2008 Ohio State Buckeyes Preview

It would be easy for any coach in the country to be jealous of Ohio State’s ever-composed Jim Tressel, who has top-notch facilities, a rabid fan base, a supportive administration and a world of marketable tradition at his disposal. Tressel also may have his best team, top to bottom, in his eighth year as OSU head coach, with scads of returning talent on both sides of the ball.

Two Minute Drill

A Quick Look at the Buckeyes

When the Buckeyes take on mighty USC on the road in prime time on Sept. 13, they’ll probably realize much of the country will be rooting for them to be eliminated from the national championship picture. So it goes for a program that lost some luster after consecutive losses in the title game. If Ohio State manages to escape Los Angeles with a win, watch out. The Buckeyes have lost only two Big Ten games in the last three seasons, and it doesn’t appear archrival Michigan is ready to challenge that supremacy just yet. However, another night test at Wisconsin on Oct. 4 looms. On paper, OSU looks like the most loaded team in the country with 18 returning starters, star power on both sides of the ball and a solid kicking game to boot. Key personnel is in place for a defense that held foes to 82.9 yards per game on the ground, a paltry 2.5 yards per rush and a third-down conversion percentage of 33.3. With James Laurinaitis at the epicenter of that defensive storm, Ohio State figures to be in every contest. Still, it would help the cause greatly if the Buckeyes could produce more takeaways. Also, it’s time for the offense to find a higher gear with running back Beanie Wells now able to dominate on the ground, a dangerous passing game and a battle-tested offensive line.

However, he also enters this fall still trying to lick the program’s wounds of consecutive losses in the national championship game at the hands of Florida and LSU. The knock now is that the Buckeyes still aren’t dynamic enough to beat a stellar SEC team and that their conference, the Big Ten, doesn’t prepare them for bowl season.

“I think if you look at our conference top to bottom, we fared very well,” Tressel says. “I have to admit I don’t root for Michigan a whole bunch, but I was very happy when they won the Capital One Bowl there against Florida and kind of quieted things, at least for three hours.”

While the outside world remains skeptical that Ohio State can get over the hump, the players admit they are still attempting to block out the criticism.

“We’re trying to move on and put stuff like that behind us,” linebacker Marcus Freeman says. “These past two years are something we’ll never forget, but to move on and be there again at the end, you’ve got to put it behind you.”

And make no mistake — the Buckeyes can get there. Once again, Ohio State appears to be the class of its league, and 18 starters, plus every key specialist from a year ago, return, hungrier than ever.

Quarterbacks

This is going to be interesting. Sixth-year senior Todd Boeckman put together an All-Big Ten season in his first year as a starter in 2007 and has everything needed to be successful in his return engagement. He is especially adept at connecting on the deep ball and is an underappreciated athlete for someone with a 6'4", 244-pound frame. However, Boeckman is a natural risk-taker in the pocket who prefers to burn defenses with the big play. Along with his 25 touchdowns, he threw 14 interceptions, some of them coming at inopportune times. Plus, the coaches would like to offer foes a change-up and seem to have an ideal one in the form of true freshman Terrelle Pryor, a supreme athlete with mind-boggling mobility and a cannon for a right arm. Pryor could impact the position the way Tim Tebow did at Florida as a freshman. Then again, he could find himself in a third-string role behind Antonio Henton, the listed backup coming out of the spring and dual threat in his own right.

Running backs

When an Ohio State tailback returns from an All-Big Ten season, he usually becomes a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate. That certainly is the case with Beanie Wells, who rambled for 1,609 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore last season and was voted team MVP. Those who doubt Wells’ breakaway speed might want to pop in a tape of the BCS National Championship Game, when the 237-pounder left the vaunted LSU secondary in his wake on a 65-yard scoring burst on the first possession of the contest. If he performs like he did in the last six games of last season (967 yards, 6.2 per carry, 9 TDs), hardware surely will follow, and Eddie George’s single-season school record of 1,927 rushing yards could be in jeopardy. There is solid depth at the position with versatile senior Maurice Wells, speedy sophomore Brandon Saine and hard-nosed redshirt freshman Daniel “Boom” Herron all at the ready. Fullback is an entirely different story with the loss of three seniors. So far, no answers have emerged, which could result in more split-back and three-receiver formations.

Receivers

The wideouts are led by the steady tandem known simply as the Brians — Robiskie and Hartline. Robiskie played all season with a torn meniscus in his knee and still turned into a star with 55 catches for 935 yards, 11 scores and several highlight-reel plays. Hartline is sneaky-fast and possesses soft hands. He had 52 catches last season and proved he could take punishment over the middle of the field and hang on to the pigskin. Finding a third receiver who can earn the trust of the coaches and quarterbacks will be key. Look for Dane Sanzenbacher to emerge. At tight end, Rory Nicol and Jake Ballard will be almost interchangeable.

Offensive linemen

The left side is large, meaty and experienced with tackle Alex Boone and guard Steve Rehring back to move people in the trenches. Also, Jim Cordle returns at center, and Ben Person is back at right guard. Both made notable strides last season. Right tackle is the only other unsettled spot in the offense besides fullback, but youngster Bryant Browning took a large step to secure Kirk Barton’s old spot with a productive spring. The reserves up front are young and largely unproven. Ideally, the first unit will remain healthy and allow more time for development behind it.

Defensive linemen

There’s no doubt that the Buckeyes will miss stud defensive end Vernon Gholston and his 14 sacks, but several key linemen with disruptive qualities are back. Last year’s most pleasant surprise, the bullish Cameron Heyward, returns to one end spot and is expected to start on the side opposite the player he replaced last season, Lawrence Wilson. A broken leg in the opener sidelined Wilson, but he has made a full recovery and figures to be Ohio State’s best pure pass rusher this season. Inside, co-defensive coordinator Jim Heacock has the luxury of being able to rotate four players with nearly equal assets in Nader Abdallah, Todd Denlinger, Dexter Larimore and Doug Worthington.

Linebackers

There may not be a better 1-2 punch in the nation than James Laurinaitis and Freeman, swift and cunning defenders who have combined for 429 tackles, 29.5 for a loss. Laurinaitis is the headline act after winning the Butkus Award and then, stunningly, deciding to return for his senior season. “He’s got the intangibles, and that’s the most important thing,” co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell says. “He knows what he’s got to do, and if he continues to improve like he has, who knows what kind of things he can accomplish this year.” Blessed with great lateral speed and pursuit, Freeman is a perfect fit at weak-side linebacker. On the strong side, the Buckeyes likely will employ a shared approach with Curtis Terry and Ross Homan filling in for the departed Larry Grant. Up-and-coming Tyler Moeller also could fit into the picture.

Defensive backs

This is yet another area of strength. Ohio State has a wealthy stock of talent in the secondary beginning with Thorpe Award frontrunner Malcolm Jenkins, who has the makeup to be the top cover corner in the country. Jenkins also excelled at safety in nickel packages. Donald Washington is back at field corner, where he played admirably last season. Safeties Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russell could not come up with an interception last season but were solid in coverage and willing tacklers, especially near the line of scrimmage. Chimdi Chekwa, who doubles as a track standout, is the most likely candidate at nickel back. He, too, is sticky in man-to-man situations.

Specialists

Ryan Pretorius and A.J. Trapasso are standouts at placekicker and punter, respectively. Aaron Pettrey is recovered from a hip injury and will be called upon to boom kickoffs and push Pretorius, a 29-year-old South African native, on placements. The Buckeyes were dismal on kickoff returns last year and also were leaky at times at covering kickoffs. Saine and Herron could provide a boost on kickoff returns, while Hartline and Robiskie bring steady hands to punt returns.

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