Headed for a big fall - again

Sporting News, The, Nov 4, 1996 by Joe Posnanski

There's a story that has been told so many times in Columbus, Ohio, that it no longer matters whether it's true. It is legend, bigger than truth, the stuff people talk about. And it cuts to the essence of how Columbus feels about the most hated man in town, the football coach at Ohio State: John Cooper.

Before an Ohio State-Michigan game, the story goes, Cooper began a speech for the ages. These Michigan games define Columbus. In Ohio, these games speak to happiness and sadness, they shelter families from harsh winters or expose them to cold winds, they set the price of eggs.

John Cooper stood before his players and began to speak as he never has spoken. Cooper doesn't normally coach by emotion. He is a preparation guy--blocking, tackling, fundamentals. That day, as legend has it, he was Lombardi and Rockne and Kennedy in the musky light of the locker room. He roared about significance, history, emotion, urgency. He promised Rose Bowl parades and California sun at the end of the day. He choked up. He raged. His voice burned through his players. And when his chalk-board-smashing, wall-banging, chair-kicking firestorm had ended, Cooper rushed on the field, his team behind, to the background music of 100,000 people booing.

The Ohio State players were so unnerved, so overwrought, so paralyzed, they played helplessly, and Michigan rooled to a four-touchdown victory. But, hey, this is Ohio State, a school renowned for crescendoing to great heights before crashing.

Don't look now, but the Buckeyes are at it again. After beating Iowa, Ohio State (7-0) again finds itself peering down on most of the nation from its high spot in the polls. Three softies await before Michigan, which travels to Columbus on November 23. Yes, it's good to be a Buckeye, and John Cooper can't be complaining. Or can he? Consider:

1. John Cooper's winning percentage in the 1990s (.763) is better than Woody Hayes' overall mark (.761).

2. John Cooper has won more games than any Big 10 coach over the past four seasons.

3. John Cooper never has taken Ohio State to the Rose Bowl.

4. John Cooper is 1-6-1 against Michigan.

5. John Cooper has won one bowl at Ohio State, a 28-21 squeaker over a remarkably average Brigham Young team in the 1993 Holiday Bowl. The victory was secured when a BYU receiver dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone after Ohio nearly had blown a two-touchdown lead.

A new season, and John Cooper walks in his own footsteps. The script is Danielle Steel-familiar. "They're the best I've see in a long, long time," Penn State's Joe Paterno gasped after his Nittany Lions were humiliated in Columbus, 38-7.

They dream the biggest dreams in Columbus. And Copper, like Prince Hamlet walking blindly to the inescapable end, coaxes those dreams. "Yeah, I think we're pretty darned good," he says.

But not good enough, as in recent years. Remember last season, when Ohio State was 11-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation? Or how about 1993, when the Buckeyes were 9-0-1 late in the season? On each occasion, Cooper's club stumbled. This season won't be any different. After all, building championship hopes that subsequently crash is nothing new in Columbus.

It's easy for Ohio State fans to get caught up in the present. This is a big and bad Buckeyes squad that torched Rice for 70 points and Pitt for 72 this year. OK, they were lightweights, but everybody was impressed by Ohio State's demolition of Top 20 talents Notre Dame and Penn State. But here's a spoonful of history to turn the stomachs of OSU fans:

* John Cooper brought quiet confidence against an overmatched Air Force team in the 1990 Liberty Bowl (the Buckeyes lost, 23-11).

* John Cooper downplayed his team's chances against Georgia in the 1992 Citrus Bowl (the Buckeyes lost, 21-14).

* John Cooper built his team to a frenzy before the 1993 Michigan game (the Buckeyes lost, 28-0).

John Cooper demanded victory over Alabama in the 1994 Citrus Bowl (the Buckeyes lost, 24-17).

* John Cooper refused to say anything before the 1995 Michigan game (the Buckeyes lost, 31-23).

* John Cooper guaranteed victory over Tennessee before the 1996 Citurs Bowl (the Buckeyes lost, 20-14).

More disappointment awaits this season. Why? The first problem is quarterback Stanley Jackson. Aside from being an iffy passer, Jackson doesn't know when to throw the ball away. And since he has had some success running the ball, he tends to scramble too much and not give his receivers time to get open. There will come a time when he makes a mistake late in a game that the defense won't be able to recover from. It almost happened in the 17-14 victory over Wisconsin.

And the Buckeyes' defense isn't without fault. The weak links are the safeties. Yes, cornerback Shawn Springs is a stud, but teams are using off-beat formations to get their best receiver away from Springs. That means safeties Rob Kelly and Damon Moore must help in coverage, but they have been too aggressive helping stop the the run. In addition, they struggle to keep receivers in front of them.