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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Scout.com$ (Dave Biddle)
Buckeyes Tag Indiana For 540 Total Yards.....
Scout.com
OSU-Indiana Photo Gallery......
Scout.com (Steve Helwagen)
Game wrap-up.....
Buckeyes Tag Indiana For 540 Total Yards.....
Scout.com
OSU-Indiana Photo Gallery......
Scout.com (Steve Helwagen)
Game wrap-up.....
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smith403;640240; said:Just got back from the game...AWESOME...Don't know if it's been already mentioned but when I saw Ginn warming up throwing not catching the ball I knew the option for him to throw during the game was a strong possibility...this will be an interesting week as I'm a transplanted Buckeye who lives in Coach Hoeppner's hometown, in fact his cousin is the mayor...Had an awesome time today and can't remember the last time the tight ends accounted for 3 TD's..GO BUCKS
Were you close enough to see the name on the back of his jersey or did you just see his number? Several people have claimed to see Ginn warming up with the QBs this year, but in every case (so far anyway) it has turned out to be Antonio Henton. Henton is a freshman quarterback from Georgia who is redshirting this year. He wears #7.
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Coshocton
Forgotten Ohio State tight ends make their mark
By Gary Ogle
NNCO
COLUMBUS -- Ohio State won't be renamed Tight End Tech after Saturday's 44-3 dismantling of Indiana.
But the OSU passing game showed the position is still an eligible receiver in Columbus.
"I appreciate your suggestion if that's what you're looking for," Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said, prefacing his answer about three touchdown passes to tight ends Rory Nicol and Jake Ballard. "We said all along that we hope we throw it to the guy that's open ... Rory got open and Ballard's catch, holy smokes, I mean that was pretty darn good too.
"We're an equal opportunity employer. We'll throw it to whoever's open, and that's what the quarterbacks are asked to do."Before Saturday, OSU tight ends were part-timers, at best. Nicol was the only one to catch a pass through the first seven weeks. He had seven for 55 yards and a score.
"It can be frustrating, but at the same time we've been winning games and that's what it's about," Nicol said.
Against the Hoosiers, he only caught two balls, but took both to the end zone, including one from Ted Ginn Jr.
"It's not really about me or my position or my group of players," Nicol said. "We just keep working, and today was the day we got the ball."
Every time Ohio State tight ends had the ball in their hands they scored. Their 62 combined yards more than doubled the position's production for the season. Nicol came wide open on a play-action pass late in the first quarter, the first of four first half scoring passes for Troy Smith to four different receivers.
True freshman Jake Ballard's first career catch was a diving touchdown grab late in the second quarter.
"It was first down on the 1. I thought I was just going to block for (Antonio) Pittman and they called a passing play," said Ballard, unable to stop smiling during the barrage of questions. "Troy trusted me enough to throw it up to me, and I made a good catch.
"If I make plays early, that means they'll get me on the field more. That's my goal, to get on the field more."
OSU's Heisman candidate wasn't the only one to take advantage of the newly discovered weapon. After last week's near miss at Michigan State, Ginn got a second chance to connect with Nicol in the third quarter. Ginn found him guarded only by linebacker Adam McClug, who fell after the catch. Nicol was unmolested on his 38-yard trip to the end zone.
"We felt we were going to have some situations to beat them deep," Nicol said. "There were some explosive plays we were involved with that we practiced all week and luckily executed today."
Nicol's two-touchdown day doubled his career total and his 61 receiving yards were the most he's had in two-plus seasons at Ohio State.
"Yeah, I'd say so," he said about it being his best day as a Buckeye.
Forgotten Ohio State tight ends make their mark
By Gary Ogle
NNCO
COLUMBUS -- Ohio State won't be renamed Tight End Tech after Saturday's 44-3 dismantling of Indiana.
But the OSU passing game showed the position is still an eligible receiver in Columbus.
"I appreciate your suggestion if that's what you're looking for," Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said, prefacing his answer about three touchdown passes to tight ends Rory Nicol and Jake Ballard. "We said all along that we hope we throw it to the guy that's open ... Rory got open and Ballard's catch, holy smokes, I mean that was pretty darn good too.
"We're an equal opportunity employer. We'll throw it to whoever's open, and that's what the quarterbacks are asked to do."Before Saturday, OSU tight ends were part-timers, at best. Nicol was the only one to catch a pass through the first seven weeks. He had seven for 55 yards and a score.
"It can be frustrating, but at the same time we've been winning games and that's what it's about," Nicol said.
Against the Hoosiers, he only caught two balls, but took both to the end zone, including one from Ted Ginn Jr.
"It's not really about me or my position or my group of players," Nicol said. "We just keep working, and today was the day we got the ball."
Every time Ohio State tight ends had the ball in their hands they scored. Their 62 combined yards more than doubled the position's production for the season. Nicol came wide open on a play-action pass late in the first quarter, the first of four first half scoring passes for Troy Smith to four different receivers.
True freshman Jake Ballard's first career catch was a diving touchdown grab late in the second quarter.
"It was first down on the 1. I thought I was just going to block for (Antonio) Pittman and they called a passing play," said Ballard, unable to stop smiling during the barrage of questions. "Troy trusted me enough to throw it up to me, and I made a good catch.
"If I make plays early, that means they'll get me on the field more. That's my goal, to get on the field more."
OSU's Heisman candidate wasn't the only one to take advantage of the newly discovered weapon. After last week's near miss at Michigan State, Ginn got a second chance to connect with Nicol in the third quarter. Ginn found him guarded only by linebacker Adam McClug, who fell after the catch. Nicol was unmolested on his 38-yard trip to the end zone.
"We felt we were going to have some situations to beat them deep," Nicol said. "There were some explosive plays we were involved with that we practiced all week and luckily executed today."
Nicol's two-touchdown day doubled his career total and his 61 receiving yards were the most he's had in two-plus seasons at Ohio State.
"Yeah, I'd say so," he said about it being his best day as a Buckeye.
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Ohio State notebook
By JOSH HACHAT
Gannett News Service
COLUMBUS ? Antonio Smith didn?t need much help in a dominating Saturday afternoon.
The Ohio State cornerback did more than his share against Indiana, recording a team and career-high 12 tackles in the Buckeyes? 44-3 win over Indiana.
Of his 12 tackles, 11 were solo, four for loss. To make matters worse for the Hoosiers, Smith routinely delivered big blows.
?It seemed like every time I looked up, he was making a hit in the backfield,? Buckeye coach Jim Tressel said. ?He?s such a smart player. He?s an amazing person. He?s just a special human being and you appreciate it when good things happen to good people.?
Smith knew he would have the opportunity to get in the backfield against Indiana?s spread offense and he took advantage. The Columbus Beechcroft graduate created havoc on blitzes, picking up a sack and making sure tackles.
?I have to make sure I?m doing my responsibility,? said Smith, a former walk-on. ?If I?m in the open field, I just try to get (players) down by any means necessary and try to make a play.?
His ferocious hits stood out, summed up by a two-play sequence in the third quarter. Smith leveled Indiana receiver Nick Polk with a form tackle for a four-yard loss, and followed that by blasting running back Bryan Payton three plays later, forcing him to fumble.
?I was just going out there trying to play each play as hard as I could,? Smith said. ?I had an attack mentality and we just try to be relentless.?
-- TWO FOR RICHARDSON: Defensive lineman Jay Richardson made his presence known for the second straight week, picking up two first-half sacks against the Hoosiers.
He continually put pressure on quarterback Kellen Lewis, a week after recording two tackles for loss against Michigan State.
?Jay had a great game today and that?s two in a row now,? Joel Penton said. ?I?m happy for him. He obviously has the potential. He has great speed and strength.?
Richardson said his confidence just continues to grow.
?You have that feeling sometimes when you?re making plays that it doesn?t matter where they slide or who?s manned up on you,? Richardson said.
-- HARTLINE?S HIT: Among Ohio State?s best hits in a brutal show, the biggest came from receiver Brian Hartline on special teams. After OSU took a 7-3 lead, Hartline, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound freshman, clobbered Marcus Thigpen at the Indiana 22 on a kick return. The smackdown fired up the defense and also sent Thigpen to the sideline for the remainder of the game. Thigpen entered the contest with three kick returns for scores, averaging 37 yards per return.
?Hopefully we made a statement that we?re a complete team and we don?t slack off on special teams,? Hartline said. ?If you come in here averaging what you do (on returns), you might not leave averaging that.?
-- BUCKEYE BITS: Tressel is 6-0 against Indiana. The Buckeyes have 14 straight wins against the Hoosiers.
Indiana?s last win against Ohio State came in 1988.
The last win in Columbus was 1987. Overall, Ohio State is 42-10-4 against Indiana in Columbus.
Ohio State has a 15-game winning streak dating back to last year, which is third-best in school history, and currently the longest in the nation. The Buckeyes won 22 straight from 1967-69 and 19 in a row from 2002-03, which included a national championship. The last time Ohio State started 8-0 was the 2002 National Championship season.
Ohio State notebook
By JOSH HACHAT
Gannett News Service
COLUMBUS ? Antonio Smith didn?t need much help in a dominating Saturday afternoon.
The Ohio State cornerback did more than his share against Indiana, recording a team and career-high 12 tackles in the Buckeyes? 44-3 win over Indiana.
Of his 12 tackles, 11 were solo, four for loss. To make matters worse for the Hoosiers, Smith routinely delivered big blows.
?It seemed like every time I looked up, he was making a hit in the backfield,? Buckeye coach Jim Tressel said. ?He?s such a smart player. He?s an amazing person. He?s just a special human being and you appreciate it when good things happen to good people.?
Smith knew he would have the opportunity to get in the backfield against Indiana?s spread offense and he took advantage. The Columbus Beechcroft graduate created havoc on blitzes, picking up a sack and making sure tackles.
?I have to make sure I?m doing my responsibility,? said Smith, a former walk-on. ?If I?m in the open field, I just try to get (players) down by any means necessary and try to make a play.?
His ferocious hits stood out, summed up by a two-play sequence in the third quarter. Smith leveled Indiana receiver Nick Polk with a form tackle for a four-yard loss, and followed that by blasting running back Bryan Payton three plays later, forcing him to fumble.
?I was just going out there trying to play each play as hard as I could,? Smith said. ?I had an attack mentality and we just try to be relentless.?
-- TWO FOR RICHARDSON: Defensive lineman Jay Richardson made his presence known for the second straight week, picking up two first-half sacks against the Hoosiers.
He continually put pressure on quarterback Kellen Lewis, a week after recording two tackles for loss against Michigan State.
?Jay had a great game today and that?s two in a row now,? Joel Penton said. ?I?m happy for him. He obviously has the potential. He has great speed and strength.?
Richardson said his confidence just continues to grow.
?You have that feeling sometimes when you?re making plays that it doesn?t matter where they slide or who?s manned up on you,? Richardson said.
-- HARTLINE?S HIT: Among Ohio State?s best hits in a brutal show, the biggest came from receiver Brian Hartline on special teams. After OSU took a 7-3 lead, Hartline, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound freshman, clobbered Marcus Thigpen at the Indiana 22 on a kick return. The smackdown fired up the defense and also sent Thigpen to the sideline for the remainder of the game. Thigpen entered the contest with three kick returns for scores, averaging 37 yards per return.
?Hopefully we made a statement that we?re a complete team and we don?t slack off on special teams,? Hartline said. ?If you come in here averaging what you do (on returns), you might not leave averaging that.?
-- BUCKEYE BITS: Tressel is 6-0 against Indiana. The Buckeyes have 14 straight wins against the Hoosiers.
Indiana?s last win against Ohio State came in 1988.
The last win in Columbus was 1987. Overall, Ohio State is 42-10-4 against Indiana in Columbus.
Ohio State has a 15-game winning streak dating back to last year, which is third-best in school history, and currently the longest in the nation. The Buckeyes won 22 straight from 1967-69 and 19 in a row from 2002-03, which included a national championship. The last time Ohio State started 8-0 was the 2002 National Championship season.
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bruise control[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BY JIM NAVEAU - Oct. 22, 2006[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]More Pictures:
OSU vs Indiana Football
OSU vs Indiana Football
OSU vs Indiana Football
OSU vs Indiana Football
OSU vs Indiana Football
Ohio State Game on Large screen
[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]COLUMBUS ? Antonio Smith felt good. Jay Richardson felt good.
And those were two very big reasons Indiana didn?t feel very good at all after No. 1 Ohio State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) inflicted a 44-3 pounding on the Hoosiers on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
Smith ? who had a team-high 12 tackles, four tackles for losses and a sack from his cornerback position ? spent nearly enough time in the Hoosiers? backfield to qualify for an Indiana letter.
Richardson, a defensive end, had a career-best two sacks as OSU?s defense left IU?s offense dazed.
And when the Buckeyes got the ball, they just left the Hoosiers confused.
Ohio State rolled up 540 yards of total offense and held Indiana to just 165 yards. The Hoosiers netted only 7 yards rushing.
The Buckeyes got points and production from the usual sources ? quarterback Troy Smith threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns, tailback Antonio Pittman rushed for 105 yards and Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez both caught touchdown passes.
But they also got to the end zone in ways that must have left Indiana shaking its head in disbelief.
Ginn threw a touchdown pass. Tight end Rory Nicol caught two touchdown throws, one of them from Ginn, and seldom-used freshman backup tight end Jake Ballard caught one of Smith?s TD passes.
Indiana (4-4, 2-2 Big Ten), coming off a huge upset of Iowa last week, had one bright, shining moment on Saturday. But it didn?t last long.
The Hoosiers jumped ahead 3-0 on a 34-yard field goal by Austin Starr seven minutes into the game, following a punt return that set them up at OSU?s 15-yard line.
But after that it was all Ohio State all the time as the Buckeyes won their 15th game in a row, the third-longest football win streak in school history.
?We didn?t start out great, but after that we did everything we had to do to have a decisive victory,? Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. ?I think their quarterback (Kellen Lewis) is a good one. The thing we had to do was put pressure on him and I think our guys did that.
?It seemed like every time I looked up Antonio Smith was making a hit in the backfield,? he said.
Lewis completed 15 of 28 passes for 106 yards and was sacked four times.
?I was just going out there trying to play every play as hard as I could. It?s an attacking mentality. I just felt good,? Antonio Smith said.
Richardson said, ?Big plays for the defense are as big as they are for the offense. Indiana had something they wanted to do but as soon as we got a sack or a tackle for a big loss, that kind of took them out of what they wanted to do.
?I felt pretty good, I felt pretty dominant out there, I guess you might say.?
After Starr?s field goal, Ohio State scored four times in the last 18 minutes of the first half to take a 28-3 lead into the locker room.
Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner didn?t use the word dominant, but admitted he watched a one-sided game.
?It?s hard to find anyone who played or coached well today for us, including me,? Hoeppner said.
The Buckeyes got to the end zone on a 23-yard pass to Nicol from Troy Smith, a 31-yarder to Ginn from Smith, a 5-yard scoring catch by Gonzalez and a 1-yard Smith to Ballard pass for his first college touchdown.
How much of a surprise was Ballard? His parents weren?t even at the game after deciding to go to see his brother, who is a redshirt football player at Ohio University.
Ohio State used the element of surprise again when Ginn threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Nicol early in the third quarter. Aaron Pettrey booted a 51-yard field goal and freshman Chris Wells ran 12 yards for the final OSU touchdown.
Offensive tackle Kirk Barton said all those new ways to score could give upcoming opponents something to think about.
?It makes us a little harder to defend if we have second-string tight ends catching touchdowns and our starting tight end catching two touchdowns and Ted throwing a touchdown. It?s got to be an ibuprofen night for defensive coordinators,? he said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bruise control[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BY JIM NAVEAU - Oct. 22, 2006[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]More Pictures:
OSU vs Indiana Football
OSU vs Indiana Football
OSU vs Indiana Football
OSU vs Indiana Football
OSU vs Indiana Football
Ohio State Game on Large screen
[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]COLUMBUS ? Antonio Smith felt good. Jay Richardson felt good.
And those were two very big reasons Indiana didn?t feel very good at all after No. 1 Ohio State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) inflicted a 44-3 pounding on the Hoosiers on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
Smith ? who had a team-high 12 tackles, four tackles for losses and a sack from his cornerback position ? spent nearly enough time in the Hoosiers? backfield to qualify for an Indiana letter.
Richardson, a defensive end, had a career-best two sacks as OSU?s defense left IU?s offense dazed.
And when the Buckeyes got the ball, they just left the Hoosiers confused.
Ohio State rolled up 540 yards of total offense and held Indiana to just 165 yards. The Hoosiers netted only 7 yards rushing.
The Buckeyes got points and production from the usual sources ? quarterback Troy Smith threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns, tailback Antonio Pittman rushed for 105 yards and Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez both caught touchdown passes.
But they also got to the end zone in ways that must have left Indiana shaking its head in disbelief.
Ginn threw a touchdown pass. Tight end Rory Nicol caught two touchdown throws, one of them from Ginn, and seldom-used freshman backup tight end Jake Ballard caught one of Smith?s TD passes.
Indiana (4-4, 2-2 Big Ten), coming off a huge upset of Iowa last week, had one bright, shining moment on Saturday. But it didn?t last long.
The Hoosiers jumped ahead 3-0 on a 34-yard field goal by Austin Starr seven minutes into the game, following a punt return that set them up at OSU?s 15-yard line.
But after that it was all Ohio State all the time as the Buckeyes won their 15th game in a row, the third-longest football win streak in school history.
?We didn?t start out great, but after that we did everything we had to do to have a decisive victory,? Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. ?I think their quarterback (Kellen Lewis) is a good one. The thing we had to do was put pressure on him and I think our guys did that.
?It seemed like every time I looked up Antonio Smith was making a hit in the backfield,? he said.
Lewis completed 15 of 28 passes for 106 yards and was sacked four times.
?I was just going out there trying to play every play as hard as I could. It?s an attacking mentality. I just felt good,? Antonio Smith said.
Richardson said, ?Big plays for the defense are as big as they are for the offense. Indiana had something they wanted to do but as soon as we got a sack or a tackle for a big loss, that kind of took them out of what they wanted to do.
?I felt pretty good, I felt pretty dominant out there, I guess you might say.?
After Starr?s field goal, Ohio State scored four times in the last 18 minutes of the first half to take a 28-3 lead into the locker room.
Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner didn?t use the word dominant, but admitted he watched a one-sided game.
?It?s hard to find anyone who played or coached well today for us, including me,? Hoeppner said.
The Buckeyes got to the end zone on a 23-yard pass to Nicol from Troy Smith, a 31-yarder to Ginn from Smith, a 5-yard scoring catch by Gonzalez and a 1-yard Smith to Ballard pass for his first college touchdown.
How much of a surprise was Ballard? His parents weren?t even at the game after deciding to go to see his brother, who is a redshirt football player at Ohio University.
Ohio State used the element of surprise again when Ginn threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Nicol early in the third quarter. Aaron Pettrey booted a 51-yard field goal and freshman Chris Wells ran 12 yards for the final OSU touchdown.
Offensive tackle Kirk Barton said all those new ways to score could give upcoming opponents something to think about.
?It makes us a little harder to defend if we have second-string tight ends catching touchdowns and our starting tight end catching two touchdowns and Ted throwing a touchdown. It?s got to be an ibuprofen night for defensive coordinators,? he said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT]
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Bleed S & G
Taking Crazy Pills
my thoughts too as i watched him move around..jwinslow;640566; said:
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OZone
"We knew Indiana was going to come out and spread the field, so our practice this week was a lot of nickel and dime.
"Those plays have been in since the summer. Sometimes we chose to run them. We ran a couple of them today. It was in the game plan, but it's been in the game plan the last three weeks too.
"I'm just glad we had a complete game as a team. I though we did a good job here in the 'Shoe."
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Jake Ballard [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Rory Nicol [/FONT]
"I want to say that was for Martha Shotz," said Gonzalez.
"I visited her yesterday in her house in Reynoldsburg. She told me that if there's one thing you do you have to score a touchdown for me tomorrow, so that was for Martha.
"She's ill.She has cancer. It was something I was thinking about during the game, that I really have to score because this is important. It was a relief to get in there for that touchdown.
"She asked me to score a touchdown. I told her I was terrible about those kind of promises, but that I would try," Gonzalez said.
Shotz is a retired school teacher now living in Reynoldsburg. Gonzalez made the visit at the express request of of Shotz and the visit was arranged by a mutual acquaintance.
"That was humbling, to experience that. I'm not good with people telling me that I'm good, but to have her request that I come over, and the fact that she's a teacher has something to do with it. It really is humbling because I guess we're really important to people in this city and around this country," said Gonzalez.
"She was a teacher, a first grade teacher. It was humbling. I was kind of torn as to whether I wanted to say anything, but for her sake I was glad I did."
Defense Coming On: OSU's defense was stellar against the Hoosiers and is rapidly making some shortcomings early in the season a distant memory.
"It's funny how we started the beginning of the year with the speculation on the defense and how young the defense is and now toward the end of the season we're talking about how great the defense is once again and how that's always been a part of Ohio State football," said wide receiver Brian Hartline.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Jay Richardson [/FONT]
"Our scheme isn't any different, I just think guys are playing the defense better," said senior defensive end Jay Richardson.
"I know early on we had a lot of young guys and everybody was talking about how much inexperience we had. Now those guys have been in some tough games and they've got that experience, they've practiced well and they know how to play this defense the right way and be where they're supposed to be, and guys are wrapping up and making tackles."
The maturation process has made a world of difference in the OSU defense which lowered its points allowed average to 8.2 points per game in allowing Indiana just three points. According to offensive lineman Kirk Barton, the maturation process is not the only thing driving the OSU defensive improvement.
"They easily have the most underrated coaching staff in the country," said Barton
"Everybody knows Bo Pellini and all these other big name coaches but Coach Heacock and Coach Fickell and Coach Haynes and Coach Beckman, look what they did with two returning starters. They're unbelievable.
"They come up with these schemes and these blitzes, they give me headaches all week, but it's worth it on Saturday because then you watch it against other offenses, and you're like 'Whew!', they get the headache instead of me."
OSU's opponents have now rushed for an average of 97.2 yards per game, a far cry from the season opener when OSU allowed Northern Illinois 179 yards in the season opener.
And then there is the personnel.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]James Laurinaitis [/FONT]
"We have so many options because we have so much depth," said linebacker James Laurinaitis.
"We have guys where we can show certain things where we can show a four-man front with having Curtis Terry in there or Vernon Gholston or whoever, Alex Barrow, we have a lot of guys who can do the job.
"We have so many athletic and fast defensive backs who are smart guys. The job those guys do shows you how versatile our defensive package can be," Laurinaitis said.
That versatility was on display the last two weeks. With defensive line standout David Patterson sitting out with a knee injury, the Buckeyes have inserted some three-man line packages to take advantage of their personnel strengths.
"I don't mind that at all," said Richardson.
"I think a three-man front works just fine for us. It gets the offense thinking a little bit and gets me out in some space where I can make some moves and sometimes make some plays."
Richardson had two sacks against Indiana and played well last week against Michigan State, another game in which OSU played a lot of three-man front.
Ted the Passer: OSU wide receiver and return man Ted Ginn threw a touchdown pass against the Hoosiers on a reverse pass. OSU quarterback Troy Smith seemed to be very pleased with the outcome of the play and poked some good-natured fun at Ginn.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ted Ginn [/FONT]
"Throughout practice, we always work on design plays, and then we come up with trick plays and things like that, and we had been practicing and practicing and practicing, watching duck after duck after duck," said a smiling Smith describing Ginn's passing in less-than glowing terms.
"Today, after I carried out the fake and I turned around and saw a perfect spiral and he always says that if he gets a chance, he's going to throw a touchdown, because we have an ongoing feud, way back in high school, way back in little league football, as far as him being the opposing quarterback and myself on the other side," explained Smith.
Kirk Barton had a little different version of the story.
"He really threw the ball well all week practice," said Barton.
"He was a high school quarterback his senior year because he beat my high school when I was a freshman here and he was a senior at Glenville. He beat my high school like Mike Vick, just running all over us. He threw a strike. It was a good play," Barton said.
Another Big Play from Hartline: Redshirt freshman wide receiver Brian Hartline continues to be impressive on special teams. Hartline was named the special teams player of the week for the Michigan State game and had another huge play in the Indiana game. With OSU still struggling some early in the game, Hartline made a huge hit on Indiana returner Marcus Thigpen. Thigpen entered the game leading the Big Ten in kick returns, averaging 37.0 yards per return and had three returns for touchdown to his credit. The hit Harline put on him put Thigpen out of the game.
Brian Hartline
"I think the big hit might have been a big play. I think it might have uplifted our team, it might have reestablished what they didn't know coming into the shoe, realizing who we are," said Hartline.
"We heard about it all week. Their punt return was ahead of ours by a yard. His average was 41 yards returning kickoffs (in Big Ten play), I would say he was a big impact player on their team. I just went in there and started hitting him, making him double-guess himself and it might have helped out," Hartline said.
Hartline is making his impact on special teams, but admits to a yearning for more snaps on offense.
"I don't want to be forgotten about on offense. That's what I am, I'm a receiver," said Hartline.
Hartline had one ball thrown his way against Indiana. It was ruled incomplete, but Harline says he might dispute that call.
"It was frustrating, because I felt like I had the play," Hartline said.
"They said I didn't have control going out of bounds. I thought I did. I had a big, huge imprint on the ground with my elbow, but I'm not the ref, and that's part of the game. It was a little frustrating, it was the only ball I got my way. I just have to move on and find another way to make an impact."
Football
The-Ozone Note and Quotebook
By John Porentas
The-Ozone Note and Quotebook
By John Porentas
Big Game for Antonio: OSU senior defensive back Antonio Smith had a huge day for the Buckeyes in their win over Indiana. Smith was credited with a team-high 12 tackles (11 solos, one assist), four tackles for loss for -22 yards including one sack, and one forced fumble.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Antonio Smith [/FONT]
Much of Smith's success came on blitzes. The Buckeyes played a lot of nickel and dime defenses against Indiana, and elected to blitz the nickel back, the position that Smith assumes when the Buckeyes are in those defenses. That particular blitz didn't take the Hoosiers by surprise, but the frequency at which the Buckeye ran it did.
"They may have blitzed today more than they have in the past. We had seen it, but today we saw it a lot," said Indiana Head Coach Terry Hoeppner.
"Their defense plays so well together. It's an excellent scheme and they really play well together," Hoeppner said.
"Blitzing is always fun and gets you in there a little bit," said Smith. "We knew Indiana was going to come out and spread the field, so our practice this week was a lot of nickel and dime.
"Those plays have been in since the summer. Sometimes we chose to run them. We ran a couple of them today. It was in the game plan, but it's been in the game plan the last three weeks too.
"I'm just glad we had a complete game as a team. I though we did a good job here in the 'Shoe."
No Letdown: The Buckeyes are now 8-0 and on a collision course for a blockbuster regular-season finale against Michigan who is also undefeated. OSU and Michigan should both be prohibitive favorites through the remainder of their schedule leading up to that matchup. The only thing that could gum up the works is a letdown by either team. According to OSU offensive lineman Kirk Barton, the Buckeyes are getting a lot of help keeping up for the games.
Kirk Barton
"Our coaching is a big part of it," said Barton.
"Our strength coaches get on us a lot too, Eric Lichter and Butch (Reynolds) and those guys and Joe Rudolph, they get after us during the week that we have to leave no doubt.
"It has to be a clean kill, it can't be a little straggler kind of kill," said Barton describing the message they are getting from the OSU strength staff.
"We've got get them and get them early.
"They do a great job of reminding us that we don't want to mess around.
"We don't want to go to overtime against a team that we shouldn't go to overtime against doing the stuff that used to happen. We want to get on them early and hopefully take away their hope."
Tight Ends Center Stage: OSU tight ends Rory Nicol and Jake Ballard accounted for three touchdowns receptions against Indiana, two by Nicol and one by Ballard, his career first. It is the first time OSU tight ends have scored three times since 2002 when Ben Hartsock scored twice and Ryan Hamby once in OSU's overtime win over North Carolina State.
"We were ragging Rory because he said he dropped that ball (last week from Ted Ginn) even though he didn't (drop it)," said a chuckling Kirk Barton.
"We were just bustin' on him a little bit. Yesterday in the walk through he said 'I might just have to mess around and score two touchdowns on these guys. I swear, then he did it today. Tight ends don't score touchdowns. We've got all these receivers, why would we throw them the ball. Then he goes out and scores two touchdowns," laughed Barton.
"We were laughing, and big, daupy Jake Ballard caught one too. That kid has stepped on my foot more than any player in history I think. He's going to be a good one," Barton said.
According to OSU offensive coordinator Jim Bollman, it was no accident that Nicol and Ballard got into the act this week.
"We called the plays for them and they made the plays," said Bollman.
"We called the plays. All those plays are to those guys and they had to be open and make some good plays."
Ballard was elated with his first career touchdown, but there was something that might have made it better. Ballard's parents, who have been to every OSU game this season thus far, were not in the Stadium to see his play on Saturday.
"My parents are actually at my brother's game, he plays for Ohio U," explained Ballard.
"They're going to be pretty disappointed. They said they listened to it on the radio. I'm going to give them a call after this (postgame press conference). They had to make an appearance at OU because they haven't been to one yet, so they decided to go to this one."
Keeping it in Perspective: OSU wide receiver scored a touchdown against Indiana, something he has done before in his Buckeye career. This one was special, however, because of an experience Gonzalez had earlier this week. A recent acquaintance actually put in a touchdown request with him.
Anthony Gonzalez
"I visited her yesterday in her house in Reynoldsburg. She told me that if there's one thing you do you have to score a touchdown for me tomorrow, so that was for Martha.
"She's ill.She has cancer. It was something I was thinking about during the game, that I really have to score because this is important. It was a relief to get in there for that touchdown.
"She asked me to score a touchdown. I told her I was terrible about those kind of promises, but that I would try," Gonzalez said.
Shotz is a retired school teacher now living in Reynoldsburg. Gonzalez made the visit at the express request of of Shotz and the visit was arranged by a mutual acquaintance.
"That was humbling, to experience that. I'm not good with people telling me that I'm good, but to have her request that I come over, and the fact that she's a teacher has something to do with it. It really is humbling because I guess we're really important to people in this city and around this country," said Gonzalez.
"She was a teacher, a first grade teacher. It was humbling. I was kind of torn as to whether I wanted to say anything, but for her sake I was glad I did."
Defense Coming On: OSU's defense was stellar against the Hoosiers and is rapidly making some shortcomings early in the season a distant memory.
"It's funny how we started the beginning of the year with the speculation on the defense and how young the defense is and now toward the end of the season we're talking about how great the defense is once again and how that's always been a part of Ohio State football," said wide receiver Brian Hartline.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Jay Richardson [/FONT]
"I know early on we had a lot of young guys and everybody was talking about how much inexperience we had. Now those guys have been in some tough games and they've got that experience, they've practiced well and they know how to play this defense the right way and be where they're supposed to be, and guys are wrapping up and making tackles."
The maturation process has made a world of difference in the OSU defense which lowered its points allowed average to 8.2 points per game in allowing Indiana just three points. According to offensive lineman Kirk Barton, the maturation process is not the only thing driving the OSU defensive improvement.
"They easily have the most underrated coaching staff in the country," said Barton
"Everybody knows Bo Pellini and all these other big name coaches but Coach Heacock and Coach Fickell and Coach Haynes and Coach Beckman, look what they did with two returning starters. They're unbelievable.
"They come up with these schemes and these blitzes, they give me headaches all week, but it's worth it on Saturday because then you watch it against other offenses, and you're like 'Whew!', they get the headache instead of me."
OSU's opponents have now rushed for an average of 97.2 yards per game, a far cry from the season opener when OSU allowed Northern Illinois 179 yards in the season opener.
And then there is the personnel.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]James Laurinaitis [/FONT]
"We have guys where we can show certain things where we can show a four-man front with having Curtis Terry in there or Vernon Gholston or whoever, Alex Barrow, we have a lot of guys who can do the job.
"We have so many athletic and fast defensive backs who are smart guys. The job those guys do shows you how versatile our defensive package can be," Laurinaitis said.
That versatility was on display the last two weeks. With defensive line standout David Patterson sitting out with a knee injury, the Buckeyes have inserted some three-man line packages to take advantage of their personnel strengths.
"I don't mind that at all," said Richardson.
"I think a three-man front works just fine for us. It gets the offense thinking a little bit and gets me out in some space where I can make some moves and sometimes make some plays."
Richardson had two sacks against Indiana and played well last week against Michigan State, another game in which OSU played a lot of three-man front.
Ted the Passer: OSU wide receiver and return man Ted Ginn threw a touchdown pass against the Hoosiers on a reverse pass. OSU quarterback Troy Smith seemed to be very pleased with the outcome of the play and poked some good-natured fun at Ginn.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ted Ginn [/FONT]
"Today, after I carried out the fake and I turned around and saw a perfect spiral and he always says that if he gets a chance, he's going to throw a touchdown, because we have an ongoing feud, way back in high school, way back in little league football, as far as him being the opposing quarterback and myself on the other side," explained Smith.
Kirk Barton had a little different version of the story.
"He really threw the ball well all week practice," said Barton.
"He was a high school quarterback his senior year because he beat my high school when I was a freshman here and he was a senior at Glenville. He beat my high school like Mike Vick, just running all over us. He threw a strike. It was a good play," Barton said.
Another Big Play from Hartline: Redshirt freshman wide receiver Brian Hartline continues to be impressive on special teams. Hartline was named the special teams player of the week for the Michigan State game and had another huge play in the Indiana game. With OSU still struggling some early in the game, Hartline made a huge hit on Indiana returner Marcus Thigpen. Thigpen entered the game leading the Big Ten in kick returns, averaging 37.0 yards per return and had three returns for touchdown to his credit. The hit Harline put on him put Thigpen out of the game.
Brian Hartline
"We heard about it all week. Their punt return was ahead of ours by a yard. His average was 41 yards returning kickoffs (in Big Ten play), I would say he was a big impact player on their team. I just went in there and started hitting him, making him double-guess himself and it might have helped out," Hartline said.
Hartline is making his impact on special teams, but admits to a yearning for more snaps on offense.
"I don't want to be forgotten about on offense. That's what I am, I'm a receiver," said Hartline.
Hartline had one ball thrown his way against Indiana. It was ruled incomplete, but Harline says he might dispute that call.
"It was frustrating, because I felt like I had the play," Hartline said.
"They said I didn't have control going out of bounds. I thought I did. I had a big, huge imprint on the ground with my elbow, but I'm not the ref, and that's part of the game. It was a little frustrating, it was the only ball I got my way. I just have to move on and find another way to make an impact."
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