NCAA

Two forces will collide Monday night and the velocity of the impact will be enormous. No, I’m not talking about the game as a whole but the battle within the war. Ohio State’s offense led by Troy Smith will face up with Reggie Nelson’s Gator defense. These units are statistical giants but something has to give, right?

By now, we all know that Florida’s defense is good. Real good. We know this because we’ve seen it for ourselves and, if that weren’t enough, it has been preached to us. Over and over. Drummed into our heads like some weird word association. The Buckeyes are used to it. Last year, we were submitted into oblivion with Tom Zbikowski-Boxer-Mean. This year it is: Florida-Defense-Good. Yep, got it.

So, just how do we win this battle of offense vs defense?

We lean on Troy Smith – the runaway Heisman winner. Smith has shown he can breakdown just about any defense he faces to generate production and points. In fact, he’s done it 19 straight times, all wins – against 8 ranked teams, two of them ranked #2. The nation saw what he did to Michigan in November, a performance that actually outshined the hurt USC just put on the Wolverines. None of this happens, however, without superb receivers like Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez. Or, a running game with underrated backs like Antonio Pittman and Clydesdale Chris Wells. The balance and diversification of this offensive portfolio would make even the most gifted Wall Street investor envious.

Protection up front will allow Troy to author his final game as a Buckeye. This Ohio State offensive line is a talented group of players who will all play in the NFL. Kirk Barton turned down an early entry into the draft just a week ago. Doug Datish may be the best center in the country and Alex Boone is, without question, the most talented of them all. This line kept Troy's jersey clean all season, provided excellent passing lanes and road graded defensive lines off the ball for Pittman and Wells.

The x-factor in all of this is when things breakdown. Troy’s improvisational skills are second to none. Whereas a few years ago, he ran because he could, now he runs to pass. When protection breaks down – and it will – he is very good at scrambling and finding an open receiver. If nothing is available, Smith will tuck it and run as a last resort. All this causes stress on a defense because each weapon is an authentic threat, including Smith’s feet.

Now, I can hear the Florida faithful boasting that we’ve haven’t faced anyone like them before. That their defense is somehow different-better-faster than anyone we’ve played. To some extent, I see the validity and I don’t disagree that they aren’t talented. After all, when you finish a season with the 6th best scoring defense you are doing something right. But, let it not be lost that the Ohio State offense practices everyday against the #1 scoring defense in the country. Let it also not be lost that there is no appreciable speed difference. It’s an outdated argument that carried weight 20 years ago but rings hollow now. Wisconsin and Penn State showed us that this week.

In the end, Troy Smith will have his fingerprints all over this attack. We will meet resistance, adjust and continue onward. Our versatility allows it, our coach calls it and our QB executes it.

Ohio State.

That's the team that does the O-H... I-O! chant, right?

Weak, man. Weak. Come down to the Swamp and watch 90,000 people doing the Chomp. Screaming "ORRRAANNNGE!" ... "BLUUUUUUUUUE!" in richter-scale tones. Only Gators Get Out Alive.

This team from up north -- Don't they wear garnet and silver, or something? Oh, right -- scarlet and grey. Or is it gray?

All I know is this: Florida's D will be the toughest unit the men in crimson and slate have faced all year.

Down here in the south, defense is actually taken seriously. While couches burn in Columbus when receivers run amok amongst slow, plodding DBs, arms rise triumphantly in Dixie when RFN streaks in for a cruise-missile style hit.

Watch Florida much this year? How about SportsCenter? Didja see RFN grease every receiver who came his way? RFN = Reggie Freakin' Nelson.

No. 1. Watch out for that number. Especially on a crossing route. It will hurt.

You see, at Florida, there's a little club called Hit City. When the coaches break down the game film, they play the best hits for the team. And the best of the best are awarded Hit City status.

The key tenet of Hit City is that not only was it a massive hit, but that the will of the opposing player must have been broken. That's determined by his play for the rest of the game: if he doesn't play up to his usual standards after the hit, he's been greased.

Hit City. Yeah, Florida takes defense seriously. We hit hard, we hit fast, and we break the will of receivers coming our way. Ryan Smith, a Florida cornerback who doesn't get nearly as much attention as "The Eraser" (aka RFN), leads the SEC in interceptions and is a first team All-SEC player. Dude picks off a lot of balls thrown his way.

You want stats? Blah, blah, blah. That's boring. No. 6 in rushing defense, No. 6 in scoring defense, #10 in total defense, yadda yadda yadda. You already know Florida's good.

And yeah, begrudgingly, I'll admit that Ohio State is pretty good on offense, too. As Gary Danielson (friend of Florida football!) said when interviewed about his on-air "campaigning" for Florida during the SEC Championship game, "Ohio State has the best player in all of college football, at the most important position: quarterback."

That's true. Troy Smith is the best quarterback. He does have the numbers. He won the Heisman in a landslide.

But hold the damn phone! Smith put up those numbers against a bevy of terrible defenses. Remember how Brady Quinn looked against a real defense (LSU) the other night in the Sugar Bowl? His numbers were positively pedestrian. That's what you get when you play service academies and teams on the cusp of Division I-AA-ness all year long.

By the way, that team that looked so unstoppable as they rolled roughshod over the Golden Domers to a 41-14 victory? They lost by 13 points to Florida... and could score only 10 points on the Gator defense. Truly, sincerely, this is true: Troy Smith will have to play his best game to beat the Gators.

Based on what we've seen, maybe it's a case of irresistible force meets immovable object. There could be fireworks. Maybe a quantum irregularity will develop which will swallow all of Glendale whole.

Or perhaps the quarterback dressed in burgundy and charcoal will look positively pedestrian when he goes against the nation's best top-to-bottom defense -- the toughest he's seen, by far, the entire season.

Tick-tock, tick-tock; the clock slowly rolls toward January 8th, 2007, and Florida's date with destiny. Go Gators.

Which conference was better in 2006: Big Ten or SEC?

Ohio State: The MotSaG team, Men of Scarlet and Gray

Florida: Clark Nelson, ACC/SEC Blog