Most memorable moment of the 2007 season?

Pete Quint: I’m not one to bask in the pain and agony of others but the looks of failure and personal disappointment on the faces of the Michigan seniors will forever hold a special place in my heart.  Not even during the Cooper years did the Buckeyes lose four straight!

Bill Smith: How can any moment in OSU football be more memorable than another win over that team up north—particularly when it comes at their place?

Steve Patterson: Going to Washington and dominating them on offense and defense in the second half which gave Ohio State the confidence to win their next seven games and propel them to the top of the BCS.

Most Valuable Player on offense?

Pete Quint: Chris “Beanie” Wells.  Without this horse the Buckeyes would be good but not great.  Brandon Saine is great but Beanie, right now, is the man. 

Bill Smith: In my opinion, Chris Wells was the most valuable with 1600 yards and 15 touchdowns. He did not always have great holes to run into and yet was very consistent. He makes yards after contact, has good hands and can block. His combination of size, power and speed makes him very special.

Steve Patterson: Chris Wells really took off around mid-season, ignored his injured ankle, and carried the team up and over the hardest part of the schedule.

Most Valuable Player on defense or special teams?

Pete Quint: Teams game plan around James Laurinaitis.  He’s a born leader with mad skills and makes everybody around him better.  

Bill Smith: Gholston was the MVP of the defense. He made Jake Long, the left tackle for the Blue, look like a statue. Long will be a top 5 pick in the 2008 draft. A large part of the reason that OSU was the top defense in most categories in 07 was his quickness and talent. He plays the run better than most at his weight and is a devastating pass rusher.

Steve Patterson: Malcolm Jenkins locked down every receiver he went up against and had the interception against LSU that gave the Buckeyes a little bit of hope.

Best Performance of a True Freshman on the team?

Pete Quint: After Lawrence Wilson went down with a broken leg in the first game of the season, true freshman Cameron Heyward stepped in a played out of his mind all season.  I can’t wait to see him terrorize quarterbacks in 2008.

Bill Smith: Cameron Heyward was my Freshman MVP. He shows a great motor, control on his rush, and the ability to take over a game. He collapses the pocket and gives the opponent’s QB no place to step up and avoid the outside rush.

Steve Patterson: If only every year Ohio State could have someone come in, start during the season, and right away play as well as Cameron Heyward did.

A slight disappointment?

Pete Quint: The unpleasant funk Todd Boeckman festered in toward the end of the season. The last three games he looked like a first year starter where the first 10 he looked like Joe Germaine.  I’m confident he’ll outgrow whatever that was for his senior campaign.

Bill Smith: I went to the OSU basketball celebration of the first of their second place finishes in the NCAA tournament in the early ‘60s. We lost that Championship game to Cincinnati. When they lost in the second consecutive Championship game to the Bearcats, I put my fist through the closet door in my bedroom, which ever since has been covered with a full-length mirror. The only disappointment of the last two OSU seasons was that we could not close the deal in the Championship game. It is a great feat to be in that game two consecutive years, but a disappointment that we lost. I will admit to being a bad loser.

Steve Patterson: There are a number of players that I thought would step up their play and contribute this year. Rob Schoenhoft, Maurice Wells, Albert Dukes and Devon Lyons come to mind. Anyone that leaves the program without reaching their full potential leads the fans to feel some disappointment. Getting on the field at Ohio State is difficult and everyone has their own reasons for staying or going. People say that only half a recruiting class will contribute. Coach Tressel does a great job of trying to increase the odds and the football program has benefited from his efforts.

Overall season, what you thought going in vs. the final outcome?

Pete Quint: At the start of the season I thought that the Buckeyes had some growing up to do offensively.  Realistically I felt that they would lose two to three games and if things went bad, maybe four.  The 2007 Buckeyes had a favorable schedule and took advantage of it.  Outside Illinois, they beat the teams they were supposed to and rode a BCS crazy train to the National Championship.  2008 was the year I had targeted for the Buckeyes return to the Championship and they exceeded my expectations for 2007.  All this sugar coated fluff still doesn’t take any of the SEC sting out of the topic.

Steve Patterson: Illinois was a tough fought game last season; I felt it would be another tough game and a loss this season. But winning on the road at Purdue, Penn State, and Michigan was above and beyond what a lot of commentators expected. The 2007 season was a success as no one thought this Buckeye team would win another Big Ten title and finish in the top 5 in the country.