Oops, we did it Again

Well, well. Here we are again. Déjà vu, anyone? Another ranked opponent, another disappointing outcome. Different city, same story. Does anyone else feel like we learned absolutely nothing from our experience in the Coliseum? I hate to be such a Debbie Downer, but let's face it: we did not play well last Saturday night. We seem to have so much potential, but can't make the magic happen when it matters most. After the game was over, I couldn't help but think…

How did we get ourselves in this situation again??

After the loss in Los Angeles, Buckeye Nation was down. A few days went by, and we began to feel better. A few more days, better and better. We beat Troy and Minnesota; no biggie. Wisconsin? A little more nerve-wracking, but we pulled it off. Pur-Don't? Please. And Michigan State; some were anxious, but again, we pulled it off (and fairly well, I might add). Seemed like we were back on track; good to go. We were ranked, our only loss was to the #1 (at the time) team in the nation, and the experts were in our favor (GameDay was at the Shoe!). Buckeye Nation seemed psyched- a night game in Columbus? Awesome! And then, about halfway through the fourth quarter, our fate was sealed.

It's not just that we lost. It would be unreasonable to expect to win every single game that the Buckeyes play. I don't feel like I hold the Buckeyes to unreasonable standards. I simply expect everyone to play their best. Picking up multiple penalties while Penn State didn't get flagged a single time? Two turnovers, and again, none for the Nittany Lions (FYI, a Nittany lion refers to a lion that is native of nearby Mount Nittany. Thanks, Wikipedia)? And finally, you can't win a football game without touchdowns. Doesn't really sound like a team playing up to its potential.

Again, it would be unreasonable to expect to go undefeated every year. But it can happen once in a while, and maybe to the Bucks, if we could learn from our mistakes. We couldn't get it together in the USC game. Oh, Tressel didn't play Pryor enough, and the refs seemed biased, and it was in Los Angeles, whatever. We didn't drop too far in the polls, and we still had a chance for a great season. After that loss, I had hoped that the Bucks realized what it would take to win from there on out. I guess they just need more practice. After all, it would be unreasonable to expect them to win every game.