It's been a month since the Independence Bowl win, and for me that game erased a few of the bad feelings I had about the season. The team played in that game the way that I expected them to play all year, but unfortunately they had not.  You can argue some about the quality of the opposition in this game, but you cannot argue the fact that the team excelled in all three phases of the game.  Like most fans, I'm blaming a lot of the bad results during the last 5 weeks or so of the season on injuries, and this game supported that thinking IMO.  I also think the game shows that the coaches can indeed coach and are not as stupid as some people think they are.

A short list-not an exclusive list- of some things that I liked about this game, that we failed to see in the losses, included:
1. A healthly TT making running plays
2. A pass rush with some timely sacks
3. A downfield passing game
4. Winning the special teams battle
5. Winning the turnover battle
6. Scoring TD's when in the red zone
7. Scoring on the first drive of the second half
8. Some good playing time for the backups with some good results
9. Not killing many drives with untimely penalties

The results in this game make me feel a lot better than I would have felt if I had to just  think all off-season about the way the regular season ended.  My two cents.

I think you missed one. My #1;

TT being able to get the ball 50+ yds downfield. 

It was certainly good to win but you still owe me for that four out of five losses to teams that I refuse to believe were all better than us.

That homer vs. BG?  stinko.


The Independence Bowl is one of the oldest bowls.  It's a fine one.  I still think that we got that invite because (hello mid-week ESPN) OHIO is a name.

I agree with nearly everything in the original post, as well as L.C.'s comments.  However, one sentence in the original post really caught my eye.  It was this radical idea:



Do you mean to tell me that our coaches know more about football than the average BA poster?  This is a really hard concept for many of us to understand.  

All seriousness aside, I also believe that the number one thing was TT's arm strength being back to early season form.  L.C. is right about the defense selling out on the run on play action, but even if this was the case the end-of-the-regular-season TT couldn't have thrown the ball that deep with that accuracy.  On defense, the play of Tremayne Scott was also a game changer.  His four solo tackles (two for sacks, as I recall) were very much key to our good defensive effort.  Sure it's a team game, and it was a team victory, but the healing of those two players made a whale of a difference, IMHO.  Oh, sure the coaches get some credit, too! 

Credit to all and glad to give it.  My observations of the two teams at the game led me to believe Ohio was much better prepared. Ohio makes effective use of every moment available. Kickers are out early and even during half-time.  Pregame drills are much crisper, not at jogging pace.  Seemed Ohio was businesslike and LaMonroe, well, not.  That Ohio had been there, done that, before, seemed evident. 

When I put up this post I had TT being able to throw long as part of #1 so I know hwere you're coming from