Recalling a dream weekend of football

For a football fan, it doesn't get much better than covering a high school state semifinal game on Friday and the biggest college football game in the land on Saturday, then sitting in the stands for a Sunday NFL game.
Here are the highlights:
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, who worked on the Baldwin-Wallace College newspaper when he was a student, was asked what headline he would write after the Buckeyes' 14-9 win over Michigan gave Columbus its first 13-0 team.
Tressel pondered for a moment, then said: "Ohio State 14, Michigan 9."
A few seconds later, he added, "Headline writers are overrated."
Tressel was asked to compare defeating Michigan in Week 13 with his experience coaching in the Division I-AA playoffs for Youngstown State University.
"It felt like a third-round game," said Tressel, referring to the six YSU teams he coached into the Division I-AA semifinals.
Tressel's record in those I-AA third-round games was 6-0. His record against the Wolverines is 2-0.
Up next for the Buckeyes is the national championship game that will be played on Jan. 3 in the Fiesta Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
Tressel's record in I-AA title games: 4-2. His Penguins won in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1997, and lost in 1992 and 1999.
Tressel was asked what his father, the late Lee Tressel, would have felt about the Buckeyes playing for the national championship.
"My father would say, 'You better start scoring a little more, to start with,' " Tressel said. "When you were close with your parents like I was, everyday is special. I'm sure this would be special for them."
Watching the game from the coaches' loge high atop Ohio Stadium were Tressel's wife, Ellen, and his in-laws, Frank and Norma Watson of Canfield.
Other thoughts
During Sunday's Steelers-Bengals game at Heinz Field, fans celebrated after tailback Jerome Bettis passed O.J. Simpson in career yardage.
"Yeah, but O.J. still has the lead for unsuccessful felony convictions," one fan in Section 508 pointed out.
We're still rubbing our eyes trying to believe that Ursuline lost their Division IV state semifinal game last Friday in Zanesville against Portsmouth West.
It's not that the Senators aren't talented, because they are. But the Irish are the Irish, a perennial Steel Valley Conference contender with a state title earned in 2000.
Ursuline's schedule included Warren Harding, Lakewood St. Edward, Boardman and Austintown Fitch.
Among the teams Portsmouth West played were Proctorville Fairland, Waverly, McDermott Northwest and Milford.
Despite five turnovers, Ursuline came within inches on the final play of advancing to the state title game.
The Luck of the Irish just wasn't enough this season.
Hats off to first-year Ursuline coach Dan Murphy, who answered postgame questions with class and respect.
An unidentified Portsmouth West player was asked how it felt to end the high school career of Ursuline tight end Louis Irizarry, whose next game will be for Tressel's Buckeyes.
"No problem. I love the Buckeyes, but he ain't one of them yet," was the response.
Back to the Buckeyes: Even though thousands of fans had swarmed onto the field to celebrate with the team, Tressel said singing "Carmen Ohio" after the Michigan game was no different than after any other win.
"It is special every time we sing 'Carmen Ohio.' It means so much to the people who have cheered for Ohio State their entire lives. It is a great feeling to share it with our fabulous fans and our band," Tressel said.
Imagine how it will feel if they get to sing it after a victory in the desert.
XTom Williams is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at williams@vindy.com.