Brown showing he's quick learner
Freshman receiver picking up OSU offense
Thursday, October 28, 2010
By Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Chris Russell | DISPATCH
Dane Sanzenbacher, left, congratulates Corey Brown, right, on his TD catch against Purdue.
Freshman receiver Corey Brown had been on the Ohio State campus for only a few days in June when he was already making a name for himself.
Make that a nickname: Philly.
Being from Upper Darby, Pa., a Philadelphia suburb, his new teammates needed a way to differentiate between him and second-year defensive back Corey Brown of Monroeville, Pa., near Pittsburgh. So "Philly" it was, and Brown ran with it.
Heading into a game Saturday night at Minnesota, Brown is playing more and more for Ohio State. Last week against Purdue, he scored his first touchdown with a leaping grab, caught another pass and gained 18 yards on an end-around.
Of course, he had been told all along that he had the goods to play as a freshman.
"Obviously the coaches will tell you that before you get here, as a recruiting thing," Brown said with a smile. "Then during summer workouts we were doing one-on-one things, and that kind of helped it. Then (preseason) camp is where (receivers coach Darrell) Hazell decided he should really give me a chance."
Hazell always seems to find at least one freshman to bring along during a season. With Ohio State's top receivers being senior Dane Sanzenbacher, junior DeVier Posey and senior Taurian Washington, there was a need for youth.
But there was more to Brown's ascension than filling a need.
"It does take a lot to get the coaches to trust you," said Sanzenbacher, who also played as a freshman. "It starts in the meeting room. I mean, if (Hazell) can't trust you mentally, then physically really doesn't matter.
