One of the greatest speeches in sports history was delivered by former U.S. Men's Hockey Coach Herb Brooks before the historic upset against the Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics.
“Great moments are born from great opportunity, and that's what you have here tonight, boys,” Brooks said to begin his speech. “That's what you've earned here tonight.”
This is exactly what awaits the Hoosiers on Thursday night against No. 2 Ohio State: the biggest opportunity IU has had in a long time.
The entire college football world will have its eyes on this game. ESPN’s “College GameDay” will make its first appearance of the season in Bloomington, and ESPN’s MegaCast will broadcast for the first time during a regular-season game.
The 8 p.m. kickoff on the opening night of college football means the game will have significantly more viewers than typical IU game.
A win against the Buckeyes could change the trajectory of the Hoosier program because it could show the nation just how far IU has come in the last few years. IU has been so close in recent years to pulling off major upsets, while establishing itself as a bowl-level program.
IU can take that next step forward and show just how good of a team it is under Coach Tom Allen, who is in his first year at the position. A victory would put the rest of the country on notice about what’s being built in Bloomington. The change has been gradual, but this is a different IU program than many have gotten used to in recent decades.
Allen makes his regular-season debut as the coach of the Hoosiers, and he has dubbed this game the biggest season opener in the history of the program. Former IU Coach Kevin Wilson returns to town as the new offensive coordinator for Ohio State.
This game is dripping with compelling storylines.
However, Ohio State is one of the best teams in the country, as the Buckeyes have made two of the first three College Football Playoffs. Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer has re-established the program as one that can rival Alabama as the premier blueblood in college football.
In five years at Ohio State, Meyer has only lost six times, with two of those losses coming in regular-season Big Ten games.
Meyer is 22-1 in true road games at Ohio State, with the sole loss coming last season against Penn State.
IU hasn’t beat Ohio State since 1988, and the victory came against a Buckeye team that finished 4-6-1, not exactly up to the standard Meyer has set in Columbus. The Hoosiers enter Thursday as just under a 21-point underdog.
The odds aren’t in the Hoosiers' favor.
When Brooks gave his famous speech, the Soviet Union looked like an unbeatable foe, yet he still believed in his team.
“One game,” Brooks said. “If we played them ten times, they might win nine. But not this game, not tonight.”
This will be Allen’s message to his team. No one believes IU can beat Ohio State, but the upset isn’t that improbable. IU has played Ohio State very close in the past few meetings between the teams.
The Hoosiers are talented – they have the potential of a seven to eight-win team and are very capable of taking advantage of the moment Thursday night. It won’t take a miracle, but the Hoosiers have to play a nearly perfect game to beat the Buckeyes with the world watching.
A spectacle awaits.
@thehussnetwork
aphussey@indiana.edu
