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Buckeyes Respect Irish Tradition
Mike Wachsman
BuckeyeSports.com Staff Writer
As far as history goes, Ohio State and Notre Dame are almost mirror images.
The Irish have eight national titles, Ohio State has five. Notre Dame has seven Heisman Trophies, OSU six. And since 1936, the year of the first official Associated Press poll, both teams have exactly 530 victories.
Not bad, and just the kind of stuff that should make the Fiesta Bowl even more enticing -- if the mere fact that Ohio State and Notre Dame are playing isn't enough.
"They're Notre Dame, and everyone knows about them," linebacker A.J. Hawk said. "Everyone's seen 'Rudy' and knows what that's about. A team with that much national exposure you're going to know about."
The squads have only met four times, with the Irish winning both matchups in the 1930s and the Buckeyes doing the same in the 1990s.
Quite a few Buckeyes were targeted by the Irish coming out of high school, but opted for Ohio State.
They liked the tradition that Notre Dame had, and in one case there seemed to be a push toward South Bend.
"I was a Buckeye fan," said center Nick Mangold, who took an unofficial visit to Notre Dame just prior to his senior year. "My mom was a Notre Dame fan, and Notre Dame was my other choice. She was pushing for that side."
It's hard to resist the lure of the Irish, especially when the program is humming.
The name and tradition was almost enough to lure Nate Salley to South Bend, but in the end he opted for Ohio State.
"I used to watch them a little bit when I was younger," Salley said. "I remember seeing highlights of Rocket Ismail. My high school wore the gold helmets like they did, so I used to watch them every once in a while.
"I almost went to Notre Dame. They recruited me pretty hard when coach (Bob) Davie was there. Coach (Ty) Willingham went there and was recruiting me too. I went on an unofficial visit there, and it reminded me of my high school because I went to a Catholic high school. They had the Touchdown Jesus and it was pretty cool. I walked down the tunnel and saw the 'Play Like A Champion Today' thing in the hallway."
While history and tradition won't win the football game, it might be enough to get casual fans to switch the game on.
And isn't that what these bowl matchups are all about?
"It's two storied programs that are on the rise and playing their best ball right now," linebacker Bobby Carpenter said. "It's going to be really exciting. Aside from the national championship game this is one that a lot of fans are going to want to watch."
Ohio State fans are excited to be playing the Irish, especially since meetings on the field have been so infrequent.
But people on the Notre Dame side are just as excited, or should be.
"Every time people ask me if we're excited to be playing a game like this I tell them 'They want to play us,'" linebacker Anthony Schlegel said. "We're just as good as Notre Dame when it comes to tradition and all the things we've won. People want to play us, and it's always great when you get to play against the best because that's when you can shine. You always want to play against the best, and if you don't you're not a competitor. If you want to be the best you have to play the best."
A number of Buckeyes know quite a few players on the Irish roster, and that means there should be a healthy amount of respect on both sides.
Just one little difference here or there and a few Buckeyes could have suited up for Notre Dame.
One of them was Carpenter.
"I went there for the spring game, and Ty Willingham was in my principal's office the day after I committed (to Ohio State) trying to get me to go there," Carpenter said. "I told him I was honored but that I had set my mind and there was no way I was changing it.
"It's far away, it's cold, there's nothing to do in South Bend. And I didn't want to live in a dorm for four years. That was something I couldn't get over. I didn't care what they had to offer, I'm not going to live in a dorm for four years in the middle of Indiana."
Mike Wachsman
BuckeyeSports.com Staff Writer
As far as history goes, Ohio State and Notre Dame are almost mirror images.
The Irish have eight national titles, Ohio State has five. Notre Dame has seven Heisman Trophies, OSU six. And since 1936, the year of the first official Associated Press poll, both teams have exactly 530 victories.
Not bad, and just the kind of stuff that should make the Fiesta Bowl even more enticing -- if the mere fact that Ohio State and Notre Dame are playing isn't enough.
"They're Notre Dame, and everyone knows about them," linebacker A.J. Hawk said. "Everyone's seen 'Rudy' and knows what that's about. A team with that much national exposure you're going to know about."
The squads have only met four times, with the Irish winning both matchups in the 1930s and the Buckeyes doing the same in the 1990s.
Quite a few Buckeyes were targeted by the Irish coming out of high school, but opted for Ohio State.
They liked the tradition that Notre Dame had, and in one case there seemed to be a push toward South Bend.
"I was a Buckeye fan," said center Nick Mangold, who took an unofficial visit to Notre Dame just prior to his senior year. "My mom was a Notre Dame fan, and Notre Dame was my other choice. She was pushing for that side."
It's hard to resist the lure of the Irish, especially when the program is humming.
The name and tradition was almost enough to lure Nate Salley to South Bend, but in the end he opted for Ohio State.
"I used to watch them a little bit when I was younger," Salley said. "I remember seeing highlights of Rocket Ismail. My high school wore the gold helmets like they did, so I used to watch them every once in a while.
"I almost went to Notre Dame. They recruited me pretty hard when coach (Bob) Davie was there. Coach (Ty) Willingham went there and was recruiting me too. I went on an unofficial visit there, and it reminded me of my high school because I went to a Catholic high school. They had the Touchdown Jesus and it was pretty cool. I walked down the tunnel and saw the 'Play Like A Champion Today' thing in the hallway."
While history and tradition won't win the football game, it might be enough to get casual fans to switch the game on.
And isn't that what these bowl matchups are all about?
"It's two storied programs that are on the rise and playing their best ball right now," linebacker Bobby Carpenter said. "It's going to be really exciting. Aside from the national championship game this is one that a lot of fans are going to want to watch."
Ohio State fans are excited to be playing the Irish, especially since meetings on the field have been so infrequent.
But people on the Notre Dame side are just as excited, or should be.
"Every time people ask me if we're excited to be playing a game like this I tell them 'They want to play us,'" linebacker Anthony Schlegel said. "We're just as good as Notre Dame when it comes to tradition and all the things we've won. People want to play us, and it's always great when you get to play against the best because that's when you can shine. You always want to play against the best, and if you don't you're not a competitor. If you want to be the best you have to play the best."
A number of Buckeyes know quite a few players on the Irish roster, and that means there should be a healthy amount of respect on both sides.
Just one little difference here or there and a few Buckeyes could have suited up for Notre Dame.
One of them was Carpenter.
"I went there for the spring game, and Ty Willingham was in my principal's office the day after I committed (to Ohio State) trying to get me to go there," Carpenter said. "I told him I was honored but that I had set my mind and there was no way I was changing it.
"It's far away, it's cold, there's nothing to do in South Bend. And I didn't want to live in a dorm for four years. That was something I couldn't get over. I didn't care what they had to offer, I'm not going to live in a dorm for four years in the middle of Indiana."
