Friday, December 29, 2000
OSU glad to have another game after Michigan
Winning Outback could help erase bad memories
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio — What's the expiration date on a loss to Michigan? Once again, another group of Ohio State players must find out.
At least the Buckeyes have a bowl game on which to focus, playing South Carolina in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on New Year's Day. The 1999 Buckeyes not only had to deal with yet another loss to the Wolverines but, because of a 6-6 record, had to brood about it over the holidays because they weren't invited to a bowl game.
Yet the Buckeyes' 38-26 loss to Michigan last month is a bad memory that must be shoved aside. Some have to shove harder than others.
“It's going to be different for each person. Once we do play again, it should be erased by everybody,” quarterback Steve Bellisari said. “But it's really hard to say. It's a personal thing, how people deal with it.”
Some already have forgotten the loss and that the Buckeyes could have clinched a share of the Big Ten title had they won.
Linebacker Joe Cooper was asked how long it took to get over the loss Nov.18.
“Really, you get over it after the game,” he said. “We can't do anything about it; we can't turn the time back. You get over it real fast. It was another game we lost; you look at it like that.”
It was a lost opportunity for senior cornerback David Mitchell.
“You can't ever get it back,” Mitchell said. “I'll never get to play them again. For an underclassman, they can redeem themselves. Now I just have to look forward to this (bowl) game and to the future.”
Coach John Cooper said too much is made of the long-term implications of a loss to Michigan. He has some experience in this area; his record against the Wolverines is 2-10-1.
“I don't think there's any lasting effect. Quite the contrary,” Cooper said. “Whenever you have a devastating loss, you can't wait to play the next game. You can't wait to play again and have a better experience the next time.”
Aspects of the game at Ohio Stadium are still hard to wipe out of the memory banks, the Buckeyes said. Ohio State scored the first nine points, then dominated the fourth quarter to pull close. On a third-down play at their own 19 late in the game, Bellisari rolled left and heaved a pass down the left sideline toward wide receiver Ken-Yon Rambo.
Rambo was wide open, with a 5-yard head start on the nearest defender. But Bellisari's pass hung in the chilly air and then drifted out of bounds.
“Things like that happen,” Rambo said. “The ball floated out of bounds. Steve is a left-hand quarterback, and the ball curved to the left. It was kind of windy that day, and it took it out of bounds.”
Linebacker Matt Wilhelm said the worst scenario is to lose the last game of the season and then have to mull what went wrong until the next season begins.
He said this year's loss to Michigan is much easier to get over than a year ago.
“Guys are really, really excited about the New Year's Day bowl game, especially after last year not going to a bowl game and being 6-6 and being down in the dumps after a mediocre season. That's something we don't expect here,” Wilhelm said. “The Michigan game is in the past, and we're just really excited about playing this game and playing South Carolina.”
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