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Field conditions at Ohio Stadium

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osugrad21;648915; said:
I would also remind you that, again, the average temperatures for the month of October have been 10 degrees below normal, making it very difficult for turf recovery and for seed germination which we rely on during this period of time.
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ARRGGGHHH!!!

The over-punctuation of American English continues :smash: :smash:
 
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Dryden;649036; said:
Speaking of which, did anybody bother to mention to Gene Smith that they could bottle the old stuff and sell it to OSU fans for $25 per jar, then they'd have enough money to resod the stadium before every single home game if they wanted?
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I was thinking the same thing. I would shell out some money for a chunk of this year's field.
 
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lvbuckeye;648975; said:
Coastal: by 'very tight' i assume that he means that the grass has a high population density, if you will... does this indicate that the new turf is more mature than the last batch, or is it a different type of grass that just grows in thicker?

or does tight refer to the interlacing of the root system? i read somewhere that grass has an incredible amount of roots, something like a mile of roots for every square foot, or something ridiculous like that, though i'm sure that number is an exaggeration...?
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Tight would indicate shoot density in my opinion. Shoot density in cool season grasses can only mean two things, number of plants per given area, or, age of the plants in the sod. Cool season grasses are clump type grasses, the older the plant is the bigger the clump, meaning more shoots. The other end is more plants per given area, again, meaning more shoots. Either one could be the case. The problem with ryegrasses and fescues, which I assume the sod is one of the two, is they are very slow to develop a thatch layer, which leads to the second part of your post. Warm season grasses develop a thatch layer much quicker because they grow in a different way. Avoiding the technical terms they grow by sending out runners that sprout new plants, they are not a clump, or bunch type grass. Therefore, they develop a mat of plant material that provides a buffer between the soil and the playing surface.

So, to sum it up. If it is tight, it would either be more plants per given area, or older sod. Either one would work for what they need. The long term solution is another story.

Sorry for the long winded answer, there just is a lot involved.
 
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CPD

OHIO STATE INSIDER
OSU a feel-good story and a field-bad story


Wednesday, November 01, 2006Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus -- The No. 1 college football team in the country has been plagued by a glaring weakness all season, so Ohio State is starting from scratch once again.
What's been the source of the problem? Rain and cold.
Ohio State is in the process of tearing out and putting on an entirely new field for the second time this year, after the latest field failed after just three games. Before coach Jim Tressel's weekly news conference Tuesday, the Buckeyes trotted out Dr. John Street, an assistant professor from the university's Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, to defend the school's field practices against anyone wondering how the best team in the country, part of an athletic department with a $100 million budget, can't keep its grass from disintegrating.
"We know that the sod has not performed up to our expectations and standards," Dr. Street said. "It's not performed up to your expectations and standards, it's not performed up to our agronomic expectations and standards. We have high standards. We've been surprised as to what's happened."
He attributed nearly all the problems to the weather. Street said October in Columbus has seen 6? inches of rain, four inches more than the average October, and that temperatures have been 10 degrees colder than normal. The rain has flooded the field, and the cold and lack of sunshine prevented the new grass from properly taking root. Even placing a special blanket over the field last week, to create a mini-greenhouse, didn't work.
The first field, ruined by two wet games, was torn out following Ohio State's second home game against Penn State on Sept. 23, the entire process costing nearly $100,000. Buckeyes players said the new turf was worse than the first. Defensive tackle David Patterson revealed Tuesday he injured his right knee, which required arthroscopic surgery, when his foot got caught in one of the seams between sod patches.
An examination of the field by Athletic Director Gene Smith and the school's turf experts after Saturday's win over Minnesota led to the decision to try again. The new field is expected to be completely installed by Friday, which would leave 15 days for the field to come together for college football's game of the year, against Michigan, on Nov. 18.
"We don't anticipate any major problems, and we don't anticipate we'll have to do much," Street said. "It's going to provide great safety and playability, we're absolutely sure of that."
 
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DDN

THE AUDIBLE: COMMENTARY
Ohio State should abandon the grass and go synthetic


By Kyle Nagel
Staff Writer


Thursday, November 02, 2006


On Friday night, I covered the Centerville-Fairmont high school football game at Fairmont's Roush Stadium. It rained like we were being punished.
After the game, I was on the field to talk to some of the coaches and players. The synthetic turf was in superb shape. I made several cuts without a problem.
On Saturday afternoon, I covered the Minnesota-Ohio State football game at Ohio Stadium. During the last five minutes or so, media members gather behind the south end zone to watch the end before they enter the postgame interview room.
My first thought as the Buckeyes finished the shutout on Saturday: It's a shame when the No. 1 team in college football plays on a home field that is 10 times worse than the high school field I saw the night before.
The Buckeyes have to go to synthetic turf.
I agree with the traditionalists who like watching the game on grass, but college sports has created an environment where too much is at stake. If one slip by a running back on a potential touchdown or one sloppy step by a defensive back aids a loss, the Buckeyes could miss out on much bigger dollars.
Synthetic turf also could allow OSU to practice inside Ohio Stadium, and it's always helpful to prepare on the actual home field.
It's not that OSU should be blamed for the turf's rugged shape. You think the school wants people talking this much about its field?
With the advancements available, though, it's time to take advantage.
Think about how fast Ted Ginn Jr. would be. Oh, goodness.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389
or [email protected]
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Link

New turf sets football stage for big November
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By JON SPENCER
(Mansfield) News Journal[/FONT]

COLUMBUS -- Ohio State trotted out a doctor to address the media on Tuesday, but Buckeye fans needn't be alarmed. He wasn't there to discuss the health of the nation's top-ranked football team.
He was there to talk about the ailing turf.
For the second time in four weeks, Ohio Stadium is re-sodding its crumbling field. Dr. John Street, a faculty member in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, blamed one of the wettest Octobers on record for the chewed-up field and is confident the $60,000 transplant will correct the problem.
"My reaction was, 'Man, that's a lot of money,' " linebacker Marcus Freeman said.
It will be money well spent if it provides a stage up to the standards of a team that always seems to play its best ball in November and beyond.
With games Saturday at Illinois and next week at Northwestern, the first (and only) time the Buckeyes step on their new field will be in the Nov. 18 showdown with No. 2 Michigan.
Four of OSU's five regular seasons under Jim Tressel have ended with victories over its archrival. Tressel's record in bowl games is also 4-1, including a 2002 national title-clinching win in the Fiesta Bowl.
Overall he's 19-4 after Nov. 1. Two of those losses came in his 7-5 debut season in 2000.
"The most important task at hand as we flip the calendar over to November is to make sure we're playing our best football in this month," Tressel said. "You do a lot of work prior to November, but the month of November really is the legacy that you leave.
"There have been a lot of good teams at Ohio State over the years. The ones that are considered great teams are the ones that played great in November and that's just the way football is. I suppose in the NFL, it's December."
It's easy to notice Ohio State has scored 44 points in each of its last two games, but the defense seems to be peaking at the right time as well.
Questions about OSU's problems stopping the run have practically ground to a halt. Since giving up 171 yards to Northern Illinois' Garrett Wolfe in the opener and 172 the following week at Texas, the Buckeyes have quietly shored up that facet of their game.
Their last three opponents -- Michigan State, Indiana and Minnesota -- have averaged only 1.4 yards per attempt. Ohio State has shot up to second in the Big Ten and 18th nationally in rushing defense at 91.7 yards per game.
While closing in on last year's defense, which led the nation by allowing only 73.4 yards rushing, the Buckeyes have a ways to go to catch Michigan. Both teams have surrendered only two rushing TDs, but the Wolverines' other numbers are just as microscopic. They are yielding 28.4 rushing yards per game, best in the nation, and 1.2 yards per carry.
"From my vantage point, I think we've gotten better (against the run)," Tressel said. "I think, too, when you have some sacks (OSU is second in the Big Ten with 30), all of a sudden that is reflected on your defense. We've been ahead of some folks and all of a sudden they're throwing more, and I think that's had some effect."
Despite its 2-7 record, Illinois might give the OSU defense its sternest test since Texas. The Illini are second in the Big Ten in rushing (181.9 ypg), featuring three tailbacks and true freshman quarterback Isiah "Juice" Williams. In addition to throwing seven touchdown passes of more than 31 yards, the 6-2, 220-pound Williams has rushed for 364 yards, including 103 in a 23-20 win at Michigan State.
"I think some of (the early struggles against the run) had to do with inexperience," Freeman said. "We only had two returning starters and it took awhile to jell."
The Buckeyes got defensive tackle David Patterson back last week after he missed two games following knee surgery. But sidekick Quinn Pitcock might be sidelined for a second straight week by a concussion.
That's a bit of concern, but hey, this is November, Tressel's favorite time of year.
"Coach Tressel wants us to peak every game," Freeman said. "I can't say he says, 'Peak in November, not for Texas.' He wants each week for us to show we're the best we can be.
"That comes from practicing hard and not tailing off, and (the coaches) don't cut us any slack. When you get to November, you strive to be better and better."
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