As members of the student-run Scarlet and Gray Sports Radio, we have been given a tremendous opportunity. Sports broadcasting is a rather exclusive field, and when we graduate from Ohio State, it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever get another chance to broadcast another Ohio State sporting event. It’s even more unlikely that we’ll ever get a chance to broadcast a Buckeyes football game ever again.
That’s why this particular weekend is going to be a special one for all of us on the football crew for Scarlet and Gray Sports Radio. The football game against Michigan is always the most important sporting event in Columbus every year, but this weekend it’s about more than just bragging rights. This Saturday marks the end of a long (but not long enough) journey for this OSU football team, as players look to finish off an undefeated regular season against that hated school up north.
As Woody Hayes once said with tears in his eyes, “It’s Michigan! It’s Michigan!” There shouldn’t need to be any reason other than that, for this to be the most important game of our lives. This year you can throw in the chance OSU has to be one of just two undefeated programs (depending on what Notre Dame does) and a potential Associated Press national championship.
This is easily the most important regular season game we’ve had the privilege to broadcast, and as always with these rivalry games, there is a lot at stake. Not many people get the opportunity to even attend a game this important, let alone broadcast it out to the world.
In our time covering this team, we’ve been able to follow them through the highs and lows of the last couple seasons. We were present for Devin Smith’s unbelievable game-winning catch against Wisconsin last year, we were there as the defense nearly collapsed in the final minutes against Indiana, and we were there as backup quarterback Kenny Guiton led the team down the field in the final seconds to force overtime, and ultimately win, against Purdue. It’s been an awesome journey, and this Saturday is sure to be a thrilling climax.
As much as we love following the team in this capacity, it can be a humbling job sometimes. Since we broadcast online at our website OhioStateSports.net, we get listeners from all over the world. After the Nebraska game this year, we were lucky enough to receive a couple emails from active military members who listened from the Middle East. It was truly awesome to see.
For the three seniors who will be on the call for the game, this is it for football. The one sport we all dream to broadcast and take a little more to heart. We worked hard, competing with other very capable and dedicated broadcasters just to get a chance to call a football game. But as many football fans know, this isn’t just a football game, it’s The Game.
It’s up to every listener to decide how good a job we do when we put on the headsets every Saturday, but we do know it’s been nothing but a blast broadcasting OSU football this season, just as it is every season. It’s sure to be an exhilarating atmosphere Saturday in the Horseshoe, and we can’t wait to be there for all the excitement. No matter what happens, we will be able to say that we were the only OSU students that broadcast the Buckeyes’ shot at an undefeated season. That is pretty darn cool.
