An eye for an eye, an ankle for a knee…

I made the mistake of spending a half hour watching ESPN’s “The Top 5 Reasons You Can’t Blame the Refs For Miami Losing the 2003 Fiesta Bowl” or some lame-ass title like that.

I don’t know what was worse, that segment or Monday night’s title game. You think I’d learn to shut off anything college football related until September. I’ll never learn.

ESPN’s piece was, well, a piece. A steaming one. Nothing like hearing idiot writers from the central Florida region (Gators fans?) talking about how Miami didn’t “deserve” to win the game because they gave up a 4th and 14 on that would-be final drive.

For the sake of not reliving this nightmare four years after the fact, this is the only point I’ll touch on regarding this Tabasco in the eyes viewing experience tonight.

Good teams find ways to win. That’s a compliment regarding the Canes, not the Buckeyes and the title tubby Terry Porter gave them. Both teams battled to the finish, but this was settled in the first OT.

Miami overcame five turnovers that game and Ken Dorsey’s second worst outing in his collegiate career. Though #11 threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns, Dorsey’s three turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble) were very unclutch for a signal caller who wrapped up his Miami career, 38-2, a National Champion and a two-time Heisman finalist.

The Canes overcame turnovers, Dorsey, a freak Willis McGahee knee injury, 4th & 14 and several other “go either way” type of calls throughout the night.

In the end, there was one which changed history.

Porter’s bogus flag was the lone moment which cost the Canes back-to-back titles. No other play up to that point in the game was one-and-done. Call it an incomplete pass like the side judge and Miami is your 2002 National Champion.

Porter gave Ohio State second life, forcing Miami to beat them twice in one game. No one team should have to deal with a blow like that. I’d rather have lost 41-14, never having a chance as opposed to being down, scrapping back, losing our star back and then getting jobbed after overcoming all that adversity.

Speaking of 41-14, the above pic is from Monday night’s dismantling of Ohio State. (Notice the focus is on a Buckeyes loss and not a Gators win. I’ll ride out this “denial” thing as long as I can.)

It’s a shot of tOSU celebrating after Ted Ginn Jr. housed the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Teammates piled on as they felt the route was on and in their zest, they rolled out Teddy Superstar’s ankle.

Oops.

Before I go on here, let me offer up a disclaimer. I am not celebrating the injury. Buckeye, Gator or Irish puke, as much as I loathe those programs, I never want to see a kid hurt. We’re talking about careers, families and livelihoods here. No one deserves bodily harm. Not even Will Allen, the cheap shot artist who exploded McGahee’s knee like a pinata.

There were a lot of parallels between the 2003 Fiesta Bowl and the 2006 National Championship game. Heavily favored team, Heisman caliber player at some skills positions, hungry underdog pitted against a team facing complacency due to a double-digit win streak. Ohio State got the ring on January 3rd, 2003 but they’ll forever hear “The Call” tied to their first championship in over three decades.

Though it was never vocalized before the game, you know Ohio State faithful wanted this ’06 title badly. Probably worse than 2002 as that was out of nowhere and this one has been on the rader since the season opener.

A wire-to-wire run at #1 and a shot to beat a team that backed their way in the conference championship weekend? It’d be the first time in almost forty years Ohio State won a title with no controversy. Shut up the critics and 2/3 of the sports fans in the Sunshine State.

The opposite happened. The Buckeyes were manhandled by the Gators, a huge blow to their credibility and mystique this decade. All that talk of having the speed to hang with Florida-caliber athletes, a well-coached Gators bunch snuffed out that argument halfway through the first quarter.

It’s no mystery that the Buckeyes offense lost a step when Ginn Jr. went down. It’s also a big reason why Troy Smith was 4 of 14 on the night for 35 yards and one interception. Ohio State probably still gets worked, but losing #7 had that “gasoline on fire” effect when combining hobbled Buckeyes offense against the fastest and most aggressive defense they’d seen all year.

OSU was pantsed on national television and after watching ESPN’s “How Ohio State Stole Miami’s Title” tonight, losing Ginn Jr. was rather poetic. It also took the luster off their 2002 title, an indictment on the Canes coaching as opposed to the Buckeyes effort.

Same can be said for Jim Tressel, a.k.a. Cheaty McSweatervest. Entering the 2006 National Championship game, the man was heralded as a genius. Another title would’ve had him surpassing USC’s Pete Carroll as the current “it” coach. Instead, he was upended by Urban Meyer, who now looks to be #2 behind Carroll on the ‘desired coaches’ list. Tressel is top five and headed back to the drawing board to see what’s in store for 2007. Rebounding from a loss like this is one of the toughest things a coach must get his program to overcome.

As I stated before, I’m not glad the kid got injured. Hell no. Ginn’s a baller, I’d take him at The U any day of the week. But the fact that he went down on the grandest of grand stages the same way, playing for the program that some feel cheap-shotted McGahee?

Coincidence. Karma. Football gods. Perhaps a bit of all three.

The 2003 Fiesta was all about Miami doing everything wrong, finding a way and getting robbed. This year’s title game has Ohio State faceplanting seconds after their first score. Your stud WR/PR/KR goes down celebrating after a touchdown?

Get ready for the next 59:00+ minutes of football to go anything but your way.

This one will sting for a while as Ohio State looks to lose the core of that offense. Ginn Jr. sound all but gone. Anthony Gonzales and Michael Pittman took off and Smith graduated.

Similar to how the still sour 2002 Canes lost Dorsey, McGahee, Andre Johnson and most of the offensive line entering 2003. It was insult to injury and Miami is still reclimbing that ladder. The Canes need to win again to get over that double overtime loss.

Welcome to our 2003, Buckeyes. A loss like this one lingers as you never entertained the thought of losing this game as a huge favorite. Come September, the core of this team is headed to the NFL. Let’s see how you respond.

In the interim, this recent loss still looms and the ’02 title looks even more like a farce after another Sunshine State school ate your lunch.

.:Canes305:.

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