Thanks sire.
In a game decided at the opponents home, with both teams very highly rated, home field advantage was the deciding factor. It plays a huge role when playing in front of your crowd. When I played high school, big school class, I could definitely get more intense playing at home in front of our peers and fellow students. There is always extra output of adrenaline when ya is trying to win at home in front of your classmates in the stands especially against a highly ranked team. In our case it was Moeller High School
in the Greater Catholic League who had already won a few state titles and was the odds on favorite to repeat due to their recruiting .
We won two and lost against two against them in four years. The two times we beat them we went on to the State Big School finals where we won one and lost one.
My brother in law, Tom Klaban, was our kicker and a soccer style kicker with 50 yeard range for field goals.
He had been in this country for 1 year before he joined the team and let that talented kicking motion be seen.
He was the placekicker for Ohio State between 1975-1976
and won the ice/snow bowl game against Michigan in a blizzard kicking against the wind into the open end of Ohio Stadium.
His family swam across a deep river surrounding the border of Czechoslovakia at Midnight to escape communism.
His father and mother brought them thru Austria, Switzerland and eventually to France. They eventually saved enough money from doing laborious jobs in France to get a ticket to come to America thru Ellis Island.
Anyway, he was speaking last night on a Book Tour for his Autobiography.
As for the Oregon Ducks, I think if that game had been played at Ohio Stadium the outcome would have been different but both teams are formidable. Very closely matched.
Too me, Texas looks like the clear number 1 unless they also stumble.
I was worried about this game when the schedule came out.
We still have to play against Penn State AND that team from up north! lol!!! Wisconsin is better this year as well.
No cakewalk from here on out.. But they do need to win out.. Hopefully they got an awakening..