Buckeye battles
Some positions still up for grabs for Ohio State
Posted: Sunday April 24, 2005 4:20PM; Updated: Sunday April 24, 2005 9:18PM
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Justin Zwick, who will start Ohio State's opener against Miami (Ohio), threw for 104 yards in Saturday's Scarlet-Gray game.
AP
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<SCRIPT>if(cnnEnableCL){if(!(location.hostname.indexOf('cnn.com')>-1)) {cnnAddCSI('contextualLinks','/.element/ssi/misc/2.0/contextual/story.html','');}else{ cnnAddCSI('contextualLinks','http://cl.cnn.com/ctxtlink/jsp/si/cl/2.0/si-story.jsp','category=sincaaf&url=http:/\/robots.cnnsi.com/2005/football/ncaa/04/24/bc.fbc.ohiost.spring.ap/index.html&desccharcnt=80&site=cnn_sincaaf_dyn_ctxt&origin=si');}}</SCRIPT><IFRAME id=iframecontextualLinks style=\"VISIBILITY: hidden; POSITION: absolute\" name=iframecontextualLinks align=right src="http://cl.cnn.com/ctxtlink/jsp/si/cl/2.0/si-story.jsp?domId=contextualLinks&time=1114433076440&category=sincaaf&url=http://robots.cnnsi.com/2005/football/ncaa/04/24/bc.fbc.ohiost.spring.ap/index.html&desccharcnt=80&site=cnn_sincaaf_dyn_ctxt&origin=si" width=0 height=0></IFRAME></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Troy Smith isn't ready to proclaim himself the starter at quarterback and Antonio Pittman believes he's in a dead heat with Erik Haw to be Ohio State's lead tailback.
While the Buckeyes haven't settled on starters at their most high-profile positions, that doesn't mean they failed to accomplish other goals during spring football practice.
Coach Jim Tressel says multidimensional threat Ted Ginn Jr. is more comfortable at wide receiver and Sirjo Welch may have seized the open cornerback spot.
As a freshman last year, Ginn dominated opponents with his sprinter's speed -- scoring a total of eight touchdowns on punt returns, receptions and rushes after cracking the lineup midseason. Now he's trying to learn the intricacies of the receiver position, and he should be tougher on cornerbacks once he becomes a more precise route runner.
Tressel said Ginn has improved while practicing full time with the offense before last season's Alamo Bowl and now this spring.
"I thought Teddy really grew a lot as a receiver, having had more reps and having a chance to do more things as a pure receiver," Tressel said. "I thought he really expressed himself, and obviously he has great talent."
Ohio State closed spring practice Saturday with their annual Scarlet-Gray scrimmage -- a sloppy exhibition played on a winter-like day. The Gray defeated the Scarlet 19-6 before 22,649 at Ohio Stadium.
Smith, Justin Zwick and Todd Boeckman had trouble in the driving rain and gusting wind, with their passes often sailing over or behind intended receivers.
The Gray scored 13 points, 10 off turnovers, in a 4:09 span of the second quarter, then drove for a touchdown behind Smith for a 19-0 lead late in the third.
Smith has one game left on a two-game suspension for accepting money from a team booster, so Zwick will start the season opener at quarterback against Miami (Ohio).
The Buckeyes went 3-3 under Zwick to start last season before he injured a shoulder in a loss to Iowa. Smith then led Ohio State to victories in four of five games, including an upset of Michigan, but his suspension opened the door for Zwick to play in a 33-7 win over Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl.
Smith wouldn't say Saturday whether he would start after the first game, stating: "We don't talk about that at all." He also said he hasn't thought about whether he would be comfortable sharing the job with Zwick.
In the tailback competition, Pittman ran for 57 yards on 14 carries for the Gray, while Haw scored the Scarlet's only touchdown on a 10-yard run in the fourth quarter. Haw also rushed 16 times for a game-high 86 yards.
"I have to work hard. It's not going to be determined until the opener," Pittman said of the starter. "We both came into the spring as backups."
Tressel was impressed this spring with the play of Welch, who made a nice play in the scrimmage, hanging with speedy wideout Anthony Gonzalez to break up a potential touchdown pass in the first half.
"Sirjo is a guy when it's game time just seems to do things. Sometimes you think he's got further to go than he does when you watch the drills and when it's time to play he seems to be in position," Tressel said.
The Scarlet-Gray scrimmage gives Buckeyes coaches one last chance to evaluate players before they gather again in August to prepare for the season.
They couldn't have liked the Scarlet's performance in the second quarter.
An errant snap on a punt led to Boeckman's 6-yard scoring pass to Gonzalez, giving the Gray a 10-0 lead. Redshirt freshman Jonathan Skeete kicked his second field goal to make it 13-0 after the Scarlet fumbled again on its next possession.
The Gray's first three scoring drives covered 32 yards in 16 plays.
Smith threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Marcel Frost with 3:01 to play in the third quarter, capping a 52-yard drive.
A big hole the Buckeyes must fill is at placekicker, where they no longer have the luxury of All-American Mike Nugent. Skeete converted field goals of 43 and 22 yards, but also missed an extra point. Josh Huston failed to convert an extra point, in part because of a bad snap, and Ryan Pretorius missed a 43-yard field goal attempt.
"I feel good about the guys we have" in the kicking game, Tressel said.
