ABJ
4/19
Wells hushed, but carrying big reputation
OSU running back learning well, doing the right things this spring
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
<!-- begin body-content --> COLUMBUS - When the Ohio State football team got off the bus outside Ohio Stadium on Tuesday, offensive coordinator Jim Bollman had a tight grip on Chris Wells' biceps as he steered the highly touted tailback toward the meeting rooms.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has not allowed a freshman to talk to the media this spring, and there would be no exception for the Parade All-American from Garfield, even if it was the running backs' interview day.
As his indoctrination wraps up with Saturday's 1:05 p.m. spring game, though, Wells is drawing rave reviews from his coaches and teammates.
Junior tailback Antonio Pittman, from Buchtel, said Wells reminds him of New England's Corey Dillon. Running backs coach Dick Tressel, Jim's brother, hasn't backed off his signing-day statement: Wells is a spitting image of Hall of Famer Jim Brown.
``Beanie is 6-1 and 235 pounds, and he's just come out of high school,'' fullback Stan White Jr. said in using Wells' nickname and sounding almost amazed.
``I think he's going to have a great career. He's going to punish people while he's here.''
Wells graduated from Garfield early so he could enroll for the spring quarter at OSU and get a head start in practice. It appears to have been a wise move, considering the improvement of sophomores Maurice Wells and Eric Haw.
Pittman, the incumbent after rushing for 1,331 yards last season, has been held out of contact drills due to a hamstring injury suffered before the Notre Dame game. He is not expected to play Saturday. He has taken every opportunity to help Chris Wells, even though some wonder if Wells eventually will unseat Pittman as No. 1 tailback.
``It's not about competition, it's about helping the team any way I can,'' Pittman said. ``Him being from Akron, and me knowing him personally, you always try to help somebody out like that.''
Asked what Wells has done well, Pittman replied: ``It's a big transition coming from high school and running a simple offense to getting up here and they're throwing 10, 11 plays at you a day, and they expect you to learn everything. Learning as quick as he has is the biggest thing.''
Dick Tressel concurred.
``What he has done well is really take it upon himself to be a learner and a listener,'' Tressel said. ``He has gone out of his way to make sure he's doing all the studying of the game he possibly can.
``He's in a whole new world. He has got all kinds of new things and new people and new competition and he's doing a great job working through it.''
In a scrimmage April 8, Wells picked up 92 yards on 19 carries, but fumbled after a pass reception.
``He's a very patient runner,'' Jim Tressel said. ``For a young guy, I was very impressed with his patience. He waited for things to develop. He has got a ways to go in the pass game. We've thrown a million things at him, and I think he's doing fine with that.''
Dick Tressel said Wells didn't do anything his first day of practice to wow him.
``He's certainly a guy who has high hopes and high expectations,'' he said. ``For him to play really well is what everybody expects.''
4/19
Wells hushed, but carrying big reputation
OSU running back learning well, doing the right things this spring
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
<!-- begin body-content --> COLUMBUS - When the Ohio State football team got off the bus outside Ohio Stadium on Tuesday, offensive coordinator Jim Bollman had a tight grip on Chris Wells' biceps as he steered the highly touted tailback toward the meeting rooms.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has not allowed a freshman to talk to the media this spring, and there would be no exception for the Parade All-American from Garfield, even if it was the running backs' interview day.
As his indoctrination wraps up with Saturday's 1:05 p.m. spring game, though, Wells is drawing rave reviews from his coaches and teammates.
Junior tailback Antonio Pittman, from Buchtel, said Wells reminds him of New England's Corey Dillon. Running backs coach Dick Tressel, Jim's brother, hasn't backed off his signing-day statement: Wells is a spitting image of Hall of Famer Jim Brown.
``Beanie is 6-1 and 235 pounds, and he's just come out of high school,'' fullback Stan White Jr. said in using Wells' nickname and sounding almost amazed.
``I think he's going to have a great career. He's going to punish people while he's here.''
Wells graduated from Garfield early so he could enroll for the spring quarter at OSU and get a head start in practice. It appears to have been a wise move, considering the improvement of sophomores Maurice Wells and Eric Haw.
Pittman, the incumbent after rushing for 1,331 yards last season, has been held out of contact drills due to a hamstring injury suffered before the Notre Dame game. He is not expected to play Saturday. He has taken every opportunity to help Chris Wells, even though some wonder if Wells eventually will unseat Pittman as No. 1 tailback.
``It's not about competition, it's about helping the team any way I can,'' Pittman said. ``Him being from Akron, and me knowing him personally, you always try to help somebody out like that.''
Asked what Wells has done well, Pittman replied: ``It's a big transition coming from high school and running a simple offense to getting up here and they're throwing 10, 11 plays at you a day, and they expect you to learn everything. Learning as quick as he has is the biggest thing.''
Dick Tressel concurred.
``What he has done well is really take it upon himself to be a learner and a listener,'' Tressel said. ``He has gone out of his way to make sure he's doing all the studying of the game he possibly can.
``He's in a whole new world. He has got all kinds of new things and new people and new competition and he's doing a great job working through it.''
In a scrimmage April 8, Wells picked up 92 yards on 19 carries, but fumbled after a pass reception.
``He's a very patient runner,'' Jim Tressel said. ``For a young guy, I was very impressed with his patience. He waited for things to develop. He has got a ways to go in the pass game. We've thrown a million things at him, and I think he's doing fine with that.''
Dick Tressel said Wells didn't do anything his first day of practice to wow him.
``He's certainly a guy who has high hopes and high expectations,'' he said. ``For him to play really well is what everybody expects.''
Upvote
0
