The Lantern doesn’t want to talk about it. Quite frankly, neither does anyone else.

Smith smothered. Ginn injured. Gonzo covered. Roy and Robiskie irrelevant. The offensive line, well, we don’t know where they went. The defensive line, maybe they were out with the offensive line. Our defensive backfield beaten and outworked. Pittman and Wells contained. Tressel desperate.

Ohio State lost the National Championship the same way it won most of the games this season – as a team. No part of our game didn’t stink.

And still we believed. We believed, like Buckeye fans do, that the soul of the team was still there and that was worth 21 points in itself. The faith in our game was so strong that we went into even the fourth quarter as if the game hadn’t started. There was an emptiness that simply hadn’t been filled. No amazing Troy Smith evasions and long touchdown passes. No pivotal moment when the defense drew a line the Gators couldn’t cross. And so going into that fourth quarter, it was time to fill that emptiness.

We went into that fourth quarter believing “ain’t nothin’ over ’til it’s over.” And now, it’s over. High expectations were broken, and were broken such that we have to face the game for what it was. There were no injuries that took us out of that game. There were no cheap yellow flags that made the difference between a good win and a close loss. We can’t direct our disappointment at anything other than one team’s failure, and another team’s triumph. As the late Dale Earnhardt once explained for losing a race: “Got beat.”

It’s difficult to even imagine a bright side that might assuage the depression-filled days following such a defeat. Thoughts of “maybe next year” immediately turn to doubt at the thought of losing Ginn, Gonzo and Smith. If not this team, which? When? How?

But we may rejoice at having watched such a fine assembly of players. Though the final game was a blowout, we witnessed a 12-0 team quarterbacked by an extraordinary leader, with a murderer’s row for an offense, some of the best linebackers in the nation and a coach in whom we trust.

And when they walked off the field, they did so as gentlemen. In the news conferences following the game, the captains and coaches accepted responsibility while conferring appropriate congratulations and praise to the best team in the country. Fans in Columbus, though dismayed, remained orderly. There is no reason to expect any different. The days of Mo Clarett and post-game riots have faded away, and so, too, will these few dark days after defeat.

As Buckeyes, we refuse to allow a few darker times define us, and instead work toward another day. Our test now is not whether we can perform when the moment comes, but whether we pick ourselves up after the moment has passed. As players leave, seniors graduate and time moves on, wherever we go, we’ll still be Buckeyes. Win or lose, we’ll still be Buckeyes.

Thanks for a great season. Go Bucks.