July 20, 2006
In his five years at Ohio State, Jim Tressel has led the Buckeyes to 50 wins, two Big Ten titles and a national championship. During the past four years, Tressel's teams have won four bowl games, including three BCS contests, and finished in the top five three times. Last year, the Buckeyes closed out a 10-2 season with seven consecutive wins, including back-to-back victories over arch-rival Michigan and Fiesta Bowl-foe Notre Dame.
With that kind of track record, expectations will again be high in 2006. No matter that the Buckeyes must replace nine starters from one of the best defenses in college football, not to mention finding replacements for their leading receiver, top two linemen and field-goal kicker.
A look at the depth chart shows eight starters back on offense, including the undeniably talented foursome of quarterback Troy Smith, flanker Ted Ginn Jr., split end Anthony Gonzalez and tailback Antonio Pittman. Much of the excitement about the coming season revolves around that quartet. They were the major cogs last year in an offense that averaged 32.7 points and 422.3 yards per game.
In the last half of the season with Smith firing on all cylinders and Ginn, Gonzalez and Pittman all hitting their stride behind an athletic and under-appreciated offensive line, the Buckeyes were as good as any team in the country offensively.
If there is reason for concern in 2006, it would be on defense where the likes of linebackers A. J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel, defensive end Mike Kudla and all four members of the secondary must be replaced.
With the All-American Hawk preying on opposing offenses, the Buckeyes led the nation against the run and were fifth in both total defense and scoring defense. Hawk and his teammates were something special and leave a cavernous void to fill.
But the Buckeyes do have 20 lettermen returning on the defensive side of the ball, and judging by spring practice there is no lack of talent, speed or enthusiasm. Tackles Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson, the lone two returning starters, will be stabilizing factors, especially early in the campaign.
The punting game, always a staple for the 52-year-old Tressel, seems set with the return of third-year sophomore A. J. Trapasso. A replacement for place-kicker Josh Huston needs to be found, but the Buckeye coach has a way of pulling a rabbit out of his hat each fall.
With a seven-game winning streak intact heading into the season, most experts have the Buckeyes ranked in their top five, more than a few have Ohio State at No. 1. One thing for sure, OSU will get tested early with a road game at Texas in week two and back-to-back Big Ten games against Penn State and at Iowa two weeks later.
Ohio State's list of All-America candidates includes Smith at quarterback and Ginn at flanker. Both are also considered early front runners for the Heisman Trophy. Pittman will be an All-America candidate as will Kirk Barton at tackle and Doug Datish at center. The rough-and-tumble Pitcock is yet another possibility.
There is excitement, too, about the incoming freshman class, especially running back Chris Wells, generally considered the No. 1 catch in the nation last year, and linebacker Ross Homan. Both enrolled early and took part in spring practice. Cornerback Kurt Coleman also came in early and turned heads with his performance.
OFFENSE
Quarterback
Troy Smith is coming off a sensational year in which he rolled up 2,893 yards in total offense and accounted for 27 touchdowns (16 passing and 11 rushing). The 6-1 senior, who also led the Big Ten in passing efficiency, is 13-2 as a starter heading into his final year. Mentally tough, he is blessed with a strong arm and is an extremely dangerous runner. No one is better at keeping a play alive, especially when the chips are down.
Senior Justin Zwick, a veteran of 17 games including nine starts, also returns as do sophomore Todd Boeckman and redshirt freshman Robbie Schoenhoft. Boeckman is in his third year in the program and knows the offense inside-out. Schoenhoft is raw, but talented. The Buckeyes are four deep here.
Tailback
Antonio Pittman had a superb sophomore season, finishing the 2005 campaign with 1.331 yards and seven touchdowns on 243 carries, an average of 5.5 yards per carry. The 5-11, 195-pounder picks up tough yards inside and delivers a blow in the process. He has the ability to make defenders miss, rarely goes down on the first hit and has the speed to take it to the house.
Sophomore Maurice Wells, Ohio State's third leading rusher last year with 199 yards, enhanced his status with a strong spring showing. So did frosh Chris Wells, who is no relation, and at 6-1 and 225 gives the Buckeyes a bruising runner in the Keith Byars-Eddie George mold.
You can never have too many good tailbacks in the Big Ten. Ohio State has three good ones.
Fullback
Senior Stan White Jr. returns for his second year as the starter at what is really a combination of fullback and H-back. He is a smart football player who understands his role as blocker in OSU's offensive scheme. Although rarely called upon, the former tight end is a sure-handed receiver.
Dionte Johnson gives the Buckeyes a solid one-two punch at fullback. The 6-0, 234-pound junior is in the best shape of his career (down 15 pounds from a year ago) and figures to help both as a blocker and a short-yardage runner. He is one of those bulldozer-type runners that moves the pile and gets the crowd on its feet.
Wide Receivers
This is certainly another area of strength.
In Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez, the Buckeyes boast two of the fastest and most sure-handed receivers in college football. They give OSU a lethal one-two punch.
The electrifying Ginn is coming off his best year as a receiver, finishing the 2005 season with 51 catches for 803 yards and four touchdowns - the shortest of which covered 42 yards. He had 17 receptions in his last two games and was virtually unstoppable. In the win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, he scored on a 56-yard reception and a 68-yard reverse. No one touched him on either play. Trying to tackle him is a little bit like trying to capture lightning in a bottle.
Gonzalez totaled 28 receptions, tallied three touchdowns and averaged 13.3 yards per catch in 2005 as the third option. Look for those numbers to go up in 2006 as he assumes a more dominant role in the OSU offense. He is the perfect complement to Ginn and has the versatility to move inside to the slot when the Buckeyes employ three wide receivers.
Senior Roy Hall hopes to take over as the third receiver. He has been a key reserve the past three years and is coming off his best spring, especially in terms of consistency. He gives the Buckeyes a physical presence on the edge.
Brian Robiskie, who saw enough time last year as a true freshman to earn his first varsity letter, and redshirt freshman Brian Hartline were impressive in the spring.
Walter Dukes, Devin Jordan and Devon Lyons round out a solid group of receivers.
Offensive Line
Big, strong, athletic, explosive and experienced are all adjectives that can be used to describe this year's front five.
Kirk Barton, Doug Datish and T.J. Downing were regulars last year and will be three of the best in the Big Ten. Alex Boone, Steve Rehring, Tim Schafer, Jim Cordle, Ben Person, Kyle Mitchum, Tyler Whaley and Jon Skinner make this one of the deeper lines in recent memory.
Barton is a force at right tackle. He is coming off a great sophomore season and is a big-time player. Boone, who saw time last year as a true freshman is expected to move in at left tackle on a full-time basis. He is one of the Buckeyes' up-and-coming stars.
Datish, who started at left guard in 2004 and left tackle last year, will take over at center for Nick Mangold. Big shoes to fill, but the coaching staff believes he is equal to the challenge.
Downing, meanwhile, returns for his second season as a starter at right guard and is a tough, hard-nosed, football player who loves playing inside. The left guard spot is expected to be filled by Schafer, who has bounced back-and-forth between offense and defense during his career, but now appears set at the former. Schafter, like Downing and Datish a fifth-year senior, is coming off a very solid performance this past spring.
Rehring can play tackle or guard and will see extensive playing time. The staff is high, too, on Skinner, a third-year sophomore who lettered last year for the first time.
Tight End
Injuries here really hurt last year, first Rory Nicol going down in fall camp with a foot injury that caused him to miss the season, then Ryan Hamby missing the last half of the regular season with a knee sprain.
Nicol, who lettered two years ago as a true freshman, is back and gives the Buckeyes a physical presence in addition to a sure-handed receiver. So does talented junior Marcel Frost who took over for Hamby and proved to be a dangerous weapon in the OSU arsenal. Expect to see more of him in the fall if he continues to develop at the pace he showed last season. Both will play a lot.
Brandon Smith, a converted linebacker and fine blocker also returns, and incoming freshmen Jake Ballard and Andy Miller will get a long look.
DEFENSE
Defensive Line
Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson give the Buckeyes two crafty veterans inside. Both are big, tough, smart and physical. They combined for 52 tackles last year, including 10.5 tackles-for-loss and 5.0 sacks. Pitcock, unquestionably the strongest player on the team, will be in his third year as a starter and is a dominating player. Patterson, who started at end last year but usually moved inside after the first series, is blessed with exceptional quickness.
The Buckeyes will miss graduated strongman Mike Kudla at the rush end, but in 6-6, 270-pound sophomore Lawrence Wilson they have a diamond-in-the-rough, who is already being compared to former OSU All-All-American Will Smith. In addition to his size, Wilson has outstanding speed and great instincts.
Jay Richardson will take over at the other end spot. The rangy (6-6, 276) senior has been a key reserve and sometimes starter throughout his career and has appeared in 26 games. Injuries have limited his playing time in the past. Hopefully, that is a thing of the past.
Depth will come from Vern Gholston and Alex Barrow at ends and Joel Penton and Todd Denlinger on the inside. All had solid springs, particularly Gholston and Denlinger.
Doug Worthington and Ryan Williams, both true freshmen last year, missed spring ball for medical reasons, but hope to be back in the fall. Sophomore Nader Abdallah also returns.
The front four will be the strength of this year's defense and Pitcock and Patterson will be the anchors.
Linebacker
The void left by the departures of All-American A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel, possibly the best trio of linebackers in school history, is huge. But the cupboard, although green, is well stocked.
Marcus Freeman played as a freshman in 2004 and would have been a major contributor last year had not a knee injury in the first game caused him to miss the remainder of the season. Freeman, who is blessed with outstanding speed, is expected to take over for Hawk at theWill linebacker position.
John Kerr will move in at the Mike spot for Schlegel. Kerr started as a freshman at Indiana before transferring to Ohio State. He has played behind Hawk the past two years and is a savvy football player. Mike D'Andrea also returns in the middle. One of the top linebackers in the nation coming out of high school, he has missed much of the past two seasons with injuries. If he can stay healthy, he can be a difference maker.
Sophomore James Laurinaitis is expected to be the starter at Sam linebacker. He stepped in at Michigan last year when Carpenter broke his ankle and then started the bowl game against Notre Dame. He played well in both games and continued to shine in the spring.
Freshman Ross Homan, who enrolled winter quarter, is coming off an impressive spring and will add quality depth, probably on Freeman's side.
The coaches expect good things too from junior Curtis Terry, junior college transfer Larry Grant, junior Chad Hoobler and redshirt freshman Austin Spitler. Terry could play on the edge, ala Carpenter last year in certain situations, and Grant brings a certain swagger with him that will aid this young group.
Look for linebacker by committee this year.
Dependable Nate Salley and Tyler Everett have graduated and Austin Youboty and Donte Whitner have opted to pursue their dreams of playing in the NFL, so the coaching staff has four holes to fill.
Coming out of spring practice Malcom Jenkins and Antonio Smith appear to be the likely starters at cornerback. Jenkins started four games at the boundary last year as a true freshman filling in for the injured Everett. A physical player with excellent cover skills, he has added 15 pounds since last year. Smith is a former walk-on who was converted to scholarship last spring. Athletic and smart, he makes few mistakes and has good quickness.
Andre Amos and Donald Washington are the backup corners. Both were impressive last fall but were ultimately redshirted. True freshman Kurt Coleman, a spring quarter enrollee, will be in the picture, too, after a solid showing in the spring. In his short time on the OSU campus, Coleman has demonstrated the ability to make plays and is surprisingly knowledgeable for his age.
The safety spots will be held down by Jamario O'Neal and Nick Patterson with help from Anderson Russell and Brandon Mitchell.
The athletic O'Neal will play the strong safety spot. He lettered last year as a true freshman, but almost all of his playing time came with the special teams. Patterson is a 6-2, 210-pound sophomore, who was redshirted in 2004 and played with the special teams last year. Russell is another redshirt freshman, who has shown a tremendous upside. All three are athletic, have a nose for the ball and can close. Mitchell, a fifth-year senior, is the veteran of the group. He has 33 games and eight starts under his belt and will be a stabilizing force in an otherwise youthful secondary.
The will be the first time since 2000, and just the second time since 1984, that the Buckeyes have had to replace the entire secondary.
Kicking Game
Sophomore A.J. Trapasso returns at punter. He averaged 40.4 yards per kick last year and downed 19 of his 43 kicks inside the 20. OSU was second in the Big Ten in net punting, narrowly missing out on that title for the first time in four years. With his booming leg, Trapasso has the potential to be a Ray Guy Award candidate. John Thoma is a capable backup.
Ryan Pretorius and Aaron Pettrey are the leading candidates to replace Josh Huston in the place-kicking department. The South African-born Pretorius was the backup last year, but his only game experience is one kickoff. Pettrey was a true freshman last year and did not see any game action. This should be one of the more interesting battles during fall camp. Pettrey helped his cause in the spring with a 59-yard field goal in the kicking scrimmage.
In the long snapping area, Drew Norman does return. He turned in a solid showing last year in his first year as a regular.
Return Game
Whether it is on punts or kickoffs, Ted Ginn is one of the most exciting return specialists in the country. He had touchdowns both ways last year and is already the school and Big Ten career leader in punt returns for touchdowns with five.
Anthony Gonzalez will line up as the other punt returner and also will return kickoffs. Malcolm Jenkins is another possibility on punts and Maurice Wells is the third kick returner.
Drew Norman will handle the long-snapping duties. Dimitrios Makridis is a capable backup.
Source:
http://ohiostatebuckeyes.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/072006aaa.html
