They never got it. Florida got the breaks instead.
I just watched much of the game again. Ohio State had life in the second quarter.
The quick Gator touchdown following the Troy Smith fumble inside the ten yard line was the punch that put Ohio State on the ropes. Almost all the life went out of them at that point.
Ohio State had some good defensive stops in the third quarter, but Florida matched the Buckeye's stout defense with their own.
"Ohio State had life in the second quarter."
Ohio State played a soft schedule this year and it caught up with them in the title game. When you play good teams week-in and week-out, teams that are amped up to beat you and have some talent to do so, you will find yourselves in some very challenging situations throughout the year. Ohio State faced few challenges all year, and then when they got behind and lost momentum in the title game, they didn't know how to respond. And the 'great coach' Tressel choked his lights out. He's the one who should have kept his head, realized they needed to regroup at halftime, so just get your guys in the locker room with the game still close enough to win. That ridiculous call to go for it on 4th down at their own 29 with 3+ minutes to go in the half was a complete panic move, and is one of the dumbest moves I have seen from a top-level coach in recent years.