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FB/LB Zach Boren (Official Thread)

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Zach looked really good Saturday, IMO.

Great instincts for a guy playing in his 2nd game as LB, good tackling technique. Really just needs to continue to work on pursuit angles, but I'm feeling pretty good about him/Shazier/Etienne to close out the season.

This guy is truly a "Buckeye", through and through.
 
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Boren natural at LB
Vrabel knows what it's like to play both ways but still marvels at senior
Updated: October 31, 2012
By Austin Ward | BuckeyeNation

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The two-way action Mike Vrabel was famous for as a pro didn't require him to make a full-time switch in the middle of the season.

But the Ohio State defensive line coach at least knows a thing or two about what it takes to line up on both sides of the ball thanks to brief, highly successful appearances in short-yardage work on offense he used to make with the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.

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Greg Bartram/US Presswire
Zach Boren says he's getting more comfortable at linebacker and the game is slowing down for him.

Vrabel now makes sure to emphasize how limited his exposure was to how the other half of the roster lived, though it certainly helps to give him a better appreciation of exactly what former fullback Zach Boren has had to do to learn how to play linebacker for the Buckeyes on the fly in the middle of his senior season.

"I ran two routes and I didn't block," Vrabel said. "So that didn't take me very long."

Boren has a lot more on his plate trying to absorb the concepts, game plans and responsibilities as a defensive player -- and that is obviously taking up a lot more time to prepare. But with three games under his belt, his transition appears to be progressing just as smoothly as Vrabel made it seem years ago.

Without much depth to begin with at linebacker and then ravaged by injuries heading into a game Oct. 13 at Indiana, desperation forced the Buckeyes to turn to a former high school defender who was in the middle of one of the best seasons for a fullback in the Big Ten. Boren didn't bat an eye, accepting the challenge from Ohio State coach Urban Meyer to make a switch during a Tuesday practice. He followed that up with extra hours of studying with the defensive staff in what amounted to a crash course in his new role.

A respected captain with a strong work ethic, Boren wasn't opposed to doing extra homework in the past, either on film or in Ohio State's meeting rooms. But he obviously wasn't spending that time learning the defense, and suddenly he was starting from scratch for a team that was trying to stay undefeated and win a division trophy.

"I knew the offense like the back of my hand," Boren said. "Defense, obviously, has been a lot harder, and there's just been a huge learning curve for me. I do need to put in more time.

"I would say the first two games, there were times where I was just kind of running around and not really knowing what I was doing all the time. Against Penn State, I was finally a lot more confident in what I was doing and stuff started slowing down for me and I kind of knew what everyone around me was doing. I'd say each week the growth is there a lot more than in the past weeks."

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http://espn.go.com/colleges/osu/football/story/_/id/8573590/zach-boren-adjusting-ohio-state-buckeyes
 
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Ohio State's Zach Boren not taking his senior season for granted: Bill Livingston
Published: Monday, November 12, 2012
By Bill Livingston, The Plain Dealer

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Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer
Zach Boren has been a full-time linebacker for only the second half of the season, but has 29 tackles in helping stabilize a decimated unit on an undefeated team.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- This is Zach Boren's last hurrah at Ohio State. The senior fullback-turned-linebacker knows that.

One of five OSU captains, Boren is an Indians fan, too. So, you know, better late than never.

If the Buckeyes beat Wisconsin in Madison Saturday, they will be undisputed Big Ten Leaders Division champions. NCAA probation, however, will keep them from playing in the conference championship game. Wisconsin, tied for second with ineligible Penn State, will drag an asterisk the size of a cannonball into the title game in Indianapolis.

"It would mean a lot. We've put in so much work off-season and during this season, with the circumstances we've been in, it would mean a lot to come out with a title," Boren said.

The effort any sport requires validates players on both sides of the ball. Respect for one's opponent is not some optional part of the package. It is integral to the game.

Boren even respects The Team Up North. Urban Meyer this season revived Woody Hayes' tradition of never saying the word "Michigan." Boren's father, Mike, is the sixth-leading tackler in the northern school's history. His mother, Holly, was a track and field athlete not so way up north. His brother, Justin, played there before transferring to Ohio State at the beginning of the ill-fated Rich Rodriguez era.

Zach, who grew up in the Columbus suburb of Pickerington, was leaning to OSU all along, even before Justin's transfer. Another Boren, Jacoby, is a freshman center for the Buckeyes.

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http://www.cleveland.com/livingston/index.ssf/2012/11/ohio_states_zach_boren_not_tak.html
 
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From article above

...Zach, who grew up in the Columbus suburb of Pickerington, was leaning to OSU all along, even before Justin's transfer....
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I think this is way off. Isn't Zach the Boren Brother who cried when Justin was initially considering tOSU (before eventually committing to scUM during recruiting process)
 
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I cannot believe he is not getting more love for the game he played yesterday against Wisconsin.

Zach Boren made a career-high 12 tackles, and he thought he was in good position on Wisconsin?s biggest play in regulation, the 5-yard touchdown pass from Curt Phillips to Jacob Pederson that tied the score with eight seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Phillips was able to deliver the ball low and away from Boren, where only Pederson could catch it.
the big lie

?It was frustrating ? you just know they?re going to go to him (because) he?s their go-to receiver,? Boren said. ?I hit him coming off the line. I was getting physical with him, trying to beat him up a little, because that?s what linebackers have to do to tight ends to hang with them.protect Turkey

?I thought I was in great position, but Curt Phillips threw a great ball. You guys say he has trouble throwing and stuff, but he put it in a perfect place where I couldn?t reach.?

Phillips, a senior who was third string to start the season, completed 14 of 25 passes for 154 yards in his second career start, a week after attempting only seven passes in a 62-14 win at Indiana.

The touchdown to Pederson, the second TD pass of his career, was especially gratifying considering the pressure of the situation.

?That?s exactly how we practice it every week,? Phillips said. ?I think everybody did a great job of staying composed and trusting the plan.?
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http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2012/11/18/punt-return-unit-cleared-a-path.html
 
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