BREAKING DOWN THE BUCKEYES
A LOOK AT WHAT’S NEXT FOR OHIO STATE HEADING INTO 2006
Sunday, January 08, 2006
By Ken Gordon and Tim May THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Alex Boone will be counted on to help fill the void left by departing seniors on the offensive line. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
The 2005 Ohio State football team caught fire after a 3-2 start, winning its last seven games and finishing fourth in the nation.
The embers haven’t cooled yet, but Dispatch beat writers Ken Gordon and Tim May already are looking ahead. They discuss offseason issues, changes and what to look for in 2006:
Gordon: Let’s start with what the Buckeyes lose and must replace. The most obvious is at least eight defensive starters, including all three linebackers.
Less obvious is a kicker, with 10-year veteran (kidding!) Josh Huston gone, and a No. 1 receiver with the departure of Santonio Holmes. There are plenty of good candidates to fill the two open offensive line spots, so to me, these are the team’s top concerns.
May: Nick Mangold not only started at center for three years but was considered one of the best in the country. Replacing his leadership and that of three-year starting tackle/guard Rob Sims will be a major challenge.
That said, right guard T.J. Downing is no wallflower, and he likely will be the rallying point for a group of linemen who showed shades of depth this season before injuries hit. Steve Rehring and Jim Cordle, especially, will be expected to step up in the spring. That gives them a starting lineup right there — Rehring at left tackle, Doug Datish from left tackle to left guard, Cordle at center, Downing at right guard and Kirk Barton at right tackle, with massive Alex Boone challenging the two tackle spots.
Gordon: I’m going to hazard a guess that senior-to-be Datish gets a crack at center rather than the inexperienced Cordle. That assumes that some combo of Boone and Rehring (and that’s a 700-pound combo!) will handle left tackle. Don’t underestimate how important the improved line play was this season. How many times in the past two seasons did fans bang the table in frustration when the Buckeyes couldn’t run?
Back to the defense: Who in your opinion needs to step in for some of the dearly departed?
May: First of all, while the departure of A.J. Hawk, Anthony Schlegel and Bobby Carpenter will have obvious ramifications, you think back on some of the bigger moments for the defense this season and No. 57, Mike Kudla, was in on almost every one of them. Will the coaches groom Mike D’Andrea to take his place?
That will be one of the interesting things to watch the next nine months. Otherwise, you figure they can find three starting linebackers from D’Andrea, Chad Hoobler, James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman, who will return from an injury-redshirt season. And that’s not counting Curtis Terry, or discounting the possible immediate rise of freshmen Ross Homan and Ty Moeller.
Gordon: I think Laurinaitis is a lock to start based on his experience late this year, and from what little we have seen of Freeman, he could be special.
I’m not sure D’Andrea is ever going to be the same, although I hope I’m wrong, for his sake. I’ll throw John Kerr into that mix. I think he might be a surprise next season. In the secondary, Ashton Youboty leaving early for the NFL creates a problem because he would have been the most experienced cornerback. Even with Malcolm Jenkins back, it could signal some struggles there.
May: True, except there won’t be a shortage of candidates for action in the secondary, starting with sudden leader Brandon Mitchell and Jamario O’Neal, along with Sirjo Welch, Nick Patterson, Andre Amos, Donald Washington, et al. Just like up front: The Buckeyes are losing Marcus Green, but David Patterson made plays in almost every big game. And even though Kudla is gone, Lawrence Wilson and Jay Richardson return, and we haven’t even seen redshirted freshman Doug Worthington, considered one of the blue chips of the 2005 recruiting class.
Gordon: So what style of team will we see in the fall? The early conventional wisdom has the Buckeyes relying more on their offense while a young defense matures. The schedule is front-loaded, with Texas, Penn State and Iowa all within the first five games. OSU won’t have time to develop slowly, or it could be 3-2 again like it was the last two seasons. And don’t forget the kicker position, although whoever it is might be kicking a lot more extra points than field goals.
May: Well-traveled Ryan Pretorius, the South African sidewinder, already has a foot in the door to replace Huston. As for that schedule, so much is in flux in regard to its front-loaded strength. If Vince Young chooses to go to the NFL, Texas won’t be the same. Penn State already must replace quarterback Michael Robinson, and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz will be courted by several NFL teams. Whereas in regard to OSU’s strength, while QB Troy Smith said the team should be potent offensively, even he noted that all things Buckeye begin with establishing a strong defense. The 2006 squad will have a different dynamic, no question, but it still will operate within the guidelines of the Tresselball theory of relativity. I think we’ve all learned by now that’s a constant not about to be changed.
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