Gators Chomp Buckeyes

If we've learned nothing else from bowl season, it's to expect the unexpected. A close second would be to discount the importance of a favorable quarterback matchup. Just a few days ago, JaMarcus Russell outdueled Brady Quinn in LSU's rout of Notre Dame. Last night it was Chris Leak's Florida Gators who overwhelmed the Ohio State Buckeyes and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Troy Smith. While Leak looked impressive all night long, the Gators defense keyed the the palondromic drubbing. Jarvis Moss and Derrick Harvey chased Smith all night, creating two turnovers which aided the 41-14 rout. The Florida defense held Smith to only 35 yards passing. He completed only 4 of his 14 passes or one less completion than sacks (5) he took. Lots of talk centered around the massive Ohio State offensive line, but they looked like little boys messing with the front seven of Florida.

The game was touted as the speed of the SEC versus the power of the Big 10. Ohio State learned the harsh reality that speed kills. However, last night's loss coupled with Michigan's poor showing has to bring in to question the power of the vaunted Big 10 Conference. Furthermore, it empowers the belief that the non-BCS conferences should get a shot at the big boys. Regardless, this may have been the most thorough beating of all bowl games. Ohio State had more yards on its opening kick return touchdown (93 by Ted Ginn Jr) than it did for the rest of the game with only 82 total yards of offense. The absence of Ginn Jr., Smith's high school teammate and favorite downfield target, certainly hurt. Beyond that, you really have to question the job Jim Tressel did. On their only scoring drive, they were effective running the football with Antonio Pittman. After that, they essentially abandoned the ground game. He seemed to panic. Going for it on 4th and 1 only down 7 in the second quarter from your own 29 is stupid at best. They brought in bruising freshman back Chris Wells, but were stopped. Getting stopped on a telegraphed run on 4th and 1 is no reason to get away from running the ball, especially since the mistake only cost them three points. Many people are going to complain about the long layoff, which at over 50 days is ridiculous, but it did not cost Ohio State this football game. They ran in to a better who probably would beat them nine out of ten times.

While Tressel struggled, Urban Meyer's spread offense clicked on all cylinders. With an abundance of playmakers and the steady hand of Chris Leak, the offense looked other worldly. Since he runs an unconventional offense, the short passing game pretty much substitutes for the running game. With athletes like Percy Harvin and Andre Caldwell, this is very effective. Leak made all the right decisions and ended his tumultuous four year career in Gainesville on a high note. Running back De'Shaun Wynn showed off his power in the second half grinding out the clock. He teams with freshman quarterback Tim Tebow to be the thunder to Leak and his receivers lightning. Early in the game they capitalized on a few Ohio State special team penalties for great field position. However, as it was for most of the season, the real story was the defense. From the speed rush of the front four and the relentless pursuit of the linebackers to the ball-hawking skills of the secondary, this was the most complete defense in college football. They had playmakers on every level of the defense and cohesion certainly was not a problem. Rallying around the death of All-American Reggie Nelson's mom and the creation of the unity chain, these guys were all on the same page. The unity chain, worn in the waning moments by starting middle linebacker Brandon Siler, evoked memories of the Heat's "15 strong" of last year's championship. The chain contained fake dog tags with the names of every member of the defense. Being witness to "Team Turmoil" this season, the importance of team unity can not be underestimated. With the win, the Gators now hold both the Men's Basketball and Football national championships. It is the first time this has happened in the history of college athletics. Unfortunately for fans of any other school, the basketball team looks poised to repeat in April.