Cleveland, OH
‘Better than Christmas’: A 365-day wait finally ends for Ohio State football fans
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The ultimate 1,000 toes had been traveled in silence. As Ohio State marched the fenced-off path from St. John Enviornment to Ohio Stadium on Saturday morning, followers reaching for dap known as out “Go Bucks!” and “O-H!”
They heard no replies. The Buckeyes, headphones strapped to their ears, adopted the tone set minutes earlier by extensive receivers coach Brian Hartline at this week’s Cranium Session, hours earlier than Michigan’s 45-23 win.
“For 12 months, we’ve heard them speak,” Hartline stated. “For 12 months, I needed to watch them assault our head coach, assault our quarterback and assault Buckeye nation.
“As a substitute of getting loud and attempting to reply on social media, we obtained quiet. We circled a date on the calendar – November 26, 2022 – and we went to work. And we knew what we did at nighttime, what we did within the quiet, would sometime come to gentle.
“As we speak is that gentle.”
Hartline’s gentle was beaming over Columbus lengthy earlier than the solar appeared on his circled date. By 6:40 a.m., audio system at “The O on Lane,” situated 1 / 4 mile north of the stadium, had been already blaring bar hits. Followers had been already huddled below warmth lamps and lubricating their livers. Bartenders stated they’d been doing so since 5:30 a.m.
Why?
“Trigger it’s the perfect day of the yr,” an Ohio State fan named Kyle stated.
“Higher than Christmas,” added Kyle’s pal, Paia, who sported a black cowboy hat with buckeye beads wrapped across the roll and an OSU emblem scorching glued to the band.
Ohio State and Michigan soccer followers congregate close to the pregame present set on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022.
Two days after Thanksgiving, The Sport could be the largest vacation on the calendar from West Lane Avenue to Woody Hayes Drive (and past). The custom spans six a long time for Michigan fan Leon Owens, an Ann Arbor native who flew to Columbus from Nevada this weekend.
Owens grew up watching Michigan finish Jim “Mad Canine” Mandich, the previous All-American, Wolverine captain and the MVP of Bo Schembechler’s first Wolverines crew. When Owens was 16, Mandich recruited him to play for UM.
Owens was content material to stay a fan.
“I used to be younger,” Owens stated. “I used to be intimidated, to be very trustworthy.”
OSU followers Corrine and Jessica loved a unique childhood. Their dad and mom graduated from OSU (so did Jessica). Their uncle had season tickets. And Corrine, a present junior, stated her introduction to the Buckeyes started together with her grandfather’s can opener, which performed Ohio State’s combat music.
“That’s the music of the best crew on the earth!” she stated as a baby.
At round 9:15 a.m., Fox Sports activities’ Huge Midday Kickoff set was crawling with reminders of why she thought so. Former OSU operating again Beanie Wells delivered free Wendy’s to close by followers. Former linebacker Joshua Perry manned the Michigan fan-only dunk tank (Perry missed his throw then pushed the button in any case). And former Buckeye Braxton Miller met certainly one of his largest followers.
OSU fan Joshua, who flew to Columbus from northern California, stated Miller was the explanation he started loving the Buckeyes. Minutes after assembly the previous quarterback and extensive receiver, Joshua struggled to course of the interplay.
“He didn’t say a lot,” Joshua stated. “I used to be extra speaking to him, that’s why I’m nervous. Simply to see him and speak to him, I’ve nonetheless obtained the jitters, man.”
The enjoyable paused 12 minutes later when the enemy arrived. Escorted by a police motorcade that featured just a few “Go Blue” stickers on bikes, OSU followers jeered and pointed thumbs down on the Michigan buses as UM arrived.
The boos flared once more at St. John Enviornment every time That Staff Up North was talked about – even tangentially. The Michigan band will carry out at halftime? Boooooo. One of many OSU representatives on the Cranium Session was born in Michigan? Boooooo, even when he wore scarlet and gray Saturday morning.
Brutus Buckeye on the Ohio State soccer Scull Session earlier than the sport vs. Michigan on Nov. 26, 2022.
Maybe the one grace for a Wolverine fan got here hours earlier, when a Buckeye fan gifted Michigan fan Derby a free beer for daring to put on darkish blue in Columbus.
“You’ve obtained some balls, dude,” the OSU fan advised him.
To listen to the Buckeyes say it, so did Michigan – “That God forsaken crew up north,” Hartline stated — in speaking the way in which it did after final yr’s 42-27 win, UM attacked the coach, the quarterback, the fanbase.
So round 10 a.m., the Buckeyes marched into the Cranium Session on a mission. They’d been observing their countdown clock for months, coach Ryan Day stated. Ready.
“Click on, click on, click on,” Day stated. “Now it’s at two hours. And in two hours, we lastly get these guys in our stadium.”
They lastly get an opportunity at retribution.
“Combat on three,” Day continued. “One, two, three …”
“FIGHT!” the gang replied.
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