On the Tuesday before the Rose Bowl Game, senior strong safety Kurt Coleman told the media that all his goals and dreams were in place to be accomplished for his college football career.

“It’s been a great four years and it’s sad that it’s coming to an end,” Coleman said. “But I came into this year saying I wanted to leave as a Big Ten champion and I wanted to leave with a bowl win.”

When he said that, Coleman was just one step away from accomplishing everything. He had led his defense to a strong conference finish as Big Ten champions and was ready to face Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

When Ohio State sealed the deal with a 26-17 win over the Ducks, Coleman got his wish.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling to go out like this,” Coleman said. “To have people around us that really support us and everyone putting it all in for the seniors the way they played their hearts out, it’s a great feeling.”

Though the NFL-bound captain credits the win as a team effort, he had a large part in leading the team to victory.

“Our seniors, who took over a young team in August, had high expectations and had some tough moments but they never wavered,” coach Jim Tressel said. “They never questioned the direction that they were going to end up.”

Heading into the Rose Bowl, the name of the game was strength and conditioning for the OSU defense as the team faced a dynamic and high-powered Oregon offense. OSU’s three captains were all defensive seniors, making that challenge much more important to them.

Tressel said before the game that he was very proud of the way his defense had prepared for the Rose Bowl and that they were not going to disappoint.

“Chasing Oregon around is going to make [the Ducks] tired too,” he said.

And they held up that promise, holding Oregon to only 12 first downs and shutting down quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and his corps of running backs. The Buckeyes held Masoli to just 9 yards rushing on six carries, his lowest total all season. They also forced LaMichael James and LeGarrette Blount to subpar games.

“Everything has been perfect,” Coleman said. “We came out with a ‘W’ and I am so elated, I still have to soak this in.”

The senior class has been on the field for the last three bowl game defeats: a loss to Florida in the National Championship Game at the end of the 2006 season, a loss to Louisiana State in the National Championship Game at the end of the 2007 season and a loss to Texas last year in the Fiesta Bowl. With that in their minds, the seniors were unanimous in not wanting to be known as the class that lost four bowl games, said senior captain Doug Worthington.

Coleman echoed Worthington’s sentiment, saying that the past losses fueled the team to its Rose Bowl victory.

“After every loss that we’ve had in the bowl games, this win has been great. Last year we were so close to winning and I think for all of us that was our biggest motivation,” Coleman said.

With the win on Friday, the 2010 seniors became the class with the most wins in OSU history, with a record of 44-8. After three straight bowl-game losses, coming out with a win and breaking the win record was a sweet taste of victory for the group.

“It’s a tremendous honor,” Coleman said. “So many people have come through [OSU] and to come out of here as the winningest class, it’s a tremendous honor to the teammates and the people we’ve had around us.”