MililaniBuckeye said:
Ken Dorsey was 38-1 as a starter when we beat Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.
All the bucks from that team in the Fiesta Bowl will be playing in 2 weeks as well.
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Buckeyes waiting for tailback to make big move
</td> </tr></tbody> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"><td width="10"> </td> <td> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td nowrap="nowrap"> Aug. 25, 2005
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports </td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody> </table>
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- On a team stocked with 18 returning starters, it's perhaps surprising that six-ranked Ohio State -- with a glittering tradition of great tailbacks -- will go with a largely untested player at one of football's most critical positions.[/font]
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The preseason football magazines point out that the Buckeyes have experience at almost every spot in the lineup -- save one. They question whether a group of unknowns can carry the load. [/font]
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"That's a good feeling. That means there's not much attention on you," said Antonio Pittman, expected to be on the field for the opening snap of the Buckeyes' opener a week from Saturday against Miami (Ohio). [/font]
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"And when we come out the first games and we're rushing for good yardage, then it's an eye-opener," he said. [/font]
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Pittman, a sophomore who was second on the team with 381 yards a year ago, gets the edge over freshmen Erik Haw and Maurice Wells, and part-time fullback Brandon Schnittker. Don't be surprised if all see action, at least until one of them breaks away from the crush to take over the position. [/font]
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A year ago, the Buckeyes were led in rushing by the since-graduated Lydell Ross, who picked up a meager 475 yards -- the fewest by Ohio State's top rusher since Vince Workman had 470 in 1987. [/font]
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"We've got something to prove, basically," said Haw, who redshirted last year. "All the magazines, they talk this and they talk that, but when it comes down to it, you just basically have to get the job done." [/font]
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In an 8-4 season a year ago, the Buckeyes ran up big rushing numbers on lesser teams but struggled to advance the ball on the ground against others. [/font]
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Ross and Co. averaged 172 yards, more than a rushing TD a game and 4.3 yards in the wins. In the losses, they mustered 92 yards a game, scored twice and averaged 3.0 yards a carry. [/font]
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Even more troubling, Ohio State's 1,745 net yards marked the second year in a row the Buckeyes had not gained more than 1,800 in a season -- the first time that's happened in 16 years. [/font]
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Only four times since 1966 have they failed to top the 1,800-yard mark for a season. As recently as the 2002 national championship year, the Buckeyes rang up almost 900 yards more than that. [/font]
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Subtract Ross from last year's dismal stats and it appears the Buckeyes might have to rely on Ted Ginn Jr. and their air attack even more than they did a year ago. But coach Jim Tressel believes things have changed for the better at tailback. [/font]
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"Antonio Pittman had an excellent spring and he's followed it up thus far with a very good fall," Tressel said. "Erik Haw looks a little bit better right now than he did in the spring; maybe he's letting loose a little bit, maybe he was a little nervous. Maurice Wells is looking great." [/font]
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Pittman (5-foot-11, 195 pounds), Haw (6-1, 212), Wells (5-10, 185) and Schnittker (6-2, 250) offer a range of speed, cutting ability and size. Pittman is the most versatile, Haw is most effective between the tackles, Wells reminds some of mercurial former Florida State star Warrick Dunn, and Schnittker is the bruiser of the group. [/font]
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"We'll all get a shot this year," said Wells, who gained 6,000 yards as a Florida high school player. [/font]
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AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2004-2005, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved [/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica] [/font]