As The Big House further resembled a snow globe on the evening of Nov. 27, 2021, a sulking CJ Stroud lamented his Buckeyes being on the wrong side of the 42-27 score. You see, it was his birthright as an Ohio State player to beat Michigan and crow about it for a lifetime.
Instead, he had the flu. It was too cold. The latter rang as a pure excuse given OSU plays in a similar climate and had to play in the same game as the Wolverines.
With all the excuses gone, on a beautiful, unseasonably warm and sunny day in Columbus in 2022, the two rivals reconvened and the result wasn’t just the same, it was worse for Stroud and Ohio State. Again, the birthright remained elusive.
Now Stroud is in the NFL, the second pick in this year’s draft. He heads to the temperate climate of Houston, Texas, where he’ll play in a domed stadium. Apparently, that’s how he would play every game if given the choice.
Speaking to The Athletic, which quizzed several rookie quarterbacks this week about multiple topics ($), Stroud was asked what he would change about the NFL if he could. While one of his choices is more generationally emblematic, Stroud can’t help but lament having to occasionally play football in typical football weather.
I would say that everybody has to have a dome if you’re in a cold area. And two, more cool uniforms. I don’t think that uniforms are meant to be so generic. Tradition is fine. (But) I think that would make the game more fun. Every cold game in a dome … but it’s OK; you get used to it. Actually, I love playing in the cold, but it’s love-hate.
We’re guessing the California native’s love-hate portion is directly correlated to wins and losses.
But one thing is for sure, he’ll never ever forget that time he went into a snowy Ann Arbor, fully expecting to continue in the decades-long line of OSU QBs with bragging rights, and left with nothing but a loss and a series of excuses.
One apparently that continues to this day — along with another ‘L.’
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal title=”An offer for Wolverines fans” description=”For the best local Detroit news, sports, entertainment and culture coverage, subscribe to the Detroit Free Press.” url=”https://subscribe.freep.com/offers?gps-source=CPSMGMIDARTICLE&utm_source=smg&utm_medium=inline&utm_content=wolverineswire&utm_campaign=smgtolocal” button_text=”$1 for 3 months”]