Dave Thurman (5:02 pm) @DThurman7

All good things must come to an end.  I'm not much of a philosopher but I have found those words to be true.  And so it is that The Silver Bullet bows out after a wonderful five year journey.

In January, 2008, Drew came up with the idea that we begin a Father-Son Ohio State blog, centered mostly on football.  The Buckeyes had just lost to LSU in the national championship game, and Drew and I were both frustrated with some of the things being written by the national media, to say nothing of silly comments made by a few Buckeye fans via social media.  Drew thought that an OSU blog would be fun, would allow us to vent a little, and be a great way for father and son to share together.  At the time he was in Cincinnati finishing his schooling.  Neither of us had any clue that he would wind up in Arizona for three years, causing us to be separated by 2000 miles.  During that time, working on the blog allowed us to stay closely in touch as we talked pretty much every day by phone.  It also helped Drew stay connected to his Midwest roots and his love for Ohio State.  When he got married nearly two years ago, Drew's wife found out what my lovely spouse already knew: as long as father and son discussed the Buckeyes and had an avenue to share their passionate thoughts, she didn't have to deal with all the ranting.  In that regard, our wives may not be too happy that we are now signing off!

Dave Thurman (5:54 pm) @DThurman7

"The Game" rarely lacks drama although RichRod tried his best to spoil it when he brought some pathetic teams into the greatest rivalry in college sports.  But that is past history, and the first edition of the Urban Legend vs. Hoke the Joke promised to be a terrific game.  In spite of some big plays and a close final score it wasn't terrific, as neither team played crisp football.  But it certainly didn't lack for drama, as Ohio State went for a perfect season and Meyer aimed for his first victory against that team from up north.

So what stood out on a cold early afternoon in Columbus?

A Fired Up Coach and an Amped Up Team

Urban was not lacking in passion, as evidenced the day before when he shed a few tears while closing with his memorable quote, "Let's beat the s#&* out of Michigan."  While I love his emotion and the fact that Meyer "gets" this rivalry, he may have been a little too amped up.  Emotion is a funny thing, because too little of it will kill a team, but too much can cause a squad to make mistakes.  I thought some of the early penalties and missed assignments indicated a team that was sky high and playing with almost too much passion.  Still, I will take that over the opposite, any day of the week.

Some Ultra Cool Uniforms

In past years the Nike Combat Uniforms have brought mixed reviews, but what wasn't to like about this year's version?  The helmets featured a wide stripe and large, green Buckeye leaves that had a retro feel about them.  I also loved the colors and the large numbers, and felt that these uniforms were enough like what the team normally wears that it was still recognizably Ohio State on the field.  In fact I wouldn't mind seeing these unis used again in the future.

Drew Thurman (8:21 am) @osusilverbullet

12-0.

On the last weekend in November, under snow flurries and gray skies, the Buckeyes completed the sixth perfect season in the school's history (previous: 1916, 1944, 1954, 1968, 2002). While the result meant a spotless record for the 2012 season, the game definitely was marred with blemishes.

If you were like me, you cringed a lot throughout the game. Penalties, turnovers and poor execution plagued the Buckeyes in Urban Meyer's first Michigan-Ohio State game, and one had to wonder if it some point the culmination of so many missed opportunities would come back to spoil the afternoon.

I mean let's be honest, there seemed to be plenty of frustrating moments. There was Philly Brown's muffed punt. There was the roughing the kicker penalty. There was Denard Robinson's 67 yard touchdown scamper. There was the sack and missed field goal after getting to Michigan's 4 yard line. There was Braxton's fumble deep inside Michigan's territory. That's just the tip of the iceberg too. It was a would have, could have kind of game, and teams just don't win those. At some point all those shortcomings are supposed to come back to haunt you.

Unbelievably they didn't.

The young Buckeyes broke loose the day after Thanksgiving, giving their best performance of the season against the Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos. For the first time all season, Thad Matta's squad looked like a top five team, cruising past UMKC 91-45.

Deshaun Thomas led the team again, compiling 21 points and eight rebounds. Lenzelle Smith Jr. added 13 points thanks to a 3-5 performance behind the arc, while Sam Thompson had 11 points. The Buckeyes as a whole shot over 60% from the floor and 56% from three.

The biggest story had to be the bench, though. Shannon Scott (10 points, 10 assists) played critical minutes and electrified the crowd, pushing the tempo and running the floor. LaQuinton Ross also had 11 points and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes of action. Even Trey McDonald and freshman Amedeo Della Valle looked good when they saw the floor.

Next, the Buckeyes head to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on Duke on Wednesday.

You can find more coverage from the post-game press conference (via OhioStateBuckeyes.com) after the break...

Join us as we watch the Buckeyes take on the Kangaroos at 6 PM ET...

Dave Thurman (9:11 am) @Dthurman7

Important Data:

Mascot: Wolverines
Stadium: Michigan Stadium (109,901)
2011 Record: 11-2
2012 Record: 8-3
Head Coach: Brady Hoke  (2nd year at Michigan, 19-5; 66-55 overall)
Letterman Returning: (50; lost - 24)
Returning Starters: Offense -  6; Defense - 7; Specialists - 2
Base Defense: 4-3
Base Offense: Ace (3 Wide Receivers)

Notable Alumni: 

Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States
Charlie Gehringer, Baseball Hall of Famer
Tony Fadell, Inventor of the iPod
Lucy Liu, Actress
Tom Brady, NFL quarterback (two time Super Bowl MVP)
Desmond Howard, Heisman Trophy Winner; sporstcaster
James Earl Jones, Actor
William Mayo, Cofounder of the Mayo Clinic

Cheerleader Scouting Report:

#12 Quarterback, Devin Gardner

Gardner was a wide receiver for most of the season, and was pretty good (16, 266, 4), but after Robinson was injured and Russell Bellomy was clearly in over his head, Devin came to the rescue and played so well that he should start at quarterback Saturday.  He is hitting 65.7% of his passes, with 7 TD's and 3 INT's.  Gardener is a threat to run and has rushed for 6 TD's.

#16 Quarterback/Running Back, Denard Robinson

"Shoelace" has had trouble staying healthy but is an amazing runner, going over 1000 yards rushing for the third straight season, totaling 1044 yards so far at 7.3 ypc.  Passing has never been his strong suit, and this year he has as many interceptions (9) as touchdowns.  Look for him to line up in the backfield with Gardener a good deal of the time on Saturday.  

#10 Wide Receiver, Jeremy Gallon

The diminutive (5'8") Gallon doesn't get talked about as much as Roy Roundtree but has better numbers this year, with 34 catches, 617 yards and 2 TD's.  The fleet footed receiver is also the Wolverine's main punt returner, and has rushed 11 times for 67 yards, so the coaching staff looks for multiple ways to get him the ball.

#47 Linebacker, Jake Ryan

One wonders if Ryan is trying to look like Clay Matthews, and while his game isn't at that level he is pretty good, leading Michigan with 75 tackles, with 13 for loss including 3.5 sacks.  Jake has also broken up 3 passes and forced 3 fumbles, and will be a key to slowing down Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller in the running game.   

#11 Safety, Jordan Kovacs

A fifth-year senior from Curtice, Ohio, Kovacs has played a lot of minutes in his UM career, having started over 40 games.  In 2010 he led Michigan with 110 tackles, and though his role has changed he is still active, and has totaled 59 stops so far this year with 5 for loss, 2 sacks and an interception.  He is better defensing the run than the pass, something OSU may try to take advantage of.  

Head Coach, Brady Hoke

Yes, he does look like Fred Flintstone and it is enjoyable to make fun of the big guy, but he has done a very good job of digging Michigan out of the hole RichRod dug for them.  A former UM assistant coach, Hoke was the head man at Ball State and San Diego before coming to Ann Arbor a year ago, leading them to 11 wins and a Sugar Bowl victory in his initial season.  

This is easily the most important game of the year for Buckeye Nation, so we thought we would add a little fun to the mix here at The Silver Bullet. 

We are offering a black and white script Ohio t-shirt and the script Ohio hoodie (white script on gray zip-up hoodie) - retail value of $81 for the person that comes the closest to predicting the final score of the big game Saturday. 

The contest is sponsored by the good folks over at Garage Cotton.  If you are unfamiliar, Garage Cotton is a midwest-focused clothing company that makes quite possibly the softest hoodies and tee shirts on the planet.  The company is run by some diehard Buckeye fans and you should definitely check out them out if you haven't (via Facebook or Twitter).  

On top of all of that they've thrown in an added bonus! To help our readers out with their holiday shopping, they are offering free shipping through the end of the year when you enter the code SILVERBULLET at checkout. A big thank you to Garage Cotton for all of this. 

Okay here are the rules:

• Must be 18 years or older to enter. 
• Email must be included when you submit your score (Submit your score by filling out the comment section on THIS blog post). 
• Only one comment/entry per person. Duplicate scores do not count, so do not predict a score someone else already has entered. 
• Deadline for this contest is kickoff of the game on Saturday.