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DE Vernon Gholston (Official Thread)

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did anyone else notice how shaken up the bg player was after vernon ran through him? unfortunately for the bg receiver, he was the player in between vernon and the goal line. it took that poor soul a long time to recall that he's human.
 
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Interception & Sack...

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marionstar


Gholston is a rock-solid Buckeye
Jon Spencer
For the Marion Star

COLUMBUS - Sophomore defensive end Vernon Gholston spent more time in the Bowling Green backfield Saturday than he did on a football field for the first 14 years of his life. He had two tackles for loss - one of them a sack - in Ohio State's 35-7 win, giving him a team-high nine TFLs for the season.
Gholston's meteoric rise to stardom for the top-ranked Buckeyes is surprising in part because he didn't play the sport until his sophomore year at Cass Technical High School in Detroit.

He was discovered walking the school hallways by football coach Thomas Wilcher. He thought the physically-blessed Gholston was a parent.

"It definitely helps to work out, but I just go in the (weight room) to lift hard," the 6-4, 260-pound Gholston said "I don't worry about my size or anything like that."

Ted Ginn Jr. may be the fastest Buckeye and Anthony Gonzalez the smartest, but Gholston is hands-down the fittest. The V in his first name perfectly describes the shape of his chiseled upper body. Strength coach Eric Lichter said you couldn't carve a statue any better.

But while Gholston may have the body of a Mr. Olympia, his game is still in the early development stages.

That should scare the bejabbers out of opposing quarterbacks. His 4.5 sacks this season is topped only by tackle Quinn Pitcock's 5.

"Vernon consistently is playing as good as anybody on our defense," co-coordinator Jim Heacock said. "Each game he seems to come up with some big plays for us.

"The best thing I can say about him is he's consistent. Every down he's playing hard. He's strong, he's physical and he's really gone beyond my expectations."

During last season's preparation for the Fiesta Bowl, everybody thought 6-6 freshman Lawrence Wilson would emerge to give the Buckeyes that pass-rushing threat on the edge they lost when senior Bobby Carpenter got hurt against Michigan. But Wilson was a non-factor in the bowl game and Gholston shot past him in the spring to win a starting job.

"He came in this spring and surprised everybody," Heacock said. "It seemed like every scrimmage we had he made plays. It's interesting, when a guy makes plays in practice he's probably going to make them in the game."

A linebacker at Cass Tech, Gholston must have felt like he was back in high school Saturday when he dropped into coverage and intercepted a pass off the hands of tailback Chris Bullock at the BG 29. The pick, the first by an OSU lineman in two years, led to a touchdown that bumped the lead to 21-0 in the second quarter.

"I like to rush the passer, but anytime I can sacrifice doing that to get an interception, it's a good day," Gholston said. "It's all about us trying to create havoc."

Indirectly, Gholston has undoubtedly had a hand in some of OSU's other Big Ten-high 12 interceptions. Thanks to the pressure exerted by the front four, the Buckeyes haven't had to blitz as much and have been able to drop more players into pass coverage.

As a result, they've already doubled their interception total of last season.

"We're putting more heat on the defensive line to bring pressure without the extra guy," Heacock said. "We're keeping guys back in coverage. Our linebackers (James Laurinaitis has four picks and nearly had a fifth Saturday) do a great job of breaking on the ball and getting depth and they're pretty athletic."

More athletic than Gholston? Right now, that's very much open to debate.

"We're great across on the board on the defensive line," Gholston said, not lacking in confidence. "Coming in, I knew I had the talent to play here. It was just about constantly working, thanking God every day for what he's given me and going out there and performing."
Jon Spencer covers Ohio State football for the Newspaper Network of Central, which includes the Marion Star. Send him feedback on this column at [email protected]
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]OSU's Gholston plays lilke he practiced[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BY JIM NAVEAU - Oct. 9, 2006[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]COLUMBUS ? Vernon Gholston was talking about the pass he intercepted against Bowling Green, but he just as well could have been telling how he played his way into Ohio State?s starting lineup.
?I saw my opportunity and seized it,? Gholston said about picking off a tipped pass during OSU?s 35-7 win over Bowling Green on Saturday.
It was the first career interception for the 6-4, 260-pound sophomore defensive end, in his first season as a starter.
He knows about sacks. He is second on the Buckeyes this season with 3 ?.
But an interception is something different. A defensive lineman might get one chance a year to pick off a pass, more likely no chances. So they have to make the most of it.
?You don?t want to think about it, you just want to react,? Gholston said about seeing the rare chance to pick off a pass.
Gholston played briefly in six games as a freshman but was redshirted last season because of a broken hand.
This spring, with only two returning starters on Ohio State?s defensive line, he saw an opportunity and seized it.
?He came in and surprised everybody. He made plays. He came out of spring ball as one of our most productive players and he?s continued to do it during the season,? Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Heacock said.
?He?s very strong, very powerful, has great upper body strength and he has good speed.?
Gholston had two sacks in the season opener against Northern Illinois and leads the team in tackles for losses with nine.
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Vernon Gholsten sacks Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis in the first half. (Anthony DeYoung)

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Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis is flagged for intentional grounding as Ohio State's Vernon Gholsten brings him down. (Morgan Wonorski, CentralOhio)

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COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 18: Vernon Gholston #50 of the Ohio State Buckeyes hits quarterback Chad Henne #7 of the Michigan Wolverines as Henne throws the ball November 18, 2006 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State won 42-39. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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Gholston played great yesterday. It seemed like everytime I looked up he was harrassing Henne in the backfield, or blowing by O-linemen and sometimes drawing the holding penalty because of how the blockers couldn't keep up with him.
 
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