Open-Mic: 2007 BCS National Championship Game—Disappointment in the Desert

Antonio Pittman closed the gap with an 18-yard touchdown run to bring the score to 21-14 Florida. The Gators punted, and the Buckeyes gambled on a play that would cost them the championship when Beanie Wells was unable to move the ball on a fourth-and-one at the Buckeyes’ own 29-yard line.

Gators’ kicker Chad Hetland scored another field goal to put Florida up 27-14. Another blown scoring opportunity for the Buckeyes occurred when Smith fumbled the ball after getting hit by Gators lineman Jarvis Moss. 

Florida recovered the ball on Ohio State’s five-yard line and scored another touchdown on a one-yard pass from Tim Tebow to Andre Caldwell. The Gators went into halftime leading the Buckeyes 34-14.

Tebow scored the last touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter, after the Gators successfully stalled the Buckeyes offense in the third to bring the score to 41-14.

When the massacre was finally over, Buckeye fans everywhere realized that the Gators were a true force to be reckoned with, holding Ohio State’s usually explosive offense to only 82 total yards. Smith would only have four complete passes for a total of 35 yards and one interception. Ohio State had possession of the ball for just 19 minutes.

In retrospect, there were too many factors working against Ohio State. It seems the Buckeyes were too complacent and lackadaisical when it came to practice.  The team had 51 days off between the Michigan game and the BCS National Championship Game. In that time, Troy Smith won the Heisman Trophy and would miss valuable training and practice time as he made appearances at black tie galas and other events celebrating his accomplishment.

The Buckeyes arrived in Phoenix ten days before the game, and rumor had it that most of that time was spent partying, partially helped by their familiarity with the city and its popular nightlife hangouts.

Since that game, the Buckeyes—and the rest of the Big Ten Conference—have paid for their embarrassment dearly. Ohio State looked antiquated compared to Florida’s speed and coverage.

It was obvious the style of play Woody Hayes initiated that had long been dear to the Buckeyes (“three yards and a cloud of dust”) was no match for Florida’s (much less the rest of the SEC’s) spread offense, and were even less prepared to get past the Gators’ defensive line when they had possession of the ball.

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