From MemoryArchive
Who: Kurran Ochwat
What: Fiesta Bowl
When: January 3, 2003
Where: Tempe, Arizona
It was the 2002
National Championship football game between
The Ohio State Buckeyes and the
University of Miami Hurricanes. I was in the middle of my sophomore year at The Ohio State University and just witnessed the Buckeyes defeat
Michigan. The following week my friends and I scheduled a flight out to
Tempe, Arizona to see my team play in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl for the national championship. My friends and I arrived the day before New Years Eve to get the party started right. After an extraordinary
New Years Evewe decided to dedicate the next few days playing a college football game for the
X-Box. We played a whole season and rigging the game so the Buckeyes would play Miami for the championship. The score ended up being 31 to 24 with the Buckeyes coming out on top. That was a hell of a coincidence for the actual score of the game ended up being identical. On game day we headed out to a local bar around the stadium and drank copious amounts of alcohol. This is where I met fate. I was playing
pool with my brother and a gentleman by the name of Kurt joined us for a game. I told him that he had to beat my brother in order to play me, for I was running the table all day and playing me was a privilege. He told me that if I was so cocky that I should put my money where my mouth is. Immediately I put a $100 bill on the table. He smiled and said that he did not have that kind of money. The next thing he did was put his 50-yard line ticket on the table. “Now we have a bet!” The only stipulation was that I had to add my ticket to my $100 bill. I did and we played. I broke and knocked in 2 balls in right off the break. I shot in 4 more balls missing on my last shot. During his turn he shot in 5 balls but missed on his 6th attempt. This guy was good, but I was better. I banked my last ball and then made a cross table masse shot curving around one of his balls and knocking the eight ball into the corner pocket. I won and he walked away. I felt bad and gave him my money and my ticket just to be a good sport. The rest of the day I was in awe with my new seat and I made sure that I did not drink too much so I could stay coherent for the game. I remember everywhere I walked all I saw was scarlet and gray—the Buckeye colors. There was hardly a Miami fan around. Walking into the stadium I felt a sense of apprehension for I did not want to see the Buckeyes come this far and then blow it. But deep down everyone knew that we had a good chance to finish with a perfect season and a national championship. Besides, we had the best freshman running back to ever play college football—
Maurice Clarett. I can’t recall what happened play by play but I remember vividly the heart stopping double overtime. Both teams went into overtime at 17 apiece. The first overtime both teams scored leading into a second overtime. In the second overtime there were some heart stopping moments and a questionable penalty that put the championship in our laps. When we scored that final touchdown to win the game I was overwhelmed with joy and ran onto the field meeting my brother in the middle jumping up and down like little girls cracked out on
cotton candy. The rest of the night we spent celebrating in the streets leaving the next morning as champions.
