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.”