Buckeyes Get Blown Away by Hurricanes
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Well, this was not the way that many Buckeye fans hoped the 1999 season would start out. The Buckeyes, even though they had lost many key starters from last years team, were supposed to still be contenders for the National Championship. A win in the Kick-off Classic would have been an excellent way to begin that quest. But perhaps the Buckeyes over looked their opponent. For the first time since 1986, when Ohio State lost to Alabama in the Kick-off Classic, the Buckeyes opened the season with a loss. John Cooper had been 11-0 in opening games as Buckeye coach, but that record was tarnished by the Hurricanes. Some people may blame the Bowl Championship Series for the loss. Yes, I said the Bowl Championship Series. Many believe that because of the BCS, teams are scheduling tough games to give them a good strength of schedule rating in the BCS formula. The Kick-off Classic was not a mandatory game for the Buckeyes, but they did it for the amount of good it could have brough with a win. Of course, a loss would not help. But to blame the loss on the BCS is the cowardly way to go about it. The Buckeyes were out-played. The offense appeared shaky and couldn't seem to do anything against the Mimai defense. The defense was burned on a couple of big plays and by the end of the game they were just worn down by the Miami offense. In the end it was not a good way to start the season. But for those who see the glass as half full, there is a whole season left to play. Perhaps with a couple of more upsets and the tough Big Ten schedule, the Buckeyes can vault themselves back into the National Championship picture. GO BUCKS!!!
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The offense was supposed to be able to replace the loss of it's star players, but after the first game many might believe that the Buckeyes need some new replacements for the replacements. The Buckeyes offense gained only 220 total yards. Last year, they gained almost 500 yards per game. Wide receivers David Boston and Dee Miller were supposed to be replaced by Reggie Germany and Ken-Yan Rambo. Rambo was highly talked about as being the fastest player on the team. He was supposed to be a big play maker and that the offense would never miss Boston and Miller. Rambo caught one pass for one yard against Miami. Austin Moherman and Steve Bellisari were expected to battle to the end of camp for the starting QB job. Moherman was chosen the starter, but neither he or Bellisari played that well against Miami. Moherman was 10-of-22 for 107 yards. He threw one touchdown and two interceptions. Bellisari, a QB similiar to Stanley Jackson, played only one series. He threw a pitch behind Micheal Wiley that went out of bounds. It resulted in a long field goal which was missed by Dan Stulz. To say that the offense is horrible is not the answer. For many of the players it was their first start. They could have been extremely nervous, and thus, their play was off. Being on national TV probably didn't help the matter either. But if the Buckeyes are going to win, they need to get the offense running, especially against UCLA. |
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The defense also has many players to replace, but the defense played well against Miami. However, there were a few soft spots that Miami figured out and started to capitialize on. The first was at linebacker. Na'il Diggs was the only starting linebacker from last years team. And it is pretty hard to replace players like Andy Katzenmoyer and Jerry Rudzinski. It will probably help when Courtland Bullard returns from his one game suspension when the Buckeyes battle UCLA. The second soft spot seemed to be in the secondary. With Antonie Winfield and Damon Moore gone, the Buckeyes had to replace them as well. The Buckeyes were burned on one play, but credit has to be given to Santana Moss for adjusting to the under-thrown ball and then cutting across the field for the score. Pictures courtesy the Columbus Dispatch.  |
