COLUMBUS, Ohio — As the stadium clock approached seven minutes until game time, nobody could be within 25 feet of the flame when Ohio State unveiled its new pyrotechnics machine.
In the press box at the top of Ohio Stadium, Ericka Hoon and Caleb Clark focused on the flame, communicating with staff on the field to make sure nobody was in harm’s way. When cheerleaders took their spots, their flags were too close. They had to be moved.
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Then the countdown for Ohio State’s game-day operations staff began. Three. Two. One. The team’s intro video rolled, and the Buckeyes gathered in the tunnel. Smoke began filling up around them, and a
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