Buckeyes have a bright future

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Ohio State coach Jim Tressel spent Saturday morning before a national media audience, reflecting on the Buckeye' thrilling victory over Miami in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl the night before.
As is his style, Tressel began not dealing with the Xs and Os of the 31-24 victory, but instead reflected on what the national championship, Ohio State's first since 1968, means in the long run.
"My first thoughts turned to how fortunate we are to be part of a culture that allows great competition like this, and the emotions and energy put to use in an extraordinary atmosphere," he said.
Whoa. Heady stuff for a group of media that, less than 12 hours before, witnessed one of the most thrilling games in college football history.
Think about it. It was a team that was an 111/2-point underdog to one that many considered the sport's greatest dynasty since the Oklahoma teams of the 1940s and '50s. Those Sooner teams won 47 straight games.
Miami began Friday's contest with a winning streak that had reached 34. Only four times in that streak had the Hurricanes' victory margin been in single digits.
Pulling the upset
Yet, the Buckeyes, led by their defense, contained Heisman Trophy finalists Ken Dorsey and Willis McGahee, turned a pair of second-quarter turnovers by Dorsey into touchdowns for a 14-7 halftime lead.
The Hurricanes kept Ohio State out of the end zone in the second half, and Todd Sievers' 40-yard field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter tied the score at 17 and sent the game into the first overtime in BCS history.
"The tide turned and backturned [all game long]," said Tressel. "I think the cumulative effect of the way our kids were very physical, and the conditioning and strength development that they had put in and invested, paid out at the end."
In the overtime, there was the controversial pass interference call on Ohio State's fourth down play from the Miami 3, trailing 24-17. The call gave the Buckeyes a first down at the 2, and three plays later, quarterback Craig Krenzel dove across the goal line.
"Had the game ended with us being incomplete on a fourth and 3 in overtime, that's the way it would have ended," said Tressel. "I wouldn't have been any less proud of the effort of our team and coaches.
"There were some things I would have liked to have seen that maybe could have helped us, [but] it didn't happen," he added. "My stance on that type of thing is, in my experience, it evens out."
Of course, that set up the second overtime, when Maurice Clarett's 5-yard run made the score 31-24, and then the Buckeye defense made its goal-line stand to win the game.
When Donnie Nickey knocked down Dorsey's fourth-down pass at the goal line, it set off a wild celebration on the field and in the stands for the thousands of Buckeye fans that turned Sun Devil Stadium into, what one observer called, "Horseshoe West."
"This one, it felt like a home game," said Tressel. "You can't even plug into the formula what percent of impact [the fans] had."
Future
So, naturally, the first real question of 2003 is, can the Buckeyes repeat? Despite losing 13 seniors, including receiver Chris Vance, defensive tackle Kenny Peterson, linebackers Cie Grant and Matt Wilhelm and safeties Nickey and Michael Doss, Ohio State should be the preseason No. 1 team come August.
"We don't make predictions," said Tressel. "We didn't sit there at the Outback Bowl [last January] and talk about 2002. We just went to work. That's what we'll do in 2003."
Certainly, there is talent on the field that will lead the Buckeyes next fall. What will be the biggest challenge to replace will be the leadership of this year's seniors that made a national championship possible.
XRob Todor is sports editor of The Vindicator. Write him at todor@vindy.com.