BCS title game
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Consider the fact that the championship game's defensive MVP was another lineman, about whom little had been said, Ricky Jean-Francois. Francois had six tackles (two for a loss) and a blocked field goal. Still, one assumes that Ohio State hadn't seen much of Francois, as he was playing in just his second game of the season due to academic problems.

But that's LSU, an almost absurdly deep team. They have six running backs, two quarterbacks and an apparently endless supply of defensive standouts. "If we lose a guy," said coach Les Miles, "we put the next guy in, and we expect him to play well."

It happened in the first quarter, as the Tigers lost Craig Steltz, a first team All-American at strong safety. His replacement, Harry Coleman, hadn't started a game in his two seasons at LSU. Still, it's unlikely Ohio State, or the Buckeye quarterback, Todd Boeckman, will ever forget the sight of him charging on a blitz.

This was about seven minutes into the second quarter. Boeckman got the ball away, but was made to hurry and still pay a great price. It was a crushing hit, made worse by the fact that the ball was intercepted by Chevis Jackson.

"I thought I was going to get more on the ball," said Boeckman. "... Give their corner some credit."

Six plays later, LSU would score a touchdown, making the score 24-10. The game was never in doubt after that.

After the half, Coleman would recover a Boeckman fumble. Still, it was that blitz, as much as any play, that epitomized the evening. Forget the big name stars. Ohio State had no answer for LSU's backups.

Said Alex Boone, the Buckeyes' imposing tackle: "It's hard for me to block a defensive end when I see a safety coming down the middle."

Todd Boeckman's lifelong dream was to be Ohio State's quarterback. After Monday night, you wonder if it was worth it. "Todd kept getting hit," said Boone.

"Todd's a tough kid," said Jim Tressel, the Ohio State coach.

Give Boeckman credit. He kept getting hit, and he kept getting up. But toughness is no substitute for talent, of which LSU had a whole lot more.

It ended, finally, with a score of 38-24. But the game wasn't nearly as close as that number would indicate. Actually, the strange thing is, LSU didn't play particularly well. For all that talent, Coach Miles' team wasn't sharp or consistent.

The Tigers basically gave away the first quarter. It was almost as if they were spotting their opponents 10 points. They blew defensive assignments. They ran the wrong routes. There was an errant snap, and poorly executed plays coming after time outs.

And still, the best thing Ohio State can say is that the margin of defeat was less than their famous 41-14 loss to Florida in last year's BCS title game. The Buckeyes might be the best team in their conference, but what of that conference?

It is said that the Big Ten plays a slow and plodding brand of football. It is said that Ohio State benefited from an easy non-conference schedule, playing teams like Akron and Youngstown State. After this game, who's to doubt that? And who is to doubt the SEC?

"I think the SEC is the best conference in the country," said Jacob Hester, the first of LSU's six running backs. "You can see it by all these non-conference match-ups." It's not bragging; it's the truth.

"We just have to look forward to next year and hopefully bounce back," said Boeckman.

Next year? For Ohio State this year was supposed to be next year. The team's identity was formed with the loss to Florida. The shame of that defeat was supposed to sustain them. Forty-one-fourteen became their mantra, the combination code to the lock at their practice facility. They were defending the reputations of their team, but also, their conference. They spoke as if they would carry the Big Ten's banner into battle.

Of course, as it ended, Glenn Dorsey was the guy waving the flag.