COLUMBUS, Ohio—It’s easy to be a team leader when everything is going well.
Except this hasn’t been the best of times for the youthful Ohio State Buckeyes, who are now relying on their upperclassmen to offer some guidance heading into the discouraged team’s game on Saturday against Colorado (1-2).
For a team used to being among the nation’s elite—the Buckeyes had been in the Associated Press Top 25 for 103 consecutive weeks until dropping out of the most recent rankings—the 24-6 loss at Miami on Saturday night has required a history lesson from the veterans.
“This happened two years ago when we lost to USC—and we even lost to Purdue that year—and yet we went on to win the Rose Bowl,” center Mike Brewster said. “We know there is a lot to play for this year. We need to get after it this week, get back on the right track and get ready for the Big Ten because we want to get to Indianapolis (for the conference championship game) still. That’s our goal.”
To do that, the Buckeyes not only have to clean up a lot of personnel issues and lingering problem areas in all facets, but also must have their most experienced players show the way to the glut of youngsters who have been forced by graduation and suspensions into playing pivotal roles.
After several years of being a national contender, Ohio State (2-1) is suddenly just another team coming off a disappointing loss. Interim coach Luke Fickell believes that the players must be told that things will work out despite this rocky patch.
“We have such an incredibly high standard for those guys and we preach it, then all of a sudden when something (bad) happens it’s such a letdown to them that it’s hard,” he said.
He said when Miami scored on its first two possessions, the first set up by Lamar Miller’s 54-yard burst on the first Hurricanes play from scrimmage, it was as if the Buckeyes didn’t know how to react.
“It was almost like, wow, you could see the youth,” Fickell said. “They were shell shocked they scored that easily, instead of responding.”
This week, time has been spent on the players’ mental health—yes, it was an embarrassing loss but, no, that doesn’t mean the season has already slipped away.
The older players as a group have taken it upon themselves to relay that message.
“It’s a lot of the older guys, the juniors and seniors, that a lot of guys are looking to for leadership,” punter Ben Buchanan said. “That’s what we’re going to need as we move forward—that senior leadership. That’s what I like about this team. I don’t know if there’s that one guy that really is that vocal leader. It’s a combination of guys letting us know what has to be done.”
Former Buckeyes coach Earle Bruce once said that Ohio State teams are seldom as good as the fans think they are after a big win, and they’re seldom as bad as the fans think they are after a big loss. Just a quarter of the way into the season, a fickle segment of the Buckeyes’ huge following has apparently already given up on the team judging from the harsh words on online bulletin boards, booster websites and on call-in shows.
Some of the players say they understand that bandwagon mindset while refusing to accept it.
“We’ve got plenty of games left to go out there and prove who and what we are,” kicker Drew Basil said, offering advice to the naysayers. “So, everyone just keep supporting the Buckeyes and we’ll do our job.”
Fullback Zach Boren expressed disappointment in those fans who have already abandoned the Buckeyes, particularly those who booed the offense in a close-call home victory against Toledo on Sept. 10.
“It’s hard to see when something doesn’t go your way how quickly they can turn on you,” he said. “That’s where the older guys have to come in and say we have to fight and we have to come in and treat each week like it’s a new week, almost like it’s a new season.”
Fickell knows that his team’s psyche is fragile after the beating in Miami. The Buckeyes’ brittle confidence must be glued back together.
“We’ll see. We have to instill confidence in them and they’re going to look for leadership,” he said. “I think that’s what it’s going to come down to.”
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Rusty Miller can be reached at
