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Mood upbeat at OSU 
November 4, 2011

The mood is unusually upbeat in Columbus these days, following an extended period of gloom and doom. The Buckeyes have defeated two ranked opponents in their last two games, and managed to put themselves back in the title picture in the Big Ten’s Leaders Division. 

A road win over then unbeaten and flying high Illinois was followed by a stunning comeback victory against then No. 12 Wisconsin, the team many saw as the best of the Big Ten when this season started. 

The Buckeyes trailed early, then surged and led 26-14 with less than five minutes to play, fell behind when Wisconsin scored two quick touchdowns, then got the game-winner in the final 20 seconds. The celebration was intense, but first-year head coach Luke Fickell made sure he brought his team back to earth quickly. 

Fickell said that with a 1-8 Indiana team coming to town next, he wanted to make certain his team got back to business. There are four games left in the season and each one becomes a championship elimination contest. 

“There will be no letdown,” Fickell barked. “We’ve got a lot better chance at being able to push them now, too, when they’re feeling pretty good about themselves.” 

Ohio State (5-3, 2-2 Big Ten) appears to have made a dramatic turnaround after starting 0-2 in the conference and 3-3 through six games. Fickell, who has spent nearly 15 years total at Ohio State as a player and a coach, said that success is always the hardest thing to handle around the program, since so many people are passionately invested in the Buckeyes. 

“Criticism, yes, it can drain you emotionally, but really to handle criticism it just makes you tougher,” he said. “It’s when things are going successfully and things are happening positively for you—to me that’s every bit as much as a distraction as the negative stuff.” 

Fickell said he and his team will ignore Indiana’s record and the Hoosiers’ struggles this season. Ohio State’s focus is on where this game falls on the schedule—at the start of the month that really matters. 

“November is where the real games begin,” Fickell said. “And we say it again—how you start isn’t exactly what they remember, but how you finish is the key. And November’s always been a focus for us.” 

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