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2008 tOSU Spring Game (4/19) & Practice Discussion

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Canton

Ohio State ready to begin spring practice with a lot of depth
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
By Todd Porter
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER


There aren't many positions open, but spring football practice at Ohio State starts Thursday with plenty to do.

The difference between Nos. 1 and 2 in the nation, as the Buckeyes have learned the last two seasons, covers a great deal. Head Coach Jim Tressel, however, hasn't had this much depth on a Buckeye football team as it prepares to make up that ground.

OSU must replace two starters on each side of the ball as the team that lost the national championship the last two seasons looks to reload. The Buckeyes, despite losing to LSU and Florida in the last two BCS championship games, likely will be a top-five preseason pick.

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ozone

Football: Jim Tressel met with members of the media today to discuss the opening of spring practice. We will have a full report later today, but for now, here are a couple of tidbits from the press gathering.
Tressel said that a number of players will be asked to take some snaps fullback this spring due to lack of depth a that position. He specifically mentioned tight ends Brandon Smith and J. D. Larson as candidates to put in time at fullback. He also mentioned that some other players may spend "five to percent of their time there" like Austin Spitler, but that Spitler's involvement would be minimal and that he is "firmly entrenched at linebacker". He added that freshman linebacker that Andrew Sweat, who enrolled this spring, may be a logical candidate since the linebacker is stacked.
Tressel also said that there are absolutely no academic issues and that there are no players whatsoever on academic suspension in any way.
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CPD: Ohio State football: News and notes for the start of spring football practice

Most of this has been posted in bits and pieces here-and-there...

Ohio State football: News and notes for the start of spring football practice

Posted by [URL="http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/about.html"][EMAIL="[email protected]"]Doug Lesmerises[/EMAIL][/URL]

March 26, 2008 15:39PM

Jim Tressel spoke today to preview Ohio State's spring football practice, which begins Thursday. Let's jump in with the personnel news.

* Tressel said offensive linemen Steve Rehring and Ben Person will sit out spring practice while recovering from surgeries, while incoming freshman lineman Michael Brewster, who enrolled in January, is out as well after shoulder surgery.

[...]

* The backup quarterback job for the spring isn't owned by Antonio Henton. Former minor league baseball player Joe Bauserman has come a long way since showing up last August, and impressed the coaches during bowl practice.

[...]

* The most wide open position battle is at fullback, where the Buckeyes lost three players to graduation. Ryan Lukens is moving from linebacker to fullback full-time, while Tressel mentioned several other players, including some walk-ons, who will get shots there this spring.

The biggest names who could see fullback time?

Linebacker Austin Spitler, the backup to James Laurinaitis at middle linebacker, who could see situational action there, Tressel estimating he'll see five percent of his practice time at fullback.

And incoming freshman linebacker Andrew Sweat could see some time at fullback if it looks for now like he could help out there more than he could at linebacker, which has a logjam of depth with James Laurinaitis, Marcus Freeman, Curtis Terry, Ross Homan, Austin Spitler, Brian Rolle, Tyler Moeller and Jermale Hines in place, along with fellow incoming freshman Etienne Sabino.

[...]

Ohio State's spring practice, which begins Thursday, will look and feel much different this season, with 47 players on the field, by Tressel's count, who will be in either their fourth or fifth year in the program in the fall.

With so many player with so much game experience, there will be less scrimmaging. That could affect the form of the spring game, which will take place before the public on April 19. It could be more situational showdowns rather than an actual game.

[...]

Mentally, the older players will be asked to serve as teachers to the newcomers, Tressel promising that coaches will fight the urge to have the chalk in their hands during meetings. The idea is to keep the veterans from getting bored while the new guys figure out where the coaches' office are.

[...]

* Tressel said he has been told Ohio State's game at USC on Sept. 13 will be an 8 p.m. eastern time start, 5 p.m. in Los Angeles. No shock wanting to get that game in primetime.
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Dispatch

OSU notebook: Tressel cutting back on spring hitting

Thursday, March 27, 2008 3:07 AM
By Ken Gordon


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

This spring, Ohio State football players will give their bodies a break. Instead, it will be their minds that matter.
The Buckeyes return a veteran group from last season's team that lost in the national championship game. Eighteen starters are back, as well as a number of key backups.
So rather than have his players bang into one another at full speed for the next 23 days -- drills begin today and run through April 19 -- coach Jim Tressel has designed a more cerebral spring.
"One of the things we want to really focus on this spring is to mentally challenge our guys," Tressel said. "We don't want anyone to come into spring practice and be feeling like, 'Well, this is the same old, same old. I know what we do, and here's what we'll do Monday and here's what we'll do Tuesday.'

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CPD

Spring brings new looks, veteran poise to Buckeyes

by Doug Lesmerises Thursday March 27, 2008, 8:41 AM




small_tressel0327.jpg


Columbus -- Ohio State's spring football practice, which begins today with 47 players on the field by Jim Tressel's count in their fourth or fifth years in the program, should look and feel different. The Buckeyes should expect:

Less scrimmaging, which could mean the April 19 spring game for the public might not ex actly be a game.
"I think his torically we've stuck to the game setting," Tressel said. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

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Link

Ohio State is poised to get started with spring practice



COLUMBUS (AP) - Between another painful championship-game loss last January and an early-season showdown with Southern California coming up on Sept. 13, Ohio State has a lot of work to do. Since almost everybody's back from last year, not much time will be spent on introductions or on giving the newcomers directions to the practice field.

"You'd think we'd be a smarter football team with all the experience we have," coach Jim Tressel said on Wednesday, the day before the first official practice of the spring. Experience? The Buckeyes have an abundance of it. A remarkable 47 players have been with the team for at least four years.

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ToledoBlade

Article published Thursday, March 27, 2008
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
OSU has chance for Big Ten first
Bucks seek third outright title in row

COLUMBUS - While other college football coaches will use this spring to familiarize themselves with their personnel, patch a bunch of holes, and hope the puzzle pieces all fit together, Ohio State's Jim Tressel has an atypical task ahead of him.

Tressel comes to today's first workout with the Buckeyes minus just four starters from the team that played for the national championship less than three months ago. And he has considerable momentum surging behind the program - Ohio State has lost only three of its last 33 games. He is aware of the other edge this mighty sword wields.

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