@Ramzy again....
THE SITUATIONAL: Hiding in Plain Sight
By
Ramzy Nasrallah on September 30, 2026 at 1:15 pm
@ramzy
Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
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Ted Ginn Jr.'s Ohio State highlights look amazing in every era.
If you haven't rewatched them recently or are simply too much of a whippersnapper to have been born in time to enjoy his college years, we're talking about a guy with uncommon gait and acceleration. The highlights remain, but the details and context fade with every passing decade.
There was no one like Teddy on the roster before, during or after his arrival. He went on to a 14-year NFL career, but while Ohio State had him, it wasn't uncommon to hear - through gritted teeth -
the only person on earth who can stop Ted Ginn Jr. is Jim Tressel.
He debuted during the solitary down year of the Tressel Era, which is where that frustration first manifested. Santonio Holmes and Roy Hall were atop the depth chart with Bam Childress and Anthony Gonzalez trying to work their ways in, while Ginn was a freshman DB/WR trying to get onto the field. By the end of that season he was must-see television.
BACK IN 2004, AT FIRST TED GINN WASN'T ALLOWED TO DO ANYTHIN' - BUT THEN HE DID EVERYTHIN'
| Cincinnati |
W 27-6 |
2 |
-1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
— |
0 |
| Marshall |
W 24-21 |
1 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
— |
0 |
| at NC State |
W 22-14 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
— |
0 |
| at Northwestern |
L 27-33 OT |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
12 |
12.0 |
0 |
| Wisconsin |
L 13-24 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
72 |
36.0 |
1 |
| at Iowa |
L 7-33 |
1 |
19 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
8.0 |
0 |
| Indiana |
W 30-7 |
1 |
59 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1.0 |
0 |
| Penn State |
W 21-10 |
2 |
23 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
67 |
67.0 |
1 |
| at Michigan State |
W 32-19 |
4 |
77 |
1 |
2 |
21 |
1 |
2 |
71 |
35.5 |
1 |
| at Purdue |
L 17-24 |
3 |
7 |
0 |
2 |
47 |
0 |
2 |
23 |
11.5 |
0 |
| Michigan |
W 37-21 |
5 |
87 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
123 |
30.8 |
1 |
| vs Oklahoma State |
W 33-7 |
6 |
78 |
0 |
8 |
40 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
7.0 |
0 |
The 2004 Buckeyes were resetting themselves, with Craig Krenzel, Michael Jenkins, Will Smith and Darion Scott among the departed legends from Tressel's opening run. Why wasn't a 5-star speed demon getting more opportunities to make an immediate impact for a team that needed an immediate impact?
The familiar answer: He was a freshman who had not yet earned the right to be trusted. Maurice Hall (basically, Master Teague before Master Teague was Master Teague) was returning kickoffs. Tressel trusted him. Holmes was trusted as well, and he returned punts that season - including a 63-yard TD in the Northwestern disaster.
Teddy was electric, and yet he didn't get his first punt return until that fourth game. He took it 12 yards, which is higher than the average from every season of the Ryan Day Era. A week later against Wisconsin, he took the first punt he saw to the house.
Caleb Downs owns the sole punt return touchdown since Urban Meyer's retirement. Ginn, as a true freshman, had four that season. In East Lansing, he scored on a handoff, a reception and a punt ret- you know what, it's all here..........................
This really doesn't have to be a four-quarter game. And if the defense finds any juice, it won't be.
