Written by Mansfield Lucas

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Mansfield Lucas is fired up for Monday night's Buckeyes-LSU game.  In his latest piece, he scoffs at the Buckeye fans fearful of another bad loss, dispels the myth of "SEC speed", and lays out his keys to the game for the scarlet and gray.  We're just one day away ... Buckeyes/Tigers tomorrow night for all the marbles.  And we'll be running columns on the game right up to kickoff.

Gary Benz, arguably the most reliable and consistent football writer on this site, started his last piece with this statement: 

“There is a palpable sense of dread in the air as the Buckeyes begin their final preparations for Monday night's BCS national championship game.  It's the kind of dread that most Cleveland fans certainly recognize having lived with, the "please don't let my team lose another big game" feeling, most of their lives.”  

What’s up with that? C’mon Holmes. 

I have no dread about The Sweater Vest’s troops in a big game, any big game. Ask Lloyd Carr if you have any doubts. In fact, I’m really looking forward to Monday night. The Buckeye’s don’t represent The Cleveland Experience ™ under The Sweater Vest (TSV). They actually win big games instead of finding excruciating and creative ways to break my heart. 

Look, last year was a fluke, a gork, an aberration. Those Buckeyes weren’t a typical Ohio team; they were LA rock stars. They were so arrogant in their play and perhaps rightfully so to a degree. Once they emerged successfully from the Game of the Century they thought all they needed to do was show up and the coronation would begin. Their overconfidence and lack of preparation was palpable. The only wonder is how Jim Tressel let it happen. But if you take last year as the national media does and project it, then you are going to miss it. It’s not another sequel. Don’t believe the hype.  

The Buckeyes are as talented as any team in the nation. This non-sense of the myth of southern speed is about the dumbest chattering class axiom since the allegedly liberally biased media. Remember about a decade ago when it was all about “Florida speed” being invincible and the rest of the nation was irrelevant? Well, how’s that working for FSU, UF, USF now; all losers to teams from states that wore Union blue 150 years ago. In fact, Florida was 1 – 4 in bowl season with the only winner being – snicker – Florida Atlantic. Is that a program or a cut rate puddle jumper air line? Now I’m told that all the best and fasted players come from “the south”, right? And so I’m supposed to believe that the Buckeye linebackers can’t run with….. Jacob Hester? Bitch please. Just look at this Gump. He can’t carry Beanie’s jock. 

Ohio State is a national program with a national recruiting base. The reason so many starting players are from Ohio is – newsflash – Ohio high school football is, um, good. Ohio State is the only big-time, Big 10 program in the state so there is no dissolution of talent save for the Fred Davis-type exceptions and the traitors that Michigan traditionally plucks away. Don’t kid yourself – the talent to win a title is in Columbus. 

The schedule and conference debates and Ohio State’s history against the SEC are mere distractions. When it comes down to it, Ohio State is playing LSU in one game in 2008. That’s it. Not the 1970 something Buckeyes that Ozzie Newsome and Alabama shredded. All that matters is that the Buckeyes are a very good team playing for the title and deservedly so. Do all the internet warrior wankin’ that’s needed to have fun, but it is what it is if one is intellectually honest. 

The keys to the game are pretty simple, and here they are: 

• Are the Buckeye’s focused and prepared for a big game as they have almost always been under TSV? Or have they been living the drink-and-a-two-step life like Troy and company did last year? Will they approach this game with the life and death intensity of Krenzel, Wilhelm and Doss, or with the blasé, “It’s one game, it won’t ruin my life” cavalier outlook the team had last season? My money is that after punching in the code of “4114” to get into the Hayes Center all year and listening to the talking heads use the words “humiliation” often enough; we’re going to see a slobber-knocking effort more in line with 2002 than last year. Mentally and emotionally, this team will be ready to kick ass and execute.
  
• The Buckeyes’ offensive line vs. the LSU front seven should determine the outcome of the game. You’ll notice that nowhere here have I suggested LSU wasn’t an excellent team with real strengths that didn’t deserve to be there. I don’t buy that they are invincible or there is a huge talent disparity, but I do think they are outstanding. Perhaps they are nowhere better than on their defensive line. If the Buckeye front can’t open holes for Chris Wells, or protect the immobile Todd Boeckman, it could get as ugly as the national media and the more nervous Buckeye fans fear. This is where this thing will be won or lost. They need to atone for their sorry assed effort from last year.
  
• There will be tremendous pressure on the Buckeyes’ defensive backs against the LSU receivers. They are fast; they are big play threats. Will the Buckeyes’ turtle and play soft coverage out of fear like they did against Florida? Or will they step up with confidence and take the chance they may surrender a big play or two, but refuse to be bled to death? I’m hoping it is the latter. I thought the Buckeyes’ coaching staff’s fear of Antonio Smith’s and Jamario O’Neil’s limited abilities gave too much away to Florida last year.
  
• Beanie Wells has to stay healthy and play all game. He has to grind them down and break a couple big runs for the Bucks to win. They are a different offense when he’s on. They are potent. Without him, they are Michigan State. 
  
• Todd Boeckman has to limit his mistakes and hit the receivers when they are open. He was shaky in the upset loss against Illinois. He has to play with efficiency. It won’t be his game to win, but big mistakes, particularly if he’s pressured, could result in it being his game to lose. The fact that he may as well be playing at Tiger Stadium could well be the wild card of this match up. He’ll need to call upon a new level of poise.

I’m expecting a close game that goes down to the wire. I am expecting a hard-hitting Ohio State team to come out and respect LSU, but line up and smack them in they grill. I’m expecting that Ohio State will struggle on offense, but eventually establish enough of a running game and get Robiske open enough to win on Monday, mainly because I have huge expectations that the defense will play like nothing LSU has seen this season. 

I’m not heading into Monday with TCE ™ fear and loathing and neither should you. In no way do I have any dread. I’m gonna enjoy this like a filet and Irish red ale at the Cleveland Chop House and in the end The Sweater Vest will again hoist the Waterford football.          

O – H ! 

You best answer “I – O” , bitches. And you KNOW this.