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NEW ORLEANS -- Same old, same old.
Ohio State's 'A' game lasted all 15 minutes. "You can't expect to win a big game playing one good quarter of football."
That from Buckeyes' defensive coordinator Jim Heacock whose top-rated unit absorbed another heavy blow in a BCS title game.
"Sure, we've played in two straight (championships), but what do we have to show for it?" Heacock shrugged. "This is a one-time deal. You have to show up and play consistently for 60 minutes. Two years in a row, now, we didn't get it done. It's frustrating."
If last January's result created an extraordinarily long off-season, this one could be longer. "Even though no one expected us to come this far (last summer), this is gonna sting for a long time. It's difficult to digest losing the big one two years in a row --regardless the circumstances," Heacock advised.
A 10-0 lead not six minutes into the game was what junior linebacker James Laurinaitis was hoping for. "Great start. What more could we have asked for," he related. "We wanted to make them play from behind, but obviously, they did not panic. They just went about their business and started making plays. Then everything just snowballed."
Laurinaitis had experienced this scenario before. "Yes, but it was different this time," he suggested. "I think we made LSU look a lot better than they are. Don't get me wrong. They executed and we didn't. But we more or less gave this one away and that's very hard to deal with."
Defensive end Vern Gholston could relate. "It's all on us (defense)," he insisted. "We couldn't get off the field. We let them make big play after big play. How many times did we let them off the hook on third down?"
Try 11 of 18 times, though at crunch time, Matt Flynn and the Tigers seemed to have the magic touch. "The fact we converted so many (third downs) early was definitely huge," Flynn remarked. "I think we sort of took the life out of them by sustaining drives."
The Buckeyes, meanwhile, endured a most forgettable second period, one which effectively took them out of the game. It started with a blocked field goal with Ryan Pretorious set to convert a 38-yard attempt which would have regained a 13-10 upperhand.
Instead, Tigers' tackle Ricky Jean-Francois manged a quick surge and batted down Pretorious' boot. "Somehow, we didn't get proper containment there and they got a hand on it," lamented OSU coach Jim Tressel.
"Those are the kind of plays that often decide football games. A blocked field goal here, turnover there and you're up against it."
Never mind the 80 yards in penalties, many of which destroyed potential drives. Another killer occured at the second half's outset when sophomore linebacker Austin Spitler came within inches of blocking Patrick Fisher's punt on fourth and 23.
Spitler was flagged for roughing, giving LSU an automatic first down. Five plays later, Flynn completed a short toss to wideout Early Doucet who shook off two tacklers and danced into the house. It was now 31-10. The Buckeyes were officially history.
"How many times did we shoot ourselves in the foot?" Laurinaitis moaned. "(This loss) was never a matter of focus. Believe me, we were as prepared as anyone could imagine. We lost because we didn't execute all the routine things necessary in a normal football game."
Buckeye Nation will find this tough to live down. Here was a legitimate opportunity to reverse the curse against the self-perceived superiority of the SEC. "I know 0-9 (vs. SEC) looks incrimidating," Heacock observed. "For one reason or another, we haven't performed in those games. Tonight, we felt good about our chances. Unfortunatly, we didn't give ourselves a chance."
BCS NOTEBOOK
FLYNN was named offensive MVP after passing for 174 yards and four touchdowns. Ricky Jean-Francois earned defensive honors a result of six tackles and the blocked field goal attempt…
LSU remains perfect at 4-0 in BCS games while the Buckeyes drop to 4-2. It is the third national championship for LSU which previously achieved crowns in 2003 and 1958…
THE Buckeyes dropped to 18-21 all-time in bowl games.
The Buckeyes lost back-to-back bowl games fror the first time since the 1995-96 seasons when they fell to SEC opponents Alabama and Tennessee..
Gibson can be reached at rgibson@timesleaderonline.com