leak while offensive lineman Steve Rehring looked for an exit in the 2007 BCS title game in Glendale, Ariz. The disappointment of that game (and a year later against LSU) is fueling this year's seniors to avoid overconfidence in the 2010 season.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Walk-on linemen Scott Sika and Chris Malone, then red-shirting as freshmen, watched Ohio State's BCS Championship Game loss to Florida from the stands in Glendale, Ariz., four years ago. It soon haunted their dreams.
"We both looked at each other the next morning," Malone said, "and we both asked if that game really happened. We thought we had a nightmare."
Long snapper Jake McQuaide still can't shake that loss to the Gators after the 2006 season, or the loss to LSU the next year.
"Those two national championship games are something I can't forget," McQuaide said. "As much as I try, it's with me every day, what a huge opportunity that was and we let it slip."
Safety Tyler Moeller can conjure up the feelings he had on the sideline after Ted Ginn Jr. returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown against Florida, and then everything else that followed in the 41-14 loss that ended what had been an unbeaten season.
"[I remember] just thinking, 'We made it.' The first 30 seconds of the game was like, 'Ahh, we got this in the bag,'" Moeller said. "Then [Ginn] got hurt and everything went downhill.
"It's definitely different going through that. You hear about things, but you can't really learn from something unless you really go through it. And we have guys on this team who have gone through it."
So Jim Tressel's main concern with his 2010 team may not apply to the 13 fifth-year seniors who opened their OSU careers with consecutive national championship losses. Tressel fears that his team, which is aiming for a sixth straight Big Ten title, a sixth straight BCS bowl and a seventh consecutive win over Michigan, hasn't suffered enough.
Just a redshirted freshman who stood on the sidelines against Florida, offensive lineman Bryant Browning is one of the 13 seniors on this year's OSU team who know title disappointment.THEY LIVED IT
There are 13 fifth-year Ohio State players who remain from the 2006 season, who lived through the title game loss to Florida in their first seasons in the program.
Expected or potential starters: LB Ross Homan, CB Chimdi Chekwa, OL Bryant Browning, DT Dexter Larimore, S Tyler Moeller, OL Andrew Miller.
Backups: WR Grant Schwartz, S Aaron Gant, OL Connor Smith, OL Josh Kerr, C Jake McQuaide, OL Scott Sika, OL Chris Malone.
— Doug Lesmerises
"I've always believed it's hard to progress naturally," Tressel said. "When you suffer, it's a little easier to progress. Now, that sounds a little fatalistic, but I think it's true. I can think of many different teams over the years, you didn't really see them get it until you suffered a little.
"The guys in our locker room, they haven't had a whole lot of suffering, which makes me nervous."
The Buckeyes suffered on a smaller scale in last season's upset loss at Purdue. But that's nothing compared to when an expected coronation turned into one of the greatest embarrassments in program history on Jan. 8, 2007.
Soon, "41-14" will be part of the history books, a Buckeye tale told just like the 1969 loss to Michigan. It happened to someone else. But for one last season, it can serve as a first-hand lesson for some of the leaders on a team again predicted by many to play for the national championship. Few of these fifth-year seniors played in that game, but they were part of the preparation and they absorbed the shock and sadness on the sidelines and in the post-game locker room.
"You start to think you're very good, and you think back to the '06 year where we were unbelievable in the preseason and we stuck together and then guys started to sense they were better than maybe they were, and it just kind of all fell apart," starting defensive tackle Dexter Larimore said. "I think in '07 we were kind of humble, but we didn't get it done. But as players, that kind of stuff always goes with you.
"So I never think I'm too good, because all you have to do is think back to those years, all the things they said on ESPN and everything. You can do so well and all it takes is one day for four hours and you're the worst thing that ever happened."
For players such as junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor and his classmates, the championship losses are what they've been aiming to make up for, though the recruiting class of 2008 had no connection to the actual games. Senior cornerback Chimdi Chekwa said the coaches have emphasized that the recent success should mean nothing to this team either.
"You don't inherit anything from Ohio State," Chekwa said. "You don't inherit winning."
Instead, Chekwa said a theme for the seniors "is to go get what we want." And while Chekwa said the Rose Bowl win to end last season was a valuable lesson in what to do, he'll never forget his experience in what not to do.
"We went undefeated during the [2006] season, so I came into that game kind of spoiled," Chekwa said. "When you lose, it takes you back to reality. You see what you did wrong and what kind of attitude will make you lose, and I think that helped a whole lot for the rest of my career."
Linebacker Ross Homan thought the Buckeyes were invincible in 2006. He never thought that again. He'll never think that this season, no matter how many games the Buckeyes win. Sure, he's been part of a program that has gone 44-8 since he arrived on campus. But it's two of those losses, and one in particular, that gave him a taste of the suffering Tressel is looking for.
"You never want to repeat how you felt during that game," Homan said. "You're just so depressed. You had such high hopes, and you don't want that to happen again. So that's always in the back of your mind. You don't want that to happen again."
Another new look: For the second consecutive season, Ohio State will not wear its regular uniforms for the Michigan game, a revelation that may not go over well with traditionalists.
The Buckeyes, and nine other teams including Alabama, Florida and Miami, will wear Nike Pro Combat uniforms for one game instead of the usual Nike gear. Last season, the OSU uniforms were modeled after Ohio State's 1954 team for the game at Michigan. The design for this year's home game with Michigan will be unveiled on Sept. 1.