Buckeyes should stick with the recipe
Ohio State settles down to overcome shaky half
Halftime was born in the mid-19th century, first with European soccer and later coming across the pond to American football, which after several attempts at setting guidelines finally established two 45-minute halves in 1887.
You can thank rules innovator Walter Camp for what eventually led to bathroom breaks and beer runs.
Initially, halftime served as little more than a rest period for players, but over the 20th century it evolved into a coaching strategy session: a 20-minute locker room “game” conducted between two 30-minute halves.
Thursday night in Minneapolis, Ryan Day won the game within a game, which allowed Ohio State to escape the land of 10,000 lakes without getting capsized. The season opener wasn’t closer than expected — Vegas set the spread at 14 points and, ta-dah, the final score was 45-31 — but it still felt uncomfortably tight for anyone thinking the Buckeyes would win in a runaway.
Minnesota and its 20 returning starters proved that experience counts, especially in season openers. The Golden Gophers actually held a 1410 lead after two quarters.