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'Pitt' is it, like it or not
By Jon Spencer
News Journal
<!-- ARTICLE BODYTEXT --> <!--ARTICLE TEXT--> COLUMBUS -- By rushing for 100 yards in Friday night's jersey scrimmage, trumpeted freshman tailback Chris Wells showed he's ready to start Ohio State's season opener Sept. 2 against Northern Illinois.
Two problems with that scenario.
One, he'll have to climb over incumbent Antonio Pittman to do it.
Two, despite all the fanfare surrounding Wells, it will be a steeper climb than one might think."Chris is a guy who had a lot of hype coming out of high school, and I understand why," linebacker Marcus Freeman said of the highly-decorated 6-1, 225-pound mix of speed and smash. "That's a big guy and he's hard to take down.
"But it's the same thing with Pittman. He's not as big, but Pitt will run over you one time and then juke you the next. So you've got to be prepared for both of those guys."
Although Pittman doesn't earn a lot of style points from fans, the 5-11, 195-pound junior proved he deserves to be the starter by rushing for 1,331 yards last season and scoring the clinching touchdowns against Michigan and Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. He answered questions about his durability by averaging 20 carries per game and got stronger as the season progressed, scoring all seven of his touchdowns in the final five games.
Nevertheless, the "Lead Dog" -- as Pittman is described on the cover of the current "Bucknuts the Magazine" -- isn't the pick of the litter among Big Ten backs. He failed to make first or second team all-conference even though he outplayed the more heralded Laurence Maroney of Minnesota, Tyrell Sutton of Northwestern and Mike Hart of Michigan in their head-to-head meetings.
"I think Pitt is by far one of the best running backs in the nation," Freeman said. "Not just because he's my teammate but because I've seen other running backs and seen him every day in practice. He doesn't get the recognition, maybe because he didn't score as many touchdowns as other backs, but I think he's going to have a great year."
So does offensive coordinator Jim Bollman, whose recovery from heart bypass surgery suffers a setback whenever anyone questions the pecking order at tailback.
"Antonio Pittman is the No. 1 tailback ... there's not any monkey business about that at all," Bollman said, his blood pressure rising. "Don't think that. Don't print that. Don't say that."
Bollman points out that the only OSU sophomore to rush for more yards was Archie Griffin with 1,577 in 1973. Griffin went on to win the Heisman Trophy in 1974 and '75.
"C'mon, who's going to come in and take his place?" Bollman said, defending Pittman. "As fast as he is? No way. The whole offense becomes a whole different ballgame when (Pittman) is in there."
If Bollman wants to squelch talk of a tailback controversy, maybe he should mute running backs coach Dick Tressel. It was the brother of head coach Jim Tressel who compared Wells to icon Jim Brown when Wells became the first commitment in OSU's 2006 recruiting class.
As for Pittman, no one is wearing "Pitt is It" buttons around Columbus. Fans want to lump him in with former OSU backs Pepe Pearson, Raymont Harris and Jonathan Wells -- serviceable if unspectacular.
He has to fight for attention on an offense that features Heisman Trophy candidates in quarterback Troy Smith and multi-threat receiver Ted Ginn Jr.
Not that Pittman seems to mind.
"That (Heisman hype) is great for Troy and Ted," he said. "They've worked hard; they deserve it. I'm not mad or devastated. I'm proud of them. What it motivates me to do is work even harder."
Even with all of the options OSU has on offense, Pittman sees a way to keep Ohio State's three tailbacks happy.
"We all have to come out firing for everyone to get the carries they want," Pittman said, speaking for Wells and namesake Maurice Wells, a sophomore scatback. "We have to wear out defenses and put up points early. That way, everyone can contribute."
If the coaches opt to give Pittman the bulk of the work, he's shown he can handle it. Fears that he would wear down last season were unfounded. He averaged 18 carries and 94 yards rushing the first six games, 22 and 128 the last six. He was last seen breaking away from the Flailing Irish on a 60-yard TD jaunt, clinching OSU's 34-20 victory in the Fiesta Bowl.
"The coaches naturally feel the rhythm a running back needs to get into," Pittman said. "They understand that if I'm ripping off big runs, they're not going to pull me. If one of us is struggling and defenses are stacking the box and we need a change of pace, then I can see coaches changing things up."
Pittman has struck teammates as a leader, not just a leading rusher.
"If Pitt was a selfish guy, he could be saying, 'Why is (Wells) getting so many reps in practice?' " Freeman said. "But he's so unselfish. He's always back there when Chris is getting his reps, coaching him up and helping him out.
"With Maurice Wells, they could give us a great one-two-three punch."
