Sunday Snapshot: A fitting farewell

When choosing a moving date to Washington, the first thing I looked at was the Ohio State football schedule.

That may sound ridiculous, but knowing that I would be stopping in Indianapolis, and knowing that meant attendance at a game was possible without purchasing a plane ticket, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. When I saw that the Wisconsin game, Wisconsin who derailed our undefeated season last year, was a night game and fell in proximity of when I was thinking of moving, I knew I had my date.

My dad has warned me that this might be the last year he gets tickets, and that combined with the fact that I’m moving to the opposite end of the country meant I knew this might be my last time in the Shoe. Consequently, I was hoping for a good game. A victory seemed almost too much to hope for for the struggling team, but I at least wanted the Buckeyes to hang in there with the Badgers.

Little did I know that I was in for one of the most exciting games I’ve ever witnessed in my twenty years in the Shoe. It was truly a night to remember.

It began with a stop at our favorite pizza joint, which just so happens to be one of the favorite pre-game hang-outs on campus. Consequently, we ended up having a pizza picnic outside the joint.

As we walked to the stadium, the air had a bit of a nip to it, but wasn’t in the least unbearable once packed in with 105,000 of our closest friends.

I documented the beginning festivities…with my phone. I’ve got to be honest, it’s a lot easier to whip out a phone for photography in the packed stands than a camera.

The atmosphere to start the game was one of excitement…and perhaps unease. The Buckeyes have produced their fair share of mistakes and heartbreaks this year, and there were plenty of moments in this match-up where I’m pretty sure 105,000 people were holding their breath.

At half time, when the band celebrated 75 years of the famous Script Ohio, most were relieved that we were only down 7-3.

And then the second half started. And then we really started to take control of the game. And then the stands really started rocking. It started to appear quite possible that we would knock off #15 Wisconsin. We stopped sitting down, even during TV timeouts.

The score was 26-14 with 4:30 to go. And then Wisconsin scored. Fast. Twice.

The Buckeyes were down 29-26 with 1:30 to go. And if you know anything about the Buckeyes, the hurry-up pass offense is not exactly one of our strengths. After controlling the momentum most of the night, it seemed like the game might have slipped from our hands…just like at Nebraska.

But this was a different team than the one that played at Nebraska. Our freshmen quarterback Braxton Miller was (A) healthy and (B) a bit more experienced. And somewhere on this cold October night the team had finally found its heart. They finally looked like they really wanted it. That last drive started slow, and just as it seemed to be petering out, Braxton, scrambling toward the line of scrimmage, let loose a perfectly floated 40 yard pass that seemed to take an eternity to get to the perfectly open receiver in the endzone.

Twenty seconds to go and the Buckeyes were up 33-29. After a few more heart pounding moments, it was official.

Victory {and revenge}! The young team found its swagger and Buckeye nation fell in love once again.

And that my friends, was a perfectly fitting farewell to the Shoe and the Midwest. The drive to the Northwest begins tomorrow!