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Fall Practice 2006

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CPD

OSU INSIDER



Battles developing on defense



Wednesday, August 16, 2006 Doug Lesmerises

Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus -- With Ohio State now into two-a-day workouts and a crucial team scrimmage coming Saturday, the fight for jobs in a nearly all-new defense has brought an edge to the Buckeyes' preseason practices.
"It's been by far the most fights and hooting and hollering I've seen," senior cornerback Antonio Smith said, "but it's all in fun and we've had fun out there doing that. There's lots of jobs open, so it adds a little bit of an edge, but that's what football's all about."
Nowhere is the competition more intense than in the secondary, and no Buckeyes are in tougher spots than players like Smith and safety Brandon Mitchell, fifth-year seniors who have been tutoring younger players they're now battling for time.

Despite having freshmen and sophomores as their competition, Mitchell and Smith don't expect their age to give them an advantage. If the knowledge they've passed on leads to them winding up on the bench, so be it, as long as the Buckeyes are better for it.
Practice to draw crowd:
Monday's night practice at Ohio State will be completely free to the public, the planned parking charge now waived. But it could be a mob scene.
Ohio State will allow just under 12,000 fans to be squeezed into 10,000-seat Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, the university's track and field stadium. That means some fans will be standing and some fans could be turned away.
Four stadium gates will open to the public at 6 p.m. An autograph session will be held from 7 to 8 p.m., the players ringing the field in numerical order. Admission is free, but concessions and Ohio State merchandise will be on sale.
 
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morningjournal.com

8/16/06

Jury still out on the secondary
JASON LLOYD, Morning Journal Writer

08/16/2006


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COLUMBUS -- The fate of the Buckeyes' rebuilt secondary rests in part on a future attorney and a former walk-on. One thing is certain: Both are smart enough to handle their new roles.


Antonio Smith came to Ohio State in 2002 from nearby Beechcroft High School on an academic scholarship and walked on to the football team. He is a four-time scholar athlete at Ohio State, but has toiled in anonymity on the football field, working with the scout team and on special teams.

All that is about to change.

Smith is the early favorite to replace Tyler Everett as the starting cornerback this year, even though he has a career total of 15 tackles. As scary as it sounds, his two years on special teams gives him more experience than most others in the cornerback competition.

''I've been in the background playing my role,'' Smith said. ''Everybody has a role on this team and to be part of this team, you have to learn your role and play it to the best of your ability.''

Brandon Mitchell knows all about being a role player. Now in his fifth year, Mitchell played extensively last year as a nickel back, but is finally getting the opportunity to start at safety. Much like at cornerback, safety is an open competition. Smith, sophomore Malcolm Jenkins, and redshirt freshmen Andre Amos and Donald Washington are getting plenty of looks at cornerback.

Mitchell is in a rotation with Nick Patterson, Jamario O'Neal and Anderson Russell at safety as the coaching staff tries to wade through all the fresh faces and piece together a secondary that can sustain early road tests at Texas and Iowa.

''Obviously you'd love to have experience,'' Mitchell said, ''but I'd take a bunch of talented guys over a bunch of guys that weren't as talented but had a lot of experience. The experience will come.''

Mitchell has the most experience of anyone in the secondary, playing in 33 games and starting eight.

He graduated in the spring of 2005 with a degree in political science and is currently taking graduate classes. He plans on attending law school after football.

Until then, he has plenty to keep him busy. In order for Ohio State to live up to its immense preseason billing, the defense must find enough playmakers during this camp. So far, competition is high and the coaches are still in evaluation mode.

''Everybody is hungry and that's what's so good about it,'' Mitchell said. ''Everyone is in competition for these four or five slots. It makes us compete against each other, but overall it makes the team better because I know I can't have a bad practice or I won't be the guy.''

Smith, for one, is certainly used to competition. He's competed long and hard enough to make the tedious climb from walk-on to possibly becoming a starting cornerback.

''When you come in as a freshman, you're at the bottom of the totem pole,'' fifth-year senior Roy Hall said. ''When you're a walk-on, you're beneath that, whatever that is.''

Smith said he joined the football team with the initial goal of one day making it onto the field. He obviously has surpassed that.

''Then I set another goal to become a special teams guy, then set another goal to try and be on the defensive unit,'' he said. ''As a competitor, you have your goals and you want to succeed with the goals you set. This was one of my goals -- to be out on the field. This is a dream come true to have this opportunity.''

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Buckeyes ready for another run
Offense loaded; defense an unknown
BY RUSTY MILLER | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT--> COLUMBUS - The presence of Texas on the schedule - and just about everybody from Ohio State's offense of a year ago - are two of the constants heading into the Buckeyes' season.
Last year's 25-22 loss to Texas on a late touchdown, in the second game of the season, put a serious dent in Ohio State's hopes of playing for the its second national title in four years. The Longhorns went on to run the table, finishing No. 1 for the first time since 1969.
The teams will meet again Sept. 9, this time in Austin. Vince Young won't be there for the Longhorns. Neither will just about anybody from Ohio State's staunch defense.

The Buckeyes head into the season led by an offense that features quarterback Troy Smith, wideout Ted Ginn Jr. and tailback Anthony Pittman.
Smith posted huge numbers last fall, accounting for 27 touchdowns, completing 63 percent of his passes with 16 TDs and four interceptions.
He played his best in the final two games of the season - a last-minute 25-21 comeback win over Michigan and a dominating 34-20 victory over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. His average over those two games: 23-of-33 passing for 321 yards.
It wasn't so long ago that people referred to him as "the running quarterback" and backup Justin Zwick as "the passing quarterback."
"I don't laugh at it," Smith said of that label. "But I remember. I don't forget any of that. And that's what makes me work as hard as I do, because I never want that to come up again."
Ginn, perhaps the fastest Ohio State player ever, must cross the threshold to being the Buckeyes' No. 1 receiver. Ginn has made his name as a kick returner, who tossed in an occasional big play as a receiver or runner. Much more is expected this year.
Pittman rushed for 1,331 yards in a breakout season.
"When people defense us, they have to be a little bit nervous about where those guys are," offensive coordinator Jim Bollman said of the Buckeyes' Big Three.
Three starters and several others with lots of experience are back on the line, along with wideout Anthony Gonzalez.
"People say how great our offense is," Smith said. "Within our unit, within our core group of people, coaches and everything, I know that the standards are going to be high for our offense. And we have to live up to them."
The only two starters back on defense are linemen Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson, but it's not as if the cupboard is bare.
"I'm not discouraged at all with our defense," said coach Jim Tressel, 50-13 overall and 30-10 in the Big Ten during his tenure in Columbus. "We have a good staff, we have good leaders. You always want to be good up front. Now we need experience in the back seven."
Another spot that must be spackled is at kicker. Ryan Pretorious, a 27-year-old walk-on from South Africa, probably will take over.
The showdown at Texas in Week 2 might decide the national championship. The Buckeyes open Sept. 2 against Northern Illinois.
Many Web sites and preseason magazines count the Buckeyes among the top three or four teams in the nation.
"You can't help but acknowledge it," Tressel said of the high expectations. "It helps you appreciate people's respect for Ohio State."
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Dispatch

8/16/06

OSU FOOTBALL

Buckeyes start from scratch in backfield
Experience in secondary is on lighter side, and so is learning curve at times

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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Kids today. No respect for their elders.
That was the look Ohio State fifthyear safety Brandon Mitchell had yesterday when talking about his young teammates in the defensive backfield.
"Andre Amos is the one that gets on us the most," Mitchell said of the redshirt freshman cornerback. "He actually calls me ‘Grandpa’ because I’m the oldest. We sit back and just look at him and laugh."
Never mind that the name might fit. Consider that Mitchell earned his bachelor’s degree before Amos ever set foot on campus.
The point is, Mitchell has lots of "grandkids" gathered around him this month. OSU must replace its starting secondary from last season, and the pool of players is young.
Of the top eight candidates, only Mitchell and fifth-year senior Antonio Smith are upperclassmen. The others are a redshirt sophomore, two true sophomores and three redshirt freshmen.
"There’s one time I saw (defensive coaches) had a play scripted where there were three redshirt freshmen and a true sophomore in the secondary, and I thought, ‘Whoo,’ " said coach Jim Tressel, who doesn’t say "Whoo" very often. "They’re going to be lining up in the Horseshoe for the first time and they’re going to be lining up for Texas and they’re going to be young. And that concerns you."
Mitchell and sophomore corner Malcolm Jenkins are the only ones with significant experience. Mitchell has three interceptions in eight career starts. Jenkins started six games last season and played well.
As practice opened, the inexperience showed in several ways. Mitchell noticed it during drills, when coaches took their charges back to the beginning.
"(They’re) starting from step one, basically getting in a stance," Mitchell said. "Things that you learn when you’re very little, we’ve started back at those things."
Departed cornerback Ashton Youboty called that process "getting the high school out," referring to young corners with poor technique, playing too high.
Cornerbacks coach Tim Beckman noticed the youth movement in his first meeting with the new group.
"They’re like sponges," Beckman said. "The pencils are out, the (note) pads are out and the playbook and they’re ready to go. You can’t get them out of the meeting room."
Practices apparently have been viciously competitive, with so many players tasting the nectar of opportunity for the first time.
"It’s exciting, it’s like we’re all just trying to make it to the next day," safety Nick Patterson said. "That makes you play your hardest, it keeps you from maybe taking those plays off or maybe loafing on a play."
William White remembers that feeling. He was a freshman cornerback in 1984, the last time OSU had to replace all four starting defensive backs.
"It was an opportunity to know I could come in and play very early, or get beat out and sit the bench for a long time," White said.
His hunger paid off with a starting spot, alongside fellow true freshman Greg Rogan, redshirt freshman Terry White and sophomore Sonny Gordon.
The good news for OSU fans is that the Buckeyes and their young secondary won an outright Big Ten title that season, the last time that has happened.
So it doesn’t have to be a disastrous learning experience. But there’s no getting around it: OSU has to find at least a few players it can count on.
"If you have three good guys and one guy who’s kind of (shaky), you can rotate the defense to him," William White said. "But I don’t know how you can protect an entire secondary."
Everyone insists there are no starters at this point. Coaches and players both say it’s a different rotation each day, the better to give all an equal opportunity.
The situation might give Tressel more worry lines. But for upstarts such as Amos, it’s cause for childlike enthusiasm.
"Every night I go to bed and every morning I wake up, I’m like, ‘(It’s) another day to compete for the starting spot,’ " Amos said. "It really means a lot. Just being a redshirt freshman and knowing that I might play is really something special."
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Dispatch

8/16/06

OSU NOTEBOOK
Spirited practices spawning camaraderie
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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By inside accounts, the hitting has been intense since the Ohio State football team moved to full contact this preseason. Not surprisingly, tempers have flared on occasion, escalating to a few rumbles.
"This is the funny thing: We haven’t had just one pushing match, because any time one person starts pushing we jump in as a defense," senior safety Brandon Mitchell said. "It becomes a whole team thing.
"I kind of like it that way because everybody is taking each other’s back."
Mitchell said it seems to be the most intense camp of his five as a Buckeye.
"I think we have a little bit more spirit just because everybody is competing," said Mitchell, referring in part to the nine starting jobs on defense that are up for grabs. "Everybody is competing for a position, so you can’t come out just trying to get through the day.
"You have to come out ready, focused and communicating with your other teammates, because you never know when that moment is going to be that you’re going to be in the starting lineup."
As for best hit, he said it was the one freshman linebacker Tyler Moeller laid on junior receiver Curt Lukens over the middle, knocking the ball loose. It was a how-do-you-do for Lukens, who had just switched from linebacker.
"Of course we joked about it … and he said he didn’t like that so much, that he would rather be the person doing the hitting," Mitchell said.
Advance view , no charge

There will be no charge for parking or for admission for OSU’s open practice Monday night in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, an athletic department spokesman said. Gates will open at 6 p.m., a one-hour autograph session with the players and coaches will start at 7, and practice will follow at 8.
The Owens stadium has a capacity of about 12,000, including standing room, the spokesman said, and if that figure is reached, the gates will be closed, though those turned away will be welcome to watch from outside.
Autograph seekers will be limited to one item per player. Some of the more-sought signers — coach Jim Tressel, receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez, quarterback Troy Smith, running back Antonio Pittman and defensive linemen Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson — will be stationed at one end of the field or the other.
Speak from the heart

Tressel has his seniors make solo speeches to the team during preseason camp, and receiver Roy Hall’s turn is tonight. Talk about turnabout …
"I remember sitting there five years ago, ‘Man, I don’t feel like listening to these dudes up there talking,’ not knowing what it really means," Hall said yesterday. "But last year Nate Salley got up there and he got real emotional — he’s an emotional guy on and off the field — and he shed a couple of tears. I said to myself, ‘Man, this is real.’ "
What’s real more than anything, he said, is "this year, it is coming and going fast. Even camp, we’re almost halfway through it now ... . And you know once the games start rolling, it’s just going to go like the snap of a finger. It’s kind of weird, but I’m handling it, waking up every day trying to give my best."
As for the speech, he said his message will be simple:
"Just take advantage of every opportunity you have here, don’t take anything for granted. It’s kind of repetitive amongst the seniors … because it’s true. You learn a lot being around so many different people, and meeting so many people. You get a chance to write the script, so you want to make sure you write the right script."
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Wednesday, August 16, 2006
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OZone

Football Fall Camp Competition Heating Up By John Porentas ​
The Buckeyes got the pads on Monday for their first hitting of the season, then on Tuesday endured their first two-a-day practice session as fall camp geared up and into full swing this week.​
The first day of hitting has traditionally meant that the infamous "Hoot 'n Holler" drill is on the agenda. This year was no exception. It is a physical drill that in some respects resembles the playground game "crazy tackle", with the exception that the guy with the ball has a blocker and only has to beat three defenders. It is a drill designed for heavy-hitting and usually produces just that. This year was no exception.​
<table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="50"> <caption align="bottom"> [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Antonio Smith [/FONT] </caption> <tbody><tr> <td>
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"We were anxious to put the pads on and start hitting," said Antonio Smith.​
"That's what two-a-days and camp are all about."​
According to Smith, this year's Hoot 'n Holler event brought more than its share of fireworks.​
"Hoot 'n Holler is about offense against defense," said Smith.​
"There has probably been by far the most fights in Hoot 'n Holler (this year) that we've seen (in the past), but it's all fun. We all have fun out there doing that," said Smith.​
There are nine spots open on the Buckeye defense this fall, and according to Smith, that represents opportunity for the players competing for those positions. That in turn leads to some spirited play and the fisticuffs during Hoot 'n Holler.​
"We're out there competing each and every day. There's a lot of jobs open, spots open and we're all competing. Everybody is trying to win that job so it adds a little edge, but that's what football is about," said Smith.​
Smith is competing for a starting corner back position, and according to wide receiver Roy Hall, Smith is one of the players who is standing out in the early competition for that position this fall.​
"Antonio Smith and Malcolm Jenkins are doing a great job at the corner position, and Andre Amos has stepped up a lot and he's doing pretty good. Our safeties Nick Patterson and Jamario O'Neal are playing great," said Hall.​
Over on the offensive side of the ball there are fewer positions up for grabs. The one slot that was considered to be wide open coming into the season was left guard. According to offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Jim Bollman, senior Tim Schafer has emerged as the leader at that position, but nothing is yet settled.​
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"I think Tim Schafer is doing a good job, I really think he is, and being a senior he had the first opportunity to go in there the first day and I think he's been doing a pretty good job and steadily improving," said Bollman.​
"He's persevered. He's focused on what he wants to do. He's obviously made up his mind that he wants to contribute this year and wherever he's playing, whether he's playing at a backup tackle spot or rotating in at the starting guard, he's doing a good job."​
Bollman is not yet ready to anoint Schafer the starter, but will probably come to a final decision soon after the jersey scrimmage next Saturday.​
"We'll let it play out for the rest of this week and see how things evolve, but I've been pleased with what he's been doing. I know that the other guys will be capable, but we're trying to put the five best guys on the field.​
"I think Steve Rehring and Jon Skinner and he have all been working in there equal time and I wouldn't rule any of them out. However it evolves, whoever is the starter, the other guys are going to have to be very important contributors as backups at the tackle spots," Bollman said.​
 
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OK I have a dilemma.

I have the opportunity to drive in a Formula 1 car for a few laps (as a passenger). The issue is that it would preclude me from going to the practice on the 21st. I have been really geeked about driving up to Columbus and seeing some football. This is an open invitation so I will have the opportunity to drive again in the future.

I am trying to work it out so I might be able to do both.

But assume that I could do one or the other, what would you do?
 
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