• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

QB Justin Zwick (B1G Champion, National Champion)

BuckNutty

Hear The Drummer Get Wicked
Staff member
Bookie
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/sports/7917240.htm

As for the 11-game 2004 season, Tressel said he expects a ``great quarterback derby'' to begin in April with sophomores Justin Zwick and Troy Smith and grayshirt freshman Todd Boeckman fighting for the top job.

``I feel great about the way Justin Zwick has progressed,'' Tressel said. ``I thought he was ready to go in the middle of the year when Craig (Krenzel) got hurt. (Senior) Scott McMullen had the first opportunity, but really it was negligible who was ahead of whom. If it's that close, typically you're going to go with the older guy. Scott McMullen bore out that he should have had that opportunity.''

Asked what he liked most about Zwick, Tressel said, ``Great vision. He's got an awareness and a vision of what's going on out there unlike any guy I've ever been around.''

Is it August yet???
 
I was waiting for somebody to say something about those comments... What I liked, possibly, even more was Tressel's statement here:

“In my mind, this is the most fun part of what we do as teachers and coaches,” he said. “Here’s our chance to really start over. This team in 2004 is not going to be like the 2002 or 2003 or the 1968 team. It’s going to have a signature of its own.”

Those are 3 great calibre teams in Buckeye history. Is he beginning to play a little Bob Stoops poll position? Remember how Stoops said it was his best team ever yata-yata last season? Maybe Tress is just trying to gain some love since we're already getting kicked out of the top 10.

I do realize the fact that in context he was making reference to this being (darn near) all his recruits. And Cooper can no longer say, "well thems' my recruits he's winnin' that national championship with".
 
Upvote 0
Basically I think that is exactly what he is saying here and I agree 100% with you. Alot of the teams were under Coopers regime when Tressel arrived and he did the best he could with what he had and that was a huge challenge for him and his staff. Now with Spencer and Dantonio gone, Tressel is getting ready for a whole new challenge and wants to sink his teeth into it a big way. For him to make that comment of zwicks ability so soon, speaks in volumes. Especially since I figured Troy Smith had the inside track at the QB position from what I saw of the Spring game of 2003. S/G of 2004 should be one of great interest to watch and observe. I know I will be there personally for that one. Wowwy-Zowwy.
 
Upvote 0
Those are great comments to read on Tressel. It really excites me to hear that Zwick, as a RS Freshman, was at the same level as Scotty McMullen by mid season 2003. The sky is the limit at the QB situation, leadership will be lacked early on, but athletism will be more plentiful.
 
Upvote 0
slickman said:
Can anyone tell me the date of the spring game? I want to fly up and see it. (It's just as good an excuse to see the family as well.)

It is always in the last week of April that I can tell you for sure slickman. The exact date will be posted real soon in this thread. BuckWilly and myself will be driving up from Jacksonville for this one. Its going to be a fun week when we get there. Making reservations at the Red Roof Inn on the Olentangy real soon.
 
Upvote 0
kippy1040 said:
It is always in the last week of April that I can tell you for sure slickman. The exact date will be posted real soon in this thread. BuckWilly and myself will be driving up from Jacksonville for this one. Its going to be a fun week when we get there. Making reservations at the Red Roof Inn on the Olentangy real soon.


Last week of April... even (warmer) better. I was guessing middle of April.

thanks 1040.

RE: Zwick (or Smith): Very excited to see a QB with some nice polish step in and shine. I want to see us in the Orange Bowl.
 
Upvote 0
Zwick’s time is now

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=175105&r=0&Category=11

02zwick.jpg


Zwick’s time is now at OSU
Monday, August 2, 2004 By TODD PORTER Repository sports writer

NO. 1, MAYBE. Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel hasn’t committed to Justin Zwick (above) or Troy Smith as starting quarterback this season. Both could see action, especially early in the season.

COLUMBUS — That is not a new cologne on Justin Zwick.

It is pigskin.

In April, Zwick vowed to keep a football with him every waking moment. He keeps one in his car. He keeps one at home. He keeps a football at his apartment in Columbus.

The Ohio State sophomore will work on ball drills during a free moment. But Zwick, a high school legend who passed for more than 10,000 yards before graduating from Massillon, has taken it a little further.

Since OSU’s spring game, not many days have passed that the Buckeyes’ heir apparent at quarterback has not thrown a pass. Zwick, like other players, spent the last week in his hometown. It was a week off before practice starts Aug. 10.

Last Monday, Zwick, cornerback Dustin Fox and receiver Devin Jordan worked out together at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. There weren’t enough OSU players for an impromptu 7-on-7 drill, so it was 1-on-1.

“He looked real good,” Fox said.

Zwick played one round of golf during his week off, not exactly a vacation. Basically, he didn’t take time off.

“You really have to keep going,” Zwick said. “You don’t want to take a week off and get out of shape. You stay busy, you keep throwing, keep working. That’s how you get better.”

When was the last time Zwick took a day off and didn’t throw a pass?

“Gosh,” he said, “I think it was probably a Sunday. That’s about it.”

One Sunday off?

“I try to throw five days a week. If I can find somebody to throw to on Saturday, I will. Since my brother (Jared) moved out of town, it’s tough to find guys to throw to on the weekend.”

Zwick did what any hungry Big Ten quarterback eager to prove he belongs would do.

He brought 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive tackle Doug Datish out.

“Let’s just say I’ve got to find a receiver somewhere,” Zwick said. “Doug came out and caught some balls, but he doesn’t like it because his hands start to hurt.”

Zwick, 6-4, is down to about 220 pounds. He bench presses 335 pounds. Soon he will have the weight of the football-loving world in Columbus on his shoulders.

Head Coach Jim Tressel gave Zwick a slight edge on the starting QB job over fellow redshirt freshman Troy Smith. Tressel has never come close to declaring Zwick the outright starter.

“I think the word I’ve used for quite sometime is emerge. Who will emerge?” Tressel said. “The quarterback has to show you not only flashes that he can get it done, but do it over time.”

There is a chance OSU will use Zwick and Smith through the first three weeks. The Buckeyes host Cincinnati on Sept. 4 and Marshall on Sept. 11 and visit North Carolina State on Sept. 18. Tressel may not settle on a QB until after the N.C. State game.

Zwick is aware of the importance of earning the job now. The second-team QB may be looking at three years of backup duty. Yes, this is the opportunity of a lifetime for which Zwick has been waiting.

“Every day I go in to a workout, I have it in the back of my head,” he said. “I know there is a great opportunity here. I try to work hard to continue to do what I do. I’ve got to stay healthy, and working out is a big part of that. If I bust my tail now, it will pay off in the end.”

The two quarterbacks have maintained a friendship. Smith said, “I don’t think of it as a competition between the two of us. It’s about the team. It’s not about Justin and me. It’s about learning the position, gaining some experience and doing the right things for the team.”

Pick up a national college football magazine. It’s no secret what the key to OSU’s season is.

Zwick. Little is written about Smith in preseason publications. He could be the key, but it was Zwick who went to OSU as the most publicized high school quarterback to land in Columbus since Art Schlichter. It was Zwick who fans thought as a true freshman may unseat Craig Krenzel.

Expectations have been unrealistic.

How well can he perform in his first college action? Can he handle the pressure that comes with playing QB at a national power?

“With all the pressure, you know it’s there,” Zwick said. “I try not to worry about it. I try to get better every day and let the chips fall where they do.”

More than half of the teams in the Big Ten will start new quarterbacks. Tressel calls it a transition.

The last time Ohio State had to find a new quarterback, remember what happened?

Craig Krenzel led the Bucks to a national championship. Can lightning strike twice?

“I’ve got a big season ahead,” said Zwick, who saw action in a limited number of games a year ago. “There will be people who question me. You can’t let it consume you. You do everything you can do now to be prepared, so when the season comes, you’re ready.”
 
Upvote 0
There is some satisfaction in knowing that between the both of them, Troy and Justin feel there is a feelng of TEAM 1ST concept, in regards to thier personal goals. There is enough pressure on the team as a whole, let alone one person trying to take on the load as a Group. I like his attitude in reading this article. My mind keeps drifting back to the job and decisions made by Craig Krenzel during his 2 years and what he accomplished in bringing the team to the brink of thier National Championship. I think this will weigh heavely in Justin and Troys mind in trying to add to thier challenges. I am pretty positive that whatever decision Coach Tressel makes, it will be the right one and no one should bitch about that. Great article here.
 
Upvote 0
I just hope that Justin or Troy is ready and seizes the bull by the horns and doesn't let go. If there is a QB controversy in the fall, it will be due to the fact that at least one of the QBs is not up to snuff, and no one wants to see that happen..........
 
Upvote 0
I take comfort in knowing that he is working this hard. With that kind of work ethic, he will not be a bust. I think that Zwick will be very greatful for the comp that Smith is giving him in the future. If we had a guy who didn't want to start behind him, or a guy who just didn't have much ability, Zwick could relax too much and would still get the job. If the o-line performs well, we are in for a great season.
 
Upvote 0
Back
Top