Now that we’ve got three games under our belt, we can start looking at some numbers

Presented, always, without comment. But this bears stating: Ohio State has allowed opponents into the red zone five times in three games.

As always, stats are grabbed from cfbstats.com.

(I’m trying something new here. Feedback is welcome.)

I’ve always wondered if there really is a chip-on-your-shoulder mentality that people talk about in these intrastate football games. Players are usually motivated by their own desire, what their teammates bring out of them and ultimately what their coaches are able to coach out of them. Does the environment and opponent have an effect? The accepted wisdom is that players from smaller Ohio schools (your Akrons and Toledos and OUs) play with a little more passion, a little more heart because they were “snubbed” by not being recruited by Ohio State. It’s a valid assumption but is it based in any sort of reality?

We’ve seen it more than once, a lesser MAC team comes into the Horseshoe and play inspired and completely out of the their collective team gourd. We fans fret and think to ourselves, “come on, this is Akron. Finish Them!” But but in the back of our minds there’s a confidence that says, “this well end in our favor.” And since the 1920s, it has. Where did this inspired play come from? Was it really a collective effort to prove they’ve got it? That they deserve to be on the same field?

You may remember the pain inflicted on Ohio State in two consecutive years by the Lou Holtz-led South Carolina (yes, not an Ohio school, but stick with me) and their wiley running back Ryan Brewer. You remember being reminded (over and over again) that Brewer was Mr. Ohio in football but didn’t get a call from John Cooper. Whether his performance was fueled by the perceived snub or he just had a really good day, he still went bananas that day on Ohio State in the 2001 Outback Bowl. Where did the motivation come from? It had to come from somewhere.

So does it exist? Or is it just another myth perpetuated by the media and mindlessly heeded and repeated by fans of all stripes? I know I’ve repeated the mantra before but now I’m starting to doubt it. On a logical level, it makes perfect sense. Of course that would motivate me! Perhaps. I’d like to say we, as fans, are a little smarter than we were back then, but what gets borne out on the field?

And now this week it’s going to be amplified because the Posey brothers go head to head in this game.

Sibling rivalry is nothing new but brings an interesting twist. How many times have brothers not only played on opposing teams, but played opposing positions? And what does this do in terms of the talent differential? Julian was a decent football player coming out of high school but DaVier was a five-star prospect that had interest from teams all across the country. So one brother has more talent. Does that motivate Julian to play any better? We’ll see. But blood is thicker than Gatorade. DaVier and Julian have a relationship that’s deeper than football. As he said, in reference to his brother, “that’s my best friend.” No matter how this game turns out, that relationship is a beautiful thing.

So that brings us to the game. Remember, Ohio had OSU up against the wall in 2008, leading Ohio State going in to the fourth quarter. But was it because of inspired play by the spurned OU players or was it a sudden change of play style when Boo Jackson entered the game?

There are physical limitations and talent imbalances and sometimes you’re just not as good as the guy across from you. It’s not just the talent. It’s the training, the conditioning and the depth. The underdog factor is only going to carry a team so far and ultimately you might have a big play here and a breakdown in your favor there, but in the end the better team pulls away.

And that’s what should happen in the Horseshoe on Saturday.

Ohio State 48
Ohio 6