One Frame At A Time: Ohio State
I’m currently typing somewhere between Charleston and Beckley, West Virginia. In a few hours we’ll be back home after a long trip driving back from my sister’s house in GR where 20+ Elbel’s watched The Game and then all drove back to their respective residences with massive smiles. I noticed something that I’m sure people who live up here see way more often and are already aware of: just south of Toledo on I-75, two signs caught my eye.
The first is a highway sign that tell you you’re over 600 miles away from Atlanta. Sure, 75 does go that far, and I’m sure there are people who are headed that direction. Heck, we had a jerk with a Georgia plate who had their brights blasting our mirrors halfway down I-96. That mark was a little jarring, but not crazy unusual. However, just a few miles down the road from there, another sign indicated we were over 1,100 miles away from Tampa freaking Florida.
Why? Just why? No one is driving that far today. In theory you could make it with rotating drivers and if you packed PB&J’s a la Frames Janklin and correlated all bathroom stops with gas stations. But no one is driving that far from Waterville, OH in one shot. Who is that sign for, and why is it there? Is it just to humbrag about how long 75 is or something? If that’s the case, why isn’t it in, like, St. Ignace or something? Or why only to Tampa and not all the way to Hialeah? That sign is for no one, because the number is too high for it to actually matter.
It reminded me a lot of how I felt in the 4th quarter of The Game, when we started scoring in bunches and lead grew and grew. At some point, I lost track of the score and just knew: this is too much for them to come back from. It didn’t matter if it was 3 scores, 30 scores, or 1,100 miles; with how we were playing and how they were playing the numerical amount you slap on the gap between us no longer matters. Ohio State was not driving all the way to Tampa, let alone the end zone 3 times in 3 minutes. Pull over, truck drivers, your reign is over.
I am feeling Valiant. I hope you are too. To celebrate, I present you with a top 20 this week, one for each point OSU scored in the first half, and 3 frames of the game, one for each point in the second half. Because what are we if not respectful of our fellow rivals? (Also no way on earth can I fit everything into a top 10, are you kidding me?)
Honorable Mentions:
The Beginning Of Johnson’s Day
You Are Not Allowed To Play Our Game
Sigh-Inducing Miss
McGregor’s First Almost
This Felt Like A Huge Win
Get The Hell Out Of There
Mmm Sad Ohio Punts
McGregor’s Second Almost
CelebrationByKool&TheGang.gif
Victory
20. Harbaugh, Hockey Ref
I could see Jim wrestle large men on skates to the ground. Honestly.
19. The First Sign
This was a nice little “huh, that was a nice play on a big down. Maybe that’ll be a sign of things to come?” Hooray foreshadowing!
18. Freakin’ MVP
Without Corum everything landed on JJ’s shoulders and the man took that weight and carried it into the endzone four times. Outrageous. Hail JJ forever and ever amen.
17. Get Used To This, Stroud
Feel free to sigh like this for the rest of your life when you think about this game.
16. More Foreshadowing
Hm. Just couldn’t hang on, huh? Will this be a trend?
15. SIEVE SIEVE SIEVE SIEVE SIEVE SIEVE SIEVE
We need a penalty box in football so we can institution the Cya chant in the Big House.
14. What Letter Is This?
Can’t tell from the stance here. Has to be the I right? He’s only got one hand up. Can’t be an H or an O.
13. Yes, Keep Attacking The Edge
Run laterally for no gain. Totally fine by me.
12. Get Ready For All The Touchdowns
Holy shit I’m so excited for this top 10.
11. Breakthrough
This play was the one that gave me the first flashbacks to last year’s 2nd half. If they can’t stop the pass and the run, it’s game over. Little did we know, with this score we had already won!
10. Leader. Best.
The best QB on the field today, and led the young bucks well as a young buck.
9. Look At That Hole
Plus A Good Game Summary
This is at #9 what the hell am I doing? Also phrasing, but, like, what?
8. Lightning Struck Twice
That Look Though
That was a “dude, where did you go?” look. Absolutely savage CJ.
7. Tim F’in Tebow
Except it’s a backup linebacker but I will take it nonetheless.
6. Speed Kills
Defensive MVP which is absolutely hilarious. Mike you are just the best.
5. Breaking The O
Just right over the knee. Normally my go-to response to O-H is F-U, but this might be the way to go from here on. Just take the O and snap it in half over the knee. Beautiful.
4. Ba Da Ba Ba Ba
And My Favorite Angle
Out of the big touchdowns, this was my favorite of the day. A well developed pocket by the line and then the presence to feel it out and step up and into the throw by JJ. A strike to a TE deep and hitting him in-stride is just the most Michigan way to score the game-winning points.
3. It’s Over
Reminded me a lot of the INT we got to seal The Game when Hoke won it that one time. It was already over before this, but now it became much less a football game and much more a “let’s kneel, plant our flag, and get the hell out of this damn state.”
2. Ground Assault
Look At That Hole Pt. Dos
…Because this was the one. For me at least, this one was the Tampa sign TD. It felt like they could still get some scores maybe but it’d be a stretch…mostly because we’d been dropping bombs all day and now they were getting run over by our ground units too. It’s like when you hit the enemy with fire from the sky overnight and then at dawn you roll in with the tanks to find there’s nothing left to stop you. This was last year’s final drive on steroids. Everyone in the country knew we had to run the ball here to ice it by killing time and instead we ran the ball to ice it by killing ohio’s will to live.
Frames of the Game: Stroud, Nebraska Quarterback
I believe CJ Stroud stepped into a wormhole or another dimension a la Rick and Morty and came back out a Husker. At least for this one play. He found himself behind the chains in a desperate situation. Needing a touchdown, he tries to do it himself before realizing too late that he cannot because of something to do with corn ghosts. He then makes an ill-advised play that no one saw coming and the ball finds its way into the opposition’s arms. Now I don’t know if we can prove that the transformation is fully complete or not, but maybe at whatever NY6 consolation prize bowl OSU backs into the media can ask him about his affinity for corn, just to check.
Frames of the Game: We Own This Now
This is Michigan, so we know a thing or two about claiming things with flags. Like the moon. If we can claim the moon for our own, we can claim this rivalry back for its rightful owners.
Frames of the Game: General JJ
I debated back and forth between General or King, but ultimately the best-sounding one won over the one that fits the gif best. I am sorry, General King, if this offends you in any manner. Please do not salute me and tell me to go home.
POLL FOR THIS WEEK GOOD FREAKING LUCK
Last year’s winner: You Fool
WAIT that’s not….. uh… I wasn’t even doing this yet last year so I don’t know how that happened. We’ll chalk that up to a typo?
Last WEEK’s winner: $$$$$
November 27th, 2022 at 7:07 AM ^
Well done! This was a wonderful hit of dopamine to go with my morning coffee.
I was going to say you should’ve included the first Stroud pick and then there it is! With a witty joke about Nebraska AND a Rick and Morty reference! You made this a GREAT morning!
November 27th, 2022 at 7:50 AM ^
Awesome work, and on the road too!
In GIF #9, you can really see how the run threat of JJ holds the safety Ransom #12 juuust long enough to avoid Donovan being TFL’d, and then *poof*, no third level.
November 27th, 2022 at 10:02 AM ^
Noticed this as well. The JJ Difference.
November 27th, 2022 at 8:08 AM ^
Early work today! Nicely done!
November 27th, 2022 at 8:13 AM ^
Wow--you posted this bright and early the day after the game. Amazing. Thanks as always for putting it together!
November 27th, 2022 at 8:25 AM ^
In #4 (the Loveland TD), the best part is CJ throwing up the TD signal WHILE THE BALL IS STILL IN THE AIR. He knew!
November 28th, 2022 at 4:06 PM ^
I'm not so sure - the more I watch the highlight I think he might be calling for a flag since he fell down, which he later maybe turns into a TD signal. The last part at the end he even looks like he's putting his arms down AFTER the TD is actually scored.
November 27th, 2022 at 8:39 AM ^
1. Amazing dedication.
2. Great editing.
3. What a game!
November 27th, 2022 at 9:20 AM ^
My morning coffee never tasted so good! The JJ wave is forever. Turns out Zinter and Olu are pretty good. Now we know what OHIO didn't about JJ, feathered passes and hitting them downfield in practice. Who else do we have late in their college career on offense that can play defense? The Ann Arbor squirrel may know.
November 27th, 2022 at 9:40 AM ^
Look back at where Upshaw is on the field for his interception and recall Harrell and McGregor and their near misses on interceptions and tell me Jesse shouldn't get most of Jim's $500K bonus. Wow. Those are DE's people. Wonder what system Hutch used for his Lions picks?
November 27th, 2022 at 9:57 AM ^
That jump pass, to me, almost deserves the first RPS +4. We knew that OSU knew we might need a short yardage back if Corum couldn’t go. We prepared a backup linebacker to make it look like we were desperate. We even set it up with a real short yardage run, then totally fooled them with the second one.
November 27th, 2022 at 10:05 AM ^
This, exactly this. I admittedly criticized the first playcall for Mullings - no reason to run that play to a new back in a critical situation for the first time all year - and then to not convert? Oof...
But the second he started to throw, it all clicked in my head. Our coaches were playing chess. They set that up perfectly, and it was executed (almost) perfectly.
Biggest RPS win in M history that I can remember. A++++
November 27th, 2022 at 10:08 AM ^
I started the Sainristil appreciation thread, so it should come as no surprise that Speed Kills is my choice here. While I love the slow play development of Loveland's route running with 2 fake handoffs, and CJ's early TD celebration, the ground Sainristil makes up on Stover to break up that key 3rd down pass is just NFL-level remarkable. My jaw (and entire body) dropped to the ground when he did that. It happened in slow motion. Still can't believe it. Play of the game. Frames of the game.
November 27th, 2022 at 10:13 AM ^
Many thanks for these - fantastic words and visuals. You have a gift for this and I appreciate you sharing it. And, as always, Go Blue.
November 27th, 2022 at 10:27 AM ^
It’s like when you hit the enemy with fire from the sky overnight and then at dawn you roll in with the tanks to find there’s nothing left to stop you.
this^^^^^^^^^^^^^
November 27th, 2022 at 11:05 AM ^
Thank you all for the love. I’ve really enjoyed doing these this year and hope I can continue to do so. Looking forward to a B1G Championship Frames and CFP Frames!
November 27th, 2022 at 11:06 AM ^
Can you find the one of Corum on the sideline, I believe after the second DE touchdown, with his arms around two other players, and the biggest s***eating grin on his face? Unfortunately I didn't DVR the game.
November 27th, 2022 at 11:49 AM ^
Actually I didn’t watch through the whole game for this one like I normally would. Typically I watch the full game to piece this together afterwards because I work a lot of Saturdays and miss them live. This one I was off and watched as it happened, and then had time on our ride home and wanted to get this out. So I pieced this together from highlight videos since the full game hadn’t been posted anywhere yet that I could find.
Anyway, I don’t remember this moment myself but would love to see it. I’m sure I’ll rewatch many times so we’ll see it.
November 27th, 2022 at 1:29 PM ^
Found it! A tip of the winged helmet to @RustyBathslts
November 27th, 2022 at 11:52 AM ^
Sad Pants!
You're so right. Them and their trinkets. They've got Sad Pants.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:34 PM ^
Ah damn. I tend to have a few typos because I get so nervous that I’ll click something wrong and lose the whole diary when I’m ready to post, so I don’t really do a thorough look-through. Maybe next year I’ll come up with a better system for posting so that I don’t have to worry about that and can leave a little more polish on these. Then again, Sad Pants is hilarious. So.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:01 PM ^
Thanks. This is great. Suits the game just right.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:25 PM ^
I could see Jim wrestle large men on skates to the ground.
Sure helps that the OL already put skates on most of OSU's largest men
November 27th, 2022 at 3:55 PM ^
How on earth am I supposed to vote for just ONE of these???
November 27th, 2022 at 7:34 PM ^
10 is my favorite, as JJ is pulling the Freshman away from a taunting penalty or another pileup brawl. True leadership from the young general
November 28th, 2022 at 7:24 PM ^
Those endzone shots on those two running plays are beautiful. OSU had the first one played right on the front end but the crashing end hesitated even though he had a replacement behind him that had JJ. No safety.
The second one OSU play more safely and correct, had a 1 high safety, but Michigan anticipated that and ran Bell across the defensive backfield which made the safety hesitate for just a beat. Boom Edwards is gone.
great stuff.
November 30th, 2022 at 4:29 AM ^
The offense exploited what they showed but...Mikey's PBU was absolutely tone setting. Thats the play that broke their will. It must win.
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