Tressel reflects on family legacy

COLUMBUS

Victory No. 100 in the Jim Tressel era at Ohio State looked a lot like most of the 99 that preceded it.

Outstanding defense, a productive offense and special teams that, while not doing anything to win the game, also didn’t do anything to lose it.

The Buckeyes’ 38-10 victory over an Indiana team (that could challenge for the title of “worst 3-2 team in college football”) should be a source of encouragement in more ways than one to Ohio State fans. This was the same Hoosier team that took Michigan to the wire last week before losing an old-fashioned Big Ten grind-it-out battle, 42-35.

(That’s sarcasm for you fans scoring at home.)

Indiana came in averaging nearly 350 passing yards and 40 points per game — against the likes of Towson, Western Kentucky and Akron. They also gashed the Michigan defense, which is lowest-rated in FBS this season.

Clearly, this was a humongous step up in competition for the Hoosiers, who wilted under the defensive pressure.

Ohio State allowed just 141 yards passing and 210 overall, intercepted three passes and generally made the outcome a foregone conclusion before the end of the first half.

As the second half “progressed” at a snail-like pace, Tressel admitted he thought of his father, Lee, who began the Tressel tradition with a hall of fame career at Baldwin-Wallace College.

The elder Tressel attended Ohio State as a freshman in 1943 and was the best player in the spring game that year, before duty called during World War II. A Division III national championship and 157 wins resulted in his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

“You know, I thought a little about it,” he said. “We had a lot of time to think in that second half — I was like, when’s this going to be over? — and I thought a little bit about the fact that my dad came here in 1943 and chose to, after spring ball, to go serve his country.

“And this was always his team, you know, no matter where he coached in high school or college, Ohio State was very special. Paul Brown was very special to him for recruiting him here. So I did reflect on that for a minute.”

Tressel’s post-game press conference was interrupted as Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, and Ellen Tressel, presented him with a trophy of sorts — a “100” in gray numbers atop a base of artificial turf.

He got it in fewer games — 121 — than either Woody Hayes (144 games) or John Cooper (138) — who was, as always, at the stadium.

Typically, Tressel answered questions about the milestone, but clearly he wanted to talk more about the game.

“[Former Ohio State coach] Earle [Bruce] said something to me this week, he said ‘I don’t know why everybody wants to talk about this 100 win thing, what took you so long?’” quipped Tressel. “No, he didn’t say that … He would have.

“I guess,” said Tressel, “if they let you stay long enough you should win 100.”

Tressel was then asked if he thought about staying long enough “to replace the 1 with a 2 or a 3.”

“Right now I’m thinking only about replacing that [zero] on the [right] side, I want to replace it with a 1,” answered Tressel, referring to the number 101.

“That’s as far ahead as you’re thinking?” he was asked.

“Right.”

And that’s all the talk about No. 100 that Tressel would allow.

As you’re reading this, his focus is on Saturday night in Madison, Wis. Win No. 100 is as distant a memory as No. 1. Which goes a long to explaining why he’s at No. 100 in the first place. SFlbRob Todor is sports editor of The Vindicator. Write to him at todor@vindy.com.