2008 Buckeye Football Season

[ant80]

Exactly shetuck. It's good to be hated.

 

[BB73]

10 questions about the season - a good article by Ben Koo.

bucknuts

Koo: Ten Questions Facing The Buckeyes

Even though many people think the Buckeyes are the preseason No. 1 team, they are not without question marks. Bucknuts contributor Ben Koo takes a look at some of them today.

Cont'd ...

 

[shetuck]

ESPN: Sustained success breeds outrageous expectations

Sustained success breeds outrageous expectations

By Mark Schlabach
ESPN.com

Updated: August 7, 2008

CHICAGO -- The Ohio State record books reveal that legendary coach Woody Hayes won nearly 76 percent of his games, 13 Big Ten titles and three national championships.

But if you believe the expectations surrounding Ohio State's football team each season, you might think Hayes won much more often.

"The general feeling you have at Ohio State is you're expected to win every game," Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said. "It's like Woody never lost a game."

Oklahoma's Bob Stoops might feel like he's never won a bowl game -- or the 2000 national championship -- after being scorned for much of the past five seasons for his team's failure in BCS bowl games.

"We've been in six Big 12 championships and we won five of them," Stoops said. "We are doing something right."

But is it enough at schools such as Ohio State and Oklahoma, where sustained success breeds outrageous expectations? The Buckeyes and Sooners are scrutinized more than most schools. Even USC, which has produced three of the past six Heisman Trophy winners and has littered the NFL with its former players, doesn't seem to be under such a powerful microscope.

[...]

Tressel believes most people, particularly the media, don't appreciate the difficulty in just reaching the BCS championship game.

"When you're covering the game, everyone is there," Tressel said. "It wasn't that hard. They got on a plane and went there and their job is to write about it. How hard was it to get there? It was no different than getting to any other game. To the people that cover it, it wasn't hard. To the X-number of people that have never been in it, they think it's next to impossible."

In each of the past two seasons, Tressel has learned that winning a second national championship is difficult.

"Does that bother me?" Tressel said. "I like to analyze our shortcoming as much as anybody does. I happen to think we're capable of anything. I love to try to get there."

cont'd...

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Buckeyes looking to build on 2007 By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Friday, Aug 08, 2008
COLUMBUS: Popular thought at a football program such as Ohio State University says that you don't rebuild, you reload.
Of course, it helps when you enter the season with a veteran squad committed to finishing what it started the previous season.
When last we saw the Buckeyes, they had suffered a resounding defeat at the hands of the LSU Tigers in the BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans in January with a talented, junior-laden team.
Many on the roster could have fled to the NFL and the riches associated with being a high draft choice. Instead, they chose to stay.
''You have to make decisions for the right reasons and that's for friends, that's for relationships, education and for making me a better football player,'' said linebacker James Laurinaitis, who likely would have been guaranteed a huge payday as a first-round draft pick had he jumped to the NFL. ''If [players] didn't want to be here, they'd leave. People come here and want to experience Ohio State football, experience the 'Shoe [the horseshoe-shaped stadium] on a Saturday afternoon or night and live it up.''
Coach Jim Tressel said camaraderie is what brought many of his players back.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Ohio State notebook
Friday, August 8, 2008
BY Todd Porter
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

Here we go again?

If the rest of the country is looking at the preseason coaches' poll and rolling its collective eyes at Ohio State's No. 3 ranking, well, it's probably justified. At least that's the way linebacker James Laurinaitis feels.

Coming off consecutive national title losses to SEC teams, Florida and LSU last year, some college football experts wonder if the Buckeyes are deserving of a top five ranking.

"The only way to stop all that is just to win," Laurinaitis said.

Depending on the player, or perhaps position, the feeling varies in OSU's locker room. Laurinaitis is a linebacker. His competitive juices flow with that kind of motivation.

Brian Hartline is a wide receiver. The GlenOak High School graduate is more accustomed to thinking a little deeper. Is the eye rolling justified?

"Surprisingly, I would say not this year," Hartline said. "If anyone wants to learn anything it's no matter who you are, winning is winning. We won 11 games. People know who we have coming back. Award winners are award winners. A coach's era is a coach's era.

"We're not in the top three in the country because of the conference we play in. We in the top three because of who we have. ... It's just what the critics say. It's not unrealistic."
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Too much fun to leave
Handful of Ohio State seniors delayed chasing NFL dream to have final college season
Friday, August 8, 2008 3:11 AM
By Ken Gordon


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

NEAL C. LAURON | DISPATCH
Malcolm Jenkins jumps on Marcus Freeman, left, and James Laurinaitis, right, as they prepare for the team picture at Ohio Stadium.


http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/buckeyextra/osufbquiz.html

Tasked with taking the Ohio State football team picture last night, several photographers shouted commands, trying to be heard in cavernous Ohio Stadium: "Row one, shift to the left!"
"OK now, row three, move a little to your right!"
"Pull those jerseys down tight, stand with your left hand over right!"
They had it about as easy as cat herders, and that was before the front-row fracas broke out.
James Laurinaitis, Marcus Freeman and Malcolm Jenkins -- all seniors and good buddies -- were doing their impression of NBA life in the lane.
Elbows led to hip checks, followed by a shove, and suddenly Jenkins tumbled off the bleachers. He posed briefly on the ground, legs splayed, as the guys hooted and hollered.
Jenkins scrambled back into the picture, of course. He, Laurinaitis and Freeman were among the players who passed up a chance at NFL riches and chose to remain in the Buckeyes' picture for one final season.
The one reason they all cited for returning? Not to try and win a national championship, although that would be fine.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

BleacherReport

Ohio State Football: 2008 Team Preview (Part One)

In spirit of counting down the days until College Football kicks off, Cody Blubaugh provides a four-part walk-through series of the 2008 Ohio State football squad.
by Cody Blubaugh (Analyst)
2 comments 69 reads
August 07, 2008


This article has not been edited yet.

So here we are, nearing the start of the College Football season, and everyone is getting anxious. I hope to provide a fix for you fanatics and get you acquainted with the 2008 Buckeyes and what may ensue this upcoming year.

This walk-through guide offers up the offensive preview in parts one and two, while the defense and special teams will be analyzed in parts three and four.

In Part One of my team preview, I will take a look at the 'Backs of this anticipated high power offense. Two of the three starters at these positions return including Heisman hopeful Chris 'Beanie' Wells, Maxwell and O'Brien Trophy candidate Todd Boeckman, and super frosh Terrelle Pryor.
Cont...

 

[BuckeyeGanoosh]

This article has not been edited yet.

Bleacher Report has an editor???

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

Bad news, haters: Buckeyes are loaded

Comment: How will the Buckeyes do this season?


By Rusty Miller
Associated Press

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

COLUMBUS ? In the midst of the dog days of summer, a popular sports blog ran its predictions for the upcoming college football season.
One smart-aleck reader's post spoke volumes about the enmity many people have for Ohio State.
"National championship game prediction: (insert random SEC team here) 49, Ohio State 10."
After consecutive one-sided defeats in the last two Bowl Championship Series title games ? 41-14 to Florida two years ago, 38-24 to LSU last year ? it's clear that America is tired of seeing, reading and hearing about the Buckeyes. They were No. 1 all of the 2006 season until getting ripped by the Gators, then took advantage of a number of missteps by other teams last fall to take over the top spot heading into the championship game against LSU.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Rob Oller commentary: OSU staff lives solely in the present

Wednesday, August 13, 2008 3:31 AM
By Rob Oller


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

KARL KUNTZ | DISPATCH
"You get in trouble when you're looking out there or back there." ? Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Heacock


Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Heacock insists he has no interest in becoming a coach with chameleon-like vision who can focus on two opponents at once. His eyes do not rotate independently. They are on Youngstown State and Youngstown State only. Heacock points to Michigan's shocking home loss to Appalachian State last season, and offers a cautionary warning that anything can happen, so it's best not to look past the present.
That's the job of media and fans, a vocation we gladly practice without guilt or concern over corrupting the season. Youngstown State? Ohio University? Pah. Let's talk about the Southern California Trojans.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Criticism has OSU feeling defensive
Late-season lapses still sting Buckeyes
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 3:31 AM
By Ken Gordon


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/buckeyextra/osufbquiz.html

Thom Brennaman was stunned. The Fox network announcer had seen and read all about the Ohio State defense heading into last year's national title game -- its star power and stinginess, its lofty rankings and equally high standards. So as he watched Louisiana State march toward its 24th unanswered point of the first half, Brennaman, with an incredulous tone, said: "This No. 1 Ohio State defense right now is being toyed with by the LSU offense."
He emphasized "No. 1," which sounded as if he was questioning its validity.
If so, he certainly wasn't alone. LSU's 38-24 victory, like a 41-14 blowout by Florida in the previous title game, allowed a legion to doubt the vaunted Buckeyes defense.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

10 questions on the 2008 Buckeyes


By Rusty Miller
Associated Press

Thursday, August 14, 2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Here are 10 questions swirling around the 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes:
1. Is three a charm? The Buckeyes have almost everybody back in their run for a third-straight trip to the Bowl Championship Series title game. They've gotten blown out in those two earlier ones. Several columnists, pundits and publications have weighed in that they'd rather see a return to leather helmets and the flying wedge than to have to watch the Buckeyes get drilled in another title game. As good as Ohio State figures to be this fall, a third trip to the championship game will be difficult to pull off, particularly with a showdown at Southern California looming on Sept. 13, not to mention games at Wisconsin, Michigan State and Illinois. But those games aren't slam-dunk losses. Put it this way: if Ohio State gets back to the ultimate game, don't be surprised if you read lots of references to the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings.
2. How long before Terrelle Pryor's the QB? Hold on, big fella. Todd Boeckman is the starting quarterback and also was last year while the Buckeyes went 11-2. It's his job, for about a thousand reasons. That being said, the pressure will be on coach Jim Tressel to throw Pryor out there in games, partly to give him some game experience and partly to shake up opposing defenses. So count on Pryor to play early and often, but maybe not take over the starting job unless the critics yell too loud because of the way Boeckman's playing.
Cont...

 

[Dryden]

ESPN - A chance to cover the Buckeyes - Big Ten

A chance to cover the Buckeyes
August 15, 2008 11:35 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Ohio State students, listen up. ESPN The Magazine wants one of you to document the Buckeyes' season this fall.

You'll get a video camera to film the scene around your team each week before sending in your footage. The idea is to get a feel for the atmosphere from a student's point of view.

If you're interested, send in a clip of 60 seconds or less about yourself and why you're perfect for the job. Also make sure to e-mail your contact info to [email protected]. Submissions are due before Aug. 24.

Here are all the particulars.* If you don't go to Ohio State, send in a clip saying why you and your school's team should be chronicled this fall.

* http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3531781

 

[OregonBuckeye]

Bucknuts.com - Offense Retains Jerseys, Wins Scrimmage

Tressel is the king of downplaying hype, especially for a true frosh, so reading these comments makes me think we're in for a run unprecedented in college football history.

 

[osugrad21]

BN$--Notebook: Players Reflect On Scrimmage, More

Curtis Terry explains his take on playing multiple positions, Brandon Smith loves his move to fullback, James Laurinaitis admits the jersey scrimmage rules make it very hard for the defense to win, and commentary from Boeckman, Jenkins, Pretorius, and the senior leadership.