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2013 Spring Practice Info and Tidbits (started 3/05)

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The Lantern
Ohio State football kicks off spring practice

Ohio State football starts spring practice Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

The start was the earliest documented practice in OSU history because of the university's switch to the semester system.

The practice, which will feature players working out without full pads, kicks off a 14-session schedule leading up to the program's annual Spring Game, which is scheduled for April 13.

The Spring Game will take place in Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati because of construction at Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeyes will practice again Thursday before taking off for spring break and resuming practices March 19.

OSU last practiced Nov. 27 before its season finale against Michigan.

Under the direction of coach Urban Meyer, the Buckeyes finished the 2012 season 12-0 ? its first undefeated season since 2002.

OSU finished No. 3 in the final Associated Press poll.
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New season, same mission for Ohio State football
After finishing 12-0 in 2012, Urban Meyer's second season as Ohio State?s football coach is underway. The Buckeyes kicked off their first practice of the spring football season Tuesday, practicing for two and a half hours on the indoor fields at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

Meyer said his players had 'good attitudes' Tuesday.

"I knew we would have good attitudes. What I'm concerned with is just development of some players," Meyer said. "After day one, I can't give you a whole lot because I don't know."

Tuesday's first practice, which the media was allowed to watch, gave a preliminary glimpse into what the depth chart could look like this fall before OSU opens the season against Buffalo on Aug. 31.

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Land Grant Holy Land
What they're saying about Ohio State's first spring practice

With an undefeated 12-0 2012 and defeating arch rival Michigan well behind them, Urban Meyer's second ever Ohio State team took to the indoor practice confines of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center for the first time in the new year. While it wasn't a full pads practice, the team went through both a 7-on-7 and full squad portion practice on the afternoon.

Though there's sure to be plenty of rehash pieces and more in-depth analysis of what was seen taking place during the first of two practices this week, the early reactions mostly seemed to share similar perspective. Tyvis Powell (who Meyer later singled out to laud at his first spring practice press conference of 2013) was amongst those players who surprisingly saw far more action than expected. Powell played the nickel and may have worked his way in the offseason into serious playing time. Pretty much everyone also raved about Ohio State junior quarterback Braxton Miller, which is never a bad thing.

Jordan Hall was also a name that drew some high praise both for a particularly emphatic catch, as well as for looking well up to speed after missing the majority of 2013 with injuries. It'll be interesting to see in the weeks and months to come if Hall can transition into that star player Meyer spoke of him possibly becoming during his first year running the program. Without further adieu though, here's what the all-stars of the Ohio State media had to say about the Buckeye's inaugural practice of spring 2013:


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Cleveland Plain Dealer
Ohio State spring football: Updates from today's first practice

Notes from watching Ohio State's first day of spring practice today and talking to Urban Meyer afterward:

Bedford's Tyvis Powell made a big move this off-season, and Meyer said he earned the right to be the starting nickel back, at the star position, for the first day of practice. Meyer said he told the players he is looking for the next guys to win the 'Fragel Award,' named for Reid Fragel, last year's starting right tackle, who can come from nowhere to become great players.

Starting linebacker Ryan Shazier, the only sure thing at that spot, sat out practice with what Meyer said is a sports hernia. The starters were Curtis Grant and David Perkins, and the Buckeyes were in a nickel defense almost all day and only using two linebackers.

Jordan Hall hauled in about a 40-yard pass from Braxton Miller, and after redshirting last year, he looked very good in his move from running back to the H-back spot in the slot, where he can catch the ball and run it. Meyer said he thought Hall looked great, and he had to caution himself to not get too excited about it.

Meyer said he thought Miller had a great first day, and he really praised the quarterback's footwork,.

Bradley Roby had two interceptions during the scrimmage time and Meyer made a point to say how glad he is Roby came back instead of leaving for the NFL. Johnathan Hankins, who did leave early for the pros, was watching practice.

Drew Basil, Frank Epitropoulos and Jake Russell all punted, as the Buckeyes search for a punter. Meyer said a lot of good things about Basil and it certainly sounds for now like he leans toward having Basil both kick and punt.

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Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State football: Meyer sets daily, big-picture goals

The sign inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center reads, “The Chase.”

This year, unlike last, Ohio State is allowed in the race. The Buckeyes’ bowl ban is history, and they likely are to be a national championship contender.

But they also are chasing other teams who had the benefit of 15 practices as they prepared for bowl games. Meyer has scheduled two practices this week, partly to maximize the time that coaches can have meetings with players before taking off next week for spring break.

“We’re all chasing something,” Meyer said. “We’re 15 practices behind a lot of teams — every team that played in a bowl game. Some guys are chasing starting positions. Some guys are chasing bowl games. Some guys are chasing NFL contracts.”

Those are long-term goals. Meyer is more interested in the present.

“One of our mantras is ‘Grade the Day,’ ” he said. “That means every day is going to be graded.”

Meyer mentioned cornerback Bradley Roby, who turned down a chance at the NFL and had two interceptions yesterday.
“A guy like Roby who comes out and performs is 1 for 1,” Meyer said. “Everybody’s got big dreams, and we as a football team have dreams. (But) we’re going to grade the day. You either did your job, or you did not.”

Meyer is more confident that more players can do the job this year than at the same point last year. Last March, Meyer used words such as “clown show” and “nonfunctional” to describe what he saw on offense. Yesterday, he was much more upbeat.Quarterback Braxton Miller looked sharp. His footwork, shaky last year, is much-improved. Jordan Hall, whose season was ruined by foot and knee injuries, looked at home in his new slot position. He caught a diving 40-yard pass with Christian Bryant in tight coverage for the highlight of the day.

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[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K37VC2ndeyI"]Spring football begins at Ohio State - YouTube[/ame]
 
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O-Zone

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKXfmN0rKfg"]Buckeyes Stretching Before Spring Practice - YouTube[/ame]
Two-Minute Drill: Quick Hitters from First Spring Practice

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Day one of spring practice is in the books.

It’s only March 5 and the basketball Buckeyes are still fighting for a Big Ten Championship in Bloomington, but Urban Meyer and his team took the field at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center Tuesday evening.

We were there to watch every minute of Meyer’s first spring practice in year two. We have complete breakdowns of day one in our Spring Practice Insider reports, but here’s a breakdown of the quick hitters.

Offensive Notes…

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[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ror8EZzPwyg"]Vrabel and Withers Putting Their Guys Through Drills - YouTube[/ame]

Photo Gallery

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[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZHomRU20ZU"]Kerry Coombs Gets After Players During Warmups - YouTube[/ame]

Spring Practice Insider: Jordan Hall Returns in Big Way

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Hall, who has moved fully to the H-back position in the slot, worked exclusively with the receivers in drills, and was fantastic while doing so. He snatched the ball out of the air, quickly tucked it, and went immediately upfield. He seems to have picked up the position about as well as could be hoped.
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Watching the one-on-ones, he was truly abusing some of the defensive backs who were matched up against him. He beat safety Ron Tanner by six yards on a double move that turned into a corner route.
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11 Warriors
Highlights from Ohio State's First Spring Practice

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to observe Ohio State's first practice of the 2013 season and here are the key takeaways:

Position Battles


  • Of note, Curtis Grant took the majority of first-team reps at Mike linebacker. Josh Perry repped at Mike with the second team and Cam Williams with third.
  • Taylor Decker started at right tackle. Chase Farris came in for some reps with the first team.
  • Jordan Hall worked exclusively as the first team 'H' (slot) receiver.
  • Michael Bennett was the starting '3' technique. The coaches look very comfortable with Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington at Leo and 5 technique, respectively. The staff has thus clearly resolved that Bennett inside and Washington outside is the better combination.
  • The primary position battle on the defensive line is nose guard. Joel Hale was the starting NG. Tommy Schutt also got nose guard reps. Both will play ample minutes so this really comes down to relative amount of playing time.
  • Finally, Tyvis Powell took the first-team reps at star.
  • Ryan Shazier and Corey "Philly" Brown were held out with injuries. Neither looked to be a serious issue.
  • First Team Offense: Evan Spencer (Z); Devin Smith (X); Hall (H); Heuerman/Vannett (Y); Decker (RT); Marcus Hall (RG); Corey Linsley (C); Andrew Norwell (LG); Jack Mewhort (LT); Braxton Miller (QB); Carlos Hyde (TB).
  • First Team Defense: Noah Spence (LEO); Bennett (3 tech); Hale (1 Tech); Adolphus Washington (5 tech); David Perkins (Will); Grant (Mike); Powell (Star): Bradley Roby (boundary CB); Doran Grant (wide CB); C.J Barnett (SS); Christian Bryant (FS).
Player Observations:

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Highlights from Urban Meyer's First Spring Presser

Urban Meyer held court at a presser following the first spring practice and if the theme of last spring was a "clown show," Meyer was noticeably positive about how he felt his team is coming along this spring. A few highlights:

  • On how the practice went: "It was fine. I'm not really concerned with attitude. Just concerned with the development of some players. After day one, I can't give you a whole lot, it's the first day in shorts, but we had a good attitude."
  • On who stood out: "Tyvis Powell (at star) and Pittsburgh Brown had good days."
  • On the weird calendar structure of camp, with spring break in the middle: "It's just the way the calendar works. This is early. I like it."
  • On Braxton Miller working out with George Whitfield: "I liked it because the last time we were allowed to coach Braxton was Friday before our rivalry game. Instead of sitting there and playing video games, he's working on the fundamentals of quarterback play. I love it." He jokingly added: "The quarterback guru working with Braxton Miller is a guy named Tom Herman."
  • On missing his leaders from last season: "The only thing I don't feel great about is when I look and don't see my leaders from last year... I grew to love those guys."
  • On the youth on the defensive side of the ball: "Defensively, there's a lot of young puppies running around out there."
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MililaniBuckeye;2312056; said:
Note that up on the wall in the middle of all the national champion banners is the "12-0 Undefeated Season 2012" banner. I like it...a not-so-subtle reminder of both what could've been and what is expected from here out.
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11W mentions it.

new-whac-banner.jpeg


There it's also up in the atrium (from the comments section above)...
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O-Zone
10 Things We Learned from First Day of Spring Ball

It?s easy to draw all kinds of instantaneous conclusions after watching a two-hour practice at Ohio State, mainly because we don?t get to do it very often.

Like Urban Meyer mentioned after practice, there isn?t a whole lot written in pen after the first day of spring camp, especially when the team is indoors in shorts and helmets. There were a lot of interesting things written in pencil on day one, however, and we take a closer look at some of them in our latest 10 Things We Learned feature.

1. Jordan Hall has a chance to be really good. I know, I know, first day of spring practice. No pads. No hitting. Really not much actual football going on, but shouldn?t the best playmakers on the team look like playmakers no matter what the circumstances? If this practice took place in a parking lot or an open field or Ohio Stadium, it would wouldn?t change the fact Hall looked like the most elusive player on Ohio State?s offense Tuesday.

Fortunately we have more than just a two-hour practice to fall back on. Meyer himself said Hall was the only guy last spring who could ?make someone miss? other than Braxton, and he showed that Tuesday. Yes, it was only shorts, but already we can see how this new hybrid role will really fit Hall much better than tailback ever did.

Hall is a great route-runner and has very solid hands for a running back. He made a catch on Tuesday about 40 yards downfield with Christian Bryant draped all over him that not many guys on the team would have made. The new position should allow him to get more one-on-one matchups in space.

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Re-Thinking Offensive Depth Chart after Day One

The Buckeyes will hit the practice fields in Columbus today for the second time this spring, and already we?ve learned a lot about Urban Meyer?s 2013 team.

Maybe not about the final product, but certainly about the staring point for this Ohio State compared to the one that went 12-0 a year ago. The depth chart is certain to change throughout the spring, as guys young guys emerge and others fade, but we do have a little better idea about the two-deep after watching Tuesday?s practice.

This will certainly change a number of times throughout the spring, but here is a closer look at the rotations as we saw them on the first day of camp. This includes number changes and updates heights and weights according to the official spring roster.

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Two-Minute Drill: Fickell, LBs Talk After Practice

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On Curtis Grant?
* Grant said he was angry when he lost his starting job last fall, but realizes now it was because he got complacent.
* Fickell said it's always bad when a guy feels like he's "next in line" or when there isn't strong competition for a spot like MLB.
* Grant said he has been a natural leader all his life. Guys always looked up to him and followed him, but when he got college that flipped.
* Grant said he went home after the Michigan game and started thinking about what he was going to do get on the field.
* Fickell said it's not as easy as just telling Grant to stop thinking and play fast. "You might go 4-6 seconds in the wrong direction."
* Grant said he senses the high expectations because he was a 5-star, but doesn't feel the pressure. "I love pressure."
* Grant knows this is a huge spring for him. Said if you're not playing your junior year, there's no guarantee you'll get another chance.

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Ohio State's third spring practice doesn't get glowing reviews

Ohio State had its third practice of spring football this afternoon. It was the Buckeyes? first after spring break and their first in pads, though it wasn't a full-contact practice.

Coach Urban Meyer said the time off and first time in pads contributed to a middling practice.

"I don't think it was a great day," he said. "I don't think it was awful. It didn't feel like a top-five practice."

With Ryan Shazier still limited by a sports-hernia injury, the front seven on defense was completely different than last year's. Junior-to-be Michael Bennett was joined by sophomore-to-be Noah Spence, Adolphus Washington and Tommy Schutt on the line. At linebacker, Curtis Grant and David Perkins took first-team reps. The Buckeyes' primary defense looks to be its nickel one. Returning starters at safety Christian Bryant and C.J. Barnett and returning cornerback Bradley Roby was joined by Doran Grant at corner and Tyvis Powell at nickel cornerback covering the slot receiver.
On offense, almost all the starters are back. Taylor Decker got the first reps with the starters at right tackle. Chase Farris is also competing.

Some highlights from practice: Braxton Miller completed a deep ball to Devin Smith (who's now wearing No. 9), beating Bradley Roby, who's not often beaten deep. Miller later completed a bomb to Evan Spencer, who beat Doran Grant.

Corey 'Pittsburgh' Brown was impressive in a tackle-shedding drill. He also saw time with the first unit along with Powell as a nickelback in an unusual 3-2-6 formation.

Rod Smith looked great on a darting run to daylight, but he drew running-backs coach Stan Drayton's ire when he flipped the ball at the end of it. Smith has had fumbling problems, and Drayton was not amused that he'd ever feel it was OK to put the ball on the ground.

Funniest moment of the day: A Buckeyes defensive back broke up a pass and cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs was about to congratulate him when an official threw a flag for pass interference. This might have been a March practice, but Coombs acted as if it cost the Buckeyes the national championship.

"Are you (expletive) kidding me?" Coombs screamed at the ref. Then Coombs took his play sheets and kicked them in the air. Call it the full Piniella. The former Reds manager couldn't have done it any better. The stunned look on the ref?s face was priceless.
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