“Big Stage” talk won’t hinder Bucks ability to focus.
By Ashleigh Ignelzi, Columbus Wired

Columbus, OH- It’s like clock work, every Tuesday Coach Jim Tressel gives his weekly press conference. He quietly, but unannounced and unassumingly, walks in the room as if he was not the big man on campus. As he approaches the podium, members of the media scramble to find there recorders, Coach Tressel promptly begins with his constructive opening statement and the press conference carries on.

Now, depending on what game was previously played along with the upcoming game, the Press Conference, well, it can be like clock work too. With Navy behind them, the Bucks prepare for USC. Every time they have faced an opponent of national standing, just as repetitive as the hands ticking on a clock, so are the questions about the Buckeye’s performance and competition, but most importantly, can they win on the big stage?

Let’s face it, the Buckeyes don’t have the best track record of performing against top notch teams when the whole nation is watching - that cat is out of the bag. But, how long can this dialogue continue? Does all of this negative talk about Buckeyes and their big stage fright begin to seep into the pores of coaches and players? How does one focus on the task of beating USC while constantly being questioned and reminded of their capabilities and past.

“I’ll be the first to admit we have a lot of work to do” said Coach Tressel, when referring to his team’s performance in the Navy game. The work has begun, but Pete Carroll and the Trojans will be in The Shoe before you can say “O-H”. Last years’ 35-3 USC romping over Ohio State does serve as motivation for the Buckeyes who remain on the team. But, when losing 18 starters the game on this big stage can cause some distractions for the young bucks.

“We think this is a big deal. If we put our guys under hypnosis in the summer time and ask our guys, what game are you thinking about, I’m sure it would be Ohio State/USC - It’s big,” Stated Tressel. Coach Tressel also knows that part of the success is staying focused and more importantly, staying in the moment.
 

When asked if he thinks his team is thinking about what this game can do for their reputation, Tressel said “Gosh, I hope they’re not thinking about that, because if you thinking about something that’s at the end of those 60 minutes, I’m not sure you’re going to play each of those minutes the way you should.”

He went on to say, “Good teams have that ability to stay in the moment and ignore anything positive or negative, anything along the way and just stay in the moment of what’s going on. That’s a great lesson in my mind to try and teach people”. Tressel knows this is critical, considering how young the team is.

Senior Defensive Tackle, Doug Worthington is no stranger to the “big stage.” “We’ve taken a lot of hits for the last few years as far as the Big Ten is concerned and Ohio State in general, at the end of the day it comes down to this weekend and what we do out there.”

So, how does a team with all the tools and talent overcome this big game stage fright?