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OSU redshirt junior quarterback Cardale Jones (12) runs with the ball during a game against Minnesota on Nov. 7 at Ohio Stadium. OSU won 28-14. Credit: Muyao Shen | Assistant Photo Editor

To the Ohio State community:

Though a New Orleans resident, I’m an Ohio State fan since birth (my mom and dad met there in the ‘50s), and I wanted to praise the current students at Ohio State. I took my son (18) to his first game against Minnesota. We were high on the visiting side, above where the Buckeyes take the field and thus had a good vantage point of the band and the student section.

The offense was sticky again and the 108,000+ announced glum. Ohio State faced a third and 18 in, I believe, the second quarter, with their backs to the south end zone. And the student section started chanting, “Cardale Jones! Cardale Jones! Cardale Jones!” They wanted him to know they had his back, that they supported him. A very cool, classy moment.

Then, as we know, Jones scrambled about 20 yards for the first down in what would be a hinge moment in the Buckeyes’ favor. My son turned to me and said, “At LSU, they’d have been chanting for the backup quarterback, but at Ohio State they supported Cardale.” As someone who has written a lot about LSU football professionally, for the record, I don’t think the LSU student section would have turned on a player, though you can be sure that sentiment would be widespread in Tiger Stadium (as it was, let’s be honest, in Ohio Stadium).

Given it was also military appreciation night, it seems appropriate to echo the service’s lexicon of praise: the student section reflected great credit on The Ohio State University right there. Outstanding. Go Bucks!

 

James Varney

Mandeville, La.