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In college football, 'preparation' is often the intangible that leads to whether a team wins or loses a bowl game. After all, we're dealing with college kids here; the distractions of the holidays, traveling to a bowl destination, and just being a 19-year old on the road with 80 best friends can divert a young player's attention and result in a less than ideal performance.
That didn't happen this time.
Ohio State came in prepared, hungry, and with a chip on their shoulder. They rode it and running back Beanie Wells to a 10-0 start. The problem was that LSU was bigger, stronger, and faster, particularly on defense. And they prepared just as well, if not better, than their opponent. After the Bucks' fast start, LSU responded with 24 unanswered points to end the half.
LSU's first drive of the 3rd quarter bogged down when the Tigers were forced to punt, but Ohio State breathed fresh life into the Bayou Bengals after they were called for roughing the kicker. They followed that up with a late hit personal foul which set LSU up for breaking the game wide open when they scored their fourth touchdown of the night.
How did LSU win this game? First, from top to bottom, they simply fielded better players. QB Matt Flynn easily outplayed and outmanaged Todd Boeckman. LSU's offensive and defensive lines controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the game. LSU's receivers were faster and more physical, and made big plays when it really mattered.
And second, they didn't allow themselves to believe the hype. They showed up ready to do battle with a tough football team. They were physical in their play and after being bloodied early, took the fight to their opponent and kept it there.
Ohio State fought, and with the exception of some terrible tackling in the secondary, the effort really seemed to be there for all 60 minutes. It just wasn't enough to win the game. Not even close, unfortunately.
For LSU, it's celebration time. For Ohio State, it's back to the drawing board. The Big 10 powerhouse has a miserable 0-9 record against SEC teams and has suffered back to back, multiple-TD losses in its last two championship game appearances -- both against SEC teams -- and only a touchdown scored in garbage time kept the spread in this game from looking a lot worse.
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